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.

Isla and Neeta: This friendship was so special. I liked how they became friends and how matched they are as friends. Just perfect!

Cade: He is hot, caring, HOT, smart, HOT, brooding...and did I mention HOT?

The spice: This book had a nice spice level! It isn't super spicy, but had more than a few scenes that were spot on!

This book is your new romcom best friend! If you like sarcasm and spicy love, this one is for you!

-brother's best friend
-it's always been you
-fake dating

A sweet rom-com that makes for a fast and entertaining read!

What was wonderful about this story was the premise of Isla being a house sitter by accident. I personally felt like those scenes were the star of this book and really made me laugh. But other than that, I couldn't fully warm up to Isla. She often made poor choices and reacted in ways that just didn't make sense. At times I was also confused about how she managed both her office job and the house sitting, the timelines were a bit unclear. Cade really had to go through a lot with Isla, but he was a very sweet character and I would've loved to learn even more about him.

The first half of the book appealed more to me than the second did. It felt a bit rushed in the end, and the epilogue really left for a lot to be desired. I would have loved to see more of a fluffy addition to the overall story!

But don't get me started on Isla's parents..whew.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

what I liked: the fact that the two main characters have a past together as Cade is Isla's brother's best friend so the two have known each other since they were children and there is so much unspoken in their story
what I didn't like: Isla's character and at times Cade's character, especially after Seb's return.

A perfect fit for anyone who enjoys the fake dating or brother’s best friend trope. Our main character Isla is a certifiable train wreck but she’s also scrappy and resourceful enough to make it work. While she is infuriating at times, her inner monologue never ceases to make me laugh. I was consistently entertained throughout this fast paced story and really looked forward to the scenes with Cade to see their feelings start to develop. Here’s to hoping that we get a spin off of Isla’s brother Seb and our girl Neeta!

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

DNF @ 23%

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. Our main character, Isla, refuses to take any accountability for her actions. She was immature, and it annoyed me to no end. I didn't enjoy her interactions with Cade, who also seemed like a bit of a nightmare, but I definitely had sympathy for her when it came to her interactions with her parents.

I also take issue with this book being branded as depicting the "grind of the millenial struggle". Isla is several years younger than me, and I am not considered a millennial. Characterizing this as a "millennial" book is playing into the societal millennial bashing that drives me up the wall.

This is generally well-liked according to the reviews on Goodreads, so please don't just take my word for it! If you are interested in this book, you may well enjoy it. It just wasn't for me.

An intoxicating romance between down-on-her luck Isla and her brother’s childhood best friend. A small dose of fake dating brings this pair closer together but with the chemistry between them, the teasing and the total understanding of each other it’s clear that without the fake dating, this pair was inevitable anyway. I was hooked on the tension between them but their playfulness and closeness borne of years of knowing each other was equally delicious.

These two characters have a lot of emotional baggage and it was easy to connect to them for their realness. They both need to shed the toxicity of their relationships with Isla’s parents and perhaps the most frustrating part was how impossible her parents were and my heart went out to Cade so much for his conflicting emotions. I loved Isla’s character and her quirks, and her newfound friendship with Neeta whose deadpan humour is delightful.

This book explores the struggles that people face and how easy it is to fall on hard times and not know how to, or have the help to, get back on your feet and it was an incredibly endearing factor of the story and Isla was the perfect character to embody those struggles. I was immersed in this book and the only other thing I can say is that I would have died for a glimpse at Cade’s point of view. I think all that intense longing could have sent me over the edge.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

I started out really liking this book because the humor really hooked me in the first few pages, but then the story kind of fell flat for awhile after that. I don’t know if I have just read one too many romance books where the female protagonist is broke and needs saving, but this book just did not do it for me. It did pick back up about halfway through when the Isla and Cade finally put the sexual frustration to the side and sealed the deal. As a younger sister with an older brother, maybe the falls in love with brother’s best friend troupe is not for me. I don’t know. The book was still decent overall, but I don’t know if this is a book I will be reading again.

I unfortunately wasn’t a huge fan of this one. I thought the storyline sounded interesting, but I just really didn’t care for either of the main characters. Isla was whiny and immature and made some questionable life choices. Cade was just bland to me.
I feel as if I would bae enjoyed this read more had it been written in Cade’s pov as well.

I’m not sure I’m the right reader for this book. While it tells a very relatable story of a millennial who discovers that their degree is far from the thing that distinguishes them in their professional field, and struggles to make ends meet, I found the dialogue forced, and the romance unconvincing. What I liked better was her relationship history with the male lead, but I might give it another try later.

