This was my first book by Nicole Snow and it won’t be my last. Her writing style made the book come to life in my mine. From the very beginning I was hooked by Elle and August. I laughed out loud, and even shed a few silent tears.

Tropes: forced proximity, grumpyxsunshine, and dislike to lovers.

Eleanor is positively delightful and provides balance to the broody August. A chance meeting and finding they had more in common will bring them what they desire and provide the future neither saw coming. Nicole Snow’s characters are such a joy to read and you’ll laugh through the entire story.

Alright, ya'll. This is a perfect example of this genre. I see some people in the comments saying that it is not believable and the characters don't have enough depth, etc. Which may be true, but that isn't the requirements of this genre. If you want deep character-development and literary merit, then this isn't the genre for you. If you want escapism romance with some steam and some snark, then pick this book up. It is tropey, and steamy, and billionairey, and snarky, and fun.
After a medical emergency send Elle fainting into the arms of billionaire tabloid bad boy August, they become fodder for the gossip news which tarnishes both their reputations at the worst times. To counteract this, August demands they pretend to be engaged. Elle agrees because he's rich and is going to pay her and she has a crush on him because he's broodish and cute and has a beard (duh). Elle, of course, doesn't know her own pixie-like beauty and August, despite the wall he's built around his heart after a bad break-up (and I mean BAD), finds he's falling for her for real. They are both helping his beloved aunt regain her muse to continue writing a children's book series about a penguin that now-illustrator Elle loved as a child. But, of course, things get in their way along the way.
Tropes - grumpy-sunshine, fake dating, billionaire, alpha male with a heart-of-gold, third act break up but not because of miscommunication, snarky/quirky/tiny female MC
This book was just what I needed to cleanse my reading palette from all the heavier literary fiction and mediocre thrillers I've been reading lately. It even had me laughing out loud a few times at their banter although I wouldn't really classify it as a rom-com.
If you like billionaire romances with STEAM, then you'll enjoy this read. If you are looking for something that's going to resonate with your soul, this is not it. :)
Thank you to NetGalley, Nicole Snow, and the publisher for allowing me to review an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you love a grumpy-sunshine romances, this book is for you.
August is the grumpiest grump and Elle is the sunniest sunshine.
They meet on an airplane where Elle is having a severe migraine and August tries to ignore her only to rescue her when she faints as they land.
When the tabloids print the photos of him carrying her at the airport, August needs to save his reputation and asks Elle to be his fake fiancee.
I loved all the female characters in the book (especially Elle's grandmother) but I had some trouble relating to August's character.

Eleanor Lark is a children's book illustrator and going home to help her injured grandmother. Due to her massive migrane attack, she loses consciousness at the arrival airport, but her grumpy yet handsome flight neighbour saves her from landing on the airport floor.
When the next day he appears on her grandmother's doorsteps with a proposal about their fake engagement to save the damage the media circus has done, she agrees just to repay his kindness.
What August Marshall doesn't know is that Elle's the ray of sunshine to his darkness, he so desperately has needed.
The feelings she has revoked slowly crack his armoured heart.
But can he win the fight against the darkness, and Elle with her smiles and kindness get to his heart?
Find out for yourselves.
I loved the writing and the descriptions of their feelings, I simply loved the whole book. With its little twist, it was the perfect book to read after a few heavy reads.

I would love to share my favourite marked parts:

"She’s an angel of light captured straight from a fairy tale, and as the sunrise thins the barrier between worlds, she’ll fade away like she was never here slumming it in flesh and blood at all."

"I’ve sworn I’ll never love again— if you could even call what we had love. I swore I’d definitely never trust again. Never let anyone else past the walls and barbed wire that keep me safe from more agony. Now I, August Marshall, am a damn liar."

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved the disability rep with Elle. As someone who suffered from migraines, I could heavily relate, minus the fainting. I would have the onset, the pain, and not being able to withstand loud noises or bright lights. It is such a debilitating issue.

August, he was not my favorite, initially. He was a complete jerk, and asshole, still is, but the way Elle softened him, loved it. I did want to castrate him like Lena threatened when he and Elle first had sex and he kicked her out of the room. And when he was going off on Clara and snapped at Elle, telling her it was none of her business and he didn’t want her.

The age difference was very blatant. Elle was very immature and acted every bit of 23, and that was annoying at times, well, majority of the time. I guess me being 35, it was just a lot. She was immature and insecure. And the way she forgave August after he apologized through a damn letter. There’s no way I would accept that. I need to hear those words.

I loved the banter with Lena and Grandma. They were freaking hilarious. I also loved Clara. She and Grandma would definitely get along.

I also liked the LGBTQIA+ rep with Clara and Yvette. As a queer woman, I couldn’t imagine living during the time when they were younger and same sex relationships were frowned upon. It made sense why Clara was so willing to give up the Inky sketches.

Marissa needed to be bent over somebody’s knee and spanked, and I don’t mean that in a naughty way. She’s one of those people who the rod should not have been spared as a child, however, Yvette keeping the reality of what was going on as Marissa was growing up, somewhat contributed to that, but Marissa is too grown to act the way she did.

Overall, it was an okay read.

