Book Tour: Top 5 Reasons to Read Bad at Love by Gabriela Martins

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Love a good pop star-paparazzi romance? Then you’ll definitely want to check out Bad at Love, the latest by Gabriela Martins!

If you, like me, have always secretly hoped that a chance encounter with a celebrity would somehow result in true love, then you’ll definitely want to stick around to learn more about the book we’re showcasing here today! (And if you, unlike me, are a member of the paparazzi who secretly falls for their subjects…this book may also be for you). ANYWAY, I’m so excited to be a part of TBR and Beyond Tours’ Book Tour for Bad at Love, and I can’t wait to tell you 5 reasons you should absolutely pick up this book ASAP, but first, here’s a little more info:

TITLE: Bad at Love

AUTHOR: Gabriela Martins

RELEASE DATE: August 30, 2022

Synopsis

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?

5 Reasons You Must Read Bad at Love

Famous + “Regular” person falling in love (AKA best trope ever)

As someone who still secretly wishes for a chance encounter with Harry Styles that somehow turns into a storybook romance, I am a big fan of any and all romances that feature the ‘famous and not-famous person falling in love’ trope-and Bad at Love totally fits the bill! Daniel, aka Rotten, is a member of a popular band, while Sasha is just a normal human trying to get into (and afford) college. Getting a scoop on everyone’s favorite bad boy will help her do just that, except…maybe she wants to date Daniel more than write about him!?

Spotlight on socioeconomic differences

Although I do feel like this has improved over the past couple of years, I don’t think that we can deny that most YA books seem to feature solidly middle class, if not wealthy, characters. There still isn’t a ton of discussion of socioeconomic class disparities, or a lot of representation of poor or struggling characters (at least from what I’ve seen-please do correct me if I’m wrong!). In Bad at Love, Sasha and her mom are getting by, but Sasha has to work and provide a second income to help her mom make ends meet, and she knows she definitely isn’t going to be able to afford something as expensive as a university education without some serious scholarship money. The decisions she makes because of that provide some interesting layers to this story.

Queer representation, baby!

Although the plot and conflicts of Bad at Love certainly don’t revolve around characters’ sexuality, there is diverse queer representation that is matter-of-factly stated as part of those characters’ identities. Sasha is pansexual and Daniel is demisexual (we love to see it!), and another member of Mischief & Mayhem, Penny, is a lesbian. So if you’re into contemporary YA books full of queer characters just living their lives, you’ll get that in Bad at Love.

A Gilmore Girls-esque mother-daughter relationship

Although this is a romance, and therefore the focus of the story is very much on Sasha and Daniel’s relationship, there are some really great secondary relationships thought the book as well, and one of my favorites is the one between Sasha and her mother. Sasha’s mom had her when she was fairly young, and Sasha’s dad isn’t in the picture, so Sasha and her mom have a very close relationship. Sasha’s mom is there to support her and help her destress with popcorn and weird tv when she needs it, and to celebrate her accomplishments with champagne when the occasion calls for that too. Even though Sasha and her mom are both busy with work and school and internships and all the other life things that happen, they still make time for each other and it’s a wonderful part of Bad at Love.

A “bad boy” who’s really a soft boy

Daniel (or Rotten, as he’s now known to the public) is a favorite subject of the tabloids for his general “bad boy” nature-dating lots of different women, constantly out on the town, and just generally causing a ruckus. But the thing is, he kind of got that reputation by mistake-in reality, he spends a lot of time hanging out at home with his sister (this is another one of my favorite relationships in the book, btw!), knits things to destress, and is a huge fan of 90s romantic comedies. And what’s interpreted as surliness is really just shyness and lack of confidence in his English! Getting to know who Daniel truly is is one of the best parts of Bad at Love!

About the Author

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.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Well folks, I hope this list has convinced you to pick up Bad at Love, but if not, definitely check out the other stops on the Bad at Love tour for even more reasons to read it!

And if you’ve already read Bad at Love, leave a comment letting me know your favorite part!