This is such a delightful book and exactly what I needed to read to get me out of my reading slump. I loved the chemistry between the characters and banter. Childhood friendship to more and girl next door are some of my favorite romance categories. Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for the advances copy.

Loved this book!
Has some of my favourite tropes in the book (fake dating, friends to lovers, brother's best friend). The pace of the novel is great. He falls first!
The entire scene with the house with the dolls was hilarious.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone!

Finished this in 2 days! Such a fun read! Perfect for summer. This was highly entertaining, had me laughing, and has it’s share of some pretty steamy scenes. All in all the perfect romcom!

RENT TO BE is such a Sonia Hartl novel. Isla Jane has such a strong voice that you cannot help but get sucked into her story from the first few pages. It's so easy to be in Isla's corner with everything she goes through with rent, her job, her parents, etc. Hartl does such a fantastic job with dissecting Isla and Cade's trauma--and their growth is equally realistic. I daresay (unfortunately) there will be far too many readers who will be able to relate to what Isla and Cade experienced with Isla's parents. RENT TO BE is not just a romance...it's also a lesson in how to establish boundaries with toxic people who are related to you.

Brand new to Sonia Hartl, her refreshing writing style was right up my alley. The banter, the chemistry, the obnoxiously lovable characters - Rent to Be is a wonderful fake relationship, best friend's sister to lovers, quid pro quo trifecta! Sonia also makes a point to shine a spotlight on the real life struggles of those entering the job field after doing everything "right". For fans of Lynn Painter, I would recommend giving this one a try.

Just when Isa has thought she has hit rock bottom, the earth decides to split open and pull her down even further. Broke, recently kicked out of her apartment, and dressed to kill for another meaningless Tinder hookup, Isa is quickly running out of options. Saved by a lightbulb moment, Isa remembers her brother is in London and there is a whole apartment currently unoccupied for a month! To her dismay, she finds her brother’s best friend Cade has beat her to it, taking up residence while his apartment is being renovated. Determined to keep her current misfortunes to herself, Isa decides to find temporary residence is the most unlikely place. As luck would have it, her poor choice of a sleeping location leads to a perfect remedy for her homelessness - housesitting! Enjoying her recent good fortune, Isa relaxes in her temporary new digs and thinks she has finally come out on top, until she looks up from her poolside resting place and locks eyes with the last person she expected to see. Knowing how close Cade is with her brother, there is no way he will keep what she is doing a secret, unless she goes along with his proposition - pretend to be his girlfriend at corporate functions so they stop trying to set him up. Desperate to keep a lid on her downward spiral, Isa agrees with a few conditions of her own. Despite knowing Cade since they were kids, Isa hasn’t ever considered herself exceptionally close with Cade but when one on one pretending to be his girlfriend starts to feel a little too real, Isa has to decide what’s more important - keep her end of the deal or protecting her heart.

What I like about it: Isa was absolutely hilarious! Her back and forth with Neeta and Cade were some of my favorite moments. I loved her sarcasm, wit, and her perspectives. I didn’t even read the summary of the book before diving in and I knew right away there were some strong undertones between her and Cade. For that switch in her head to flip from disinterest to sheer lust meant something was always just below the surface between them - whether or not they choose to acknowledge it. Their constant one-upping each other is what really made this book vibe with me. Never allowing the other to be in a position of power, they consistently drove each other - either to excel or to the brink of insanity. I also enjoyed the inside take of house-sitting and the messed up situation that revealed.

The electricity between Isa and Cade could power New York City! How they didn’t realize there was something growing between them sooner is beyond me. The moments they did get together, all I have to say is Isa is one lucky woman! Even the intensity of something as minor as a kiss was still fire hot. The two of them did not hold back and the author captured the moments perfectly.

While the book was fun and lighthearted at time, Cade’s backstory was gut-wrenching! We learned so much about him through Isa - providing a dynamic perspective of who he was, how he felt, and why he held onto certain views (which clearly emphasized the importance of his bond with Sebastian).

Less than 300 pages, Rent to Be is a quick and easy read. If you weren't laughing at the shenanigans happening during each house sitting adventure, you were holding your breathe waiting to see what would unfold next at the company events. There is so much heart and love in this book that I would recommend it to anyone who needs acknowledgment that they are enough and that it is ok to speak up for yourself, even if the sacrifice doesn't feel worth the risk. Living up to someone else's expectations or perception of you (or who you should be) is not living.