Author: Jasmine Guillory |Website| Twitter| Facebook|
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Romance, Women's Ficiton
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook, Paperback
Genre: Romance, Women's Ficiton
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook, Paperback
Cost: $15.00
Pages: 320
How I got it: NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon| Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: Jan 30 2018
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Synopsis:
I am so in love with this one. For a debut author she has done a wonderful job!! I went into this completely blind and fell completely in love, I so didn't want to be at work I needed to finish this as soon as possible.
Not knowing how this was going to go I went in knowing it was supposed to be a strangers to lovers story and I can't tell you how much I loved the book and it's take on this genre. Written in a way that a woman like me can see herself in the story I was so happy to read it. Alexa was a fun relateable character who had a lot going on and wanted just a little fun for herself, and Drew as just trying to not look like the loser at the wedding. Their meet cue was hilarious and made me actually laugh out loud. I loved Alexa's reaction to realizing Drew was in the elevator because who hasn't done that same thing more than once??
From that moment on I was hooked, the story flew by, unfolding slowly as each character meet more of themselves as well as the other in ways they never thought they would. I enjoyed that even though race was a factor it wasn't THE factor in their situation-ship. Race played a part in some ways and it was hilarious to watch Drew come to terms with it several times throughout the book. I loved that Alexa had the thought that we have all had, it's not the first time we have been the only black girl in the room and we have to be super aware of how we carry ourselves.
I really enjoyed their conversations, their friendships and how fun and funny their respective best friends are. Alexa has a great group of friends that have her back while also pushing her to be more than she would normally allow herself to be. I love that she has such a passion for her job, that she's happy in so many aspects of her life but just this one at the moment doesn't bring her joy. Drew also has amazing friendships and I love that his best friend never let him go down as an idiot. While he also has a great career, he's afraid of commitment and this are they dating, not dating is she isn't she is girlfriend is throwing him for a loop.
There are moments within the novel that I wish were more fleshed out, as in why Drew had the thoughts he did on relationships. I wish we also got a bit more background on the sisters and their familial relationship, beyond talking about their parents in the past neither character mentioned them ever again. While I liked the intimate scenes eventually; I felt at first that it was kind of a half finished scene since we saw the beginning but everything happened off screen then we met back up with them after. However once you realized it's being told from the perspective of each character and how they are speak is how they share the intimacy. Alexa had a few flaws in that she liked to jump to conclusions about things and wasn't really mature in her thinking about confronting things head on. She would let things go unchallenged because she was afraid of the answer when more often than not it would solve the issue. Drew was blind a few times to how his actions could affect her, and even how the words of his friends would really hurt because he choose to be seen as the good guy instead of sharing the full truth.
Beyond those few moments I loved this novel. I got home after I started it at work and told myself I was only going to read a few more pages, next thing I knew it was 130 am and I had finished the book. I loved it and would highly recommend it.
Publication Date: Jan 30 2018
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Synopsis:
A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in this fun and flirty debut novel.
Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn't normally do. But there's something about Drew Nichols that's too hard to resist.
On the eve of his ex's wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend...
After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she's the mayor's chief of staff. Too bad they can't stop thinking about the other...
They're just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century--or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want...
Not knowing how this was going to go I went in knowing it was supposed to be a strangers to lovers story and I can't tell you how much I loved the book and it's take on this genre. Written in a way that a woman like me can see herself in the story I was so happy to read it. Alexa was a fun relateable character who had a lot going on and wanted just a little fun for herself, and Drew as just trying to not look like the loser at the wedding. Their meet cue was hilarious and made me actually laugh out loud. I loved Alexa's reaction to realizing Drew was in the elevator because who hasn't done that same thing more than once??
From that moment on I was hooked, the story flew by, unfolding slowly as each character meet more of themselves as well as the other in ways they never thought they would. I enjoyed that even though race was a factor it wasn't THE factor in their situation-ship. Race played a part in some ways and it was hilarious to watch Drew come to terms with it several times throughout the book. I loved that Alexa had the thought that we have all had, it's not the first time we have been the only black girl in the room and we have to be super aware of how we carry ourselves.
I really enjoyed their conversations, their friendships and how fun and funny their respective best friends are. Alexa has a great group of friends that have her back while also pushing her to be more than she would normally allow herself to be. I love that she has such a passion for her job, that she's happy in so many aspects of her life but just this one at the moment doesn't bring her joy. Drew also has amazing friendships and I love that his best friend never let him go down as an idiot. While he also has a great career, he's afraid of commitment and this are they dating, not dating is she isn't she is girlfriend is throwing him for a loop.
There are moments within the novel that I wish were more fleshed out, as in why Drew had the thoughts he did on relationships. I wish we also got a bit more background on the sisters and their familial relationship, beyond talking about their parents in the past neither character mentioned them ever again. While I liked the intimate scenes eventually; I felt at first that it was kind of a half finished scene since we saw the beginning but everything happened off screen then we met back up with them after. However once you realized it's being told from the perspective of each character and how they are speak is how they share the intimacy. Alexa had a few flaws in that she liked to jump to conclusions about things and wasn't really mature in her thinking about confronting things head on. She would let things go unchallenged because she was afraid of the answer when more often than not it would solve the issue. Drew was blind a few times to how his actions could affect her, and even how the words of his friends would really hurt because he choose to be seen as the good guy instead of sharing the full truth.
Beyond those few moments I loved this novel. I got home after I started it at work and told myself I was only going to read a few more pages, next thing I knew it was 130 am and I had finished the book. I loved it and would highly recommend it.
★★★★☆
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you loved this one I highly recommend other pretend lovers/ Rom-Com books including:
- Delaney's Desert Sheikh by Brenda Jackson
- Rent-A-Dad by Judy Christenberry
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