Like A Love Song was on my most anticipated reads list for 2021 because it sounded just that amazing… If you want to see whether or not I was wrong, read my full review below!
Like a Love Song by Gabriela Martins Published by Underlined/Delacorte on August 3, 2021
Genres: contemporary, romance, young adult
Format: ARC
Source: Penguin Random House INTL
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This debut paperback original romance follows a Latina teen pop star whose image takes a dive after a messy public breakup, until she’s set up with a swoon-worthy fake boyfriend.
Fake boyfriend. Real heartbreak?
Natalie is living her dream: topping the charts and setting records as a Brazilian pop star…until she’s dumped spectacularly on live television. Not only is it humiliating—it could end her career.
Her PR team’s desperate plan? A gorgeous yet oh-so-fake boyfriend. Nati reluctantly agrees, but William is not what she expected. She was hoping for a fierce bad boy—not a soft-hearted British indie film star. While she fights her way back to the top with a sweet and surprisingly swoon-worthy boy on her arm, she starts to fall for William—and realizes that maybe she’s the biggest fake of them all. Can she reclaim her voice and her heart?
I received this book for free from Penguin Random House INTL in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:
mentions of cancer, scenes at the hospital, mentions of bullying, stalking.There are no spoilers in this review.
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I ENJOYED…
☂️
- Like A Love Song starts with Natalie, a teen Brazilian pop star, getting dumped and humiliated by her famous boyfriend in a very public way, something she did not expect. To gain her popularity and reinstate her image, she’s suggested by her PR team to fake-date this gorgeous, indie British actor. Honestly, I’m writing this here again because you all should embrace the glorious awesomeness that is this synopsis. I knew I could be a big, big fan of this story from this only and I’m thrilled to say, I wasn’t wrong.
- Natalie is such a great main character, I immediately fell for her. She’s anxious and very worried about her image and what her fans think, she’s so relatable. I rooted for her right from the start and found her so endearing. Moreover, I loved how much she learned about herself and what she wants in her relationships, as well as with her career, thorough the book.
- Oh, the romance was one of my favorite parts of this story for sure, most of it all because it’s not insta-love, at all. Slowly, the fake couple gets to know each other, grow closer and become friends, until feelings grow and there’s only one bed trope (me = screaming here) and you’re here reading about those two and swooning. The chemistry between them was lovely and, if you’re a fan of the fake-dating trope, read Like A Love Song.
- Aside from the romance, there’s an incredible place for friendship in this story and I loved it. Natalie’s two best friends are always there for her and I loved that they had their own story, background and worries, too. They felt three-dimensional and were such a nice addition here.
- YES to the family in this story, too! Natalie has a complicated relationship with her family back in Brazil and often feels inadequate because of the language barrier between them. I really liked seeing her journey with her own identity, slowly owning this part of her and getting a little bit closer to her family, too.
OVERALL
☂️
Like A Love Song ended up being a hit for me. I loved the celebrity romance, the fake-dating, the friendships and the characters won my heart. 200% recommending it!
FINAL RATING : 4,5 stars!
📌 Pin the book review of Like A Love Song, Gabriela Martins on Pinterest!
📚 Books similar to Like A Love Song that I’d recommend:
- For more stories with celebrities, try I Was Born For This, by Alice Oseman.
- Also give Going Off Script by Jen Wilde a try!
- If you’re looking for some fake-dating, try Dating Makes Perfect, by Pintip Dunn.
Did you read Like A Love Song or do you want to? Do you have any recommendations of great contemporary romances? Let me know in comments!
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I’m so happy to see that you liked this book! I’ve seen it all over lately and it honestly just sounds so cute! Plus, the aesthetic you made for it is absolutely adorable! Great review 😊
Ahh thank you so much, that’s so kind of you to say! 🥺 I hope you will love the book whenever you can read it🥺🥺
This is one of my most awaited reads for the second half of 2021, so I’m really happy to see how much you loved it. 😀 I love everything you said about this – fake dating, awesome friendship and complicated family relationship – so now I’m even more excited. Great review! 🙂
AHH yay! I can’t wait for you to read it and I hope you will love it, Veronika! 🥺
You already know that I liked the book and having read your review, I can tell I liked it for mostly the same reasons as you. The only thing that didn’t feel super real to me was the age of the characters. In my head, with what they were doing and so on, it just felt like they were older. But it wasn’t a huge hindrance. Glad we both enjoyed it so much!!
Oh yeah! I can understand that and I feel like we weren’t often reminded that the main character was actually 17. I pictured her as a little bit older as I read, ahah. Thank you so much, Kat!! <3