This was my first book by Sonia Hartl and I can't wait to pick up more books by her.

I requested the book because of fake dating and was not disappointed.

It was a very sweet yet quite serious story with great main characters. It was nice to read a book in which the main character, who is in her early 20s, has not already planned her whole life and knows exactly what she wants, but rather a young woman who is still finding out what is right for her to be happy in life .

I loved Isla as the main character and in generell I really liked all the different characters and how they were portrayed.

In some places a lot happened at once and it seemed a bit much to me, but I still liked the book very much.

I was also very surprised when it suddenly became Spicy, because I hadn't expected it at all.

Thank you for this ARC and the opportunity to read this great book in advance!

I've never read a Sonia Hartl book, but I was missing so much!!
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After being thrown out by her roommates, Isla has got one solution: living in her brother's apartment while he is away. However, what she doesn't expect is seeing Cade, her brother's best friend, living there. They have known each other since they were little and now Isla has to fake date Cade during his work functions to keep her living arrangements secret.
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This book was so funny!! Isla is such an entertaining character and her flaws are mostly due to her relationship with her parents.
The best part of his book is how Isla and Cade tease each other, and there is no boring part because of that!!

The epilogue was so cute!! I also didn't expect to be spicy scenes. There isn't a lot because this is a romcom and they aren't TOO spicy.
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Tropes:
- brother's best friend
- fake dating
- romcom

Thank you NetGalley and Sonia Hartl for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm going to start this by saying I'm not sure I liked the MC at the beginning, which is usually a major turnoff for me in a romance, but I couldn't put this book down. I was suspicious that she was more at fault in most of her problems than she was admitting to (and I got some confirmation of some of that later) and that she was spinning things to make her seem less like the problem, but I still rooted for her, which in a romance is a VERY hard balance to strike for me, and I loved that I was so conflicted about Isla.

Isla has just been passed up for yet another promotion, in favor of someone who has less seniority and no more qualification than her. She's just been kicked out of her apartment because she's three months behind on rent. And when she gets to her brother's condo (which is supposed to be empty for the next month) she finds her brother's best friend inhabiting the room she'd hoped to crash in. But she doesn't want Cade or her family to know she's in such bad shape, so she spends the night under her desk at work--and in the morning, overhears one of her superiors in need of a housesitting. She's found the solution to her problems: she now has a place to stay, and additional income, on top of that.
For the next month, Isla house sits, and when Cade catches her and discovers what's going on, he strikes a deal with her: he won't tell her family, as long as she poses as his girlfriend at work events so his coworkers will stop trying to find him dates. But it turns out that pretending to date Cade (and having accidentally seen him naked) brings up some very real feelings she's suddenly having a hard time ignoring.

Rent To Be takes a very hard look at debt, and what we're expected by society (and our families) to do to get by--and how we're supposed to never talk about the struggles we're facing. It also provides a great reminder that we never know what's going on in someone else's life, no matter how perfect it may seem from the outside.

by this book because I usually can’t stand a story where the main character can’t seem to get his or her crap together. However, I think one can’t help but feel bad for Isla because she really is trying. Many of us were in the position of student loans, jib that doesn’t pay that well, struggling to make ends meet and living the cheap life of college but as an adult and wondering when things will get better. I didn’t love the development of the love interest berserk I always find it hard to believe no one was aware of it until now when they’ve known each other forever. I also thought the obstacle between them (&there always is one in these romances, of course) was pretty lame. I also can’t say I loved all the steamy scenes, but it was better than some of the junk I’ve read. Getting past those things, I loved her new friendship and the dynamic she was working through with her parents and brother. The book has some good things going for it in general; it was a better read than some of the other romances I have grabbed lately, and I can see the appeal for many. Cute read. FYI adult romance that has the usual love scenes and profanity and what-not

This is a very cute and quick read. Plus it helped me get out my reading slump, so thank god for that! The childhood friends to lovers really hit with this one. Especially, the first time they meet is hilarious. Watching them fall in love was amazing. The only comment I really have is that Isla was all over the place and I thought she already lost her job, but turns out she still had it 😬

Isla’s been kicked out of her apartment with not a penny to her name. Her plan is to stay at her brothers who is out of the country while she sorts her life out. Enter Cade, her brothers best friend who is staying at her brothers whilst his condo is renovated. In order to keep Cade quiet about her not ideal situation Isla agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend to get his work colleagues off his back … well we all know how that usually turns out!

