Brothers best friend is honestly my favorite trope and I think there’s fake dating?? I fully believe that their romance is going to be good! But I don’t think this is going to the escape I’m looking for. And while I think talking about the real struggles of life after college is so so important - I am VERY much living that life - I don’t want to read about it at this time

So this not a reflection in the author or even the book. I would willing to give this author and even the book another chance at another time

Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions

Thank you to Author @hartlsonia @alcovepress & @netgalley for providing this ARC; all opinions shared are my own.

This was such a fun fake dating, brothers best friend romance and it was easy to get sucked into the quirky personality that is Isla. She and Caden had such a push-pull relationship and I enjoyed as we witnessed more of their defining childhood memories together to explain their actions in the present.

The way that the Author discussed debt and the financial situation of many newly graduated young adults was engaging and I can only imagine that many people live through what Isla does throughout the book. It was nice to have an FMC who had flaws but stood her ground and defended who she is.

Look out for publication on August 15th 🥳

I’m all here for a brother’s best friend story so I knew I had to check this book out. Hartl writes a story about a woman who needs a place to stay after having no money and stays at her brother’s place but his best friend is also there to live for a while. The author did a great job with the storyline and bringing the plot that was promised. It was fun, entertaining, and steamy with learning experiences for the characters. This book is only told from the FMC pov which wasn’t bad but I also didn’t enjoy Isla’s character. I often found her annoying though I did enjoy seeing her grow. Cade is the love interest and I enjoyed his character. It would have been nice to see his perspective in the book too. There were some side characters in the book but they weren’t the main focus in the book. The romance is brother’s best friend, fake dating, and forced proximity with some steamy scenes. The romance was well done and I loved the chemistry between the two characters. The ending was sweet and I thought it was perfect for the book. Hartl did a great job with writing this story and I can’t wait to see what else she comes out with next.

I loved Sonia’s first book, but unfortunately Rent to Be was a miss for me. I had the hardest time liking Isla and the choices she made. I also found the beginning in the book very slow and hard for me to get into.

Such a funny cute read.
Isla is living a nightmare where nothing is going her way. She has an MBA but her entry level data job just isn't paying enough to even pay her rent, so when she comes home to find all her stuff on the lawn of her rental she heads to her brothers apartment to stay. Problem is that her brother's best friend Cade is staying there and when she walks in she is shocked to find Cafe completely naked. She ends up starting a house sitting business whilst hiding the real situation from her family and friends with Cade being the only one knowing the truth. He keeps it a secret in exchange for her being his fake girlfriend at his weekly work social events. As any romance fan knows this is always a recipe for a real romance.
Fun spin on a proven trope. The characters are fun and interesting and it is a story about not settling in life and finding what makes you happy.

Fake dating! Friends to lovers! Isla is miserable- she hates her job, she's got huge student debt her parents are awful, and she doesn't have a place to live, But then she decides to stay in her brother's guest room and it all changes because Cade is there too. He makes the deal with her- pretend to be his girlfriend and he'll help her, And you know what happens, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is trope-y trope-y trope-y but I suspect there are many out there who will sympathize with Isla's plight,.

Cute!

I loved this book! It is cute, witty, and covers topics that are under discussed. HOWEVER, I did knock it a star because (especially at the end) it gave me some major cancel culture vibes with a touch of agenda. While there is a place for that . . . I read fiction to get away from the BS of reality. So, it took away from the story for me.

What I loved was Isla and Cade!! She is a mess, but in a way that makes her completely relatable. Cade is the boy next door whose story broke my heart. What creeped me out was 100% the NDA house. You will know what I’m talking about when you read it.

100% recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC!

