Bubbly and sweet, a feel good story about a young girl coming into her own. Positive representation of Brazilian culture.

3.5 stars. full review to come. thank you to the publisher for the arc.

this was a cute YA story about being your true self, reconnecting with your roots and your culture, and of course, love.

i do acknowledge that most of the time Nati annoyed me (she was impulsive, assumed things a lot, had so much self-hate) but i think its because shes 17 and grew up in the eyes of a public that made her feel like she couldnt be her trueself.

overall, i still recommend this book to everyone who wants to escape their real world.

Many thanks to Random House Children's for an advance copy through NetGalley!

Natalie is on top of the world. Hot boyfriend, top of the charts, about to get a major award, all at the age of 17. Until her ass-faced boyfriend decides to end the relationship right before she gets the award, leading to a meltdown on live TV. While trying to rebuild her image, her team suggests it's time to engineer a new relationship. Enter William.

William is 100% so freaking sweet and naive. He and Natalie take a while to find their rhythm but once they do, the chemistry is palpable, especially in Portugal. The sub-plots with William and Natalie's families added a richness to the story that made the book even better.

Gabriela Martins is a debut author and if this is her first entry into the book world, I cannot wait to see what's next. Highly recommend picking this one up.

3.5 stars

This book was really cute and fun, but it had a fantastic new diverse POV that made me so happy with it! There are many references in this book as to the lack of Brazilian representation across the world's stage, and how people will automatically think Brazilians are Hispanic because they're Latinx and therefore speak Spanish, and despite how I teach my students the difference, I feel like this book really illustrated it well and in a fun story. I think it was a great YA romance, while being very mature with concepts like "If you love them, let them go" "give them time" etc. Nati was a great rom-com heroine and definitely a strong woman for teens to look up to. I definitely will be picking up a copy for my classroom.

Hi everyone!

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The following are all my own opinions.

Like a Love Song is a YA #OwnVoices standalone novel that centers around Natalie, a Brazilian popstar who falls from grace after an ugly break-up on national television and needs to rebrand her image. Enter William Ainsley, a British indie actor looking to become a household name internationally and the pair are set up as a PR relationship to boost both of their careers. Along the way they become friends before realizing there is nothing fake about their feelings. This awakens something in Natalia that makes her search deeper into her own identity that could change not only the way she sees herself but the way the world does too. Obstacles such as distance, intrusive media speculation and Natalia’s horrendous ex-boyfriend might try to keep her and William apart, but as the book’s tagline suggests: could this fake relationship become real heartbreak?

• Representation: Brazilian characters, Black characters, Jewish love interest, two bisexual characters, lesbian character
• Tropes: fake dating, there was only one bed

I read this book in two days and I genuinely could not stop smiling. The clever way in which technology (Instagram, stan Twitter culture and texting, specifically) and reality blend together in the pages of the book make it a very realistic read. I found myself rooting for Natalie and William from their very first meeting because their chemistry came so naturally. From skeptical and somewhat hostile conversations to genuine care and comfort from the other’s presence, this payoff was wonderful to witness! There was something about William Ainsley that reminded me of Tom Holland and I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but I loved it and I wish he was real so I could watch his movies. And as a massive fan of singer-songwriters, the same, of course, goes for Natalia’s music. The part of the book I appreciated the most was the way Natalia went from being initially afraid of embracing her truth for the sake of remaining The Best to realizing that the only way she was going to feel comfortable with herself was by letting go of a persona and accepting herself, her past, and her roots.

The cast of characters felt so real to me and it’s evident that the representation was done with much love and care. I have to highlight my appreciation for the way mental health and therapy were discussed in this book so openly. I think the normalization of these conversations in YA books recently has been so important and I’m glad this demographic is being exposed to these discussions without the stigmas that have previously surrounded the topic. I know that if this book had come out when I was a teenager, I would’ve been just as in love with it. Gabriela Martins has a fantastic debut here and if you want to go for the full immersive experience, be sure to check out the character playlists she made on her website.

