The American Roommate Experiment

Love Deception #2

by Elena Armas

From the author of the Goodreads Choice Award winner The Spanish Love Deception, the eagerly anticipated follow-up featuring Rosie Graham and Lucas Martín, who are forced to share a New York apartment.

Rosie Graham has a problem. A few, actually. She just quit her well paid job to focus on her secret career as a romance writer. She hasn’t told her family and now has terrible writer’s block. Then, the ceiling of her New York apartment literally crumbles on her. Luckily she has her best friend Lina’s spare key while she’s out of town. But Rosie doesn’t know that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas, who Rosie has been stalking—for lack of a better word—on Instagram for the last few months. Lucas seems intent on coming to her rescue like a Spanish knight in shining armor. Only this one strolls around the place in a towel, has a distracting grin, and an irresistible accent. Oh, and he cooks.

Lucas offers to let Rosie stay with him, at least until she can find some affordable temporary housing. And then he proposes an outrageous experiment to bring back her literary muse and meet her deadline: He’ll take her on a series of experimental dates meant to jump-start her romantic inspiration. Rosie has nothing to lose. Her silly, online crush is totally under control—but Lucas’s time in New York has an expiration date, and six weeks may not be enough, for either her or her deadline.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Fake Dating, Forced Proximity

400 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2022

About the author

Elena is a Spanish writer, a self confessed hopeless romantic and a proud book hoarder. Now, she's also the author of International bestseller and soon to be adapted to film The Spanish Love Deception; and instant New York Times bestsellers The American Roommate Experiment and The Long Game. Her books are being translated to over 30 languages–which is bananas, if you ask her.

She hopes her stories make your heart skip a beat or two, your palms a little sweaty, and your cheeks flush in that rosy pink that makes other people want to peek at the page you are reading.

Reviews

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

edit: honestly, this book does not deserve my 'god teir books' shelf i think i got caught up in the moment - havent thought about this book since but it was a fun read!
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This book was so good, so so good, with delicious romance and my amazing cinnamon roll Lucas Martian

AKA my new book boyfriend

(Maybe just as good as Aaron Blackford but lets not talk about that)

this review has minor spoilers about gestures made by Lucas, and a lot more you have been warned

But just know this quick breakdown if you haven’t read it yet and wanna know if you should: both povs, sunshine H that is so, so romantic and has set the bar even higher, phrases that are in spanish that are really the most romantic shot ever. And heart wrenching romance. Give it a go. Ps skip to the bottom of the review for a quote in bold. Thank me later.

Anyways back to the review, you know what, let's talk about it. Because Lucas is just too good not to talk about. As once said by Taylor Swift, “I like shiny things but I’d marry you with paper rings.”

The amount of effort Lucas put into those ‘experimental’ dates. You know he’s a keeper when you tell him that you wish you met him at your best friend's wedding and he bakes the freaking cake that was at the wedding dances with you on a rooftop and sets the entire thing up for his ‘best friend’ it’s giving Marinette and Adrien vibes.

I’m the biggest sucker for extroverted boys with floppy brown hair, huge egos and will flirt tirelessly with you because you are the one and only and that was Lucas to a T. He was a big ball of sunshine and the smile didn’t disappear from my face the entire time I was reading this book.

And his presence in the flat/studio apartment whatever you wanna call it was like a warm spring day. His amazing cooking, that he cooked everyday for Rosie btw, the flirty comments thrown in Rosie’s direction, the constant smiling and the phrases in spanish (that were totally the most romantic toe curling shot ever).

Deslumbrabte. Como el mismo sol

Translation: dazzling. Like the sun itself

Don’t even get me started on the other three dates that he prepared for her. The bar is now high people. I expect this and no less.

First he took her to a record store so they could find there soundtrack/song I love that 😭😭. And then they danced to it with a record player he found. The thought that had gone onto this 🥹🥹

Secondly, the pizza date where both him and her made pizza together. Me and Rosie were very distracted with Lucas kneading the dough. It was so cute tho ✋🥹😭 I can’t with Lucas being his usual extroverted self flirting all the time and Rosie trying not to burst at the seams because she’s trying not to turn as red as a tomato. I love them

And third the masquerade ball. THAT AARON WAS INVITED TO, WE GOT TO SEE THEM AGAIN AARON AND LINA I LOVE THEM. HE AND LUCAS’S BRO CODE WAS EVERYTHING. Anyways, the masquerade ball was the best. Them dressing up as characters from ‘their’ show. They have a show. I love them so much. And the fact I’m 98% sure it’s The Vampire Diaries makes me love that even more. It was the start of everything and god it was delicious.

And you know what made it even better, we got both POV we were in Lucas’s head as he become slowly more and more obsessed with Rose and OH it was satisfying. It’s just so good when the girl falls first but the guy falls harder.

But then we got to hear all his thoughts about how he thought he didn’t think he deserved Rosie because he was ‘broken’. When I tell you my heart broke for him. I was heartbroken. How could he think that? He was perfect. Doing all this for Rosie, all while keeping a smile on your face? I love him. If you didn’t already know bahaha.

I loved when Rosie was so obviously checking Lucas out and he would say something like “like what you see?” Like yes sir I do, I’ll inflate your ego for you.

AND THEN WHEN THEY FINALLY FUCKED THEY KEPT GETTING INTERUPTED LIKE STOP ✋ I WANTED TO READ THAT.

When he left for Spain ngl I ugly cried it hurt me so much to see that. And how they were both so sad about it 😭😭 they loved each other so much it hurt me. Their banter, their jokes, I loved it all <33

I know i said before that he may be as good as Aaron Blackford but who am I kidding, no one can top Aaron. He is the standard. And the standard is sky high.

But I will say Lucas is still amazing and I love him <333

Also, you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t talked much about Rosie and that’s because in that first chapter what she did gave me very much second hand embarrassment. It was really awkward. She wasn’t like an amazing character that I was rooting for the entire time but she was okay.

I didn't really connect to her, thats probably why, i'm not an aspiring writer and we are not similar. Maybe if we were then I might have liked her more.

(there were some bad parts to this book I will admit but im not letting anything disappoint me, ive been waiting for this book for months, if i reread ill go into more detail for you, but for now this book will be positive in my mind)


So no one sees that spoiler that skips down to the bottom:
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I’ll leave you with this quote:

I felt his hum fall in my skin. “Not god” he said before retracing my opening with his tongue. “Lucas”

And a huge thanks to my best friend Ty. For helping me write this because I had no idea how to write a good enough review for this amazing book.

She also gave me: I'm having very unfictional feelings about very fictional characters
Which is genius

And a bunch more I'm sure you will read in future reviews. One honourable mention right now for one I love

I still love to read fairytales, it's just a bit dirtier now.

She is a literary genius

Love you babes <3



{previous review }
*whispers* Please let me see Aaron again, please let me see Aaron again , please let me see Aaron again, please let me see Aaron again, please let me see Aaron again, please let me see Aaron again, please let me see Aaron again, please let me see Aaron again, please let me see Aaron again, please let me see Aaron again, please let me see Aaron again, please let me see Aaron again.



Oh and I almost forgot! I'm excited to see Rosies strory!

Update: holy fuck Elena said AARON WILL MAKE AN APPEARANCE MY LIFE IS NOW COMPLETE IM SO EXCITED

[Ali Hazelwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

edited to add: i can't believe i forgot to report my fave quote:
“Lina me va a cortar las pelotas.”

okay so hi. i have much to say.
let's start with: AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

and then let us continue with: ijshfgiahiadfhgiarehgoerijroigheagnaeirgnjaerbgajrbgrsjhtbrhk

and now let us be profesh: OUR EXPECTATIONS WERE HIGH, BUT HOLY SHIT DR. ARMAS.