I love the grumpy/sunshine pairing and this one did such a great job of featuring strong silent broody August paired with cheery, sweet Elle. A great meet cute (fainting at an airport from a migraine led to a save by the grump) led to an improbable and unbelievable rationale for a fake relationship (seriously, I still don't understand why they needed to go into a fake relationship). But their banter and interactions with each other made me smile and often laugh. I loved the supportive cast and enjoyed how the story ended. It was a very enjoyable way to spend a few hours.

They say opposite attract and that is certainly true in this gorgeous romantic novel by Nicole Snow. August is so grumpy but Ellie is the total opposite. I couldn't help but smile whilst reading this book as its gorgeous in its storyline about a girl who falls for a man who never thought she fall for the gorgeous billionaire.

I'll be watching out for more of Nicole's books if they are all like this.

This is absolutely joyful and a delight to read. Despite her health concerns, Elle is sunshine compared to August's gloom and frosty disposition. He's closed off and business focused but despite this Elle agrees to help him after he initially had assisted her in an emergency. I loved how well they worked together and how Elle saw the man beneath the gruffness. It is a delightful romance with fun moments, drama, some business difficulties, secrets and surprises.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book

3.5/5 stars ⭐️

Almost Pretend is a fake dating, grumpy x sunshine romance that follows Elle and August. They meet on a flight to Seattle, where Elle is suffering from a bad migraine, which leads to her fainting.

After the rather embarrassing encounter, the last thing Elle expects is for it to go viral and for a billionaire to be knocking on her door, the very next day, demanding that she pretends to be his fake fiancee.

I had mixed feelings about this, it was okay, there were times when I thought that I’d give up because I was struggling with the writing style, and the inner monologue felt rather drawn out at times, but I pushed through and surprisingly wasn’t bad. Both August and Elle were quite in depth characters, and they really complimented each other, in the best kind of opposites attract story.

I would have liked to have seen more about the chronic illness that Elle has.

I’m glad that August and Elle got their happy ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the arc!

Tropes

Age gap
Fake dating
Grumpy sunshine
Workplace romance

He was SO grumpy and she was SO Sunshiny and positive in every situation. It was a great reminder that there is good in every situation if you look for it. I loved how she challenged him even though he was a billionaire and her sunshine rubbed off on him.

Almost Pretend has Elle boarding a plane to Seattle with a horrific debilitating migraine. Sat next to her is August a billionaire business man who completely ignores her and works on her lap tap, when the migraine leads to Elle crying in pain with tears dripping down her face, he passes over a silk handkerchief saying nothing.
When the plane lands. On her way to baggage claim Elle passes out and August is just behind her and catches her, ascertaining that she is going to her Grandmothers he has his driver take her there.
The next morning all the papers and internet feed is full of August carrying her and speculation is rife. Unhappy with this grumpy August tell Elle they must have a fake engagement until the dust settles otherwise his business and reputation will suffer.
Elle is a lovely happy character, they are complete opposites but feelings start to change and this is their journey. I did take a while to warm to August but he grew on me.
A good read with a cast of characters that range from delightful to awful. Humorous and also disadvantages at times this is an enjoyable read.

The story just didn’t connect for me. I was hoping to be entertained but instead I spent more time trying to figure out what the actual characters were doing and who was saying what. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I LOVED this book, from the storyline to the characters! Just everything about this book had me hooked from the cover to "The End" just amazing, highly recommend reading

5 stars. I loved everything about this book! The writing is fantastic. I could not put this book down. Elle was such a fun character. Her personality was a breath of fresh air. As a migraine sufferer, I could relate to many of the situations Elle found herself in. August was the brooding billionaire that I couldn’t help but root for. Opposites attract in this grumpy sunshine romance.

Nicole Snow is one of my favorite authors. Her stories often make me laugh and cry. I enjoyed Almost Pretend greatly. The grumpy-sunshine trope is a favorite of mine- though parts of the book dragged on more than some of Snow’s previous works. I admired Elle’s individuality and confidence. I liked the representation of a FMC with a chronic illness- though it seemed inconsistent (but chronic illnesses can work that way- so I’ll go with it). Things seemed more debilitating in the beginning and as the book went on, it seemed to be pushed to the back burner and disappear.

Overall- I enjoyed the book and the opportunity to review an ARC by NetGalley.

I have read a few of Nicole Snow book series and I struggle with her character development. She has the ability to push what most readers would like in detail and convince them this romance will last through the ups and down the world will throw at them.
The story is once again an intra romance that is unoriginal at best. The lead characters are flat and boring at best. The story is predictable and nothing original.
If you need a fast steamy romance with a HEA than this will be your story.
Thank you to Netgalley for advance copy.

When August meets Elle on a cross country flight, neither one of them knows that their lives are about to change forever. Their story is a grumpy/sunshine story that will make you in turn laugh and cry. Nicole Snow books are always a must read.

I am always up for a grumpy / sunshine fake dating romance, but this one just felt off to me. I can't put my finger on it, but I just couldn't get into the book either through the characters or the story itself. I truly enjoyed Ms. Snow's books and will always read their books.

This storyline was incredible! I am in love with August Marshall. He is my new book boyfriend. August Marshall is an alpha male billionaire, so naturally, who wouldn’t hate him. Elle meets August on a plane where August comes to her rescue. This is pretty woman meets beauty and the beast with a little princess diaries. I LOVED IT. Grumpy/sunshine, fake engagement, with so much banter. Ugh so good. Releasing April 29, 2024. Thank you Montlake for letting me read this ARC and thank you NetGalley!

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