This book started off slow for me, but man did it get good! I understand that the breakup that happens at the beginning of the story is crucial to the plot, however it seemed to drag on way too long. I found myself avoiding reading this book because I didn't want to pick it bad up only to read about a sad breakup. That being said, once this book picked up and got to the good parts, I couldn't put it down!

I love a fake relationship trope, and this one was no exception. I loved thee characters so much, and I actually felt the emotions that they were feeling as I was reading the book. I loved Jamie and getting to see the sincere side of him. He seemed too good to be true, but wasn't! I would definitely recommend this book. The only thing that knocked it down from 5 stars to 4 stars for me was how drawn out the breakup at the beginning of the book was.

Part women’s fiction and part romance If I Never Met You is wholly delightful. A novel about second – and third – chances and falling in love with whom you least expect it, this gem of a book is funny, sweet and charming.

Barrister Laurie and her significant other Dan have been together since they were eighteen. Given that they’re now thirty-six, their relationship has become a thing of legend among their friends and coworkers. Working together and living together, jointly owning a home, a car and the typical burden of debt, they’ve never felt the need for marriage since they are united by so many other tangibles. Things have been a bit strained the last few months since Laurie is planning to go off the pill so they can try for a baby, but she in no way expects what happens when she comes home from a night out with friends. Dan blindsides her with a breakup. Assuring her there is no one else and that he simply needs to find himself, Dan asks she not tell the folks at work. Laurie is a favorite at the law firm, a hard worker as well as brilliant, and folks often joke she’s the company’s golden girl. Dan has benefited from Laurie’s reputation and he wants time to solidify his own position before the news breaks that he broke her heart. She agrees since she doesn’t want to feed the office gossip mill and desperately needs time to pull herself together. Life doesn’t give her that chance. It turns out Dan was cheating, and the other woman is now pregnant. The whole issue becomes a one-week gossip fest at her firm. Between people feeling completely free to hit on her in the weirdest way possible and dealing with serious heartbreak, Laurie longs for a quiet weekend. She plans her Friday evening exit from the office with military precision, navigating it so she doesn’t run into anyone on the way out the door. Then Jamie Carter, the office playboy and hottest man in the city, jumps into the elevator with her. They studiously ignore each other until the lift breaks down.

After bonding while they wait for maintenance to fix the problem, then bonding some more over drinks at a nearby bar, Jamie hatches a devilishly clever plan. At least it seems that way to their inebriated selves. They’ll have a faux-romance, playing it out on social media with loved-up pictures, an affair which will end just after the company Christmas party. They will, of course, have a civil breakup, promising to always care for each other, and the fact that their work relationship remains friendly will be proof of that. Jamie will (hopefully) so impress the firm with his brilliance and maturity in falling for Laurie (and by no longer playing Jack-the-Lad) that they’ll give him the promotion he’s angling for. Dan will be mad with jealousy. Their fake liaison will be a serious win-win for both of them. Unless, of course, it turns real.

This is a romance novel so of course it turns real. And in this case, real doesn’t just mean the author makes them fall in love. It means she has them develop a genuine relationship. Jamie and Laurie are initially simply co-conspirators; they had known each other only very superficially before the incident with the elevator, and their fake relationship gives them the chance to become friends. The Instagram and Facebook photos they use to build evidence of their love story capture genuinely enjoyed moments in time, and they find themselves sharing things with each other, confiding in each other and enjoying each other’s company. There is attraction there – both of them are beautiful people – but they put that attraction on the backburner because neither of them wants to jeopardize what they have.

I think perhaps one of the things I loved most about the story is one that was completely unexpected. The first thirty percent of the book is taken up with Laurie’s mourning Dan. The author does this brilliantly, capturing all the heartache and anger and processing that would go into mourning a relationship you’ve had for half your life. Laurie is overcome with self-doubt, questioning her appearance, her own character and trying to figure out what it was about herself that made Dan leave, spending hours trying to analyze where everything went wrong. Watching her go through that process didn’t simply make the breakup feel more real but it helps the reader understand why Laurie, an intelligent, sensible, responsible woman, latches on to the rather ridiculous plan Jamie comes up with. It also gives us the opportunity to thoroughly understand our heroine, to see her heart and believe she deserves the very best she can get.

