like a love song – gabriela martins | blog tour + arc review + giveaway (US only)

Like a Love Song by Gabriela Martins

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Standalone
Published August 3rd 2021 by Underlined/Delacorte
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Representation: Brazilian MC, Jewish bisexual LI, Pakistani-American lesbian SC, Black SC, Brazilian SC

Rating:

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

Synopsis:

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?

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound

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Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour for choosing me as one of the participants in #LikeaLoveSong tour. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. If you’re interested in the other tour stops, check out the schedule!

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Entertaining and fast-paced, Like a Love Song featuring a Brazilian pop singer and her British indie film actor, captured my attention for the whole afternoon. When Natalie’s boyfriend broke up with her on live television, minutes before her acceptance speech for an award, the idea that her PR team came up to change things around is for her to date someone else. Not real dating, no. Fake dating.

Since Nati already had an image of who she wanted her next “boyfriend” to be like, she wasn’t entirely kind towards the dorky and awkward William at the start. She was unnecessary picky about his personality, his looks and his actions. That quickly changed when they started getting to know each other even more. In fact, the concerns she had at first became the parts of William that Nati started to adore and cherish.

Throughout the book, Nati opened up about her fears. Afraid that her Brazilian family would think that she had given up on her Latina heritage and culture and that she’s too American to them, she dreads talking to any of her relatives. Nati realises that she didn’t need to compromise on anything to be who she wants to be. At the same time, Nati got her mother and two best friends, Brenda and Padma, as wonderful support systems.

While William had gained some popularity and recognition from the indie films he starred in, he was not ready for the influx of attention that came with (fake) dating a famous and well-loved pop star. What I enjoyed from William and Nati’s interactions was their conversations about fame. William just wanted to act and protect his family. As an extremely private person, the sudden push into the world of cameras and paparazzi terrified William to no end. He started questioning if he was really fit for such a lifestyle.

I loved how real William was throughout the entire book. He was honest about his own feelings regarding Nati, fame, and his family’s situation. I found it really sweet that Nati couldn’t help but spill her thoughts to William because that’s how comfortable and safe she felt with him about her secrets.

Overall, flew through Like a Love Song in no time. The fluffy romance got me wanting more of William and Nati together. While it was light-hearted most of the time, serious topics such as racism faced by the characters and the struggles of being in the show business industry were discussed. I really enjoyed the book! Can’t wait for more by Gabriela Martins!

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author information

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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giveaway (US only)

One winner will receive a finished copy of Like a Love Song. The giveaway starts on August 2^nd and ends on August 9^th.

Click on this link to Rafflecopter.