I enjoyed this funny rom-com. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! Sophie is a capable and loving single mom whose family wants her to find love again after an ugly and painful divorce. Cue Joe, the single dad she meets at school pick up. All of the moms have big crushes on him. To help each other out, they decide to start fake dating to keep Sophia’s off her back and to help simmer down the other moms. You can guess the rest…

I give this book 4.25 stars!

We have Sophie, a single mom to a sweet 4-year-old named Lila. Sophie and her husband divorced when she found out she was pregnant and he decided he didn't want to be a father. Turns out, he had also been cheating on her. They had opened a business together before getting married so it's fair to say that the divorce was messy. In the end, Sophie walked away from the company, from her marriage, and with full custody of her unborn child. She moved to Bristol to be close to her family and she eventually started a new company. Because Sophie is a single working mother, she relies on her family to help her with Lila, so she doesn't always make it to the school drop-off or pick-up and, therefore, couldn't make mom-friends from her daughter's school. Add to that, Sophie hasn't dated since her divorce, and her sister, Poppy, has taken it upon herself to play matchmaker with any single man in Bristol. Let's just say that her efforts are being wasted because Sophie is not interested in any of the potential suitors her sister has found.

Joe is a widowed father of a sweet 4-year-old named Sydney. He too lives in Bristol, near his parents, and is considered the "hot-dad" by all the mothers at his son's school. Although they are all married, they still take any and every opportunity to ogle over him and undress him in their minds. Joe, understandably, is starting to feel uncomfortable but he is such a nice guy, that he doesn't say anything.

Joe and Sophie meet at pick-up one day and start hanging out. Joe has the brilliant plan to fake-date to get all the other moms to leave him alone and Sophie can finally get her sister to stop meddling in her love life. As is customary in these tropes, they begin a beautiful friendship that starts to grow until they finally realize that they are in love with each other. It's a beautiful story.

This entire book is written from the POV of Sophie. Again, she is a single mother who owns a business. She is constantly on the move getting things done from her "To-do" list. Any mother out there can relate that we have a million thoughts and reminders going off in our heads at any given moment. Well, Sophie is the same and it is portrayed like that in the writing. I felt like I was inside the head of a fast-paced mom who had to bounce from one idea and action to the next quickly. Some of the internal dialogue is chaotic, frazzled...just like the brain of a woman and mother. She gets distracted, and she has to pull her focus back from daydreaming (sometimes sexy daydreams) to see reality, she needs to redirect her personality from professional businesswoman to mom, to woman constantly and it is all reflected in the writing. It's brilliant writing, although slightly confusing to read. Sophie's internal dialogue is also hilarious. She is constantly calling out the kids and other parents in her mind (in a lighthearted, teasing way).

With that said, I was expecting to see a bit more of Sophie's feelings grow over time since everything is from her POV. She would tell the reader occasionally that she started to find him attractive, that she saw him as her best friend and loved spending time with him, and that she loved his family. However, from those comments to the love she feels at the end of the book...I didn't feel it. I didn't feel her lusting over Joe. I didn't feel the build-up of the chemistry. The way that Sophie would sometimes describe Joe's actions, or his text messages, or the way she caught him looking at her, I would believe the lust and attraction more from him than from her. I wish we would have gotten to see Joe's POV as well.

Also, I want to say this book is very British. There were quite a few words or slang or sayings that are culturally used and understood by the English than the Americans. I found myself (American) either having to look up the meaning of some words or, knowing what they meant but I would never use the phrase in my own life/vocabulary.

I think there are a lot of feelings that Sophie has, especially at the beginning, about being a mother and bonding with the other school moms, that are relatable to any parent out there, not just single parents. Those of us who are introverts know what it's like to stand by the trash bins at the school pick-up, or go to a school function and fret over your child more than mingle with the other parents because you are intimidated or shy.

This book was really cute! I loved the concept of a single mom who doesn’t need anyone else! There were parts of this book that were frustrating. Although I loved Sophie’s character it took her way too long to understand her feelings. Every time she friend zoned Joe I wanted to scream! On the other hand it was nice to see the MMC fall first. Overall I enjoyed this book and would read other books by this author!

