This book was a great read. It is sweet, fast paced, amusing and a lot of fun. I read it in one sitting and I couldn't possibly put it down. I connected with main character from the start and I just wanted to see Isla get her life together and be happy. I laughed out loud many times while reading, and even though there were some cliche moments, they weren't overdone and everything felt natural. I liked the chemistry and banter between MC and her love interest. I wish this book had a dual POV, but don't mind me, high fantasy books spoiled me. Even so, I really enjoyed this book and I read it in a matter of a few hours. This book comes out August 15th and those who get a chance to grab it for a summer vacation should do just that because I believe this book would be an excellent beach read. Even if you're not going on a vacation, but desperately need one, you should read this book. It's relaxing and light and will give you a laugh. Almost as really going on a vacation.
Now...As you can see, I am saying all the best things about this book, but you can notice I gave it four, not five star, rating. That is because the very ending and epilogue felt a bit rushed, and therefore fel flat for me. I wish it was at least twenty pages longer and we got a bit more satisfying end.

Rent to Be is laugh out loud funny! I was was reading on the train and people would stare as I laughed at what I had just read.

It’s a quick read with some favorite tropes and would be a perfect afternoon read.

Rent to Be is everything a romance should be! A wonderful, all consuming read about two friends who've grown up together and suddenly start to view each other differently. It also looks at how a college degree doesn't always bring guaranteed success.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book with relatable characters.

This was tagged as perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey and Beth O'Leary, I'm a fan of both and I completely agree!! This was a quick and cute read that involves a girl and her brother's best friend - what more can you ask for? The chemistry between Cade and Isla was wonderful and believable, I also appreciated the nods to real life struggles - it made this novel feel grounded in reality which I always appreciate.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Sonia Hartl for access to this e-ARC!!

Isla feels like the family screw up. She has a job she hates, outstanding debt, a degree that she's not sure she wants, and she has just been kicked out of her apartment. She plans to make use of her brother's empty condo, but finds it occupied by her brother's best friend, throwing a wrench into her plan. After finding a somewhat unconventional place to sleep for one night, she devises a new plan to turn things around, at least temporarily. However, this new plan is once again disrupted by her brother's best friend and things progress from there.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book after reading through a few other reviews. I can see some of the points that reviewers had, but I enjoyed this book overall. While I could not directly relate to either character, I felt that they were portrayed well enough that I understood them and their motivations. I was really angry at the way Isla's family treated/represented her and the way they made Cade feel. I thought the fake dating was a little far fetched, but I am a sucker for that trope so it still worked. Overall, I don't feel comfortable calling this light-hearted, but it was definitely well done and I enjoyed it.

This one had a bunch of everyone’s most favorite tropes. Friends to lovers, brothers best friend, fake dating, etc. definitely a cute and quick read.

This was cute, but not overly remarkable. I am a milennial and I felt that this book about milennials really missed the mark.

Tropes & Themes: brothers' best friend, known you my whole life, forced proximity

I probably had too high expectations for this book. The main issue happens early on in the book and then the story never recovered. The one thing that irks me is the stupid heroine and our girl had plenty of questionable decisions and actions. Odd that book about millennials to an actual millennial wasn't relatable at all.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

**I want to start by being fully transparent; I received this as an ARC from publisher and NetGalley BUT that does NOT sway my feelings/opinions at all. This is a fully unbiased review formed from my own thoughts after reading. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for allowing me this eARC copy**

Rent to Be was cute but not the book for me

Unfortunately not my cup of tea. But that‘s ok. After reading the blurb I anticipated a typical romcom, lighthearted, funny and easy to read.
Isla Jane is in dire straits - she‘s got debts, a shitty job, no friends and as of late : no place to live. So she‘s planning on temporarily moving into her brother‘s condo. Little does she know: she‘s not the only one. Cade Greenly, her brother‘s best friend is crashing there too. They strike a deal to keep each others secrets and reconnect.

It was much more complicated than what I bargained for. The story was well constructed, but it‘s no roommate romance. The moving-living-renting situation is not easy to comprehend. There actually is a lot of moving going on.

The vibe is very Emily Henry, Beth O‘Leary, millenial struggle. Which is fine, but as I said, I thought it would be lighter on my heart. There are tragic moments and broken people and if this is your vibe, then you should give it a go. The characters were beautifully written and it had that unique millenial vibe going on.