I kinda don't know where to start. Okay so: this is Lucas' story of course, and we know him from 1) cute pics of him and Taco, his doggo (who, we find out in this book during one of the sex scenes, once had diarrhea) (i promise it doesn't detract ELENA MAKES IT WORK) 2) the fact that Lina is his cousin and 3) the fact that when Rosie saw him on IG, she thought he was cute.

Now. It's been a while since TSLD and Rosie, my girl whom I love, has been quietly thirsting after Lucas' instagram even since (as one does) (one = me. no matter what people say, Hyun Bin's instagram and I are a FAMILY.) So, Rosie is an engineer like Lina, but recently quit her job to write romance novels full time. (As an aside, her first book is like, a reverse Outlander type of deal, and I want to read it.) (Also her pen name is Rosalyn Sage which I love, I want to republish all my books under that name). Anyway, Rosie is in the midst of some big life changes, and that's when the roof of her apartment falls on her (literally.) She ends up having to stay in Lina's apt while Lina is gone (I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU WHERE LINA IS BUT I WILL LET YOU WILDLY SPECULATE ,MUAHHAHAHHAHAHA) and oooops, Lucas is also staying there (MUAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH X2) and there is only one bed (MUAHAHHAHAHAHA X 10000).
So, Lucas is a professional surfer who's taking a few weeks off and currently traveling around the US because he needs a change of scenery following Things (TM) that Happened (TM). Now, something I looooved about TARE is that both Lucas and Rosie are in a really fragile moment in their lives because of various reasons that have to do with career, family, writer's block, the expectations of the people around them, etc. And what they need is a friend. Someone loving and supportive. And when they're both feeling super low...

THEY FIND EACH OTHER. AND IT'S GLORIOUS. I mean, they have one of the best meet ugly in history, but after Lucas crash lands into Rosie's life they almost immediately have a connection and HE. IS. SUCH. A. SWEETHEART. He’s so charming and just genuinely nice and flirty. HE COOKS DELICIOUS FOOD!!! Also he is sooo supportive of Rosie’s life choices. Just. Just. LUCAS. *SWOONS* (I mean there is a scene guys where she needs a hug but she won’t admit it so he pretends to need one bc he misses Taco and i'm like... this man. i love this man.)
Anyway, they sort of strike up a deal where he's going to help her get back into writing romance by showing her that dates can be good and fun (which leads to some deliciously meta moments since this is a romance novel) and of course... they start falling for each other, but they are both acutely aware that:

1) he lives in Spain and he's only in NY temporarily
2) if they hook up, Lina will shank Lucas
3) he is recovering from something tough and feels like he has nothing to offer
SO THEY TRY TO RESIST AND THERE IS DELICIOUS SLOW BURN TENSION AND GUYS. GUYS. GUYSSSS.
(Oh yes the book is dual POV which is 900/10, A++++).

But also, bc I know the people want to know: do we see Aaron?
Yes.
Do we see Lina?
Yes.
Do we see Aaron and Lina together?
YUP.
Is it perfect?
*nods and wipes tears*

CRONUT YOU FOR THIS BOOK, ELENA

Disclosure: Elena and I share the same literary agency (SDLA); I received an ARC from the publisher (I think? Maybe from our agency? It's a mystery. We shall never know.)

[Ayman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girl idk even where to begin but i can say that i’ve never felt an ache this fucking strong in my heart like i did when reading this book. The slow burn quite literally stabbed me in the heart, slit my throat, and carved its name onto my chest. it was so excruciatingly painful but in all the right ways.

these characters are lovable from the start. this spin on acquaintances to friends to lovers was done so passionately that it made my heart cry tears of joy. the longing, the aching, the undeniable chemistry Rosie and Lucas have for one another had me clutching my chest the entire way through.

Introverted Rosie was very relatable. idk there was just something so refreshing reading about her and the way she lusted for Lucas even before officially meeting him. her undeniable crush. her confidence and radiant energy growing and developing throughout the novel was just perfection. the entire way through i was like “yeah she’s just like me fr.” God this book had me in a headlock 🫣

Lucas omg wow. he is just so easily lovable and funny and cute and hot af may i add. he was the perfect extroverted contrast to Rosie. and omgg he’d do that thing where he’d speak Spanish and Rosie would be like “hey what does that mean?” and he’d lie and say something silly like “it means i’m hungry” when in reality he just spitted out the most poetic romantic shit ever. like the sluttiest thing a man could do is flirt with you with his mother tongue 🫠 this man had me so distraught 😩 and dare i say he’s better than aaron blackford? i love them the same, i cant choose ughhh

i was acting very questionably while reading this book. i was up all night finishing it and screaming into my pillow at times. Lucas has just a way with words that had me thinking very unhinged things…and the way he’s just so down and deep for Rosie…honestly it pissed me tf off because i know men like him just simply don’t exist in real life.

anyways, this book is worth the read and it is better than TSLD when comparing the two. from the writing, to the plot, characters, romance, and the conclusion. i was literally crying reading the ending because it felt like a “finally about fucking time” moment.

thank you atria publishing for the ARC

[Phuong ✯ · Rating 1 out of 5]

i’m finally free thank god!!!

╰⋟ Elena Armas writes heroines that are not for me, cause i found both of her heroines so far annoying af. Rosie (h) gave me second hand embarrassment from the first chapter when she thought that someone broke into Lina’s apartment.. that 911 call jeez first red flag i ignored. 💀

╰⋟ Lucas (H) was less annoying, but not any better either, cuz boy really gave me nothing. all i remember is him comparing Rosie to a beautiful Rose and how Rosie was ready to fling herself at him. he did the bare minimum. 🤡

╰⋟ Rosie and Lucas had NO CHEMISTRY.. their scenes together work best as sleeping pills substitute nothing more nothing less.

╰⋟ this book was soooo unbelievably sloooow!! just throwing in a bunch of popular tropes is not enough to make a boring book more interesting. TARE had a heaps of different tropes that booktok is going to eat up, but is lacking some substance.

╰⋟ you know a book is ready to be disposed into the next bin when even the cameos of Aaron did not change my facial expression one bit. how did Lina manage to be even more annoying in Rosie's book than her own book? color me impressed. that's a rare talent.

╰⋟ this book had not one memorable scene or character, except that it reminded me why i hated the friends-to-lovers trope so much. i can’t wait to forget everything about this book the moment this review is published, cause this was a waste of time.

┍━━━━━━━━»•» «•«━┑
SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION SERIES

#1 The Spanish Love Deception – 3.5 stars
#2 The American Roommate Experiment – 1.5 stars
┕━»•» «•«━━━━━━━━┙

[Elena Armas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content warnings HERE (some spoilers)

The American Roommate Experiment is a standalone novel that takes place some time after the epilogue of The Spanish Love Deception and follows Rosie (Lina’s best friend) and Lucas (Lina’s older cousin). There’s forced proximity (lots), an unrequited secret crush, THE EXPERIMENT or in other words yes, A DATING EXPERIMENT, late night cooking, megawatt smiles, prancing in towels, hawt hawt steamy showers and a sunshine hero with some alpha sprinkled on top. OH, AND A MASQUERADE BALL. And remember, this is a SLOW BURN romance.

Order your copy :)
All links US
All links UK
All links CANADA
For international folks: amazon or bookdepository
All info on authorelenaarmas.com

Yes, to me, Lucas Martín has all the stars.
AND YES, you will get to see AARON and LINA.

