I absolutely loved the premise of this one and I was excited to settle into the story.

I really liked Hannah and Jack. She’s a little jaded from her past relationships {with good reason} and deep down she’s a crunchy shell hiding a romantic marshmallow. He’s a little too giving and doesn’t know how to keep a bit of focus on himself. Together they have loads of chemistry and a playful sort of banter. Oh and Jack’s family is fantastic.

Plot wise, it was mostly good. The constant inner monologue each of them had about losing the other when they found out the truth got really old really fast. I get that they couldn’t quite have an honest conversation, but damn. It seems weird to say, but I loved the blow up and resolution and honestly, I needed more from the ending than what we got.

Overall, it was a quick and fun read with characters who were easy to root for and topics that touched on real things. I’m going to cross my fingers there’ll be a companion book because I would love to see more of Hannah and Jack.

**Huge thanks to Berkley for providing the arc free of charge**

I was expecting more from this book. I did like the cute-sy cover, and the diversity represented in the characters. However, the storyline was pretty smutty - though I do like sex and steam, it seemed like that that's all that was happening in this book. Thanks, Netgalley, for this arc.

Will post soon at Romance Reviews Today: http://romrevtoday.com/

NOT THE GIRL YOU MARRY – Andie J. Christopher
Jove Books
ISBN: 978-1984802699
November 2019
Contemporary Romance

Chicago, Illinois – Present Day

Jack Nolan is a freelance journalist trying to get his big break. While in a bar with his friends one night, he decides he will write a column on how to break up with a woman, and his gaze lands on the gorgeous woman sitting nearby with some girlfriends. Jack approaches her and learns her name is Hannah Mayfield. Jack figures he can charm her and then dump her. Then, Hannah asks him to be her pretend boyfriend. He decides that he’ll agree, and then become a louse on his way to dumping her. A two for one: get to know the girl and then dump her as “research” for his column.

Hannah works for an event planning company and just talked her skeptical boss into letting her join another event consultant in planning for the biggest wedding of the year in Chicago. It’s not that Hannah is into weddings, but that this could lead to a desired promotion. Heck, she recently got dumped by her boyfriend because she wasn’t acting like the perfect woman to marry. Hannah is biracial and her ex thinks she needs to act “black” instead of hanging out with her white friends. But Hannah had told her boss a little lie in order to get the plum assignment…that she was dating a great guy. Spotting—and meeting Jack—she decides to ask him. Of course, both know their relationship is a scam, but they’re soon finding themselves seriously attracted to each other. Will Cupid’s arrow hit its mark with Jack and Hannah?

NOT THE GIRL YOU MARRY is a cute and funny tale of dating in Chicago in the age of online dating. Hannah watches as her friends “swipe right” on their Tinder app and it turns out the men are duds. After breaking up with her ex, Noah, she’s still feeling the hurt and isn’t ready to date. Yet, she desperately needs a man to prove to her boss that she has a boyfriend. Jack is funny and charming, plus he’s amenable to her plan once she presents it to him. Hannah just knows that she won’t fall for him, even as they’re doing everything sexually except consummating their “relationship.” Soon, Hannah finds herself falling for Jack. But will it end badly for both of them?

Yes, Jack is a turd at times in how he approaches his relationship with Hannah. He does douchey things to her, yet she takes them in stride—for the most part. However, he didn’t expect her to get so deep into their relationship that breaking up not only will be hard, but it will hurt her. But after watching his parents divorce when he was younger, he doesn’t see marriage as part of any future plans. Even though Hannah could turn out to be the perfect choice…

Readers will smile and chuckle as Jack and Hannah’s relationship and friendship develop in NOT THE GIRL YOU MARRY. This tale also details the problems that someone who is biracial has to face. Is she black or is she white? Hannah couldn’t please her ex, but it doesn’t seem to bother Jack. Is he Mr. Right, after all? Their road to a happily-ever-after is definitely rocky, but it’s a path that is pure fun to read. Be sure to grab a copy of NOT THE GIRL YOU MARRY today.

