3.5 stars. This was a really fun rom com!

I loved Sarah and Brian as MC's, and their bantering dynamic was so fun to follow along. I really enjoyed following Sarah's career, and her passion for what she does was apparent. I also liked Brian's progression from being isolated and unemployed to building a solid friend network while deciding what path he wanted to take career wise. I found myself rooting for him and his happiness the whole way. The two of them together felt very balanced between their sweet moments, their (sometimes snarky) banter, and their spicy moments.

I was not a big fan of Jess though and her character arc. She came across as very juvenile and hypocritical, especially with how she handled her part in the third act conflict. I also feel like she really didn't do anything to deserve a redemption for her actions and yet she was forgiven with no questions asked. We know she was hiding something the entire book and it just coloured her wrong the whole time. I felt like there was so much more potential with her that we didn't get to see.

While it only took me a couple days to read, it did feel like I was reading for a long time, despite it only being 310 pages. The pacing just felt a bit off for me at times, with not much happening at times that felt important to the plot at all. I also wasn't a huge fan of the ending. It seemed a bit rushed and bit too over-the-top dramatic for my personal taste.

I loved the story as a whole though and forced proximity is one of my favourite tropes. Sarah and Brian definitely carried the story (as main characters should) and I felt like, although I have my issues with the book, it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

Thank you to Netgalley and Red Adept Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this cute romance! It had just the right amount of banter, fluff, spice, and angst to make me devour it in one sitting. This is more of a light summer read but I really loved the characters and the ending.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Red Adept Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was fun and cute and the characters had a lot of chemistry. However the miscommunication and conflict felt quite forced and then was too quickly resolved for me. This will be perfect for a light beach read for summer!

⭐️ 3.5/5

Let me start off with the things/tropes I loved: best friend’s brother, forbidden romance, one bed, forced proximity, and dual pov! I loved Sarah and Brian’s banter and relationship; it was very witty and fun! I think with ‘enemies’ to lovers, sometimes it can be a step too far but with them, there always seemed to be this underlying teasing tone that was so cute. I don’t typically go for third person narratives because they can seem myopic but I loved that this gave us both point of views—it made the story feel more balanced!

However I think, for me, the story seemed to drag on for the majority of the book. It felt like there was just so much exposition for very little payoff.

[SPOILERS AHEAD] The conflict at the 80% mark felt really misplaced; after lying to Sarah, Jess was upset that Sarah had also lied to her? It was very hypocritical and I think she was forgiven far too quickly; she didn’t get any redemption in my opinion and I think that left a sour taste in my mouth. [END SPOILERS]
Aside from Jess (and Tyler, of course), I loved all of the characters! They were all unique and none of them seemed unnecessary to the plot or in the characters' lives.

If you like enemies to lovers, best friend’s brother, and forced proximity, I’d recommend giving the book a chance when it comes out!
Thank you to NetGalley, Red Adept Publishing LLC, and Casey Dembowski for this ARC in exchange for my review!

*Arc provided by Netgalley. All opinions are my own*

5 ⭐️
2🌶

- Best friends brother
- Forced proximity
- Fake dating
- Dual POV
- Third person

I very rarely read books in third person, so I wasn't actually expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. This very quickly became a 5 star read for me, the connection between Brian and Sarah was believable and didn't feel rushed. I was rooting for them from the start!

The characters in this book were interesting and had a solid personality. I liked every one except the sister.

The book had a premise that was intriguing but felt a bit flat in execution, but the scene featuring Sarah and Brian were amazing. Their banter was lovely and their passions for their work was also nice to read about.

The sister was problematic and her redemption felt very flat. She never really grovels but was forgiven in an instant.

For the length of the book, it had many characters introduced but the personalities of each of them were so unique that they never blended or confused the reader.

Overall, a very nice summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for the arc!

It was lots of fun getting to know Sarah and Brian and watching their banter, pranking and competitions throughout the story - which eventually turned from combative to flirty as their feelings changed. There was lots going on outside of the romance which was good to see and it was interesting to find out more about what was going on in each of their lives with their work and friendships. Also, who doesn’t love fake-dating?!

