— 3.5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

"Sometimes you just know that if you don’t make a bold leap, you can miss out on the best things in life. And I don’t want to miss out on a single second with you"

📖 | 320 pages
👤 | author Marianna Leal
🏢 | publisher Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group
📅 | release date 12 September 2023

What you can expect:

• Closed-door, new adult romance
• Fake dating/marriage
• Marriage of convenience
• Academic rivals/enemies-to-lovers
• Forced proximity

Trigger warnings: grief and loss, death of a family member, political unrest, immigration issues, troubled relationships with family members.

As Long as You Love Me is a first of mine from author Marianna Leal. This book follows the story of Cata, an immigrant from Venezuela as she is working on finishing her Engineering degree and in search of a permanent job to retain her rights to stay within the US. Cata has a full-time job potentially lined upon after graduation, however her long-time academic-nemesis is always vying for the job. Gabe is your typical male main character with his endless charm and good-looks, who is well-educated and the perfect rival for our female main character. With the pair battling for the same post-graduate job, how could they ever get along? This remains the case until Gabe approaches Cata with a deal. If Cata accompanies Gabe to his brother's wedding as his plus-one, then he will step aside and out of the running for the job that Cata so desperately needs. The plan is fool-proof. Cata gets the job, Gabe gets his family off of his back and then they can go about their lives without ever speaking again. And yet Cata is forced with the reality that there is more to Gabe than meets the eye, and the butterflies start to show.

I really liked Cata as a main character. She was definitely flawed in her assumptions of Gabe and his character, and I really appreciated their ability to communicate with maturity and respect. The relationship progression was enjoyable to read, and the banter and wit between the pair had me chuckling at times. Gabe is absolutely not what you would expect. He's a complete sweetheart with a compelling and caring nature, which led to me really enjoying him as a love interest.

As Long as You Love Me introduces some heavy topics that I believe the author wrote well and with care. Cata left her home-country of Venezuela after her brother was killed in a political protest, and since has had a rocky and tumultuous relationship with her family. I admit that I knew next to nothing about the conditions in Venezuela and I greatly appreciate this book bringing more attention to the political unrest that the Venezuelan people have had to endure. The difficult relations between Cata and her family felt well-explored and I liked that Gabe was readily available to provide her with any support that she needed. The writing felt well-paced for the most part, however took a quick turn at the end in moments that I felt could've had a bit more time to better delve into the story. Overall I enjoyed this book by Marianna Leal as I found it very easy to read and I found myself quickly engaged with the story. This book is a closed-door romance with only one makeout scene, so don't go expecting any spice or erotic scenes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I want to say thank you for the ARC! Super grateful to receive so many ARCs sent to me 🤗 This story follows Catalina who is in the country on a student visa. She’s about to graduate and needs to lock in a work visa from her job! The only person standing in her way is Gabe. Gabe seems to have it all, seems to be successful without trying and is extremely good looking. When Gabe needs a plus one to his brother’s wedding, he strikes a deal with Cata so she’ll he his fake date. Of course as she spends more time with him, she discovers there’s more to him.
I want to say that this book was not my favorite. This book was a fake enemies to lovers, in the sense that while Gabe teases her, you can obviously tell that it was super lighthearted, but she takes everything he says so offensively. Most of the time, he’s just plain nice to her, and she responds rudely for over half of the book. Their relationship seemed to lack a lot of substance.
I do like reading about her experiences in Venezuela, and coming to the United States for a better life. I kind of wish this was more of a coming of age fiction verses a romance.
One thing I found kind of funny was the fact that there are full phrases in Spanish with no context clues as to what it means. Which as someone who understands Spanish is no big deal, but you’ll be stuck looking things up if you don’t speak it.
Overall, this kind of read like a Wattpad story, but not in a good way. I would skip this one 2.75 ⭐️s

I really liked the idea of this book and that it took place within a heavier context than is typical of romance, but I couldn’t get into the story. The characters never came to life for me. I’m hoping to go back at another time to see if this changes.

This was a sweet closed-door new adult/college-aged romance! This was my first time reading from this author, and I adored the care she put into the tough topics like grief, loss, political turmoil, international student status, and being a young woman in a STEM-related industry. I believe she started on Wattpad, and I would definitely read from her again!

I enjoyed Cata and Gabe's academic rivals, forced-proximity, fake-dating dynamic, and their banter especially was so much fun! I did think that it happened a bit fast, but I also believed them because I have experienced young love too.

I really felt for Cata when she either ruminated on or interacted with her family back home in Venezuela. Admittedly, I don't know much about the political climate in that country, so this book illuminated some of that for me, and it made me curious to do my own research to find out more.

