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A review by kalokairi22
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
TW: fatphobia, ED
There are two major plot points driven by fatphobia, which ultimately made me not like this book. The first plot point is that a coworker of the main character is unforgivably rude and sexist to the main character, and the coworker's only defining physical trait is that he's overweight. Why was that a detail that the author had to mention at least twice? The second plot point is the main character engages in poor eating choices (skipping meals, etc.) and the love interest comes in and saves her by giving her tacos. The main character is also described as having a never-ending appetite, which I think is a tired trope perpetuated mostly by millennial women. In 2021, can't we have women characters that don't make their eating habits a central part of their personality? Some people might disagree with me and that's fine - I'd love to hear other thoughts and open up this conversation.
I also think the main couple didn't have any chemistry in the whole book. Their story of how they became "work enemies" felt unrealistic, and I hated how he didn't stand up for her when their coworker was making extremely offensive remarks to her during a small staff meeting (he goes, "you don't need anyone to fight your battles" but c'mon would it have killed you to tell your coworker to eff off? As a man, you're complicit in sexism if you don't fight against it).
If you're looking for smut, it's a decent book. For plot, I recommend you look somewhere else.
There are two major plot points driven by fatphobia, which ultimately made me not like this book. The first plot point is that a coworker of the main character is unforgivably rude and sexist to the main character, and the coworker's only defining physical trait is that he's overweight. Why was that a detail that the author had to mention at least twice? The second plot point is the main character engages in poor eating choices (skipping meals, etc.) and the love interest comes in and saves her by giving her tacos. The main character is also described as having a never-ending appetite, which I think is a tired trope perpetuated mostly by millennial women. In 2021, can't we have women characters that don't make their eating habits a central part of their personality? Some people might disagree with me and that's fine - I'd love to hear other thoughts and open up this conversation.
I also think the main couple didn't have any chemistry in the whole book. Their story of how they became "work enemies" felt unrealistic, and I hated how he didn't stand up for her when their coworker was making extremely offensive remarks to her during a small staff meeting (he goes, "you don't need anyone to fight your battles" but c'mon would it have killed you to tell your coworker to eff off? As a man, you're complicit in sexism if you don't fight against it).
If you're looking for smut, it's a decent book. For plot, I recommend you look somewhere else.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Sexism