A sexy contemporary romance that is based off a rom com movie that I watched when I was these characters' ages... lol. Very smart, talented writing with flawed, real characters.

I really like Andie Christopher’s voice but something about this one just didn’t quite work for me. A little too much time before the characters began to gel, maybe? Just a personal thing.

The author's note at the beginning of this book gave me all the feels. I have totally been in the position before where I feel like I'm just not the girl guys want to marry, and it's nice to know that Andie felt that so much to her core at one point in time that she shared her heartache and situations with her readers. So, for that, I thank you, Andie. I needed to read this to make me feel like I deserve someone right for me and to not settle for anything less. I do not come from a biracial background, but I have biracial friends and I know that people make comments about "which race they identify with" and all that bull, but I guess I never really understood how often it truly does still happen, when skin color should literally be the last thing people think about when meeting new people. I have so many emotions running through my mind, but I'll leave it at that.

I usually like books where each chapter is from a different person's POV, but this one has an omniscient narrator, so each chapter has both Jack and Hannah's internal voice as well as their conversations. Hannah really hates Jack at first and I love that fact because she has this mindset that all guys are jerks and really out for only one thing. Hannah doesn't have time for that, and after her last heartbreak, she really doesn't want to go through that again. Jack, on the other hand, falls head over heels for this fiery beauty and tries to get her to give him her number. She finally gives in after he seduces her with her favorite taco truck (who can blame her...tacos are life and I'll fight anyone on that).

Jack writes for an online magazine, but he's tired of doing fluff pieces; he wants a good political piece. Hannah is an event planner and wants to switch from planning big party events to planning the wedding of the century for the Senator's daughter. Jack and Hannah both use each other to get to their end goals, hurting each other in the process even though neither of them wants to, but finding their way back because love really does win in the end if it's strong enough.

Overall, this was one of my favorite books of the year and I will 100% be reading more that Andie J. Christopher publishes.

Not a standout for me but the cover will make it an easy sell for my patrons, I enjoyed some of the dialogue and would be willing to try more by this author.

Very good, not very great. I kind of thought that everything worked out to easy in the end. But then again, I thought they were both stupid for not just being honest in the first place. Neither of their plans was so heinous that they couldn't have just told one another, and still said they were falling for one another anyway!

This was my first Andie J. Christopher book and it did not disappoint! Although I was unsure of the "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" type plot, this turned out to be a really solid romance read. There were some really funny and really cute parts in it. I definitely recommend it and can't wait for her next book.

I’m kind of torn about my feelings for this book. I liked the premise of the story, but I also hated it. I had trouble reconciling the idea that Jack was a nice guy and had instant feelings for Hannah but still decided to go forth with his plan.

I understood Hannah’s reluctance to believe Jack could be for real but it also got on my nerves how negatively she viewed herself. Which is crazy because, the reality is, most of us do tend to be more hard on ourselves in real life.

I like both Hannah and Jack but I also felt like they were both a bit too much. I don’t know if it was my anxiety level on the day that I read this book or what but I felt frantic at times while reading this.

I’m torn because I feel like I don’t feel like there was anything that would prevent me from suggesting this book to anyone but there also doesn’t seem to be anything that would persuade me to either. This just feels like a simple case of this book not being for me.

Not the Girl You Marry is supposed to be a re-telling of the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. So, of course, I wanted to read it. Sadly, I don't think it met my expectations. There were parts I really liked and others were I thought: what was the author thinking!

Not the Girl You Marry's two main characters are Hannah Mayfield and Jack Nolan.

Hannah Mayfield is successful in her work but not in her love life. She has been hurt before. She has fallen in love before to later realized she's the type of girl a guy doesn't want to marry. Her last boyfriend didn't think she was good enough to walk down the aisle together. So when at work, she needs to play nice and as an event planner, organize the wedding of the year, she has to show that she understands love and romance. She must pretend to have a boyfriend who loves her in front of her boss.