I’m still not sure how to feel about Brian’s sister and Sarah’s best friend Jess. She seems to have a lot of issues and in the end was pretty awful to both of them and whilst they weren’t blameless, I’m totally siding with Sarah’s mom on this one!

All in all this was a fun and witty read with loads of great punny t-shirts and a good dose of romance.

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

– 4 stars 2🌶️

tropes:
➺ best friends brother
➺ fake dating
➺ forced proximity
➺ forbidden romance
➺ "enemies" to lovers
➺ one bed
➺ dual pov in the third person

Casey Dembowski might have to stay on my radar after this one. I love a good best friend’s brother and for me, this delivered just enough, plus it was an easy read.

Plot

Sarah (h) and Brian (H) have known each other since college through Jess -h's best friend and H's little sister. They’ve never been particularly fond of one another but, when both of their lives have been turned upside down and neither has anywhere else to go, they are forced to move into Jess’ apartment, where there is only one extra room😏 Thrown into such close proximity with no prior notice these two are bound to kill each other… or not. What starts as a plow to make Sarah’s ex-boyfriend jealous brews into something a lot heavier than either of them expected.


“There were so many possible responses– ‘You're beautiful… I've wanted you since you fell into my lap… How could I not?’”


✽ I’m surprised to say that Sarah and Brian were both very likable characters and acted their age. They knew how they wanted to live their lives but also went through such real obstacles. I loved that Sarah worked in a field that was so personable and while it didn't provide her with many financial means she didn't magically live in some penthouse (and instead was a very relatable character).

✽ In the beginning, a few of the chapters felt unfinished or like I was missing a scene. I somewhat think that more background or just info on Sarah’s family and her relationship with them could’ve been interesting because it was kind of just mentioned then the subject dropped but her mom would pop up in another chapter. It might've helped me understand her a bit better but at the same time, it would've dragged the plot on.

✽ The banter between the two of them was *chef’s kiss* I loved how easily they meshed and the conversation just flowed.

✽ I don’t know if I would really count this as an enemies-to-lovers book hence the quotation marks earlier. I think it was the typical best friend's brother relationship where neither likes the other as a default. There was nothing mentioned about what sparked the initial dislike so it was kind of shallow and they gave more frenemies/rivals (idk😭)

✽ These two were so cute I felt sick to my stomach reading some of this stuff and the ending was so corny but again cute I had to stop myself from kicking my feet🤭

✽ I LOVED Tasha and Ethan they were my absolute faves. A book on either of them would be welcome bc they were real ones (rooting for the MCS since day one and we love to see it).

✽ I was not a fan of Jess that girl annoyed me with her attitude but hey what can you do?


Conclusion

While I didn't enjoy the 80% mark conflict per sayyy, it was right on schedule, and expected so I can't really complain.

*ARC provided by Red Adept Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Brian had the worst year in love and moved in with his younger sister He's interrupted by Sarah who has a bad year in love too. Forced to share a room together, they fight and fall in love.

I like the banter in the book. Brian and Sarah are so cute together. They fit each other so well. Love their fights and pranks.
Lots of fun.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

At first, I enjoyed the story. However, when it came in the middle of book, I find it "tiring" to continue read this book. Because the writing-style is too much narration, less conversation. And more tell, than show.

Also, the way author write the point of view from characters is confusing for me. I mean, this book is divided into Sarah and Brian POVs. I thought, each would write from their FIRST POV. In fact, it kinds of 3rd POV or maybe mixed with 1st. That's why, it hard for me to have connection with the characters. Sorry if I don't know how to explain it.

In conclusion, I love the concept of the story, however it's not for the writing-style. I hope, author could be improving in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishing who gave me this ARC!

#Getaroom

A solid 3.5 I really loved the characters and their chemistry leading to a more endearing and realistic love than I initially expected.

The book did drag a bit for me though. It felt like 500+ pages instead of the ~300 it actually is.