This book was such a great book! I really loved the characters! Lauren Blakley writes such great romance!

I can always count on Lauren Blakely to write a great romance! The Real Deal is a sweet rom com that had me smiling and laughing and wishing I had a Theo of my own.

In my opinion, characters make or break romantic comedies. I want characters to be relatable with witty internal dialogue and flaws that make me feel like I’m not the only person on the planet with embarrassing stories and issues. I absolutely got what I wanted from this book! I loved-loved-loved April and Theo!

I thought the plot was fun! Fake relationships are one of my favorite literary tropes, and it was executed really well here. I also enjoyed the family dynamic in this one a lot. My only complaint is that I didn’t feel like the story was long enough — the ending seemed a bit rushed. Sometimes I need the tiniest bit more of the ‘happily ever after.’

Overall, The Real Deal is a definite recommend! This is a short, fast read and the perfect pick-me-up!

April needed a date for her family reunion. Tired of her family constantly trying to set her up on a date she takes matters into her own hands. She needed help! Who came to her rescue. Theo was able to be anyone. He would step in at a moments notice and be hired to be her stand in. It was only supposed to be a job but it turned into the experience of a lifetime.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from Netgalley.

You know, this was actually a nice, enjoyable read. EXCEPT for the editing!!! I was getting so frustrated that I had to put it down numerous times which was a real shame. Please, someone, do some editing. I would've given this 4.5 stars but for the editing.

5 There's So Much More Than Meets The Eye Stars!!

I absolutely freaking loved this book so much!!! I immediately connected with April and Theo. April is a woman that doesn't want to face her family's constant matchmaking shenanigans so she goes to Craigslist and finds what she thinks is the perfect answer...hiring a boyfriend for her family reunion weekend. You'd think it'd be a simple thing right? There's a contract and two people who have agreed how this weekend will look.

Yeah, not so much... everything changes when they hit April's hometown in Connecticut and watching it unfold was so fun!

As April and Theo grow closer and their relationship changes with each passing hour and day, they find they have more in common than they originally thought. Throw in some family drama and some laugh out loud funny moments including a scavenger hunt and obstacle courses and you get the picture!

Ms. Blakely has created characters that I fell in love with upon meeting them and I found myself engaged fully into this story and their love!

Lauren Blakely is such a comfort read for me. Her books are always good and manage to be funny and sexy at the same time without being over the top. I kind of wanted April's family to adopt me and really wanted more time with them rather than the main couple which is the reason for my 3 star rating rather than a 4 star as usual. Definitely a good, fun read and perfect to snuggle up with right now as the days get colder.

Let me first say that The Real Deal is charmingly sweet and at the same time it's not sugar-saturated. The right amount of romance with a bit of an edge to keep you entertained as you read it in the evenings, curled up in your pyjamas. The story is not a portrayal of a modern-day fairy tale (not like such thing exists, right?), but tackles some real life issues here and there. 

April and Theo are strong-willed, determined, free-spirited and interesting on their own merit, but together they are extra sweet and spicy. They have their strengths and flaws, which makes them human. They are well-written and the dialogue is funny and quite good!

The novel grabs the attention from the beginning and sustains it throughout. There are no page fillers of nothingness, which is exactly what I like - straight to the point goodness. The setting is a bit unusual, but for all the right reasons - it helps the plot stands out from the crowd and brings something new to the genre. Did I say it's also 20s-somethings-relatable? Well, it is. If you are coming from a small town and your whole family is trying to convince you to leave the city and get back in there, this book is straight up your alley. Plus, there's the romance. A lot of it.

I have kindly received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange of a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! I was hooked from the first to last page! I couldn't put it down. I loved it so much I got the audible as well. Such a fun swoon worthy romance. I love the chemistry between the character, it is truly electric. I love this author and always look forward to her books!

The fake relationship trope has always been hit or miss for me because it is so often filled with over the top miscommunication and convoluted maneuvering by the MCs to sell the set up. Most oftentimes, the family that the fake relationship is supposed to fool is either horrible or just cartoonishly OTT. Although the family did rub me the wrong way, I expected it and the author handles it with ease and balances humor and emotion. The story flowed well and I really loved April and Theo separately and even more as a couple. It was really refreshing to read a story really centered around the relationship and see it grow. It was also great to have two such relatable and NORMAL people. They felt like people you could actually meet IRL and become friends with. Their chemistry and banter was off the charts and had me smiling so many times through the book.

*I received a free copy of the book to read and review provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Great rom-com book. The chemistry that the two main characters had was excellently done and made it unputdownable.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

April Hamilton is tired of her family trying to set her up with men from her hometown every time she goes home. To get them off her back, she hires Theo Banks to pretend to be her boyfriend for her family reunion. Theo has been working as a boyfriend-for-hire to pay back a debt his brother owes, and the money from pretending to be April's boyfriend for 5 days will just about cover the rest of that debt. They both feel an immediate, intense attraction, though, and they aren't sure what will be harder – pretending to be a couple or pretending that they don't have very real feelings.

I thought it was cool that April was a body painter; that's not a profession you hear or think about too often. The story was a lot racier than I expected based on the cover. (I know; I know; don't judge a book by its cover...) This was the first book I've read by Lauren Blakely; if I had looked at the covers of most of her past books, I probably would have stayed away. The story itself was cute, your typical romance plot with nothing that incredibly stood out.

Lauren Blakely knows how to write a great romance! This was fast paced and gripping. It really pulls you in and holds on tight. I could not put it down. Definite recommend. 4/5

The Real Deal was a wonderfully enjoyable rom com. It was sweet, witty, romantic and a real feel good book. This is one of those books that will leave you with a smile after reading.

When it comes to Lauren Blakely I expect a refreshing story that just hits me in the feels. Her books are always so brilliant, and just... her.

I loved and enjoyed every single word. I can't say anything that will do this book justice, so I just have to say... read it!

I received a free arc in return for a honest review.
What a fun rom com! Blakely is always on my must buy list. Fast pace, flirty, and sexy. Lots of fun!!

Loved this story! It is just a feel good story with a new twist to the pretend boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong when April hires Theo to pose as her boyfriend for her family reunion? He can be anyone he wants her to be. Irritate the parents, no problem. April didn't plan for the man behind the mask. Theo never crosses the line when he is working. April is the first client he would risk her job for. What happens when playing house starts to feel real? Super fun read.

What a heartwarming story that put a big smile on my face. I loved from start to finish. Lauren Blakely knows how to write RomCom.
Highly recommend!

Cute. Good chemistry. Theo is hired as a “boyfriend” for April’s family reunion and the platonic agreement soon turns to more. Some insta-love but it was done in the non-annoying way. A good contemporary romance to escape into for a few hours.

Love Romance novels. This was a good one about a girl hiring an actor who is trying to get out of debt to be her pretend boyfriend. This has trouble written all over it. How can you pretend to date someone and not get invested romantically?

The attraction to this book for me is the laidback comedy which works well but it isn’t too over the top and forced. It is a sweet, funny and sexy read which is rare to find.

April needs a boyfriend and Theo is a rent a boyfriend, you can imagine that how that went I’m sure. I love how it starts off as a ‘platonic’ business arrangement but with time and energy, it develops. Oh man it was so delicious to see these two fall for each other especially when that was not why they started ‘dating’ in the first place.

It’s an ideal summer read and I’m glad that I did read it!

4 stars