The Boyfriend Candidate is a whip smart, funny, slow burn romance with some of my favourite tropes (fake dating, opposites attract and forced proximity to name a few). Throw in some heartfelt politics, a few uplifting causes and a bunch of loveable characters, and you’ve got yourself a charming contemporary romance!

Although a bit predictable at times, this was a ridiculously easy read with a captivating plot. I devoured it in two sittings! There was no slow build up or long winded prologue - you’re thrown straight into the story from the off, which was a huge thumbs up from me.

Alexis being the sweet librarian with a big heart and even bigger insecurities was the protagonist we needed, especially when the plot added further depth and she showed a fiery side during heated debates and causes she felt passionate about. Throw in Logan, your traditional tall, dark and handsome guy, with a sharp tongue and a hotheaded personality, and you’ve got yourself a pretty hot couple.

I did feel a little disappointed at the end of some chapters - the ones that left me wanting more, that felt a bit unfinished or cut short. This might just be the romantic in me, or that I loved the chemistry between Logan and Alexis so much I couldn’t get enough. It’s a relatively short book, so I absolutely would have devoured a few extra/longer chapters to stretch out the scenes, but I’m a greedy reader who loves a slow burn, so that might just be me!

As a big romance reader with a ton of different titles on my shelf, I often find I get bored by the third act and start to drift off. I’m glad to say I was hooked right til the end with this one and could not put it down - this was such a treat to read and one I definitely recommend!

A fun and light-hearted rom-com that was at times a little predictable but entertaining none the less. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters but from the start found it difficult to believe that Alexis was the shy and timid school librarian that she claimed. She had certainly blossomed by the end of the book! A few twists and turns just about kept my interest together with lively and pacy writing.

I'm not sure how to rate The Boyfriend Candidate. I really enjoyed the beginning, and even the political aspects of Logan's candidacy and how Alexis was invested in the teachers' cause, as well as the fun characters making up Logan's political staff. However, I felt that those things took over the romance, so much that I felt that maybe a good 50% of the book at least gets lost into those things.
On the other hand, I did like when Logan and Alexis were together and it veered more towards the romance than the political business parts.
The part where Alexis and her sister Lee finally have a very much needed talk, that part got to me and I even had a couple of tears rolling down my cheeks. I absolutely LOVE siblings relationships, as well as strong friendships in romance books.
So yeah, some parts I loved, some parts I liked less.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

✨ ARC REVIEW ✨

This was my first Ashley Winstead book and it was cute, charming and surprising.

The Boyfriend Candidate follows quiet and meek school librarian Alexis who wants to do something different with her life and put her self out there. To have more adventures. The book starts with her in a bar dressed to the nines and completely out of her comfort zone.
👏🏻👏🏻 so off with a bang 🤣 or not…

Enter Logan. The complete opposite to Alexis, foul mouthed, filterless and loud just wants a drink but steps in to save Alexis from a suitor that is socially unaware.

After a night of drinks and long conversation and Alexis deciding she wants to have her first night stand, the hotel that her and Logan end up at catches fire just as things in the hotel bedroom start to heat up and they have to evacuate. Logan carrying Alexis after she twists her ankle in the rush down the fireescape stairs, bolts when he realises that there are cameras on the street leaving Alexis bewildered.

The next day, Alexis is breaking news. The ‘woman’ who political candidate by the name of Logan Arthur saved is in the photos splashed across the media.

The photos will either sink Logan in the polls or boost his popularity and also affect Alexis’ job so Logan’s team come up with a solution. Fake date until election day! I mean what could go wrong 🫣

✨

I really enjoyed this one. Logan was a grumpy FK but a total cinnamon roll. I would love to see the add for the Animal Home haha I visualised it and it made me LOL Alexis had loads of character growth and really came out of her shell. Her relationship with her sister was super cute and it was great to see at the end how much they respected each other.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

If you love:

✨ Cute and sweet romance

✨ Fake dating

✨ Slow burn – Spice right at the end. Small but just right 🔥

✨ Insta lust

✨ Political Campaigning


Thank you @netgalley and @ashleywinsteadbooks for the ARC opportunity in return for honest and voluntary review.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s a fun lighthearted rom com with likeable characters and good plot. Bit of a slow burn but done really well. Tropes included: fake dating, slow burn, miscommunication.

I absolutely flew through this book and really enjoyed the pace and writing. Who doesn’t love a man losing his mind!

3.75 ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I could not have loved this book more!
Although I have very limited knowledge of American politics and governors/senators etc, this was 100% not a politics book and 100% a laugh out loud, swoonworthy, empowering romance novel that hits in all the right places.
I'm now going to seek out this author's previous books to read.

i thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was exactly what i needed😌
i liked the plot, the characters (not the sister though lol) and the romance. i read reviews saying the politics aspect was not accurate, but since i’m not educated on american politics, i will not comment on that.
ofcourse there were the unnecessary miscommunication trope and 3rd act breakup which i didn’t like, but who does🤷🏻‍♀️

(thank you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!)

