Sweet, fun read, with interesting storylines and great characters! Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book

This was a fun read! I liked it enough.

There was indeed chemistry between Finley and Hayden and I liked how they formed friendship between them despite starting out a relationship in an unconventional way. I just felt like some of the events leading to this trust and comfort between them were simply brushed, making me feel like I missed something. I do believe that they were able to find a confidant in each other, but I wasn't entirely convinced that they were madly in love.

I enjoyed the smart banters between them and how they so smoothly joke around, you wouldn't even realize they were joking. Lol.

As individuals, Hayden was one heck of a cynic, and it shows so badly to the point of denying what he feels to himself. However, he had a soft heart through and through that he just kept on masking and he kept on choosing to believe otherwise. Finley, on the other hand, was indeed, ambitious and knows what she wants. However, this does not make her cold, unfeeling, or selfish, instead she also had that big heart that has the people around her charmed. (I don't understand her family.)

All in all, with all the familiar yet highly favorite tropes, this was a cute read!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.75)
Steam Level: 🔥🔥

P.S. Read the bonus epilogue!! It's really cute. <3

Even Better Than the Real Thing by Melanie Summers is about two people who agree to a fake marriage in order to help them get what they both want. Hayden goes into the marriage because that is the only way that he can get access to the earldom and everything that goes with it in order to get revenge on his father. Finley goes into it because that is the only way that she can get access to the Stuart family art which is the only way that she will be accepted into the art history Ph.D. program. What starts as a marriage of convenience quickly becomes much more, but will they admit their true feelings to one another and fight for one another? Read Even Better Than the Real Thing to find out what happens. I absolutely loved reading Hayden and Finley’s story and highly recommend it to anyone who is in need of a sweet and funny romantic story.

I am always up for a good marriage of convenience book so I was looking forward to read this one after loving the cover and being convinced by the synopsis. The book was enjoyable and the chemistry between Hayden & Finley was undeniable but somehow I couldn't feel the connection. It took me a while to get into the story because the first few chapters felt really slow but as the book progressed, I started to like the playful conversations between Hayden & Finley. Overall, it was a sweet story. Lighthearted and short enough that you can binge read it in a day. Though the ending was a little abrupt and I was disappointed with the way some things turned out so it wasn't a complete 4 star, but more so a 3.75 star read for me. Would recommend..

Even Better Than the Real Thing is my first Melanie Summers and I am hooked! (I actually hit up a library book sale after I read this book and found another of Melanie Summers books and snatched it up immediately!)

This book has all the best tropes: strangers to enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience. What else could we ask for in a sweet and spicy book?!

I thoroughly enjoyed Finley and Hayden's story, even though it was a bit predictable (in the best, comfort way). The chemistry between these two was palpable and I also liked how the supporting characters were just as fun as Finley and Hayden.

Overall, Even Better Than the Real Thing was a short, sweet, fun, comforting read. Thank you NetGalley and Indigo Group for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

A sweet take on a marriage of convenience (some SPOILERS in this review)

Finley Greene is a PhD student from Georgia, USA whose thesis hinges on Hayden Stuart, the son of a British peer, allowing her & her advisor access to his family's art collection. Hayden is seeking a quick 'business arrangement' of a marriage so that he doesn't lose his family's estate to his gold digging half step-brother. When Hayden extends this 'business offer' to Finley (who's also his employee!), it seems like a perfect arrangement. Nothing can go wrong... right?

The pace of the book is rather quick and we get fleeting glimpses into the characters, as the narration switches in first party styles between Hayden & Finley. These two couldn't be more different in terms of character, upbringing, careers. And, yet, they are drawn to each other...

I did find some of the sudden changes of secondary character behaviours a bit at odds. Finley's advisor goes from cold & selfish to warm & supportive. Similarly, to a lesser degree, Finley's family.

This ARC was given to me by NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All comments above are my personal opinions after reading the ARC.

All her books I am hooked and ready to read. This one was just as good. Like it and will con't to read her stories.

4.5/5 stars!
I absolutely adored this book. Marriage of convenience trope between “enemies”?! Say less. This was such a light, funny, and sweet read I was hooked from the jump! This book had me giggling and cheesing so much while also tugging at my heartstrings. It is seriously everything you could ever want in a romance book. The buildup between the characters was so good, the banter between them was amazing, and the chemistry was off the charts!! It literally felt like I was watching a romcom play out in my head and I enjoyed every second of it.