Patti Fischer

This romance was adorable! I laughed and cheered through the entire book! This was a cover pick for me and boy, was it a good pick! I highly recommend this one if you want to be caught up in a cute romance and fall in love too!

This was an entertaining romcom, but unfortunately it didn’t hook me the way that I had hoped. I liked Hannah and Jack, but I didn’t love them or feel really invested in them until later in the novel. The instalust/love was really strong (especially on Jack’s part) and that just made it even stranger to me that he would choose Hannah for his article. I understand that they both had emotional baggage that was wreaking havoc on their self-esteem and influencing their life choices, but their actions and emotions just felt so strong that it left me more confused than anything. Jack’s family coming together in the end to help him and the epilogue were the sweetest though and the book left me with a smile on my face.

Something I really loved about the book was that Hannah was biracial. I appreciated the time spent discussing and exploring that in the story. The drama was a bit predictable, but I did laugh quite a bit at the challenges of dating in this digital age. It made me very grateful that I didn’t have to endure much of that BS before meeting my husband. Perhaps that was the problem for me and this book though. I just couldn’t relate. The book is marketed as a millennial makeover of the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 days. I’ve never seen the movie, but maybe if I had, I would have enjoyed this one more.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

This was a slow starter for me, but I stuck with it and ended up enjoying it. Jack and Hannah think they are each using the other for their own job purposes, but attraction is building beneath all that. Hannah's feelings of inadequacy due to all the prejudice she's endured really brought that issue forward and I appreciated what I learned. I loved that Jack didn't even notice. Once the crises of finding out "I was using you!" got sorted out I appreciated how hard Jack worked to win Hannah back and was glad when Hannah admitted she loved Jack.

What lengths will people go through for a promotion? He needed to lose a girl. She needed to keep a guy. In this game of mutual "using", they developed real feelings, but would their relationship survive once the truth came out?

This year has been a year of many rom-coms, and I have welcomed them with open arms. I love romance and I love to laugh, so rom-coms fulfill so many of my basic needs as a reader. It didn't take long for me to clearly see the influence of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. But, that's not a bad thing, because I loved that film, and sure enough, I had a great time reading this book.

First and foremost, Christopher gave us a fantastic heroine and fabulous hero. I adored both Jack and Hannah so much. They seemed so put together on the outside, but they were both dealing with some issues and insecurities underneath it all.

Hannah was a pistol. She was a go-getter, and I loved her fire. Her apathy towards love was due to some dismal relationships, and her pain was compounded by her struggle with her personal identity. Every time she brought up an ex-boyfriend, my heart broke for her, because she was wonderful and worthy of so much more. My heart soared, when she started "dating" Jack, because he was one wonderful unicorn of a man.

Jack was handsome and affable. He enjoyed a certain level of professional success, and was known for bending over backwards to please the women in his life, yet these same women had no problem walking away from him, time and time again. Jack talked about his past relationships with a smile on his face, but there was definitely a undercurrent of pain there beneath the smile.

I think I was rooting for these two, because they seemed to connect via their painful pasts, and they just had this ease with each other. They could simply be themselves, and that was ok. They had fire and sparks and banter galore. They were a fantastic match, and I really enjoyed watching real feelings develop between the two.

I was also a big fan of the amazing female friendship Hannah had with her bestie, Sasha. These two were really there for each other, and I loved their dynamic. I was especially excited about the path Christopher set them on towards the end of the book, because it was fun and perfect for them.

But, Jack had a fun bunch of fab friends too. Their interactions were usually quite humorous, but he enjoyed some really deep talks with his friend, who was also a priest. Not only were his friends great, his family was also beyond wonderful. The first time he brought Hannah home put a huge smile on his face. Though this story takes place in Chicago, the men in Jack's family would fit in well with my NYC relatives, and I think catching glimpses of my family members in them simply endeared them to me even more.