*Thank you so much to the lovely author, netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange in exchange for an honest review*

I think I preordered this when it was first announced? So to say I was excited was an understatement and when I got an advanced copy I knew I wanted to read it before it was released.

First of all, I want it noted that I read this in more or less one sitting (it doesn't count if I took breaks to play with my dog right?). The writing was so easy to follow and so addictive that I was never bored and it flowed so easily.

I loved the premise, I personally don't think you can beat the fake dating trope. And I loved Natalie/Nati and William so much, they were so sweet and wholesome and the perfect YA couple.

I wish there had been more of an exploration into Trent and his unacceptable behaviour because that really didn't sit well with me and felt that could have been a great plot point with Nati standing up for herself and showing the world the kind of guy he was.

I really enjoyed watching Nati start to embrace her culture and native language, the ending really showed a development in her character and an element of maturity that we hadn't seen previously.

This is such a fantastic debut and I can't wait to see what else Gabriela Martins puts out.

I really enjoyed this one. It was a fast-paced read and the love interest was so likable. Not only that, but it had a lot of diverse representation, including the Brazilian main character, and the bisexual Jewish love interest. I would have loved a little more towards the end after the main conflicts were resolved, but overall this was a great book.

When a Brazilian-American pop star agrees to fake-date an obscure British actor to boost her PR, she will need to decide whether good publicity is worth a broken heart.

The jacket summary of this novel did not prepare me for how grounded, principled, relatable, and frankly inspiring a teen pop star could be. Though it is very much within the YA sphere, I was personally enthralled by the characters and their love story. Beyond the romance, the novel asks intelligent and nuanced questions about the cost of art and the cost of hiding or losing touch with your cultural identity. LIKE A LOVE SONG definitely has crossover appeal for the New Adult audience and will be a strong, diverse addition to any YA romance collection.

what an adorable book!

I think this is one of those book you recommend because it's perfect to read in a sitting and have a wonderful evening. I loved the characters and it has very cute moments.

The only issue I have with this book is that it's a bit rushed. We don't get the full potential juice from the story and no themes were that explored for my liking. I agree with some other reviewers that a PR relationship (along with some plotpoints and character traits) would have gone perfect with older main characters. Like twenty-somethings. I wouldn't say it fell flat because it still was so much fun, but it's noticeable that it could've been much better.

Anyways, overall, it was very enjoyable and I thourougly recommend it. 3.5 stars.

3.5 stars --

I just wanted to *love* this SO much! :'( I love love love the cover (SWOON!) and I love the concept. I am sucker for fake dating and will read almost ANY fake dating book. It's my kryptonite.

I think where this book went wrong for me was how SHORT and RUSHED it was. It felt really underdeveloped, which is sad because it had so much potential! I think if it were longer, if the tension and stakes were a little more slow-building, it would've been a slam dunk. I really liked the characters and appreciated the rep and thought it was a fun use of the fake-dating trope. It just didn't really build on those things enough. I wanted MORE of everything.

A big thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. LIKE A LOVE SONG is out 8/3!

Top 5 Reasons to Read Like a Love Song

1) Our main character, Natalie is a teen-pop star, and she's Spanish, and that side of culture is integrated well into the story. In a way, she's kind of telling the story of so many young people who come from different countries and settle into America, but they are forced to change things about themselves even though they might not want to, just to feel like they belong.

2) Come and read this book for the immensely cute, British guy with a heart of gold. He is truly so pleasing to read, and I just know that you can't help but love him.

3) It is a very fun, light-hearted romance, a little tropey, but who doesn't love a good Hollywood dating charade? There's not any sort of extra angsty or heavy or depressing stuff. It's a very feel-good romance and character journey perfect to give you butterflies.

4) It's warm and familiar with its plot, but the character struggles are so unique and it's great that they're being written in a mainstream YA story is so incredible. I always appreciate when people of different communities are represented well and are the center of stories that majorly just have white people as protagonists.

