This was a great romantic comedy. You can’t help but laugh and root for the characters as they are going through life searching for what it is they want. Who knew that her aunt letting her stay in her place, as she traveled, would lead to her changing her whole life. Justine never thought that her meeting a neighbor would change everything for her and yet it did. Xavior is someone who listens and is a great fake boyfriend. When things start to get heated between them, they can no longer say they are faking it. They are now in a relationship that is amazing but will they be able to make it through a few bumps in the road? I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute read! I loved seeing Xavier and Justine’s relationship grow from nothing to friends to more, but I wish they’d spent a little less time in denial so we could get more of the adorable cutesy relationshipness!! I adored the apartment setting, and how we got to know each of the tenants in addition to our two main characters (especially when a certain teenager made an appearance 😉) . Xavier’s approach to his job and mental health was so well written and extremely refreshing.

Thank you to Marie Harte, No Box Books, and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Love in 3D is out and ready to read!!

Love in 3D is a cute friends-to-lovers, with a fake dating twist. When Justine moves into her aunt’s apartment, she soon meets Xavier, another apartment building resident. They develop an amazing friendship that gives them a safe place from the stressors of their daily lives. And even though they have crazy chemistry they don't want to ruin their new friendship. Will they be able to move past their own past to develop a future with each other.

I thought this was a fast and quick read, it was cute but honestly a little frustrating. Xavier seems like a very well adjusted adult at the beginning and does give alot of advice to other people. So it was disappointing that when they were finally discussing their feelings he was the one with this new baggage that held him back. I also felt that I was more invested in the side characters' stories. Overall it was a cute story, and I hope you enjoy it if you read it.

𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕝𝕖: Love In 3D
𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣: Marie Harte
ℙ𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: pages
ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:4 / 5

Likes
🫧 Aunt Rosie sounds like a great character who I’d like to meet further in the story I’d be sourly disappointed if I don’t. I love how she sets the expectations for how nice her niece has to be although I think if Justine was a little more dark and gloomy would’ve made a bit of a dynamic it still works well though

Dislikes:

🫧Weird how all the tenants are seemingly
“Single” men not a single lady in sight?

🫧It keeps mentioning how her life had changed since she broke up? But how had it changed? She’s 29 with apparently no job that’s been mentioned and we know nothing of her life with her boyfriend before so it feels kinda offputting that she keeps mentioning her life “change” when we’ve seen nothing of it as readers

🫧 I don’t like that the book is in 3rd person. I think romances are better told in 1st. This is the first for me to read in 3rd and I feel some of the expressions are weird for being 3rd person.

🫧Some of the dialogue felt super unnatural and too formal. Maybe even robotic at points

🫧 toxic? I think the have sex at every turn is becoming somewhat toxic or they’re acting like horny teenagers not almost 30 adults

Simple and lighthearted read. Don’t know that I would’ve read this without the free arc but I do appreciate it now that I did.

Justine has trouble dealing with her boss (who is a jerk), her parents (who are overbearing and would very much like to see her married), and her neighbor, Xavier (who is waaaaay to sexy). But Xavier is really kind to her, and they soon start to fake-date to get her parents off her back. How long can they keep the fake fake?
This was cute. A romance with fake dating and friends to lovers tropes, with very likeable characters (although there are too many side characters to my taste) and a very good relationship development. There was too much emphasis on the "fake" of their dating when they are clearly dating and into each other, I would've cut back on that, but otherwise, its a cute and fluffy read that I enjoyed.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is about a woman (Justine) who, after moving into her aunt’s apartment on the third floor, meets a charming therapist (Xavier) on the second floor of the same apartment complex. Sparks soon fly and as the two help each other stumble though their problems related to work, family and past relationships, their fake dating arrangement soon feels a little too real.