Also the descriptions of Finleys outfits?!? I wanna be her so bad. I loved how she was so unapologetically herself no matter what. She didn’t care that her family judged her for what she was doing with her career or that they thought she was being selfish for going after her dreams. I truly admire her for sticking to her guns because it can be so hard to go for what you want to do when everyone else is doubting you. And Hayden, my poor baby. He has been THROUGH it in the past which explains why he doesn’t believe in love at all. However I loved the progression of him realizing that not every single relationship is transactional. There are people out there will be there for you simply because they love you for who you are and not what you can give them.

The only thing I would’ve liked differently is for their relationship to have progressed a little slower. It felt a bit rushed in the beginning, as far as their feelings for each other. I would have liked some more buildup and tension between them than what we got. BUT I will say, I did feel the love between the characters still in spite of that. And I do feel like this book is meant to just be a cute, quick, and fun romcom read so for that reason, it makes sense why there wasn’t much buildup.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish and would seriously recommend everyone to go read it if you love romcoms! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review :)

Familiar storyline but written really well and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Liked the characters and the author had a great writing style, I will be looking for other books by her. Highly recommend this book
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced read x

Just when I started giving up on romantic comedies...
I've been in a slump for a while. At some point I really convinced myself I've read all the books worth reading because honestly, I have started a bunch of (over)-hyped books only to stop halfway through because they're too meh. I live for those hidden gems I come across when I least expect it and this book is definitely one of them! It's light, funny, swoon-worthy, and just the right amount of emotional (to still be considered light). It has my favorite trope ~marriage of convenience but with its own unique touch, making the book stand out from all the other ones I've read. I don't want to spoil anything, so all I want to say is read this book you won't regret it!

I have read many books with a similar plot and although other books get tedious and predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and the love story they shared!
It's well written and I will be looking at the authors other books, she was a good new discovered. And the cover is really beautiful

Even Better Than the Real Thing is a cute romance that utilises the fake marriage/strangers to lovers tropes quite well.

Finley Greene is a Georgia girl who has made her way to study in the UK. She's on the brink of being accepted to a prestigious PhD Program in London, if she can gain access to a very inaccessible private collection.

Hayden Stuart is the neglected son of an Earl, shuttled off to his grandparents at a young age and mostly ignored by his aristocratic but commitment averse father. Hayden has made his own fortune, found his own way, and sworn off of romance.

But when his father dies his Earldom may be in jeopardy of going to his younger half-brother, if Hayden doesn't find himself a wife. And Finley might fit the bill--she's ready to do just about anything to have access to the Stuart family art collection.

This book follows the marriage of convenience trope and it does it well. Finley and Hayden are both engaging characters and I liked both their voices in their POV's. They both have their own baggage as far as family and future and even though it is a marriage of convenience the way the slowly get to know each other was lovely. The attraction came on a little fast for me but it ended up working for the story.

The main side characters--Finley and Hayden's best friends--were pleasant and defined. I found Finley's family less likeable. They seemed much more judgemental of her aspirations and choices and did not endear themselves to me at all. Other than Grandpa.

The writing was good and liked the first person POVs. There were times when some of the dialogue of the UK characters seemed a bit too American for me and a few times the lack of contractions in dialogue stood out but these are stylistic nitpicks.

I wasn't sure what the twist was going to be so how it eventually came about worked. The grand gesture worked as well and I liked having multiple epilogues at the end.

Overall this was a quick pleasant read, engaging and interesting. I loved the fact that Finely was an art historian--that was a great angle.

(Did anyone else think it’s weird that they never used protection?)

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Even Better Than the Real Thing was a nice, fun and sexy story story with all the feels.
I've read some of Melanie Summers' previous works and this is definitely hotter but still enjoyable.

Finley is an American woman who studies art and works in England, she needs access to the artistic treasures of Pemberton Hall for her PhD, the only obstacle is that the art collection is kept under lock and key. Hayden is the new Earl of Pemberton but he has to be married to keep the title, so when one of his employee asks to let her visit his manor he proposes a pretend wedding to solve both of their problems.
This is only the begin of their journey, will they honor the contract? Or will they fall in love for real?