I feel like I got what I came here for. I was promised a rom-com a la How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and I got that with a bit of spin and a modern twist.

Andie J Christopher is a new to me author who I actually had the pleasure of meeting at Aopllycon 2019 where I got this book and let me tell you, don't be like me and let this cover fool you!
From the first chapter to the last I had a small smile on my face and many times I laughed out loud. The witty banter that Hannah and Jack have is hilarious as well as the banter with her and her best-friend.
Hannah is sassy, successful and driven but she is just missing that one thing, A man, which at times makes her vulnerable and I loved that side of her. She was very relaetable especially because she was of mixed races.
Jack is sweet with old school manners and charm, but he also has this sexiness in the bedroom that make for some pretty steamy scenes. And lets not get into the 'Toy" scene. This was an new take on an old trope which I love those, like the blurp says it is definitely how to loose a guy in 10 days feel.
I loved the ending and now am wanting all the books by this author if they are half as good as this one was.

After seeing what this book was going to be about I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. This was a fun quick read. I love How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days so I knew I was going to love this book. I love how the roles were reversed and Jack is the journalist. Hannah is biracial and struggles with her identity. Jack and Hannah have great chemistry. A chance encounter has them helping each other. I enjoyed watching them navigate through everything. I really enjoyed Not the Girl You Marry and recommend it.

This book was a miss for me. I found both of our main characters to be insufferable. Though I can see what the author was trying to do. It didn't translate well for me.

2.5 stars

I love the movie How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, so I was looking forward to this one.

However, Not The Girl You Marry and I were not a good fit. I nearly DNF'd it a few times, but I persisted with it as it had something that made me keep going.

It really was just retelling the movie with different character names. All that was missing was Jack and Hannah singing "You're so Vain" at the end of the book. It needed more originality to really work.

I am sure plenty of others will enjoy this book, but it was a miss for me.

This book really did remind me so much of the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, except the roles were reversed. I loved that movie which is why I was very curious to read this one. But for some reason, this book didn’t live up to my expectations. I thought it was just okay.

First, there’s something with the way it’s written that didn’t work for me. A little too vulgar, maybe? The use of words could have been carefully thought.

Second, it was definitely lacking some chemistry between the main characters (Jack & Hannah). I didn’t like how they met and the fake dating trope on this one just didn’t appeal to me.

Lastly, it makes me cringe every time he calls her Duchess. Hmm, yeah, no. Why? It doesn’t relate to anything.

However, I do like that the female character was biracial and I always appreciate that. Overall, this book was a little boring and it was just okay. Nothing really stood out for me.

I thought for sure I would love this but I had a very difficult time with this book starting with the characters.

Jack comes off as a very sweet - yet misguided - guy at first, bending to become whatever the women in his life want/need. He falls hard and fast. But once he finally comes out of hiding with his friends after a bad break up he's like a whole different character. He says he respects women but his friends are jerks and he doesn't really say anything, He falls for Hannah SO fast that I felt like it could have been any woman that happened to show up on his radar that night. And once they start talking he's an arrogant ass. Not to mention a little stalkery.

Hannah is kind of fabulous and takes no bull but the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days twist just made Jack seem like an even bigger jerk and Hannah a pushover.

Alas, despite some sharp humor - this wasn't the book for me.

DNF @ 18%

I was bought in. It was going okay. And then suddenly it was such a direct ripoff of How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days that I couldn’t handle it anymore. It felt completely unoriginal and I couldn’t look past it to go on.

Jack Nolan has been caught in the downsizing of print media of more serious journalism and forced to doing how-to videos of less than erudite topics. He wants to be a political writer, but his boss resists until Jack makes a Faustian bargain to obtain his goal. Jack agrees to surreptitiously pretend boyfriend status while doing every sleazy thing he can do to lose the hapless woman. He and his friends are products of the dating-app scene which mostly seems a way for meaningless hookups.

