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In the United States…
Mariana Mitogo is struggling to make ends meet. Then, out of the blue, she learns she’s to receive a huge inheritance that would erase all her debt. The problem: she has to be married for six months to receive it, and her dating life is nonexistent.
In Spain…
Santiago de los Reyes, Mariana’s Internet friend, has drained his bank account to support his family. Desperate to get his mom the heart surgery she needs, he interviews for a better-paying job that would take him from Madrid to Virginia. When he’s offered the position but can’t get a work visa, Mariana offers a solution that benefits both of them—a fiancé visa and a quick wedding.
If anyone finds out it’s a green-card marriage, Santiago will be deported. Mariana would face a colossal fine and jail time. Good thing they’re committed actors.
But as Santiago and Mariana pretend to build a life together, the lines blur between charade and reality. Will they dare to choose the love that feels more honest every day?
Border Ctrl+Esc is a lighthearted friends-to-lovers marriage of convenience between LGBTQ+ Internet friends (a demisexual woman and a bisexual man).
Mariana Mitogo is struggling to make ends meet. Then, out of the blue, she learns she’s to receive a huge inheritance that would erase all her debt. The problem: she has to be married for six months to receive it, and her dating life is nonexistent.
In Spain…
Santiago de los Reyes, Mariana’s Internet friend, has drained his bank account to support his family. Desperate to get his mom the heart surgery she needs, he interviews for a better-paying job that would take him from Madrid to Virginia. When he’s offered the position but can’t get a work visa, Mariana offers a solution that benefits both of them—a fiancé visa and a quick wedding.
If anyone finds out it’s a green-card marriage, Santiago will be deported. Mariana would face a colossal fine and jail time. Good thing they’re committed actors.
But as Santiago and Mariana pretend to build a life together, the lines blur between charade and reality. Will they dare to choose the love that feels more honest every day?
Border Ctrl+Esc is a lighthearted friends-to-lovers marriage of convenience between LGBTQ+ Internet friends (a demisexual woman and a bisexual man).
ebook
First published August 9, 2021
13 people are currently reading
490 people want to read
About the author
Ivy L. James
14 books29 followersIvy L. James wrote her first story on Post-it notes as a child. Since then, she has graduated to regular paper and enjoys writing sapphic romance and poetry. Her work has appeared in the Stygian Collection (Stygian Society), Seers and Sybils (Brigids Gate Press), Horns (Bullshit Lit), HerStry, Snowflake Magazine, and Scavengers Literary Magazine, among others. She lives in the USA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
September 24, 2021
This book is HECKIN' CUTE! I got to read this story waaaaay back as a beta reader and I just finished the published version :D I'm so proud of it's growth (and Ivy's too!) and I had the best time reading.
Reasons you should also read it:
1) Queer leads! Mariana is demiromantic and demisexual and Santiago is bisexual
2) Queer side characters! (shhh let me be excited for all the queer rep) Maca is aromantic and asexual and iiiiiiiiiiiii love her
3) MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE!!!
4) PINING! There's so much pining. I live for it
5) Leads are cute af both together and as individuals.
6) Ivy is the cutest bean and you should read all of her books ever because she's great XD
GO GET IIIIIIIIIT
Reasons you should also read it:
1) Queer leads! Mariana is demiromantic and demisexual and Santiago is bisexual
2) Queer side characters! (shhh let me be excited for all the queer rep) Maca is aromantic and asexual and iiiiiiiiiiiii love her
3) MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE!!!
4) PINING! There's so much pining. I live for it
5) Leads are cute af both together and as individuals.
6) Ivy is the cutest bean and you should read all of her books ever because she's great XD
GO GET IIIIIIIIIT
September 21, 2021
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
This one is, by design, a slow burn. With Santi’s visa problems and Mari being demisexual, neither one wants to get physical early. Plus, Mari believes Santi may lean toward men more than women. He’s certainly hit on by men more in the story, but he’s so adorable in his swooning over Mari, and she’s 100% oblivious. I started to wonder if she wasn’t only demisexual, but maybe on the autism spectrum, because her mannerisms and misunderstandings of other people’s mannerisms rode a fine line between narrow self-focus and higher-functioning autistic. They are able to connect on a physical level, once they have truly bonded emotionally, but financial worries and Mari’s hyper brain create yet another happiness roadblock that almost seems unsurpassable. Good thing for good friends and their well-placed advice. I really appreciated the candid discussion of immigration in the book, and I hoped it would be a stronger commentary on the lack of visa opportunities, too. Not so much, though.
