The Rom Con, WILL be the Rom/Com, book of the year...

Mark my words.

This book right here is literary gold and I am so here for it.

I would consider myself a "thriller/suspense" reader but every now and again I'll throw in a palette cleanse and check out a rom/com that tickles my fancy.

I loved the cover, I instantly thought of Cinderella and I knew I had to have this book but quite frankly, this book had ME.

I laughed, I cried, my heart exploded in emotion. I was so invested in the story between Cassidy and Jack. These characters were REAL and you can not tell me otherwise. I want to know them in real life!!

Devon Daniels, you are what dreams of made of. I can not wait to see the success of this book blow up. It was an honor to read and review early in exchange for an honest review.

Check out this teaser :

A modern battle of the sexes about a journalist who hatches an elaborate plan to take down her professional rival, in a rom-com perfect for fans of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

After a particularly brutal breakup, Cassidy Sutton has had it with dating. So when her grandmother gives her a 1950’s dating guide entitled 125 Tips to Hook a Husband, she decides to turn the retro advice into an ironic “What not to do” article for Siren, the popular online women’s publication she writes for. And who better to secretly test the old-fashioned tips on than Jack Bradford, chauvinistic creator of rival men’s site Brawler? She’ll write an article that will entertain female readers everywhere and embarrass their sexist nemesis at the same time. Two birds, one stone.

But her perfect plan soon proves to be anything but. Those vintage courtship tips Cassidy was so quick to poke fun at? They actually seem to work, calling her most closely-held beliefs into question. Even worse? Jack isn’t falling for any of her tricks—and it’s not long before their ‘fake’ relationship starts to feel like the realest one of her life. As her cat and mouse game starts to spiral out of control, Cassidy has to decide if she’s playing to win, or if she’s willing to lose it all for love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

This book was addicting rom com goodness and I absolutely inhaled it.

Loved this take on a combination of rivals to lovers and How to Lose a Guy in 10 days with a dash of old school romance advice thrown in by a witty, outspoken grandmother. This book was so much fun to read and the story was incredibly engaging. Was it predictable? Sure, but that can be said about most romantic comedies. What Daniels did with this story was take some of the outlandishness of rom coms and make it into something that was definitely more real and tangible.

I thought the characters were wonderful, but especially Cassidy's grandmother. I loved that Jack was a somewhat awkward super nerd that never came off as larger than life even though he was the co-founder of a successful magazine. Cassidy, while she was dumb for not communicating with Jack when things got a bit too real for her, I didn't feel like the decisions she made were made solely to push the plot along. There was intention behind those decisions that Daniels included, giving them weight and allowing it to feel organic.

Absolutely loved this book.

PUB WEEK REVIEW

Thank you #partners @berkleyromance & @prhaudio for my #gifted copies

The Rom Con
Devon Daniels

⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖 About: Cassidy has the worst luck with men! But not to worry... Her grandma has the solution! Cassidy must simply revert to the 1950s and follow a series of chauvinistic tips to "hook a husband." 🤪 Cassidy, who works for an online women's publication, thinks not! But when a chance encounter has her running into her rival Jack (owner of a problematic men's publication), she decides to make a game out of it... she'll follow her grandma's advice and pretend to be a subservient woman, and write about her experiences to oust her competitor. But what happens when the 'game' becomes a little too real?

💭 Thoughts: "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days" but make it bookish and contemporary? Yes please!!! This opposites attract, rivals to lovers romcom was light, fun and entertaining. It has great humor, witty banter, and all the steam! Given the plot, it had the potential to be super problematic. A misogynistic love interest? A woman being subservient to him? The feminist in me was screeeaaamming. But y'all... the author handled this really well, and I'm pleased to report that things aren't always what they seem. All in all, this was a fun read and I'm so glad I gave it a try! 💕

🎧 The fabulous Brittany Pressley is the sole narrator of The Rom Con, and as always I really enjoyed her narration. 🥰

📌 Out now!

