please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
POV: single 1st person POV
spice: slight insinuations of a closed-door relationship
TWs: mentions of abortion, absent parent, cheating, death of a spouse (recounted), divorce
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this clean romance was so good. Lots of banter, cute kids, and eclectic side characters. These single parents are both in need of a cover that fake dating will help solve and as long as no feelings get involved, they’ll be all set! But when their strangers-to-friends-to-lovers story is so believable that they are invited on weekend getaways with the other parents, they are forced together and forced to look at their very real feelings.
Part of me wishes we got the POV of Joe so we could see him falling in love but I love the POV we got to fully understand Sophie's thoughts and feelings.

read this book if you love
😬 angst
💌 clean romance
💏 fake dating
🏝️ forced proximity
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family
👦 he falls first and hard
🤫 hidden secrets
🛏️ “it’s just a fling”
💞 mutual pining
🚙 road trip
👩‍👦 single parent
💓 slowburn

I couldn't put this book down and it was exactly what I needed to get me out of a reading slump. This was a funny fake-dating single mum/dad romance and a quick and easy summer read. It was also really refreshing to read a romance about parents with kids. Highly recommend!

4.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

A fake dating heartwarming story about two single parents.

Joe and Sophie have an amazing chemistry and wippy banter.

Joe the supportive, attentive listener.

Sophie mom to 5-year-old Lila is worried she and her daughter do not fit in.

Joe is sick of all the moms hovering over him.

Simple pact the help each other out ...

A easy laugh out load romcom.

This book was really enjoyable. Reading about a more mature couple who already have kids leant some weightiness to the story (in a great way), but it still maintained a sense of fun. I think this book would make a great movie - I could picture the group of mean girl moms, the local pub, and the weekend getaway. Highly recommend!

Thank you to HarperCollins UK - HQ Digital and Hannah Doyle for allowing me to review The Pick Up.

The Pick Up shows Fake Dating isn't just for the singletons and broken-hearted protagonists of fiction – even single mums and dads might need a bit of fake dating armour. Hannah Doyle's writing style is simple, engaging, and charmingly cute. She has written a fun, slow-burn, feel-good read full of cosy, heartwarming vibes and a good sense of humour. The plot is a nice twist: a fake dating story with some clever Bad Mom movie vibes, especially with the hot single dad all the mums have crushes on and being their eye candy.

The characters are likable and well-developed. I loved the dynamic between Sophie and Joe – they were opposites of personalities. Joe is warm and kind and a massive cinnamon roll type. Sophie was more controlled, closed off, and focused on keeping life together than going with the flow. The chemistry and banter between them were cute and funny. I love the portrayal of their kids most – the relationship between Sophie and her daughter made my heart melt. She is the best type of mum.

Part of me wonders if books should come with warnings about 3 Act break ups and miscommunication. Massive trope ick for me – I hold my hands up and will say it cost the review a star from me – it was a little cliché in the handling and, to be honest, could have been avoided to get the same outcome for the story plot and character development for Sophie and Joe.

The Pick Up is a cute, light-hearted read full of feel-good rom-com vibes without any dash of spice, just extra sprinklings of sweetness and warm, witty, and fun banter.

I really enjoyed this book and found I read if very quickly. It is a really fun, slow burn, fr)enemies to. lovers book! The one thing I really loved about this book was that the focus was on more characters than just Sophie and Joe. I did really love Sophie though, she is such a strong characer and you can tell Joe is a great match for her. I definitely recommend this easy, fun read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

FAKE DATING!!!! I don't normally love single parents romances, but this was really good & absolutely laugh out loud funny. (Sophie's internal monologue had me cracking tf up!!) Joe was a top tier book bf! The other Class Moms brought a lot of humor. The tension, the banter, and the chemistry between the two main characters was amazing! I did love Sophie’s relationship with her daughter. The miscommunication in this book was actually done so well because the characters get called out for it- you have no choice but to laughhh!!!!

This is closed door romance, so no spice, but the tension is still hot.

3.5/4 stars

So sweet and adorable I enjoyed this one! I loved the characters so much and didn’t want this story to end
Thank you for providing me with the arc

This story is about Sophie who wants to give her daughter the best life and Joe who wants the ladies off his back. This is a single-parent romance novel that takes place in the UK. This book started off well in the beginning but then the story kind of began to dragged. The storyline was bad but there wasn’t much going on. I liked the UK style writing and traveling around the country with the characters. This story is told from Sophie’s pov.

Sophie is a single mom trying to figure out how to go about on her life. She wasn’t a bad character but I just couldn’t feel connected with her the way the pov was written. She’s strong and brave which I loved about her. Joe is the main side character and he was honestly bland. I didn’t know if he was in love with Sophie or not. There are other side characters but I didn’t really like them except Sophie’s sister who’s a sweetheart. The romance is fake dating, single parent, and friends to lovers. The romance could’ve been better but it just took so long to develop.

