This book has two of my favorite tropes - Brothers Best Friend & Fake Dating - total win! There were some moments where the main female character frustrated me but she went through a lot of growth by the ending which made up for it. The parts with her parents were hard but very real which was heartbreaking especially as a parent - I never want to make my child feel like he can’t come to me if he needs help or has feelings about something. Overall, I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author!

This was a fun cute read. I loved the message of the book, to go your own way, and carve out your own path. I'm not a huge fan of friends to lovers book trope, but thought I'd give this one a try. It was a good read, but I struggled to connect with the main character. I did like Cade, but together they just didn't make sense for me to truly be invested in them.

Rent to Be 3/5 ⭐️
🏡 Friends to Lovers
🏡 Brother's Best Friend
🏡 He Falls First

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Oh my god. This one was excellent. I fell HARD for Isla and Cade. I also loved Seb and Neeta. The setting was unique and interesting. The plot was (heartbreakingly sad) well-written. Overall, this book made me a Sonia Hartl fan for LIFE. The characters were so full and rich with detail while not bashing you over the head with ridiculousness. The plot was believable while still being fairly noteworthy. I truly enjoyed this book and devoured it very quickly. I was very unsure at first because in the first paragraph, Isla talks about going on a date with someone who looks up to Elon Musk who I think is despicable but this wasn’t a character flaw for her. So I was wary and proven completely wrong because I finished this in like 3 hours. Extremely well-done.

Read if you like:
♥️ Romances
💜 Lighthearted Books
😚 Fake Dating
😡 Enemies to Lovers
😂 LOL Rom-Coms
🛌 Forced Proximity

The chemistry in this one! I was swooning! I love a good enemies to lovers and then to put forced proximity with it it was truly fantastic!

And the spice!!! 🥵 just everything about this one felt like it hit the mark and was so fun!

I also loved the forced proximity and brothers best friend as these also worked so well with the plot.

If you want a romance full of swooning and laughing I highly recommend this one! Thanks so much to Alcove press for my ARC!

Overall, I enjoyed the feeling of this book and its overall message, it wasn’t a story that really grabbed at me. I’m not sure I got what I signed up for ultimately.

From the tag line “for lovers of Tessa Bailey” to the cover and blurb, anticipated it to be a funnier rom-com.

A lot of it felt a little too forced, and told rather than shown.

I thought the brothers best-friend/ childhood friends to enemies tropes were executed well, but the characters themselves didn’t particularly resonate with me.

A quick read but I likely wouldn’t pick it up again.

Thanks to NetGalley & Alcove Press for a copy in exchange for my review.

Well from Isla description about Cade, I can imagine he has feeling way more but make her agree to fake date? Dude.. that really smooth.. I can feel spark flying, high sensual tension, dare each other.. this book succses mix my feeling, i laugh, i feel Isla fear and anxiety, i horny with the tension between them, i love how tender and understanding Cade to Isla. New friendship with Neeta was sweet and smooth too.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#RenttoBe #SoniaHartl #AlcovePres #NetGalley #ARC

This book has some of my favorite tropes and it seemed like such an exciting storyline, but it did fall a little flat for me. I love a brother's best friend and fake dating trope and the chemistry between Isla and Cade was there for me. The two of them were sweet together and I love how much they knew and understood each other. With that being said, Isla was a bit of a mess, and it made me not relate to her. Some of the decisions she made throughout the story made me not like her and seemed to be self-sabotaging. I was also a bit confused as she never went back to her day job once she started house sitting, so I don’t feel like it was well executed. I love the representation of her financial situation because I am in a very similar situation right now, but I didn’t really like her character at all. I also didn't like the relationship she had with her brother, and I feel like most of it childish. Most of the problems within the story could have easily been avoided if she was more levelheaded and I think that was my biggest setback overall. I adored all of Cade's work parties and his coworkers. I feel like he really had his life together and I enjoyed learning about his childhood. I enjoyed the message to accept your mistakes and create your own path, but it wasn't enough for me to completely fall in love with the story. The ending was sweet and I'm glad Isla finally faced her fears and confronted her parents, but unfortunately this one wasn't for me.

Book Name: Rent To Be
Series: NA
Author: Sonia Hartl
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Isla has always been the butt of the joke when it comes to her family. The “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” family doesn’t create a supportive environment when you’re struggling so when things start to go wrong she tries to tough it out on her own. That’s how she finds herself sneaking her few boxes of belongings into her brothers unit while he’s away for work. That’s also how she ends up running into Cade, her brother’s best friend, who is also using the unit.

I love the familiarity of someone that you’ve known your whole life and how that relationship can grow from secret pining to something more. I believed the witty banter between Isla and Cade and the way they treated each other as friends. I love a guy who is genuinely supportive and noticed when you’re being treated like shit and stands up for you.