[len ❀ · Rating 1 out of 5]

go girl give us nothing! 🤩

[Warda]

DNF at page 160.

Listen, I’m all for a bit of cheesiness, but this was of the worst kind. It was on every single bloody page. It was sickening.

And the cheese was beyond bland. There was no flavour to these characters or the story.

I don’t know whether this is a permanent DNF or a temporary one. I think if I ever do decide to pick it up, I’ll be on my period. There’s no way I’ll be able to hack the cheese otherwise.

——————————————

I definitely preordered this. Just look at that cover! Does it not make you happy?!

[ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elena Armas’ publishing agent: “so, how many tropes and cliches do you think you can wri—“

Elena Armas: YES.

all i got from this was that there is not an original thought in Elena Armas’ brain.

this felt too... tropey. as though Elena Armas tried to think of as many popular tropes as possible and threw them into a melting pot to create this book.

and tropes aren’t bad whatsoever— tropes can be the foundation of a story, the basic/generic ideas that initially get us (as readers) intrigued by the book, and we can then decide from the tropes whether we think the story is for us or not. but when you rely too heavily on the tropes and construct a story around them, i think it’s glaringly obvious and results in a story that lacks depth and uniqueness. and that’s what happened here for me.

i know there’s recently been wider conversations within the book community and the publishing industry regarding what’s been dubbed “tropification”. im not gonna get into all of that, but i think this book was undoubtedly influenced by the latest trend of how tropes are dominating the romance genre.

on top of this. the inner monologues of both characters were incredibly repetitive. Rosie and Lucas both thought the same things over and over again, to the point i was skimming chunks of pages because i had read the exact passage a few pages prior. while some of the “cute” lines Lucas fed Rosie were so unoriginal, i just didn’t feel anything at all. it just heightened the fact (to me, anyway) that the book was catering to the Instagram reel/TikTok trend of posting an out of context scene or piece of dialogue from a book that will have you on your knees, so you decide to go pick the book up... and find out the book isn’t even that good and the scene in question was actually pretty underwhelming.

it was just far too jumbled and mismatched, not knowing what it wanted to be because the cliches and tropes were continuously stacking up, almost competing with one another. and this made for a pretty inconsistent read. like Rosie’s “unrequited crush”, for example, but it was pretty clear that Lucas liked her back almost immediately. (and because of this, you can’t tell me this was a slowburn romance— it was just insta-love masquerading as a slowburn).

and i was totally down for the roommates/forced proximity aspect, but then the fake-dating was also thrown into the mix... and it just meant the book had too much going on, and while trying to juggle it all, lost any semblance of structure and direction. i think the story should have just been roommates to lovers OR fake-dating, not both.

i just... it all felt so basic. there’s just no subtly. Lucas drops a compliment or sexual innuendo about Rosie every few sentences. and Rosie, every damn time, is like “OH super weird! it sounds like he’s flirting!? like he likes me?! impossible”. and originally, it was understandable with the type of person Rosie is, and i sympathised because ive always been really bad at knowing when someone flirts with me. but ffs, by the tenth compliment that was dropped in the span of a chapter, i couldn’t bare it any longer.

her oblivious and klutzy nature was cute and fun at first, too, but got exhausting real quick. especially when it’s heightened by the fact that Rosie has never had any dating luck and it’s ALWAYS been super embarrassing. nearly every one of them have used and discarded of her. this is just a personal pet peeve though when it comes to romcom style romances— heroines who are constantly shit out of luck and never know a moment of peace make me wanna gauge my eyeballs out with a spork. let the ladies breathe, please.

and their first smutty scene 💀💀💀 yall should have seen my face i was APPALLED.



like why did you guys have to do it THERE?!?!!?? i skipped the whole thing. i know they eventually stopped but... y’all shouldn’t have even started, pack it up!!

the scene that followed was good, though... i just couldn’t get over the first it was weird as fuck. i can’t even put it in a nice way it just ruined the vibes lmao.

but it wasnt all bad. there were a handful of cute moments that actually felt authentic between Rosie and Lucas rather than a stilted, manufactured trope— him hugging her after she sees her brother was sweet, i liked it a lot, as well as the scene towards the end with Lucas’ dog, Taco.

the Masquerade Ball and their final “date” were probably my favourites!! both fun, steamy and full of tension. the ball scene was the first time i really felt their chemistry and was convinced they had a real connection beyond the tropes forcing the connection. (although the phrase ”fuck you silly” actually made me curl my nose up, that almost ruined the whole vibe i can’t lie). then their final date was just so full of honesty and they were finally laying all of their cards on the table.

while i also enjoyed him saying sweet things to Rosie in Spanish that she didn’t understand and he told her it was something super ordinary when in fact it was cute af. the little gestures that Armas incorporated worked so well. it was the big, grand ones that were suffocating because they were just so obvious and unauthentic. and there were too many of them.

your readers aren’t dumb, you don’t need to shove so much down their throats. they can pick up on the small, minute cues you’ve laid out. and that elevates an authentic romance. i think if she’d stuck to that rather than the big tropes, this would have excelled.

and Lina was annoying af as a side character (i legit skipped every interaction Rosie had with her because she was unbearable), so i have finally made the executive decision to not read TSLD. sorry, Aaron babe, but you’re not worth it if i have to slog through Lina’s POV for a whole damn book. goodbye.

just overall, it’s pretty unoriginal. it’s not a bad book, it’s just... nothing new or special. cliches and tropes aren’t the bad guys here, they can be utilised exceptionally when they’re not solely relied upon to shape the novel and the characters are fully fleshed out. but neither Rosie nor Lucas were. they were very generic to me. Lucas was a cookie-cutter boyfriend, an amalgamation of all the “swoony” characteristics most readers like in a hero, and because of this was just rather bland. he could be anybody.



honestly, i think if the trauma of his past had been fleshed out properly beyond him briefly telling Rosie about it in a moment of vulnerability at the end, it would have elevated him so much more.

Rosie was fine. i didn’t mind her. like Lucas, i wouldn’t be able to identify her out of a line up, that’s for sure. just pure indifference. i just expected more from this since, when i was lucky enough to read the first chapter a bit early, i really liked what i read. the rest didn’t live up to it at all.

by the last 15% i was skimming like crazy. i truly didn’t care anymore and it feels like ive wasted a whole day reading a book i didn’t really like :/

****original review of the first chapter [26/08/22]****

And just when I thought I’d collected myself enough to say something else— hopefully marginally smart— his lips stretched. That puzzled look dissolved completely, giving way to a smile and whatever words had climbed to my mouth crumbed.
Because he was smiling. And it was big and bright and quite frankly, beautiful in this blatant way you don’t really know what to do with.

just a disclaimer: when i requested this, i assumed the sampler was a lil bit longer than a single chapter, so trying to gauge how to rate this isn’t easy. originally i decided on three but ive changed it to four because i did really like this, but my rating is definitely subject to change when i read the whole book.

but, i can give my brief, vague thoughts instead.

(also, side-note: i have never read The Spanish Love Deception so my brief thoughts here are in no way influenced by the previous book).

⟡ it was immediately engaging— it was unique and fun, and i found myself laughing a few times.

⟡ Rosie was funny, charming and endearing. she was witty and maybe a bit quirky, but in a cute way. i instantly liked her!

⟡ Lucas seemed lovely with a humorous and playful energy about him.

⟡ the book jumps right into story straight away— i love when authors do this, rather then a slow build up. i just want to be in on the important stuff straight away, otherwise im bored to tears waiting for something to actually happen.