If you like an 'opposites attract' rom-com then this is the book for you.

The Boyfriend Candidate follows Alexis Stone, an introverted middle school librarian who finds herself in a situation where she has to pretend to be the girlfriend of Texas' Democratic candidate two months before election day. The usual miscommunication and love triangle ensues and the ending is as you expect (and hope for) in this genre.

A quick and easy read for the summer time. I will note that there are some Britishisms thrown in for the male lead that don't quite land but these are easy to ignore.

I would advise reading some of the content warnings for this.

As always, first a huge thank you to the author (Ashley Winstead), the publisher (Aria & Aries) and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of 'The Boyfriend Candidate' ahead of its publication date, in exchange for an honest review. Please note that my review may contain spoilers.

The Boyfriend Candidate follows Alexis Stone, elementary school assistant librarian, as she embarks on her first one-night stand. Alexis attempts to overcome the hurtful comments made by her ex - Chris - by finding a hot stranger to hook up. There she finds Logan, Alexis's opposite in so many respects - foul-mouthed, filterless... in the lead up to their rendezvous, the hotel catches on fire during a freak storm and Alexis hurts her ankle, prompting our hero of the hour, Logan, to pick her up and sweep her to the nearby emergency services. As this occurs, the news snap photos prompting Logan to run off... turns out Logan is not just a lawyer or businessman like Alexis assumed, but is the Logan Arthur, a politician challenging Republican incumbent governor in the state of Texas. To save face, Alexis and Logan agree to fake date. Dodging questions from her politician sister, Lee, and forming new friendships with Logan's team, the steam and pacing of this book is everything a person could want.

Overall, I rate this book 5 stars., I read this book within the space of 5 hours, and stayed up until 3am just to devour it's pages. I was completely and utterly hooked. I loved Alexis' character, although the miscommunication between the two protagonists was extremely frustrating at times - made me want to throw my tablet across the room. The ending was heated and the conclusion was extremely satisfactory - I was glad that Logan didn't win his political race, it would've detracted from how honest and truthful the writing of this book was, it was just plain unrealistic for Logan to win, so I'm glad the author didn't go down that avenue.

Fantastically written, beautifully paced, and perfectly steamy - this is everything you want from this genre of book! Perfect for fans of Lauren Asher.

This was really cute and I loved the shy librarian/bold politician dynamic.

Overall this was a fun story, that kept me engaged, was easy to read, and flew by all too fast!

I didn't have any expectations of this going in as I've not come across the author before but I absolutely loved it, and read it in less than 24h.

I really enjoyed Alexis's journey, not only her huge growth in confidence but also that it came along with an acceptance of herself and what SHE wanted, not what she thought others thought she should want. I felt like she stepped into herself, and that was really enjoyable to read.

I also loved the relationship between her and Logan, the way he pulled her out of herself without even trying. I liked that he didn't coach her into being braver or more confident, she just became those things with him because he saw her.

The only thing lacking in this for me would be getting to read things from Logan's POV. It was fairly clear where he was at but I'd have enjoyed something of a peek into his mind, especially as he was so clearly gone for Alexis. You've got to love a guy who just loses his mind for a girl.

Overall thoroughly enjoyed this and will definitely read more books by this author.

This was such a super cute and fun read that takes the fake dating trope to a new level. Alexis is an introverted school librarian while Logan is a very outspoken politician. She wants to reinvent herself and prove she’s not as boring as her ex made her out to be so she dolls herself up and goes to a bar for some … fun. They laugh and drink and talk and, for a minute, she thinks she’s going to get what she came for until extenuating circumstances lead to him fleeing the scene without a backward glance.

The banter, oops moments and secrets lead to a very satisfying slow burn romance happening right under their noses while they’re too blind to see it. And when I tell you the slow burn was worth it - it really was. Logan isn’t morally grey per se but he will do anything to protect the woman he falls for.

I don’t read much romance but absolutely loved this! I was totally into Logan and Alexis and really love this authors writing style. I’ve read her thrillers before which have both been 5 stars and was so pleasantly surprised that she absolutely nails romance as well! I just wish Fool me once was available on Kindle! I’ll read anything this author writes.

Thanks to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alexis is trying to force herself out of her comfort zone after her ex told her she was boring in bed. However, her determined attempt to have a one-night stand does not work out even remotely as planned, and actually turns out to be the unintentional first step to some important self-discovery.
First thing to note: I'm British. That isn't often a factor in my book reviews, but is in this case, because I thought Logan was written extremely well. His (often profane) choice of words was very easy to imagine in a British accent. Also, my attitude towards American politics in novels is the same as my feelings towards 'The West Wing': it's a great thing to hang a plot on and use for character development, but I really don't care how realistic/idealistic it is. So both of those definitely worked for me. I also loved Alexis's development, as she discovered she did have a backbone and redefined the relationships around her, and the obvious attraction and slow burn between her and Logan built up beautifully. I was completely drawn in to this novel; it's the first I've read by this author but it definitely won't be the last.

