I really enjoyed Sonia Hartl’s zodiac cove books (even tho I had lots of criticism they are fun) and I was excited about this. It was fine. Some parts I loved:

Pros - the MC had student loans, financial struggles, low-wage. All of that felt so relevant and awesome to see rep of financial insecurity. Also this is quite funny - funny one liners that tickled my fancy. I also loved the complicated and messy family dynamics. And Neeta.

Cons - there is too much use of the word cock during non sex scenes. Isla is super annoying - like in the end of the first scene she flashes her boobs at Cade to “catch him off guard” who does that?! The third act breakup is annoying. Cade is kind of annoying.

This was adorable and funny and such a quick and immersive read. I knew what was going to happen but I didn’t even care!

I chose this book for the romance, but I was pleasantly surprised by the criticism of capitalist society and expectations. Isla did what many of us were told to do: go on to college, get a degree, apply that degree...and like many of us, she's swimming in debt. She thinks she can get away with staying at her brother's place, but his best friend Cade is already crashing there while his place undergoes some renovations. The chemistry between them is obvious from the start. I adored Isla and Cade and everything about this book.

Isla and Cade's chemistry leaps off the page right from the start and the tension the author creates between them is impeccable. This book includes many tropes including brother's best friend, childhood friends, fake relationship, hidden relationship, and dysfunctional family.

This is only told from Isla's POV which usually isn't my favorite way to read a romance. Usually I feel like I'm missing out on the other characters development. However, I think it's really well done in this instance. Isla gives us enough of Cade's background that I feel like I know him as well as I know her.
The spice is low and later in the book but is a lot in a short span. The big focus is on the slow build of their romance and the tearing down of the MC's walls on both sides. I loved the larger issues woven throughout the story such as the idea that college is the only way to succeed, and how our words can hurt others. I also love Isla's relationship developments with her parents and her own character growth.

Overall this was a fun romance with amazing tension between the characters and great character development.

Isla has been kicked out of her apartment and tries to go stay at her brothers while he’s out of town to stumble upon her brothers best friend, that she grew up with, naked. He propositions her to fake date him at his work functions and he won’t tell her family that she’s without a place to live.

Isla was pretty infuriating at times with how stubborn she was and unwilling to accept help, due to how she was raised. The story was good but I really struggled to connect with Isla because of how stubborn she was to accept help. Just when you think that Isla and Cade move past some hang ups they revert right back to it and I found it really difficult to stick with. I am glad that everything is resolved by the end and loved many if the side characters.

This rom-com was so good! I had a hard time putting it down.

The age-old dilemma of crushing on someone you shouldn't. Rationalizing with yourself the many ways it wouldn't end up horribly but knowing deep down that it really could, all the while, your life is in shambles. Poor Isla. 5/5

Thank you to the author @netgalley , and @alcovepress for letting me read the ARC. I loved it!

Isla is overeducated and grossly underpaid. When she is kicked out of her apartment for not being able to rent, she hopes to crash at her brother's apartment while he is out of town. However, that plan is quickly dashed when she realizes his best friend is using the guest bedroom while his own condo is being renovated. Refusing to ask her parents for help and with no other options, Isla stumbles into a house sitting gig. Cade's got some work issues of his own and agrees to keep quiet if Isla pretends to be his fake girlfriend at his various work functions.

I started this one off as an audiobook, but quickly transitioned to my kindle because it was just that good and I could not seem to put it down. This is a brother's best friend, forbidden romance with fantastic banter. I always appreciate rom-coms that dive a little deeper and this one did just that. It was both funny and heartfelt with a great message of self-love and setting healthy boundaries.

A great read, the story of Isla and Cade. He is her brothers best friend, so should be off limits, but as they spend time together will this change?

4.25 stars

This was a cute romcom that was (unfortunately!) relatable in more ways than one. I really enjoyed the plot line, and many of the characters were well-rounded enough to feel realistic. The story was angsty and funny in turns, and honestly, it was the (mostly) light and fun summer read that I needed.