⟡ Rosie and Lucas’ first interaction, again, was pretty funny. it wasn’t trying too hard to be quirky, but instead felt authentic in a way that showcased both MCs personalities.

it’s safe to say i definitely want to read this when the rest is released, despite having zero interest in TSLD. i may even pick it up if i end up enjoying this one!

thank you to NetGalley, and Simon and Schuster UK for the sneak peek!

[Ali Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book. Such a fun concept of having to share an apartment with your crush. And I love that Rosie is a romance writer! Love love love books about people who love books. And Lucas WAS SO SWEET!! I loved how big his heart was and how much he would do for her.
Can’t wait to read Elena Armas next book when it comes out later this year

[chan ☆]

official dnf <3

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t feel any chemistry between the characters and some of the things that happened were unintentionally funny, i.e. the love interest saying he finds yellow paint attractive after he sees a picture of the main character dressed as a Minion, the love interest calling her an “avenging angel” after he stops her from throwing her purse at an attacker, etc. The best parts about these types of books are the smut scenes but this couple was constantly getting interrupted and giving me blue balls too. How dare you!

[TrippyBooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

If u didnt like the Spanish Love deception u wont like this either.

[kendyl ʚ♡⃛ɞ (hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️’s

"rosie affected me in ways no other woman ever had. i wanted to do things for her, everything and anything if she let me. i wanted to make sure that she was okay. more than okay. not good, but happy. that she accomplished whatever she dreamed of. that she was cared for, cherished.”

“and god, i wanted to fuck her. venerate her body. with my hands. my mouth. my cock if i’d ever be so lucky. i wanted to treat her like she deserved to be treated, like a gift.”

lucas martín…i am sat. um this man is quite literally perfect so before i get started with my unhinged thoughts about him, let me rant about the author really quick because she’s the reason i couldn’t give her book 5 stars…she’s her own worst enemy.

😈the rant:
elena armas. she literally created one of the most perfect fictional book bfs i’ve ever been blessed to read about, BUT it was the way she wrote in stupid shit that tried to make me dislike him at one point…the stuff that happened at the end just didn’t make sense to me? i mean i felt like it would be something that elena would do, but it was so out of character for lucas imo. like damn, she created lucas…yet i feel like i know him more than she does! don’t create the most perfect man and then make him do something that i know he’d never do. that just don’t make sense. it seriously wasn’t necessary at all. this book would’ve literally been 5 stars if that shit did not happen!! when are authors gonna realize that there doesn’t need to be drama between the mmc and the fmc?! it’s okay to be different boo😭😭there was already outside drama with rosie’s family that i really wasn’t vibing with and got quite bored with at times, but luckily the majority of the book was about lucas and rosie hehe. okay i think my rant is over. this is the only thing that upset me…elena you did a lot of things right and that will show throughout the rest of my review.

tropes:
- friends to lovers
- fake dating
- she falls first, he falls harder
- slow burn
- forced proximity
- one bed
- nightmares

i highly, highly recommend this book. i do. i’m not going to give a summary about the plot, simply because it honestly sounds boring lol!!! i went into this book totally blind and loved it!! so that’s what i recommend doing if you wanna read it hehe. i really wasn’t expecting to like this book. i read the spanish love deception a longgggg time ago and apparently gave it 5 stars, but i don’t remember much about it and i definitely feel like i enjoyed this book wayyyyy more than that one🤭

♡ rosie graham
or as lucas would call her: ro, graham, roomie, my girl, preciosa, ángel🥹🥹i love her omg. she really quit her job to become a romance writer. following her dreams like a queen!🥹not only did elena create a perfect mmc, but she also created a perfect fmc. there was not a single thing i didn’t like about either of them. she’s a people pleaser for sure. always making sure everyone else is taken care of before she even thinks about herself. before i read this book…i read some people say that rosie was grumpy and i didn’t get that vibe at all. rosie was always so sweet to everyone omg. definitely a sunshine girl. i loved that before she met lucas…she’d always stalk his instagram account ever since her best friend lina talked about him. rosie was so captivated by him immediately. so when they met, she had known more about his life and more about him than lucas knew. super cute and definitely sounds like me in high school hahaha…stalked this one guy’s socials everyday cuz we had mutual friends, finally met him, we became best friends, and now we’re almost 5 years strong into our relationship🤭

♡ lucas martín
omg this review is about to get crazy ok. this. man. is. perfection. no one can convince me otherwise…not even you elena, even tho you tried. lucas is everything. every good word in the dictionary…that’s him. let me just list some. he’s flirty, funny, compassionate, protective, selfless, gentle (until he’s got you in bed), respectful, hot, gorgeous, yummy, sexy…ok i’m getting carried away. my heart broke for lucas, my poor baby :( throughout the majority of the book, the past stays with him and he suffers from anxiety/panic attacks. and because of his past…he also suffers from a really bad knee injury. it would hurt to stand for long periods of times, but let me tell you guys…when it came to rosie, he did not care.

♡ rosie and lucas
forever engraved in my mind? yes they are. the immediate friendship they had with each other…i can’t. it was so beautiful. the immediate comfort they felt with each other. i loved that they were strangers but they already knew so much about each other. like i said earlier, rosie would stalk his socials and lucas got to hear alllll about rosie from her best friend lina, who is also his cousin hehehe. you guys may be thinking hmmm, instant friendship, instant connection, instant comfort. insta love??? no, absolutely not. if you guys don’t like slow burns, then this book is definitely not for you. i am a sucker for slow burns. the tension!?!? omg. the build up was so crazy and then the SPICE. elena armas served…i ate that up and left 0 crumbs. amazing. i did not expect a lot of the things that came out of lucas’ mouth🥵it was a pleasant surprise. i was not expecting lucas and rosie to consume me.

♡ favorite moments w/ quotes:
(unhinged thoughts included)

"come on," he said. "have a seat before it gets cold."
"you're hungry, so it's settled. sit."
~once again, i am sat. this man cooked for her every single night since the first night they spent together in the apartment. wow.

she straightened on her stool. "and you take the bed. i'll sleep on the couch."
not a chance in hell, but it was adorable that she believed i'd ever accept.
~the dual pov was everything omg😭loved being inside his head🤭

"miss graham," he said in a tone that had me straightening, "don't be a-"
"don't," i cut him off, getting in his face so he had no choice but to look at me. "i suggest you don't finish that sentence."
the man held my gaze, but there was no mistaking how his throat bobbed.
"in fact," i pressed, noticing my voice dropped down,
"i suggest you stop talking altogether."
~YES. yes. i love a protective man.

"ángel, por favor. don't cry. don't do that to me."
"i'm not crying," i lied. "it's just the rain. i'm okay." his fingers cupped my jaw and he tilted my head upward until i met his gaze.
"you're lying. you're crying and it's breaking my heart," he said in a desperate voice. "rosie, preciosa. tell me what to do to stop this.
"want me."
~this moment had me SOBBING UNCONTROLLABLY. but what do i gotta do to have lucas talk to me in spanish and call me these beautiful names!?? please. i’ll do anything. i’ll crawl. the “ángel” gets me every single time🥹🦋

the sound of our breathing overpowered the water falling on top of us, and i couldn't stop myself from coming closer, i couldn't stop my hand from rising to her neck, closing around her throat very gently.
"is this okay?" i asked her, watching her face very closely. "tell me if it isn't."
~YES BABY, IT’S OKAY. help i can’t breathe. THAT SHOULD BE ME😭rosie ily, but he’s mine. i am so down bad.

"i read you like you were my favorite book, rosie. like i've memorized you." he lifted my hips so we were both on our knees.
"is this deep enough? am i more than just good now?"
~hot. red hot. he said this while taking her from behind?🫠🫠🫠🫠help.