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
3.75 stars
This one is, by design, a slow burn. With Santi’s visa problems and Mari being demisexual, neither one wants to get physical early. Plus, Mari believes Santi may lean toward men more than women. He’s certainly hit on by men more in the story, but he’s so adorable in his swooning over Mari, and she’s 100% oblivious. I started to wonder if she wasn’t only demisexual, but maybe on the autism spectrum, because her mannerisms and misunderstandings of other people’s mannerisms rode a fine line between narrow self-focus and higher-functioning autistic. They are able to connect on a physical level, once they have truly bonded emotionally, but financial worries and Mari’s hyper brain create yet another happiness roadblock that almost seems unsurpassable. Good thing for good friends and their well-placed advice. I really appreciated the candid discussion of immigration in the book, and I hoped it would be a stronger commentary on the lack of visa opportunities, too. Not so much, though.
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
April 19, 2023
⭐️⭐️✨ (2,5) I wasn’t sure what to expect and I honestly choose this book based on the adorable cover but I was a bit disappointed. The writing felt weird, I missed that great ‘reading flow’ and felt kinda bored sometimes. The characters were extremely cute, but there was a lack of character development, their romance felt too cutesy and I hated the lack of proper communication.
June 19, 2025
I was really excited to read this book because of its demisexual representation, but I ended up being rather disappointed by that aspect. At the beginning of the story, Mariana doesn’t know that she is demisexual and believes that she is “broken” for not having crushes or experiencing attraction the same way other people do. When she talks to Maca, who is Aro/Ace, Maca suggests that maybe Mari is demisexual/demiromantic. From that point on, Mari just IS demisexual, and it doesn’t seem to impact the story much at all. While having friends to help you while you figure out your identity is great, I don’t think anyone should TELL you your identity. I was really hoping Mariana would learn more information about demisexuality and do some soul-searching and that it would have an actual impact on the plot of the story but it seems like she just took Maca’s word for it and moved on. By that point in the story, she was already falling for Santiago and had formed an emotional bond with him and their romance progressed very similarly to any other allosexual straight romance, including the sex scene, except for the explicit consent, which isn’t always present in straight sex scenes. I know that my personal experience of demisexuality is not how everyone will experience it, but I do think it has more of an impact on relationships than just an “OK yeah and now everything’s normal because we already like each other.”
Moments that broke me out of the story/things I didn’t like:
Mariana cooking a DOZEN EGGS for two people. In THIS economy?!!
This line: “He yanked his sweater off over his head in one efficient, male motion.”
I think the plot progressed really quickly and I didn’t particularly enjoy the miscommunication trope.
Things I liked:
The book does have a trigger warning list at the beginning.
Mariana and Santiago’s playful relationship. I really don’t think relationships to take themselves seriously all the time and their friendship vibes transferred really nicely into a healthy relationship.
This was a cute and fun read with diverse representation.
The inclusion of Spanish.
Accurate portrayal of how rough the transition to adulthood is, and discussion of how everyone is faking it in some ways.
The inheritance trope + green card marriage/ arranged marriage.
“So many zeros. She could pay off her student loans, her car loan, and both her credit cards. And buy a new vacuum. A nice vacuum.”
Favorite character: Maca. She’s funny and smart and a great sister and friend.
If you like this book, I would recommend You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle, the song “Adulting” by Emlyn, and the movie The Proposal.
Moments that broke me out of the story/things I didn’t like:
Mariana cooking a DOZEN EGGS for two people. In THIS economy?!!
This line: “He yanked his sweater off over his head in one efficient, male motion.”
I think the plot progressed really quickly and I didn’t particularly enjoy the miscommunication trope.
Things I liked:
The book does have a trigger warning list at the beginning.
Mariana and Santiago’s playful relationship. I really don’t think relationships to take themselves seriously all the time and their friendship vibes transferred really nicely into a healthy relationship.
This was a cute and fun read with diverse representation.
The inclusion of Spanish.
Accurate portrayal of how rough the transition to adulthood is, and discussion of how everyone is faking it in some ways.
The inheritance trope + green card marriage/ arranged marriage.
“So many zeros. She could pay off her student loans, her car loan, and both her credit cards. And buy a new vacuum. A nice vacuum.”
Favorite character: Maca. She’s funny and smart and a great sister and friend.