Jamie initially comes across as a bit of a player. He’s a great lawyer but he’s also a risk taker and the kind of guy willing to step on a few fingers as he climbs over people on the ladder to success. Slowly, we learn the deep seated reasons why he can be this way and see the amazing person he is beneath his gorgeous surface. I loved how he was a genuine support to Laurie as she navigated her path back to wholeness and how he was a more authentic and sincere partner for her than Dan ever was. I adored who Laurie and Jamie were together. They have such a solid, sincere love between them that it was an absolute pleasure to spend time with them.

I also loved Laurie’s relationship with her friends and the way Jamie helps her negotiate her relationship with her family. His friends and family are wonderful, too. These are two people who know how to build connections and whose bond with each other helps them to strengthen and enrich the bonds they have with those around them.

Most of the time I spent reading the story, I alternated between amazement and delight; amazed at the craftsmanship the author displayed and delighted by the story she was telling. The only quibbles I had involved the level of trauma our characters connected over. Sexual assault, cheating boyfriends, lying exes, conniving coworkers, bad parents, familial deaths – they all played a part at some point. This meant that the final trouble at the end of the novel, where Ms. McFarlane throws in a couple of unnecessary and unbelievable twists to create an unneeded final conflict, felt over the top. Obviously, since it was at the very end of the tale I can’t talk about it much but I will say it depended upon Jamie’s acting contrary to what we know of his character on a couple of different occasions. The issue with the phone was one that neither he nor Laurie would have made – they spent a good deal of time defending criminals and understood the importance of protecting secrets.

That tiny complaint aside, If I Never Met You is a truly terrific romance with a lot of depth and heart. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a well crafted love story.

This is provided to me by be Netgalley

Romance books with fake relationships can be written so many ways.

Mhairi McFarlane writes it with a twist. Thirty six year old Laurie has been with her boyfriend, Dan, for eighteen years. One night he breaks up with her out of the blue.

Dan, tells her two months later, his new girlfriend is pregnant. That's super cold.

To make him jealous, Laurie recruits Jamie Carter ( throughout this book, I couldnt stop thinking about A Walk To Remember) to make Dan jealous.

They plan to break up at the Christmas party. Co-workers (Mainly Michael) thinking that she doesn't know herself. The big arguements that between Dan, Michael, Jamie, and Laurie was a little weird. It felt like Laurie wasnt an adult but a teenager.

Sometimes, when the characters would talk they would say lol out loud. I thought was a little weirdomance books with fake relationships can be written so many ways.

Mhairi McFarlane writes it with a twist. Thirty six year old Laurie has been with her boyfriend, Dan, for eighteen years. One night he breaks up with her out of the blue.

Dan, tells her two months later, his new girlfriend is pregnant. That's super cold.

To make him jealous, Laurie recruits Jamie Carter ( throughout this book, I couldnt stop thinking about A Walk To Remember) to make Dan jealous.

They plan to break up at the Christmas party. Co-workers (Mainly Michael) thinking that she doesn't know herself. The big arguements that between Dan, Michael, Jamie, and Laurie was a little weird. It felt like Laurie wasnt an adult but a teenager.

Sometimes, when the characters would talk they would say lol out loud. I thought was a little weird

As someone who's read Mhairi McFarlane's previous books, this latest addition is true to her style and captures the engaging perspectives of her British protagonists with a cute rom-com flair. There's a lot of exposition until you finally get to the main storyline, so it takes a while to get fully engaged and intrigued in the storytelling and the characters. It's a classic fake dating, enemies to lovers storyline, but the story is so cute, I hardly notice I've read this type of story before. It's very cute and enjoyable.

This book is about a catastrophic breakup between Dan and Laurie who are in their 30s and have been together since their late teens. It is such a devastating break up, how can Laurie move on after spending half her life with him? It's a terrible age for a woman to find herself single when she wants a child. My heart truly broke for her.

In comes Jamie, attractive, charismatic, single and most notably a player. And oh so charming. Jamie has quite the personality and it's easy to see how women could be smitten by him. Laurie and Jamie start to develop a friendship and make an agreement to be in a fake relationship to help each other out. As time passes, their friendship deepens and complicates the simple arrangement they agreed to.

It took a few chapters for me to get into the story, but once I did, I was completely immersed. This book is both light hearted and deep; laugh out loud funny and heartbreaking.

If this were a movie it would be a perfect romantic comedy, but with unexpected moments of intensity.

