Such a cute rom com! Perfect if you love The Bachelorette, friends to lovers tropes, and friends who will stick with you through it all. I loved that this book tackled anxiety disorders and normalized the fact that many people struggle with anxiety and are still awesome people! Have already recommended to all my friends.

This book was a sweet, slow-burn romance. I liked the premise and I was so happy to see representation of anxiety! I also loved the secondary characters. However, I think the pacing of the main romantic storyline was off. I liked Everly and Chris, and the will-they-won't-they dynamic, but things moved a bit too slowly and it was kind of frustrating. It was still a cute story and I'm glad there were serious topics in addition to the light and fun!

Ten Rules for Faking It
Series: Standalone
Rating: 3 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Ten Rules for Faking It was a very sweet, slow burn romance between Everly and Chris. I found it was an okay read, but it seemed a little too long. They are both dealing with family issues that play an important role in their lives. In order to find their HEA some of those family issues need to be resolved. I liked the relationships they both had with secondary characters. I would love to see Stacey, Ev's best friend find her HEA and same for Chris' brothers.
Cute read!

Every Dean is an anxiety ridden radio show producer in love with her boss, but she doesn’t acknowledge that fact. Chris Jansen lives under his fathers thumb, is trying to prove his worth and is in love with Everly but won’t allow that thought to process.
When Everly’s failed love life makes an accidental appearance on the radio show she produces, Chris comes up with an idea similar to the Bachelor. With anxiety in the way, Everly takes a chance on this idea. As she gets further in, Chris and Everly learn more about each other.
Opinion
Guys, this is a great Rom Com from a new to me author. (She does publish under another name.). I love that by day she is a teacher.
The story flow is so sweet and the pacing is perfect. The characters are like anyone you might meet while walking down the street. (I’d love to meet me a Chris!)
For those of you who love PG romances, this one is one you need to check out.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

After another horrible birthday, in which radio producer Everly Dean finds out her boyfriend is cheating with his assistant – as does the listening audience for her station. Everly is determined to make this year count – and that means making a list to move things forward in her life and not let anxiety hold her back. It also means saying yes to her station’s bachelorette style radio segment of her dating life. What could go wrong?
Initially I was attracted to this read by the premise, which intrigued me – and the cover art. What can I say, I love good cover art.🤷‍♀‍😉 Sophie Sullivan’s novel is advertised as a Romantic Comedy debut, but read (for me) in more the style of a Women’s Fiction read. Although it does contain moments of levity and RomCom-esque plotlines, it also deals a lot with a personal journey, growth, understanding and Everly’s mental health, which for me gave it a more serious tone.

I was intrigued by the initial story lines – the bachelorette style radio dating show, as well as the will they/won’t they vibe between Everly and her boss Chris. I enjoyed getting to know the station crew, and liked the fact that we got some insight into not only Everly’s thoughts and feelings, but Chris’s as well throughout the book. The characters I felt were both likeable enough, and the romance had a very slow build throughout.

I also must point out that this book did a remarkable job approaching anxiety and anxiety disorders. I felt that Everly’s struggles were realistic and relatable – at times painfully so, which means it did a great job displaying this but also made it feel very real. It is nice to see representation of anxiety and how it can impact a person’s life and processing.

I think that the premise was decent, but I felt a lull for a bit during the read -- however, the last part of the book ended on a stronger note. My wish for this book would have been for some adjustments in the pacing, particularly in the romance development.

** Thank you to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress who provided me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought Ten Rules for Faking It was so refreshing to read about an overthinker who has social anxiety.

Everly’s boyfriend gets caught cheating on her on her birthday, and the news accidentally gets aired on the radio station she works for. The public decides that they want to help her find love, which adds such a fun dynamic to this book!

This is a very slow burn, friends-to-lovers, office romance with the small gestures that wins over the readers.

I’m a sucker for a character picking up on the other character’s ‘tells’ and I loooved all of those little moments. It’s fun to see characters grow together and focus on the lead up to their relationship.

