nooooooo

hard no and pass and absolutely not on this book so sorry to say i just could NOT

i had zero sympathy for the mc’s icky and complain-y problems and the romance LITERALLY DID NOT ROMANCE until like the last ten pages when at that point i was so done i was just swiping for it to be over

i swear im in a rom-com mood but this was not hitting at all - ellie sounds cool and like sip was described well but besides that? absolutely not, this was not for me

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Murphy and Ellie scratched an itch in my brain that made me realize that I’ve always wanted a story like this to exist - a sweet holiday time of year fake romance where both sides of the equation are a bit messed up and still learning about themselves.

Murphy just wants to pass accounting so she can transfer to the state school where her best friend is, and Ellie wants her mom to ease up on the idea of grad school in Manhattan.

Murphy is highly relatable as her life is going far from the way she planned, and her best friend seems to have found a soulmate, possibly replacing her in that role. And Ellie took me back to when I thought I had the dream mapped out until I was informed by the reality that I might need to adjust the plans.

I love a good fake romance and this one was fast-paced - essentially 36 hours long - but the immediate chemistry and aftermath was the true star of this book. It was refreshing to watch the two work through their restraints to find a realistic path forward.

I left this book feeling warm as Murphy found a new path forward for herself and Ellie discovered how to be content in what she wanted deep down, even if not how she planned it.

This one is for those looking for a cozy, light read that isn’t afraid to hide from real-life topics. Perfect for the upcoming holiday season with a cup of warm cider or chai tea.

thank you to netgalley for the eARC.

this was such a fun read. i don’t read lighthearted books often, but it’s always a treat when i do.

the whole fake dating aspect to an odd situation was interesting. in the end, i’m not even sure if it truly benefited them both, or any of them actually. it worked, but it also didn’t work.

i feel like a majority of the book took place in a span of a week, maybe less, and the rest was just a bunch of realizing and waiting for about a month? if you took out the fake dating, murphy and ellie weren’t together longer than they were together.

the read was fun, but the storyline was weak in that aspect. not much was added outside of that, but i rate based on how interested i was and how fun it was so four stars. it likely would’ve been three stars if i rated my reads differently, but i say four stars. however, i do wish there was more than just the fake dating.

I fear I am never beating the "silly queer holiday romance lover" allegations because this is yet another one that has stolen my heart.

I'm very greatful to have gotten the arc through netgalley. I did have to dnf this 40% of the way through. It felt like I was pushing myself to just read the book to try to see if I would like it and because I got an arc of it. What I read of it was decent and good writing which is why I'm not giving it a one star. I just think it's not for me there's nothing horribly wrong with the book so one or two stars felt like the wrong rating for this.

The premise seemed great, but I couldn't get attached to the characters. I didn't feel like any of them were super unique or something I hadn't seen before. Felt like almost the hallmark movie with Kristen Stewart which I didn't really enjoy. I might try to read this again later, but for now this is sadly a dnf.

This was a quick, cute holiday read with one of my all-time favorite romance novel plots: fake dating! Murphy and Ellie had great chemistry, which I bought into immediately — but I really struggled with the actual plot. It didn't really launch for me. Murphy's accounting teacher is Ellie's mom, for the second semester in a row, but she doesn't recognize Murphy when they meet? She assumes she's Ellie's girlfriend, Mary? And Ellie can't get money for grad school for art therapy unless she's dating someone with a plan to become a CEO, but Murphy has failed accounting in her mom's class already once, and is on track to fail again? Which isn't exactly a robust CEO five-year plan? The actual scenes with Murphy and Ellie were great and it was wonderful to see Murphy finally pull herself out of her toxic situationship with her straight best friend. I also loved the Chicago Christmas vibes. I just wish the premise had been a little bit tighter!

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I always appreciate a book that touches on changing friend dynamics, so getting to see the way Kat and Murphy's relationship altered with the addition of Daniel was very interesting for me to see. I really felt for Murphy in that moment of expecting things to go one way and then the immediate realization of Daniel being along for the ride. In that same frame, I loved getting to see that relationship grow over the course of the book. Of course Murphy had that initial reaction, but as she got to know Daniel and she had her heart to heart with Kat, you could see the pieces coming together.
Now, about Ellie and Murphy. The chemistry between Ellie and Murphy was immediate. I loved that you could tell straight (ha) away that there was a connection between the two of them. When I tell you my stomach dropped when Murphy asked her out and Ellie very kindly explained why she said no... My only hang-up was, and I understand this is a matter of building their relationship over two days at this point, that I had a little whiplash with Ellie turning over on her decision to not date Murphy. I cannot blame Murphy for being so confused because they literally had the conversation that morning about why Ellie said no to dating, just for Ellie to turn on a dime and change her mind a few hours later.
My heart was broken that Ellie didn't turn up at the opening of Sip. I can't say I was as disappointed as Murphy, but it was pretty dang close. Seeing things from only Murphy's POV is so interesting because, obviously, we don't know what Ellie is up to, but finding out she also deleted Murphy's phone number was a nice touch. You cannot be mad about her not getting in touch with Murphy straight away because Murphy also deleted Ellie's number.
And I adored the evolution of the relationship between Murphy and Kara and her sneakily getting the painting and 'thankful' list to Murphy. And maybe also sneakily bumping a grade up.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Changing friend dynamics and welcoming in new people to the fold, classic miscommunication, queer rep. Definitely a cozy holiday recommendation.

This was sooo good! I love Murphy and Ellie! I found myself laughing out loud a few times and full of giddy while reading this. I love that we're in Murphy's head and though she has almost immediate attraction toward Ellie, it feels really natural, and the chemistry is fantastic, everything evolved at a really nice pace.

I've never heard of muddy buddies (puppy chow), but I want to try some now!

I'll Get Back To You is a coming of age romance story. It's about opening your heart to possibilities and finding yourself along the way! We follow Murphy and Ellie, two former classmates who make plans to fake date their way to freedom until things don’t go according to plan. What will they do now?!

I knew this book would be a 5⭐️ since the beginning! Murphy and Ellie was everything! If you enjoy witty banter, fake dating & books you can't put down! This one is for you!

Becca Grischow's debut romance novel is a perfect combination: a holiday scene, love letter to Chicago, and what it means to be queer in the Chicago suburbs.

I'll Get Back To You is a cute story that perfectly describes what it's like to realize your life isn't going how you had planned or hoped it would while also dealing with the realization that those around you are moving on while you stay stuck. I loved how Grischow described Murphy's emotions and struggle to understand that all her plans have fallen apart. I found myself rooting for Murph the entire time and wanting to fight for her every time the people in her life disappointed her. 21 can be just as difficult to navigate as 16 or 18, and Grischow captured that struggle beautifully.

I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy upon release and have finally found the perfect Thanksgiving-time book.

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!