ARC provided by NetGalley.

Relatable characters, witty banter, and a festive atmosphere makes this book a hit of the holiday season! Murphy is in a bit of a slump, struggling to pass her accounting course at community college so she can join her best friend at U of I and continue on the path they set out for themselves when they were six. In comes Ellie with struggles of her own wanting to go to art school much to her parents dismay. Turns out Murphy and Ellie have something to benefit from each other, in more ways than one! This book follows the typical 'fake dating' trope as many rom com books do, but while it deals with complex issues it remains lighthearted. A quick read that will leave you smiling at the end!

I was so excited when I was approved for this advance copy, and luckily, for the most part, it did not disappoint. Both Murphy and Ellie were likable and relatable characters. Murphy, making her way through barista/marketing life, while attending community college to hopefully join her best friend Kat at U of I. Unfortunately that meant literally following Kat around like a lost puppy dog who literally upends her life in order to please or be with Kat. I’m sorry but to me, that is a little more than friendship. Which is the vibe I got, even when Ellie comes into the picture. Even though I felt myself drawn more towards Murphy, she still frustrated me alot too. Thank God she was able to freaking realize that she doesn’t need anyone to guide her through life, she all along had the ability to be herself and pursue her dreams without anyone standing in the way. Just took her until the last chapter to figure it out!!!

Anyway I liked the fact that community college played a major role in this book because not everyone can or afford to go to Ivy league colleges and on top of that, college is not for everyone. I am a huge advocate for education, don’t get me wrong, but I think it’s important to also know that college is not always the endgame, but maybe rather a stepping stone towards the career you want. Which in this case, seemed to work out well for Murphy. Being a huge baseball fan and former softball player myself, I loved the fact that Murphy was named after the bar across from Wrigley field and her love of baseball, especially the scene where she taught Ellie how to throw a ball. Major brownie points there, everyone should know how to properly throw a ball! So my end thoughts on Murphy are that, yes for the most part she is amazing and uber relatable, but I just hate the fact that she has wasted a majority of her life chasing a best friend/crush instead of focusing on herself and what she wanted for her own life.

Okay now onto Ellie. Ellie from the get go was your typical art school student, wanting to pursue her passion despite having a mother who doesn’t believe in pursuing the arts because lack of financial and practical stability. Typical. I wish society would finally move away from these thoughts because honestly, where would we be without art, music, theater, and other forms of creative expression? So major props to Ellie to sticking it to her uptight mother and going for what she wants in life! In that aspect she definitely influenced and encouraged Murphy to follow in her footsteps. Unfortunately when it came to chemistry with Murphy, it honestly fell extremely flat for me. I mean there was just not enough spice or sparks, and the lack of a deep enough connection made the romance feel lackluster at best.

Okay moving onto Kat and Daniel. I feel like Kat was extremely manipulative and strung Murphy along with her. If Kat truly was her best friend, she would have asked Murphy what she really wanted for herself instead of making plans so that they could always be together. Because even the one time Murphy asked to spend time with Kat, she purposely went against her wishes and brought her boyfriend Daniel. Poor Daniel, we really didn’t get to know him very much. Apparently he was this big sweet, funny guy, but we never got to see that, especially with Murphy constantly complaining about him and her clear jealousy.

As for the families, I absolutely adored Ellie’s dad and Aunt Carol. Her dad is the typical stereotype, grills the meat, loves talking about and watching sports, naps on the recliner, and has no clue what is going on around him, but in the most hilarious way. Aunt Carol gives off warm and understanding vibes, the exact opposite of her sister Kara. Despite Ellie not being there, she went to the opening of Sip to support Murphy and even hired her to help with marketing. Even though I’m still not a fan of Kara, I’m glad she turned it around in the end. Murphy’s parents on the other hand started out great, completely cute and supportive, and then went hard off the deep end. Without giving anything away, you will know when it happens! Let’s just say if I was Murphy I would be freaking pissed too.

Personally I’m not a fan of the fake dating in books because it always ends the same way with the 2 characters miraculously falling in love with each other when in real life nobody fake dates, let alone ends up with them in the end. Sorry I’m a realist. This kind of worked, only because it didn’t last long, but still, I wish people would move away from the fake dating because it gets old. All in all though, I did enjoy most of it, and would recommend it to the sapphic community!

Oh and I really love the cover of this book:)
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy for review!

I did not leave feed back for this book on review sites because I DNF'ed it. I felt it unfair to leave a review for a book I didn't finish. The plot seemed too unrealistic after one character mentioned the teacher hated her and then the teacher didn't even recognize her. and how was the teacher suppose to give her a better grade, when she would be using a different name on her tests?! I just couldn't get past it. I'm sorry. I know these situations are suppose to take a bit of disbelief, but my brain just kept questioning everything. I didn't want to harm the good reviews by leaving a negative one of my own though. I'm sorry.

