I liked this one. I found the first half a little slow and repetitive with the pacing, but I flew through the back half. This is an easy summer read, and mostly enjoyable. There was just something about the main characters that didn't quite click for me. The banter wasn't as strong as I hoped, and the "lessons" went on too long. I still liked it, I just didn't love it.

The only thing to make life worse for Chandler Cohen after a disaster of a one-night stand, is finding out her one-night stand (Finn) is her newest client. Even more awkward, after confronting Finn about how horrible he was in bed, he approaches her with a second arrangement. When she decides to take him up on both offers, the balance between business and pleasure is on the line.

I’ve only read one other book by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and I am on board with her writing. I love the way she captures the messy reality of situations and creates creatures with depth and rational thoughts. I love when a romance lead thinks clearly or has actual communication. It’s such a refreshing feeling, reading our lead has the same thoughts as me. Chandler was a great character, and though her self-doubt was irritating to me, her open communication and sex-positivity was perfect!

Unlike the previous book I’ve read of hers, The Weather Girl, this story was much deeper than I anticipated. It still has plenty of lighthearted moments, but the focus on mental health, self-acceptance , sex positivity, and antisemitism was flawlessly incorporated into the story. I loved the way she was able to discuss these deeper topics without them taking away from the central storyline. Solomon, did a great job of using these deeper themes to enhance rather than overshadow Chandler and Finn’s romance. Speaking of romance…SO MUCH STEAM!

I highly recommend picking this one up for my open-door romance fans and I can’t wait to read more from Solomon.

Business or Pleasure comes out July 4, 2023. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

I know every time I pick up a Rachel Lynn Solomon book, it won't let me down. I love how realistic, sweet, and tender her Romances are, especially how soft the characters are to each other. Chandler and Finn are such great characters, and I loved reading their romance!

Also the lessons in seduction trope is one of my favorite, and I died of laughter when Chandler made a whole lesson plan for Finn. Sex can be awkward at first, especially when you just meet someone. Even in general, it can be hard to know what to do or how to please your partner, and I think this book handled their situation really well and in a way that will resonate with a lot of people.

As usual, the mental health representation is phenomenal. On top of that, I believe this is the first romance book I've read where the main character has had an abortion in the past. I wish I saw that more in fiction, especially in romance books. Or maybe I wish we as a society were comfortable talking about our experiences more openly and honestly. I loved seeing Chandler confide in Finn about her past, and feeling comfortable doing so. I also thought it was handled well and in a way that was deeply personal to Chandler.

Rachel Lynn Solomon continues to be one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Soloman
Narrator: Hathaway Lee
Rating: 5 stars
Steam: 3 chilis
Pub Day: 7/4

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon is an absolute delight! This quirky, upbeat, steamy romantic comedy had me grinning from ear to ear.

The story kicks off with Chandler attending a book signing for an author who doesn't even recognize her as the ghostwriter she hired to write her book. Feeling disheartened, Chandler decides to drown her sorrows and meets the adorably nerdy and charming Finn Walsh. Their instant connection is palpable, leading to an awkward hookup that Chandler wishes she could forget.

When Chandler's agent presents her with an opportunity to ghostwrite a memoir for none other than Finn himself, she is determined to keep their partnership professional. After accidentally admitting to him that their night together wasn’t that great, they strike up a deal that Chandler will help Finn in the bedroom when they’re not working on his book.

Solomon's writing style is brilliantly engaging, filled with humor, and full of adorable, relatable characters. Finn's quirky personality, complete with talking Elf language and endearing eccentricities, makes him so lovable. I loved the C-list actor/comiconn storyline and I found myself rooting for these two from the start.

Chandler and Finn’s journey is heartfelt and irresistibly entertaining. I couldn't get enough of their blooming romance and the sizzling chemistry! The steamy scenes are SO spicy and I loved every minute. Listening to them on audio was a whole other experience entirely lol.

This book was a rollercoaster ride of emotions that had me laughing, swooning, and cheering for this lovable duo. I alternated between the book and the audiobook, and I loved Hathaway Lee as the narrator here! She really brought these characters to life and added another layer of authenticity to the story.

I’ve always loved Rachel Lynn Soloman’s works, but this truly turned her into an auto-buy author for me. This was a delightful escape, filled with charm, humor, and a healthy dose of steam. I highly recommend this to anyone in need of a peppy, upbeat romance with low angst that will leave you with a smile on your face long after you've finished.

Read if you like:
* sex lessons
* OCD/anxiety rep
* forced proximity
* one night stand
* books about books
* super steamy open-door scenes

This was my first book by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and honestly, I was underwhelmed. I found Chandler to be very emotionally immature--Finn does most of the heavy lifting in that department. The pace of things just felt off--maybe it was the physical part of the relationship coming before any real emotional connection. This one was not for me. I can see it appealing to other people though, so I will be able to recommend it.

