OMG!! 10 stars!

Nicole does the best grumpy hero's ever! And, how do these innocent heroin's fall for them? Always?

This is another binge worthy book. Sex, lies, but, no videotapes. I mean, what August and Elle do in their bedroom is none of our business.........or is it?

Elle meets Mr. Grumpy, August, aka Jet Daddy, on her flight to Seattle, and with having debilitating migraines, just can't handle the flight and it puts her in total tears. When they finally land, deplane and she makes her way into the airport, her migraines are so bad that she passes out. And, August just so happens to catch her before she hits the floor.

This book is so, so good. The drama, the very detailed steamy times, the lies...........all worth the read.

In-cred-ible !!
Start with the grumpy billionaire who has long lost his way from living life.
One plane ride next to a smiling, babbling beautiful woman whose migraine has her literally falling into him. Family, Friends, Tragedy and life long secrets makes it hard to put down this sweet, spicy, fun story.

I loved August, I thought his character was smart, witty and charismatic. I thought the author brought a depth to him that I was necessarily expecting. Also, the heroine was charming too. I enjoyed reading this book.

I couldn’t put it down! I just wanted to know what happened and where the family storyline was going. If you’re looking for a quick easy read with some spice this is it.

August is a grumpy billionaire that ends up with a sweet spot for the spunky artist Elle. Based on some unfortunate press coverage in his past, August is needing to portray a fake engagement with Elle to help with the image of his company.
The story has a lot of cute banter, genuine emotional development, and some spicy goodness. The secondary characters were a great addition to the plot.

There were a few things that didn't quite sit well with me, which is why it didn't get a full five star rating. The kindergarten classroom was a bit unrealistic, the alcoholism recovery plot was not quite believable and the courtroom scene was just too out there.

Overall, it was a solid read.

Grumpy MMC meets sunshine FMC in this fake dating story. The latest novel by Nicole Snow does not disappoint. Elle is a 23 year old moving back to her hometown of Seattle from NYC to help her grandmother. She suffers from anemia and migraines, and flying often triggers those migraines. Such is the case when she boards the plane. This is when she first encounters August. He's a broody, somber billionaire occupying the aisle seat to her window seat. He's busy typing away on his laptop completely ignoring the fact that Elle needs to get past him to get to her seat.

By the time they land, Elle thinks the worst of her migraine is behind her, but boy is she wrong. As she exits the plane, she passes out in the terminal. And who is there to catch her? None other than August, of course. Unbeknownst to them, pictures of August rescuing Elle make it to the tabloids. To save his reputation and his family's legacy, August convinces Elle to become his fake fiancé.

This went from a 3 to a 4 star for me simply for the banter between these two characters alone. She's sarcastic, chaotic, and witty. He's broody and serious.

Through the trials and tribulations, will fake become real?

Such a great fun read. This is everything I enjoy in a book. Strong believable characters and a gripping story.

Almost Pretend has a fun and intriguing concept that got me excited to read it. I love the trope of fake dating and a good billionare romance, however, I found myself not entirely clicking with the writing style or the main character at the time I read it. I'll look to give it another chance in the future. I loved that the author looked to include a plot about the FMC struggling with chronic migraines and think it is a great step to continue representing different struggles people go through.

Contrary to what the cover of this one implies, there is actually a plot! And it’s a cute one. Tropes are grumpy/sunshine, billionaire boss, and fake dating! Slow at first with some silly, sappy moments but overall a fun rom com!

This book was cute.

Almost Pretend tells the story of how one innocuous encounter in an airplane with a billionaire led to the main leads having to fake engage.

Tropes:
She fell first
Age gap
Fake dating
Grumpy x sunshine

The female lead, Elle, was very forward and a bit quirky, which led to a fun dynamic with August, the male lead, who was perpetually grumpy. I loved her personality. As for the plot, it was romcom levels of unrealistic at first, but then it became fun and spicy. One particular thing I loved was the chapter titles; I understood the reference! The epilogue was sweet and I'm looking forward to reading other books from this author. I rated this book a 3.25.

It was lovely to see the chronic illness representation too.

Thank you so much to Nicole Snow, NetGallery and Montlake for the ARC, these are my honest thoughts.

I was really disappointed with this book, it was too long, too angsty, too introspective and whiny, and overall too drawn out. Nicole Snow is most often a 4-star read for me because I find her tendency is to get mired down with introspection, but Almost Pretend is just not my jam.

thank you so much for the arc!

i didn’t enjoy this book - i’m sorry! there’s definitely an audience for it, but the fake dating trope needs to have a strong catalyst in order for me to enjoy it.

i appreciated the anemia/chronic migraine representation.