Having read enough books like this, I can safely say that I don't really "get" the appeal of the fake dating trope (I guess it can be fun when it's done well and when there's something unique about the relationship before the fake dating starts), but it always blows my mind when I see folks frothing at the mouth for some fake dating. "I'll Get Back to You" feels like something that was born of some pretty cliche tropes and dynamics, but what really sells it is the smart banter and the lovely festive vibes.

I really enjoyed myself, and I found Ellie and Murphy to be completely adorable. I'll definitely be looking into more by Grischow.

This was a quick and cute read! I'm a sucker for a fake relationship and that in combination with the cozy, holiday vibes and a nice dose of coming of age angst worked well. I found Murphy to be a flawed but likeable character, who is at a turning point in her life where it seems her family and friends are moving on while she hasn't quite found her place in this changing world.
Things that worked for me: banter between Murphy and Ellie, their fake dating trade-off agreement, Murphy's coffee shop job, the frustrating but realistic little tantrums Murphy throws re: Kat and Daniel, the meet-cute and getting the girl back moments.
Things that fell flat: the idea of Ellie's mom playing favorites with grades, Murphy's lack of awareness of important transfer deadlines, Murphy's parents springing a sudden move on her, Ellie's level of anger post-Murphy's bathroom breakdown. While obviously stakes are elevated to create the necessary drama, the sheer number of obstacles placed in Murphy's way and heightened emotions within one 24 hour period felt extreme.
That said, once suspension of disbelief was activated, I greatly enjoyed how Murphy ultimately dealt with her world falling down around her and how she fixed the cracks in her most important relationships. Would certainly recommend for a late fall/winter read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first ever read by Becca Grishow and she wrote this book flawlessly. I loved the banter between Murphy and Ellie. This book was an easy-going, slaphappy and lightsome read that had you loving each character from the beginning. This young adult novel really pulled at your heart strings, especially my younger gay self in college. This fake-dating romcom reminded me of a bunch of authors I already loved and when the fake-dating turns to the real deal, eventually, it makes your heart smile. Murphy, hoping to follow her best friend, Kat, to college, when all of a sudden her whole life goes south, except for her job that lands her on the career path she actually wants. Ellie, a senior in college wanting to go to grad school for art therapy and wanting to move to NYC, plans change and possibly gives her and Murphy a happy ever after. I smiled, laughed and shed a few tears.

ARC REVIEW
I love this book and so excited to see it release to many more readers this fall! This holiday romance was a great balance of witty banter, heartfelt moments while being able to address serious topics. I flew through this book and had so much love for the main characters. I definitely recommend this to those who are a fan of fun, holiday romances that draw you in from the beginning and having you laughing all the way through!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Murphy was supposed to be settling into her junior year at the University of Illinois with her best friend, Kat. Instead, she’s stuck in a hellish suburban holding pattern: living with her parents, failing the same class that kept her from graduating the first time around, and making minimum wage at the same coffee shop she’s worked at since she was sixteen. It doesn't help that the dating pool for a twenty-one-year-old lesbian in the tiny town of Geneva, Illinois, is anemic at best.

When her and Kat’s long-awaited reunion is plagued by stuttering conversation and uninvited guests, Murphy’s resentment threatens to boil over. That is, until a miracle appears in the form of Ellie Meyers, a former classmate who is way cuter and not nearly as straight as Murphy remembers. Their heavy flirting holds the promise of something more… until Murphy learns that Ellie’s mom is the very professor preparing to flunk Murphy for a second semester in a row. Talk about killing the vibe.

Romance might be off the table, but Ellie could be Murphy’s key to getting into Professor Meyers’ good graces and finally getting out of Geneva. And Murphy—well-versed in defying parental expectations—might be Ellie’s chance to get her mother onboard with her own dreams. Together, they hatch a plot: fake a relationship for a holiday weekend at the Meyers’ house. If everything goes according to plan, Ellie will be living her dream halfway across the country, and Murphy will finally be able to graduate community college and start her life in earnest. So, the fact that Murphy can’t stop thinking about Ellie’s lips on hers isn't relevant. It’s just a part played well.

If you're looking for a small town winter romance, this one is cozy and wonderful! I loved this cute fake dating scheme. The characters were relatable and well developed and the plot was fun. This was reminiscent for me of Kiss Her Once For Me, which is one of my favorite queer Christmas books of all time!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very fun, cute read! I read it in about one day, it had a nice pace and the characters were complex yet likeable. Murphy's feelings of being left out, left behind, and generally lost come across realistically and will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like they're stuck in time while everyone else moves ahead of them (so maybe everyone?). The twist related to Murphy's transfer application timeline felt a bit unrealistic/confusing and I felt like Grischow could have found another way to derail Murphy's plans, but it did effectively illustrate just how Left Behind she really is. The cover is misleadingly Christmas-y because it's really a general winter romance, but that's fine. I liked the setting of the small hometown and the coffee shop and Ellie's father and aunt were two particularly delightful side characters. I will definitely recommend this to my friends once it comes out!