Being a ghostwriter isn't Chandler Cohen's dream, but it pays the bills. But when she attends a signing for a book she wrote, and the author doesn't recognize her, Chandler is left rethinking everything. In the mood to wallow, Chandler grabs a drink at a bar where she meets a charming guy and immediately hits it off. The sexual tension between them is hard to ignore, and Chandler finds herself sneaking out of his hotel room hours later after the worst hookup of her life. Chandler is ready to move on and put the awkward encounter behind her but finds it hard to do when the man turns out to be the actor she's been hired to write for.

Finn Walsh is a C-list actor best known for his role as an adorkable nerd on a popular teen werewolf show. Finn is now mostly known for appearances at fan conventions all over the country, but he has a story to tell, and he wants Chandler to be the one to write it. Chandler is determined to keep things as professional as possible, but when Finn finds out she was left unsatisfied after their night together, the pair strike up a deal: when they aren't working on his book, Chandler will teach Finn how to take his bedroom skills up a notch. But when real feelings start growing, the pair learn that maybe there's a reason you don't mix business with pleasure.

Something Solomon never fails to do is charm me. I always have such a fun time reading her romances. I loved the premise of this one, and it was brimming with Solomon's signature wit. The banter between her characters is always on point, the relationships feel honest, and the characters always feel fleshed out. Chandler and Finn were so open and vulnerable with one another. Their relationship felt very mature, and I loved how they communicated their needs with one another. Aside from the romance, I found the plot engaging as well. It was fun seeing all the fan conventions, but my favorite aspect was the mental health representation. I thought Solomon did a nice job shining a light on OCD in a respectful manner. There were a few pacing issues and overuse of pop culture references, but other than that, I really liked this.

Business or Pleasure follows Chandler, a ghostwriter who is starting to feel more like a ghost than a writer as her projects turn more and more into an excuse not to write her own story. When she meets a man at a bar that promises to turn her bad night around, she’s all too happy to follow him to his hotel—only for the sexual tension to collapse into one of the most awkward hookups ever. Chandler wants to forget the whole night but the universe is not on her side—her next ghostwriting project is a memoir for Finn Walsh, a C-list actor…who turns out to be her one-night stand. Chandler’s determination to keep their relationship strictly professional is turned upside down when Finn asks her for lessons in how to seduce a woman. As the two grow closer in and out of the bedroom, they have to decide where their priorities truly lie: in business or in pleasure.

Business or Pleasure has such a fun premise. We start off with an amazing meet-cute only to then have that be followed up with some of the worst sex that could ever happen during a one-night stand.

I was really here for that premise because it reminded me of some of my favourite Wattpad stories (listen, we’ve all had that phase) but with a fun twist since it was actually the guy who needed to learn how to be good at sex—and there’s no shame in that! I loved how the focus here was on clear communication and learning what the other likes, listening to what they need to feel both wanted and satisfied in the boudoir. It was such a great representation of what a healthy relationship can look like which made me super happy. It’s hard to be vulnerable especially when it comes to intimate topics, but Solomon represented this in such a lovely manner that I hope readers will take something away from it and realise just how important open and honest communication is.

While there is of course a dreaded third-act conflict, we also get to see both Chandler and Finn grow on their own but also as a couple throughout the story, which made up for it.

Finn is also the actor of a cult classic werewolf show (we’re all thinking the same thing here) and it was so fun to follow his trajectory as an actor and to see how beloved he is by fans while he’s struggling with the knowledge that he is now making his money by appearing at fan conventions. He’s such a shy, nerdy (but very up for learning!) guy who really cared about Chandler from the start, which I absolutely loved. Give me more men in fiction (and real life) that remember small details about you and talk about them as if they’re common knowledge. What a love language, eh?

Lastly, I love how Solomon always incorporates mental health into her books. In this one, we have characters with OCD and anxiety and they’re represented so authentically, which I really appreciate.

Following two deeply nerdy characters with hearts of gold, Business or Pleasure is a laugh-out-loud, heartwarming romcom filled with a great representation of what makes communicating in a relationship so important.

Chandler Cohen is feeling a bit lost after her career as a journalist came crashing down and now she’s living a not-so-glamorous life as a ghostwriter. She’s also a bit heartbroken after her friend and forever crush told her he wasn’t into relationships after they slept together. Chandler needs a little pick me up and believes she found it in the form of a cute guy at the bar. Unfortunately their one night stand is a complete disaster; thank goodness she’ll never see him again, right? (wink)

Finn Walsh was once part of the ensemble cast of a popular werewolf show, now he’s a c-list actor in need of a ghostwriter for his upcoming memoir. He also happens to be Chandler’s disastrous one night stand. Finn believes their night together was mind-blowing and is more than a bit embarrassed to find out he left a lot to be desired.

