Deceitful Love: viewers share verdict on Netflix's hit show

Deceitful Love is the Italian drama that’s creating buzz on Netflix, but is it worth watching? The story centers around a 60-year-old hotel owner who falls for a much younger man. The synopsis reads:

"Gabriella (Monica Guerritore) is the owner of a luxury hotel on the Amalfi Coast, an elegant woman, proud of being sixty years old and aware of her role. Her three children are grown up now, and life doesn’t seem to hold many surprises for her anymore, until she meets Elia (Giacomo Gianniotti), a charming, energetic, free-spirited man, the same age as her eldest son.

"Elia exerts an irresistible but also ambiguous and frightening fascination on her. Despite the age difference, Gabriella rediscovers herself as a woman and a lover. For Elia, she is ready to put everything on the line, including her relationship with her children and their inheritance."

© Gianni Fiorito

Taking to X to discuss the show, one fan wrote: "I watched @netflix #DeceitfulLove, the Italian version of Gold Digger, so you don't have to. I love soaps, but this misses all the complexity of the original, which deals with domestic violence, generational trauma, and you never know if Ben Barnes is a gold digger. Julia Ormond shines."

Another person added: "#DeceitfulLove is more than just a steamy Italian limited series—it offers a compelling story with strong performances from the cast. The finale of #Inganno is emotional, highlighted by a tear-jerking courtroom scene. The chemistry between the leads shines, despite their age gap."

However, not everyone was impressed. One viewer posted: "I watched Deceitful Love on Netflix, and I wanted to love it, but I didn’t. It’s about Gabriella, a 60-year-old hotel owner who falls for a much younger man, Elia. The way she kept ignoring all the lies he told was ridiculous, and that ending!"

Another critic wrote: "If they had done a better job with the family traumas, it would have been better, but #DeceitfulLove ended up being just another average soap opera."

Fans did praise Giacomo Gianniotti's portrayal of Elia. Giacomo is perhaps best known for his role as Andrew DeLuca in the hit show Grey's Anatomy, where he starred for six years before being written out in season 17.

Speaking about his exit to EW, he said: "I thought it was beautifully written. We touched on this human-trafficking storyline, which is another huge global pandemic, and we shed light on that very important issue. I just thought they checked all the boxes. Seeing everybody's reaction to the episode last night, I think we did a great job. So yes, it's sad to leave, but it's nice to go telling a beautiful story that hopefully helps a lot of people."