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.

This gives all the funny, loving vibes, this book is write perfectly! I couldn’t put it down! I loved it from the start to the end! Would definitely recommend

3 Stars This was a very cute rom com/comedy of errors! Isla's been made to feel like the failure of her family. She's got a lot of student debt and when she falls behind, she get's kicked out of her apartment. Since her brother is out of town, she decides to crash in his condo while he's gone. Too bad that her brother's best friend, Cade, is already staying there. Isla then gets a gig housesitting for her boss and Cade catches her at the mansion she's housesitting. Cade swears he won't tell her family about her secret if she'll be his fake girlfriend. All of this culminates in--you guessed it--Isla falling for her brother's best friend.

This had some of my favorite tropes, including brother's best friend and forced proximity. The characters were all very funny and likeable, with cute banter between them.

Isla Jane has always been made to feel like the failure of the family. While juggling a boat load of debt, she gets behind and ends up getting kicked out of her apartment. While thinking she'd sneakily stay at her brother's house while he's away, she runs into her brother's best friend Cade, staying at the apartment with permission. In an attempt to not look like a failure, she tells Cade she is storing her things, and finds a side hustle of house sitting in order to live, eat, and not seem like a failure to her family.

Through a comedy of houses, a few fake dates with Cade, and confidence of figuring things out for herself, Isla comes to realize she needs to do some growing up and growing out of others" opinions and embrace herself.

Cute read, laugh out loud funny, and generally relatable to those of us with imposter syndrome of simply being "grown up".

#arc
#netgalley
#renttobe

Thank you Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC.

4.0 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had several of my favorite tropes.. brothers best friend, forced proximity. I love everything Sonia Hartl writes but it did take me a little longer to get into this one but after it picks up it was hard for me to put down. I really liked Isla she’s a very relatable and funny character. Her and Cades relationship was a pleasure to read but also frustrating at times I wanted to yell at them and tell them they are perfect for each other. I really wish the ending didn’t feel so rushed, but I’d recommend anyone to read this if you’re looking for a great romcom.

My rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🔥🔥

📦 Brother’s Best Friend
📦 Lifelong Friends
📦 Friends to Lovers
📦 Faked Dating

Isla and Cade have been friends for their whole lives. They are witty and sarcastic and so, so funny together. When isla gets kicked out of her apartment, she heads to her brother’s in hopes of crashing while he’s in London for work. Little did she know Cade was there too! Isla walks in and is greeted by a fresh out the shower Cade, who’s towel just magically drops upon her arrival! She can’t get the image out of her head and now, feelings she didn’t know she had are starting to arise.

Isla and Cade go through A LOT in this book. Her parents are the most supportive but always putting her down. It’s something she has to learn to deal with and so does Cade, since her parents helped raise him, too (hello, little neighbor)
Will their love be enough?

I loved reading this book and I couldn’t put it down. The sarcastic, witty dialogue between Isla and Cade is spot on. She talks a lot like I would talk and I related to her and her struggles.
I also truly loved the plot of the story and her brother Seb and her best friend Neeta. I hope that has a book too!

This book releases in August so go to GoodReads and and it to your TBR today! You don’t want to miss it!

Thank you @hartlsonia and @netgalley for this advance copy!

Rent to Be is an overall enjoyable story if you like to read contemporary and quirky rom-coms, but I think that romance isn’t this story’s strong suit. The arguments between Cade and Isla could have been easily prevented if they had just spoken like adults, and at times it felt like the only thing holding them together was their sexual tension (don’t let the cartoon cover fool you, this book is surprisingly spicy lol). What I really found more interesting was Isla’s financial situation and how her high-achievements in college actually led to life long student debt. I think this book is most enjoyable if this is something you relate to or if you need reassurance that things will be okay even through financial hardship.

Arc provided by NetGalley 😁

Brother's best friend and fake dating and you thought I wouldn't read it?

As soon I I saw it, I wanted to read it! And I was not disappointed, I couldn't put it down, it was sooo addictive (even though I didn't really liked the main female character).
Isla just got kicked out of her apartment and has nowhere to live. Due to some circumstances, her path cross Caled's, her best friend's brother. Isla's brother isn't in town for a few weeks so they are the only one left.

Isla is a character I didn't like: she loooves to loathe in self pity, is a bit egocentric, and I couldn't really understand some of her feelings that are the direct result of her actions.

Caled is what we can call an introvert, but from DAY 1, I just liked him! he's showing his love by little actions.

Their relationship will be hard but I love the evolution of hit, the realisation of their feelings and everything that goes with it.
I also really liked the fact that Sonia Hartl discusses really important subject like finding a job you truly lobe, standing for what you believe in or student loan.

Overall it was a really good read!