What can Ashley Winstead not do? Honestly, the woman is a genious. To be able to submerse a reader into a dark and twisted story, and then right into a light hearted, political romantic comedy takes talent. Ashley Winstead will forever be an autobuy author for me. Hands down.
The Boyfriend Candidate is heartwarming, funny, brave, sexy, and relateable! Quick-witted and well written, Alexis and Logan are a match made in heaven! From one-night standers, to business partners, to lovers. I love a good fake dating scheme, and their chemistry was *chef's kiss*. I absolutely LOVED this book! Also, the fact that Alexis was a librarian and LOVED books was the icing on the cake.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy to review.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

I was entertained with this book! It was a good read and I would absolutely recommend reading it to my friends. Quick easy read for me. Cute romcom.

The Boyfriend Candidate
By Ashley Winstead

Thank you to Netgalley, Ashley Winstead, and Graydon House books for this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Quotes:
“Was it possible to have an emotional orgasm?”

“My mom had assured me life simply didn't go our way sometimes, but I'd always attributed the rejection to the lacking in me that I couldn't put a finger on.”

“Never trust your secrets to men who golf.”

Wow, Winstead sure knows how to write a fictional man. I never would’ve thought I’d fall for a politician in a book haha.

Brief Synopsis: Alexis Stone is a librarian that finds herself in an interesting situation: fake dating a man running for governor of Texas!

Things I Liked:
- The anticipation was EVERYTHING
- Logan Arthur will definitely go down as a popular book boyfriend among the bookstagram and booktok crowd!
- Layers: this book discussed censorship, book bans, and hot topics in politics all while having you root for our girl Alexis to succeed in life, love, and her career.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/(5)
This was absolutely a 5 star romance for me.

I always get sucked into the new book emails that they are asking for me to review. The last few times I had to say no because I was in school and didn’t have enough time to read books like I really wanted to. So I was excited when I was able to take some books for review. My best-laid plans didn’t happen since I am late getting this review out and two more I have found myself behind on. Life and switching jobs and my deadlines just snuck up on me.

Alexis is out on the town. Looking for a one-night stand. She got out of a relationship where her ex basically told her she was boring and vanilla. Logan is out on the town as well, he, however, is looking to blow off some steam. He without Alexis knowing, is a gubernatorial candidate. Each thinking they will spend a lust-filled night with each other and go their own ways. That all changes when a fire alarm forces the hotel to evacuate and someone snaps a picture of them and puts it online. I adored this book. It may have taken me longer to read than I planned. I woke up many times with my Kindle still propped up on the pillow next to me and turned off. It was a light breezy read with lovable characters.

I think my favorite character was Alexis. Honestly, her character was me on so many levels. She was a lover of books made obvious by her job as a Librarian. She had problems with relationships and trusting people. While I have been in a relationship with my husband for 17 years (married for almost 12) I still am terrified that he is going to cheat on me or leave me or some crazy thing. I thought that the relationship between her and Logan was the perfect slow burn. It was the type of romance that you knew was going to happen you just didn’t know how or when. When it did, oh man it was one for the books. I finished the book while working at the clerk’s desk, it, I am sure had me blushing and hoping no one knew what I was reading. I wanted more from the book. The 6 months later was wonderful but I wanted to read more. Did they get married, did they have kids? Their relationship was so special and wonderful I just wanted to know more. I will certainly be keeping my eye out for more books by this author.

Which Hollywood streaming service is going to pick this up? Honestly, Ashley Winstead wrote a made-for-movie treasure! The entire way through, I just kept picking new actors to play Alexis and Logan. I couldn't help but love this and I plan to recommend it to everyone that enjoys RomComs.

Instant chemistry plus a little hidden-identity meets disaster. What else would you expect at a hotel bar when trying to find yourself a one-night stand???

This was a very endearing book! I hadn’t heard of Ashley Winstead before this one, but she is a true talent. There are a ton of novels with this similar concept, but Winstead made this one stand out. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this one and meeting Logan.

This was a light read, full of fun details guaranteed to make bibliophiles swoon. This book could have benefitted from a bit more comedy—I thought we were on to something with the bungled press conference, but alas no. I liked it enough to want to read Leigh's origin story in Fool Me Once.

This book melted my cold, dead heart. I listened to the audiobook pretty much straight through (besides taking a few hours to sleep at night), it was so captivating.

As a librarian myself, I loved Alexis. I don't think the characterization of her in the synopsis as shy and meek is necessarily accurate because we never actually see her being shy or meek. She jumps into this new outgoing and adventurous persona immediately with almost no hesitation. I'd expect to see at least a little bit of that shyness needing to be broken as she begins doing things outside her comfort zone, but there is none of that on page. This isn't really a bad thing, just an observation. I still really loved her.

Logan on the other hand, is the epitome of foul-mouthed grump and I fell for him immediately. One other review simply said: "we love a man losing his mind" and that is exactly right. The only thing I love more than a man obsessively in love is a man obsessively in love and cares about social causes enough to actually do something about them (like run for office).

Romance aside, this actually had an interesting backstory/set up. The discussions around school budget cuts is so timely for the United States right now and I hope this book brings more attention to the serious ramifications of these cutbacks.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was really hooked on this book knowing it was a fake dating romance. Ashley Winstead did a fantasitc job of making the plot unique but believable. I mean cmon a one night stand with a hot politician - sign me up! The characters and their connection both also felt so real, almost as if I was reading about an actual politician from Texas & his "fake" girlfriend!!! This is a quick and easy fast paced read that I would highly recommend!