If you like this book, I would recommend You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle, the song “Adulting” by Emlyn, and the movie The Proposal.
March 7, 2023
Fake dating, marriage of convenience, mutual pininggg, queer mains (demisexual & bi), fat Black female main, sweet Labrador male main, lots of flirty banter - please read this book!
This was super cute. The two mains were loveable af and adorable together, I loved them and was rooting for them to get together throughout. The writing was humorous and sweet; had me giggling on the bus.
It could sometimes be a little clunky at times (both in writing and plot) and the miscommunication trope was wildly unnecessary but other than that, I enjoyed this a lot.
This was super cute. The two mains were loveable af and adorable together, I loved them and was rooting for them to get together throughout. The writing was humorous and sweet; had me giggling on the bus.
It could sometimes be a little clunky at times (both in writing and plot) and the miscommunication trope was wildly unnecessary but other than that, I enjoyed this a lot.
July 16, 2024
4.5 / 5 Stars
Super fluffy Fake Marriage AND Plus-Size Ace Rep?
You can bet I loved it!
There's 1 chapter of miscommunication- sigh - but thank god they dont make this into this super huge mega ultra deal and talk about it eventually.
Super fluffy Fake Marriage AND Plus-Size Ace Rep?
You can bet I loved it!
There's 1 chapter of miscommunication- sigh - but thank god they dont make this into this super huge mega ultra deal and talk about it eventually.
August 25, 2021
I'm always on the lookout for demisexual reads and I absolutely fell in love with both of these characters. The book overall had the fairly normal amount of miscommunication that books like this have and I think it may actually be my favourite marriage of convenience novel. The only one I've read that's similar so far is Marriage of Unconvenience.
Mariana and Santiago have been friends for almost a decade on the internet. They have a pretty cute meet cute through a favourite TV show they both have strong opinions about, but don't actually meet in person until Santiago goes for a teaching job in the States, mostly to be able to earn more money that he is able to send back home. I'm not sure that his home country is listed, but he does speak Spanish.
When Santiago gets the news that the number of work visas allocated for the year have already been allocated to others, he thinks that his plans for starting a new life and new possibilities of care for his mum back home is all over.
Then Mariana makes a suggestion. A relative recently left her $200,000, but she can only claim it once she marries. And there aren't an allocated amount of green cards that can or can't be handed out. They would just have to fool immigration into thinking that they didn't marry for his green card (and her money).
One thing I found particularly interesting about this novel was how it tackled the fact that Mariana doesn't feel like she's a real adult. She has a bunch of debts across from being a student, buying a car, and a couple of other things. She knows that she doesn't have a large number of things she can cook. If she was a 'real' adult, though, these things wouldn't be the case.
This is... such a relevant thing in the culture of young adults right now, and it was so so good to see it on the page. Further to these things, she doesn't think that she has any place beginning a relationship with anyone until she has her life sorted out properly.
Santiago is absolutely adorable and doesn't have any of those particular hang ups. He realises pretty quickly that he is in love with Mariana. It's just on him to try to figure out how on earth he's going to be able to bring that up with Mariana and try to turn this green card relationship into a marriage that lasts, despite the complete lack of support from Mariana's parents.
Mariana and Santiago have been friends for almost a decade on the internet. They have a pretty cute meet cute through a favourite TV show they both have strong opinions about, but don't actually meet in person until Santiago goes for a teaching job in the States, mostly to be able to earn more money that he is able to send back home. I'm not sure that his home country is listed, but he does speak Spanish.
When Santiago gets the news that the number of work visas allocated for the year have already been allocated to others, he thinks that his plans for starting a new life and new possibilities of care for his mum back home is all over.
Then Mariana makes a suggestion. A relative recently left her $200,000, but she can only claim it once she marries. And there aren't an allocated amount of green cards that can or can't be handed out. They would just have to fool immigration into thinking that they didn't marry for his green card (and her money).
One thing I found particularly interesting about this novel was how it tackled the fact that Mariana doesn't feel like she's a real adult. She has a bunch of debts across from being a student, buying a car, and a couple of other things. She knows that she doesn't have a large number of things she can cook. If she was a 'real' adult, though, these things wouldn't be the case.
This is... such a relevant thing in the culture of young adults right now, and it was so so good to see it on the page. Further to these things, she doesn't think that she has any place beginning a relationship with anyone until she has her life sorted out properly.