I struggled a bit with the the third person writing, and the build up at times, but those friendships and their connection really kept me reading!

If you’re looking for a cute, relatable, slow burn, this book might be for you 😊

Thank you to @smpromance for sending me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review. (3.5 stars)

Ten Rules for Faking It is Sophie Sullivan’s romcom novel debut and what a debut! When Everly Dean inadvertently shared her romantic humiliation, on air during her best friend’s radio show, it was not only a disaster for her personally but one that might result in the loss of her job. When listeners start calling in to offer their support to Everly, she and her friend promote a radio version of “The Bachelorette”. The only problem is that Everly is an introvert who suffers extreme anxiety when meeting new people or in group settings. What could possibly go wrong?

Sophie Sullivan offers a fresh new voice and a fresh perspective on the traditional romcom. I cheered Everly on, snort laughed at her voice-to-text messaging, and even shed a few tears. But what I liked most about this novel was the message to not let your vulnerabilities and flaws define you but to be brave and put yourself out there. This is the feel good book of the season so get your copy today! I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.

This was a cute, very slow burn romance between Everly, a radio producer who has severe social anxiety, and Chris, the station manager/owner's son. The setup is that on her 30th birthday, Everly finds her current boyfriend in bed with another woman. When she gets to work, her best friend, the DJ for of the show she produces, intends to surprise her with an on-Air rendition of Happy Birthday, but Everly, not realizing she's on the air, instead launches into a rant about how she was just cheated on, and is swearing off men. This triggers an avalanche of support from the listeners along with lots of offers from guys who swear they will treat her much better than her ex if she gives them a chance. Chris, the station manager, who secretly has a crush on Everly, sees an opportunity to raise their show's ratings, by doing a Bachelorette style blind-date contest for Everly, who agrees to participate because she's hoping to finally conquer her anxiety and be bold.

There were things about this book that I loved. Everly's social anxiety wasn't just a plot device easily forgotten. The difficulties she faced were depicted realistically and didn't just magically vanish, but at the same time, didn't stop her from getting out there and being a strong heroine to admire. I also loved how carefully the dating contest was arranged. Everly was always in control. She got to pick the guys, they were pre-screened, and she was never forced into any uncomfortable situations. The only aspect of the story that didn't completely work for me was the romance between her and Chris. Normally, I like a slow-burn and friendship that develops before romance, but in this case, it was just a bit too slow. There was way too much internal longing on both their parts with absolutely no outward execution and I didn't really feel any sparks between them. However, I enjoyed it overall.

At the start of this novel, radio producer Everly has a really bad birthday - she walks in on her boyfriend cheating on her, then her rant about it accidentally airs on the radio. Her perspective alternates with Chris, her boss at the radio. It’s pretty clear that the two of them like each other, but it takes way too long for them to actually get out of their own way and get together. I feel like it used to be normal in chick lit books for the main couple not to get together til the very end of the book, but I feel like now many authors have managed to find ways to still create interesting plots and tension without waiting so long - so I feel like this book dragged it out too long. It was interesting, though, that a lot of time was spent on Everly’s struggles with social anxiety, even if that sometimes made the book a little heavy for a seemingly light read.

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did not expect this to be so sweet!
I honest wanted to read this book for the title alone. I didnt know what to expect because I did not read the blurb.
This story was the sweetest slow burn romance I've read in a while!
Our heroine Everly struggles with severe social anxiety and as such, has trouble getting out of her own way for certain situations. After accidentally embarrassing herself live on the radio, her boss Chris comes up with a promotion idea to up the ratings and save her job: the radio version of the bachelor.

I loved Everly's character and related to her so much. She has a hard time opening herself up to her friends and has a complicated relation with her parents.
At one point her mother says: "I didn't invite you over this. I just wanted company"... when I tell you I have never been so triggered by a string If words.😑. I cheered when Everly stood up for herself with her parents. I was very invested in this characters happiness.