**Review posted to my IG today**
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Devon Daniels, you have done it yet again! If you know me, you know that I absolutely adored Devon’s debut novel, Meet You in the Middle, and I’m so excited to add this one to my collection (once my two separate preorders arrive 😂). This book was just so fun. It was sweet but steamy, funny but heartfelt, and just an absolute JOY!

Cassidy, a writer at the hit online womens’ publication Siren, is fresh off yet another nasty breakup and perfectly embodies “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” When she meets Jack, the high powered co-founder of the total dude-bro site Brawler, Cassidy decides that she’s going to go undercover, write a hit article, and expose Brawler for their sexist ways in one fell swoop. How will she do this you ask? Of course, she’s going to secretly fake date Jack to test her grandma’s old-fashioned (and hilarious) “125 Tips to Hook a Husband” dating tips from the 50’s to bring to light the chauvinistic ways of her industry nemesis.

But, of course, absolutely nothing goes according to plan. Jack is nothing like she expects. And the tips actually have a shred of merit. What happens when what was supposed to be a battle of the sexes exposé turns into a real life love story?

THE ROM CON is out TODAY (11/7)! A huge huge huge thank you to @devondanielsauthor, @netgalley, & @berkleyromance for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Happy pub day!

Read if you love:
👊🏼Rivals to lovers
👗1950s fashion
😬Fake dating (one sided)
📝Writing and creativity
👵🏼Hilarious family antics
🗽NYC
🎧Jamming to the oldies
✨Pop culture references
🐢Slow burn (in the best way)
🎥How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
🎬When Harry Met Sally

The Rom Con by Devon Daniels, is a hilarious yet romantic story with a How to lose a guy in 10 days vibe.
I could not put this book down. A perfect rom com read with its enemies-to-overs trope, the banter, funny moments, and tender, heart-clenching moments.

Cassidy works for women’s online publishing company, Siren. The one thing the women at Siren dislike more than anything is their rival publishing company, Brawler, which focuses on content for college-aged guys; not very empowering to women. Cassidy knows two things for certain: she is sick of being a bridesmaid and she is sick of the guys she dates, taking all their life advice from their rival men's magazine. Not only do they degrade women, they are impacting her love life. When she is at her grandmother's 90th birthday party, she only wants one present from Cassidy, to try and find love. Her grandmother knows just how she will do it too; by going back in time and treating men the way an old 1950's handbook says she should. Thinking this is just the story she needs to bring readers to her magazine, she sets out to find a man to try it on. She accidently stumbles into Jack Bradford, owner of their rival magazine, who stands for everything she doesn't believe in. When he asks to take her out on a date, she can hardly believe her good fortune. She will prove that he’s a misogynistic jerk and write an exposé for Siren. Cassidy doesn't expect the tips to actually work or for Jack to be so much more than she expected. Soon this whole “game” stops being a story and starts becoming real. With off the charts chemistry that sizzles and burns, feelings get involved.

Cassidy and Jack were wonderful characters; and their dates, especially a hilarious double date with Cassidy’s sister and goofball brother-in-law, gave a better insight into them. Cassidy’s grandmother, with her humor, wisdom, and empathy added depth to the story. This thoughtful look at gender roles, how they changed over time was another wonderful layer to the plot. There were many secrets but also many moments that will make you smile. Jack and Cassie are the couple you can't help but root for. The Rom-Con is the perfect Rom-Com which I highly recommend to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Modern day "How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days" - I really enjoyed this one! It's one of my favorite movies and being able to read a similar book was welcomed. Loved the banter, the feminist approach that Cassidy brings to Jack, and how it all backfires after she falls for him.

This was a really great contemporary read. I love how the heroine weaves in some old school beliefs about dating and relationships. The grandma in this book is dishing out the great advice and I was here for it. “Let men be men” is a big deal to me and I loved that narrative in this book. LOVED IT! Let’s work with men not punish them.

