The PERFECT vacay read. I loved the rom-com trope. I’m not a “game” person but still got a pretty good understanding of the ins and outs. I was here for the romance, let’s be real. Luke and Julia were sweet and I loved their “meet cutes.” I also appreciated the friends storyline; I’m a sucker for strong female relationships.

I breezed through this one in a day! So fun and just what I needed pool side.

Cute story about Julia, a reporter and her girlfriends attending a rom-com role-playing weekend event. Luke, his sister, and best friend, have been hired to create a real romantic comedy experience for guests. Luke, a computer gaming programmer, is supposed to be observing the event but when he meets Julia he decides to become one of the players. When role-playing turns real each couple has to figure out if their relationship is love or fantasy. Fun quick read.

I adored this one! Cute and sweet book. I absolutely adore the cover also. I loved the banter between characters so much.

The premise of Too Good to Be Real is pretty far fetched. I didn't feel like the "game" was fully explained and it was a little over complicated. The love story was sweet, albeit a little under developed. Fun friend relationships. Good for a 1-day read, you could skim it and get the drift of the story.

4.25 Stars

Julia writes for a famous online magazine in Chicago. But so many people are getting fired! She needs the perfect idea for an article to convince her boss to keep her!
Enter: Notting Hill Resort.
A resort for fans of Rom-Coms to star in their own little romantic comedy for a week.
Perfect!
Luke, together with his buddy and his sister, have been working their behinds off to create the resort for their boss. And suddenly opening week is here and instead of making sure that everything in running smoothly he accidentally got caught in the middle of a rom-com meet-cute with Julia - and now he's pretending to be a guest too! LOL!

Let the fun times begin ...

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ADORABLE!
I really enjoyed reading this story.
It was so very funny and sparky and sexy and Rom-Com-y.
I adored all the people!
I loved the location and the activities and the dogs and the colorful resort owner. It was all so cute and a bit over the top - but really adorable!

What I didn't love was the third person POV. I prefer first person. It just makes everything so much more confusing with all the HEs and SHEs ... I don't like that.
And the whole idea of this resort ... I kinda get it. But more as a single/matchmaking destination. There were so many couples and even a wedding party. I think as an only-for-singles thingy it would make so much more sense! And without all those paid actors obviously. If you can't fall for them, they're not needed at all. BUT - it was totally okay the way it was. A place for an older couple to spice up their routine et cetera. But it would just make more sense for singles only.
End of rant. ☺

I really liked the story and the people!
Wouldn't mind seeing this on Netflix one day!

This was overall a cute read. It was hard to discern in the very beginning which of the ladies (Andie, Kat, or Julia/Jules) was going to be the main character since we meet them all as a group initially and no one takes over narration immediately. At times this book felt like it went a little into the weeds when characters analyzed their decisions or reflected on their backgrounds, but the overall concept and plot was enjoyable. Fans of romantic comedies will enjoy all the various movie quotes and references that are thrown in. It's hard for a book with even passing references to Corgi's, let alone a whole flock of them, to not be cute. Also the seagulls were a very amusing addition to the plot. I do kind of wish the story focused more on Julia and Luke and less about the various side characters romances/relationship's while at the resort, since it kind of felt like at times there were too many components and details to put into this relatively short book and while it makes sense for friends to discuss/think about friends relationships at times it felt like it went a bit too in depth.

In this light-hearted and charming riff on romantic comedy tropes in novels and movies, an undercover journalist visits a resort that promises a romantic comedy get-away week "where guests are invited to step into the world of romantic comedies." The story has all the right ingredients: humor, engaging, sometimes quirky characters, and a plot that follows the bumpy but delightful course of true love for the main character and her friends. There are some comedic passages involving seagulls that border on slapstick, but the kookiness should appeal to lovers of romantic comedy films and stories. The nod to many well-known rom-com movies is a fun touch. The writing is entertaining and the story flows well. A reader looking for some light, entertaining comfort reading (and who isn't under the present circumstances) should find this story fits the bill.