This book is friends to lovers with some fake dating mixed in. Justine and Xavier’s “fake” relationship started out pretty odd as I didn’t even know they were considering to fake date until Justine suddenly declared Xavier as her fake boyfriend. I do love this trope but I don’t think this was clearly executed from a reader’s standpoint. I found it very confusing and actually had to go back and reread because I thought I missed the conversations and details leading up to their fake relationship.

Also, the pacing throughout the entire book was strange and didn’t pull me into the story. I was bored while reading and I actually found the side characters to be way more interesting than Justine and Xavier.

The cover of the book is super cute though and that is what initially caught my eye.

Thank you, Net Galley, for the arc!

Tropes: friends to lovers, fake-to-real dating

This book was a simple, lighthearted read!

Justine moves into her aunt’s apartment after a breakup with her long term partner leaves her houseless. She meets Xavier who she finds an instant connection with, easily becoming best friends. Because of her connection with him, she asks him to be her fake boyfriend to her sisters wedding in an effort to ward off her family’s constant meddling into her love life. She finds that they actually work as a couple way better than she could have ever imagined. Later Justine returns the favour for Xavier and comes to dinner with Xavier’s family. The two inevitably fall hard for each other and the result is a HEA.

Justine and Xavier were two MCs I easily fell in love with. Both were easygoing and there were no blatant flaws - besides the fact they couldn’t admit to each other they wanted to be with each other from the start!

The actual writing of the story lacked depth for me - everything felt like it scratched the surface; the lack of details made this feel like quite an early draft. It could be I’m just not used to the author’s style of writing, but even with the sex scenes I had to reread parts to realize when it ended! I think the author’s style of writing lends much better to short stories - the one about Auggie and Benji had me yearning for more! I really wish the conflict in the novel was more fleshed out. Love in 3D definitely had more strength in its characters than the plot for me. I’m looking forward to the novel about Katie and her husband!

Cute cute cute cute cute!! This is the kind of book you need to read when you’re feeling down. It’s simple, it’s predictable, and it’s comforting. It has enough substance to keep the story moving while giving you all the cute feels you need.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

A cute rom-Com that draws you in

Review of “Love in 3D” by Marie Harte. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC!

4/5 stars

What a cute story! I really felt the vibes going on between Justine and Xavier, I loved their chemistry from the start. This was a very easy-to-read feelgood story, with a badass female protagonist (Yes Justine for eventually showing how to step up for yourself) and a very nice love-interest, who, let’s face it, is the dream boyfriend!

I loved the way families were portrayed in this book, and how everyone came together in the end. Overall, a super cute read, that I would definitely recommend to people enjoying romance novels with a very nice amount of very detailed but very enjoyable spice ;)

A big thank you to NetGalley and No Box Books for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. What a fun book. Truly a fun read-it made me laugh. What great chemistry. A friends to lovers book. I want an Aunt Rosie!!!! And a friend like Katie. 3.5 stars

This was a very cute and steamy love story. I had a little bit of a difficult time with some of the phrases used in the book coming off juvenile but the overall story was great. Xavier and Justine are the perfect couple and it was nice for once to read a love story where the couple doesn’t have some craziness blow up their relationship. I will look forward to reading about Katie and Auggies relationships and see how Top and Cynthia are doing. Would definitely recommend.

I absolutely loved this book!

Justine and Xavier's story had me in a headlock the entire time. I foolishly read this during a busy period of my life and all I could think about was when I could schedule in time to continue with the book!

I loved reading from both Justine and Xavier's perspectives and found them fascinating main characters to follow. In terms of side characters, I really enjoyed the sense of community the people living in the apartment building brought to the story, as well as both Justine and Xavier's families. I think I enjoyed Xavier's sister and mother the most.

The only reason I rated this book four stars instead of five is simply because of how quickly they seemed to fall in love. Whilst it was a very cute love story, I think that falling in love as quickly as they did seemed out of character for both Justine and Xavier but maybe that's just me being picky. It was a very cute love story nonetheless!