There’s a fake dating aspect of this book and brings a lot of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days energy. I honestly didn’t love that, I felt so bad and cringe for what Cassidy was trying to do but she very quickly realized her diabolical plan was a bad one but of course Jack got hurt along the way anyway. The resolution in this book gets 10/10 stars from me because I love mature adults acting like mature adults and sometimes the epic grovel and apology is overrated and unnecessary. Yes, apologize, but no need to throw yourself over the coals. The ending needs to solidify the life long HEA for me and this one really sold it to me.

And also there are hugs in this book that are just 🥹✨ They meant more to me than the love scenes and now I need a good hug.

When online writer Cassidy Sutton stumbles upon her beloved grandma’s seemingly arcahic 1950’s dating handbook on tips to “hook a husband” she decides to spin it into a series on “what not to do” a la the film “How to Lose a Guy in 10 days”. When she finally meets rival publication owner Jack Bradford, she picks him as her mark…with hilarious repercussions.

Loved it. It’s a must read. That’s it, end of review.

In all seriousness, I have struggled a bit lately finding really standout romances, and when friends told me to try this one, I jumped at the chance. Not only was it exactly the witty, whip smart rom-com I needed in my life right now, it also sent those much needed endorphins through the roof - I mean, I must have had a silly smile on my face the entire time I was reading this one.

What I loved most, aside from the absolutely fabulous pop culture references from the 1950s on that are sprinkled throughout, is that this book has a little in it for just about everyone. Do you love found family and strong grandmother/granddaughter relationships? It’s in here. Looking for a little bit of family drama? It’s here. Are you a fan of swoony, emotional romances? Look no further. Is it the steam you are after? Oh it’s here too.

And then there is Devon Daniels’ impeccable writing. Each character shines so brilliantly on their own, but it is the relatiosnships that are so standout. It was very easy to connect with them and feel the emotions assaociated with each, whether familial, friendly or romantic in nature. The pacing was perfection, with the right ration of plot to character development, and never felt slow or repetititive. And the banter - that was chef’s kiss from start to finish.

I listened to this primarily on audio and Brittany Pressley nailed it as usual. While some rom-coms can feel cheesy and over the top, Daniels’ writing combined with Pressley’s narration felt anything but. I highly recommend listening to this one on audio and/or doing an immersive read with the audiobook and print, in order to experience the way she brings these already fantastic characters to life.

ʀ ᴇ ᴀ ᴅ ɪ ғ ʏ ᴏ ᴜ ʟ ɪ ᴋ ᴇ :
•a battle of the sexes
•alpha cinnamon roll hero
•rivals to lovers
•NYC setting
•grandmother sidekick
•fun pop culture references
•How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for th gifted copies.

Short synopsis: Cassidy works as a journalist for a women’s site, and comes up with an idea to use tips from the 1950’s to catch a man. Her target, Jack Bradford from the notoriously anti feminist men’s site.

My thoughts: If you like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and 27 Dresses this one is for you! Such a cute mashup of both!

I really liked Cassidy’s independent hard work mindset, and liked how her perspective adjusted throughout the book as she started to fall for Jack. And Jack, while there were parts of him that annoyed me (temper) he was such a sweet endearing male lead.

But Gran stole the show. She was fun and lovely and made me miss my own grandma oh so much.

The third act breakup was a little extreme, and the miscommunication/lack of communication was rough but I really liked how they resolved their problems and found a solution together.

Read if you love:
- 1950’s glamour
- How to lose a guy in 10 days and 27 dresses
- Amazing family and sweet grandmas
- Workplace enemies to lovers
- Slow burn romance
- Fake dating

One of the best Rom-Coms of the year. Yep I said it!

I read a lot of Rom-Coms, A LOT, and this one tops my list this year.

Cassidy, a journalist at a femininst news outlet, decides to take some old fashioned dating advice from the 1950s and put it into practice to see how it backfires.

I absolutely loved the nod to old fashion values. And I'd be lying if I didn't learn a thing or two. It was a good reminder to me to not take my hubby for granted and to treat him with love and respect at every possible moment. But I still let him help me in the kitchen 🤣

ALL THE STARS!