5) It remains a fun, quick, and hopeful read to lift your spirits. But if you just want the blurb and not unnecessary chatter from me, let me break it down for you- Fake dating in Hollywood+ cute British guy and a Latino teen pop-star...

all you had to do to sell this book to me was: fake dating, coping with our identity, and fame. Like a Love Song is a fabulous and engaging read. It delivers swoon worthy romance - because I loved watching their, "is this real??" interactions - and conversations about identity and sacrifice. While I loved all the tension and yearning, what really cements my love is how Natalie journeys with her own identity.

I love how Natalie is stuck between the lines of popularity and fame. The pressures of being seen everywhere she goes and wondering what is truly real in her life. Not only in the relationships around her, in her own career, but also in her own life as she internally asks questions about her name and her family. In some ways, she feels like she has to pick between being Brazilian and American, to figure out how she wants to be perceived and who she wants to be.

This was an adorable romance that I would love to have on my shelf for my 8th grade students. It has the glitz and glam, reverse Cinderella story and brought up relevant tropics such as race, culture, family, body image etc. Well written and sweet!

Natalie is the newest pop star sensation! Originally from Brazil, she’s managed to make it big in the United States, and couldn’t be happier about her fame and her music. But when her boyfriend dumps her live on television, her reputation is ruined. To save her from the scandal, her PR agency comes up with the perfect solution: find her a new boyfriend! A new fake boyfriend, of course. And luckily, there’s a new young actor visiting from England, William. This indie actor couldn’t be further from the guy that Natalie was expecting, but now they’re under contract. Make the world believe they’re in love, or lose their fame. The only problem is, Natalie is starting to buy into the lie herself.

I received an advanced reading copy of Like a Love Song in exchange for an honest review.

Like a Love Song is a young adult romance by Gabriela Martins. It has a bunch of those famous tropes that romance books tend to have too: you have the fake dating, the British boyfriend, and… could there be a “there’s only one bed” scene? I guess you’ll have to read the book to find out!

OK, so I know what you’re probably thinking at this point. “Steph, you don’t really read romance books. You’re strictly a fantasy person.” And you would be right. I almost never pick up romance books, but when I saw this book, something just called out to me. I’m not sure if it was the fact that it featured a pop star, or that the author and main character were Latinx, or just the mood I was in. The point is, I was interested enough to read an advanced reading copy of it. So what did I think?

I enjoyed it, actually! I was really in the mood for something light and cute (my most recent read had me sobbing into a pillow for about an hour – I’m sure I’ll post my review of that in a few weeks), so this was the perfect thing for me to read. I enjoyed the tropes, trope-y as they were, but I was expecting them. I knew to just sit back, relax, and enjoy them as they came, even as I ended up getting Selena Gomez’s “Like a Love Song” stuck in my head, as well as Rick Astley’s “Together Forever” (do you guys know that song? Or is that just me?).

But what I liked the best about this book was how much of it was about Natalie finding her own identity. You’d look at the description of this book and just imagine that the whole thing would revolve around the fake romance to William, right? But no, there’s more depth here. A lot of the book is about Natalie finding herself, but to do that, she has to realize she’s lost in the first place. This work into Natalie’s personality really brought her to life for me, allowing me to see a girl who was not just seeking for a way to save her image, but a way to find out who she really wants to be.

The fact that she was Latinx also helped me like her a lot, I can’t lie. I just love seeing Latinx characters featured in stories, and Natalie has to find out this whole part of her identity that has changed since she’s moved to the United States. There’s other forms of diversity in this book too! You have LGBTQ characters, as well as characters of other races and religions. I found it to be fairly well rounded, and appreciated the thought Martins gave to each character.

The book was a nice and quick read, perfect for a day when you’re lounging in the sun, or those weekends before the dreaded Monday. It’s certainly the sort of thing you can read as a pick-me-up, and the kind of book that’ll leave you smiling later.

Like a Love Song will be released on August 3. You can pre-order your copy from Underlined/Delacorte at this link.

This was such a charming and fun book! Natalie is a pop star who suffers from a supremely embarrassing and public breakup, gets memed, and needs to salvage her image. Enter William, a young British actor who agrees to fake date Natalie to help put his own name on the Hollywood networking map.

