Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan is a light, easy read with a charming premise. The story of Everly and her accidental rise to podcast fame is fun, and the romantic tension between her and her boss, Chris, provides some sweet moments. However, the plot feels predictable, and the pacing sometimes drags. While the book offers a good dose of humor and heart, the character development feels a bit shallow, leaving me wanting more depth and complexity. Overall, it’s an enjoyable, feel-good romance but doesn’t quite stand out among others in the genre.

Everly loves working in production for 96.2 SUN radio station, but her life makes an unexpected change when her DJ best friend leaves the microphone open and all the radio audience hears her rant about the boyfriend who cheated on her. What's next, but a contest for Everly to find the perfect boyfriend. Chris Jansen, the new station manager, is looking for ways for the ratings to go up and make more money. It's on Everly to try to make this dating game successful. In the mix is Chris's attraction to Everly as he struggles to keep his emotions in check. Everly deals with her anxiety attacks, dating unknown bachelors and her growing attraction to Chris.
Trust is on the line if Chris's secret is revealed .
Kissing only.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

this book was so ute and I love it so much because it was all my favorite tropes together with everything that I need at the moment

I just can't handle cheesy moments AND cheating in the same book. Maybe one of them, but certainly not both.

This is a delightful and lighthearted romance that is a perfect fit for readers who enjoy slow-burn relationships, humor, and stories about overcoming anxiety and finding happiness, especially those who appreciate a strong and relatable female protagonist navigating the ups and downs of love and life.

I wanted to like this one SO badly! I just honestly couldn't. I just really didn't like the main character. She was not my cup of tea. And although I found some parts mildly entertaining, it wasn't worth pushing through for something I wasn't into. Just not for me.

An absolutely adorable story of finding love after surviving trauma. This book had so many moments that seemed unbelievable since how can you have horrible bad luck but it also made you laugh so much.

So! Much! Fun! Genuinely really enjoyed this YA romp! There was so much to love with these characters and the story that was told. Can’t wait to read more from Sophie Sullivan!

I felt for Everly quite a lot throughout the book and definitely related to her. I knew exactly what she was feeling because I’ve definitely had those thoughts and more before. I also liked that she was an adult and she felt like she didn’t have everything together. We were able to see her coming more out of her shell as the book carried on and even her helping others with their anxiety! That’s a big thing being able to help others because you know how they feel and are able to give advice.

Everly and Chris worked really well together. They were quickly able to understand each other and Chris wasn’t dismissive of Everly’s anxiety – something I appreciated seeing. Their becoming friends and then obviously ending up at the end were all felt very natural – something to commend Sullivan as authors aren’t always able to write natural relationships.

I liked that we were able to experience the dates with her – the bad and the good. And that all of them sort of led back to Chris. Their romance was so cute! I smiled so many times throughout reading because I really enjoyed how kind and sweet Chris was. He wanted Everly to have fun, cared about her a lot – if she would enjoy the dates, how she felt on them etc. I think him caring meant a lot for her and probably made it easier to fall in love with him.

Seeing as it’s a trilogy, and each book follows a different brother, we got a chance to see Noah and Wes (book 2 and 3 respectively). I liked that they were close with each other and encouraged each other. They had an easy banter and a good balance between sibling insults and “I’m pushing you because I love you”.

This was a fun read. I thought it was very clever to have a character with high anxiety. I liked reading the point of view for both main characters.

A fun and exciting read that makes you feel like the characters are right in front of you. A forbidden love, friends to lovers.

I wanted so desperately to love this book but I just couldn't connect with the characters. Sometimes the dialogue was just too cheesy. I love myself a little cheesy banter but many times I felt myself cringe towards it rather than have the bubbles over it. It just was not the slow burn I wanted it to be.

Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan is a romantic comedy that will make you laugh, swoon, and root for the protagonist, Everly Dean. The story follows Everly, a radio producer who hits rock bottom on her birthday when she catches her boyfriend cheating on her with his assistant. Determined to not let her anxiety hold her back, she pitches her podcast idea to her cute but distant boss, Chris. When her on-air rant about her cheating ex goes viral, she becomes a dating sensation with fans voting for potential suitors Bachelorette-style.

As Everly navigates through this unexpected turn of events, she creates the Ten Rules for Faking It, a list that helps her overcome her people-avoidance tendencies and face her fears. Sullivan's writing style is witty, humorous, and easy to read, and the characters are relatable and endearing.

What sets Ten Rules for Faking It apart from other rom-coms is its focus on mental health and the importance of self-care. Everly struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, but instead of being portrayed as a weakness, it's shown as a part of her personality that she learns to work with and overcome.

Overall, Ten Rules for Faking It is an enjoyable and heartwarming read that will leave you feeling good and rooting for Everly's happily ever after.

A fun cheeky rom com. I love stories that are fake dating and then something more comes of it. This was a cute ride. The MC at times was a little whiny and not as confident as I would have liked.

This book was definitely a slow burn. Too slow, really, and I normally like a slow burn. I wanted Everly to get past her anxiety, get her podcast up and running, and find love with Chris, so I kept reading. The problem was, the further I got into the book, the more frustrated I became. My kindle is marked up with angry notes about things that were said or done by the characters. By the end of the book, I’d had it with Everly. I ended up liking her friend Stacey much better than her. In fact, I think Stacey understood Everly better than Everly understood herself. It shouldn’t be like that when you’re 93% done a story. I liked Chris. I could respect him for keeping his feelings to himself because of being Everly’s boss. I guess I just didn’t really understand why he thought Everly was such an amazing woman, or maybe I didn’t agree. The ending was flat and drawn out, though perhaps I simply no longer cared about whether the characters got their happily ever after.

**Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin and Sophie Sullivan. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

"A wholesome, slow-burn romance that will warm your heart...This is a Hallmark movie in book form." - USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang

What happens when your love life becomes the talk of the town?

As birthdays go, this year’s for radio producer Everly Dean hit rock-bottom.

Worse than the “tonsillectomy birthday.” Worse than the birthday her parents decided to split (the first time). But catching your boyfriend cheating on you with his assistant?

Even clichés sting.

But this is Everly’s year! She won’t let her anxiety hold her back. She’ll pitch her podcast idea to her boss.

There’s just one problem.

Her boss, Chris, is very cute. (Of course). Also, he's extremely distant (which means he hates her, right? Or is that the anxiety talking)?

And, Stacey the DJ didn’t mute the mic during Everly’s rant about Simon the Snake (syn: Cheating Ex).

That’s three problems.

Suddenly, people are lining up to date her, Bachelorette-style, fans are voting (Reminder: never leave house again), and her interest in Chris might be a two-way street. It’s a lot for a woman who could gold medal in people-avoidance. She’s going to have to fake it ‘till she makes it to get through all of this.

Perhaps she’ll make a list: The Ten Rules for Faking It.

Because sometimes making the rules can find you happiness when you least expect it.

Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan is such a cute, slow-burn modern romance. The characters are lovable and once you start reading it, you won't be able to put it down. The chemistry between Everly and Chris was instantaneous and addictive to read. You can't help but root for them both.

This was an all around adorable read. I loved the enemies to lovers vibe and that it represented a social anxiety aspect. At the same time I felt like nothing every really happened with the story

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an amazing plot, but I felt the characters were a bit hard to connect to.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I enjoyed the fact that realistic aspects of anxiety were mentioned in this book. This book was a bit slow for me but kept me entertained.