This story delivers an enjoyable reading experience with a solid premise and engaging moments. While it has strengths in certain areas, some aspects—whether character development, pacing, or narrative depth—could benefit from further refinement. There are glimpses of compelling storytelling, but they don’t always fully come together to leave a lasting impact.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Art of Pretend by Lauren Kuhl!

Lauren Kuhl’s The Art of Pretend explores friendship, identity, and the weight of expectations in a richly drawn New York setting. When Ren’s closest friend, Etta, moves away, she is left to navigate a world of privilege, secrets, and shifting relationships, including a hidden romance with Etta’s brother. The novel examines the influence of status on personal connections and the masks people wear to fit in. With deeply human characters and a sharp eye for emotional nuance, Kuhl crafts a story about longing, self-worth, and the struggle to find one’s own path.

This book didn't do it for me and had me DNF-ing not that far in. I can't put a finger on it but I believe I just wasn't drawn in.

The Art of Pretend follows Ren, a young woman living in NYC who gets to experience some of the wealthy lifestyle thanks to her college best friend, Etta. Ren is a textbook people pleaser who sacrifices her own needs to be a "good" but not necessarily a true friend to Etta. Ren basically relies entirely on Etta for her social life, so naturally her world tilts when Etta tells her she's moving to Barcelona. As a favor, Etta asks her older brother Archer, to check up on Ren while she's gone, which starts a relationship between them that turns very complicated. This book was a lot about vibes and very relatable at the same time, especially Ren's bad case of people pleasing and the mental gymnastics she does to keep everybody happy in spite of herself. The writing is exquisite, I struggled to put this book down. Highly recommend.

I wanted to love this, as it had several elements I typically enjoy, but the book did not work for me.

The female main character (Ren) is a 20-something from a broken family who is taken under the wing of a wealthy, ultra-cool socialite type named Etta. They live in glamorous NYC and Ren idolizes Etta, but is also jealous of her privilege. Ren subsequently feels abandoned when Etta moves abroad for a year, and ends up secretly dating Etta's brother Archer. Beyond this, nothing much happened for about 80% of the book, and then a plot twist was suddenly crammed into the end of the story. While the novel had potential, all the characters were shallow and unlikable. I really struggle getting into books in which there is no redeeming quality or growth experience on behalf of any the characters. I think we are supposed to feel pity for Ren, but I could not muster any and was disappointed in this read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Graydon House for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A juicy premise drew me in initially... However, I was left wanting. The biggest issue with The Art of Pretend was the main character's lack of, well, anything. A lack of personality, agenda, motivation... I couldn't connect with her and ultimately didn't care about the story. 2 Stars.

Listen to this… Wealth… power… ART… NYC… sign this girl up!! I love all of that!! 😍

Ren and Etta are BFFS 👯‍♀️ from college…. Etta is living large in NYC off mommy and daddy’s dime..🥂 👠 🛍
💳 👗… and Ren… not so much. Luckily Etta is super generous and shares her good fortune with her bestie… but is it all out of the goodness of her heart?? 😏 Or does she like the power?? Hmm 🤔…

What a tangled web 🕷 this was!! I loved living the good life with these girls… and THEN there is Archer. 😍… OH MY…

As the drama went on between these three… I was all in! I had no idea 🤷‍♀️ how this was going to end. I mean Archer has a GF so what is he doing? ??!! 🤔🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ Ren is CLEARLY the outsider as Archer and Etta’s circle of frenemies like to remind her of. 😠…So many secrets…🤫 … This prestigious family knows how to keep things quiet… 🤐

I loved the ending!! ❤️ I wasn’t sure how it would wrap up and it gave me all the closure I was looking for!! This book had me intrigued from the very first page. Lots of drama…A fantastic storyline… a very entertaining read!! Happy pub day… almost!! 😍😉

THE ART OF PRETEND is a New York City coming-of-age with all the trappings of what happens when you ingratiate yourself with the wealthy. Kuhl taps into the haves and the have-nots as Ren moves further into a world that will change her forever.

I will be honest. There are moments when Ren’s personality and relationship with Etta grated on me. In the beginning, it seemed a bit too much. I wanted to yell through the pages as if Ren could hear me telling her to stop and stand up for herself. And then, I had to remember what it was like in my twenties in NYC. So I gave her a little slack and continued. As the reader moves through the ups and downs of Ren’s life, valuable lessons are being learned along the way. Her evolution by the end isn’t a completely different person, but there is a satisfying move towards understanding her worth and surrounding herself with the right people for her.

This book blurs the line between the desperate need to be part of something and caring about a friendship. Kuhl brings to the page an observant eye and carefully placed moments where the character shows their true selves. It also doesn’t hurt the narrative to have the background of the glitz and glam of a more affluent New York scene.

THE ART OF PRETEND is about love, friendship, the power money allows certain people to have, and discovering who you are when change happens.

Oh, I LOVED this.

It's definitely a slow-burn story--way more into the characters than plot--but I was enthralled. It reminded me quite a bit of The Cloisters by Katy Hays, only focused on the art scene. Kuhl has some fabulous turns of phrases, and her dialogue felt very natural. I went into it anticipating a bit more suspense/mystery, but enjoyed it just the same, which speaks to how masterful Kuhl writes!

Would recommend for lovers of dark academia-adjacent vibes and character-driven stories. So grateful to Netgalley and Graydon House for the arc!

I really have been enjoying the books that read like a memoir but are entirely fiction. The way we walk through Ren's life as she discovers she is more than a friendship. I really enjoyed reading as Ren came into herself and discovered her value outside of Etta. I found myself screaming girl you can do so much better. I can understand the appeal of Etta, something sparkly and dazzly and you just want to be sucked into the energy she radiates. I absolutely loved this book. I honestly wished is was long, I wanted more than what the epilogue gave us. The thing about reading a book you are wholly invested in and then you feel like there was more answers, more information to consume and there isn't is unbearable.