I couldn't get enough of these characters and their fake dating plan to achieve their different goals.
Finley is a force of nature, her passion for art is contagious and I love when she lets her southern accent free. Hayden is a pretty closed up man, he is scared of love because of his not so joyful younth, but it was a pleasure to see him growing and to finally understand that he deserves to be happy and that he is also able to love and to be loved by the right woman.
I didn't think they were the best match for each other, coming from very different worlds, but I'm glad I was wrong, because they are cute together and they have a great physical chemistry.

The secondary characters were really fun too, I hope to see them again.

Hayden is one of those guys that makes one admire how that can be so consistently rude and uncaring. He gets in a quid pro quo fake marriage with Finley and instead of being put off by his lack of effort being a decent guy, she goes along with it.

They are funny together - both clever and smart. Hayden thinks the best thing Finley has going for her in their relationship is that she hates him (she doesn’t). He’s so intent on proving he is fine by himself carrying out his mission of vengeance.

Finley is working on a PhD in art history and having access to Hayden’s family’s art collection is the carrot that got her to play along. I found this part of the book to be particularly interesting as Finley tried to decide if a painting she discovered in his collection would have wide ranging implications on the origins of modern physics.

It’s a great romance with crazy hot chemistry, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It was fun and interesting to read.

I received a copy of this book to read from NetGalley and this is my voluntary review.

I absolutely loved this book. While it was predictable (calling card of rom-com) I found myself entranced with the love story unfolding. The characters were real and believable, and the dialogue was natural and charming. The characters were easy to love because they felt like real people, which, honestly, is rare in romance for me. I am also always a fan of enemies to lovers (this wasn’t a strict “enemy” per say, but it was definitely the same vibe). This was a light, relatable, heartwarming read and I would absolutely read it again. 🙌👏😍

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
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#evenbetterthantherealthing #melaniesummers #books #bookish #bookreview #reads #fivestarreads #arc #bookarc #netgalley

A swoon-worthy, buttery, uber-fun romance about a marriage of convenience between two people who couldn't be more wrong for each other... The perfect book to wrap yourself around on a dark night! This book needs to be on your radar! I love it so much!

This book was so cute! I love to read rom-coms and this did not disappoint in any way. The main character, Paige, is charmingly relatable and the hunky hate-to-love Hayden grows on you. This was the perfect breezy read that swept me right off my feet -- perfect for curling up in an overstuffed armchair with a cup of tea!

Finley is a prospective PhD student in Art History and needs to get access to a certain private art collection to work with her dream advisor. Hayden is the owner of that collection, and coincidentally Finley's boss. His father just passed away and in order for Hayden to inherit the Earldom, he needs to be married. Enter the mutually beneficial marriage of convenience in rom-com form!

I always love fake dating and marriage of convenience stories and I did enjoy that this one had a unique storyline due to Finley's art history studies. Hayden had a twisted perspective on love and believed he was genetically incapable of loving another person. Finley has an optimistic view on love but didn't think she would ever fall for someone like Hayden, so they both think they'll be safe with this marriage of convenience. I liked the story well enough but I feel like you missed out on a lot of the reasons *why* they fell in love. There were a few scenes on page that showcased their connection growing but there were other times where the reader was just told about conversations or situations that made them love each other. I really wish we could have seen more of that play out on page because without it, the story felt more insta-lovey than I would have preferred. But it was still a cute fun quick marriage of convenience rom-com.⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed this book. Both of the main characters were very likable and it was a fun easy read. I really like this whole trope and this author did it very well. Definitely recommend for a quick read. All opinions are my own.

It was well written and engaging with decent, but kinda predictable plot and hilarious situations, that made me laugh many times but Immature and mediocre characters.
I especially didn’t like Finley’s family. They could’ve been a little more caring and supportive of her. Especially her sister and mother. They were very judgmental and criticised her relentlessly.
I loved heroine Finley and Chalani’s friendship. They were two peas in a pod.
I didn’t feel any chemistry between protagonists. Which was a rather bummer. But epilogue was cute and I loved that Finley didn’t forgive Hayden quickly.
Safe.