This was a laugh out loud, fake dating book about two single parents. Joe was the best (fake) book boyfriend and I loved Sophie. The other Class Moms brought a lot of humor. The tension, the banter, and the chemist between the two main characters was amazing! I loved all the British and Irish subtleties. I loved Sophie’s relationship with her daughter. There is a miscommunication trope near the end but they at least get called out on it!

Overall, this book was super cute and had a lot of funny moments. I very much enjoyed the entire book! If you’re looking for a clean romcom that is sweet and heartfelt, this is for you!

The Pick Up was a delightful read that had me smiling throughout. The story centers around Sophie, a divorced career woman, and Joe, a widower, who decide to fake date each other to deal with the other parents at their kids' school. Their agreement turns them into friends, which eventually turns into more though only one of them can see it at first. We get a strong dose of romance while also getting a peek into what single parenting can look like. The story has quality secondary characters such as Sophie's sister who was pushing her into bad blind dates and Joe's mother who bakes the best gluten-free desserts. Not to mention all of the school moms that have their own unique personalities. The dialogue was flirty and fun and the problems that popped up were high stakes, but navigated excellently.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’re in the mood for a light, easy, clean rom-com, then give this a go!

Single parents, Sophie and Joe, meet at the school pick-up, and decide to fake-date each other. Sophie wants an ‘in’ with the cool mums at the gates, and Joe just wants to be left alone from the mums fussing over him. Even though they are complete opposites they become friends, and eventually fall for each other.

They are very cute with each other, the banter is just fun to read, and you could feel the chemistry between the two of them.

I wish this had Joe’s POV though, as I loveeeee when you see the MMC realise when he’s falling. We just got to hear this from his Mum. And it is a slow-burn, and a clean romance, so no spice or open door scenes, but this was a very enjoyable read!

4.5 stars!

I loved this book and got through it so quick! First of all fake dating is one of my favourite tropes so I knew I would like it but this book made me feel everything it should have done. When the characters were happy, I was happy. When they were angry or annoyed, I felt angry and annoyed. And I absolutely fell in love with these characters.
I loved Sophie and Joe and found myself smiling so much at this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hannah Doyle for providing me with an ARC copy of The Pick Up!

I received an ARC copy of this novel for an honest review

I have enjoyed fake romance tropes in the past and liked the different approach to this - a mum wanting an in with the parents at the school gates, but this just didn’t work for me.

With regard to Barnaby’s Babes it was nice to see development of the relationship between Sophie and Frankie, and Sophie opening herself up to this more. I think the change in Celeste’s character was a complete 180 and this may be a case of feeling that under every questionable character must be some redeeming factor or reason for their behaviour. This reminded me of a particular character in the BBC series Motherhood, but the attempt to give the reader an insight into Celeste’s behaviour fell a bit flat for me.

Poppy as a supporting character was fun but her story arc felt rushed - especially the end.

Sophie often reflects on the difficulties faced with being a single parent but neither she nor Joe seemed to ever face any real challenges in day to day life - both with successful highflying careers that they balance with being a single parent to wonderful children, and both with very involved support networks.

This was an easy read but it just wasn’t for me - I definitely think others will enjoy it though.

Fun, quick read about two single parents who eventually start a fake relationship. Joe and Sophie had an instant friendship that aided in one of the more realistic fake relationship stories that I have read. Hannah Doyle does a great job of not only developing the main characters in the story but all of the side characters as well that made me feel connected to the story.

Two single parents.
Fake dating.
Grumpy x sunshine.
The cutest little kids.
Gossip moms.
And lots of fun.
This is how I can describe this book.
loved every second of it. Thank you NetGalley❣️

What do you do when your well meaning little sister won’t stop setting you up on dates? What do you do when the bombs at pick up won’t stop drooling over you? Fake date of course!

Sophie is a single mom who is just trying to do her best. She wants her daughter to have play dates and be invited to parties. Joe is a single dad who just wants to be able to move on as more than the sad dad. But the moms at school swarm him at every chance they get. These two decide to fake date to make both of their goals happen. I really enjoyed this one. As a parent when Joe asked Sophie if she needed a ride to the party that Lila wasn’t invited to, my heart absolutely sunk. I could understand how Sophie would be willing to do fake date to get her invited to things. I loved the banter between Sophie and Joe. I appreciated the ending of who went after who to declare their love. Definitely check this one out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars
No spice but a whole lotta tension

Favourite Lines:
I know it's wrong to formulate strong opinions on four-year-olds but Oscar, quite clearly, is a douche.