I was drawn into this book from the beginning and didn’t want it to end. I mean what rom-com loving woman wouldn’t want to go to a resort that offers guests a chance to live out their romantic comedy dreams? The romance was sweet, funny and entertaining. This is definitely the book to take to the beach for an escape.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

THIS BOOK RESTORED MY FAITH IN HUMANITY. I'm being serious when I say this book spoke to me! The romance was so simple and yet complex in every way! Also the cover is literally so adorable!

Julie is 26 and writes for an online influencer site. For a story she takes two of her friends to the grand opening of a resort called Notting Hill. While there they will be characters in a LARP (live action role play) with the theme of rom/com. Think of it like Austenland but for romantic comedies. There she gets a cute meet with Luke who is sweet and nerdy. She doesn't know he is a game designer who created the rom/com scenarios. He decides to join as a participant leaving the running the show to his sister and best friend who manage and run the resort.

There are so many cute rom/com references. The author knows her details. Julie's friendships are real and their conversations are fun. The book a hysterical first sentence. Also a pair of seagulls and a bunch of corgi's to add to the cute mix. I enjoyed some of the fun outings like paintball and beach activities. But a few things made me cringe. For example in the painting activity there was no reason for a model to be naked except to make jokes, same with the broken elevator moment. Oddly the one intimate scene didn't make me connect more to the main characters and their romance.

This is a light fluffy book for anyone who enjoys romantic comedies. Multiple couples are included and the story is told from Julie and Lukes POV. Because there is so much going on with so many, not much of it goes very deep. Great for a beach read or an afternoon in the park. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Griffen for an ARC ebook in exchange for a honest review. (3.5 stars rounding up)

This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you.

I'm torn between giving this 2 or 3 stars.. This was pretty much just ok but i recommend if you're looking for something to kill time and liked the premise..

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and St Martin Press for the ARC of this adorable story. This was the perfect book to take my mind off of life. It was one of those easy breeze books that keep you hooked ecause its such an easy and fun read. Love how adorable and sweet it was!

There’s nothing I enjoy more than a good RomCom book filled with cute mishaps that lead to swoon worthy moments, but I also need a bit of depth and complexity to the story or characters. Something that shows a bit of character growth or more than just superficial attraction. While this book definitely had its fair share of cute moments, I felt it lacked in developing any kind of emotional attachment with the reader.

I couldn’t connect with Julia or Luke as the lead. I thought their story was cute, but that was all. It was hard to cheer or find interest in their story when I didn’t feel there was anything past their initial attraction. Their interactions were writing well along with the overall story.

This was filled with too cute moments that left you with a smile and wishing this could happen in real life. The humor was beyond funny and the amount of girlfriend sass kept this book interesting and entertaining. Plus it had one hell of an opening line that will forever be the best one I had read.

Overall, though it had laugh out loud moments, I couldn’t connect with the heart of the story and I wanted more from Luke and Julia. I think with the abundance of unrealistic scenarios, the book focuses more on the fairytale of love than the reality. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this ARC, my opinions are my own.

<i>Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the chance to read this digital ARC.</i>

<b>Too Good to Be Real by Melonie Johnson</b> has a really unique and clever premise, but the execution fell a bit flat for this reader.

With her job on the line, travel-averse Julia pitches her boss the idea of becoming their new travel writer. Her boss agrees to give her a chance after loving Julia's pitch to review a resort dedicated to bringing romantic comedies to life for their guests. Julia snags complimentary visit for her and her two best friends to experience the romantic comedy live action role playing (LARPing) during the resort's grand opening.

Upon arriving at the resort, Julia has a meet-cute with an endearingly awkward man named Luke and a run-in with a thieving seagull. Julia decides to hide the fact that she's reviewing the resort from Luke, while Luke decides to hide his own secret from Julia. As Julia and Luke get caught up in the resorts romantic comedy offerings, they'll need to figure out if what they're feeling for each other is fantasy or reality.

The premise of a romantic comedy novel set at a resort that delivers tailored romantic comedy experiences immediately caught my attention. Unfortunately, the execution fell a bit flat in terms of character development and overall storytelling.

