Business of Pleasure is one of the most creative contemporary romances I’ve read in a long time. Rachel Lynn Solomon manages to seamlessly blend serious discussions about mental health and identity with plenty of humor and steam. And, of course, lots and lots of fun socks.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ghostwriter Chandler is struggling with her career choice, on top of her longtime crush telling her he’s not interested in a relationship. When she hits it off with a hot and interesting guy, she decides that a one night stand might be just the reset she needs. But the evening ends up leaving her, um, unsatisfied. What’s worse? When she meets her newest ghostwriting subject, C-list actor Finn, he turns out to be her disastrous one night stand. But she needs the job, and after some straightforward discussions, Chandler and Finn make a deal that Chandler will help him develop his bedroom skills while they work on his book together. Sure, they are still attracted to each other, but they will keep things strictly physical, no feelings involved. Right?

I love a good love tutor deal! The premise of oh, no, he was terrible in bed during our one night together and now we have to work together is fantastic. I adore the unusual approach of a romance hero who isn’t automatically a magnificent lover, and I love how open Finn is to learning and improving. This book also adds in some fantastic mental health rep, which I’m coming to think of as a hallmark of Rachel Lynn Solomon books.

I also love the Jewish representation; in Business or Pleasure, these varied representations feel true to life, from the child of a rabbi to someone who loves a good slice of pepperoni. She captures a wide spectrum of American Judaism which feels natural, and straight out of my own not-so-observant experience.

Business or Pleasure includes so many of my favorite things about romance. If you are a fan of a one night stand gone bad, a love tutor, forced proximity, frank discussions about sexuality and mental health, and humor to go along with your steam, read this book. There are moments that are heartfelt and humorous. I adored watching Chandler and Finn fall in love while getting to know themselves at the same time.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon and quite enjoyed and its no shocker that I really enjoyed Business or Pleasure as well. It is a very sweet and fun romance story. Even though there is no major drama/ plot/ twist, somehow Chandler and Finn entertains us all with their awkwardness. There’s not much to say except that this was well written and it is definitely worth a read if you need something not too serious, without drama, and with loads of funny moments and lines. This story was fast paced and brought to life by supremely stellar narration, it's another unputdownable story for me.

Read if you like:
• Friends with Benefits
• One Night Stand
• Workplace Romance
• Forced Proximity

This was a fun, steamy, body positive romance. There was a lot of humor balanced with some series topics. There was a Jewish and a mental health rep both characters connected with.
I loved the sweet and nerdy MMC, Finn and enjoyed seeing him connect with Chandler while working his way back to his acting career. I found Chandler, the FMC harder to connect with but I enjoyed her body/ sex positivity and focus on open communication.
Chandler and Finn went all over for Finn’s cons and as much as they stayed the hotel a lot it still have the road trip feel to the book and I loved the convention scenes.

Business or Pleasure: ★ ★ ★ ★

Rachel Lynn Solomon

“I’m so glad you took the risk,” he whispers into my ear.
“That’s the thing,” I say to his heartbeat. Soft and steady and true. “With you, it doesn’t feel like one. It just feels like home.”

Ghostwriter Chandler is never expecting to see her awkward, disappointing one night stand ever again. Until the next morning. When she finds out he's her new client. Cool.

Tropes:
-One night stand
-Celebrity romance
-Forced proximity
-Spice lessons

This was so... refreshing. It was unbelievably witty and had me chuckling through pretty much the whole book. I've never read a Rachel Lynn Solomon book before, but her humor and wit seems right up my alley. I love spice lessons in my books and this one was great. Also, the socks on the cover? Perfect.

Admittedly, I am so used to heroes whose sexual prowess has the heroine's panties melting within a heartbeat, so to read a book where the hero is unsure, willing to learn, and is the student in the lessons was just a great change of pace.

I liked the way Chandler never made Finn feel bad about anything, and was so open to showing him what she/women liked. Finn was also quite the textbook boyfriend. I was scared I wasn't going to be able to get over the second hand embarrassment of him being a two pump chump (he tried, okay?), but he was just... adorable. I wanted to protect him and tell him that his voice, his stories, his experience mattered. He was an intriguing character–cinnamon roll to the max–and even though we don't get to read his POV, it's so clear how he feels and unbelievably easy to connect with him. The two of them communicate, accept, listen, and share. They're vulnerable with one another in a really beautiful way that shows the inherent trust and makes you root for them.