Chandler and Finn agree to work together on his book and to keep things strictly business, until Finn asks Chandler to teach him the finer points of sex and seduction. That is how the pleasure lessons start and they are surprisingly sweet. Finn was the sweetest cinnamon roll, the cutest nerd, he was kind and patient, willing to take constructive criticism, never judged Chandler, open to trying new things, understanding. The list goes on and on and on.

The closeness that developed between Chandler and Finn was so refreshing to read, it was full of open and honest discussions about their fears, their desires, their past traumas and their dreams. Obviously, their strictly physical relationship starts to shift once feelings become involved.

Business or Pleasure was a steamy, sex positive, and supremely romantic read that is now officially my favorite RLS novel.

Rachel Lynn Solomon is one of my favorite romance authors, and Business or Pleasure cemented her as an auto-buy author for me.

I absolutely loved Finn and Chandler’s relationship. It felt so organic and genuine. Finn is swoonworthy and probably one of my favorite leading men I’ve ever read. I about lost it when he called her sweetheart.

I also appreciated the spotlight on Memphis (my hometown, which never gets appreciated!) and Agatha Raisin. The fandom representation was wonderful as well, along with realistic mental health struggles.

Obviously, I loved this book, and can’t wait to see what RLS does next!

Thank you to Netgalley, Rachel Lynn Solomon, and Berkeley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't put Business of Pleasure down. Rachel Lynn Solomon hits it out of the park with this spicy story about a ghostwriter who has a truly terrible one-night stand with a man who ends up being her next client. Obviously, she has to give him sex lessons. I enjoyed every page.

"Business or Pleasure" is a sex-positive romance with compelling characters and a heavy dose of spice. You will not be able to put this book down.

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a standalone sexy romantic novel. We meet Chandler Cohen, who loves writing, but can’t get her career started; so she writes other people’s stories as a ghost writer. Chandler shares a house with her bff/ cousin, who happens to work in public relations, making a lot more money, and helps pay their expenses. After a fiasco, where the author, who she ghosted, did not even know her; Chandler ends at a bar, and meets a sweet and fun nerd, and they end up in a one-night stand. But the sex was a disaster, the worse experience she ever had. The following morning, Chandler’s agent, arranges a meeting with actor Finn Walsh and his agent to discuss writing Finn’s memoirs. Of course, when she meets Finn and his agent, to her shock, Finn was the man she had the one night with. At first, Chandler was going to turn down the offer, but the money was double what she normally did, and accepts the job, which will allow her to travel.

Chandler learns more about the TV show (cult paranormal), Finn, and his co-stars were on, with many hoping for the show to find a way back. She meets all the co-stars, and sees how popular they all became, especially when they attended the comic cons. Chandler admits to Finn, that their one-night stand was a terrible disaster. Finn wants Chandler to teach him to learn how to seduce woman, including talking dirty. Chandler accepts the challenge, and suggests they will need to practice. They start off with kissing, and soon they will begin to explore each other’s bodies, with Chandler teaching him what she likes; and soon they grow closer, both in and out of the bedroom.

What follows is a slow burn romance, that is very steamy, and I really did find myself caring about Chandler and Finn. The made a great couple, with a wonderful fun connection between them; with their friendship & flirting, not to mention their openness with sex. Personally, I did think there were so many sex scenes, that on occasion I did skip some.

Business or Pleasure was very well written by Rachel Lynn Solomon. I have loved her books so far, even if I thought this one was steamier then the others. If you like very sexy romance, I suggest you read Business or Pleasure.

A fun, sexy rom com about a former tv star and the ghost writer who will write his memoir. I loved these characters and thought the mental health representation was excellent.

I deeply loved this book and not just because I am an immense fan of Rachel Lynn Solomon's storytelling. I love how interesting and layered her characters are, and that she doesn't shy away from real problems, like OCD and anxiety. She has characters who feel insecure with where their life has taken them, and those who are very secure in the path they took. I loved that this book discussed sex in such a positive and affirming way, showing the importance of communication and trust in figuring out what works for you and your partner. I cannot offer enough praise for how much I enjoyed this story!

Cute, cute, cute! Celebrity-who-falls-in-love-with-a-normie romances are always entertaining, but this one had added elements of humor, sex positivity, and good communication.

Chandler and Finn have a lovely connection, at least once you get over the awkwardness of their first intimate encounter, which moonlights as a one night stand gone wrong. So, SO wrong. ☠️ He's an actor who's famous for being on a popular teen werewolf show, The Nocturnals, over a decade ago. (It's sort of a cross between Teen Wolf and The Vampire Diaries.) She's hired to ghostwrite his memoir. Moreover, after he learns how disastrously unsatisfying their night was together, he asks her to give him pointers and they help each other grow inside and outside of the bedroom.

