Readers have been known to scream, swoon and melt with all the charm, fondness, awkwardness, angst, romance, and yearning, the book truly delivers.
Author Elena Armas did such a great job writing the TikTok sensation The Spanish Love Deception that the story is getting made into a major motion picture!
To recap, protagonist Catalina needs a date for her sister’s wedding, and when her office rival, who she despises, offers to step in, Catalina is desperate enough to take him up on it. An enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating romance then ensues.
Catalina finds her fake boyfriend Aaron so insufferable that it’s really hard to believe that, despite Aaron’s good looks, they’re going to fall madly in love with one another at the start, and their interaction is cause for much hilarity.
And to top it all off, there’s a positively glowing happy-ever-after at the end.
Discover 6 Incredibly Good Books Like The Spanish Love Deception, including The Worst Best Man, The Upside of Unrequited, The Paid Bridesmaid, Shipped, The Dating Plan, and Meet Cute, for lots of laughing out loud, witty banter, swoon-worthy dialogue, and unexpected romance.
Themes In The Spanish Love Deception
Enemies To Lovers
It’s not surprising that the enemies-to-lovers trope is quite a popular one because even when you know there’s a happy-ever-after ending, it’s always very entertaining to see how the characters somehow get there.
Fake Dating
Catalina and Aaron have to somehow appear just like any happy couple if they are to fool everyone that they are in fact dating, which, I’m sure you’ll agree, is quite hard to pull off considering how Catalina despises Aaron.
Crushes And Unrequited Love
Aaron already has a crush on Catalina before she had him pretend to be her fake fiancé, which is exactly why he offered to help out in the first place. But Catalina had only ever seen him as her office enemy.
Weddings
What better setting for a romance novel than around a wedding, don’t you think? The backdrop is an event to celebrate the unity of two people and cement their love and commitment to one another. So romantic.
Colleague Rivalry/Romance
Sometime after the epilogue of The Spanish Love Deception which follows Rosie (Lina’s best friend) and Lucas (Lina’s older cousin), Catalina and Aaron know each other through their work, which is often how romance begins in real life. In fact, you could say Aaron is Catalina’s work enemy.
This book has so much in common with The Spanish Love Deception! It has a similar backdrop, being centered around weddings, a wedding planner, and planning a wedding.
And it has that all-consuming enemies-to-lovers trope that we all love. Wedding planner Carolina was, ironically, left at the altar by her ex-fiance, after the best man, his brother, talked him out of the wedding.
But now, in an attempt to become a resident wedding planner at a fancy hotel, Carolina must work with a marketing expert, who also happens to be the same former best man, and her number one enemy.
Neither one of them is happy about having to be in such proximity to one another, but how is Carolina going to get her payback when she has to complete this project with him?
Sparks fly in more ways than one, but Mark is adamant he won’t play runner-up to his brother, and Carolina isn’t prepared to fall in love again. So will they, or won’t they?
Pros
Well written, with an infectious ability to keep the reader turning the pages
Honestly laugh out loud and funny, with plenty of quips and one-liners
A slow-burn romance expertly guaranteed to warm the reader’s heart
Cons
Not suitable for readers under the age of 16 due to steamy scenes
This is such a great rom-com read for younger readers! Why, because it’s about people falling for someone for the very first time, and it explores being careful not to jump the gun with anybody for fear of being hurt.
It comes from the same bestselling author as Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Leah on the Offbeat, and it tells of the two completely different twin sisters, one of whom has found a love match, and the other, Molly, who is crushing on Will and also crushing on her coworker Reid.
The characters feel really authentic and relatable. The writing is fresh, funny, and flirty. And at the same time, the book is also very moving, emotional, and wise.
It’s both a rom-com AND a good coming-of-age tale and tells of how, in the midst of heartbreak and teenage angst, there is always a reason to hope and the idea that some things can and do go well.
Pros
Very relatable and believable, thanks to the realistic rendition of teen angst
Perfect for readers who are anxious, self-doubting, and really introverted
The book is inclusive of a variety of characters with different persuasions
Cons
Some readers have described the book’s title as misleading because the “upside” is actually requited love
This is one captivating romantic comedy, and just like The Spanish Love Deception, it is centered around preparing for a wedding celebration.
This time however, the central female character, Rachel, is a bridesmaid for hire, who gets paid to plan the wedding, and to pretend to be a best friend to the bridesmaid.
Her next gig will be live-streamed for an Instagram influencer, so she’s pulling all the stops out in order to land plenty of contacts. However, she’s somewhat thwarted thanks to the advances of the best man, tech entrepreneur Camden.
Then Camden starts to get suspicious about Rachel, thinking that she’s some kind of spy. In order to maintain her cover, there’s a lot of secrecy and cover-up involved, creating absolute hilarity for the reader!