'Sidney's dad brings sweets to pickup ...'
What a dickhead.

Contemporary single-parent romance with witty banter and hilarious FMC. The main characters fake a relationship to avoid pushy family members trying to get them back on the dating scene, and make their lives easier with the "it" crowd of parents at school pick up.

This book was so wholesome and refreshing, I breezed through it in two days and found myself heavily invested in Sophie and Joe's fauxmance. The chemistry between them was sizzling, the quips were on point, and the funny moments trying to wrangle toddlers only added to the atmosphere. The side characters were all great, especially Frankie, and wouldn't a spin off for Poppy and Adam be amazing?!

The only thing I could have asked for was a little bit of spice as a reward for the all that sexual tension, but I suppose that's a personal preference. I did want them to get together way sooner, but it was absolutely worth the wait, and the slow burn felt authentic and relatable.

Tropes:
💕Single Parents
💕Fake Dating
💕Slow Burn
💕Only one bed
💕Miscommunication

My review is also published in Goodreads!

I loved this book! The characters were so fresh and real. I loved the romance and thought it was such a great romance read. Definitely add this one to your list.

This book had me hooked right from the start! Main characters, Sophie and Joe, are both single parents. They meet at their children’s school and both agree to fake day in order to help each other out! Who doesn’t love a fake dating trope?! Hannah Doyle introduces us to lots of hilarious characters! The chemistry between Sophie and Joe is so good and feels authentic! There’s no spice in this story but it honestly was so good you don’t even need it! I enjoyed this book and can’t want to buy the physical copy when it’s released!

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this ARC!

The Pick Up by Hannah Doyle was a brilliantly, fast paced, rom-com. I absolutely devoured this novel! I finished it in 1 day, because I couldn't put it down. The relationships are believable, lovable, and so very heartwarming. This book is clean (no spicy scenes) but is packed full of romance. I highly recommend this book for anyone needing a pick-me-up!

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️✧
Spice:🌶️

Fake Dating✅
One Bed✅
dislike to love✅
He falls First✅
Single Parent✅
Single POV✅


The story of Joe Kitson and Sophie Rogers is adorable and heartwarming, albeit a tad slow-paced. Nonetheless, it held my attention with its charming side characters and diverse range of themes including witty banter, the challenges of parenthood, heartwarming moments with children, the love of family, the journey of self-made women, and the amusing dynamics of a mommy group. It's a guarantee that you'll be fully engaged.

The romantic sparks or "electric shocks" as described in the book, between the main characters don't ignite until 56% into the story. However, their progression from dislike to acquaintances, then friends, and finally lovers are portrayed beautifully and with great care.

The love story between Sophie's sister, Poppy, and Adam intertwines seamlessly with the main narrative, and I found myself thinking they deserve a book of their own.

In conclusion, The Pick Up is a heartwarming journey of love, growth, and family leaving readers with a warm and fuzzy feeling that lingers long after the final page.

Overall enjoyable read, and the inner dialogue of Sophie (main female character) is quite humorous. The ending felt a bit abrupt, and it would have been nice to see maybe a year into the future as an epilogue.

I couldn’t stop reading this book until it ended. I read it in two days. Great read! So romantic. Friends to lovers at its best.

I am a self-admitted book worm, and I have been the majority of my life. The genre that I most enjoy is romance. Here lately, in addition to romantic suspense books, I have also been gravitating towards romantic comedies. Because of this, I was extremely excited to read this book.

I tend to be hesitant to read books from a new author, because it sometimes takes me a while to get used to their particular writing style. This was not the at all case with this book. I loved that it was written from a first-person perspective. Also, the main characters are extremely likable. You want them both to win.

I also liked that the secondary characters were written in such a way that you actually care about their stories as well. I found myself rooting for them as well.

I really loved this book, and am a little disappointed that I am done with it. I would love to a bonus epilogue or something down the line. I recommend this book, and cannot wait to see what is next from this author.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I like the premise of this book more than the actual book. It was a quick read and had some funny parts but it fell short for me.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review.