Evie moves in with her elderly neighbour when her rented place is being sold. When her grandson comes to visit, as he is in town for business, he thinks she may be trying to take advantage of his grandmother. They are both very wary of each other to start with but when Jake sees Evie with his grandmother he realises how much she cares for her. Jake is obsessed with work and having major issues with the new deal he is trying to broker but he loves spending time with his grandmother and with Evie. He asks her to help with the deal by being his fake girlfriend she agrees and they become closer. They have both been hurt in the past, but they are also both quite closed off and this doesn’t help when things get in their way. I liked how they both took risks and opened up each other eventually and loved the feel the inclusion of his grandmother and her friends brought to the story. I would have liked more information on what happened with Jake’s work I felt as if that part of the story ended a bit abruptly. I loved Evie’s special moment at the end.

(This review is based on an uncorrected e-galley of this novel)

I liked that this novel's setting in Dublin, Ireland. Clement's description of the setting was very well done. The character development was also well done. I appreciated how well the older characters were written, giving them more personality than just being older.

The fake dating trope isn't really my thing, but I enjoyed this read. I also appreciated the closed-door romance in this novel because I'm not super into spice either.

I'm a sucker for the fake dating trope so I knew instantly that I would enjoy this book.

"People separated by time, but not place" "History was everywhere. All around"

I absolutely loved Sally's description of Ireland and the history within the city of Dublin. The way the buildings were described was beautiful.

The characters were well written and the character development was great. I appreciated that the older characters, Eleanore, Felix and Rita, were written with so much life and not reduced to their ages.

"Home wouldn't be home without you in it."

The relationship between the characters was cute, there were some scenes that were dreamy. The spice was fade to black/closed door but it suited the book. I want to call this an enemies to lovers trope too, but their initial relationship wasn't too hateful despite their first meeting and Jake's assumption that Evie was taking advantage of his grandmother.

About to become homeless, Evie accepts a room with her aging neighbor. Jake moves in to protect his grandmother's interests. When Jake invites Evie to come with him to a business dinner, she agrees. One date leads to another, and they grow closer. But when Jake's business deal unravels and he starts keeping secrets, can their relationship survive?

This novella is engaging and fast-paced. Despite some rivalry and awkward moments when they first meet, Evie and Jake fall for each other pretty quickly. Evie's had some bad experiences with men, and she's skittish. Fortunately, Jake doesn't give up on her.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.