Santiago is absolutely adorable and doesn't have any of those particular hang ups. He realises pretty quickly that he is in love with Mariana. It's just on him to try to figure out how on earth he's going to be able to bring that up with Mariana and try to turn this green card relationship into a marriage that lasts, despite the complete lack of support from Mariana's parents.
August 18, 2024
I really want to like this book. With a bisexual and a demisexual character I was all for it. It started ok but as it went on I couldn’t help but feel there is a lot the author was trying to squeeze in. A bit spoilery here.
First off, it feels like the author was following a romance-writing template - gotta hit all the major points to make it count. There is a minor little conflict that seemed unnecessary and a minor crisis that didn’t seem to have any lasting impact but seem to be the “turning point” to seal the deal - which is also unnecessary.
Second of all, Marianna didn’t realize she was demisexual until a lot later in the book. That in itself could be its own plot and would have been enough to create the story. It was either the fake marriage or the demisexual awakening. Having both just seemed too much.
And then finally, the steamy chapter seems to go at a very fast pace. Marianna went from “I’m not sure if I wanna go all the way” (she even said she wanted to take it slow) at the beginning of the scene to “give it to me!” at the end of the same scene. Again, felt like the author needed to squeeze this in because of some unwritten romance template (it’s fine when a demisexual character doesn’t go all the way at all!).
I wanted to at least give it a 3 but after about 60% it kind of fell flat for me. It is sweet and endearing though but felt a little clunky for me.
First off, it feels like the author was following a romance-writing template - gotta hit all the major points to make it count. There is a minor little conflict that seemed unnecessary and a minor crisis that didn’t seem to have any lasting impact but seem to be the “turning point” to seal the deal - which is also unnecessary.
Second of all, Marianna didn’t realize she was demisexual until a lot later in the book. That in itself could be its own plot and would have been enough to create the story. It was either the fake marriage or the demisexual awakening. Having both just seemed too much.
And then finally, the steamy chapter seems to go at a very fast pace. Marianna went from “I’m not sure if I wanna go all the way” (she even said she wanted to take it slow) at the beginning of the scene to “give it to me!” at the end of the same scene. Again, felt like the author needed to squeeze this in because of some unwritten romance template (it’s fine when a demisexual character doesn’t go all the way at all!).
I wanted to at least give it a 3 but after about 60% it kind of fell flat for me. It is sweet and endearing though but felt a little clunky for me.
March 25, 2022
Very fluffy and a super quick read! A friends-to-fake-marriage-to-true-love story! Characters are all very sweet wholesome buns.
The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because the plot of the last third relies pretty heavily on the rom com troupe "no one talks to each other" and that frustrated me a little bit.
The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because the plot of the last third relies pretty heavily on the rom com troupe "no one talks to each other" and that frustrated me a little bit.
August 19, 2023
It’s alright. I skimmed through it.
August 15, 2021
I loved the blurb for this book and I’m still delighted by the idea of this take on the fake-marriage trope, which involves “Internet friends” who become more through a confluence of necessity and proximity. The story definitely has moments of sweetness and I liked a lot of the supporting characters, especially Santiago’s sister and Mariana’s best friend. I have slightly more complicated, but still mostly positive, feelings about the protagonists.
Santiago is heart-meltingly sweet and accommodating-- so much so that he doesn’t always feel real. His struggles and insecurities take more and more of a backseat to Mariana’s issues as the novel progresses, and he tends to just lurk around in the background, earnestly trying to do the right thing by the family that needs him back in Spain, to weather the gauntlet thrown but Mariana’s hostile parents, and to adjust to life in a new country and with a new job-- all presumably super stressful, but never, somehow, the focus of the narrative for long (if at all).
Mariana was occassionally a tough character for me: she’s sheltered in many ways (which isn’t her fault) but also sometimes selfish (which is). When she got angry about things like Santiago sending his critically ill mother money (from *his* paycheck) because it made her feel like she wasn’t the most important thing to him, for example, I came close to loathing her. Sometimes, she seems to embody cliches about what people who aren’t in their early twenties think people in their early twenties are like: self absorbed and naive in really hackneyed ways. Not feeling up to adulting type tasks like cooking and cleaning I get, not knowing how to shut down an obnoxious coworker I get, even clinging to the delusion that she’ll wait to fall in love until she’s more “together” I get, and can empathize with. The over-the-top jealousy without provocation, the complete lack of empathy it would take to disregard the needs of a sick parent-- that’s less believable, and definitely made me like the character less. The fact that she’s never really held accountable for the jealousy or the assumptions bothered me, as I don’t trust her not to do that again, just like I don’t trust the seemingly magical transformation of her parents from hostility to acceptance after Santiago somehow weathers enough of their abuse.