This book was so cute! I love that Catalina is an engineering student and that the author didn’t shy away from mentioning the lack of women in engineering. Her tension with Gabe works really well for the story. Catalina has a lot of depth as a character, largely due to her family circumstances. However, everything is really well balanced in a way that she still feels 21/22 years old. When Gabe learns some truths about Catalina’s family, the way he treats her changed from teasing all the time to being so supportive of her. It seemed like a really turning point in their relationship that made the fake-dating change. Some parts were a little cheesy, but really enjoyable. There was a really authenticity to the book that I enjoyed and I can’t wait to read more from this author! 4.5⭐️, 1🌶

As a Latina I loved the representation in this book. I enjoyed it thoroughly and loved that it touched on subjects that need more attention. I highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I found out that Wattpad was supporting authors and I have to say that it is really nice to find new authors coming into the publishing world and seeing their work being officially marketed.

'As Long As You Love Me' is a cute romance book but where we are able to get to know more about other topics about the female main character, such as emigration status, political points of view, visas, etc.

This book grabbed my attention from the very first moment as I found the writing super easy and fun to follow. I loved the characters, their thoughts, their evolution and their relationships. It is a fun read and I can see many people reading it in just one sitting.

The banter between the two characters was so funny and Gabe was a sweetheart, I absolutely loved him. Even when he was more 'annoying', that would disappear within moments and I would find myself laughing.

Catalina had the same effect on me up to 60%-70%. That was when the 3rd act started to grow and, after a while, I started to dislike her attitude. Not towards her family and friends or what she was fighting so hard for but towards Gabe. Not only that, but at 80%-85% until the end, I started skipping some paragraphs because that part of the story didn't make much sense to me, it was something that could had been removed because it didn't add to the romance.

I was SO close to giving it 4 stars but the last few pages left me a bit disappointed so I give it a 3,75 star rating!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of As Long As You Love Me by Marianna Leal!

3.5 ⭐️
Right from the start, the book delves into weighty topics like political unrest, loss, and poverty. We follow Catalina, who is nearing the end of her college journey, as she receives devastating news: her visa extension has been denied. She finds unlikely company with her sworn enemy: Gabe. a charismatic classmate who proposes a plan to sabotage a wedding in exchange for removing himself from a highly competitive internship-turned-full-time job competition between the two of them. As the stakes rise, Catalina finds herself caught between her growing attraction to Gabe, the challenges of her family's situation in Venezuela, and her uncertain path ahead.

Not gonna lie, I really thought it was going to be a relatively simple fake-dating, enemies-to-lovers read. Wow it was SO much more than that.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group, W by Wattpad Books & Marianna Leal for an ARC copy of As Long As You Love Me in exchange for my honest review.

I was immediately drawn into As Long As You Love Me - as a Latina who's always excited to read more Latiné authors, this very well-written, enemies/rivals-to-lovers & relationship of convenience rom-com had me laughing, swooning and being invested in Cata & Gabe from the start. 

I love the Venezuelan female MC rep, the Puerto Rican male MC rep, and how well Mariana fleshed out the characters, both main & supporting. The banter between the MCs was great, and the heavy moments within the book that dealt with Cata's trauma were so delicately balanced with moments of triumph and happiness. Spanish being naturally woven throughout the entire book was a cherry on top. (And who doesn't love a 90s BSB song as the title of this book?!) 

On the pepper scale, I'd give it 0.5/5 peppers (though, my friends who like open-door can enjoy it alike because of the writing), and 4/5 stars overall. I look forward to reading more of Marianna's books in the future! 

#AsLongAsYouLoveMe #NetGalley

i love the fake dating trope, and this is a good example

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

I definitely recommend this book! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes so I already knew I would enjoy the book but didn’t expect to love it this much. I also love a Latina protagonist, the representation is amazing. All in all the writing was great, the story was amazing, and I loved being given the opportunity to enjoy this gem.

As Long As You Love Me by Marianna Leal is a contemporary romance with elements of Fake Dating, Fake Engagement, Enemies To Lovers, and Work Place Romance. Cata and Gabe are studying at the same university and niche STEM field. Cata can't stand Gabe, or so she thinks. Gabe is a pretty boy, a womanizer, and he's her biggest competition in their department and in their future industry. When Cata learns that she no longer has a viable chance to get a work visa to remain in Florida and work, she and Gabe come to an amicable agreement—pretend to date so she can accept a job offer she knows will go to Gabe. Gabe needs a date to a family wedding. His mother has already ruined enough weddings to last their family a life time. There's nothing like bringing a new girlfriend home on a student visa to ruffle up his Puerto Rican mother's feathers. Yet, when these two realize they have more sparks than the welding they make in their class, they heat up things in this romance. There were parts of this story that I enjoyed. There was quite a bit of humor and charm. I liked Cata's crush on her roommate's brother and almost wished that were explored, but I'm not the writer of this story. Gabe was a hot character, not gonna lie, but I didn't really buy that he had been pining for Cata for as long as they'd been attending classes together. While he was a fantastic gentleman, paying for Cata to return to her home country to take care of a family issue in her politically challenged Venezuela, I felt there were a lot more sacrifices being made by Gabe than Cata gave in return. While there were some really love scenes together, I couldn't suspend my feelings that they weren't exactly right for each other. Yet, the writing was wonderful. The author can spin a tale. I love the injection of real issues on Cata's part. But I didn't have a sense that Gabe suffered from anything—other than having a really racist and nationalistic mother. All in all, I enjoyed the story.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into the storyline, but once I did, I was hooked! I’m a fan of this author and hope she continues to write great stories.