Who wouldn't wish to have a world where more Jack Nolans are possible. Jack is super cute, nice and he has always tried to keep his girlfriends happy. Of course, due to a work situation and in hopes of a promotion, he will have to do the unthinkable. He would have to pretend to be a bastard and hurt his next girlfriend.

As a premise, I thought I was going to love it but despite me liking both characters, the situations they got themselves into were too far fetched for me.

Things that I liked included Hannah's self-discovery of her identity as a biracial woman. I liked that she realized she was worthy and a man didn't complete her. Other things I like about Hannah was her determination and loyalty to her friends. Jack's family was also an interesting one. I kept wondering if another family member could be the protagonist of another book.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley Romancia via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one was definitely a reverse HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN TEN DAYS, and I really liked it! The relationship was cute and I loved their banter. This wasn't a favorite of mine by any means, but it was a great fluffy read and perfect for escapism enjoyment.

I really enjoyed this romance novel. It was sweet and different from most of the ones currently on the market. It did loose me a little bit however when the main conflict occurred but I stuck through to the end.

Jack and Hannah are both career driven individuals. Jack want's to stop being known as the how-to guide at a local magazine and start covering political pieces. Hannah wants to be VP at the event planning firm where she works but needs to prove she is lucky in love enough to plan weddings. The two meet unexpectedly and realize they can use each other to further their careers. But the romance begins to feel real and the two must decide if they actually want to be together.

I do love a good fake engagement trope. Enemies to lovers, fake dating, might as well steal my wallet because you know I’m buying. I’m a bit behind on my review, but I was able to read this while on break from school, and it was so cute! First off, I’m sold on this cover, and I love everything about it!

I enjoyed the plot line, fake dating ofc, but the two leads were so much fun! I enjoyed the two of them together, and enjoyed watching them fall in love for real (I mean don’t we all love that?)

I’m giving it 4 stars because at times I felt a bit distant from the narration. Maybe this is a personal problem, but there were moments where I couldn’t connect with the lead!

This is gender swapped retelling of How to Lose a Guy in 10 days, but this one lacked the chemistry and great execution that the movie had. Their first interaction for me was cringe worthy, but then as I realized what the plot was going to be I was more interested. I liked the middle of the book as they flirted and their "dates" but was off put by the beginning and then flat out didn't like the ending. I felt that he let her off the hook for her own part in lying to him entirely too easily. I won't get much farther into why because it would involve spoilers but I really didn't like how, after the lying was revealed, she was mad so he put in work trying to get her back but her lies seemed to not matter or have any consequences. The ending was rush and under realized which left a bad taste after I finished reading. It also ended on a sex scene instead of having that earlier in the story as romance books usually do which I thought was an odd choice to make and place to leave the reader at the end of a story.

A fun romantic comedy about two people who can't seem to find the right person and have been told by others that they won't - until they find each other. I found Andie J Christopher's writing to be funny, I loved Hannah. I also really appreciated Christopher sensitivity and inclusion of Hannah sense of displacement as a biracial woman. However, soon she finds her way with a diverse group of friends and its wonderful to see the love develop between Hannah and Jack. I would be friends with both of these people. Alas, fiction.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book! And while I loved the premise, I feel as though the fact that it was marketed as a retelling or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days somehow made it fall a bit felt for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it, but comparing it to such a high quality rom-com gave it several high expectations that I was a tad bit disappointed by. I found myself struggling to pick it back up once I’d put it down. That being said, I LOVED the strong female lead. She was a total badass (and he was a sweetheart). It didn’t have so much to do with the characters as it did not being able to shake the fact that it was supposed to be a “retelling” that I couldn’t jump on board with.

This book wasn't for me. I think part of it was reader expectation: I went in expecting it to be like How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but there was too much attachment between the characters (also insta-love/lust ... meh) to successfully believe they would want to dupe each other in this way. I read about 43%, and in that portion of the book, there was way too much inner-monologue by both characters and less actual story. Hearing their internal indecision about their shitty actions made it much harder to stomach. I think this particular story works better without having to read their waffling about being horrible people. I know some people have loved this book, particularly the elements about biracial identity, but the romance didn't work for me.