I think there’s the groundwork for a really lovely story that’s as much about growing up (for Mariana at least) as falling in love, but if I’m honest I feel like a few necessary pieces are missing for a truly convincing experience. That said, I’m still utterly charmed by the gentle exchanges of terrible puns, veneration of boxed mac & cheese, and just all around joy that is the basis for their friendship, and that endures throughout the ups and downs of the fake-turned-real romance. For that alone, I’d recommend this book.
*I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily composed an honest review.
Santiago is heart-meltingly sweet and accommodating-- so much so that he doesn’t always feel real. His struggles and insecurities take more and more of a backseat to Mariana’s issues as the novel progresses, and he tends to just lurk around in the background, earnestly trying to do the right thing by the family that needs him back in Spain, to weather the gauntlet thrown but Mariana’s hostile parents, and to adjust to life in a new country and with a new job-- all presumably super stressful, but never, somehow, the focus of the narrative for long (if at all).
Mariana was occassionally a tough character for me: she’s sheltered in many ways (which isn’t her fault) but also sometimes selfish (which is). When she got angry about things like Santiago sending his critically ill mother money (from *his* paycheck) because it made her feel like she wasn’t the most important thing to him, for example, I came close to loathing her. Sometimes, she seems to embody cliches about what people who aren’t in their early twenties think people in their early twenties are like: self absorbed and naive in really hackneyed ways. Not feeling up to adulting type tasks like cooking and cleaning I get, not knowing how to shut down an obnoxious coworker I get, even clinging to the delusion that she’ll wait to fall in love until she’s more “together” I get, and can empathize with. The over-the-top jealousy without provocation, the complete lack of empathy it would take to disregard the needs of a sick parent-- that’s less believable, and definitely made me like the character less. The fact that she’s never really held accountable for the jealousy or the assumptions bothered me, as I don’t trust her not to do that again, just like I don’t trust the seemingly magical transformation of her parents from hostility to acceptance after Santiago somehow weathers enough of their abuse.
I think there’s the groundwork for a really lovely story that’s as much about growing up (for Mariana at least) as falling in love, but if I’m honest I feel like a few necessary pieces are missing for a truly convincing experience. That said, I’m still utterly charmed by the gentle exchanges of terrible puns, veneration of boxed mac & cheese, and just all around joy that is the basis for their friendship, and that endures throughout the ups and downs of the fake-turned-real romance. For that alone, I’d recommend this book.
*I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily composed an honest review.
August 13, 2021
A wholesome, heartwarming internet best friends to lovers + marriage of convenience romance!
This is a slow burn that will melt your heart. Santiago and Mariana’s friendship, understanding and care for each other really hit my heart in many ways.
I have to start talking about Santiago. I loved how sacrificial he was for the sake of his mom and how much he was willing to give up for her sake. I truly enjoyed seeing him discovering his feelings for Mariana and how patient and understanding he was, helping her through her own self discovering journey. He really took the role of the husband seriously from the jump and always tried to make sure Mariana was OK and had what she needed. This man fell SO HARD and I couldn’t with all the feelings it gave me!
«𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯.» 🥺🥺🥺🥺
Mariana was the most adorable heroine. I loved how she didn’t hesitate to help Santiago. I loved to see each step of her journey towards understanding her own romantic desires and needs and how beautifully she explored them until coming to embrace her demisexuality. The way she realized her feelings for Santiago was the sweetest, most heartwarming thing 😍and the result of that was the most amazing swoon and the most satisfying and emotional slow burn 🔥 ! *chef’s kiss*
I love their banter and how much the connection they had since the start, they knew each other for years but never seen each other in person. I loved the usage of many Spanish romantic phrases and terms, they really made me swoon with those!
Believe me when I tell you it’s a slow burn that will leave you satisfied and swooning for a long time!
Many thanks to the author for gifting me this early copy!
This is a slow burn that will melt your heart. Santiago and Mariana’s friendship, understanding and care for each other really hit my heart in many ways.