Isla Jane’s life is going nowhere fast, with a dead-end job and bills galore. The only way she can get ahead is to leave in the guest room of her brother’s condo, whilst he is away. Little does she know that her brother’s best friend, Cade Greenley is also planning to crash there whilst his own condo is being renovated. So, when there is the possibility of staying a mansion that is not hers, she has to admit that she can’t afford to rent. Cade agrees to keep her secret from her parents if she will pose as his girlfriend at upcoming events. Soon, their fake dating seems to be so much more. What Isla is not sure of, is whether Cade feels the same.
A quick read with the familiar friends to lovers’ aspect. I enjoyed reading about their past, through the flashbacks which helped me appreciate their history. I would have liked to have read more about them as a couple, as the ‘fake dating’ seemed to have more time devoted to it, than the actual romance. An enjoyable read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love it soooooo much!!!!:)

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

The housesitting scheme in this book felt overreaching and a little creepy - yes, I'm sure it happens, because millennials are in desperate straits, but it hampered the enjoyment for me.

Lots of romances seem to start off with the heroine hitting rock bottom. Either she loses her job, or her place to live, or her boyfriend. Or all three. With this story, she loses her place to live and she absolutely hates her job. But she has terrible college and grad school loans to pay back. It’s a believable, somewhat, plot. Lots of people make the mistake of going deep into debt to get a graduate degree without really thinking it through about costs vs. benefits. Add in that she was never really interested in an MBA and just did it to get her parents’ approval and she is in a real mess.

I just got tired of the heroine’s constant loserdom. She does start building a romance with her brother’s best friend whom she’s known since they were children and they have a pretend romance. But I found her situation rather depressing and it never seemed to get all that better until the very end.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This book just wasn't meant for me.
Though intriguing at moments, fun at times, and attempting to talk about some real issues, I just couldn't connect with this story.
Sonia Hartl uses this story to develop a main character that the reader can understand, sympathize with, and root for, which is great! There's just a lot going on around our main character that feels like it muddles/takes away from her arc.
We have some excellent tropes in play: Childhood friends-to-lovers and brother's best friend. But again, it feels like there's a lot happening throughout the story that takes away from the effectiveness these tropes can have.
It felt like our main characters broached the friends/lovers barrier too quickly (at the 27% mark) given their history and respective hesitancy when it comes to their feelings for each other. There is a pull back after this line is initially crossed, but it would likely have been a more engaging pay off and would have built more tension to keep them apart a bit longer.
Hartl brings up some interesting issues throughout this story: Student loan debt, economic inequality, public misconceptions about welfare and those receiving aid, parent/child relationships and how they can shape self-esteem and self-worth. All of these topics are important and well worth discussing, but unfortunately they were a bit jumbled throughout our romantic storyline, which took away from their depth and distracted from what was going on between our main characters.
I will say, this book did handle the steamy scenes incredibly well.
Overall, I think this was a story that I just didn't connect with, but I hope others do!

Rent to Be is a quick and enjoyable read, with enough laughs and romance to keep things moving along. The relationship isn't that believable and the main characters are not the easiest to connect with or root for, but it's entertaining.

I enjoyed this book - the characters, the story, the writer’s voice - so much, that I’m a bit sad it’s over.

FMC Isla Jane is an MBA grad in a dead end data-entry job, trying to make ends meet. Cade is her brother’s best friend, and discovers Isla’s keeping secrets from her family. He uses this as leverage to get Isla to agree to be his fake girlfriend for a while to keep his work colleagues from trying to set him up on dates.

I love Isla Jane, and I immediately connected with her struggles post graduation, her family and her wonderfully dry, sarcastic tone as she tells her story. And I really appreciated the way Hartl revealed the character’s backstory and family dynamic. It would be so easy to brush off Isla as scattered and irresponsible, excepted that her rather delightful brand of chaos is rooted in her past, and full of heart.

FMC Cade is everything Isla isn’t: organized, successful in his job, and generally seems to have his life together. He’s infuriatingly charming and delectable, and his verbal spars with Isla is one of my favourite things about this book.

If you are in search of a hilarious romantic comedy about sorting out life and love, fake dating brother’s best friend, and a delicious slow burn to spice-town, this is a must-read!