I feel particularly underwhelmed by this novel, which I felt received a fair amount of hype. Not the Girl You Marry was a slightly more complicated version of the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days – and pointing it out in the book’s description doesn’t do it any favors. The comparison gives it a lot to live up to. Really, the lesson here of self love and staying true to who you are in relationships is great, it’s just so dull to read.

I’m just sitting here staring at the screen trying to figure out what decent commentary I can even give about this book. I was just truly underwhelmed. Event planner Hannah has sworn off love after a string of truly terrible relationships that left her scarred and believing no one could possibly want to be with her (while I recognize this is relatable for some, it’s not a trademark of the recent string of more feminist romcoms with strong women…this poor gal literally needed this guy to show her someone might want to marry her, and that stinks). Nice guy Jack, who perpetually seems to be in long-term relationships with women who don’t want him for the long-term, thinks that Hannah could be the one. But for her to get a promotion, and to get his big break, the two end up lying to each other about the true intentions of their relationship…while falling in love behind the scenes.

This novel lacked the heart and soul I’ve come to believe mark the best of this genre. I didn’t feel a true connection between Jack and Hannah…and their friends didn’t either. Most of them spent the middle of the novel trying to convince these two they weren’t in love; they hardly knew each other! And these friends would be right. There really wasn’t anything complex about Jack and Hannah, which made their romance fall flat. So blah. So boring. We know basic things, and different tropes about the characters that make us believe more conveniently that they’re meant for each other. But their dialogue, the time they spend together…it does nothing for the reader. It’s a series of boring encounters that leave you wanting for something more substantial.

I started writing this review by rating this book three stars, but the more I broke it down and thought about the positives and negatives, I couldn’t help but lower the rating. I really hate the imitations of classics or great romcoms of today that really capture magic and leave the reader with hearts in their eyes; I thought this book would have that spark, but it doesn’t. I don’t recommend wasting time on this one. There are plenty of greats out there to check out before picking up this book!

REVIEW
This is a crass book, and because of that, I am not surprised that not everyone loved it - but damn did I adore the humour. I mean, really, this was 100% my kind of profane and dirty humour.

Let me start off by saying I have not seen the movie, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, in ... well ... 10 years. I know the gist of it but that's pretty much it, so I wasn't comparing this book in any sense.

First off, I related a lot to Hannah and saw myself in her character. Hannah's past was filled with men that demeaned her personality and would break up with her for her crass and independent nature. She had been so torn down by the men in her life, that she starts off the novel extremely closed off from love. Watching her learn to value herself and grow her confidence meant a lot to me. I love her she learnt to just embrace who she was and ignore the labels people were trying to place upon her. She was, honestly, awesome.

Jack starts off the novel saying that he is the guy girls love to be with until they find their "perfect" man. He is a living, breathing, human pity party. However, he really does grow over the course of the novel. Now he isn't my favourite that I have read, but he was cool. He meshed well with Hannah, and I loved the banter between the two of them. However, he was a bit of a weak link and the reason why this book wasn't a full 5-stars.

Lastly, I saw my own family in Jack's family. Their dynamic was so well crafted and the way they interacted had me smiling and laughing. I really vibed with them. I hope we get more books about the side characters because I truly enjoyed this book. Especially Hannah's best friend, Sasha, and Jack's younger sister!

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie Christopher was marketed as a spin on the movie How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. This is not a spin, it is basically a vulgar tale of the same movie. I was bored out of my mind from the first chapter. I feel like the book took very little effort on the authors part as the entire story had already been laid out for her in the movie. All the author did is change the genders and slap together some vulgar scenes and sold. That’s just deeply lazy writing.
Also, if I ever read another book where the guys pet name for the girl is Duchess, I may go insane. What a derogatory pet name! Hannah couldn’t stand when people told her what she did was cute, but Duchess got her all hot and bothered. Would never happen! It’s as bad as someone calling her cute. It’s demeaning.
Perhaps, for people who have never seen the movie, this would be a good book. Unfortunately for me, I could not get past the fact that it was the exact same story with the funny parts replaced with sex scenes. I say stick with the movie and spare yourself the hours out of your life reading this book.

