As Long As You Love Me
RATING: 4 Stars (★★★★)
SPICE LEVEL: 1 Spicy Pepper (🌶️)
DISCLOSURE: I received a free copy for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Author: Marianna Leal
Publisher: W by Wattpad Books
Is it on KU?: Nope
TW: Death, Domestic Violence, and Kidnapping. There is nothing super graphic on the page, but it may be triggering for some readers.
Tropes:
↠ Rivals to Lovers
↠ Fake Relationship
As Long As You Love Me was a solid book. I don’t know if it had enough romance to be a romance book, but it tackles complex political systems respectfully. I’m Cuban and can relate to feeling negative about a country that caused so much pain to my family. Similar to how Catalina feels about the unrest in Venezuela.
As Catalina grapples with her family’s political divide on the Venezuelan regime, she is left in a tricky situation when her sister’s free speech impacts her goal to achieve the American dream.
The romance was cute but not a focal point, and Gabe was one-dimensional. I still enjoyed it overall and like all the side characters, but I’m unsure if I’d call this a romance.
Publishing Date: 9/12/2023
How can rivals and opposites seem like they're meant to be?
Catalina Diaz Solis needs just a few things to achieve her dream: her student visa, a full-time job, and to get Gabriel Cabrera out of her head. Since leaving Venezuela after her brother was killed in a political protest, Cata has been working to finish her Engineering degree, and now she's in line for a full-time job that will allow her to stay in the United States. A major wrinkle in her plans is Gabe, the campus babe. He's always in Cata's way, competing for top grades and poised to take the job at their internship.
Gabe seems to have it all; he succeeds without trying and is extremely good-looking. It makes hard-working Cata endlessly frustrated. But when Gabe needs a plus-one for his brother's wedding, he strikes a deal: Cata will be his fake date, and he'll step out of the running for the job she desperately needs. As they attend events together, Cata discovers there's more to her nemesis than she ever imagined. It's all fun and games until Cata's visa renewal is rejected, and Gabe complicates things with a new proposal that might either solve all her problems or destroy her dreams. Cata will have to put everything on the line to follow her heart.
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