I have to start talking about Santiago. I loved how sacrificial he was for the sake of his mom and how much he was willing to give up for her sake. I truly enjoyed seeing him discovering his feelings for Mariana and how patient and understanding he was, helping her through her own self discovering journey. He really took the role of the husband seriously from the jump and always tried to make sure Mariana was OK and had what she needed. This man fell SO HARD and I couldn’t with all the feelings it gave me!
«𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯.» 🥺🥺🥺🥺
Mariana was the most adorable heroine. I loved how she didn’t hesitate to help Santiago. I loved to see each step of her journey towards understanding her own romantic desires and needs and how beautifully she explored them until coming to embrace her demisexuality. The way she realized her feelings for Santiago was the sweetest, most heartwarming thing 😍and the result of that was the most amazing swoon and the most satisfying and emotional slow burn 🔥 ! *chef’s kiss*
I love their banter and how much the connection they had since the start, they knew each other for years but never seen each other in person. I loved the usage of many Spanish romantic phrases and terms, they really made me swoon with those!
Believe me when I tell you it’s a slow burn that will leave you satisfied and swooning for a long time!
Many thanks to the author for gifting me this early copy!
November 29, 2024
After reading many 2-star books, I was happy to come across this book! The book is about an American demisexual woman (Mariana) and a Spanish bisexual guy (Santiago) that meet for the first time after knowing each other for a long time online. They immediately feel the connection. Unfortunately the visa situation doesn't work out for Santiago and Mariana finds out she has a huge inheritance that she only will get if she is married for 6 months.
Because Mariana's debt and Santiago's mother whose sick and need surgery, they do need the money so they decide to team up and fake a marriage. But feelings grow...
This book was really adorable and a little quirky. So if you are not into that, you might find the book a little cringe sometimes. I personally didn't mind and found it really cute! The writing style was really funny and nice as well, it was told from a two point perspective and I felt like the writer had a good feeling for knowing when to switch which made reading really pleasant!
The characters are also really lovable and I like to see that they were struggling with adulthood and other things which gave the characters some depth and made them extremely relatable as well. I feel like this book is cozy and slow burn, so if you are into books with a lot happening, maybe this is not for you!
Because Mariana's debt and Santiago's mother whose sick and need surgery, they do need the money so they decide to team up and fake a marriage. But feelings grow...
This book was really adorable and a little quirky. So if you are not into that, you might find the book a little cringe sometimes. I personally didn't mind and found it really cute! The writing style was really funny and nice as well, it was told from a two point perspective and I felt like the writer had a good feeling for knowing when to switch which made reading really pleasant!
The characters are also really lovable and I like to see that they were struggling with adulthood and other things which gave the characters some depth and made them extremely relatable as well. I feel like this book is cozy and slow burn, so if you are into books with a lot happening, maybe this is not for you!
November 19, 2024
Delivered as promised-this is a story strongly centered around how two dear friends reaffirm and explore their bond in different circumstances. I really enjoyed the progression of moments between Mariana and Santi as they went through the familiar, the awkward, the surprising, and even the harder aspects of their marriage throughout the months. That all takes time even with years of friendship beforehand.
What really resonated with me were Mariana's insecurities regarding romance and adulting in a world that often paints it in clear cut, picture perfect detail. Particularly the romance bit as a demi. It was heartbreaking to learn later in the story she had a past ex who called her "broken" and wasn't exposed to the grayscale framework until talking to Maca. As someone who grew up with diverse voices, there is a lot I take for granted and I'm glad there are more works like this that can communicate our many experiences with recognizing, feeling, and acting on love.
As for the plot itself, it was fairly straightforward and nothing too crazy going on besides the premise. It's focusing on internal struggles more than external and Mariana and Santi don't really go about making life worse for each other as a result.
What really resonated with me were Mariana's insecurities regarding romance and adulting in a world that often paints it in clear cut, picture perfect detail. Particularly the romance bit as a demi. It was heartbreaking to learn later in the story she had a past ex who called her "broken" and wasn't exposed to the grayscale framework until talking to Maca. As someone who grew up with diverse voices, there is a lot I take for granted and I'm glad there are more works like this that can communicate our many experiences with recognizing, feeling, and acting on love.
As for the plot itself, it was fairly straightforward and nothing too crazy going on besides the premise. It's focusing on internal struggles more than external and Mariana and Santi don't really go about making life worse for each other as a result.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2021
Border Ctrl+Esc is a lighthearted book featuring one of my favourite tropes - a marriage of convenience. Demisexual Mariana and bisexual Santiago are internet friends who are both in desperate need of money and when an opportunity presents itself to help relieve their financial woes, they take it. What they get in exchange is a complicated scenario that leads them to a HEA.