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and Devon definitely did not disappoint! It gives all the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days/rom com vibes and the vibes are immaculate. It made me laugh, it made me tear up, it made me glad I am not in the dating world lol. Im already planning a reread so I can listen to the audio version!

Many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC!

My initial reaction when I started this romcom was good. I was very interested in the plot. Cassidy Sutton, editor at the women's magazine Siren, has a fantastic idea (according to her) to take down rival bigwig, Jack Bradford, of the men's website/magazine, Brawler. With outdated dating tips written in the 1950s woman, Cassidy attempts to outwit Jack and his misogynistic thinking. (according to her.)

That part wasn't the best for me, but when they really started to open up and have feelings is when I really got invested in the story. I felt bad for both of them-for Cassidy for continuing with the charade and for Jack who was being duped. I was so glad when Cassidy quit the story. But, of course, it was too late. Jack still finds out.

The whole third act breakup was a good one for me. Very believable and true. Jack's anguish at the party would have been even better if we could have had his point of view. In fact, his point of view throughout the whole book would have probably made this a five-star read for me.

I loved all the pop culture references and internal thinking/quips. It made this book so enjoyable. Also, the star of the whole book - GRAN!

Thank you to Berkley Romance, NetGalley and the author for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Like an alien called home to its mothership, I’m immediately drawn to the built-in bookshelves”

I’m absolutely obsessed. This was one of the cutest, funniest romance books I’ve read in a while. It was full of pop culture references that I thought were hilarious. The banter and tension was 10/10. And the overall plot was very entertaining. I got full on butterflies a few times! Which is the mark of a truly good romance book. This is a must read if you loved the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

I fully intend on purchasing this book once it releases and will be recommending to all my friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

📑📑📑
Book Review
5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
📚87/100
📖The Rom Con
🩵Genre:Romance
✍️ Devon Daniela
✨✨✨✨✨
📝Synopsis 📝
Cassidy is done with dating, but grandma thinks otherwise and has her follow 1950’s dating advise. Then she meets someone who sparks her, but it turns up to be her work nemesis.

💭My Thoughts 💭
If How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days had a baby, this is it 😂 Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a repeat, but it gives the same vibes. Taylor Swift and so many other great other references. I absolutely loved the characters, the plot, and the execution was amazing! I laughed so much, and Jack won me over immediately!!! This is probably the best Rom-Com I’ve read in 2023. I’m rooting for this to be on Netflix or Cinemas.

✨Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub @berkleyromance
for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cassidy writes for an online women's publication in NYC. She pitches an idea about pursuing a man using tips from a 1950s article and advice from her grandmother. Jack is the co-founder for a rival men's website. When Cassidy attempts to fake date Jack for her article, things don't exactly go as planned.

I adored this author's writing and how well it captured why I love reading rom-coms. Cassidy and Jack completely won me over with their banter, tension and some truly sweet moments between them. The second they met I instantly knew I would love them together.

Jack was flirty and charming. Although he had this swoony and confident side to him, he shared some vulnerable moments with Cassidy which made me fall for him even more. Since he fell first, I enjoyed Cassidy's POV as she started developing feelings while trying to stick to her original plan. The pacing was perfect and I couldn't wait for that first kiss.

The references to classic Hollywood and the 1950's dating aspect really made this book so entertaining. The conflicts kept me invested right to the end. There were some great side characters including Cassidy's grandmother, sister and brother-in-law.

I really loved this book and highly recommend!

This book was soooo good and so adorable.
It reminded me a lot of How to Lose a Guy in 10 days (movie) and even added a few things about the movie which was cute. I loved how it also added a bunch of other references from movies, tv shows, actors/actresses and the eras that the topics were about.
It was an enemies-to-lovers type with a swap, and in order to know what I mean about that you gotta read the book. I promise it is def worth it.

Cassidy and Jack were opposites attracted but kinda looking for the same things and didn't even realize it. The dates we fun, and entertaining. There was soooo much emotions and feelings in this book but also so much humour. It was a fast and easy read. One that you didn't want to put down.