This is the first book I have read by Mhairi McFarlane and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you Harper Collins, Netgalley and Mhairi McFarlane for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was just the light, rom-com distraction I needed this week. It’s the typical story of a fake relationship that eventually leads to real feelings, but the storytelling and character development made every moment of this story absolutely enjoyable.

I adored the lead character, Laurie. She just came out of an 18 year relationship in the worst way possible. Not only does her ex work in the same law firm, but he suddenly ditched her and got his new girlfriend pregnant within minutes of their separation. Talk about a blow to your ego and the perfect source to spur office gossip. She soon finds herself part of an interesting offer to make her ex super jealous while helping a colleague, with quite a womanizing persona, change his reputation and hopefully earn a promotion. The two enter a fake courtship that baffles everyone and soon leads to all sorts of interesting developments.

McFarlane did a great job of writing an entertaining story full of modern twists and humorous moments while also capturing realistic characters who deal with misperceptions, various emotions and tough topics. The chemistry and interactions between Laurie and Jamie was slow burn perfection. They were sarcastic, smart, and just fun to watch as their story unfolded. I was surprised by the depths of their past. Between the two they are dealing with social justice, sibling death, abandonment, self worth, guilt, a terminally ill parent and so many deeply repressed feelings.

You will utterly despise several characters and adore the truly genuine friendships. Everyone deserves a side kick like Hattie!!! It’s the perfect story about misperceptions and how self worth, confidence, and support are important to the success of a healthy relationship.

My star rating here is based more on an objective sense of whether this is a "good" book (relative to others in the genre) and whether I would recommend it to people.

I didn't personally love this one. I had a feeling that the plot wouldn't be for me, but wanted to give it a shot. I liked Laurie as a main character, she seemed realistic and interesting, but I just couldn't get into the relationship. However, I think that a lot of people will enjoy this.

This book follows the fake dating trope in an office setting! This book was a lot of fun, but did feel a lot like other books that follow the same trope! It felt a lot like an adult version of TATBILB, which is fine by me because who doesn't love a cute book? I recommend reading this book if you want a fun and fast paced book that will fill your heart with happiness. The characters are beyond relatable and are so easy to fall in love with!

Part women’s fiction and part romance If I Never Met You is wholly delightful. A novel about second - and third - chances and falling in love with whom you least expect it, this gem of a book is funny, sweet and charming.

Barrister Laurie and her significant other Dan have been together since they were eighteen. Given that they’re now thirty-six, their relationship has become a thing of legend among their friends and coworkers. Working together and living together, jointly owning a home, a car and the typical burden of debt, they’ve never felt the need for marriage since they are united by so many other tangibles. Things have been a bit strained the last few months since Laurie is planning to go off the pill so they can try for a baby, but she in no way expects what happens when she comes home from a night out with friends. Dan blindsides her with a breakup. Assuring her there is no one else and that he simply needs to find himself, Dan asks she not tell the folks at work. Laurie is a favorite at the law firm, a hard worker as well as brilliant, and folks often joke she’s the company’s golden girl. Dan has benefited from Laurie’s reputation and he wants time to solidify his own position before the news breaks that he broke her heart. She agrees since she doesn’t want to feed the office gossip mill and desperately needs time to pull herself together. Life doesn’t give her that chance. It turns out Dan was cheating, and the other woman is now pregnant. The whole issue becomes a one-week gossip fest at her firm. Between people feeling completely free to hit on her in the weirdest way possible and dealing with serious heartbreak, Laurie longs for a quiet weekend. She plans her Friday evening exit from the office with military precision, navigating it so she doesn’t run into anyone on the way out the door. Then Jamie Carter, the office playboy and hottest man in the city, jumps into the elevator with her. They studiously ignore each other until the lift breaks down.

After bonding while they wait for maintenance to fix the problem, then bonding some more over drinks at a nearby bar, Jamie hatches a devilishly clever plan. At least it seems that way to their inebriated selves.  They’ll have a faux-romance, playing it out on social media with loved-up pictures, an affair which will end just after the company Christmas party. They will, of course, have a civil breakup, promising to always care for each other, and the fact that their work relationship remains friendly will be proof of that. Jamie will (hopefully) so impress the firm with his brilliance and maturity in falling for Laurie (and by no longer playing Jack-the-Lad) that they’ll give him the promotion he’s angling for. Dan will be mad with jealousy. Their fake liaison will be a serious win-win for both of them. Unless, of course, it turns real.