Ren has a love hate relationship with her best friend Etta. They met during their time studying at NYU, and stayed in touch afterwards. They could not be more different though, Ren grew up in small town Connecticut, comes from a broken family, and has to earn everything she has. Etta grew up with money and privilege, and is more than happy to share the wealth and include Ren in her world. So when Etta moves to Spain out of nowhere, Ren is left to figure out what type of NYC is within her means.

Luckily for her Archer, Etta's older brother takes a sudden interest in her and includes her in his art world. Ren feels like she has it all now, included in a lavoucious lifestyle and a romance she has wished for. While things with Archer grow, she keeps their relationship a secret and lies to her best friend afraid it will mean the end of their friendship. The more she lies, the more she has keep track of and the closer she gets to it all blowing up in her face.

I really enjoy books about ordinary people getting sucked into the lives and the rich and famous. No character was likeable, yet you couldn't help but sympathize with them. The character dynamics were all so well done, the way everyone were frenemies made it so interesting. The plot did keep my attention but was nothing revolutionary. It was very readable and entertaining.

The Art of Pretend by Lauren Kuhl. Thank you to @netgalley @thehive @htpbooks for my #gifted copy. My options are my own and voluntary.

Ren and Etta have been best friends since college. While Ren comes from humble beginnings and struggles to just pay her rent, Etta comes from generational wealth, never wanting for anything. A definite power dynamic exists between the two and Ren seems to relent to Etta at every turn.

When Etta surprises Ren by relocating to Barcelona, she leaves her luxurious NYC apartment in Ren’s care. Finally living it up in style, enter Etta’s older brother, Archer. Ren and Archer have an instant connection and secretly date until a situation arises and Archer gets in trouble with the law.

The two young women’s friends is tested and Ren loses her way.

Will Ren and Etta come back together? What about her relationship with Archer? Can Ren live happily ever after?

My thoughts:
Not my typical genre, but I really enjoyed this. It read more like women’s lit rather than romance or suspense. I was satisfied with the ending and thought it ties up everything perfectly.

Although I enjoyed this book, I felt like it didn’t push the envelope as much as I wanted it to. I kept expecting a big climax or confrontation and it all remained relatively calm. Which is fine, just not exactly what I was expecting. I don’t really know much about the art world so this was a fun little peek into that realm.

I don’t know what to make of this book! I saw somewhere there was a Gossip Girl reference, and so that interested me immediately. But I would have to say it’s more like an older version, with perhaps some of the burnouts maybe? The whole book also felt kind of dark; I couldn’t quite put a finger on why, but later realized that Ren (the FMC) has a depressing feel to her. Maybe because she’s stuck in a job that she doesn’t love, but can’t leave because she lacks the financial security her best friend, Etta has. Ren also never feels very confident about herself, and so I felt kind of dragged down while I was reading this. Nonetheless, I sped through this book at an incredible speed, and did not want to put it down.

The pessimist in me (brought out more while I was reading this), could not see a happy ending coming. I just thought there was no way she would end up with this guy so above her station (financially and status-wise), and I doubted Ren would ever take a risk on pursuing her dream career. I don’t like to include spoilers, so I won’t discuss the end. But it’s driving me crazy- I want someone to talk to about this book so bad! If a darker Gossip Girl, or just reading about the lives of the rich and elite, sounds interesting to you, you should definitely pick this one up!

This was definitely an interesting read, most of the story is centered around the romance of the main character Ren and her best friend’s older brother Archer. There’s lots of insecurities throughout this book but also characters being dependent on others to feel like they are living their lives. There’s so much in this book on power, wealth, class and how that can make a difference in how we view our own lives and sometimes even feel like we need to pretend to fit into different circles because of it.

Ren has followed her best friend Etta for years admiring her, her friendships and how she fits into society. You must read the book to really feel how this relationship develops throughout this book as there’s lots of power that I feel Etta has over Ren in many ways.

This was a great one to read as it was just a good story and watching the main character go through her friendship, dating and working in PR and how she continues the battle of fitting in across all of these!

Nothing happens in this book? I don’t understand the praise. I was very bored. The dialogue is so stilted and the amount of times the characters used one word answers became obnoxious.

I couldn’t put this book down. I did not see the plot twist coming, but I could have also done without it and had the third act breakup been simply about the complex dynamics between Ren and the Crofton siblings. Because I loved the writing style and the dynamics between the characters, I give this book 5 stars. If you liked Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados, you might like this book too.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the copy.

Review was posted to GoodReads and The StoryGraph on July 12, 2024.

3.75 rounded up

Right away we learn about Ren, Etta and their friendship. Right away it becomes clear there’s a big imbalance in the power dynamic AND that both characters get something from the friendship.

Once the dynamic shifts, Ren begins lying/omitting info from Etta and it’s clear this won’t end well. (Ren knows this.) I wanted to see Ren happy + successful but her choices make this seem impossible.

Overall, an entertaining read w/underdeveloped and vapid characters. Easy and light even if not particularly deep.

Advance reader copy provided by Harlequin Trade and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

A fast paced new release that focuses on themes of forbidden love, friendship, wealth, and jealousy. I devoured this book in one sitting. It is a realistic story of toxic relationships and past trauma. I felt connected to a lot of aspects of this book. Full of drama and secrets this is one you should definitely grab when you’re at the bookstore next!

Thank you NetGalley and harlequin trade publishing for this advanced reader copy