If you’ve spent any time on Netflix lately, you might have stumbled across a Spanish film called Fuimos Canciones. It’s vibrant, it’s messy, and it’s very, very Madrid. But what many viewers don’t realize is that the movie is based on a massive literary phenomenon in Spain. The sounds like love book—originally titled Canciones y Recuerdos (Songs and Memories) by Elísabet Benavent—is actually a duology that goes way deeper than the screen version ever could.
Benavent is basically a deity in the Spanish-speaking romance world. People call her "Beta Coqueta." She’s the same mind behind Valeria, another Netflix hit.
The story follows Macarena. She’s thirty, she’s a fashion assistant, and she’s kind of a disaster. Not the "cute" rom-com disaster where she just trips over a rug, but the real kind. She works for a nightmare influencer named Pipa, and she spends most of her emotional energy trying to stay afloat in a city that demands perfection.
Then Leo shows up.
Leo is the ex. The one who didn't just break her heart but basically put it through a woodchipper. When people search for the sounds like love book, they’re usually looking for that specific brand of "second chance" romance that feels more like a cautionary tale than a fairy tale. It hits differently because it isn't just about a guy coming back; it's about the internal noise we carry around after a toxic breakup.
The Problem with Modern Rom-Coms
Honestly, most romance novels today feel like they were written by an algorithm. You get the "grumpy-sunshine" trope, a third-act breakup over a misunderstanding that could have been solved with a two-minute phone call, and a wedding at the end.
The sounds like love book avoids that.
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It’s gritty. It’s loud. Benavent writes about sex and self-esteem in a way that feels like you're eavesdropping on a conversation at a bar at 2:00 AM. In the first volume, Canciones y recuerdos, the focus isn't even entirely on Leo. It's about the "songs" that define us. We all have that one playlist, right? The songs you can't listen to because they taste like a specific person or a specific mistake. Macarena’s life is soundtracked by her past, and the book explores how we eventually have to change the record.
Why Macarena’s Friends Actually Matter
In the movie, Jimena and Adriana feel like sidekicks. In the sounds like love book series, they are the pillars.
Jimena is obsessed with the idea of reincarnation and finding her "lost" lover from a previous life. It sounds wacky, but in the prose, it’s a heartbreaking look at how we use fantasy to cope with grief. Adriana is trapped in a marriage that has gone stone-cold. Her subplot deals with sexual frustration and the guilt of wanting more when you're "supposed" to be happy.
These aren't just "best friend" archetypes. They represent different ways women try to find agency in a world that wants to slot them into neat little boxes. When you read the duology, you realize the title isn't just a cute pun. It’s a literal description of how love sounds different to everyone. For Jimena, it sounds like destiny. For Adriana, it sounds like a secret. For Macarena, it sounds like a ghost.
The Leo Factor: Is He a Hero or a Villain?
Let’s talk about Leo.
He’s a literature professor. He’s charming. He’s also kind of a coward.
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In the sounds like love book, the "hero" isn't someone who sweeps in to save the day. Leo is the guy who left without an explanation and came back expecting the seat to still be warm. The nuance Benavent brings to his character is what makes the book superior to the film adaptation. You get to see his perspective—his own insecurities and his own failures. It forces the reader to ask: do we actually love the person, or do we just love the way they made us feel ten years ago?
It’s a brutal question.
Most readers come for the romance but stay for the therapy session. Macarena has to learn that her "songs" are hers to play, regardless of whether Leo is in the room.
Decoding the Cultural Context
Since the sounds like love book originated in Spain, there’s a specific cultural texture to it.
Madrid isn't just a backdrop; it’s a character. The late-night tapas, the crowded apartments, the sweltering heat of a Spanish summer—it all contributes to the frantic, emotional energy of the story. If you're reading an English translation, you might miss some of the slang, but the feeling remains. It’s about that specific time in your late twenties or early thirties when you realize you aren't a "girl" anymore, but you don't quite feel like a "woman" who has her life together.
Beta Coqueta (Elísabet Benavent) has sold millions of copies because she understands the "Peter Pan" generation. We’re all just pretending.
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How to Approach the Duology
If you're looking to dive into the sounds like love book experience, don't just stop at the Netflix film. The movie is a 110-minute snapshot of a story that spans hundreds of pages of emotional development.
- Start with "Fuimos canciones" (We Were Songs). This is the first half. It establishes the trauma and the re-entry of Leo into Macarena's life.
- Move to "Seremos recuerdos" (We Will Be Memories). This is the resolution. It’s much more introspective and, frankly, much more rewarding.
- Listen to the music. Benavent often includes or mentions specific tracks. Creating a playlist while you read makes the "songs" aspect of the narrative hit way harder.
The ending isn't what you'd expect from a traditional Hallmark movie. It’s better. It’s honest.
Final Realizations for the Modern Reader
We live in an era of "fast fiction." Books are churned out to fit specific tropes so they can go viral on TikTok. The sounds like love book feels like a relic from a time when authors cared more about character arcs than "bookstagram" aesthetics.
It’s a story about realizing that your "happily ever after" might not involve a partner at all. Or, it might involve a partner who is just as flawed as you are. It acknowledges that love is messy, loud, and often out of tune.
If you want a story that respects your intelligence and doesn't sugarcoat the difficulty of moving on, this is it.
Actionable Next Steps
- Track your own "soundtrack": If your life was a book, which songs would represent your "Leo"? Identifying these triggers is the first step toward the kind of self-awareness Macarena struggles with.
- Read the source material: If you've only seen the movie, you've only seen 30% of the story. Find the translated duology or, if you're learning Spanish, use these books as a gateway—the language is conversational and perfect for intermediate learners.
- Audit your relationships: Use Adriana’s and Jimena’s stories as a mirror. Are you chasing a ghost like Jimena, or settling for silence like Adriana? Sometimes fiction provides the clarity that real life obscures.