This is a romance novel so of course it turns real. And in this case, real doesn’t just mean the author makes them fall in love. It means she has them develop a genuine relationship. Jamie and Laurie are initially simply co-conspirators; they had known each other only very superficially before the incident with the elevator, and their fake relationship gives them the chance to become friends. The Instagram and Facebook photos they use to build evidence of their love story capture genuinely enjoyed moments in time, and they find themselves sharing things with each other, confiding in each other and enjoying each other’s company. There is attraction there - both of them are beautiful people - but they put that attraction on the backburner because neither of them wants to jeopardize what they have.

I think perhaps one of the things I loved most about the story is one that was completely unexpected. The first thirty percent of the book is taken up with Laurie’s mourning Dan. The author does this brilliantly, capturing all the heartache and anger and processing that would go into mourning a relationship you’ve had for half your life. Laurie is overcome with self-doubt, questioning her appearance, her own character and trying to figure out what it was about herself that made Dan leave, spending hours trying to analyze where everything went wrong. Watching her go through that process didn’t simply make the breakup feel more real but it helps the reader understand why Laurie, an intelligent, sensible, responsible woman,  latches on to the rather ridiculous plan Jamie comes up with. It also gives us the opportunity to thoroughly understand our heroine, to see her heart and believe she deserves the very best she can get.

Jamie initially comes across as a bit of a player. He’s a great lawyer but he’s also a risk taker and the kind of guy willing to step on a few fingers as he climbs over people on the ladder to success. Slowly, we learn the deep seated reasons why he can be this way and see the amazing person he is beneath his gorgeous surface. I loved how he was a genuine support to Laurie as she navigated her path back to wholeness and how he was a more authentic and sincere partner for her than Dan ever was. I adored who Laurie and Jamie were together. They have such a solid, sincere love between them that it was an absolute pleasure to spend time with them.

I also loved Laurie’s relationship with her friends and the way Jamie helps her negotiate her relationship with her family. His friends and family are wonderful, too. These are two people who know how to build connections and whose bond with each other helps them to strengthen and enrich the bonds they have with those around them.

Most of the time I spent reading the story, I alternated between amazement and delight; amazed at the craftsmanship the author displayed and delighted by the story she was telling. The only quibbles I had involved the level of trauma our characters connected over. Sexual assault, cheating boyfriends, lying exes, conniving coworkers, bad parents, familial deaths - they all played a part at some point. This meant that the final trouble at the end of the novel, where Ms. McFarlane throws in a couple of unnecessary and unbelievable twists to create an unneeded final conflict, felt over the top. Obviously, since it was at the very end of the tale I can’t talk about it much but I will say it  depended upon Jamie’s acting contrary to what we know of his character on a couple of different occasions. The issue with the phone was one that neither he nor Laurie would have made - they spent a good deal of time defending criminals and understood the importance of protecting secrets.

That tiny complaint aside, If I Never Met You is a truly terrific romance with a lot of depth and heart. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a well crafted love story.

Buy it at: Amazon or shop at your local independent bookstore
Visit our Amazon Storefront

With my second book by this author under my belt, I think Mhairi McFarlane is a new favorite author for contemporary romances. Much like Don't You Forget About Me, this book had heart and humor and I could not put this down. I can't wait to see what comes next from McFarlane!

Thank you so much to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the eARC!

I recently read my first Mhairi McFarlane novel, Don't You Forget About me and truly enjoyed it I was eager to read her newest, If I Never Met You and was very excited to be approved by NetGalley for an ARC. I am happy to say, McFarlane did not disappoint!!

I loved this book. The story revolves around Laurie, a lawyer who is blindsided when her boyfriend of 18 years ends the relationship unexpectedly. Left hurting and angry, Laurie enters into an agreement with co-worker Jamie to stage a fake relationship in order to make her ex, Dan jealous and to help Jamie get a promotion. The set-up for the fake relationship premise was believable (this is an important point for me when reading a fake-relationship romance), and the banter between Laurie and Jamie was fantastic. Often in romance a character is described as witty or intelligent, yet speaks and behaves in a manner that suggests anything but. McFarlane's characters are quite clever and funny. She shows us who they are through their enjoyable interactions rather than just telling us.

McFarlane is a very smart and insightful writer. There were so many lines in this book where she expressed a thought, or feeling and I instantly thought "Yes! That's exactly it!" She has an extraordinary ability to get to the heart of a character, explain their motivations and insecurities in a way that is touching and meaningful.

