Whenever I find a new contemporary that has the fake dating trope it’s one that gets added to my list immediately. Which was also the case with Like a Love Song! This book recently released and today I want to tell you what I thought.
A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc on Netgalley to read and review.
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?
Review
Like a Love Song is everything I want in a contemporary and more. It’s lighthearted, funny, but also serious at times. The fake dating trope was done well and the ending left a smile on my face. I flew through this book and my only complaint was that I wanted more.
Natalie is a pop star who is working on building up her career. When things go south with her boyfriend on live TV she needs to find a way to fix her reputation. That’s where the fake dating trope comes in! Pretending to date someone isn’t easy. Especially when all eyes our on you. William is an actor who wants to get his career going to take care of his family. I loved how Natalie and William got to know each other, but it started off really awkward. They were a lot of fun together and you know in most cases they actually end up actually feeling for each other. The journey to there was a lot of fun to read and I was really hoping for them to get their happily ever after.
This book also really focuses on the pressure and negative sides of being famous. Always being watched and judged by what you do. Especially in the day and age of social media. I do feel like Natalie was really strong in this, but that Like a Love Song was also a big part of her realizing that her heritage isn’t something she needs to hide. I can’t relate to this at all being a white woman, but I can’t imagine what it’s like not being able to feel like you can accept your heritage and show it to everyone. I loved seeing Natalie go through that process though. It was amazing to see her embrace that side of herself.
William was such an amazing character. He was really calm and down to earth and all he wanted to do was protect his family and help them with their finances. Besides William there are two other amazing side characters: Padma and Brenda who are Natalie’s best friends. Like a Love Song truly had an amazing cast of side characters.
All in all, this book was such a fast and fun read that also hit me in all the feels. My only complaint would be that I really wanted more. That’s always the case when you really love a book though!
I really enjoyed Like a Love Song and can’t wait to see what Gabriela Martins gives us next. Fake dating is definitely still one of my favorite tropes. Do you have a favorite trope? Let me know in the comments!