It’s was anti-capitalist propaganda, but horny (And I say that as a good thing). There was great commentary on class systems and the old adage of “if you just work hard then you’ll be successful” and how that can often be a whole load of shit.

“The rich sold the rest of us the promise of a better life as a way of keeping us in line, like everything they had could eventually be ours too if we followed the rules they set for us, all while conveniently forgetting to mention the debt and poor wages that would forever hold us down”

There was also some pretty great family stuff in there. That feeling of guilt you feel when your family are good and fine and all that but also have faults. When you want to feel grateful but you’re also not getting your needs met from the people who love you.

“It was okay to ask for better treatment from the people I loved. It was okay to walk away from them if they wouldn’t change. It was okay to forgive those who slipped up but were trying. It was okay to forgive myself for the same.”

Thanks to #NetGallery and the publisher. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
POV: Single
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5
Age suggestion: 18+

Summary:
♥️ fake dating
♥️ brother’s best friend
♥️ friends to lovers
♥️ he falls first
♥️ spice!

Review:
This is a classic fake dating rom-com and I was here for it! Cade and Isla are childhood friends, with Cade being Isla's brother's best friend. They find themselves needed a good old fake dating pact to solve their problems and I think you can guess where this leads.. I did wish there was more character development in both Cade and Isla, as I found it hard to connect to their growth. 3.5 stars.

A splendid romance that will tick all the right boxes while being a light read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

♡Book Review♡
📖Rent To Be By Sonia Hartl📖
Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶 🌶

My thoughts ~ soo I enjoyed the book however it was super hard for me to get into at first, there wasn't something that immediately grabbed my attention. I did like the fake dating and the relationship that Isla and cade formed over time and by over time I mean it lol I was like ABOUT TIME, half the time they had me mad it was kinda like a come on already. Isla is FULL and Pure chaos, it had me laughing but sometimes it was so cringe worthy she's a character to say the least but it definitely fits her😅 Cade is the complete opposite go with the flow but he becomes so Immersed in what Isla does that he starts veering off his normal path, understandably so. The whole book in itself was funny, cute and laughable I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a quirky, chaotic, fake dating trope with tons of chemistry, a good love story and with relatable characters then this is for you.

Blurb in the comments

Thank you to @netgalley for the early copy of Rent To Be.
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Rent To Be is another palate cleanser, or rather the start of some lighter hearted reading, for a few books at least, coming my way. This one has a couple of those romance tropes that are really popular right now the first being fake dating the second is....Forbidden Love....kind of.

So we have Isla a young woman who has gotten her MBA and the debt that goes with it, but not the job that fits her title. Isla is doing data entry at a company and barely scrapping by. She finds herself kicked out of her apartment decides to crash at her brothers empty apartment and gets an eye full of her brothers best friend Cade. The logical thing to do with someone you grow up with is tit for tat. So then Cade gets an eye full, then comes the spiral.

Isla happens into the house sitting gig which gives her temporary housing and typically food for a week at a time. During a house sitting gig Cade spots Isla in a fur stole and bikini drinking by the pool and offers her a deal. She is going to be his fake girlfriend and escort him to work functions.

We know how this is going to turn out. My least favorite part of these types of books is the back and forth of the characters. Yes I love you! Yes we can be together! Has Sex. NO we can't be together it's too complicated! It gets tiring. Make up your mind already and who cares what everyone else thinks!

In the midst of the romance aspect we also have a little later in life coming of age story. Isla trying to figure out who she is, why she is the way that she is, and learning to cope with everything in a healthy manner.

Overall, I think this is a great little rom-com. The characters are fairly relatable, the love interest is great! The side characters need their own story because I really liked them and I bet their love story is fire! The spice is mild but there are a few spicy scenes, but not overly descriptive if that's not your thing. It is worth a read.

This was a delightful and adorable read that had me hooked from beginning to end. I live for the fake dating trope. Also, this book being a brother's best friend made it 10x better! I found myself completely engrossed in the romantic and entertaining journey depicted in the book. I found myself constantly looking forward to their interactions and dates. If you're looking for a cute and engaging read, "Rent to Be" won't disappoint!

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for an ARC!

‘Rent to Be’ by Sonia Hartl was romantic, full of emotion, and so funny. I highly recommend picking it up!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this being a nice light read with enough problem to create a plot but not stress for me.

