Noah and Mia are lifelong friends who never considered a romance. Well... They've considered it, but never done much about it. One night in college, the possibility of attraction between them was brought up, but shortly after, devastation struck. Mia was diagnosed with a kidney disease and Noah's brother, Nathan, died in a car accident within the same week. In order to navigate through the difficult times, the two friends communicated that they didn't want to pursue a relationship and that there was nothing between them, despite the fact that this was untrue for both of them.

Now, quite some time has passed. Noah and Mia are in their early thirties and have remained close. Mia receives an opportunity to go back to college. She dropped out when she became ill. She's passionate about becoming a dietician, but in order to go back to school, she can't work full time. It's imperative Mia has a job with good healthcare benefits because of her disease, particularly as she is waiting to hear about a kidney transplant - after that she will be eligible for Medicare. Noah is her coworker at an architectural firm his father helped found. He suggests that they pretend to have been secretly dating and marry to secure insurance for Mia so she can go back to school full time. It takes some though and convincing, but Mia agrees. The two move in together to make their relationship look real, which is essential when a coworker up for the same promotion as Noah reveals that he overheard their plan and blackmails Noah into giving up the promotion.

Mia and Noah both have a lot to get through before they can make their relationship work. This is a slow burn, with the two friends living together for some time before their hidden emotions come to a head. Would You Rather is a closed door romance, showing some hot kissing scenes but fading to black before anything gets steamy - though there's plenty of indication that once these two are able to admit their feelings to one another, there's plenty of sex happening off the page. But love isn't always enough. In order to make this marriage go from convenient to for real, both Noah and Mia need to face their biggest fears when it comes to interpersonal relationships.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It felt a little cheesy at times, and I did think it was strange so many people cared about Mia and Noah committing insurance fraud outside of their blackmailer. Healthcare is wild in America. Do what you gotta do. This was a 3 star read for me that I think other readers who like their romances sweet, cheesy, and spice-free will appreciate even more than I did.

This was a book that I took a chance on and I am glad that I did. Based on the summary I wasn't sure what the direction this book would take. I was hoping that it would be more than a sad "sick lit" book, and my hopes came true!

Noah and Mia have been best friends since they were children, and now they are adults who are still a part of each others lives. Mia has a kidney disease, so she feels forced to stay with a less than ideal job for the health insurance. She gets an opportunity of a lifetime to go back to school, and pursue the career she actually wants, but she would have to give up her full time job with benefits. Noah suggests they get married, because that's what a good friend does. What they don't know is that they are attracted to each other, but they don't think the other wants a real relationship. This book covers their journey to really being together from friendship to fake- marriage to real marriage.

This book was amazing! I really enjoyed how this story was told through both Noah and Mia's perspective. I think it allowed for the characters to develop fully and naturally. A big question throughout the book is "Why?" Why don't they just admit to each other their feelings? Why don't they just admit they like being married? Seeing both perspectives allowed for the reader to see the walls they both put up and why.

This book had a great pace. I couldn't put it down! I felt like so much was going on, but in a good way. There were so many factors at play here, yet there was a balance between just enough tension and not being too overwhelming. Mia and Noah made a great couple, and I think anyone that enjoys the friends to lovers trope or the marriage of convenience trope will fall in love with Mia and Noah!

Sometimes you just need a good romantic story in your life, and that was so much this. The premise was interesting in that it was two lifelong best friends (and I'm always in for a good friends turned lovers tale) with the added dimension of quasi insurance fraud? Wait, wait, let me explain. Mia gets an opportunity to return to school and pursue her dream career. The only problem is she needs health insurance. Her best friend and co-worker Noah offers to marry her so she can have insurance and work towards her dream. She agrees, and the sham begins. As you can imagine, just being married on paper isn't what happens, and feelings that have been there for some time start to bubble to the surface. Obviously, in a romance you have a hunch how thing might go, and even with that, this was a delight of a read. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this August 2022 release!

Thank you to NetGalley, MIRA, and Allison Ashley for the advanced copy of Would You Rather in exchange for my honest review.

We all know I’m not much of a romance reader but this book was everything! A friends to lovers that makes you feel every emotion on the spectrum. I could not put this one down.

Noah is one of my new favorite romance characters of all time. So sweet and lovable and tattooed to boot 😍

Would You Rather will be on bookshelves September 23!

Would you rather by Alison Ashley.
Noah and Mia have always been best friends, and their friendship is the most important thing to them. Life is going great for Noah and he’s up for a promotion in a job he loves. ButMia’s life is on hold as she awaits a kidney transplant. She’s stuck in a dead-end job and, never wanting to be a burden, has sworn off all romance. So when the chance of a lifetime comes to go back to school and pursue her dream, it’s especially painful to pass up. She can’t quit her job or she’ll lose the medical insurance she so desperately needs.
I really enjoyed this book. Loved Mia and Noah and how they were together. 5*.

