Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

It was meh at best. I absolutely did not like our main character and it tried to be a cutesy, funny book and it was so cringe. Honestly the good thing about it is that it's a fast read.

Every now and again, my brain will need something sweet and cozy and cute and romance-y, even though that's not something that I would normally read. Sadly, the books I pick are, more often than not, not what I hoped for.

And so was this book. The book tried too hard to be funny and quirky, but all it did to me was make me roll my eyes. The main character was so irresponsible, so unlikeable, so delusional, so.... I don't even know what to say.

They all act as if they live in a parallel universe where humans are entitled to something and should be forgiven their crap just because they're friends with someone or they have a college degree.

The thing that got me was this:
Isla, our (not so) charming protagonist, is kicked out of her apartment where she lived with her 2 friends because she didn't pay rent for who knows how long. Then, she complains about that to a friend of her brother's who's like, "how can they do that!?" and "but you have your MBA". Yeah, like, how can they kick you out when they have to pay your rent for you for who knows how many months in a row? Shocking. How are you not a billionaire already, you had your MBA a few months ago?

And then she, the (not so) charming protagonist, gets some money and is like, "I slipped the envelope with part of the money I owned under their door. I didn't expect to move back in, but I believe, from the goodness of my heart, because look what a wonderful person I am, that I should make things right and give them the money back". Well, no shit!!! Do you want applause!??

She's wearing the clothes of the woman for whom she's housesitting, ffs! Disgusting!

Anyway, not for me.

I was able to read this for free thanks to Net Galley, although that does not affect my opinion of the actual book. This book was so fun! I definitely felt like I could relate to Isla in many ways, especially the finance situation because I’m learning all about that kind of stuff now. I loved the chaos this book brought out and it had me wanting to continue flipping the pages(or in this case, tapping my phone screen). A definite recommend!

good romance of friends to lovers. I enjoyed that her life was a mess and that she tried to fix it with out asking for help. I loved cade and their tension was hot. I loved that they worked out their issues. I also loved that she had issues with her parents and tried to fix them. She also found something that she was good at. I would love to read about seb and neeta and I know that it was fast but would love to see their relationship too. What does he do now ? I enjoyed the romance and that they talked over things and that she was growing up and trying to work on herself too.

I had been in a reading slump and this book pulled me right out. Funny, with likeable characters. I enjoyed reading!

<i>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i>

<b> 3 stars </b>

I wanted to like this more than I did honestly - I do like the friends/enemies to lovers trope, but somehow the amount of drama and lack of communication between our two MCs just put me off.

While I understand where Isla's trauma was stemming from, I did find the way she acted throughout the book quite immature, and I really struggled to relate to her!

Although a quick, easy read, Rent to Be fell quite flat for me. The main character, Isla, was annoying and childish and changed her mind - and therefore the course of the book - constantly. I appreciated the tough situations presented throughout, and am happy to see financial struggle represented in this genre, but everything was so two-dimensional. The speech felt fake and it was all tell, no show. Some things either didn't make sense or were very quickly glossed over - like how she managed to run a full-time house sitting business whilst also going to the office 5 days a week? Going into the office was never mentioned again until about the fourth house sit. The spice was awkward - the kind of stuff that would never be said in real life, and if it was, you would be swiftly leaving. I don't know anything about the author, but overall, this felt very boomer trying to pass as the 'quirky millenial' and missing entirely.

Thank you to Net Galley, Sonia Hartl, and Alcove Press for the advanced copy of this book!

-Brother's Best Friend
-Forced Proximity
-Great Banter
-Fake Dating

This rom com truly has it all and was such a fun read. Isla is a regular millennial who is like most of us kind of stuck right out of college. When her money troubles land her in a deal with her brothers BFF to be his fake girlfriend if he keeps her issues a secret, things really heat up! This book was so fun! Since Isla and Cade have known each other their whole lives they have the BEST banter. I was laughing out loud at points in this book and enjoyed every minute of it!

Not only is this book hilarious and such a good time to read but it also has some super relatable points. Isla has just graduated college after getting a degree she didn't even want but pursued because she thought it would make her parents happy and make her money. She experiences the real pitfalls of entry level jobs, family pressures, and economic struggles and the social issues surrounding those struggles. It was a pleasure to watch her grow into her own and stand up for herself with her family and implement healthy boundaries.

This book has the humor, the relatability, and even better it also has SPICE!! Don't let the cute cartoon cover fool you, this book is hot! I loved this book and had an absolute blast reading it! I look forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own!

This was such a fun and quick read. Isla and Cade are so cute together and I loved their story. I love how they relate on a lot of stuff and I love how Cade has always wanted to be there for Isla. Also, the chemistry between them was 🔥🔥🔥.

I will say that I hated how Isla’s parents “jokingly” were mean to Isla and I hated how they looked down on Cade and treated him when he was younger. Like I get that they pretty much took him in but like that was their choice and no kid deserves little demeaning slurs like the ones he got. It also made me mad that he made something out of himself and they still didn’t approved. I was thrilled when Isla stood up for him and picked him over her parents because Cade deserves the world.

Again, this was a great read and l’m looking forward to buying an actual copy.

4.5 starts round to 5!

This is one of my favourite romances I've ever read. EVER. Brother's best friend? Check. Messy characters who are also hilarious and loveable? Check. Spiciness? Check and check. I hope readers find their way to this book en masse because it deserves all the love.