If I Never Met You is a romance although I would say it is more of a story about finding love. McFarlane does not write the typical descriptive love scenes that many romances have so don't expect that here. I would definitely recommend this book, particularly to readers who enjoy Sally Thorne. Can't wait for her next novel!

3.5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this one. It was definitely an enjoyable read, but not at all what I was expecting. It was fun and the characters were interesting, but the romance was not at all what I had hoped.
Laurie felt like a very realistic character. The author did a good job of making her voice unique, yet believable.
Her and Jamie have great connection, but pacing was little all over the place especially with ending, ending was very rushed!

Fun book though, I recommend it!

**𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 & 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.**

This one was easy, fun and light. I really enjoyed the characters, and I LOVE a good office romance. I found the female heroine strong, and likable, and I loved the sarcastic humor and banter between the hero and heroine. All around a really solid rom-com, and I'm really excited to read this author's backlist!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing my review copy, this one is out 3/24!

This one get a point deducted because I almost abandoned it in the beginning. Laurie is whiny and complaining and begging for answers for why her boyfriend is breaking up with her, and it reminded me of boyfriends I broke up with, who did the same. It doesn't make me want to take you back, quite the opposite.

It did get better so I am glad I stuck with it. Laurie ends up befriending Jamie Carter, the office lothario, and loner. He comes across as aloof and highly ambitious. He is not making friends with his co-workers or his bosses so he hatches a plan to pretend date Laurie, who is beloved by the bosses to help make him partner. Problems is the more they spend time together the more their feelings get in the way. Very cute, lots of embarrassing moments and cute "I Will Survive" moments.

What I love about Mhairi Macfarlane is the beautiful characters and emotional journeys she creates. Her books are less romance and more focused on her wonderful female protagonists, strong and flawed and real human beings (or, at least, they feel like it). Although I didn’t love the relationship in this book as I have in some of her others (like Don’t You Forget About Me), I loved Laurie, I loved the humor, and I loved the world of this book.

In If I Never Met You, we meet Laurie Watkinson, a biracial 36-year-old lawyer who enjoys her normal, steady life with her boyfriend of 18 years, together since university. Then one day, Laurie comes home after a few drinks to find her boyfriend, Dan, with a Serious Face waiting on the couch. He tells her that he’s been unhappy for a while, feeling like their relationship is a steady path to death, and their plan for Laurie to get off birth control has led him to the decision to put an end to their decades-long relationship. Laurie is stunned. She never saw this coming, even for a second.

Macfarlane does the most perfect job of executing this breakup, capturing the devastation, anger, and misery that Laurie feels in this process. I felt that I was experiencing the whole decoupling myself, feeling mad and frustrated and pained on behalf of Laurie. She treats this complicated and messy situation with all of the nuance it deserves.

Then comes the romantic setup: a few months after the breakup, Dan tells Laurie that there was another woman, and guess what? That other woman is pregnant with Dan’s baby. Laurie is obviously mad as all hell. After getting stuck in an elevator with Jamie Carter, a coworker at her law firm and a notoriously handsome ladies man, they commiserate over their shared problems. Jamie wants to be put up for partner, but the heads of the firm think he’s too much of a party boy and needs to show them he’s serious. Laurie wants to get back at Dan. So, they come up with a plan: they’ll fake date for long enough to solve their respective problems, making it real through carefully staged social media posts.

Who doesn’t love the fake dating trope? I mean, it’s one of the classics for a reason, and it worked here. However, I always felt like building chemistry and rapport between Jamie and Laurie came secondary to Laurie’s own character development and resolution of trauma, and the romance felt like too much of a “B story.” Even in dedicated Jamie and Laurie scenes, some of the romantic development felt forced and unnatural - Macfarlane didn’t do quite as good of a job at showing the gradual falling in love and she usually does, even from Laurie, which we should have seen in greater detail given that she’s our narrator.

Overall, this was still a sweet read with the classic Macfarlane protagonist, lovable and fallible all at once. The mere fact that I stayed up til 3:30 am reading this should indicate how much I love her writing. I could have read another 300 pages of this book - I kept checking the percentage read and getting shocked at how close I was coming to the end, trying to read slower and savor it all. Although this wasn’t my favorite romance of hers, I enjoyed it nonetheless and will continue to snap up her new releases furiously. Thanks so much to William Morrow for the ARC via Netgalley!