♡ things i loved:
- him watching her favorite show with her and then later on telling her that it was his show hahah omg.
- him telling her that she was safe with him the day after they met because she was falling asleep on the couch next to him and he was worried that she wasn’t comfortable enough to fall asleep.
- him carrying her to the bed after she fell asleep on the couch🥹
- she was on her period and was craving cronuts after having a bad day…but it was nighttime so the place was closed. so the next day he remembers and buys her cronuts and brings them to her. the little things>>>>>>>
- the hugs he’d give her and how she described them :,)
- the fact that this man convinced the owner of her favorite pizzeria to give him the keys so he could surprise her with a date where they made pizzas there.
- the way he put her apron on for her, tied it around her back and then wrapped it around to finish tying it around her stomach because it was too big…rosie was better than me cuz i would’ve folded right there. like okay baby let’s skip the pizza and go straight for the dessert😋
- him letting her sit on his lap because there was no room for everyone to sit to have dinner.
- the masquerade ball..omg🦋🦋
- the fact that he recreated the night she wished they met on…it won’t make sense unless you read it but pls if you read it…you’re gonna love it.
- him dancing with her to their soundtrack. fuckkk.
- the fact that he read her first book and loved it. then her second book…omg i won’t say cuz of spoilers but omfg.

♡ favorite quotes:
(VERY unhinged thoughts included)

"it's really hard not to stare, rosie. you make it hard."
~BLUSHING. SWOONING.

"you're a sight, rosie. a fucking sight. like a mirage. an illusion. what man in his right mind wouldn't want to see you?"
~just…fucking run me over with your car already.

"i want to do the noble thing, rosie. but i'm finding it really hard when all i want to do is sinful things to you."
~ON MY KNEES. i’m on my knees.

"of course. he doesn't bite," i said. and when she sidled up beside us, i added so only she could hear,
"me, on the other side? i could eat you up right now." rosie snorted, as if i'd been joking. i hadn't been.
~yeah i’d be his meal.

"this is not a one-way street, rosie. you look after me, i look after you. we take care of each other. we're a team."
~i- i am obsessing🤭

"that's my girl,” he said, my heart losing it just like the first time he'd ever uttered those words. "i'm so proud of you, ro. so, so proud."
~😩😩i wanna be rosie.

"then there's this. this beautiful blush. what’s causing this, rosie?" he lowered his voice. “what's making you hot?"
~like you don’t know hahaha omg but he had me blushing too. red as a tomato. butterflies in the tummy. everything.

"you're the only one i want here with me, sharing food with me, and sitting so close i'm having a hard time keeping my hands to myself.”
~ovaries are screaming.

lucas martín deserves to be KNOWN. i love him endlessly. i loved the couple. they’re so cute, so amazing, so perfect🤭please read if you’ve been wondering if you should. if you read it and hate it, please forget my name. hahahah jk love you all<3 this review is crazy, but if y’all saw my updates…then you understand how crazy i am about this man and how crazy i was going about this book😂😭



old updates:

if you’ve been genuinely wanting to read this book, well bestie guess what? this is your sign. a big fat sign.

a very unhinged review to come VERY soon and a slight little rant about the author (the reason why i couldn’t give this book five stars like i so badly wanted to…) :D

i hope this is better than my last read…if not, let’s keep these rant reviews going!😂😂
a lot of people voted for this to be my next read tho on my poll hehe so fingers crossed!!🤞🤞

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is the ultimate fluff. the perfect kind of perky, happy-go-lucky romance you want that comes with a happily ever after tied with a nice, pretty bow.

but its the kind of lighthearted tropetasticness that begins to feel like over-the-top cheesiness if you arent in the mood for it. and, unfortunately, i dont think i was.

which is just too bad because i really do think this is a cute book. but i just didnt feel whole-heartedly invested in the story until near the end when the tone starts to settle down a bit and the characters become a more grounded. so again, i just dont think i was in the mood for something so unserious.

not a bad book by any means, it just didnt personally capture my full interest at this particular moment.

↠ 3 stars

[SK (Back for good this time? We'll see) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It could not create the same magic as The Spanish Love Deception.

Let's go over the tropes in this one-
✔️Dual POV
✔️Fake dating
✔️Roommates to friends to lovers
✔️Forced proximity
✔️Masquerade Ball
✔️Slow burn
✔️Yearning for each other
✔️Girl falls first
✔️Spice (1.5/5)

So despite such amazing tropes, what went wrong? Buckle up, cause this review borderlines a rant review. *sigh*

So we have the FMC- Rosie Lina's best friend who quit her job and wants to be an accomplished writer. She already has one major published book, but due to a writer's block- she is unable to write the second one.

I don't wanna be the one to call out the author on that. But it all felt a bit too personal. Like Elena Armas was talking about her own struggles. It did drag on and felt like a narrative of her personal complaints. Sorry not sorry, but this is constructive criticism.

Then we have the MMC- Lucas who is Lina's cousin, and that's all there is to his personality? He does have his own sweet moments but it's not enough. Sadly, the author could not write Lucas the way she wrote Aaron Blackford - with love.

The book does start really well. But the problem started when I was 200 pages in, and the characters had barely made a move on each other. It's still supposed to be a romance book right?! I get it, it's a slow burn, the characters are yearning for each other. But how is it that I'm halfway through the book and all I know is they like Pizza?! How do you manage to babble for so long?! It's at this point I start losing interest in romance and the book as a whole. Sadly, even Aaron and Lina's presence could not save it.

Look, Elena is a very talented writer. She knows how to make you laugh, cry and swoon. But if the author does not have a heart to write, why force yourself? Take a break, re-read your draft and then publish. The second half of the book went on and on to no avail.

We have one interesting character - Olly, Rosie's brother. I think he holds a lot of potential and maybe it's his story we get to read next? I personally was more invested in him than Rosie and Lucas.

Look, don't get me wrong, Lucas and Rosie are quite likable but while I wanted something that makes me feel things all I got was a boring story. The spice is good, I'll give it that. But I had stopped caring about the story by the time it happened 🤷‍♀️ I ended up skimming through fair bit once I hit the 300 page mark.

It does have its sweet moments, I did like the ending. It was quite satisfying and absolutely adorable, which is why I rate it three stars instead of two.

If you want to read this, go ahead. Maybe you'll like it more than me. But I personally had high hopes. So yeah, am disappointed.

[CristiinaReads୨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovers from a afar, shared proximity, and a chemistry between two soulmate seeking lovers that will fill you with angst and tender, emotional romance of the best kind...



**SIGHS** This book... this story... this romance! What can I say other than the fact this was a true refreshing love story to read. One that I have not read in such a long time. That's mostly due to the fact that I have been on a cliche band of just reading smutty romances, insta-love romance, etc. But with that being said, my love for this story is pure. To me, this was such a comfort romance that made me take my time to thoroughly appreciate and enjoy. And both Rosie with Lucas together, know how to make that ideal romance couple that as a reader makes you just instantly swoon over them.

It's the beauty of Lucas, the way his personality is. That's what attracts you to keep on reading and wanting more of him. More of his sunshine personality, but still shows signs of vulnerability that makes him this beautiful kind man. More of his tender careful attention that he has towards Rosie, listening to her, caring for her, loving her. Even when he doesn't even know that he is doing it. He is just... Lucas Martin.