When I first heard about Not The Girl You Marry, I couldn’t believe it. A How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days retelling? Yes please!! Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me.

After starting this one on three different occasions, I finally finished it. So much of the book was spent in the character’s heads as they try to come to terms with the conflict between their plans for the other and their growing feelings for one another. It felt like so many of the issues that arose could have been dealt with if the two main characters had just had one simple, honest conversation. But because there was so much focus on how they were using each other to get ahead, I just never really felt the chemistry or cared about either one of them.

I think Not The Girl You Marry had a ton of potential but ultimately got bogged down by the character’s repetitive thoughts and choices.

*Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I know this has been billed as a spin on How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days but it's honestly been ages since I've seen that movie, I don't remember all its details. I'll consider that a plus for me since it means I can read the book as its own thing.

Jack is a romantic so when he meets someone and falls in love, he's all in ... and then they dump him. Not sure why because he sounds kind of dreamy. Hannah has the opposite going on. She falls in love and the guys eventually leave her because they don't think that she's marriage material. Her last long term boyfriend did a number on her and now she has his words stuck in her head - that she's not the girl you marry. Jack pretty much falls for her immediately and it takes some convincing on his part to have Hannah give him the time of day. He plays it cool and slow so he won't scare her away. Against what she thinks is her better judgment, Hannah does entertain Jack's advances though she's still skeptical about him, about dating, about everything to do with love. Unfortunately, she recognizes that her sour attitude could be holding her back career-wise. She's an excellent event planner but if she wants to move up the ladder she needs to branch out in to wedding planning. That's a huge ask of someone who's cynical about love and happily-ever-afters. Her boss insinuates to her that her career advancement would be within reach if she could show that she's capable of being in a relationship. Hannah thinks that Jack could help improve her image. Coincidentally, Jack is also at an impasse at his job where he's eager to be taken seriously as a journalist and work on hard-hitting stories rather than the fluff listicles he's been writing. They've been superbly popular which is why he's been held back from working on other stories. His boss agrees to give him an opportunity only after he's done with one last fluff piece about how to be the worst boyfriend ever. This goes against his nature since he's never intentionally been a jerk to a girl. With their job demands playing an essential role here, they both start fake dating and keep their secretive agenda to themselves.

The best part is that they're both spectacularly unsuccessful at it. Try as they might, they're simply not committed to being intentional jerks so they attempt to toe the line between getting their jobs done and exploring what they might have between them. Jack's pretty easy to understand. He believes in commitment and taking care of his girlfriend. Hannah is tougher. Having been let down by previous boyfriends she just doesn't trust easily and she's constantly bringing up her baggage from it. She has a lot of residual anger especially directed at her ex. It is repetitive but considering her upbringing and her struggles with her biracial identity ... uncertainty is always there and the best way she knows to deal with it is to barricade her emotions. Growing up she was constantly figuring out where and how she could fit in, or succumbing to how others tried to fit her into a category that made sense for them. Taking all of that into consideration, Hannah is a complex jumble of mixed feelings and deep trust issues. I understood her, especially when it came to fitting in or not easily fitting into some sort of pre-conceived notion that was easier for other people to get. It just becomes a part of your psyche and it's not something that one can just shake off.

Jack and Hannah are both irresistible in their own way. I liked that Hannah is so resilient and unapologetic about herself. Life's handed her some hard knocks but she refuses to be backed into a corner. Jack, who's ever optimistic pulls her out of her cynicism and shows her that there are guys out there who are worth taking a chance on. But more importantly, that she herself is worth fighting for and loving, and she is perfect just as she is. I definitely recommend Not The Girl You Marry!

~ Bel