I devoured The Boyfriend Candidate in the very best way possible! Alexis Stone is turning over a new leaf. Desperate to put her broken heart behind her, she steps out into Austin’s single scene determined to land herself an unforgettable one-night stand. While her one-night stand doesn’t quite go as planned, meeting Logan sets Alexis’ life on a path that she never expected. Suddenly, Alexis is thrust into the public eye as Logan’s new boyfriend. Her quiet librarian life used to be all that she thought she wanted, but finding her own voice and letting her heart lead the way is showing Alexis there might just be a different story out there. I laughed, I was teary, but mostly I was tired from staying up too late to read. I couldn’t put The Boyfriend Candidate down and think author Ashley Winstead has done a phenomenal job. The Boyfriend Candidate will be this summer’s favorite romantic comedy, laced with real topics and complex ideas!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hands down, definitely in my top 10 romances of the year!
Was I sceptical that a thriller author would be able to give me all the romantic feels? Yes. Was I proven wrong? Definitely!!
This story was amazing, I could not put this down. The pining! Oh my word, the pining had me feel for the characters. The chemistry was palpable through the page and even though this is only told from Alexis' perspective, it did not take away from how Logan was feeling. We as the reader could see it through Alexis' eyes.

It was magical, sweet, endearing and quite funny. I love Logan! One of my favourite book boyfriends and these two complemented each other so well!

I loved this book! Seeing her find her voice and step out of the shadows made for the perfect storyline. I loved that the ending did not have the typical fairytale end where everything works out as planned but showed that sometimes different can be even better. Thanks for the opportunity to read, I recommend!

Great Rom Com that will have you laughing out loud! I requested the ARC from Netgalley as I found the synopsis interesting and this book did not disappoint! Brilliant plot!
Alexis is a shy school librarian and after being dumped for being boring in the bedroom... she meets Logan! Logan reminded me of the main character from the film 'The Ugly Truth'. Basically, my kind of book boyfriend! Would have given the book a 5 star of it was dual POV.

“I, Alexis Rosalie Stone, was going to have my first one-night stand.”

"I've been a book nerd all my life. Escaping into reading's my happy place, so libraries were always safe,”

This romcom was … AMAZING!!!! Wow !!! This was exactly the kind of read I needed to get more into the whole summer romcom vibes !!! Do they even exist ? After reading Logan and Alexis’ story … I believe that they do. Imagine a one night stand turned in an unexpected way. An introverted and shy librarian, put on a spotlight because the man she was caught almost having a one night stand is the man currently running for governor in Texas. And a love story full of rules to make a fake dating trope more real than ever before. It was so so good!!!! The plot itself was engaging and interesting. The political campaign, involving both main characters was convincing and real. The romantic relationship between them … even better !!! The sweetness and intimacy they share every scene without actually going down and dirty (there is a spicy scene, don’t worry about it!!), was so good and heartwarming and I loved it !!! The possessive “staking his claim” vibes Logan gave … great!!! The way he behaves in a certain scene with her ex … adore it !!! And throughout it all … just a guy trying to make his home a better place for everyone living in it, who meets someone that turns out to be more important to him than any other campaign he could ever run for !!!

"I happen to think, when you know, you know. And who could spend ten minutes with Alexis Stone and not want to keep her? I mean, you'd have to be a supreme fucking twat to let her get away.”

"Ever since the night we met, I've been trying to figure out what your eyes reminded me of. I finally decided they're honey-brown with green flecks. A constellation trapped in amber. The gold is brightest when you're happy."

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Head of Zeus in return for an unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this. Alexis is reeling from her break up (from the world’s biggest arsehole) and heads off to find herself a one night stand. Due to a freak accident, she finds out that her unlikely conquest is actually running for election, and is well-known playboy Logan. With pictures of them splashed across the papers, Logan and Alexis are forced into a pretend relationship for the duration of the campaign.

Forced proximity, fake-dating, miscommunication, it’s all in there plus a little bit of spice. I really liked Alexis and Logan as characters, they’re both passionate about what they do, and needed to find each other to help find themselves.

There were only a couple of things I didn’t like:
- Chapter titles. This is an advanced copy so this may change by publication, but I didn’t feel they added anything to the story, they may as well have just been “Chapter One, Two, Three” etc, rather than random words of each chapter. I didn’t see the point and found it a bit off-putting.
- bits of the miscommunication in the plot annoyed me and it seemed really out of keeping with the character we’ve been told Alexis is. She’s not a risk-taker, but took two major risks in the plot that she’d explicitly said she wouldn’t do, and I just found that a bit flakey and out of sorts

But anyway, I really enjoyed it, the plot, the characters, the writing and the pace. Yay!