And then we have Rosie... my gosh dear Rosie. An independent woman, who seeks not only for validation in herself, but is also nervous of her family finding out the truth towards the path she has taken. Rosie is a strong character that demonstrates the inner battles of herself. But at the same time, just knows what she wants. That's why when she first "meets" Lucas, you just know that these two are meant to be. They are both two individuals seeking for that love and passion that nobody has been able to give them in the way they are looking for. Rosie instantly knows and does not question it;

“And I imagined this, his hug, his body, him, being my safe-heaven. My normal. My bad days, my good days. My every day..."

As their experiment starts to evolve, Lucas starts to notice that his heart is eating him alive. Eating him from the inside out, his heart is taking control of him. But he struggles to let himself be the person that Rosie wants him to be. With the all beautiful flaws, Rosie wants him and only him. And Lucas, after time just knows that he wants her and only her. His happiness comes second, while hers comes first. Her battles and obstacles come first and he is not afraid to fight them for her. To conquer them with her. That's why this story is refreshing. It takes you to another world of tender yet careless love that makes you giggle, cry, and just utterly swoon.

This dual pov romance has everything and anything you may need in an emotional story. Do not be deceived by my review though, because once Lucas gets his hands on Rosie... his body controls him in the best of ways. And if you know what I am talking about... you just know. **wink wink** Elena has a keen talent for making me crave more of her writing. And I am looking forward to seeing what else she has in store for all of us romance readers.

PS. For those Aaron lovers, you do NOT want to miss out on this story. Because Lina and Aaron do show up, and they are just... AHHHHHH SO GOOD!

ARC BETA kindly provided by my bestie Elena, in exchange for an honest review...

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[Aleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every single page was basically her saying something stupid then saying “omg I’m so stupid why would I say that” like girl idk maybe just stay quiet then?

[Zainab Qadeer - Hiatus till May · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I wanted to lay myself at her feet because no one had ever done something so thoughtful for me. Something this personal, something that had been designed to bring only me happiness.
I wanted to pull her into my arms and thank her, worship her, make sure she knew how grateful I was. Fuck. I wanted her. Now more than ever.” 🥹🥹 HOW IS HE SOO CUTE MY HEART

I AM IN LOVE WITH LUCAS WHY IS HE SOO CUTE SWEET AND LITERAL PERFECTION YESS I READ THIS ON MY PERIOD SO THAT MAY EXPLAIN MY EXCESSIVE FEELINGS FOR LUCAS THROUGH OUT THIS REVIEW LUCAS PLEASE MARRY ME BUT THE BOOK OVERALL HAD A SHIT PLOT THERE I SAID IT DONT HATE ME I LIKED THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION MORE LUCAS AND ROSIE I LOVED THE PLOT NOOO 5 STARS FOR LUCAS 0 STARS FOR THE PLOT HENCE THE 3 STARS I THINK MY MATHS IS MASTHSING 💀😭

So the story kicks off with Rosie an engineer who gave up her role to be a romance writer. She moved into her best friend Catalina’s apartment who you may all know from the Spanish love deception whilst she’s at her honeymoon with Aaron 😍 . Rosie unpacks whilst she’s ringing catalina to let her know that she’ll be staying at her apartment until the hole in her roof is fixed then she hears someone trying to get into the apartment and stops in her tracks the intruder says that he can hear someone breathing inside so impulsively she tells the intruder to leave as she’s calling the police the intruder not being phased at all laughs and says he has a key but she calls the cops until he says that this is his cousin catalinas house hearing that she realises she’s fucked up she lets him in and apologises

“Rosie,” he said in a low, warning voice that made my stomach flop for some reason. “Take the bed.” He smiled, but it wasn’t lighthearted and fun. “Don’t make me fight you over this. Because I will.” fight me please 🥵

The intruder is no one other Lucas Martin the older Spanish cousin who wasn’t able to attend catalinas wedding but Rosie knew who he was as she had maybe slightly stalked him after Catalina mentioned him a few times 😂😂 GIRL THERES NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF BEEN THERE DONE THAT💀 she quickly apologises and tells him she’ll leave as Catalina had given her apartment to Lucas but the gem that Lucas is he says he will go as he doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable 🥹😫. The next morning Lucas and Rosie end up going to her apartment to meet up with the tenant and contractor which ends in let’s say a total chaos as it’s going to take long. Rosie tells Lucas it’s fine and she’ll stay at her apartment as she’s saying this and Lucas is just objecting, her neighbour from upstairs walks by and let’s just say he’s not wearing any boxers and you can see his di** not a pretty sight after that disturbing image Lucas tells Rosie that she can stay as long as she needs and he’ll sleep on the couch whilst she takes the bed 😭

Since Rosie left her engineering job she needs to send her manuscript for her second book to the publishers but she’s having a strong case of a writers block. she manages to speak to Catalina but doesn’t tell her that she’s staying with Lucas at her apartment Catalina advises Rosie to start dating again for inspiration and treat it like an experiment Rosie thinks that’s quite unfair on any guy but as she complains she realises Lucas heard all of it her horrible dating life the experiment LITERALLY all of it and to her surprise Lucas VOLUNTEERS HIM SELF AS A TRIBUTE WILL THIS STAY AS AN EXPERIMENT OR WILL IT GROW INTO SOMETHING SPECIAL 😭

“whole thing about you being stuck is your fear talking. You’re terrified to fail, Rosie. I know you”

Rosie was such a relatable and likeable character. Being the eldest daughter of the family and being an engineer hit right at home the pressure the stress of always having to be the best WAS FELT VERY DEEPLY FOR A SECOND I WAS LIKE IS THIS PLAY ABOUT US

“Open your eyes, Lucas.”
My head gave a curt shake. “No.”

“If you think this is something I don’t want to see, then you have me figured out all wrong.”

“You’re a sight, Rosie. A fucking sight. Like a mirage. An illusion. What man in his right mind wouldn’t want to see you?” this scene lives in my head rent free 😫😫 our respectful king

Lucas my heart was soo loveable it hurts ok. He always put other before him and was taken back when Rosie put him first cared about what he wanted I just wanted to wrap him up and keep him safe from the world. The way he thought he wasn’t good enough because of his injury was gut wrenching. The most important part he was RESPECTFUL the way he closed his eyes and didn’t open them because Rosie didn’t have clothes on because some guy spilt his drink on her and he was helping her clean up after she told him to look 🥹🥹🥹🥹

“I had told her once how much I hated how low she set her standards, and I’d meant every word. It infuriated me that someone who brought to life romance heroes, love stories people longed for, wouldn’t expect all those things from real life. Because she really seemed fine not expecting any man to live up to her heroes. She was fine with it.” marry me please 💞🥰✨

The way Lucas was soo surprised and pissed at Rosie because she had such low standards was another reason why I fell in love with him . He hated the fact that Rosie was thankful for things that was literally what we call the bare minimum. As girls it’s true we set the bar soo low WE ALL DESERVE A LUCAS.

“You’ll pick a record, but pick wisely, because whatever you choose will be our soundtrack.”

The dates were the best come on their first date was to a record store SO SHE COULD PICK THEIR SONG that’s soo wholesome for them to go home and dance to it . The grand gesture blew my mind the fact that Rosie and Lucas wanted to meet at the wedding so he re created the wedding at a roof top with music and baked her cake to tell her how he would have danced with her was enough to set me over edge 😫😫.

Now the plot was shit there wasn’t really a plot it was just a bunch of experimental dates because rosie had a writers block . Let’s say for instance rosie did these experimental dates and lucas didn’t know they were experiments that would have still made this interesting but no he knew from the start. The only reason I gave this 3 stars was because of lucas and how caring he was the fact that he thought about everything was just amazing.the Spanish love deceptions plot was a really good slow burn as they were actually fake dating because of her family to make it look realistic this was just about some writers block there wasn’t anything forbidden about it.