At some parts, I could really feel that this book was longer than it needed to be. I found myself skimming at parts to stay invested. The third act conflict, as always, felt unnecessary and quite out of character for people who communicated very well. I particularly didn't like how Finn literally says, "Let's work things out together," to which Chandler says, "The best thing for me/us is for me to go back to Seattle and do this on my own"?? Like, hello? Why?

I would also love to read a book about Noemie–especially since we have the same job and literally experience the same struggles at work–because she seems so my kind of girl.

Business or Pleasure is a fun read with spice and lots of humor. Definitely pick it up if you're looking for a laugh. It won't disappoint!

ARC shared by NetGalley for an honest review.

Rachel Lynn Solomon’s writing style has a way of making her main characters incredibly relatable, and there is nothing better than a relatable female main character. The whole plotline of this book, giving lessons on how to have good sex, is such a fun trope that I feel like there aren’t enough books including. It makes for such a fun connection between characters. The callback to paranormal teen drama tv shows was also fun, and seeing how each of the characters on the show reacts to their fame was interesting, because it sheds a light on ways you see different celebrities in real life, and didn’t feel that off base

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! I have never read a romance like this, in so many good ways. This book definitely surprised me and I loved it so much. Chandler is a ghost writer that after a bad meeting with her last client, decides to blow off steam with a one night stand, but the encounter goes very badly. And of course, the guy ends up being her next client: a comic con celebrity from a teen werewolf show. A lot of things worked about this book for me. I think so many contemporary romances go by this idea of sex just magically working between the two main characters because chemistry! But this book had open conversations as the two main characters got to know each other and about what they liked, as well as needed to work on. On top of this great communication and healthy relationship building, this book also had great mental health representation and stressed the importance of knowing and liking yourself in order to be happy in love. And even with all this complex stuff, this book also balanced being steamy and fun. This book was the adult, mature, sweet, funny romance I didn’t know that I needed in my life. I highly recommend this book for fans of Solomon (I think she just keeps getting better and better), contemporary romance, communication, and a great story.

Chandler is shocked to find her new ghostwriting job is with a man she had a one night stand with and even more shocked to find out the man is well known actor, Finn. In order to get to know the man, she is required to travel with him to multiple conventions across the country. Can they manage to keep their relationship professional?

I loved both The Ex Talk and Weather Girl so I had high hopes for Business or Pleasure and I was not disappointed. This book was so sweet - and boy, was it steamy too! I loved the chemistry between Chandler and Finn. This was another huge tick of a book for Rachel Lynn Solomon. I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next.

3.5 stars

This was a really sweet novel with a great MMC that was quick and easy to read. I loved how endearing Finn was and seeing him through Chandler’s eyes made him even that more attractive. The thing that fell a bit flat for me was Chandler’s insecurities about their relationship. I always find it a bit frustrating when the FMC doesn’t think she’s good enough or, in this case, the MMC is only interested in her due to a specific arrangement. Even after he admits having a crush on her she still think these things! It’s even more heightened since it’s only from Chandler’s POV so we don’t get the pining from Finn. Also, I think it’s great that Solomon is now writing steamier scenes but I personally wish they were a bit longer - they all felt a bit rushed or cut off, and ultimately unsatisfying. Overall, I still like Solomon’s writing style and I had a fun time!

Pub date: 7/4/23
Genre: romcom
Quick summary: Ghostwriter Chandler Cohen has a one-night stand with good-looking Finn Walsh, but it's not exactly filled with fireworks. Imagine her surprise when she finds out he's her next client...and he wants her to help him up his seduction game.

RLS writes some of the best banter around, and this concept is so fun! We always get spicy scenes in romcoms - what happens when the spice is...not so great?! I enjoyed her exploration of female pleasure and how openness and trust lead to greater intimacy. This book is a little spicy - but the spice is perfectly balanced by the emotional exploration and growth by both characters.

I loved both text and audio, but I especially recommend the audio here. Romcoms are some of my fave audiobooks, and Hathaway Lee did a great job capturing Chandler and Finn's chemistry. I found myself smiling and laughing as I listened.

Thank you to Berkley/@letstalkbookspromo for my e-ARC and PRHAudio for my audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Lynn Solomon can do no wrong in my book, and this one might be my favorite of hers. I loved the whole set up, I loved watching these two characters slowly find their way to each other (emotionally, because physically they find each other pretty quick!), and the whole premise felt unique and fresh. I love Rachel's voice and it came through so strong in this book!