Definitely wasn’t hooked on this one as much as I was with heartbreak for hire. I didn’t understand the relationship and didn’t think there was any growth with the two MCs and it was just a convenient hookup

Funny, sexy, steamy and heartfelt romance set against the very real struggles of student debt.

Perfect for lovers of brothers best friend/friends to lovers/fake dating ❤️

So well done! Spicy 🌶

If you are looking for a sizzling read, then this is it! Talk about an overall fantastic read. I really enjoyed being able to relate to the career struggles and loved the romance. This was a very entertaining read and very easy to follow. Next up should be a published book from Neeta and Seb!).

This was my first by Sonia Hartl and I feel a little torn. It wasn't quite what I expected but since it was my first read by this author, I'm not sure that's fair? This was a relatively quick and easy read. However, I didn't overly enjoy the FMC which led to me not feeling much of a connection to either MC. She was meant to be a quirky MC that didn't have her life together but it was no shocker that she didn't when she made decisions with very little maturity. And don't even get me started on Cade's reason for needing to fake date. Cade was enjoyable for the most part but I wonder if I'd still feel that way if we had a dual POV. I did like some of the societal reflection pieces but they did bring the book to a different place than a light hearted romcom. I did appreciate the realistic side of the toxic parental relationship.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Earning an MBA in 2023 doesn’t guarantee financial stability. No one knows this better than Isla Jane. Despite working a full-time job, she is unable to make ends meet each month. With her debt far outweighing her income, Isla finds herself broke and homeless. While most millennials would simply run back home to mom and dad, Isla isn’t ready to admit defeat. Will Isla be able to get back on her feet before her family finds out the truth, or is she destined to remain the Jane family screw up?

Sonia Hartl’s Rent To Be is the perfect gift for a recent college graduate or young adult trying to navigate the real world. It offers an in-depth look at the financial and personal struggles many millennials are currently facing.

By all intense and purposes, Isla has done everything right. She went to college, graduated with an MBA (in a reliable field), and got a job straight out of school. However, with no experience, Isla is stuck in an entry level position, getting passed over for promotion, time and time again. With insurmountable debt looming over her head, Isla sees no way out, other than supplementing her income by house and pet sitting.

If being fiscally insolvent wasn’t bad enough, Isla is also inundated with personal issues. She has surface level relationships with her family and no one else to turn to. The closest thing to a friend she has is Neena, the librarian who often finds her sulking on the floor when life gets to be too much.

I loved the raw look at adulthood Rent To Be provides. While it is a story of struggle, it is also one of hope. Isla is nothing if not perseverant and resilient. The addition of the brother’s best friend trope, some steamy scenes, and laugh out loud moments make this a great read.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Sonia Hartyl for allowing me to read Rent To Be in exchange for my honest review!

I think I have an obsession with rom-coms. I have been reading a lot of them recently. They’re such a heartwarming genre and I love that we as a society have moved on from hating them to actually appreciating them. Rent To Be was exactly what I wanted and needed to end a terrible reading slump I was in. I loved the characters. The main character Isla is my new favorite character. I think what I actually appreciated in this novel was the reality of the job market and how sometimes higher education isn’t the answer to all your problems.

Isla is considered a major screw-up. She has an MBA and massive debt. She gets kicked out of her apartment after not being able to pay rent for 3 months. She comes from a family that is all about hard work and not asking for help so she also has that mentality. She tries to spend her time at her bothers apartment while he’s out of town but it turns out her brother’s best friend is also staying there. From the very beginning, we see a lot of tension between Cade (the best friend) and Isla.

What I loved about this book the most is Isla’s humor. I love when characters can make me fall out of bed laughing. Her personality was a lot but it is certain that she holds a lot of love. She stands up for what is right and she cares about the people around her. I enjoyed the writing a lot because it was very engaging and fun. It was captivating and talked about the realities of life after college for a lot of people. I love how real the author depicted this through the characters because it was comforting to read about.

I 100% recommend this because it was a terrific read. This is my first book by Hartl and I’m so excited to read more of her books.