Firstly I’d like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC 😍😘

Rent to Be tells the story of Isla, a college graduate who’s struggling to work and pay her debts at the same time. After being kicked out of her flat she finds herself in a sticky situation she doesn’t want to go home to her parents so she goes to her brothers to hide out whilst he’s away only to find his best friend Cade there!! Instead of admitting what’s happened Isla manages to set up a house sitting job to avoid Cade and and make some extra cash. Unfortunately Isla gets caught out by Cade and he convinces her to pretend to be his girlfriend at work events to keep up the lie and, well, things get a little steamy guys!! 😏😏

I loved this book, all the characters are wonderful. Nesta and Islas relationship is so natural and warm (I would like a Nesta please). I also like the outcome of Isla and Cades relationship with Islas parents, not everything can be solved straightaway.

The story is important. I’m from the UK and these issues are so prominent. This book highlights how stressful debt can be and how people can feel embarrassed and ashamed. It highlights how comments and ignorance of others about wealth and money can stay with people throughout their lives.

I can’t not mention the spice 😏❤️ It’s brilliantly written. Totally there and really hot but not over the top or unnecessary. It’s sensual and loving as well as being hot and really really sexy!! I completely loved it 😏😏

From the minute Cades towel dropped in front of Isla I knew I was going to love this book. I love how much of this book he’s naked/topless in!! Rent to Be is such a wonderful and romantic novel, please trust me when I say pick it up!! You will not regret it 😏❤️ 5✨

A romantic comedy that was sold to me as it was going to deal with issues that millennials have and although there is some things, it wasn't really like that.

Here we find a super light story, which can be read in one day and which is very enjoyable. With several conflicts in the course of the development of the romance which I liked but certain conflicts seemed very superficial or that they did not have a complete development. But I repeat, it is a light novel that, when sold as a romcom or romantic comedy, is not intended to have such depth either (I think), but rather to be something to clear your head and have a good time.

And that did it.

I liked that in the end not everything has been solved and that it shows that life ends up being perfect and everyone found their way in life. Because clearly the life of each of us does not work that way. He showed what was fair and necessary.

Thanks NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rent to Be is an interesting story about a young women trying to find her place in the world while struggling with a lot of financial debt. I appreciate that the story discusses family conflict, debt, and emotional insecurity as real issues people face. Both Isla and Cade struggle with overcoming the way they were raised to be a different person in adulthood.

Rent to Be is a perfect romcom: funny, sexy, and direct in its commentary. I was rooting for Isla, whose wounds are as clear as she is scrappy, and Cade, whose damage is buried more deeply but equally well written, from the very first steamy, towel-dropping, little black dress moment we see them together on page. Unsurprisingly, like everything else Sonia Hartl has ever written, it is impossibly heartwarming and just makes me feel as though the book is written specifically for me.

The chemistry and the tension between the main characters is off the charts, and the comedy delivered expertly. A romcom in all the senses of the world, it has one of my favorite tropes, childhood friends to lovers, complete with the flashbacks that will make you melt.

And most importantly, it was a romcom that will make so many adults struggling under the tremendous burden of student debt feel seen. It was a romcom that is not afraid to address the gap between an older generation insisting we are squandering our potential wealth on “avocado toast” and the like while sitting in houses purchased for far less money in a far less fragile economy than what younger generations now face. This book doesn’t pretend that people who have been really poor don’t belong in romcoms. We belong in romcoms, the folks who know what it is to eat ramen noodles and shop the discount rack. We especially belong in romcoms as funny and heartwarming and authentic as this one.

Everytime I get a Sonia Hartl book, I tell myself I will ration it, and that I will not simply sit down and read it all at once. This time, like all the others, I of course had no self control and read it cover to cover, which I will certainly do again when I get my preordered copy on release date.

Thank you so much for the eARC of this, Alcove Press!

Finally! I fell in love with a book! I couldn’t put it down 😍

To be fair it’s not a full five, maybe a 4,5, but I’m rounding it up because I haven’t enjoyed a book like that in weeks! It’s romantic, spicy, funny and everything I needed. 🥹🥰

After getting kicked out of her apartment for not paying rent Isla plans to crash at her brother’s temporarily vacated condo until she can figure things out. She is in for a surprise when it turns out her brother’s best friend is also temporarily crashing there while his own condo is under renovation. He promises to keep his mouth shut about her predicament if she can pretend to be his girlfriend at a few work events.

I could relate to Isla on so many levels! The career struggles, the rather normal but not exactly perfect parents, and the general other-side-of-graduation mess felt acutely real. I frowned a bit at the third act conflict but since it felt more like a work in progress than a breakup I can overlook that.

The writing was entertaining and easy to follow and the side characters were great (I want Neeta and Seb’s book! ). But my favorite part of this book was the love story and the chemistry. The Chemistry with capital C. No, actually it was all caps CHEMISTRY. It was sizzling from page one and I loved it!

Read if you like:
- fake dating
- brother’s best friend
- friends to lovers (Monica and Chandler vibes 😍)
- he falls first
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.