This was such an addicting read. As a Texas girly I loved how real Winstead’s descriptions of Texas and the Austin area felt. But the chemistry between the two main love interests was literally there since the first page they were together. Perfect for readers that like friends to lovers, political romance books, and the fake dating trope, “The Boyfriend Candidate” is an easy and fun book to read this summer. I feel that every book nerd like me can relate to it’s protagonist, so I’ll definitely be on the look out for future books by Ashley Winstead!

One of my favorite adult romance books I've read this year! It was charming and a fun read. Loved the premise and the tropes and the enjoyable experience.

Love on the campaign trail has quickly become my new favorite trope! This book resonated deeply with my love for politics. The transformation of a one-night stand into a political scandal between a governor candidate and a school librarian had me completely hooked from start to finish.

What I adored about this book was the magnetic pull between two opposites. Logan, the outspoken and charismatic politician, and Alexis, the reserved librarian, couldn't be more different, and their connection was truly intriguing.

The fake dating plotline added an extra layer of excitement. Alexis agreed to pretend to be in a relationship with Logan to help him shed his playboy image during his campaign. It's a trope I always enjoy, and this book executed it flawlessly.

Logan, the grumpy hero, stole my heart as he transformed into a lovable cinnamon roll for his lady. His depth of emotion and unwavering love left me swooning.

The intensity of Logan's feelings was palpable. He fell head over heels and struggled to navigate the overwhelming emotions that consumed him. I couldn't get enough of his lovestruck moments.

I must admit, I'm not usually a fan of love triangles, but I appreciated that this one didn't overshadow the main story. It was handled with finesse, allowing the central romance to shine.

I usually mostly avoid books that have a political type of plot in a romance book, but this was a easy read and I absolutely loved adored it. They almost one night standard ruined and then finding out he's a politician?!?! Sorry I mean a hot politician!! Damn the banter and the tension but I still have a few things I didn't like it..

I loved this book even though I am not a fan of politics. I enjoyed watching Alexis go from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly. This fake dating, grumpy sunshine, rom-com was all that. I was pleasantly surprised that this author smoothly transitioned from thriller to romance. This is a heart warming must read. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my review.

3.5 stars
Oh, this is a very compelling fake dating tale. Throw in the opposites attract, the quiet librarian, and seemingly bad boy, and then through in a political campaign. Timely Much?
We get the pretend relationship that rides the campaign train.

Alexis is an assistant librarian at her school, and her last boyfriend cheated on her (twice!) and when he broke up with her, he told her that she was boring in bed. Now, on the second anniversary of her embarrassment of a breakup, she has decided to go out and have her first one night stand. Enter hottie Logan. But when the hotel they're in literally gets stuck by lightning and has to be evacuated, they get caught in an embarrassing paparazzi photo... Because HE'S the Democratic gubernatorial candidate. And them he begs her to be his fake girlfriend for the rest of the campaign. What could go wrong?

I love a good fake dating story. And this was a GOOD fake dating story. In most, they hate each other from the beginning and are only dating because they have to... this one, they were clearly into each other from the jump, and then had to cool themselves down in every move going forward. It was clear in the writing that Logan had serious feelings for Alexis early, and things could totally have been resolved earlier if they just had a truthful, uninterrupted conversation. But that doesn't lend itself to a good book, so here we are.

This was a super fun, politically charged, pro-education, slow-burn romance, and I was totally here for it.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

This was such a fun book to read!! I don’t read many political romcoms, but this one was so good! I also love a good fake dating romance book, and this one was done so well. I loved Alexis and Logan together. I felt like they had such great chemistry. It is a slow burn romance, a little slower than I would have preferred. If you’re a fan of fake dating, slow burn, political campaign, and opposites attract, you’ll love this one. I do recommend checking it out!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Winstead writes some of my favorite mystery/thriller books and I was super excited to dive into some of her new romance things. This book was like a warm hug to book lovers. Our main character is a librarian in the school district and kind of down on her luck after a breakup, until one night when she goes to a bar and meets a handsome stranger. This changes everything.

I thought that this book was just a fun time, it has been a few weeks since I read it and I don’t remember too much of the details, but I can tell you that this was a fun time. I loved the representation between family dynamics, friends, sexuality, and politics. I am eager to read more romance from the author!

This was a such a bingeworthy romance! If you’ve read Fool Me Once, this book is about Lee’s sister Alexis.

Alexis is a school librarian who just wants to have a more adventurous life starting with having a one-night stand. She finds the perfect candidate, Logan. Before they have a chance to hook up, the hotel catches fire. As they are fleeing the hotel they are caught in the street by photographers because Logan just happens to be running for governor. Alexis soon finds herself in a fake dating situation until election day.

The romance was a slow burn, but the story was so entertaining that I didn’t mind and I couldn’t stop reading. Alexis and Logan’s characters are flawed and dynamic, and their chemistry is undeniable. I was rooting for them every step off the way! You also get to see behind the scenes of political life and what it’s like to run from office. It was a such a fun read, perfect for those that enjoy fake dating and opposites attract tropes.

The relationship between Logan and Alexis was rife with misunderstandings (a trope I have a hard time getting into) and was generally a slow burn. After both politician and 'librarian' are caught in a compromising situation, they agree to enter into a fake relationship in over to squash the scandal until election day. As they spend more time together, the harder it is to not develop genuine feelings for one another.

While Logan to be a more well-rounded character, I found Alexis' character to be erratic and unreliable. She would act selfishly on numerous occasions and appeared to have little regard to how her actions may affect other characters in the story. Winstead's writing was quite good but ultimately the story just had too much political content, it diminished the romantic aspects of this story. For those looking for an escape from world issues and political campaigns, this might not be the one for you.

eARC was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.