MY FIRST ROM-COM OF THE YEAR AND IT WAS SUCH A HIT, MATE!
an Irish man with a kind and gentle nature and with a great personality?? i'm sold.
but in all seriousness, they are so Jake and Amy coded from b99 which in turn makes them chandler and Monica coded and what else could I really ask for anymore? throw in a couple of sweet kids that's sure to give you baby fever! also I really need to know what did Sophie do in particular to get such an amazingly kind and awesome mother-in-law, I'd kill to have one! I can only hope I have as much grace and poise as Sophie has if and when I get hit by as many adversaries as she did. woman is a tad bit idiota but we love her she blew my mind away. Work-life balance is never easy and she does it so well that I can only admire from afar.
I have nothing but only good things to say about this book. the only reason I deducted one star is because i wish they had explored the characters romantic relationship some more. because the misunderstanding and in poppy's case the will they wont they went on for so long, I'd have liked to see the relationships more fleshed out than the rushed ending we got. like it felt too overwhelming and too underwhelming at the same so that was the only problem I had but other than it's such a sweet treat.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc! This book was hilariously funny and well written. This was a very fun, easy read that made it easy to get invested in the characters.

Such a funny and rewarding five-star read. I loved this one, it had a lovely realism, even when you factor some of the crazy situations in the story, there was something so honest about it all. I was so happy that Sophie and Joe get the ending they do, as it really is fabulous. There are so many crazy and fun characters that you come across, they make you smile, even when you don’t think they are people you would like to have a coffee with, you still find something about them to love. This story has something for everyone, and its one everyone should pick up.

3.5/5⭐️
This was a cute single parent fake dating to lovers book! I laughed out loud while reading a lot. This book was very closed door which I enjoyed and I loved Joe in this book. I enjoyed Sophie’s character in the beginning but I started to not like her so much by the end. I think her I don’t need a man to make me happy stance lasted way too long. I also feel like the ending wasn’t way too quick and a bit too much to be enjoyable. Overall it was a cute book but not one I would choose again

I was so surprised by this book! The cover and general blurb hooked me in, but inside was a much deeper, thought out, hilarious story of a new take on fake dating. As soon as I started I was too glued to put it down.

Sophie and Joe are two single parents with kids at the same school, which is a refreshing new approach to my favourite fake dating trope. Their plan is to help them both out by getting the other mom's at school off Joe' back and Sophie into their friendship circle, which leads to them deciding to fake date each other,

The story was so much fun, we get to explore so many interesting relationships between Sophie and Joe, but also their friends Poppy & Adam and the kids too! This felt mature and current while also having so many streaks of joy and life and falling in love mixed in. The immediate chemistry sparks a friendship which of course always leads to more...

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This truly was a cute, refreshing read. It felt like watching a romcom, and I love that.

Sophie is a single parent to Lila, but she doesn’t fit in with the other moms at school, and she feels it’s affecting her daughter’s opportunity to be included; Joe is a single parent to Sidney, who all the moms at pick up seem to have a crush on. As the two start talking, they decide to fake a relationship: Sophie would have an in with the school moms, while Joe would get them off his back.

The story was genuinely so funny, Sophie’s inner monologue was truly hilarious at times. Kids in books can usually either make or break the book for me, and in this case they definitely made it; Lila especially was such a cute, bubbly presence throughout the story.

The chemistry between the main characters was there, and watching their friendship blossom was amazing. The side characters were such a great addition to it all, the Poppy and Adam subplot was something I really liked to see pop up every now and then, and I found myself looking forward to it as the story progressed.

My attention did drop a bit once we got to the third act, as the conflict felt so unnecessarily long. While I do understand Sophie’s reasoning and I think it’s a reasonable thing to happen, I also wish it was resolved differently. They could have easily sat down to talk and work through everything together rather than just… not speak.

All in all, I really did enjoy the book and had such a great time with it. The writing was great, the story was fun and entertaining, the characters were thoroughly enjoyable, the banter was excellent. What more could I ask for?

Many thanks to HQ & Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for my honest review!

So, this was cute and funny. But not much more than that.

I love the fake-dating as well as the one-bed trope in this, but they rarely actually fake-dated in public…? That seemed a little strange. Generally, I liked Sophie and Joe’s dynamic a lot. Their friendship didn’t feel awkward and flowed nicely, and the book succeeded in conveying that feeling of them coming alive when they’re with each other.

Sophie was a little too in her head sometimes—though aren’t we all—but it got draggy. There was no third-act break up, and thank god for that, but that was probably only due to the fact that they didn’t actually get together until the very last page.

I was also missing a bit of overall character depth in pretty much everyone. The humor and laughs were genuine and there, but Sophie, Joe, and all the other adults are supposed to be people in their mid- to late-thirties, but in their mannerisms and the way they treated each other it reminded me more of how a bunch of college students would behave. I’m all for fun and games but not at the cost of the story’s credibility.

If you’re looking for a very lighthearted, somewhat senseless but still funny, and quick read, this is good enough.