The ending was okay but I kind of stopped caring for the characters after they FINALLY got together. I was just hoping the would have more screen time together as a couple. This book wasn’t bad but also not so good.

*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Agh this book was so cute! Single parents Sophie and Joe decide to fake date to make life easier for them. Or so they think!

Sophie has a daughter Lila and she is raising her on her own after going through a divorce. Sadly, Joe's wife passed away several years ago and he is raising his son Sid alone. The meddling from Sophie's sister is so bad, the worst being that she signed Sophie up for a dating company and made her a profile without having permission!

Poor Joe is coined as 'hot dad' by the mom club and no one would mind him participating in everything going on. As Sophie and him find their arrangement being helpful, Sophie starts finding herself having real feelings for Joe. That wasn't the deal or what was supposed to happen. She can't help it though. That adds quite a complicated layer to this funny romcom.

I do wish this book was more of a dual POV and the ending was a tad rushed. I would have loved an epilogue to make the end of Sophie and Joe's story more complete. Overall this was definitely a cute romcom for a closed door romance and I laughed out loud several times for sure.

Thank you @Netgalley for my copy to read in exchange for my honest review!

I could have sworn I had already posted my review for this book, but I guess not.

Maybe I just thought I did.

Whatever the reason is, it's a good thing and let me tell you why.

The first time I tried reading this book, I couldn't do it.

It's not that the book was bad, I just could not get into any book. The beginning of May was horrible in terms of reading.

Every book I picked up, whether it was an ARC or a published one, was boring to me.

For the life of me I simply could not enjoy any book. I told myself I would go back and reread those ARC's because I'm a very easy reader to please.

I basically hand out 4 and 5 stars like they're candy.

The second time I read this book though?????? Completely different experience!

The slump is over and gone, and I can once again enjoy the books I pick up!

My second read for this book was everything I wanted the first one to be. I really enjoyed this book and I'm so happy I didn't give up on it.

If you were like me, consider giving the book another chance. Maybe the second time will be the charm.

I .hate givinga a books a little stars rating, but what can I say I just didn't feel this one.
I didn't connect to the MCs, to the storyline.
It was cute, but not for me.
3 stars

It's definitely going on my re-read list. Sophie's internal monologue resonated with me, reflecting the random, silly thoughts that cross my mind every day. This book was heartwarming, sweet, clever, and absolutely fantastic.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the author for providing me with the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This novel incorporates some of my preferred themes, such as single parents and fake dating. Nonetheless, I found it challenging to detect any spark between Sophie and Joe. I had high hopes for Joe as a golden retriever, MMC. However, Sophie was icy, distant, and guarded, hindering the potential for character development. The romance was an extreme slow burn, prolonging the moment when Sophie finally acknowledged their genuine connection. By the time she does, the story is basically over, depriving me of witnessing their relationship blossom into a solid partnership. Although there were fleeting instances where Sophie revealed vulnerability, she swiftly retreated behind her emotional walls, thwarting any progress. Frankly, her behaviour became exasperating and fostered a sense of dislike for her character.

Stars:2.75
Spice: o/5 (closed door)

This book was so much fun to read. I truly loved the relationships between the parents and their kids and the way each and every character was so fully fledged out, even the side characters. It made me connect with the characters in a way that not many books can accomplish, and though the book had a bit of a slow start, once it pulled me in, I was fully into it and couldn't put it down. It was the perfect romantic read.

I loved this book so much.

It took me a bit of time to commit to the story, but when I did, I finished the book in no time at all.

The story follows Sophie and Joe. Both single parents who both could do with a break from people mingling in their love lives. So, of course, they set up a fauxmance.

What I love most about these two characters is that they both have baggage from their previous relationships. Joe is a widower whereas Sophie a divorcee. So, while their history is different, their lives are pretty similar as they're both managing the struggles of loving single parent life.

I loved the banter between them as both lovers and friends. As well as the dynamic with all the other parents from the clique. I love how both of their children bloom because of the new connections made.

I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a wholesome read with lovely kids, this book is for you.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a lot of fun to read!

This romcom had me laughing so much! I will read this again. Sophie's internal monologue reminds me of myself and the random things that pass through my silly brain on the daily. This was heartwarming and sweet and clever and just amazing

This is a really fun slow burn, fake. dating, (fr)enemies to. lovers book! Honestly I had a hard time getting through the first third of the book, but. once. I made it. past that I. couldn't put. down the book! There are so many characters that I loved besides Sophie and Joe. I love how Sophie is such a strong and smart character, and that Joe is the perfect match to support her. I definitely recommend this fun read!

Thank you to the publisher, author, & NetGalley for sending me this e-ARC. All thoughts are my own, and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.