I loved this book! I needed a funny, feel good read and this book did not disappoint! Then ending got a little goofy at times, but I needed the chuckles. A fun book.

Almost Pretend" is a sizzling and heartwarming romance novel that skillfully portrays the unlikely connection between Eleanor Lark, an upbeat illustrator, and August Marshall, a brooding billionaire. The plot, driven by unexpected twists and sweet chaos, keeps readers engaged as the characters navigate their unconventional relationship.

The author effectively balances the romance with moments of humor and genuine emotion, making the story a thoroughly enjoyable read. The dynamic between the two lead characters is compelling, and their gradual evolution throughout the book is captivating.

While the premise of a pretend marriage may seem far-fetched, the author manages to infuse the narrative with a sense of authenticity and charm, giving the story an endearing quality. Overall, "Grumpy Sunshine" is a delightful and feel-good romance novel that delivers on both heartwarming moments and sizzling chemistry, earning it a solid four-star rating.

This is my very first ARC book and review! But I am no stranger to Nicole Snow. She is the first author I binged when I started reading again after not caring about reading for 20 years, since high school.

To preface, I would like to say that I do love all of Nicole's books! But, I think my favorites have been the last 3 released, including this one and The Broken Protector & The Sweetest Obsession.

This book has all the tropes - grumpy sunshine, age gap, fake fiancee, opposites attract, billionaire romance.

Is the HEA predictable & expected? Sure, but aren't they all? It's the journey getting from point A to point B that's the fun part. I especially loved the epilogue.

I read this in one day, easy read. I'm looking forward to see if perhaps another certain character will get her own story someday. As always, I can't wait to see what Nicole comes up with next.

Grumpy never falling in love again meets beautiful sunny artist. Love happens never say I will never fall in love

This is one hot grumpy/sunshine. Fake fiancée trope with open door scenes. August is a sweet billionaire grump. I loved Aunt Clara and her HEA too.

Thanks Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really tried to like this book but it just wasn't for me.

I can't even put my finger on what I didn't like about it but it just couldn't hold my attention. It took me a week to get to 35% and I just couldn't find it in me too finish it at that point.

The overall book is average with a lot of smaller offenses that really bothered me. If you don't read many books, skip this one. If you do read a lot of books, up to you, but there are better Nicole Snow books out there.
Almost Pretend is a grumpy x sunshine, marriage of convenience romance about a children's illustrator and the ceo trying to save his family's children publishing agency. I've read a few other Nicole Snow books and they are extremely similar to this book. It's the same beats over and over. The few twists and turns weren't surprising. Personally, when I read a romance novel, I get annoyed when I can figure out up coming plot twists before the characters because it lowers their intellect in my eyes. I wanted to scream YOU'RE AUNT IS A LESBIAN! COME ON, YVETTE LITERALLY WORKS ON A CHICKEN FARM!
The two love interests didn't have a lot of chemistry. I am lax when it comes to pet names, but the repeated use of wretch and brat really turned me off from the MMC. Those are words I typically associate with misogynistic men who are trying to assert dominance, but are just women haters. Other than inner monologue/thoughts about how crazy Elle makes him, I didn't get the vibe that August actually loved Elle. Just that she was there and wasn't his dead crazy ex-wife. I found him to be rude and hurtful in a way I personally couldn't get past. I've read a lot of "alpha-hole" stories and this was a poor execution of it.
There were some spelling/grammar errors that will hopefully be caught before final release.
Some other red flags I came across - I didn't love how alcoholism was treated in this book. It feels like the characters actions were showing one thing, but then the author would slip in lines of dialogue to make sure the reader knew that they had the "correct" view on alcoholism. And the line about Marissa asking her mother - who she was estranged from for 12 years - to be her AA sponsor so "she wouldn't let Marissa slip away like her father did." Yeah, no. I am not an expert on AA, but having someone so close to you, who you haven't spoken to in over a decade, and has also gone through the trauma of losing a mutual loved one from alcoholism, doesn't seem like a good or healthy idea. I would suggest changing the line to be more along the lines of Yvette helping Marissa get to meetings and taking care of her, not being her sponsor.
Thank you to Montlake, Nicole Snow, and Netgalley for providing me with this free eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This story was an instant like for me - a sweet girl meets handsome Mr. Grumpy Pants and before you know it they are thrust into each other's world. Ele comes to stay with her grandmother in Seattle, hoping to find a job and it just so happens that August needs her be his wife to ward off those pesky reporters. Ms. Snow also managed to bring just enough drama into their story to keep us on our toes. As the plot thickens, the result is a fun story of two opposites falling in love.