This book fell a little flat for me. I loved the concept and the characters, but I was really hoping to see more chemistry and fire between the two main characters.

I did love the supporting cast and thought they added some depth to the overall telling of this story.

Super cute book with a great story in the pages. I really liked the main character in this one. They were very well written.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Em and Ethan. Em is an illustrator and has a daughter. Ethan is a chef and has a daughter. They live each other. There is an instant attraction. Ethan ask Em to be his fake girlfriend. They start fake dating. They each have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

It Doesn't Have to Be This Hard is a contemporary romance that follows Emmaline as she tries to start her life over again after divorcing her Hollywood lawyer husband. She moves herself and her daughter back to Denver where her family and friends are there to help but who really comes to her aid is her new famous chef neighbor Ethan. There is a fake becomes real romance and Em finding her way back to herself and what happy really means. I enjoyed the story and was rooting for the characters to their HEA.

Hovland kicks off the story with a quirky beginning that may make the reader laugh, or at a minimum allow for a snicker or two. Soon, Ethan and Emmaline find themselves agreeing to a fake relationship with the goal of helping Ethan’s career.

I’ve read Hovland before and her comedies romance novels are fantastic. This one, however, is simplistic. After the unusual beginning, life takes a turn for the ordinary for the young couple. Em and Ethan must decide what to do with their relationship: keep it or end it. 3.5 stars.

Emmaline's life is literally a dumpster fire right now. Now she knows never to go cheap when it comes to toys. What a great way to meet her new neighbor, celebrity chef Ethan Green, when he comes to the rescue. She does her best to avoid Ethan afterward, not only because of her embarrassment but also because she refuses to let her attraction to him go anywhere. She's recently divorced from a celebrity that never made time for her until she felt invisible and she went live that life again. When Ethan's daughter makes #DateMyCelebrityDad go viral, he's overwhelmed with women looking for fame. He comes up with the solution to find a fake girlfriend to hold off the swarm, and who better than his new neighbor Emmaline.
This book had many laugh out loud moments. Emmaline is naturally accident prone which causes drama and comedy. The two girls were so cute making plans to get them to stay together. My biggest problem was the intimate scenes where the language and descriptions were awkward and clunky. I would have preferred a closed door, fade to black scene rather than this. But overall I liked this cute story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This a perfect summer read while laying on the beach with a glass of wine in hand. The reader has to applaud Em and her resilience and strength in moving from LA to Denver along with Fiona and restarted her life and found her passion in drawing again. Her and Ethan certainly gave a new meaning to "heat in the kitchen". What was great about this book is the evidence of true love and family. Yes, families can be an annoyance but they are always there for you. As Barbie eloquently said, you have to work through in order to get the pearl. I enjoyed this book and the sweetness gave to such a great ending. The friendship bracelets epitomized what truly is important.

Ethan and Em meet over a flaming selfie stick. No, no that kind. THAT kind. The battery-operated kind you don't want your firefighter brother to find when you discard it in a dumpster and watch it burn while your new hot neighbor runs to the rescue.

Talk about a smoking hot meet cute! And wouldn't you know it, both Ethan and Em have young daughters who become fast friends, making it impossible to hide from the handsome, celebrity chef Australian who witnessed her sizzling self-care item get more attention than Em has in years.

But that's not the most embarrassing thing to happen to these two lonely adults. Annie, Ethan's daughter, decides she wants a mom, so she creates a hashtag that brings women from far and wide to be his wife. The propositions get so bad that Ethan begs Em to help him out - pretend to be his girlfriend until the buzz dies down and desperate women stop throwing themselves at him.

It Doesn't Have to Be This Hard takes your classic fake-boyfriend trope and gives it new life. There were definite sparks - literally haha - between Ethan and Em before they ever make the agreement. She's hesitant because her ex-husband ruined the thought of dating someone famous for her, and he's hesitant because he wants to focus on his daughter. They're both genuine, caring adults who want to do what's best for their kids.

There was just the right amount of spice in this book. The first time Ethan mentioned what he wanted to do, a wave of heat slapped me in the face. It was glorious and unexpected. There weren't long, drawn out scenes, but there was some definite bonding that will leave you breathless.

If you like sweet (but still steamy) romantic comedies, you'll love this book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Christina Hovland, for the opportunity to read this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Absolutely in my top 10 fake dating to real romance tropes I've read. This was absolutely perfect. And I could see this happening with their best friend daughters. I loved ever word of this! I will so be buying the 2nd book in tue series when it comes out!
I just reviewed It Doesn't Have to Be This Hard by Christina Hovland. #ItDoesntHavetoBeThisHard #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily. This was a cute read, fast-paced and sweet.

If you're looking for something light and funny with a little spice thrown in then this is a good choice. Em and Ethan meet under unusual circumstances and both have reasons not to date. They are both single parents whose daughters quickly become best friends. Add a little social media craze and parent-trapping to the mix and you get a fake dating scenario ... and we all know how that ends.

I really liked the character of Emmaline and could understand where her insecurities and caution came from. Ethan was irresistible - I mean who doesn't love a man who can cook?

Being Australian I cringed a bit at the 'Crikeys' and other stereotypical language that isn't really in our vernacular, but all in all, I enjoyed this book.