I loved it!! I loved the trope, the story, the characters and the banter💗🥹 This book had me blushing and wishing to be the mc so many times!!

As Long As You Love Me is a sweet faking dating to lovers story. Catalina has been though a lot and is desperate to finish her Engineering degree in America. The only problem is she has serious competition for her much needed scholarship. Gabe is charming and annoyingly good looking and worst of all he's seriously good in school. When Gabe needs a date for his brothers wedding, he makes Cata and offer she can't refuse. If she goes to the wedding with him then he will step out of the running for the job she wants. As these two get closer things heat up and sparks fly! It's heavy at times then that trauma will just be brushed aside for romance. I wish there was a better mix of the heavy topics and the romance but I enjoyed it!

3.5/5 🌟
From the beginning of the novel, Catalina is someone you are drawn to and are instantly rooting for. With each additional chapter, we are shown her complexity and work ethic, and we want her to succeed in all areas of her life - internship, school, and even romance. However, Gabe felt a little too all over the place for me. I loved that he was given the space to grow as a character and become more likeable, but I do think his intense feelings felt slightly mismatched at times. He had some really great and SWEET moments, but I felt a little confused by how the relationship developed. (Especially with the wild beginning of the relationship and also some of the suggestions he makes towards the end of the novel?) I did enjoy that the plot was focused on more than just the romance. The complex family dynamics were introduced and discussed well. I LOVED the female friendships. I thought these were solid and well-developed. I enjoyed the plot twist! Overall, I had a good time reading this book. (There were just a few things with the pacing of the book and the insertion of plot points that felt a little disconnecting for me.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was going back and forth on whether I should give this 3 or 4 stars because I did truly enjoy reading it and couldn't put it down -- once I got into it. It did take a bit for me to get hooked and I think a bit of that might be due to the writing style. I know this is an ARC copy and editing can still take place but it felt a bit too unpolished sometimes. Nevertheless, I loved the story and the characters and my heart just ached for Cata and all her struggles. I'm a first-generation kid, and reading this book made me feel more connected to my dad and grandparents and everything they went through to move to America. The pain and struggles don't often get spoken about within the family but I know it wasn't easy. I'm grateful this book exists and that I was given the opportunity to read it and I actually wish there was more to it. The end was pretty abrupt and I wanted to dive deeper into their actual relationship and not just the lead-up to having one.

Note: The only spice is one makeout session.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wattpad WENTOON Book Hroup, and Marianna Leal for a copy of As Long As You Love Me in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it touched on some heavier topics (the political unrest in Venezuela and immigration issues) while also keeping it lighter with the friendships and romance as well. I loved the three main friends, the FMC having two really great friends to lean on.

Gabe was a great romantic interest - academic rivals who do the fake dating thing which obviously becomes real. Their pairing was also a really great golden retriever - black cat vibe as well. You assume he’s a f boy at the beginning but slowly fall for him alongside Cata. He plays such a great supporting role while standing beside her and not giving up on her and not trying to dull her shine, loving her for being as driven as she is.

I wish we had gotten a little more with her family and sister at the end - I think there could have been a deeper dive here. It felt like there was a little too much inferred rather than shown which I think would have strengthened the story.

Note that if you don’t speak Spanish you’ll be looking some things up! I think it added a nice touch but there were moments where I wanted to make sure the context clues (and my Italian language fluency) were guiding me correctly. I think it would be great to have maybe endnotes or footnotes just with the translation?

Overall, thoroughly enjoyed the book. I couldn’t put it down once I really got started.

3.75 ⭐

«Sometimes you just know that if you don’t make a bold leap, you can miss out on the best things in life. And I don’t want to miss out on a single second with you.»

This book is perfect for the lovers of the fake dating/fake marriage trope. Cata, the FMC, is an immigrant: she left her country because of political conflicts and is now a student of mechanical engineering. She is trying to obtain a full-time employee position in order to remain in the US after her graduation. The problem is that there's another person who's trying to achieve the same thing: Gabe has been Cata's academic rival for years and now is also her rival for the job.

Eventually, the two of them find a solution for their problems. Gabe and Cata strike a deal: Cata will be the fake girlfriend that he need for his brother's wedding, and Gabe will leave her the job.

I enjoyed this book, the writing was good, it was really fluid. This is a funny and cute romance (Gabe was soooo sweet 🥺), but in reality, the plot addressed to a lot of important themes, especially the terrible conditions of life in Venezuela, political crises, immigration, the presence of an authoritarian regime and the conseguent concept of “American dream”.

Thank you to Netgalley, Wattpad Webtoon Book Group and the author for granting me an eArc in exchange of an honest review.