I really enjoyed this book! The author has such a way of writing relatable characters. I laughed out loud many times and if I wasn’t listening to this book, I would have been highlighting some of my favorite lines. The audiobook narrator did such an incredible job with this book, so I definitely recommend checking it out that way! The romance in this book was a PERFECT balance of sweet and spicy. And the spice was *chefs kiss*. The romantic connection between Chandler and Finn was so natural and such a joy to read! I loved the focus on mental health and culture in this book too. I had such a fun time reading this and will be reading anything Rachel Lynn Solomon writes going forward! 4.5 stars!

Delightful story about a ghostwriter and a B-list TV author who somehow survived a really awkward encounter and found true love :)

While having similar beats with all romances, where this book SHINES is in the communication between the two main leads as regards sexual pleasure. It was an absolute pleasure to read. Almost all of the supporting character- especially Noem and Chandler's parents were also fun, and I was glad Wyatt was not made a big issue.

Being a RLS book, I enjoyed how seamlessly Judaism was incorporated into our character's lives. I also really liked the mental health representation.

What stops this from being a 5 star read is that as much as the couple communicated with each other, I would have loved if it had extended to other aspects of their friendship/relationship. The miscommunication/not-sure-of-feelings-and-not-asking especially on FL's part sometimes took me out of the story.

Other than that, I really enjoyed getting to meet Chandler and Finn and I am glad they got their HEA.

Really fun beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley books for the ARC!

DNF @45%

This book was too slow-paced and I was bored. The relationship had no chemistry and was just awkward.

I always love an awkward love story, awkward people need love too, and this book delivers with a refreshing plot and lots f sex positivity!

I am a huge fan of Rachel Lynn Solomon, and this book did not disappoint. It's the perfect mix of sweet and sexy - she was not kidding that this book is spicier than anything she's done before! But I think she handled it really well and it felt like a fulfilled promise rather than an overhype.

In this book, Chandler is a ghost writer who is hired to write the memoir of Finn - a former teen tv star, and also her most recent (disastrous) one-night-stand. Their connection quickly becomes an opportunity for Chandler to tutor Finn in intimacy - an area where his skill set is definitely lacking. Of course, their feelings for each other make things more and more complicated as time goes on.

The main characters are believable and grounded. Their chemistry was off the charts, and I was rooting so hard for them, especially because they so clearly liked each other and were so stressed about it. Their communication was decent and they were open with each other. It was SO refreshing to have the woman in the relationship be the one who was experienced and knowledgeable. I think the depictions of mental health struggles were sensitively and realistically portrayed, which I have come to expect from this author. And for once we had a semi-third-act-breakup that wasn't a full on breakup, and that I actually thought was WELL handled, and extremely appropriate for what the characters needed.

Rachel simply does not disappoint and has become a can't-miss author for me!! Can't wait to recommend this to everyone looking for a new romance this summer.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Another winner from Rachel Lynn Solomon! This book has all the classic RLS sweetness, humor, mental health rep and Jewish rep but is newly combined with *epic* levels of spice. This book is so wonderfully sex positive, and I'd like to give a gifted copy to ever man I've ever dated. There were so many topics I loved and identified with, from anxiety and work fulfillment to the idea of taking "risks" and how that means something different for everyone. I'm so excited for everyone to read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for giving me a digital copy of "Business or Pleasure " by Rachel Lynn Solomon in exchange for an honest review.

Ghostwriter Chandler isn't really happy with her career; writing other peoples' books is not what she envisioned doing when she was growing up. At a particularly disappointing juncture, she meets cute guy Finn and has a phenomenal evening hanging out with him. Everything is going very well until they go back to his hotel room and.... it's terrible. He's sweet, but absolutely lousy in bed and totally oblivious to that fact.

She sneaks out afterward and thinks this disappointing one night stand is behind her, until it turns out that Finn is actually a semi-famous actor from a cult tv show. (The description of his cult-hit, long off-air supernatural show gives heavy Buffy /Twilight vibes.) And he wants her to ghost-write his memoir. Given the chance to travel the country while shadowing him at conventions AND to earn a bigger paycheck than she's ever made before, she accepts the offer. They agree to keep things "strictly professional" until she lets slip that he wasn't actually as good in bed as he seemed to believe.