4 1/2 Stars

Mhairi McFarlane strikes again! I absolutely loved If I Never Met You. I connected with Laurie instantly which led me to also despise Dan right away. What a piece of work he turns out to be! Seriously, my heart aches for Laurie with the load of heartbreak that Dan dishes up to her. Talk about callous and uncaring, considering this is someone you've spent the past eighteen years "in love with." Dan's behavior makes Laurie wonder if she'll every be able to trust another man again...and if it's even worth trying.

Their situation is further complicated by the fact that they work for the same law firm. It's not like Laurie can break up with him and never see him again. Nope, he's going to be right under her nose every day, flaunting his "poor decisions." When Jamie and Laurie decide to embark on a "fake relationship," Laurie hopes to distract herself and make Dan jealous in the process. Jamie is hoping it will look like he's settled down and is promotable to partner.

Of course, what starts out as a "relationship for show" evolves into something more. Feelings become involved and before they know it, Laurie and Jamie are truly invested in one another. Naturally, nothing goes as planned and if these two want their relationship to be "real," they are going to have to fight for it.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Paperbacks and Ms. McFarlane for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this romance, even though I was a little skeptical at first of the fake dating plotline. If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane nailed the main character, Laurie. She was very likable, real, and refreshing as I could see myself in her and McFarlane's portrayal of bouncing back from heartbreak is utterly relatable. I liked how the story did not rely only on her finding a new man to become a happier person, she found herself through other ways.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Did you like To All the Boys I Loved Before? Would you like a more adult version of it? Then let me point you to If I Never Met You. This is clearly a fake dating trope, which I love, but there was something sweet about it that totally gave me TATBILB vibes.
The start of the relationships makes sense, Jamie wants to get ahead at work and Laurie wants to get back at her ex. As fake relationships go, this one seemed plausible, especially since the time frame seemed short. I also liked that they used social media to “prove” their relationship. This book wasn’t chock-full of awkward PDAs. Rather it was two people who spent time together, and really got to know each other. Jamie and Laurie were both great characters. Mart and strong and flawed in a real and relatable way. I liked the maturity that both of them showed.
I also liked how both of them seemed to see something different in both each other and themselves. I’ve read a lot of the fake dating trope and I don’t always “buy” the relationship. I had no trouble believing it in this case. This book is not without its flaws, however. I didn’t love the ending and did find that a little unbelievable, especially given how everything else felt so right. I also wish that we had gotten a little of Jamie’s perspective.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

If I Never Met You is technically my second experience with Mhairi McFarlane’s work, as I did try and DNF her previous release. However, the cover and my interest in seeing how she would handle writing a character of color persuaded me to give her another try, and despite having similar mechanics issues with the book, I did feel like she succeeded on that account.

I did enjoy that Laurie was both older (36) and mixed race, and the book deals realistically with both identities. Despite not being able to relate to the exact circumstances, I did enjoy the element of her getting over being betrayed by her long-term partner and getting revenge. And there are little cul

The romance wasn’t that great…but then again fake-dating/pretend-betrothal can go either way for me. It just felt a little odd, because I didn’t find much that was overly endearing about Jamie. I did see the contrast between him and her scumbag ex, but I just wasn’t won over, so this is probably mostly just a “me” thing.

And while I keep saying writing style is not something I get hung up on, this is the second one in a row that was an exception, although in a different way. Her stilted style was the reason I DNFed her other book, and I found myself questioning at various points why I let myself forget that when I requested this one for review. It didn’t allow me to feel like I really knew the characters to their very souls, but more like I was just an observer.

My thoughts on this on are a bit all over the place, and I don’t think my opinion is one that can be counted on on its own here, due to my mixed feelings. I think, if you love a charming rom-com, then this might appeal to you more than it did to me.

When Laurie's boyfriend of 10 years suddenly dumps her and then she finds out that he is now pregnant with his new girlfriend, she is heartbroken and humiliated. Her colleague at work, Jamie, needs a serious girlfriend to convince his bosses that he can be taken seriously. The two strike a deal and start a very well-constructed fake relationship. It all goes well until they predictably start falling for each other. This was a cute and witty addition to the rom-com genre. What makes this one stand out more, is how well McFarlane addressed the nature of relationships, trust, and the devastation of heartbreak. Now off to read the rest of her books!