I’m a sucker for a brothers best friend romance and this book didn’t disappoint! It was a super easy and quick read, perfect for that day at the beach or a weekend read!

At first I was worried I was not going to like Isla,
she is a bit woe-is-me but she puts her big girl pants on and (somewhat) gets herself together.

I enjoyed Cade, my only criticism was that it was only one POV and Cade had so much going on that we just weren’t privy too from Isla’s perspective which I felt made the character a little surface level.

The connection between Isla and Cade is evident immediately and I like we got a little insight into their relationship as kids.

Also the nickname - it shouldn’t work but it does!

This book has everything to make it a fun read. There is fun brother’s best friend trope, it also has enemies to lovers trope..but still kind of counts as one. Best girl friends who encourage and push. Starts out with a laugh out loud scenes and takes off after that. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half but the plot seemed to have fell flat for me in the second half.

A fun and quirky read that leaves you wanting more. I really loved the main characters and wanted to know what would happen next.

As a millennial buried in student debt myself, I definitely felt Isla's struggle and the familial conflicts, and I think that is something that many readers will connect with. I appreciated Cade's character, and can draw a line from his upbringing to his professional behaviors. The romantic story will have everyone rooting for a happy ending, and while I don't need spice to make a book enjoyable, I believe many romance readers will love those scenes. My only complaint (and I think this is a general complaint for all trope-heavy romance/rom-coms) is that every this is just a bit overdone, predictable, and uninteresting. I understood the conflict with her family, but what exactly was the romantic conflict? I couldn't quite figure that one out.

Fun, quick read that I'm sure will be enjoyed by many readers.

Thank you NetGalley and author for this ARC!


I loved everything about this book, it was cute and fun. The characters made the love story so enticing. I would read this book multiple time! Thanks again!

I had high hopes for Rent to Be as a fake dating trope is at the top of my favorites. However, relating to the characters was difficult for me. Isla and I would just not get along in real life. Cade was adorable but I also felt like there needed to be more talk about his trauma.

Overall a fine read but not my favorite.

I really liked the last Sonia Hartl book that I read, and I think I may have liked this even better. Isla Jane, recent MBA graduate, is having a bad week. Her job sucks, she's not paid a living wage, and she's drowning in so much debt that she is months behind on her rent. She gets home one day to find the locks changed and all of her stuff on the sidewalk. Luckily, her successful older brother Seb is out of the country for work and she can stay at his condo without anyone finding out - especially her parents, who already think she's the loser of the family. Unfortunately, her brother's best friend and her own long time verbal sparring partner Cade is already staying there, and Isla decides to lie about her situation to save face. She lucks her way into a housesitting job for one of the execs at her company, which leads to several weeks staying the homes of various super rich people and not having to worry about her next move. Cade sees her at one of her housesitting gigs because his bosses live next door, and he bargains that he'll keep the secret of her getting kicked out of her apartment if she agrees to be his fake girlfriend at a series of work events. I was impressed with Hartl's ability to blend multiple romance tropes pretty seamlessly - fake dating, brother's best friend, and friends to lovers - and I also appreciated the realistic portrayal of an early to mid 20-something trying to navigate adult life with tons of debt, very few friends, and a less than supportive family. There are some pretty scathing indictments of late capitalism woven into the narrative and it all just worked for me.

Sweet and sexy with the perfect amount of angst. This is the romance for anyone who ever had a crush on their brothers best friend.

It took me a while to warm up to this one. Isla’s life had become such a dumpster fire that it was difficult to relate to, let alone to believe. But I in no way doubted why Cade would love her, or why Neeta would become her friend. Isla May look like a hot mess, but she’s also charismatic and loving. Her parents, however - yeesh. They’re totally to be blamed for starting her dumpster fire. But like all romcoms, we arrived at a great HEA.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

4🌟

This is the first book I’ve read by Sonia Hartl and I have to say, I will be reading all of her other works. I absolutely loved this short little read. I was hooked right from the first paragraph. It was so good I read it in one sitting, which I don’t do often.