I thoroughly lived this book and easily recommend! Looking forward to more from Sophie Sullivan

Everly has hated her birthday since she was a kid and her dysfunctional parents ruined her birthdays, and the morning of her 30th birthday is definitely a day to hate. After finding her boyfriend cheating on her, she goes into work to accidentally blast her terrible morning on live air. Thus, she begins her own Bachelorette style dating selection.

While I absolutely love the idea behind this book, it fell really flat for me.
As a counselor by day, I loved the anxiety aspect and thought the author did a very good job describing what anxiety is like for some people.

However, Everly’s relationship with Stacey was the only one that made any sense to me.

Chris all but shouted from the rooftops how he felt about Everly, but I still didn’t feel the connection at the beginning. It felt so forced.

I wish the author had given us more date information. I think they’d have been funny to read about.

And don’t get me started on the Simon at the gym part that went nowhere.

I want to say this was a quick read, but, honestly, I found myself skimming through a bunch of writing that wasn’t dialogue.

2/5 Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC!

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. Wow what can I say about this title it was just an awesome read. This book was just something so wonderfully different I’ve never quite read anything like this. You should read to find out you won’t be disappointed. I’m definitely going to read more by this author.

Oh goodness. This is about Everly - a sweet radio producer struggling with severe social anxiety. After her embarrassing break-up ends up on-air Everly’s station manager Chris suggests a dating contest to capitalize on her sudden popularity with listeners (and to camouflage the huge crush he has on her.)
I thought it was neat to read about a heroine with anxiety - always a topic near and dear to my heart. That’s where the happy ended though.
First and foremost, we always ask ourselves the question “could the problems between hero and heroine been resolved by one honest conversation?” A resounding yes, as we have here, tends to mean a relatively unenjoyable reading experience.
They did have the issue that Chris was Everly’s boss. That’s a good reason not to date. And it worked to make Everly a bit more solid as a character - sort of .
Ultimately, the extensive mommy and daddy issues by both hero and heroine and the tremendous amount of lying had me not caring at all if they got together. They literally could have talked this out by page 14 and saved me hours of reading.
It was light. It was cutesy. It will join the ranks of hundreds of never-to-be-remembered romance books I’ve read and forgotten the instant I posted my review.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to offer my unbiased opinion.

Everly Dean has had her share of bad birthdays, but her 30th birthday is arguably the worst. She found out her now ex-boyfriend cheating on her, and to make matters worse, accidentally revealed this over live radio when talking to her best friend Stacey. It also doesn't help that her boss (who gives off mixed signals), Chris, overheard the whole thing. The radio station she works at organizes a Bachelorette-esque series of dates after listeners heard of the whole ordeal. Everly decides her life needs changes and creates the ten rules for faking it to get out of her comfort zone. Over the course of the book, Everly learns to make herself her first choice, as well as learn what she wants in relationships.

I found Ten Rules for Faking It an overall enjoyable read. The characters were fairly well fleshed out — I enjoyed reading of Everly and Stacey's friendship, as well as Everly and her relationship with her parents. However, it took me until about 50% of the book to get fully invested in the story — the pacing was slow, and seemed inconsistent in some places. I also found Chris and Everly's relationship kind of weak. From Chris's POV, Everly was described as gorgeous but didn't even know it and their relationship seemed more infatuation-based rather than getting to actually know each other. I did like how the book realistically portrayed heavy topics like what it was like to have anxiety, as well as how having trauma affected Everly's outlook on relationships. Chris understood all this and eventually became someone Everly could trust and form a relationship with.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was really cute, so I wish it hadn't been so... boring. It's way too long, all of their feelings are way too internalized, and the dating gimmick was way too drawn out. I liked both characters and I liked their connection, I just wish there had been a stronger emphasis on that. It's sort of like the whole book is devoted to the crush two coworkers have on each other, rather than having any sort of forward momentum. The story's got tons of potential, and ultimately it just felt wasted. It's still got some adorable moments, so if you're looking for something cute and clean, then this might work better for you.