There were so many parts of this book that I loved. Natalie’s Brazilian background and reconciling who she *thinks* she should be and who she *wants* to be. Her support system of friends. Her budding relationship with William Ainsley as the two navigate probably having feelings for each other while being contractually obligated to publicly have feelings for each other.

At times, the pacing felt a little off, as if parts were a little rushed. I would have enjoyed more time for Natalie and William’s growing relationship to breathe a bit, especially through their texting conversations or phone calls. I loved those moments the most. Also, I needed Trent, the terrible ex, to be less two-dimensional.

Overall, I thought that this was a lovely book and I read it pretty much in one sitting. It absolutely hooked me.

4 stars.

Everything I knew about this book before I started reading it just made me want to dive into it even more. From the fake-dating-trope to the setting among the LA music and film stars – I truly thought Like a Love Song was written for me, because it basically covered everything I love. I’m so very happy to report that it didn’t disappoint!

Natalie, as a narrator, has a fun and easy voice. She effortlessly manages to make herself relatable to the reader, even though she has a couple diva-moments, which the people in her life notice and even shade a little at times. All of that is part of her journey though and what a sweet one that is. Because when you are followed by paparazzi all the time and every moment of your life gets captured for the internet (be it in a professional capacity or by the shoddy phone camera of a fan), it may happen that you lose sight of who you really are. Natalie was vulnerable and anxious, constantly overthinking what the public, but also her friends and family, were thinking of her, and that made her so beautifully human. I really enjoyed watching her find her way back to herself.

Now, enter William. I sometimes wished we had gotten to know his family and his struggles on an even deeper level, but he was so easy to fall in love with regardless. There was a certain dorkiness and cluelessness to him that felt so endearing, but most of all I appreciated his willingness to keep it real despite the circumstances. Even when Natalie sometimes doubted him, I think his sincerity shone through. However, I’d like to add that I will not tolerate any slander of superhero movies, especially not from indie movie snobs.

So much about this story was cute and funny, but it really had a lot of heart as well. I read it in just one day and that’s because it flowed really nicely, but also because it didn’t always go into great depth. Natalie’s feelings were very clear and I loved the glimpses at family and friends, funny text chains and hints at their life off the page, but sometimes I also wanted even more. I’m forever greedy that way.

The one final thing I will say is that the characters didn’t really feel like 17-year-olds to me. They could have just as easily been in their early twenties and I don’t see how that would have changed the story, but then again, I really didn’t mind that they sometimes seemed older in my head. Maybe I even preferred that in some scenes …

Lastly, Like a Love Song will officially release on my birthday and I think that is an especially good omen. I hope that date will put it under a lucky star, because I really think that a lot of people could potentially enjoy this fun story!

Fazit: 4/5 stars! If you like tropey (in the best sense of the word) teen romances, you should check this out!

Thank you to Random House Children's Underlined for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Let me preface this by saying: I "met" Gabhi on twitter very early in the year. I had heard about this book for months before it was ever available to request. I knew the premise and have continually told Gabhi how incredibly excited I was for this. I went into this with such high expectations. Not only did this book shatter all of my expectations, it exceeded them far greater than I could've ever hoped. I absolutely love YA contemporary/romance and read a lot of it, but not many books touch me through to my soul the way Like A Love Song did. Not because I know Gabhi or because I've been anticipating this book forever, because this book truly was so well written I could go from crying to laughing and back again to smiling all within a page or two. It was so magical that I read this in three hours. It was absolutely unputdownable.

Even after loving and reading so many YA contemporary/romance books, I still get so excited for them. Saying I was excited for this is the understatement of the year. Fake dating is my bread and butter. But the idea of a beautiful Brazilian pop star needed a fake boyfriend? Yeah, I could read about Nati all day and wouldn't get tired of it. Like A Love Song really gave me everything I didn't know I need together as far as tropes, but now don't want to live without. Fake Dating? check. One bed? Check. Things reserved only for each other? check. Opposites attract? Check. I could go on and on how this book gave me literally everything I wanted.
"But he says it with a smile that's just for me."
My heart did a GIANT pitter patter at this line. Nothing gets me going more than a smile that the love interest reserves just for the main character. But, before we get to that and my undying love for William, I'm going to talk about some of my favorite people in this book- Padma and Brenda. Absolute icons. What great friends. I love them so much!! Their support of Nati, their banter, their togetherness. Great friend groups really drive my happiness up in a book and this also gave me that. It was such a wonderful addition to this story and I won't ever stop talking about it.