My favourite part of the marriage of convenience trope is typically the slow-burn romance. Border Ctrl+Esc has a great slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance that kept me invested throughout. Both characters were adorable, and I especially enjoyed reading about Mariana and her coming to terms with her demisexual identity. I think this is the first book I've read featuring a demisexual main character and I loved seeing the diversity within this book.
This novel definitely made good on its promise for a lighthearted romance featuring two diverse characters - thanks so much to the author for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is out everywhere on August 9th!
My favourite part of the marriage of convenience trope is typically the slow-burn romance. Border Ctrl+Esc has a great slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance that kept me invested throughout. Both characters were adorable, and I especially enjoyed reading about Mariana and her coming to terms with her demisexual identity. I think this is the first book I've read featuring a demisexual main character and I loved seeing the diversity within this book.
This novel definitely made good on its promise for a lighthearted romance featuring two diverse characters - thanks so much to the author for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is out everywhere on August 9th!
February 6, 2022
AAAAAAHHHHHHH!! ❤️❤️❤️
First, Thank God for Applebooks. I found, bought and read this book in 3 hours, in the very early morning, thanks to them.
I saw a book rec on TikTok, also #shoutout booktok for putting me on to this one. So, I saw the book recommendation and I saw diverse MC’s, friends-to-lovers, and fake marriage and I knew I needed to get my hands on this book immediately.
And the best part, I went in with crazy, I mean CRAZY high expectations, and the story met and exceeded them while still being realistic and plausible to the real world.
As I write this, I’m grinning like an idiot over Santi and Mari’s freaking cuteness overload.
I’d been in a book slump, my TBR’s are getting released later in the year, nothing was hitting right and then this book hit me in the face with all of its goodness.
If you’ve gotten this far, I don’t know why you’re still here and not trying to get this book, unless you find me amusing 😅😝.
Anywho, this book (chef’s kiss).
Read it.
First, Thank God for Applebooks. I found, bought and read this book in 3 hours, in the very early morning, thanks to them.
I saw a book rec on TikTok, also #shoutout booktok for putting me on to this one. So, I saw the book recommendation and I saw diverse MC’s, friends-to-lovers, and fake marriage and I knew I needed to get my hands on this book immediately.
And the best part, I went in with crazy, I mean CRAZY high expectations, and the story met and exceeded them while still being realistic and plausible to the real world.
As I write this, I’m grinning like an idiot over Santi and Mari’s freaking cuteness overload.
I’d been in a book slump, my TBR’s are getting released later in the year, nothing was hitting right and then this book hit me in the face with all of its goodness.
If you’ve gotten this far, I don’t know why you’re still here and not trying to get this book, unless you find me amusing 😅😝.
Anywho, this book (chef’s kiss).
Read it.
January 21, 2023
Two of my favorite romantic tropes (friends to lovers + fake dating/marriage for convenience) combined, and it was amazingly executed. This entire book is so wholesome, and the chemistry that is built between Mariana and Santi throughout the book just makes everything so much better! Like, if the author EVER wants to bring these characters back, I'm seated for it...
While I did find the book very wholesome, I did feel that some parts felt very rushed in their execution (i.e Mariana's inheritence, Santi's green card status), which did have an impact on how I felt about the overall flow of the story. There wasn't much character development in places that felt they needed important: Especially regarding Mariana's conflicted feelings towards adulthood. The book definitely had it's flaws (the title being one of them.....) but it really didn't deter me from enjoying the book overall. Would definitely recommend if you want to read a short but sweet + fun romance book :).
While I did find the book very wholesome, I did feel that some parts felt very rushed in their execution (i.e Mariana's inheritence, Santi's green card status), which did have an impact on how I felt about the overall flow of the story. There wasn't much character development in places that felt they needed important: Especially regarding Mariana's conflicted feelings towards adulthood. The book definitely had it's flaws (the title being one of them.....) but it really didn't deter me from enjoying the book overall. Would definitely recommend if you want to read a short but sweet + fun romance book :).
August 9, 2021
I received an ARC for an honest review.