This was a quick read with some of my favorite tropes but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I didn’t particularly like or connect with either of the main characters. This book had a lot of tell rather than show and that made the leads feel pretty one-dimensional.

I could not get into this book. Read 29% of it but it was to predictable.
I would like to thank Alcove Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was such a delightful read. I adored both of the main characters, and I was immediately invested in the storyline. I laughed out loud so many times!!! TSuch a perfect Saturday read.

Soooooo amazing!!!! Love the chemistry, the banter.
The writing is really great!


"Thank you so much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗 "I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Isla is having a rough week....month....year. When she is kicked out of her apartment with nowhere to go, she may have to level with her brother's best friend, Cade to keep her secrets.

Isla and Cade agree to a temporary fake relationship for his workplace. He only wants for them to think he's in a relationship to deter the constant matchmaking of his coworkers. It seems like a perfect solution. Isla can go to his work events where there is usually wonderful food and Cade agrees not to tell her brother that she's struggling to pay her bills. But the best laid plans don't always work out as intended. Cade and Isla begin to act like this pretend relationship may have some reality to it. They both resist letting it cross that line because of Isla's brother, Seb and his close relationship to Cade. But eventually the heart may take over and then what will they do?

I really enjoyed the romance in the book and personal interactions in the book. What I struggled with was Isla's intense frustration with large companies, student loan debt and money issues.. Honestly, it felt too preachy to me at times. I'm not saying if she did or didn't have valid points. I'm just saying I didn't expect that in this book. I was expecting a little lighter read but it was still well-written and enjoyable.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also received an early copy of the audiobook. It was well done with good narration. The story flow was solid and made for an enjoyable listening experience. 4 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for both early copies of the ebook and audiobook.

RENT TO BE By Sonia Hartl

Isla Jane is living the millennial nightmare. She’s got a shiny new MBA and no way to pay for it, thanks to her dead-end entry-level job, and nowhere to live, thanks to her miserable salary. Going home to her parents is not possible, but for once Isla’s brother may be her saving grace. He’s out of town on business for a month, meaning the guest room in his condo is blissfully empty.
Or so Isla thinks, until she runs into Cade Greenley, her brother’s best friend—who’s crashing there while his own condo is undergoing renovations

😊What i liked -

✔ Brother's Best Friend/Fake Relationship/He Falls First.
✔ I felt so bad for Isla but I loved how she tries to bounce.
✔ Now Cade, how do I describe him? 🤔.He is sweet and protective. Love how he stands up for her.
✔ A special mention has to be done for Neeta. I absolutely loved her. Isla and she were such an unlikely pair.
✔ It was funny (few places), romantic and spicy.

🤔What could have been better -

✔ I cannot really pinpoint it but I felt a bit of the magic was missing.

📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
💝Romance Lover
💕Brother's Best Friend Romance
💞Fake Relationship Romance

📈My Rating : 4/5

Thank you, Sonia Hartl and Alcove Press, for a copy.

Isla is a “typical” Millennial with an overextended student loan, a dead-end job, and a pragmatic view on her current life situation: it sucks. After her roommates toss her out because Isla hasn’t paid rent in a few months, she goes to her brother’s condo to hopefully crash there. Her plans change when she walks into the condo and sees a fully naked Cade - her brother’s best friend and her longtime crush. Isla turns around and through happenstance, finds a job housesitting for the week. Cade is visiting in the same neighborhood and after a conversation, Isla agrees to fake date Cade for some of his work events.

The chemistry between Cade and Isla is so good. I was rooting for them from the start. I enjoyed their witty banter and loved that he fell first. I think Isla was at times a little over the top about being broke. I think she made some bad choices that unfortunately snowballed.

