by Elena Armas
4.3 · 4 reviewsShe needed a date for her sister's wedding. She did not need it to be him. A fake-dating disaster set in sunny Spain.
Catalina Martin needs a date for her sister's wedding back home in Spain, and not just any date. Her family expects the long-distance boyfriend she may have slightly exaggerated into existence, the ex who broke her heart will be there, and she refuses to show up empty-handed. The trouble is, the only person willing to fly across an ocean to play the part is Aaron Blackford, the infuriatingly composed coworker who has spent two years getting under her skin with a single raised eyebrow.
What begins as a transactional arrangement turns into a week of forced proximity, shared hotel rooms, and rehearsed affection that starts to feel uncomfortably real. Between the rehearsal dinner, the abuela who misses nothing, and a town that demands they sell their romance to everyone, Lina discovers that the man she's been bracing against might understand her better than she ever guessed.
A warm, slow-burning comedy about the stories we tell to protect ourselves and the way real feelings have of slipping past every defense. Equal parts banter, longing, and Spanish sunshine.
First published in 2021.
4 reviews
Lovely premise and the supporting family is charming, but Lina misreads Aaron for so long that I wanted to shake her. If you have patience for an oblivious narrator you'll enjoy it more than I did.
Classic forced-proximity payoff. Aaron staring across the room while Lina overthinks everything is exactly the energy I wanted. Read it in two sittings and immediately wanted the companion book.
The chemistry crackles and the Spain setting is lovely. My only note is that it runs long and the will-they-won't-they could have been trimmed by a hundred pages. Still grinned through most of it and the wedding stretch is worth the wait.
I went in for the fake-dating trope and stayed for Aaron, who turned out to be the most quietly devoted hero I've read in ages. The slow burn nearly killed me in the best way. Lina's narration is funny and a little exhausting, which felt true to someone protecting her own heart.