I liked the Comic Con backdrop, with Chandler and Finn traveling from city to city to attend cons. It provided an element of forced proximity while also grounding readers in Finn's profession as well as adding changeability to the plot. I also thought the story relayed an important message about communicating wants and desires in a relationship.

Though the pacing could be stilted at times, and I sometimes felt disconnected from the characters, this was enjoyable overall. I had a good time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Wow. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this! (in the best way possible)

I absolutely LOVED this book. It shouldn't surprise me because I loved Today Tonight Tomorrow by the same author, but this was my first adult book of hers. Now, I'm hooked!

From the very first page, I was engrossed in the story. I could see myself in Chandler, and I immediately rooted for Finn, despite their rocky start. I loved seeing their relationship develop, in all of its facets. I quite frankly couldn't put the book down.

I will definitely pick up the rest of Rachel Lynn Solomon's backlist... and I cannot wait to see what else she comes up with!

The premise of this book was really fun and interesting and I looked forward to finding out more about Finn and Chandler. While I really loved Finn and some parts of the book, I never felt a connection with the characters I wanted to feel, and some parts were just slow for me. I think overall Rachel Lynn Solomon's writing is great, but this one was just okay for me.

Chandler is really tired of being a ghost writer. At the launch event for her latest book, the “author” doesn’t even recognize her as the one that wrote her book, which sends Chandler into a spiral. When she starts chatting with a handsome stranger and the night brings them back to his hotel, Chandler is excited to do something she never does. Only the sex is terrible. What’s worse? When she shows up to lunch to meet the next author she is writing for only for it to be the handsome stranger she ran out on.

Ok, if you have ever had truly awful sex with a man that does not know what he is doing…RUN don’t walk to get this book! I seriously could not stop laughing the entire time, it was so relatable and just so perfect and hysterical. Onto the rest of the book, I really loved the mental health aspect and how it was dealt with in the book, Solomon does a great job of writing a character with OCD. I also truly enjoyed the insanely open communication between Chandler and Finn. I mean sure, they had their bit of miscommunication (they always have to) but overall the were so open with one another and it was so refreshing. If you have liked Rachel Lynn Solomons past books, you will love this one too, and chapter three will hopefully have you crying laughing like it had me!

Where do I even begin!? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If I could force one book on you this year, this is the one. I'd like to carry around a stack and pass out copies everywhere I go. I wish I wrote it, you know?! I want to hug, hold, and protect it. Say not a single word against my baby!

Chandler Cohen is a ghostwriter who has a disastrous one night stand, only to find out the next morning that she is to be the ghostwriter of his memoir. (😈 Fantastic already, right!?) He is Finn Walsh, a C-List actor who is known for his role on a cult classic werewolf show. Her job is to join him on the fan convention circuit while writing this memoir, but she accidentally lets it slip that their one night together was not as great for her as it was for him. Enter my secret favorite trope dont tell anybody: bedroom lessons.

🧦Immediately sucked me in - I love it so much when a book feels unputdownable from the first page and that is how this one felt for me. RLs has such a readable writing style.

🧦I was looking forward to reading this as soon as I heard that there would be a *bedroom lessons* trope, but the way sex ed was interwoven throughout the novel truly exceeded expectations. This book has the yummy, fun steam you want in a romance novel--without idealizing the effort it takes to achieve yummy, fun steam. I'm not going to dwell on this, but basically I could talk about how meaningful, important, and genre-shifting I think this was for days...

🧦I love these characters so much. Individually and as a couple 🥰 I love the way their friendship and romantic feelings evolved. Wins my award for Best Declaration of Feelings (new category) this year for sure.

🧦Banter! Instant chemistry! Expect smiling at your page/kindle/off into the distance with your headphones on...

🧦MC and love interest are Jewish!
🧦Forced proximity and road trip romance!
🧦Lovely bff dynamic. Big fan of Noemie and their supportive cousin/bff relationship.
🧦I loved the screenplays, interviews, buzzfeed article snippets, etc. between chapters for Finn's character. All of the werewolf show stuff made me sooo happy!
🧦This is technically a celebrity romance, but it doesn't have the same vibe as most do, perhaps due to his C-List status and that she didn't know who he was when she met him.

This book just *had it all* for me. I hope you read it and love it, too.

This was my first Rachel Lynn Solomon book and I can see why she's popular. This was an enjoyable read! I liked the premise and how it revolved around good, healthy communication. The MMC was very quirky and it's a testament to the author's skills by how well she was to make me suffer second hand embarrassment as I was reading. Overall, a good read and a really cute romance!