I loved this book!!! It was so cute & a quick read! I wish they would have communicated better about their feelings towards each other, but alas a HEA it was!! I do think B’s family and friends don’t deserve her.

i loved the concept of this book but the execution wasn't all there for me. Within the first 10-20% of the book the couple is already in the fake relationship and already insta lovey. They apparently have beef with each other (ie academic rivals) but it didn't feel like it, as the couple instantly fell into this fake relationship with no "ifs", "ands" or "buts". I wanted more 'showing' and less 'telling' of their love story. If you want a fast and care free romance this is the one, but if you're looking to get a deeper connection this isn't it.

Bianca has just received her doctorate and when she arrives at the bar to celebrate with her loved ones, she discovers that no one else attended except her nemesis/friend/classmate Xavier Byrne.
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With a couple of drinks as advisors, the two embark on a fake relationship to teach a lesson to all their loved ones for whom she always does everything possible to be by their side. Seeing how everyone reacts they decide to continue with the charade.
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But in this forced proximity, Xavier, who always lived alone, begins to see the opposite side of his life full of family and friends and it is not so difficult for them to continue denying the attraction they feel for each other for so long.
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I like the dose of “My big fat Greek wedding" and several Nia Vardalos movies where friendship and family play a great role along with Greek heritage. I think it is a book for fans of Indiana Jones and the Mummy with all the background of Xavier's career as a paleontologist
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I really enjoyed the steamy scenes that always started with a good dialogue, the chemistry was there, and even though it was a strange reason to enter a fake relationship I accepted it, but I struggled a bit to get into the story, at times it felt impersonal, as if they weren't talking about themselves and the third person describing their feelings felt a little off.
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I felt that there were too many secondary characters, family and friends, and since they did not fully participate in the story, I tried to remember who was who a big part of the chapter when they were. But I'm a big fan of tropes and romance and I know that many people are going to love this story and look forward to books about characters like Chloe and Frankie
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Thank to Jennifer Hennessy and Headline for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion
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DNF 47%

Thank you to Netgalley UK and Headline Eternal for sending me this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

If this book hadn’t been kindly sent to me by Netgalley and Headline Eternal, I would have DNFed earlier, but I always feel so bad about disliking a book that I was so excited to read an ARC. Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me.

On paper, this book has so many elements and tropes that I like. I love fake dating and how she is disappointed that her family doesn’t support her academic achievements but drops everything else to support milestones that are considered so important in a woman’s life: engagement, marriage, and babies. I could feel her frustration and I think I would feel the same, but in 20% I felt like so much had already happened in the book. The plot just went too fast for me to connect with the romance. Bianca and Xavier decided to go in a fake engagement extremely quickly. For two people who barely knew each other, interacted so little before accepting fake dating each other. The whole fake dating was supposed to be a one-time thing but in every scene, they would just postpone the end of it and I never say any advantage for Xavier. If he has a crush on her, isn’t it disingenuous to pretend that you are helping an unknown person just out of kindness when there is another reason behind it? For me, I enjoy when two characters accept fake dating if there is an advantage for both of them or if they are friends. I don’t know… Maybe if she had suggested it and there was some insistence from her side, but I just thought the whole plot developed too quickly for me to care about them.

Sadly, this book didn’t work for me, but many readers love a quick and fast-burn plot.

This book was a really good read I loved both the characters and the relationship they had and the family they have around them. I would of also liked to see a lot more happen in the epilogue I think more could have been showed or said about their relationship growth. The fake dating was so good and it was so clear from the very beginning how much the two characters really liked each other.

I really enjoyed this. The two of them are smart stupid people. They have their PhD's but can't talk about their feelings for each other. They are so clearly in love with each other and everyone except them can see it. They were cute and I loved the ending.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I immediately requested DoE when I read the blurb because 1) academia, 2) friends to lovers, and 3) why are some big events (relationships) considered more significant than others (job, life goal, etc)??

Bianca and Xavier: I loved their passion for academic advancement and their encouragement for each other. I cheered for Xavier’s righteous anger over Bianca’s hurt over her family & friends flaking! His speech at the end was so good 👏🏼 I related so much with Bianca. Her love for her family, her academic passion, her willingness to drop whatever for her people, and her resentment when things that matter to her aren’t taken as seriously by others. I love that Xavier validated her and supported her every step.

The plot: Whew so much happened… Pleasantly surprised at the surfing scene and I loved the reference to Disney’s Robin Hood! There were so many side characters that I kind of blended them together in my head haha. I was very confused at the ending and feel like like we didn’t get a full resolution.