Special thanks to Netgalley and HQ for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I liked this book! I thought the premise was cute and girl power-y in a way that made me intrigued by the main character. This book is about a working single mom who is determined to make it on her own without relying on a relationship. She desperately wants her daughter to fit in and agrees to a faux-lationship to make this happen. The development of the two main characters was a bit slow, but I think the author did a good job of giving each character a thorough background for readers to understand. I enjoyed the ending of the book and would definitely recommend this book to a romance/fiction lover!

This is a super cute story about two single parents with a wonderful fake dating trope. What's not to love?

It's a lighthearted read with a wonderful array of side characters (mainly the other parents at pick up). I loved those scenes, many of which were laugh out loud.

It's one of those books you can lose yourself in for a few hours. I read it in two short sittings.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I’ve read work by Hannnah Doyle before and enjoyed it so I was excited to get started on The Pick Up.

The book centres around Sophie - a single mum with an ‘I don’t need a man’ outlook, and Joe - the hot, Irish, single dad all the school mums swoon over.

Sophie and Joe agree to fake-date and what follows is a series of interactions where the two develop feelings for each other.

The lack of communication between the two characters and stubbornness of Sophie means that the romance doesn’t get going until the very end. But it is nice to see Sophie’s dislike of Joe turn into friendship and then love.

The supporting characters in this book were great. The villainous leader of the school mums is well written, and Joe’s mum is perfect!!

I like that the story included the children. I’ve read a few books where the mc has a child and the child is kind of a side note rather than an integral part of the main character’s life. In this story, Lila is included throughout and the interactions are realistic and very relatable.

The only part of this book that I struggled with was why on earth Sophie felt she needed to be a part of that group of mums. It was written that it was to secure party invites etc for Lila, but there would’ve been 20+ other parents from Lila’s class in that playground to befriend. I understand that it had to be that group of mums for the story to work, but I think a better reason could’ve been used.

Overall, a good book that I enjoyed reading.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

What a cute romance. Two single parents decide to fake date so the other mom's will leave Joe alone and Sophie can make new friends.

Sophie did kind of annoy me with her insecurity. She hurt Joe more than she had to.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book! I love fake dating AND the single-parent trope. I did think there were some super cliche moments that weren't my favorite but it was still so cute!

This was a cute fast read with fake dating and laugh out loud moments. I really enjoyed the two main characters. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was dual POV though. 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

3.75 ⭐️

This was very sweet! I loved Sophie and Joe so much that I didn’t even mind the built in “do they ~really~ like me?” conflict that comes with fake dating.

I thought the children in this were well written as well. Sophie was so funny and I loved being inside her head. Just a delightful, easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley & HQ for the eARC.

sophie and joe are soooo cute, i loved how understanding joe was of soph's traumas and insecurities, the selfless way he dealt with that was enchanting to witness. i also loved the side characters and the funny moments that brought lightness into the story! hannah did a great jod, because this is a good book I LOVE IT!!!

thank you netgalley for the ARC <3

The Pick Up is a beautifully written book about two single parents who fake a relationship for their own personal reasons. There's no spice but a lot of humorous moments and sweet romance.

I've never heard of Hannah Doyle before and that's an absolute shame because her writing is gorgeous, and the way she can also add humour into it is amazing because surprisingly it's a very hard thing to do.

The thing I loved most about this book is the realism. Although I do not have a child, it was so nice for the storyline and plot to be realistic whereas some romance books start to go array and fall into scenarios that are hard to imagine in reality.

The one thing that I didn't like was that the ending felt a bit rushed, I would've liked a couple more chapters of Sophie and Joe whether that was building up to their ending or a few weeks, months or years after.

I adored this book. Wonderful lead characters with funny and likeable family in addition to a wholesome and amusing plot meant I was unable to put this book down and read it in two sittings. It was wonderful to see a strong female who doesn’t need a man to complete her life find someone who can enhance it. I will definitely be searching out more from this author.

3 stars

This is one of those books that I really wanted to love. The premise is absolutely fantastic. Two single parents fake dating? Bristol? A fun crew of side characters? Banter? What’s not to love?
But this book is single POV, and the MFC can be frustrating and a bit stubborn. There was so much miscommunication and it made it hard to see the chemistry between the two leads. Despite the perfect ending, I struggled to enjoy it.
But it was a quick, breezy read and may be great for someone else!
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

A romance set in Bristol, someplace I haven't read about. The change of scenery was nice, and the change in vocabulary wasn't as hard as I had expected.

The hard thing for me to do was relate to these characters, who are both single parents. But, I could see their struggles and feel really empathetic for them. They were really easy to love, just like their children.

What I love most about this book is that they always keep their love for each other second to the love for their children.

Also, the schoolgate group is super fun, because they show a lot of different approaches to parenting and the mothers actually learn from each other. Even the mother who is set up as the "bad guy" in the beginning. Because no mother is a bad guy if she is doing everything out of love for her child.

Such a different style of romance that I'm used to, but I'll browse the genre after this one. It really was that good.

Unfortunately, this fell a little flat for me. It’s just Sophie’s POV and I really prefer a dual POV to get the guy’s perspective.

Sophie was stubborn and SO slow to recognize her feelings.

That said,it wasn’t all bad, and I don’t regret reading it.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️: 0️⃣