This book focuses on the relationship between Isla Jane and Cade Greenley, who have known each other most of their lives. I loved the fake dating/brothers best friend/friends to lovers tropes, I really liked all of their sweet history and the story with the rainbow bear was absolutely adorable. I loved their lighthearted playfulness, it made their chemistry so much stronger. The spice was also a pretty nice addition 😍

I really enjoyed the story as well. I really liked how relatable Isla was. I found the situation with her parents to be so heartbreaking. They were the kind who don’t deal with emotions well. It was sad when she spoke about how they thought she was the disappointment of the family and when she finally stood up for herself they just turned the blame on her. I found that to be such a sad moment.

Sonia’s writing in this book is so well done. I found her style to be very fast paced and she really nailed those angsty moments between Cade and Isla. It felt like real arguments and not the kind that are far too dramatic to be real life.

I also really enjoyed those small glimpses of her brother, Seb. I am dying to see a story with him and Neeta.

Overall, I found this book to be such a quick, fun filled read with a good hint of angst.

Thank you to @NetGalley, @hartlsonia and @Alcovepress for the ARC. Rent To Be releases on the 15th August!

💬 Favourite quote - ‘Never mind that he listed amateur gynaecologist as one of his hobbies and names Elon Musk as his personal hero in his bio’.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is perfect for fans of The Flatshare and chick lit. he book follows Isla who has no place to live but has an entry level job so she decides to go stay at her brother's house when he is out of town. She does not anticipate staying with anyone when she arrives but she runs into her brother's best friend who is also in need of a place to stay while renovating his house. Cade and Isla strike a deal where she pretends to be his date while he keeps her secret. It 's a perfect dose of brother's best friend and fake dating .

Rent to Be follows Isla who is having a rough month. After her roommates kick her out of her apartment she has nowhere to go. Isla has a spare key to her bothers condo and decides to stay there. Because her brother is out of town for the month. When she arrives she is surprised to see her brother's best friend Cade. He is staying at the condo while her brother is out of town. Soon Isla starts a house-sitting business. Cade finds out about it and Isla does not want her family to find out. So she and Cade strike a deal. She will pretend to be Cade's girlfriend at work events and he will keep her secret. However, the two have some bottled-up feelings. And spending all this time together might just be a good thing. 

This was such a cute read. This plot started out similar to other books that I have read. So I thought it was going to be pretty similar but I was so happy it wasn't. This book had my two favorite tropes. Friends to lovers and fake dating. I love how Isla seemed very realistic. We have all been down in the dumps and just trying to find there way. I would highly suggest this one! 

Thank you Sonia Hartl, Alcove Press, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This is one very cute rom com with some life lessons sprinkled in! I so loved the characters and the romance!!
The story kept me wondering how it would end. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Alcove press for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review's

This book really is perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey. It is a sweet and heartfelt read that was very enjoyable!

Who loves best friend’s siblings love trope?

This kind of trope is likeable for me. The connection between the two MC is very exciting for me; as well as the tension that brings in between. As a matter of fact, this kind of love trope gets me more feeling excited when two people finally become part of the family, and best mates become brothers.

While the brother is traveling, two childhood friends (with personal struggles in life) are about to crash in his condo unit. Isla Jane is being kicked out from her apartment due to failure of paying the rental fees. She has a stable job, however her salary is incompetent. She accepts her co-worker’s offer as a house sitter job. Meanwhile, Cade is living on the same unit as Isla’s while his own unit is under renovation. He has a not-so-good childhood memories, and trying to be reserved as he is being a loyal friend to Isla’s brother. Furthermore, old resurfaces in between Isla and Cade as they spend their time together. Will they both give love a chance despite of their childhood traumas and toxic family relationship they are both dealing with?

The story started out up and coming. It was unputdownable to me and laughed out loud. As the story progressed, I came to realize that the story wasn’t fancy nor dreamy. The MC’s were mainly two flawed people navigating their complications in their changing dynamics.

I liked the writing style of the author. It was effortless. It was unafraid to address serious themes that millennial generation are primarily dealing with such as family relationship, advanced degrees for career advancements and student loan debts. As a member of the millennial generation myself, it felt relatable for me.

Overall, the ending was a feel good story. The epilogue was neatly wrapped, because all the characters deserve all the love.

Thanks to Netgalley and to its publisher for providing me an eARC. All opinions are my own.