CW: cursing, open door scenes

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader e-copy. All opinions are mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I absolutely ADORED this book. Bianca was easy to connect to and definitely was someone we can all see ourselves in. She’s working hard at creating and defending her thesis and wants to be celebrated for it. And then her friends don’t support her in that endeavor.
So Xavier, who was been in love with her since they met, concocted a scheme against those we he feels wronged her.

Honestly, loved them both. We love our consent King, Xavier.
I wish they would have communicated more about their feelings and such but then we wouldn’t have the amazing ending we had.

I love this title as it played into the story and that women in STEM are celebrated and focused on (and who are career or academically focused over marriage). However, it has one of the tropes I really don’t like: miscommunication. While I know this is common for romances, my hope was that the maturity and intellectualism of the characters would mean they’d have little issue with communication and truth. Other than that it’s a decent romance and story about a fake engagement that turns into real feelings.

i saw someone give this a one star and said it was too insta love and that made me want to request it even more! i love a good insta love and i think this one was done really well! i really enjoyed it!

Banter, tension, steamy and swoony. If I was to describe this book those would be 4 words that perfectly encapsulate it. Bianca, tired of being walked all over and not appreciated starts fake dating the perfect book boyfriend Xavier. HES RESPECTFUL FLIRTY AND NICE.

After being let down time and time again bianca and Xavier decide to teach Bianca family a lesson. I will always love a fake dating, force proximity book which Jennifer did really well. Fans of Ali hazelwood would really enjoy this.

I did not like the third person pov, that with some weird format issues on the pdf I read it one confused me at several parts. The lack of communication frustrated me especially with how mature the character are and act Nevertheless a great cozy read

Thank you for the e arc

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I think fans of Ali Hazelwood’s plots and characters will enjoy this! It took me a bit to get interested but by 40% I wanted to know more about the characters and how their relationship would play out. I appreciate that it was kept “lighter” with the swearing. And the library as a focus was fun for me as a book lover.

While this wasn’t as “spicy” as I first expected I did enjoy the banter and tension.

When I first requested this book I wanted it because it had my favourite tropes - academic rivals, archaeology and fake dating. Little did I know that I would be ending up with a book that I would reread again and again and again. However, I must digress.

When it comes to the scientific of it - the way the book is written - I really couldn't have asked for me. It was clear the author had done their research and had thought deeply about the representation of the characters in the book. There was no irritating repetitiveness, nothing was said that had me cringing or putting the book down. Instead the representation was well articulated, well thought out and so realistic I felt like I was being seen within a book. Not only were the characters relatable but they were also lovable, the kind that you are rooting for at every moment. I loved Bianca, her personality, her brains, her cat. Xavier was the ideal book boyfriend. Kind, respectful with just the right amount of flirty to be swoon worthy.

The story itself was fabulous. Too often you find a fake dating romance that doesn't deliver. Degrees of Engagement was the opposite. Not only did the author deliver, she delivered above and beyond what I was expecting. The discussions about priorities, the thoughts on marriage, the chemistry between the characters - all of it combined made for a swoon worthy, steamy romance that I would read on repeat for the rest of my life.

Easiest 5 stars ever.

Fun plot! It’s sad that an engagement takes precedence over a major work accomplishment. This was just the in that Xavier needed to get his one chance of getting to be with his dream girl before their lives took them in opposite directions. Playing the fake fiancé made Bianca see him in a new light. Xavier was her support system she needed all along. Their chemistry really came out when they acknowledged their mutual attraction! Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

So, I read this book in one sitting. It's the sort of book that you can tell is going to be brilliant from the first few pages and I couldn't put it down.

I think we have all felt like Bianca at some point - underappreciated, taken for granted and left behind.

This book bad so many tropes that I absolutely love and I devoured it.

Xavier was top tier book boyfriend and the relationship between him and Bianca was so well written. He would literally do anything for this woman!!!!

Tropes:
• Fake dating
• Friends to lovers
• He falls first
• Smart AF FMC


I will absolutely read this author's work again (I personally am hoping that we get a Frankie x Charlie Avery book) and I have a feeling that it's also going to become one of those books that I reread every time I'm in a slump.

Genuinely cannot say anything bad about this book!