The story follows Everly, a woman who works at a radio station. After a bad breakup, she vents to a coworker without realizing that she's on the air, and soon finds herself the focus of many listeners' interest. Her boss, Chris, decides to capitalize on that - for a variety of reasons. Not only is finding Everly a guy via the radio station great for ratings, but it also means that maybe he can finally put his inappropriate crush behind him. Because there's no way Chris can admit his feelings for Everly when he knows he'll be leaving soon. The only problem? Spending more time together makes those feelings even stronger.

This has all the elements of a romance that I should've loved - likable characters, genuine feelings, a slow burn that focuses on the emotional, and an interesting concept. It just didn't work out that way for me, unfortunately. I feel like these two characters never got to know each other well AT ALL, because everything is so internalized. Their big fight just proves that. There's also a lot of time devoted to the dating show, and the romance is an afterthought. I did love the focus on Everly's anxiety and appreciate how authentic that felt - that's really the winner here. All in all, this didn't live up to its potential and really dragged for me. I received an early copy via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review of this clean romance.

3.5 stars

Thank you SMP Romance for a gifted copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is cute! I like the Bachelorette and I thought it would be the main focus of the book but unfortunately, you don't really get much of the dates. What you do get is a lot of Everly's internal monologue which wasn't for me since it made the story move too slowly. I do think the author did a great job highlighting the impact of someone who suffers from social anxiety.

This was cute, and I think fans of "classic chick lit" type books will enjoy it. I think the radio show premise is fun, and I think it's nice to see a more "dated" medium being used in this (the show's relevance being central to the story). There's no particular reason I can point to as to why this wasn't a standout for me, but it might be better for you!

I had a tough time deciding what to rate this, so I landed somewhere in the middle. The concept of the boss-employee mutual crush works here, and Sullivan does a great job depicting the effects of anxiety (it's not sexy, but it's real and a lot of us deal with it every day). For some reason, the pacing feels off; this may have to do with certain events being described at length while others (e.g., Everly's bachelorette-style dates) are completely glossed over. As a result, it took me a while to get through (and it felt like "getting through") this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Everly's thirtieth birthday is not starting off on a great foot. She went to surprise her boyfriend but she was surprised to find him in bed with his secretary. When her best friend tries to sing her happy birthday, on-air for their radio station none-the-less, Everly spills the beans on her surprising morning. While Everly deals with her recent heartbreak, she decides with a new decade it's time for her to start with a new outlook on her life. Meanwhile, Chris, Everly's boss, decides to use her heartbreak for a win for the radio station by hosting a "Bachelorette" style competition when listeners start reaching out to help Everly. Chris has one snag in his plan...he has a huge crush on her. Although he wants to see her happy, he can't help but feel like he's being cheated out of a chance with her by the competition.

I'm going to be honest Ten Rules for Faking It didn't really work for me. I had a hard time connecting with Everly or Chris. Although I finished the novel, it was a struggle with the pacing and its lack of holding my attention. I liked the "Bachelorette" aspect of the story but it wasn't as much of a focal point as I would have liked. For me it's a forgettable love story that I won't remember a month from now. That being said it's perfect for a Lifetime movie and I expect it to hit our TVs (or streaming platforms) in the future.

Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan is a contemporary romance currently scheduled for release on December 29 2020. 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? 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 is a sweet and fun read that took me out of the holiday and bad weather blues that have been trying to make themselves know way too often lately. I found there to be a good balance of humor, not all of the embarrassing moment kind, and more serious moments. Everly has social anxiety and parents that are hard on her emotions, but she also has spunk and an outspoken best friend that will stand by her. Chris is still struggling with his father pulling strings, and needs to figure out what makes him happy. Watching them figure out their own wants, their own issues, and coming to terms with their feelings was quite the ride. I thought the characters were well written, with even the secondary characters having some depth and complexity. In fact, there are many of those secondary characters that I would like to see get their own story. While nothing was incredibly surprising, I saw most of the big twist-like moments coming a mile away, it was still a fun read.

Ten Rules for Faking It is a sweet and fun romance which handles the topic of anxiety with care and understanding.