I enjoyed Ethan and Emmaline's story. It was a sweet quick read. A little heat and a lot of swoon. Ethan is a down to earth celebrity chef and Em is an artist getting back to being her after a divorce. They meet as neighbors in an unusual circumstance. They begin a fake relationship thanks to a viral message. Ethan is definitely boyfriend material.
The supporting characters were funny and the girls were so cute and had such strength. It's true, some of the best family are the ones you pick. My favorite quote was from Barbie, “Always be open to the unexpected, and you may find that life surprises you in the best possible way.” She was a great supportive addition.
I received a free copy of this from Netgalley.

It doesn’t have to be this hard by Christina Hovland is a cute story with some unexpected twists and a happy ending! There are some fun supporting characters but I would’ve liked to have gone a little more in depth with both main characters- maybe a prequel for both Ethan and Em?!? It was an easy read and enjoyable - the perfect vacation/ summer read! #netgalleyarc #netgalley

This is a story of starting over and not making the same mistakes again. Emmaline Eaton has returned to her hometown after her divorce. Now, she's trying to reclaim herself and make a life for her and her daughter. She's also doing her best to avoid past mistakes, like falling for the celebrity chef neighbor, but that is pricing impossible now that their daughters are inseparable.
Ethan Greene left everything he loved when he found out about Annie. His daughter is his priority. He's trying to reclaim a small part of his past with a new culinary show, which is the only additional thing he can handle. Until his precocious daughter creates a tending hashtag #DateMyCelebrityDad. This is where their nice normal, like becomes a circus, and drastic measures of fake relationships are formed. Now Ethan and Em just need to keep to the arrangements and not fall for each other, easier said than done

Two new neighbors do not get off to the best of starts. When their daughters become friends, they decide their parents should date (only after using the hashtag #DateMyCelebrityDad.) When social media blows up, Ethan needs a way out of the attention and convinces Emmaline to fake date him. As they fake date, feelings start to become real.
Opinion
This is the first book in a new series that promises to be downright hilarious. In true Hovland form, this book has the characters in situations that no normal person would find themselves in but if you were there, you would be laughing your toosh off. The heartfelt connection between the girls and wanting their parents to marry is quite endearing and of course Ethan is absolutely swoon worthy.
I would ten out of ten recommend this book.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Victory Editing Co-op for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book, provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book. I love single parents with sassy, witty kids. I couldn't get past Ethan's vernacular. I get he's an Aussie, it was just kind of, I dunno. Anyway, it wasn't only him. Barbie drove me up the wall and most of the side characters were just not my favorites.

The "meet cute," if you can call it that, was so cringey that I could barely get through it. Then the FMC's brother shows up and makes it all kinds of even more awkward. I just didn't connect with the characters. The book was well written, and I did get some laughs from time to time, but I wasn't invested in the couples, and I could have taken or left their HEA.

Love love love this book! I really like the authors previous books and this one was just perfect! Would recommend to all my friends to read

Emmaline Eaton is not a fan of celebrity. Recently divorced from her high profile ex and the Hollywood scene, she hopes to create a new life for herself and her 10-year-old daughter. Emmaline is a terrific illustrator and plans on marketing her talents in some way once she gets settled. So moving back to her hometown of Denver ends up being the best decision she ever made. Now she is surrounded by good friends, family and a very handsome new neighbor.

Ethan Greene is a celebrity chef and a new dad. He recently found out that he has a 10-year-old daughter and wants her to have a happy life. Ethan owns two restaurants and is hopeful that the Nosh network will give him the go ahead for another cooking show. Ethan and Emmaline's daughters have become fast friends and they spend every free moment together. As a result, Emmaline and Ethan become friends, evolve their friendship into a fake romantic relationship, which evolves into lust and love.

This is a fun read! All the characters are interesting and I truly enjoyed the cleverness of Ethan's daughter. Emmaline's friend Barbie adds a ton of humor and her stories are quite imaginative. This is the first book from Christina Hovland's brand new series, Mile High Heat, and it is an entertaining read.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Thank you SO much to NetGalley and the publisher for offering me the opportunity to read the ARC of this book!! I was thrilled when I got the notification that I was approved, because I’ve been waiting for this book to come out forever! Christina Hovland is one of my favorite authors, (I especially enjoyed the Mommy Wars series), so I didn’t think I would be let down by this one... and let me tell you, I was NOT!! Even though this is considered book #1 in a different series, I loved that I had already met the main male character, chef Ethan Greene, in another one of Hovland’s books.
As usual, I could feel the chemistry between Ethan and the female main character, Emmaline, as I read the story. I could not wait to see their story unfold! One of the main things I liked about this story so much was the parent-trapping vibes it gave off. Fiona (Emmaline’s daughter), and Annie (Ethan’s daughter), wanted nothing more than their parents to fall in love… and they would stop at nothing to make it happen.
I enjoyed Emmaline’s self discovery journey into finding her old self very much and could totally relate. I also loved the crazy cast of characters from this story that make up Emmaline’s slightly kooky family. If you’re looking for a little steamy, quick-paced, hilarious rom com… this is the book for you! Thank you again so much for this opportunity!

This book has lots of advice, and it will boost confidence in kids, anti bullying and pro individuals

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

This is the story of Em and Ethan, single parents of young daughters. The story was very cute, with many moments that made me laugh. It was a light and easy read which I finished in a day. Nothing to serious here, just light and fun romance. Definitely an easy beach read.