Each of the characters felt very one dimensional, which made it very difficult for me to connect to them or care about what was happening to them. A lot of time was spent exploring Julia's, Luke's and her friends' relationships with their parents (and ultimately those parents' marriages) and how those marriages impacted each character's view of romance and love. I understand the importance of exploring how those parents' marriages impacted their kids, but I have to admit it got a bit taxing reading about so many negative parental relationships.

I also felt like there were too many subplots - Julia's career, Luke's career, Julia's friend Andie's romance, Julia's friend Kat's romance and Luke's sister's romance - which ultimately took away from the main romance's development. While the subplots took away time and attention from Julia and Luke's romance, none of them felt fully developed. They were more distracting than actually serving any real purpose.

While I didn't enjoy Too Good to Be Real, I do think they are readers that will enjoy escaping into the world of romantic comedies Melonie Johnson created.

Loved the concept for this one! It was unique, well paced, and contained all the best references and call backs to all the great rom coms. Highly recommend for all the rom com lovers out there!

Mmm, I have this book for weeks now and I started reading several times; every time a bit further. But at the same time, there was another book that I preferred to read. So, this book landed at the bottom of the pile again. Today, I decided to finally pick this up because I thought I needed something uplifting and romantic after reading some books on heavy topics. But again my eyes kept lingering (figuratively) at another book. That made me decide to DNF this one at 29%. This is not a bad book, I really liked Julia and her friends and Luke was a cute guy. This book was just not the right one for me at the right time.

3.5 rounding up.
A cute and fun romance!

I absolutely loved the concept of this one. Julia, a writer trying to save her job stays at LARP Rom-Com experience called Notting Hill where all the guests get to experience scenarios from some of the greatest rom-comes of all time. Luke, the architect of this experience is a coder who wants to create a start up so he took this job to work with his sister Penelope and his best friend Vijay.

The meet-cute of Luke & Julia is straight out of a rom-com. From the 1st moment you know their story is going to be a fun and wild ride.

Overall, I really did love the concept but some of the romance parts fell a little flat but I still would recommend this one to anyone who loves a rom-com.

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martins Press/Griffin for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Too Good to Be Real

Rating: 4/5🌟!

Rom-coms and meet cutes are just for books and movies right? Or are they?!

Too Good to Be True follows three best friends - Julia, Andie and Kat - as they head off on an all expenses paid vacation to a resort offering just that - a chance to spend one week living like their lives as a story in a romantic comedy.

Enter Luke - sweet, extremely nerdy and head game simulator for the resort. He’s used to having a plan for everything and plan he has. Between him, his sister Penelope and his best friend Vijay, the three of them are ready to give the resort’s guests the most romantic, comedic week of their lives. Or at least, that’s what he planned.

One chance encounter on the beach later, Luke and Julia find themselves questioning if maybe rom coms are real, and maybe so is love at first sight.

This was such a fun and interesting take on romcom but Melonie Johnson - I loved the idea of characters on a LARP (live action role play) adventure and thought it was such a fun approach to a genre that can be a bit overdone. I appreciated the time she gave to developing each character and their stories and felt compelled to keep reading to see where their game experience would take them. While some parts were a little wordy and repetitive, I truly enjoyed this fun and different read!

Read if you like:
+ Romantic comedies
+ Love at (almost) first sight
+ Best friend adventures/character arcs

Thank you so much to Melonie Johnson, St. Martin‘s Press/Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars

I would love to stay in a themed hotel where you get to role play as a rom-com character! I think that's a fantastic idea and now I wonder if something like it exists in real life? The game was my favorite part of the story, the activities they planned like paintball and wine/painting night sound fun and everyone playing a character was great.

Julia and her friends are cute and I enjoyed their relationship. They tease each other and push each other's buttons but are also supportive through tough times. Each of them got a little romance in and they all had some funny moments. Luke also has a squad with his younger sister and his best friend. They aren't as funny, but it was still an interesting relationship.

The pacing was pretty quick and the story was cute. If you're looking for a lighthearted romance, give this a try. Bonus for corgi cuddles and lots of rom-com references!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I have voluntarily chosen to leave a review.