This is, of course, very disappointing news to him. So he calls a few ex-girlfriends (he's friends with them still cause he's just that nice) and they confirm Chandler's assessment. So he comes up with a new proposition: she can use her college degree in human sexuality to teach him how to be good at sex!

Pssst.... Turns out.... The secret ingredient is communication. WHOA.

Anyway, she's a good teacher and he's a good student and they not only find a groove but also fall in love. Stuff happens, happily ever after, the end.

I kinda put off writing this review because I wasn't sure what to say. On the one hand, there are things I really enjoyed. The sex positivity! Communication is the foundation for relationships, in bed and out! They help each other grow beyond the constraints of their respective existences! If the abuse of exclamation points hasn't made this abundantly clear, there are many, many things I liked about the book. They are both likeable characters and I liked them together.
'
But on the other hand, their general likeability might be part of my problem, They (and their story) is nice. Not exciting, not overly funny or charming. Just likeable. There are a few other things that I didn't love either. The sex-positive writer heroine has a degree in human sexuality? A little too on-the-nose for me.

I want to wave the book around and say, "Hey! Folks! Read this! Look what effective communication can do for you! It's pretty hot!" Except... I don't really see myself rereading it. I WILL go read other books by Rachel Lynn Solomon because I really liked what she did with this story. I WILL recommend it because I want everybody to consider how open communication can benefit them and their intimate partners. I WILL read the books that Ms. Solomon recommends at the end of the story. I just probably will not reread this particular story.

RLS has a fan girl IN ME 🤩🫶 she just doesn’t miss!!

✨OCD / anxiety rep
✨sex positivity + education 👏
✨forced proximity
✨one bed 😏
✨ghostwriter + a C-list actor
✨really put the COM in ROMCOM 😂
✨steammmy 🔥

It was so so so cute! And funny! And heartwarming! And spicy! ALL the things!! Read it!!

I'm in love with Rachel Lynn Solomon's writing! She writes the most tender and realistic relationships, and I adore watching the couples come together in a way that's so organic and adorable.

I was a bit nervous as the premise of this book literally revolves around Chandler giving Finn spicy time lessons. I figured it'd be too much s3x and not enough emotion, but Rachel managed to take these "spicy" moments and make them sweet (albeit a bit awkward) 🥰

And then there's the characters themselves. Chandler was so relatable, and I think many millennials may feel the same. She made a lot of pop-culture references so beware if that's not your thing, but I enjoyed every minute of it. And even better, Finn was the perfect nerdy delight, and his mental health journey was so well done.

I'll wrap this up by telling you to read this book if you're a romance fan! It is definitely open door, so if that's not your thing I'd steer clear. But if your down for going downtown, try this lovely book on for size!

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 18+
Spice Level: 3/5
Over All: 4.5 stars

Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

I love Rachel Lynn Solomon so much, and this was no exception. Chandler’s voice and narration drew me in instantly, and it was so easy to feel what she was feeling. This book is fun and sexy from the get go, while also addressing important topics of mental health, burn out, and figuring out what you want to do with your life. It was a perfect balance of lightness and heaviness and heart.
This is definitely the spiciest of RLS’s books—as she has made very clear in every post she has made about this book. I’m someone who tends to prefer a lower spice level, so it was kind of a lot for me. However, my biggest complaint in spicier books is that the characters’ emotional connection tends to take second place to the sexual, leaving me feeling unconnected and unconvinced of said emotional connection. Despite the heavier leaning spicy content in this book the emotional connection between Chandler and Finn was always strong and visceral, just as much as the physical. It never got lost or felt underdeveloped. RLS dove head first into both aspects of their relationship, and she executed the balance between them masterfully.
As someone with food-centered OCD, I loved the portrayal and discussions of Finn’s OCD. It was written in a way that made it clear it was #ownvoices, and that made me feel seen and represented. Chandler’s generalized anxiety disorder was represented in a similarly amazing way. There was so much love in the portrayal of both of their mental illnesses, and I can’t even express how much it means to me.
This book was swoony and fun and nerdy. I loved seeing glimpses into con life and the passion people have for their fandoms. I loved watching the feelings bloom between Chandler and Finn. I loved watching them each grow and come into their own as characters.
This was a really good book, and I’m excited to see what RLS has in store for us next.