I tremendously enjoyed Border CTRL + Esc! Both Santiago and Marianna are full-rounded, fun characters with great chemistry and a lovable romance. I laughed multiple times in this book and really loved watching how the two fell in love with one another. I'm not usually a big fan of friends to lovers, but I really liked how this played out. I also loved the queer representation and how it was portrayed, especially because demisexuality and male bisexuality are often underrepresented in queer media. The plot was a little predictable, but even then it was easy to get lost in because the story was so engaging and fun. I definitely recommend this book for some who wants a fast-paced, quick light-hearted read.
I tremendously enjoyed Border CTRL + Esc! Both Santiago and Marianna are full-rounded, fun characters with great chemistry and a lovable romance. I laughed multiple times in this book and really loved watching how the two fell in love with one another. I'm not usually a big fan of friends to lovers, but I really liked how this played out. I also loved the queer representation and how it was portrayed, especially because demisexuality and male bisexuality are often underrepresented in queer media. The plot was a little predictable, but even then it was easy to get lost in because the story was so engaging and fun. I definitely recommend this book for some who wants a fast-paced, quick light-hearted read.
August 15, 2021
This book is full of cute banter and charmingly awkward characters, with lots of pun-y moments that i adored. And I really loved all the bipoc and demisexual representation.
If youre looking for something short and sweet i highly recommend you check out Border CTRL + ESC
The only thing that didnt quite hit the mark for me was the pacing, it is a bit off at times. There were a couple moments, mostly in the beginning, that i wanted to be longer and more detailed that felt rushed.
Also its one of the cutest freaking covers are you kidding me!?
Overall i had a lot of fun with these characters and their story, and i cant wait to read more from Ivy L. James in the future!
If youre looking for something short and sweet i highly recommend you check out Border CTRL + ESC
The only thing that didnt quite hit the mark for me was the pacing, it is a bit off at times. There were a couple moments, mostly in the beginning, that i wanted to be longer and more detailed that felt rushed.
Also its one of the cutest freaking covers are you kidding me!?
Overall i had a lot of fun with these characters and their story, and i cant wait to read more from Ivy L. James in the future!
August 13, 2022
This book was everything I wanted it to be!
The couple was adorable, the queer representation beyond your average gay/straight was so refreshing, and the whole read was so sweet and fluffy.
Steam level:
If you're into a good contemporary friends-to-lovers, this book is for you!
The couple was adorable, the queer representation beyond your average gay/straight was so refreshing, and the whole read was so sweet and fluffy.
Steam level:
If you're into a good contemporary friends-to-lovers, this book is for you!
February 14, 2023
Conventially, unconventional
This give the standard of two friends falling in love a bit of a twist, and it is wonderful. Marina needs to meet the terms of her inheritance and her bestfriend.needs a green card.to.save hos mom (that will make.more sense when you resd.the.story). But this story is about how love finds everyone if your will to risk it.
This give the standard of two friends falling in love a bit of a twist, and it is wonderful. Marina needs to meet the terms of her inheritance and her bestfriend.needs a green card.to.save hos mom (that will make.more sense when you resd.the.story). But this story is about how love finds everyone if your will to risk it.
June 18, 2025
This was a cute, friends to lovers, marriage for convenience (but not toxic), fake-dating to actually dating romance! I felt like this was painfully slow-burn but when the romance started....SWOON WORTHY! Chapter twenty three was 😙🤌🏽 (iykyk) and I felt like I was rooting for Santiago and Mariana throughout the book, and I'm so happy with the book's conclusion.
October 18, 2024
2.5?
I spent so much of this book bored to tears, it was almost a DNF twice. It's very cute and slice of life, but the characters were just not giving me a whole lot to keep me interested. I think you really need to be in the mood for a whole lot of regular degular nothingness.
I spent so much of this book bored to tears, it was almost a DNF twice. It's very cute and slice of life, but the characters were just not giving me a whole lot to keep me interested. I think you really need to be in the mood for a whole lot of regular degular nothingness.
January 18, 2022
This was such a cute slow burn, Mariana and Santigo are the cutest ughh. I loved this book I felt so seen. Is first time I read about a character that’s demiromatic and demisexual.
February 21, 2023
The silly romance I was hoping for <3
April 30, 2023
it was a little slow at times, but overall very very cute
May 5, 2023
It’s cute
October 27, 2023
4.0
great demi rep and great friends to lovers vibes
if i’m in love with santi that’s my business 🤷🏽♀️
great demi rep and great friends to lovers vibes
if i’m in love with santi that’s my business 🤷🏽♀️
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