I thought this book was a great plot idea, but honestly it was a miss for me. Bianca is tired of her family and society not supporting her professional achievements in the way they should because she’s not in a relationship or ready to start a family - so she starts a fake engagement with a fellow peer, Xavier to prove a point,
I get the point of the plot, but at the 50% mark, I felt like everything felt too forced, the whole “fake relationship” was SO instalovey, and I really didn’t even care what would happen towards the predictable end.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bianca is (quite understandably, in my opinion) annoyed when her friends don’t respect her important life achievement, because it involves a doctorate rather than marriage and children. How to get her point across? A fake engagement, and the fact that she and Xavier have been determinedly not acting on their mutual attraction for the whole five years of their doctoral program won’t be a problem at all…

I liked the premise, because it highlights the default expectations that many single women in their thirties feel - however the execution was a little heavy-handed with the issue repeated over and over. The dual point of view narrative also felt a touch clunky at times, like perhaps it would have been better in first person rather than third. Bianca and Xavier are great characters though, well rounded and respectful of each other - their chemistry is palpable and the eventual conclusion suited them both well.

Okay so I loved the whole premise and idea behind this! Fake dating, especially fake engagement is my favourite trope so I was so excited. And I loved the reasoning behind it all. I genuinely think everyday in some way how getting married / having a kid is still seen as the one goal everybody is aiming for and regardless of anything else, that’s basically the bare minimum goal to have succeeded at life. If you’re not in a relationship or engaged or pregnant whenever you speak to someone (especially if you haven’t seen them a while) the response is always, oh well you have time, or you’ll get there, or you just need to meet the right person. But you’re the top of of your field in say the entire world and it’s like oh, good job I guess but where’s the ring girl? So yeah. I could probably right an essay on my outrage about this, and I was so happy to see this being addressed in a romance book!
I think Xavier and Bianca actually getting engaged was insane, I’m all for the reasoning behind it and the reasoning for fake dating in books is always such a stretch and you kind of just have to look past that, but I couldn’t really get on board with it this time. I loved them as characters and thought they had great chemistry and the build up was amazing, but I had some other issues.

First of all, Xavier and Bianca had known / kinda worked together for 5 years and it was hinted at that they were close and both wanted to cross that line but never did. I really wanted proper flashback scenes rather than tiny one sentence remember this thing! It was basically friends to lovers but we learnt nothing about their friendship and I think that’s so important!

Also what I love most about fake dating is that there is an absolute load of shenanigans that goes along with it. Weird family members forcing you into situations that are just ridiculous but oh no we have to kiss or share this bed or sit on each other’s laps oh no! And we didn’t get this at all!! I was so disappointed as it was basically just them flirting and then they got together? Plus the whole reasoning for the third act break up was just stupid and they still had the same problem at the end but were just gonna deal with it?!

Honestly this book set me up for something I was going to absolutely adore, and unfortunately the execution just let me down slightly

When Bianca Dimitriou's family and friends don't show up to celebrate her PhD, she finds herself reflecting on what they deem important. To get her revenge, fuelled in part by alcohol, she fakes an engagement to Xavier Byrne, a brooding archaeologist turned librarian. Yet as they spend time together, it becomes clear that their feelings for each other have grown. However, her post-doctoral research will keep her close to home whilst his work, will take him far away from her, threatening any chance of their relationship succeeding.
This book did a good job of reviewing how a relationship is challenged by ones career. The chemistry between Bianca and Xavier was clearly evident and how this progressed to a relationship of great depth, was well described. An interesting read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.25 stars

I love, love, love this book! Let me just start by saying what a touching dedication it has—really sets the vibe for the story. Now, imagine this: academia, strong women, LA vibes, a mmc named Xavier (like hello?!), and honestly good humor. That’s what this story’s all about.

Bianca’s such a badass, and Xavier literally worships the ground she walks on. Like, come on, he calls her boss! They’re just so good together. The story does develop kinda fast, and it feels a teeny-tiny bit insta-lovey, but you must remember they’ve known each other for five years when the story starts. The fengagement, as Bianca and Xavier call it, is a fun ruse they keep up for basically the entire book, though it obviously turns heated and a little… (too) real pretty quickly.

I really enjoyed all the academia content! It’s so refreshing to see power couples and women in academia getting the representation they deserve. Bianca’s story deals with the struggle of career accomplishments not being acknowledged or celebrated by friends and family, which is incredibly relatable to a lot of women out there.

The writing is flawless, to say the least. Bianca and Xavier’s characters are relatable, fleshed-out, and beautiful. The two of them are almost too perfect for each other already. But seriously, the book is super well-written and so worth reading!

My only issue is with the miscommunication and general lack of communication between Bianca and Xavier. It is one of my least favorite tropes, and basically the make-up of their story. It’s a little disappointing to see such mature characters deal with relationships like that since a whole lot of their mentak beat-ups could’ve been avoided and resolved if they’d just talked to each other. But it all gets resolved nicely, and there’s no unnecessary and cringe third-act break-up—which we love!

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for providing me with an ARC of this book!