The way Gabhi managed to write not only a fantastic story, but complex characters, a fantastically well done plot and a sweet romance that will have you swooning for days after you've finished. For a debut, I will never understand how it's so good. I really can't get over it. I love the complex emotions that Nati goes through with her heritage. I loved watching her growth within herself, her roots and her confidence when it came to speaking Portuguese. It was heartwarming. I enjoyed watching how she learned to just be herself. Also, I still want to punch Trent, so same Nati same.

I could go on and on, describing every single detail of this book and how much I love it. But, I'm just going to urge you to read this. It's heartwarming, heartfelt and a story full of growth, warmth and love. I truly can't wait to dive in for a reread already. This will easily become one of my comfort books and has slid it's way into my very illusive top 3 YA contemporary books I've ever read. I loved it. You won't regret reading this!

I hosted a guest post by the author on my blog a few months ago (you can find it here) and that had made me very excited to read Like a Love Song so I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t fully enjoy it. There were some good things (which I will state below) but not enough for me to rate it higher or say that I actually liked it. It just fell really flat for me.

The story is about Natalie, a 17 year-old popular pop star that everyone loves until she gets dumped by her boyfriend in a very public way. Her PR team then plans for her to fake-date indie film star William. But of course it doesn’t stay with just fake-dating.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes ever. So this is one of the possitive things that I liked about the story because the trope always brings some funny things. I wasn’t a fan of Natalie’s character to begin with and William was pretty likable. But romance wise I just couldn’t feel a real connection between them. I was left feeling rather meh about the two of them.

I also felt the story would’ve been better if the characters had been older, maybe in their mid to late twenties. Maybe it’s just that I’ve outgrown contemporary YA books. And I know this book isn’t geared towards my age group (I’m 29) so that could possibly be why. I still wanted to give the book a shot but sadly enough I just couldn’t really care about the story or characters.

Now on to the things I did like! Like I said before the fake dating brought quite some entertainment so that was a good point on its own. I did say I wasn’t a fan of Natalie but I did like how she grew in the story. She’s Brazilian and by the end she really ended up embracing her heritage and making sure she wasn’t gonna fit in a box that everyone expected of her. The author is Brazilian too so I love that for her. Also, the book was a real page-turner and I read it pretty fast.

*4.5 Stars*

Natalie is finally getting everything she ever wanted. She's a popstar in Hollywood, getting the Female Artist of the Year Award, not the best Latina singer, but the Female Artist of the Year and that means so much to her. Her boyfriend, Trent, is Hollywood's heartthrob so everything is perfect.
Except, on her big night, Trent breaks up with her and she loses it a little… in front of cameras.
Turned into a meme and a joke, Natalie locks herself in her room for a while. But after hitting rock-bottom, she gets up and assembles her PR team and agent. Their solution? For her to do an up and going British actor. She knows of him though and he's everything she doesn't want… or is he?

This was so very very good. A perfect YA romance. My attention was grabbed on the very first page and I was all in from that point on.
I loved the MC and her journey, her growth, but I think I loved her best friends even more. The love interest was all kind of great too, it was just such a great cast of characters, all layered with their own flaws and problems.
The plot mostly took me by surprise and I flew through the book. It actually took me out of a little slump too.
My main problem is the words that weren't said. Kissing someone without their consent is assault, not "he kissed me, I didn't kiss him back" but very well "he assaulted me."
It's by putting the right words on this things that things are gonna change and I wish it were done here.
Anyway, all in all, I had an amazing time and just felt everything. I cannot wait for whatever Gabriela Martins comes up with next.

I thought this was cute, and I loved the voice of the narrator - she was funny and relatable. I think my students would love the storyline.