”I Cronut you I’m gonna be sick 🤢

Now for the cringe part I hated the whole I cronut you which was a way for Rosie and Lucas to say thank you that was just exclusive to them IT WAS GIVING I WOLF YOU FROM YOU 😭💀🏃‍♂️

“The last man you dated in particular, Assface Number Five, was… well, let’s just say he was lucky I didn’t borrow Aaron’s car and accidentally run him over.” 😂😂

Rosie and Catalina were the best friends we all want and deserve. The fact they called all of roses exes Assface 1 , 2 , 3 you get the point has me in tears . The way Catalina wanted to run over Rosie’s exes was soo me like helloooo no one gets to hurt my bestie and get away with it 😂💀

“I glanced at Aaron, and I found him smiling, too. I did a double take, taking them in for a moment. “Are you two… okay?”
Their twin smiles widened, making me wonder if they were high. Because Aaron had never ever grinned like this, like a… maniac, except for the day they got married”

The bromance between aaron and Lucas was what I needed. We all know Aaron is moody and doesn’t smile but the way he was keeping everything a secret from Catalina and helped Lucas out with Rosie because he understood from one look that Lucas was in love was soo cute. AARON WAS SMILING YESS I REPEAT HE WAS SMILING at the New Year’s party for Lucas and Rosie which meant everything keeping in mind aaron only smiled for Catalina .

SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️⚠️


“Every single time I’ve called you Graham, I’ve done it to remind myself that I couldn’t want you the way I do. Every time I’ve taken you on a date, I’ve had to tell myself that it was part of an agreement. And every time I’ve said I wanted to be your best friend, all I’d wanted was to take from you as much as you could possibly give me.” Utterly ruined 😫🥰

I understand everything about Lucas and his injury and how he thought it made him weak and not good enough. I just don’t get why he thought it would be a good idea to leave Rosie because she deserved better like dude she wants you so why can’t you become better for her.

“She loves me? She said that? Rosie said that she’s in love with me?”
Seconds stretched into an eternity. “Lucas, are you joking right now?” same lina same tf 💀

The fact that Lucas was confused and didn’t know Rosie loved him until Catalina rang him and told him was stupid. That guy knew Rosie better than her self the fact that she ran to airport to tell him she would go where ever he went clearly showed she loved him someone who planned every inch of her life was ready to drop all of it for you it clearly indicates one thing LIKE MY DELULU ASS THINKS A MAN IS IN LOVE WITH ME IF HE HOLDS THE DOOR OPEN AND SHE WAS READY TO MOVE COUNTRIES 🫤

“Rosalyn Graham,
Will you be my best friend?
My roommate.
My Dancing Queen.
My experiment life partner.
My heart.
Will you be mine, just like I’m completely, hopelessly yours?”

The new year scene was soo cute the fact that he came to her on new years kissed her on the jaw and not on the lips just incase she wouldn’t forgive him is why we love Lucas. The message on the screen at the end confessing his love with their song playing at the back ground just summed up how wholesome their relationship was and Rosie deserved all of it.

Spoilers end here ⚠️⚠️

“Rosie groaned from inside. “Oh God. Oh no.” A pause. “I’m so… wet.”
Wet. She was wet.
A pained sound left me at her declaration.
“Can you pass me a few paper towels?” she asked after a beat. “Under the door?”
“Of course. Roomie.” Roomie, from roommates, remember, Lucas? I reminded myself as I grabbed a handful of towels and followed her instructions. “Here you go.” Lucas babe breathe 😂😂😂

My favourite part had to be when Lucas was hanging on for dear life because Lucy was wet literally because some guy dropped drink on her and he couldn’t get his head out of the gutter 😭💀

If your going to read this book then do it for Lucas not the plot and yess this can be read as a stand-alone but if you read the Spanish love deception first it’s just cuter because you get to see Catalina and Aaron again. 😍🥹

Heads up to my smut girlies this is a slow burn they don’t really do anything until like 85% of the book so just pointing that out for you 😘

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly smoke! This book is freaking hot! You keep hyperventilating! You just keep hearing fire alarm! That freaking, sizzling, sex oozing chemistry between Lucas and Rosie put the entire chapters into fire!

I loved this second book of the series so much more! It’s genuine, it’s entertaining, it’s soooo ROMANTIC! Especially the experimental dating ideas Lucas comes up with are brilliant!

Lucas was selfless, caring, sweet, playful, sex god who is also hell of chief! And Rosie is sweet, kind hearted, fixer, also selfless, perfect heroine!

The characterization is perfect! The highest rate of chemistry pouring out from the chapters captivates you.

The plot is also intriguing with forced proximity room-ance and friends to lovers tropes!

Can you imagine to stuck in a tiny studio with hottest Spanish god: a surfer/ a cook/ the guy you’ve been drooling over and stalking on social media for a year as you suffer from writer’s block!

Poor Rosie Graham moves to her best friend Lina’s apartment after ceiling off her own apartment nearly collapses on her! And she has no idea that Lina’s hot cousin Lucas she’s daydreaming decides to use his spare key to crash at the same place at the last minute.

Both of them finally come to an understanding they should share the apartment, becoming close friends. Lucas also offers Rosie to go out four experimental dates to help breaking her writer’s block!

But now Rosie has second thoughts about this experimental dating decision. Because five weeks later, Lucas will pack his bags and leave the continent for good! But what if their dating is something more than experimental, what if everything is real?

Lucas still deals with the injury of his leg and his emotional distress. He thinks he’s not good enough to make a woman happy but what if he embraces his fears, taking a chance for his own HEA!

No more words! I wish I can give this book 10 stars! This is one of the best romance books I’ve devoured this year! I HIGHLY ABSOLUTELY EXTREMELY RECOMMEND IT!

[Bryce Rocks My Socks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucas Martín's Application to be your next fave book boyfriend

1. he cooks
(a) in nothing but boxers
(b) and a pink apron
(c) while he dances
2. pick u up cronuts when ur craving them (it's giving five taco energy)
3. speaks to u dirty talk in Spanish
4. will read ur writing
5. checks in on her elderly neighbour every day
6. he has separation anxiety from his dog
(a) who is a therapy dog
(b) who we learn once had diarrhea (during a sex scene)
7. there's only one bed
8. literally written by a woman and then within the story is... written by a woman
9. best hugger
10. once said this: “Not god” he said before retracing my opening with his tongue. “Lucas”

[Júlia]

I was like: there is no way this is gonna be worse than The Spanish Love Deception.

Spoilers: it was

DNF @ 20%

[Ali Hazelwood]

*AGGRESSIVELY BEGS FOR AN ADVANCED COPY*

[aleerless · Rating 3 out of 5]

no one will ever top aaron blackford

[Matilda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars 🍑

if elena armas’ goal was to put me to sleep then she’s certainly succeeded! my grade in OB will be thanking her immensely because i studied all afternoon yesterday to avoid touching this sleepfest

reading this review may ruin the reading experience, so…spoilers!

i think we need to set the record straight about friends to lovers…

childhood friends >>>>>> new friends

new friends is incredibly hard to pull off because it’s hard to develop that connection between 2 strangers without having some sort of indifference between them. like...they were practically lusting after each other from the get go. this book did new friends particularly bad. lara wonderfully laid it out on her review, but lucas (H) and rosie (h) had way too much trust, way too soon.

for example, how was rosie spilling her biggest secret to lucas on their second meeting ever…a secret only 2 people in the entire world knew (i.e. lina and aaron)

plus, it felt like there was zero development???



the fake dating did nothing to progress their relationship, to me anyway. idk why but lucas’ flirty behavior during their experimental dates felt actually fake to me. isn’t the point of a fake dating trope supposed to be when we realize it’s not fake, but the heroine doesn’t??