I wanted to love this book - I thought the premise was super cute, and I was so ready to be invested in it...but it just didn't happen for me. Both of the main characters honestly got on my nerves, and appeared to be childish and confusing. Their romance was very hot and cold - I'm not sure how many chances Isla seems to think that Cade deserves, but the amount of times he turns her away after telling her he wants her is ridiculous. I was also really over hearing about how poor Isla was, how unfair her life was, and how being rich solves all problems. That isn't the case, at all. I'm sure there are people out there who have been pushed into degrees they didn't want, but they also don't sit around complaining about it...almost incessantly. I also disagree that her parents were gaslighting her - I think they were set in their ways, for sure, but I'm not sure where the gaslighting part was supposed to have come in. Finally, there wasn't enough resolution for me at the end of the book. I wanted to know what Cade's "grand gesture" was supposed to be, and just more about how they got where they ended up. I was disappointed to find out Isla never became a Librarian, after hearing about it being her dream almost to the point of being over done. The book was easy to read, but fell short on the romance and it's always hard to enjoy a book when you don't enjoy either of the main characters.

I do appreciate NetGalley and Alcove Press for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Alcove for giving me the opportunity to receive the ARC for this book.

I thoroughly enjoy every bits of this book. Some parts even hit close to home as I feel the struggle for the main character (regarding jobs, finding place to stay, and even navigating life in general). I was actually expecting a blushing kind of effect from this book, but the beginning of it really makes me sob a little. In a good way, of course!

Overall, very enjoyable. I love this a lot!

Cute mildly spicy brother's best friend to lover rom com with a sprinkle of self doubt, angst and parents who need to do better!
Love it!
3 stars

While not normally one of my favourite genres as is, I have been quite disappointed in the contemporary romances I have been reading lately, with no exception being made for this title. While Rent to Be made for quick and easy reading, I didn't gel with the main characters the way I had hoped and so the whole novel fell flat. I enioyed the secondary characters probably more than the primary ones, but again wanted more. All that said, this book might be something that you would enjoy. For me, however, it lacked both dimension and direction, earning it only 3 stars.

While I think this book had good potential, this feel a little short for me. Some of the storyline felt either disconnected or while good felt a little rushed or some chapters just not enough. I was just wanting a little more.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

While Rent to Be, by Sonia Hartl, is an upbeat laugh-out-loud romance novel, it is not without a serious message. Things said in front of children by their "loving" families can have serious implications in those children's adult lives. With the love of friends and family, these can be overcome. The relationships and banter between the characters as well as the situations they find themselves in keep the story light. The sexual situations make it steamy. This was a fun afternoon read with an added lesson! Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Fresh out of her MBA program Isla finds herself in a low paying job and kicked out of her apartment for not paying rent. As she sulks to her brother’s condo she runs into his hot best friend – Cade. She ends up working as a house sitter since Cade is staying a while. When Cade catches her sunbathing, he ropes her into helping him out by pretending to be his girlfriend for the summer. As time goes on Isla finds herself in a pickle when she develops feelings for Cade. What will sizzle first, the relationship or her housesitting gig.

This book has my brother’s best friend and fake dating. Two things that worked very well together! I usually end up enjoying fake dating and that was the case here. I enjoyed most about this book except for Isla’s parents. They were rude and condescending and I don’t think they ever redeemed themselves, which was unfortunate. I really enjoyed the relationship between Cade and Isla, it was so sweet and heartwarming. I also enjoyed how funny this book was! Kept me engaged and wanting more. I also loved the personal growth that Isla had throughout the book – sometimes it just takes a little kick to get started in life and she got just what she needed.

If you are looking for a funny romcom then grab yourself a copy of this one – its out August 15th.

Thank you so much to Alcove Press, @alcovepress and Netgalley, @netgalley, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Additional social media will be added once posted.

Brother’s best friend, fake dating, and a whole lot of drama and antics? Count me in. Isla is working a crappy job, got kicked out of her apartment, and those student loans won’t stop anytime soon. The only plausible solution is to crash at her brother’s condo while he’s out of the country right?

Oh Isla, relatable millennial struggling with the post-college ‘what am I doing’ paired with the burden of being the butt of all failing jokes of her family. While at times she is absolutely infuriating over her stubbornness to ignore everything and make the most ridiculous choices to avoid letting anyone know, she really grew on me. Enter in Cade and oh boy what a heart throb. Both these characters are fighting the attraction and chemistry under a false notion of “protecting” themselves and the other. It’s messy, it’s angsty, it’s full of lust and tension.

With a storyline filled with laugh out loud moments you can’t help but get sucked in. This was a one sitting read for me that hit home with the character growth and touchy subjects in regards to family support and parental relationships.

I enjoy Sonia Hartl's writing and I like the two other books of hers I've read. This story wasn't my favorite though. Isla's story just felt so real, and my heart broke for her feeling like she had no choices and no one to turn to. I liked her relationship with Cade and eventaully the way her relationship with her brother turned out. A big part of this book is about economic status, welfare, shame, and capitalism and it was difficult to read at times.

The relationship with Cade and Isla was off for me. I didn't like the push and pull that they put each other through, and it's always hard for me to read stories about people who've had feelings for years and pretended they aren't there. It feels like such a waste. The writing in this book is good and the plot is very interesting at times, but this one wasn't for me as much as I wanted it to be.