Now on to Cassidy's family, they were a great addition to this story esp her sister and brother-in-law but the best add-on character who took the show quite a bit was her Grandma. That lady was sooo spunky, funny and I loved her. So sooo much reminded me of my grandma who I miss sooo much we were close like Cassidy and her.

If you like Romance books and esp RomComs this is the book for you, It's def at the top of my list of favourite books I have read, and I have read a ton of books. :)
I can say how much I loved it so many things that were great.

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this book, thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. The above is my opinion/review, it is honest and voluntary.

I did read The Rom Con and it was really cute. So, here is the thing. I am a working mom and yet somehow I keep ending up on the trad wife side of TikTok and it makes me nuts. I won’t get into it here but the mom shaming for working moms is out of control.
Well, in The Rom Con, a journalist for a feminist magazine is determined to take down her adversary from a rival men’s magazine that publishes the most chauvinistic pieces. And the take down is to hide her true personality and act in accordance with a 1950s dating guide that sets women’s rights back 70+ years. Of course you can see where it will all end up but the road to get there was filled with witty banter, perfectly placed pop culture references, swoonworthy romantic gestures, and just overall fluffy, flirty fun. It had all the vibes of How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days but with this undertone of equality for women and the notion that women can be who they want, do what they want and are not here just to serve men.

“This article- one my grandmother’s saved for seventy years- is exactly the kind of story we salivate over at Siren. Just reprinting these half-baked dating tips in all their ridiculous retro glory would generate a million clicks and even more shares, but what if we actually tested them on some unsuspecting suitors? I can see the headline now: I tried these old-fashioned dating tips so you don’t have to! Subhead: June Cleaver meets the modern Manhattanite. We could even turn it into a recurring series. It’s a content gold mine.”

I was intrigued when I read this was based on How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, one of the most iconic rom-coms of all time, and was excited to read it. However, I think there is a reason this has never been written before. It’s hard to translate the humor and heart from the movie into a book, and I think it takes a special writer.

This had a unique twist on it, with Cassidy using her grandmother’s antiquated dating tips for a story, and I think that was effective in giving you some of the humor I was expecting. Sadly, this plot point stopped being important around the halfway point, and then it dropped completely. I wish that it had been carried on through the end.

I adored the first half. Jack seemed very mature and insightful, a true gentleman, and I liked watching him deal with Cassidy’s old-fashioned dating rules, but the second half saw his personality do a complete turnaround. He got vengeful, mean, and nasty, and I really struggled to put these two halves together. Jack didn’t handle the big moment like I thought he would, and that disappointed me. There was a lot of back and forth, push and pull between them, but the conclusion felt very anticlimactic.

Overall, this lost steam as it went on, and I was riding on an emotional rollercoaster. It went from me smiling and laughing in the beginning to me pulling my hair out by the end.

If you enjoy romantic comedy authors like Sophie Kinsella and Emily Henry, then this may work for you.

~ Michelle

I read the first 200 pages of this essentially in one sitting and had a lovely time! I love Jack, the MMC, in particular - he was so honest and open and I swooned multiple times! I really liked the banter between the two main characters and loved Cassidy's sassiness.

In general, this isn't my favorite set up for a book - usually I hate when one character is knowingly lying to the other. I do think this works much better in a single POV, so I'm glad we got that in this book! There were perhaps a few too many pop culture references which makes me think a little bit about the longevity of this book across time, but that's not a critique per say!

This book is also pretty funny! I laughed out loud a few times and enjoyed my time reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Absolutely loved the vibes of this book! Love the New Girl, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days vibes that it was giving in the beginning. The story itself was a lot of fun, I just found I wasn't relating to it as much as I hoped and so I didn't feel overly interested in the characters?

That being said, this was a super cute rom-com style book and not something I typically gravitate towards so it was stepping out of my comfort zone a little and I really enjoyed it for what it was! The plot was adorable and super quick to read through. Definitely a fun, quick, and mindless kind of romance book!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.