Mia is waiting for a kidney transplant and attending weekly transfusion appointments. She found out when she was in college and ended up dropping out. On a whim, she decides to apply for a scholarship thinking she wouldn't get it, but when she does, she realizes she can't work and go to school full time and she really needs the insurance. After talking about it to her best friend and coworker, Noah, he suggests they get married in name-only so she can fulfill her dreams. It's a risk to both of them, especially when they have to start convincing nosy coworkers and roommates that they're the real deal.

I thought this was really cute! It was a sweet friends to lovers story. I really like the dynamic between Mia and Noah. They clearly love each other and want each other to live life to its fullest. It was fun watching them realize that the other truly did love them when they both thought it was just them loving the other.

Maybe it's because I don't have a chronic illness, but I really struggled to understand Mia's attitude of her holding people back and her being a burden on them. I think the baggage both of them not only held them back (I know that's the point) but it seemed so inflated that I struggled to really love the overall story.

Overall, I loved it. I read it in a couple of sittings - one of them was during a fit of insomnia and now I'm wondering if it was actually insomnia or I was too into the book. If you like friends to lovers, you'll enjoy this one!

Wow I really loved this. It's best friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience for health insurance with all the pining and all the "I've loved you forever."

Noah, the hero, is a soft cinnamon roll who has been GONE for the heroine since they became best friends in college (which is just how I like them). The heroine, Mia, is an ambitious badass with a chronic kidney disease who is grappling with the trauma of her disease as well as the trauma of learning about her own adoption.

It is just SO romantic. The story is succinct and tight, with such a close focus lens on these two as they navigate their love and their lust and their sacrifices for one another. The conflict is so visceral and the love is so palpable. It was giving me BIG People We Meet On Vacation vibes and I don't even usually like friends-to-lovers.

Just wow. If you're looking for chronic illness rep, the sweet scent of pining hero, contemporary marriage of convenience, or PEAK friends to lovers, run don't walk to grab this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for this ARC.

CW: death of a brother, car accident (past), needles, adoption

Would you rather is perfect for those who love best friends to lovers trope!! I loved reading about Noah and Mia. They each have their own storylines as well which was cool to see how it unfolded.

I love this book with my whole heart! Allison Ashley has completely captured me with these two characters. Noah and Mia are the absolute sweetest and I loved watching them fall in love. Friends to lovers is one of my all-time favorite tropes and I think this book might be the best example of it I have read. I also love a marriage of convenience story so this one really has everything I could ever want! On top of that, Allison writes the absolute best kisses. I just love this book and these two sweethearts and I can't wait for everyone else to fall in love with them too!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy of Would You Rather.

I’ve never read this author before, but the synopsis sounded so go I immediately requested it.

I absolutely loved this long time friends, marrying for convenience, turned to lovers, story. It was so good. I loved Mia and Noah. They were so great. I loved their background history and their chemistry, the love and support for one another, the angst, the push and pull, the sexual tension between them, everything was so well executed by the author. The characters were not perfect, they had their own struggles and obstacles they had to overcome before they came to the realization that they are better together than apart. I’m so happy with how everything wrapped up at the end. It was such an enjoyable book.

The title and cover are so perfect for the book. Looking forward to reading more books by Allison Ashley.

I was sent an early copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin.

I am a sucker for friends who turned to love stories. This book didn't disappoint. Mia and Noah have a friendship but also the chemistry that makes their marriage of convenience believable.
I enjoyed this new author ( to me) and the plot was enjoyable.

This sweet heat romance has all the best romance things: friends to lovers, fake marriage, forced proximity and the best would you rather game between the two! I felt instant chemistry between Mia and Noah, two long time friends who’d put a lock down on their attraction for one another since college. The friend zone wasn’t where they wanted to be. But Noah is the hero for figuring out how to bring the two of them together. Let me say that this is probably the best use of the fake marriage trope: medical insurance. Such a relatable and realistic reason that two people might end up married for convenience especially in this day and age. The romance develops perfectly and once they come together…sizzle! While the love scenes are off-the-page, my toes were still curling, my heart racing and I may have fanned my face a time or two. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a friends-to-lovers with great chemistry and some twisty plot moments. I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

This is my first book by this author and I’m happy to say, I will definitely look for more of her work. I’m not usually a ‘friends to lovers’ fan, but this one worked VERY well. I liked both Noah and Mia. This book had some moments where I had tears and I also laughed too. I definitely recommend this book. Thank you so much for the ARC,

Would You Rather is the friends to lovers/fake marriage story of Noah and Mia. I liked the idea of the story - two friends who marry for medical reasons- but there seemed to be something missing. The sequence of their relationship and the history of their friendship felt forced and sporadic throughout the book. The "Would You Rather" aspect didn't seem to flow, it more or less felt like the game was dropped in at random times and had little to do with the characters or their circumstances.. Bits and pieces of Noah's and Mia's lives and their family's history were inserted into the dialogue without further details or any kind of lead in. There were some sweet moments and I did love the way that Noah took care of Mia, but the spark just wasn't there IMO.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.