Hannah Mayfield has sworn off the dating scene after a bad breakup with a man who made her feel as if she was not good enough for a committed relationship. Hannah is a tough cookie who does not suffer fools gladly. Other than her self-esteem issues from her mixed race heritage which she hides behind a tough exterior, Hannah is known for her aggressive business dealings The trouble is Hannah wants a promotion in her event planner job even if it means pretending to be in a relationship in order to prove her softer side.

For much of this book, honesty goes out the window not surprisingly. It could be argued that dating truly is a game where both parties often pretend to be something they are not. Both Jack and Hannah come from broken homes so they have quite a bit of emotional baggage as well as sacrificing much for their jobs to deal with in this scenario. Styled as a rom-com, this story reads more heavily towards the women’s fiction genre side with less humor and more angst as the characters stress over their duplicitous behavior all for the sake of a job. In some ways perhaps, this farcical story is also a cautionary tale for those in the dating world wondering where all the men and women of quality have gone when it comes to the aforementioned apps where no one seems to be satisfied with those options.

Jack is a likeable guy although his continued deception despite his honest feelings for Hannah is at times hard to take. Hannah has her own guilt to share for reigning in her normal personality and leading Jack down a fictional path as well. It is clear that Ms. Christopher is a talented writer; however, this trope based on deceits and lies is not my favorite making it difficult to enjoy some of Jack’s ploys to be total jerk of a boyfriend and watching Hannah endure it all for the sake of advancement to handle bridezillas and entitled rich folk whom she despises.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a cute romance. It is a retelling of the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. There are a lot of similarities between this story and the movie except the roles are reversed. It could be called How to Lose a Girl in 10 Days instead. The role reversal is a cool idea but it does not land in the same way because as several characters point out, the girl would just put him in the "not serious" category and leave.

Overall the story is a cute read, especially for someone who loves the fake dating to romance trope.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

4.25 Stars / 3 Steam Fans

This was a fun updated play on the movie How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. There is a gender role reversal by making Jack the journalist and the added conversation starter by Hannah being a biracial character. I enjoyed these new twists and it felt extremely relatable in the current climate of the world. Hannah struggled with some self-esteem and racial identity issues that many biracial people have to deal with and Andie J. Christopher tackled the topic in a way that did not bash the reader over the head with stereotypical misconceptions. I enjoyed both Jack and Hannah as characters through this story because they both had individual journeys to overcome but also a journey as a couple. I am looking forward to reading the next book about some of the secondary characters.

This specific video review will be included in the October 2019 wrap-up.

For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

I will preface my review by stating that How To Lose A Guy in 10 days is my favorite rom-com film. By that measure, this book promised to be a hit. Unfortunately, the story was just so similar that I could not help but draw comparisons, chapter after chapter. The movie came out ahead for me.

My opinion is that fans of rom-coms who are not familiar with the aforementioned film may love this one!

This updated version of "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" features a gender-flipped story that relies on the same setup as the movie. Despite the author’s ability to create engaging characters, the borrowed plot is flimsy, forcing the characters to twist in unlikely and inconsistent ways to fit the plot. In addition to the realistic characters, the funny commentary on modern dating would make this book stand out if it all the good elements weren't dragged down by the plot.

This millennial twist on the film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days features Hannah, an aspiring wedding event planner, and Jack, a Buzzfeed-like reporter, as they navigate the shark-infested waters of modern dating. Jack is a cinnamon roll wearing the false exterior of an alphahole for an article about “How to Lose a Girl.” The girl is Hannah, a “sexy rabid raccoon” who wears “lipstick as red as the blood of her enemies.” The writing is witty and fun, as is the banter between the two. The story feels centered on the internal journey of the two characters who must learn to outgrow the false beliefs they’ve adopted from former partners before they can grow into the couple they are meant to become. Also, Best Epilogue Ever.