As the story progresses, Rachel and Camden spend more and more time together, and romance begins to blossom between the two of them.
Pros
The book has a very unusual premise, and the writing does not disappoint!
A slow-burn romance, complete with a gripping plot and witty banter
There are also subplots with drunk relatives, crazy exes, and other twists besides
Cons
Some readers found it predictable
Themes: Weddings, Romance, Suspicion, Secrecy And Lies, Travel
This witty, enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy offers excellent escapism, in much the same vein as The Spanish Love Deception…
Arch rivals Henley and Graeme are both shortlisted for promotion, but to land the position, they have to go on a company cruise together.
They’ve never actually met in person (Graeme works remotely) they are arch rivals, devoted to their job, and are known for their epic email battles. So, as you can imagine, it’s not exactly all hearts and rainbows.
When they initially meet in person, Henley is surprised to learn that Graeme is not what she’d imagined him to be like, and she starts to actually like him a little. But what does this mean for the relationship with one another? Or for the promotion?
Pros
Fun, flirty, escapist read, with whip-smart one-liners and wacky side characters
Amazing setting, taking place on a cruise ship in the beautiful, sunny Galapagos
Plenty of unexpected twists and turns on the way to the inevitable happy-ever-after
This TikTok sensation is a fun-filled romp, complete with the fake dating we all loved in The Spanish Love Deception! It features Daisy Patel, who wants to shun marriage, but her matchmaking relatives don’t exactly see things the same way.
At the same time, there is Liam Murphy, whose inheritance requires him to be married. The perfect solution then seems to be a fake relationship between the two of them. And to legitimize it, the two of them go on a series of dates.
Of course, Daisy has no room in her life for love, while Liam has no interest in getting his heart broken all over again. And if that’s not enough, Liam had once stood up Daisy at their prom! So when sparks fly on their dates, will things turn out the way they both intended?
Pros
Endearing, geeky heroine and a dysfunctional yet adorable male love interest
Features the overcoming of obstacles, and substantial emotional growth
The characters have plenty of chemistry and are not too soppy
Cons
Not suitable for readers under the age of 16 due to steamy scenes
Although it can be read as a standalone, it’s a sequel to The Marriage Game, which may be worth reading first
Themes: Marriage, Matchmaking, Fake Dating, Second Chances, Enemies-to-lovers
This is such a darling story – a famous heartthrob falls for his ultimate fangirl! Kailyn sees herself as calm and uncontrolled – that is until she found herself accidentally sprawled over her Hollywood crush, Daxton.
Daxton then proceeded to seek her friendship, that is until he turned and betrayed her. Eight years later, Daxton turns to Kailyn for help, and she’s inclined to oblige.
They end up having friendly, flirty meetings, but Kailiyn is determined not to drop her guard in an attempt to avoid repeat heartbreak.
Pros
Smoldering attraction and chemistry between the main characters
Entertaining and witty, yet at the same time also touching and emotional
There’s quite the curveball thrown into the plot toward the end!
Cons
Not suitable for readers under the age of 16 due to steamy scenes
Themes: Romance, Comedy, Second Chances, Chemistry, Crushes, Enemies-to-lovers
Final Thoughts
So, if you loved The Spanish Love Deception, then there are some really great options for your next read if you’re looking for something similar.
And while it’s true that not all com-com novels manage to hit all the same tropes and themes of The Spanish Love Deception, some of them should be right up your alley.
For those who love romances set around weddings, I’d recommend The Worst Best Man or The Paid Bridesmaid.
For those who love that all-consuming enemies-to-lovers trope, I can highly recommend The Worst Best Man (once again), Shipped, The Dating Plan, and Meet Cute.
But, if you’re looking for romantic comedies in general, then I can assure you that any one of these 5 incredible books will fit the bill, each one of them a romantic adventure in its own right.
There are relatable characters, delightful banter, and dialogue throughout, dashing male characters to be wary of, yet at the same time swoon for, and, of course, heart-melting romance that really gets to you and warms you inside. And best of all – every single one of them ends with a happy-ever-after.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There A Sequel To The Spanish Love Deception?
There is a sequel to The Spanish Love Deception which is now published that is set sometime after the epilogue of The Spanish Love Deception and follows Rosie (Lina’s best friend) and Lucas (Lina’s older cousin).
How Steamy Is The Spanish Love Deception?
The Spanish Love Deception has steamy scenes that are long and descriptive, so for that reason, it is only recommended to readers of at least 16 years of age.
Noah Burton works as a Librarian full time, and is a blogger in his spare time. His goal is to write compelling recommendations for all of the most popular books he can find, from science fiction to romance.
With a passion for books, a drive to find new reads to get stuck into, and a love for sharing book recommendations with others, Noah can help you find the next novel for your bucket list.