This book was just ok for me. It has a friends to lovers and fake dating trope which I usually love. There was a lot of fluff that could have been taken out of the story that it didn't need. I found myself skimming through some of the chapters. It does have a lot of spice, but I found it to be really awkwardly written and the "dirty talk" between the main characters was just laughable and weird. It might just be a case of not the right book for me.

Thank you NetGalley and No Box Books for an eARC of Love in 3D in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to see a new book by Marie Harte. I really enjoyed her Veteran Movers and this book was equally good. The review by Panagiota G was spot on when she said "This is a simple, light and cute love story and also spicy don’t forget that. If you are looking for a friends with benefits then to lovers this is the book you should read. I absolutely adore the dynamic of the apartment complex and their interactions were pure fun and the chemistry between the main characters was incredible. But also the side characters brought the story all together." I could not have said it any better than that, so this is the first time I have EVER cut and pasted someone's review, but I really could not have said it any better. I will add that I did think the internal dialogue for both Xavier and Justine, that they cared, but didn't think the other did, got a bit redundant Really good book and I highly recommend it.

Lets just say this book was really good. This is a simple, light and cute love story and also spicy don’t forget that. If you are looking for a friends with benefits then to lovers this is the book you should read. I absolutely adore the dynamic of the apartment complex and their interactions were pure fun and the chemistry between the main characters was incredible.But also the side characters brought the story all together.I definitely recommend it.

A happy love story that draws you in from the beginning. I found myself rooting for both the characters during their growth throughout the story. If you are looking for something upbeat with a HEA, this is your read.

Love in 3D was a classic friend's to lovers romance with lots of banter and a plethora of steamy scenes. Xavier and Justine started out as just neighbors, moving to friends, then to lovers then to... There was so much back and forth with this couple. I was internally screaming at them to sit down and just talk to one another for half of the freaking book! All their issues could've been solved with a simple conversation, right Xavier the relationship therapist? Over all, though, I enjoyed this book, though I did find the final conflict to be a bit misplaced and somewhat rushed, but the story was fast paced and a treat to read, so I still found it a worthwhile read. I look forward to reading more about Katie and her shenanigans in the next book and if the epilogue is anything to go by, there will be a lot of shenanigans.

This is a simple, light, and cute love story. Maybe it will not give you ALL the feels but definitely SOME.

Justine recently broke up with her boyfriend and had to move out of her apartment. Luckily, her favorite aunt is going on a trip to Europe, and Justine can stay at her place for a few months. The apartment complex is cozy with a bit of a Friends vibe. There’s a grumpy super, an introverted nerd, and a cop raising two teenage nephews. And there’s Xavier, a hottie from 2C.

Xavier is perfect; he is handsome, polite, and smart. He is currently on sabbatical from his therapist job and has a lot of time on his hands, which he is very much willing to spend with his new neighbor.

Justine and Xavier hit it off almost immediately, but they were both in denial, which was a little annoying. First, they insisted on staying in the friend zone despite the obvious attraction on both sides. I get it, they were recovering from bad breakups, but it felt forced that they both held off. Then they got closer and closer, finally started sleeping together, but still insisted on being a “fake” couple. I didn’t get it. I half expected them to get married and have babies and still claim it wasn’t for real.

Another thing: Justine’s aunt had an advice column and Xavier helped her run it. It’s an amazing idea with so much comedy potential! I was so disappointed that this topic was completely brushed aside.

However, my biggest issue with this book was the writing style. Most of the time it felt detached and emotionless, which bothered me, especially when a moment cried for more life.
There’s a scene when all the tenants have a water balloon fight. I love the idea!! This scene should have been vibrant, full of color, noise, and laughter. Unfortunately, it was described in such a dispassionate manner that it felt flat.

I got used to the writing at some point, so the second part of the book worked better. Especially since the story was captivating enough and there was plenty of good spice, which is what every romance reader needs.

What I also appreciated was how the mental health topic was handled. Xavier needed a break from his job, and it was presented as the most normal thing in the world. No judgment whatsoever, so big kudos for it.

To sum up, I had some issues with this book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!