Her relationship with her parents was tough to read but unfortunately, pretty common. I liked that Isla’s brother and Cade stood up for her. A few things were glossed over like how Isla managed to both work full time and house sit and why her parents weren’t as hard on her brother but overall it’s a quick read with great chemistry.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this eARC. Rent To Be is out now.

I just finished Rent to be by Sonja Hartl and here are my musings.


Isla Jane has hit rock bottom. She graduates with an MBA but the student loan repayments are taking half her paycheque from a job that doesn’t see her talent. Living paycheque to paycheque now has Isla kicked out of the home she shared with 2 other people.

Now homeless with nothing in the bank, she can’t go home to her disapproving parents but the stars have aligned and she has a key to her brother's condo which happens to currently be empty…. Except when she arrives, she runs smack dab into her brother's best friend Cade, a stark naked Cade.

RTunning out of the condo with a blush on her face, she goes to the only place she can think of… She sleeps under her desk and while there, she overhears one of the big bosses is in need of a house sitter.

Cade finds Isla at the house that is clearly not hers and she must admit why she is there. Cade has a deal that would help both of them out. She pretends to be his girlfriend for work functions and he doesn’t tell anyone what she is doing. Things are going really well until Isla unwittingly starts to fall for the broody Cade.

This book made me giggle so hard! The characters were adorable and Isla and Cade had the grumpy/sunshine trope down to a fine art. I love when you feel a kinship with characters in books and while I have never gone through what Isla has, I can see a lot of my own traits in her. She is riddled with self doubt but she has a wild streak I just adore. Cade was too perfect for words and I love the way their friendship turned into something more but it wasn’t smooth sailing.

This book highlights the very real problem with how much an education can cost and how much debt it puts people in only to not be able to find jobs that come close to what they need to be paying, especially at an entry level wage. Having to pick between rent or eating is a scary reality for a lot of people and I couldn’t imagine how horrific it really is.

I loved the house sitting and the descriptions of all the homes she stayed in. I also loved Cade’s company where they are like a family. Everyone should feel cherished in a job, not expendable.

I was hooked from page one and I was so sad it was over but I also loved that Isla didn’t get the unrealistic HEA and the ending was so realistic that I enjoyed it even more!

5 stars!!

Thank you @netgalley and @alcovepress for my gifted copy

I really enjoyed this story! The love story was really sweet and spicy. The little ways Cade tries to get closer to Isla. It was so sweet. They have known each other since little kids and the flashbacks were sweet and tied their past together so nicely.

I did knock a star because I felt like there was a lot of griping about capitalism. Stick it to the man kinda thing, which is, whatever. But that little line of logic in the book wasn’t my thing.

Content: swears and open door content.

Here we have a fun - brother’s best friend, nemesis to lovers, fake dating, and he falls first - read.
This book also touched on a rarely touched upon scary reality - finishing school with a truckload of debt and having trouble finding a good job. Or at least it’s not a topic that’s I see come up very often.
Isla is struggling to make ends meet and a place to live. The author tackled this with quite a bit of humour. It’s a good thing the main character was able to cope and this was done rather realistically. In comes Cade, her brother’s best friend - the initial encounter was a laugh out loud moment for me. He tries to help, but she would like to avoid that. They strike a deal and here comes the fake dating. There are some nice genuine moments of friendship that develop between the two. The chemistry between Isla and Cade is good.
While there are the antics between the main characters, on the side we have some good and toxic familial relationships. Isla learns that sometimes it’s ok to walk away from her parents and the hurt they have caused. There is also healing in the relationship between her and her brother.
So, here we have a fun rom-com, but it is not devoid of the hardships that come along in real life. This is why I would recommend this book to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

A one-sitting read! I couldn't stop reading this romcom featuring brother's best friend, fake relationship, friends to lovers, and forced proximity tropes. I loved Isla and Cade: the slow burn of their relationship and the explosive steam when they got together. I liked the common millennial struggles expressed through Isla and the complicated found family expressed through Cade. A satisfying ending and I had all I need out of a romance.