“I feel that. Poor little guy.”
“You get sweaty hands, too?”
Lucas made sure he was meeting my gaze when he said, “I would if I was trying to work up the courage to kiss a girl like you.”

the conflict at the end + the separation was stupid. it was just lucas being an idiot boy. there was no reason for any of it.

the author really threw every trope imaginable at our faces and expected us to love it🧍🏻‍♀️ waiting for the day that romance authors move away from putting together random tropes that last 2 pages just so they can say they had them...*cough* one bed, gray sweatpants, fake dating *cough*

let me list every single trope in this book:
↠ fake dating
↠ formed proximity
↠ friends to lovers
↠ girl obsessed + crush
↠ cinnamon roll hero
↠ slowburn + “spice”
↠ roommates
↠ quirky heroine
↠ scarred hero
↠ best-friend’s cousin



don’t even get me started on the amount of secondhand embarrassment i got from lucas & rosie’s first meeting 😖

also, LINA WAS SO FUCKING ANNOYING!!!!!! her whole scolding towards lucas and rosie’s “relationship” was so dumb. i love how her excuse for not supporting any sort of relationship between was that lucas has never brought a girl home to meet his family 🤓🤓

i have to admit that there were a couple cute moments, which is why this book is getting an extra star. the shower scene???? that was actually hot af 🫶🏼 i love when the h walks in on the H while he’s jacking off.

what wasn’t cute was them getting steamy in a public. bathroom. absolutely NOT🤢🤢

also, i liked the parallel between their first meeting and them reuniting at the end 🥰

“I couldn’t wait a second more to start our new life together, Rosie. I’ve waited enough. I’ve waited a lifetime without me knowing. So why don’t you open this door and let me show you?”

the only thing that could have saved this book is if lucas and rosie got struck by lightning when they were standing on a roof during a storm, having their first kiss. now THAT would have been interesting 😮‍💨

[martina]

i'm so excited to see what elena does with rosie's book! and it's friends to lovers, with the forced proximity trope 🥺🥺

[abigail ❥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

she was successful—
successful in making me keel over from cringing 😃

[Aviva’s Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I did not love this book. It felt very similar to alot of other books I’ve read in the past - the two most prominent ones being Josh and Hazels Guide to Not Dating mixed with a bit of Beach Read… and I just didn’t feel like this was anything special or unique.

I didn’t latch onto either of the characters, I found a lot of moments to be pretty cheesy, and I almost felt like the story was written with the booktok/booksta community in mind… knowing all the tropes and elements that’ll make an average romance reader swoon - and I do not mean that as an insult to any reader who loved this story - if you gave me this book two years ago, I probably would have given it 5 stars… but I’m much pickier now and this one just didn’t stand out to me as something different or original. I guess I was expecting more, idk.

I also don’t think that instant attraction mixes very well with slow burn. If they are both drooling over each other from day one and there’s no forbidden aspect keeping them apart - then the slow burn just doesn’t make sense and becomes an unneeded tease. There was also a lot of side plots going on that weren’t needed or important to the story and every single time a scene wasn’t about Rosie and Lucas, I got bored.

I also feel like there were a couple of missed opportunities. A big one being with Lucas and his ingury/career issue. I feel like it was there to give us a ‘damaged character’ but it didn’t end up diving deep into it. There was also a wasted opportunity with the one bed situation - plus there was no real groveling at the end (one conversation does not count - especially when you specifically point out the importance of groveling in romance books)

[Nikola · Rating 2 out of 5]

No nie bawiłam się dobrze, kochani.

W scenach erotycznych używanie zdrobnień powinno być zakazane. Naprawdę „majteczki” to dobry wybór słowa? 🤡
Tak jak element erotyku w „The Spanish love deception” mi się podobał, tak tutaj stanowił najsłabszą część książki. Trudno mi powiedzieć czy to tłumaczenie, czy głupie zachowanie bohaterów, którzy nie potrafili ze sobą rozmawiać, sprawiło że jestem na nie.

[Penny · Rating 2 out of 5]

it honestly pains me to write this. i had high hopes for this book and i really wanted to like it, but the more i read, the less i enjoyed it. i'm too exhausted to write a proper review but i still want to rant a bit 😂

🗽 if you're gonna make a slowburn THIS SLOW i expect the characters to go from point A to point Z and through all the steps in between. i expect each interaction to add something to their relationship. i'm not the biggest fan of friends to lovers but if you're going down that route, then i expect them to slowly go from two random people, to friends, to good friends, to something more. but imo, there's barely a difference in the way they interact in their second scene together, their tenth one and their 334897th one. they instantly trust and like and are attracted to each other. which is good for them i guess, but not for me.. cause then why are they hooking up so late in the story? the "slowburn" serves no purpose at all when they're just repressing their feelings from the very beginning. say what you want about Catalina's irrational dislike of Aaron in TSLD, but at least she changed her feelings throughout the story. i felt 0 development here.

🗽 the heroines' sense of humor in this series is definitely not for me 😭 and this is coming from someone who gave TSLD a 5 star rating, but there's only so much quirkiness i can take. i liked Rosie but the secondhand embarrassment was REAL. there was no better reminder that Lucas was fictional than whenever he would laugh at her embarrassing remarks, cause any sane person irl would've run out of there so quickly skfkdsk i feel mean but i said what i said.

🗽 the fact that i saw so many quotes from this book in the past few months honestly did TARE a disservice. most of the "swoon-worthy" moments were spoiled for me and whenever i got to those quotes from Lucas, i was just like "ah.. already saw this on ig 🤷‍♀️".

🗽 what was the purpose of the dating experiment? i felt NOTHING during those dates. absolutely nothing. i felt more during their little domestic moments. i've seen some reviews already saying this and i agree, there were just too many tropes floating around. i think they could've just been roommates and it would've been enough, no need to add so many things.

🗽 "croughnut you", Lucas saying Rosie reminds him of a flower (no shit!)... the cringe, oh my god. but the worst part?? him whispering "dulce de leche" in her ear while she looked at him like 😍🥵 LMAOOOO it's giving the omelette du fromage scene from dexter's lab. just pretend i'm inserting that gif here cause i'm too lazy to look it up 🧍‍♀️

🗽 Aaron, te amo. that hasn't changed 😌 but why was Lina a little more annoying here...? 😭

🗽 i want to end this on a positive note: there were still cute moments. both Lucas and Rosie were likable MCs. i liked how much they were there for each other. that moment when Lucas pretended he needed a hug just so he could give her one 🥺 it made me so softtt. but i don't know, it really fell short on every other aspect 💔

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 4 out of 5]

y’all it took me so long to read this because I eve been in the worst reading slump. ever. but i have officially ✨finished✨

lucas was.. wow. amazing. cinnamon roll but also funny and outgoing? also hot? CAN COOK? bye. perfect. aaron blackford is still my #1 tho, but i did love lucas. rosie was really sweet and relatable, and i loved seeing her gain confidence throughout the book. the ending was very cheesy and yet it really got me, ngl.

overall i liked it a lot. there were definitely some parts missing, if that makes sense? it didn’t hit as hard as tsld for me. but i still had a good time. it was more fluffy and fun!!

rosie & lucas saying each other’s name in every sentence tho… that was annoying.

the lina & aaron appearances. thank u for that elena armas. 🦋🦋🦋