Today is my stop on the Bad at Love Book tour! Thanks TBR and Beyond Tours for letting me be a part of this tour. If you love romcoms from the late 90s-Early 2000s then I think you would enjoy this book. For my stop on the Bad at Love Book Tour, I will be talking about the top five reasons you should read Bad at Love along with a list of some of my favorite quotes from the book. Hope you enjoy!
Ever since Daniel moved to L.A. from Brazil to join the band Mischief & Mayhem, he’s become the tabloids’ bad boy. Paparazzi follow him and girls swoon over him . . . except for Sasha, who hates bad boys. When a chance encounter brings them together, Sasha sees an opportunity to get close to Daniel and write a story that will make a name for herself at the celebrity gossip magazine where she interns. But Daniel is surprisingly sweet and extremely cute—could she be falling for him?
The truth is: Daniel is hiding something. When Sasha discovers his secret, will she follow her heart or deliver the hottest story of the summer?
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1. The Writing Style
With the duel POV narrative and short chapters were well-written and good at keeping my attention. Bad at Love is perfect if you want a fun and lighthearted read. If you need a book to get you out of a reading slump, then this is definitely good for a quick and easy read.
2. Daniel/Rotten
Daniel was definitely my favorite character! Daniel is a young guitarist known as Rotten in a Punk Rock Band called Mischief & Mayhem, that was made famous from competing in a reality show. He’s viewed in the public eye as a “bad boy” and “player” even though he really isn’t. He’s a shy cinnamon roll that crochets when he’s nervous and loves romcoms! I loved the idea of a character that’s a “fake bad boy” instead of the usual trope where the “bad boy” character needs the love interest to fix or safe him with their love.
Other than the love story, Daniel struggles with his insecurities of feeling like an outsider. Mostly with his band because his other band mates have known each other long before going on the reality show. But also since he emigrated to the US from Brazil to be on the reality show, English is his second language and he’s isn’t fully comfortable speaking up situation like when he’s in public or wants to give creative input to his bandmates. His imposter syndrome and feelings of loneliness even when he’s with a group of people was very relatable. Sweet cinnamon roll golden retriever-like characters are quickly becoming one of my favorite character tropes in YA and Daniel definitely fits into that trope.
3. The Romance
I love a good romance with Celebrity and Normal Person! I enjoyed watching Sasha get to know Daniel and learn that he wasn’t the bad boy that the public labels him as. But at the same time she was resistant to trusting him because he could just be trying to seduce her and end up breaking her heart. Which made the conflict between them understandable and watching their relationship develop was very interesting.
4. The Diverse Representation
If you’re looking for a book with good diverse representation then Bad at Love is for you! This book has multiple Brazilian/Brazilian-American characters (not just the MCs), a Korean-American side character, and a black side character. I appreciated the important topics discussed such as immigration, diaspora, and white/white-passing privilege. How Sasha felt regarding her Brazilian-American identity was very relatable for me.
The main reason I was excited to read this book was because of the Queer rep, mostly for the Ace rep! Bad at Love had Pansexual, Lesbian, and Demisexual rep! As an asexual that enjoys reading romance, seeing more representation of people on the asexual spectrum makes me happy. I was both excited and nervous to read another romance with a character on the asexual spectrum, mostly because I was worried with how Daniel’s demisexuality would be addressed/portrayed. But the demi rep was really well done and there were multiple moments that I found very relatable.
5. The Romcom Vibes/References
Bad at Love is like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days but YA and Martins does an amazing job at capturing the vibes of romcoms! If you love romcoms from the late 90s-Early 2000s, then you would really love this story and all the references to these movies. One of my favorite moments in this book was a reference to 10 Things I Hate about You which made me fangirl a little.
Favorite Quotes
"Allow me to introduce you to my favorite place in Los Angeles, home of creatives who don't know what they're doing, and everyone who'd rather watch the ocean than watch their ceiling at home.”
" It’s not adorable, per se. … It’s sweet. There’s a difference, I think. Puppies are adorable. Being adorable is effortless. You just are. But sweetness takes effort."
"I've known that I was somewhere in the asexual spectrum ever since I was young. I do get attracted to people, but it isn't immediate, and it definitely isn't based on looks alone. I knew Sasha was attractive the first time I saw her- I mean, my eyesight works just fine. But it's different, recognizing someone as attractive in general, and feeling attracted. I need a little bit more something- time, intimacy, whatever. But whatever it is, I feel like it's happening now, for real."
"I've had time. And, Sasha, I'm not sure how to say this without sounding a little intense, but I'm so attracted to you." Sasha sighs. "Oh, thank God."
"I'm not much of a rock star," he admits.
Well, I think he's wonderful.
GABRIELA MARTINS is a Brazilian kidlit author and linguist. Her stories feature Brazilian characters finding themselves and love. She was a high school teacher and has also worked as a TED Ed-Club facilitator, where she helped teens develop their own talks in TED format. She edited and self-published a pro-bono LGBTQ+ anthology (KEEP FAITH) with all funds going to queer people in need. When she’s not writing, she can be found cuddling with her two cats, or singing loudly and off-key. LIKE A LOVE SONG was her YA romance debut, and BAD AT LOVE (Underlined/PRH) is her sophomore novel, coming out in summer 2022. She’s also one of the contributors for the Algonquin Latinx Horror anthology OUR SHADOWS HAVE CLAWS.
Check out Vale’s Author Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
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So that was my post for my stop on the Bad at Love book tour! If you have read this book, what were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!
