REVIEW: As Long as You Love Me by Marianna Leal

As Long as You Love Me by Marianna Leal: After the death of her brother in Venezuela, Catalina has worked as hard as she possibly can to complete her engineering degree not only to ensure a better life for herself but to also honour her brother. All that is left is for her to get a new student visa that will allow her to work while she studies, luckily she has one lined up but there is one problem, namely Gabe. If competing with him in class for top spot wasn’t enough, he now wants to take her spot in the internship! With her future on the line the very last thing that Cata should be doing is striking up a deal with Gabe.

As Long As You Love Me was such a cute enemies to lovers, fake dating romance, add in the fact that it had an academic setting and this book was just my type of read. Most of the time academic romances are set in high school so this being in a college setting really worked for me, it had a bit more of a grown up feel to it and I liked that both Cata and Gabe were dealing with real issues. Also I just love the cover of this book, it already shouts I’m going to have some banter and sass come read me!

Catalina was really a great leading lady, she had so much determination and passion to be the best version of herself that it was hard not to root her on. Aside from being ambitious and determined she really cared for her family, even if this came with a whole lot of pressure. Her family dynamic was very relatable. There was something very relatable about her struggle as an immigrant trying to find the balance between supporting her family, making them proud, maintaining her grades and finding a job that will sponsor her visa. Truly Cata had a lot on her plate and I really don’t blame her for not really having the time or energy to entertain the idea of a romantic relationship, that it is until Gabe. This book was very much about Cata and her journey but I will say that Gabe did add a nice layer of lightness to the book. He made for a really good love interest and I loved the fact that he was always ready to drop everything to support Cata.

I really liked the chemistry between Cata and Gabe. They had some really good banter and an intense rivalry that only amped up their underlying attraction to each other. The entire hate/love vibe worked for these two and I definitely eat up their fake relationship which felt very real. I liked the fact that through it all Gabe was so patient with Cata, he knew that the most important thing that he could offer her was patiences and support.

As Long As You Love Me has a great love story that builds slowly with some great banter and tenderness. I liked that this book highlighted the importance of family, especially in an American immigrant home, it also highlighted the very real unrest in the Venezuelan political scene. Most of all I loved that this was a feel good read, definitely one to check out!

Book Info:

Publication: September 12, 2023 | W by Wattpad Books |

How can rivals and opposites seem like they’re meant to be?

Catalina Diaz Solis needs just a few things to achieve her her student visa, a full-time job, and to get Gabriel Cabrera out of her head. Since leaving Venezuela after her brother was killed in a political protest, Cata has been working to finish her Engineering degree, and now she’s in line for a full-time job that will allow her to stay in the United States. A major wrinkle in her plans is Gabe, the campus babe. He’s always in Cata’s way, competing for top grades and poised to take the job at their internship.

Gabe seems to have it all; he succeeds without trying and is extremely good-looking. It makes hard-working Cata endlessly frustrated. But when Gabe needs a plus-one for his brother’s wedding, he strikes a Cata will be his fake date, and he’ll step out of the running for the job she desperately needs. As they attend events together, Cata discovers there’s more to her nemesis than she ever imagined. It’s all fun and games until Cata’s visa renewal is rejected, and Gabe complicates things with a new proposal that might either solve all her problems or destroy her dreams. Cata will have to put everything on the line to follow her heart.