A holiday fake dating to real dating romance, what more could you ask for in a book!? I throughly enjoyed the characters as well.

I'll Get Back To You is the coming-of-age tale of a young college student who's feeling stuck in place while the rest of the world seems to have their act together and is moving right along without her - relatable, right? We follow along with Murphy as she tumbles along at school, at work and in her relationships and throughout the story we end up being Murphy's biggest cheering section. This book will steal your entire afternoon (and part of an evening too) but it will also steal your heart while Murphy navigates her friendship with Kat and her romance with Ellie. Fair warning, it'll also make you crave good coffee. So, if you're a fan of the contemporary romance novel combined with a You Go Girl theme then I highly recommend that you go find yourself a copy of this book. It's absolutely delightful.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the most perfect Fall queer read. It's the Thanksgiving counterpart to Becca Freeman's The Christmas Orphans Club; a wonderful pairing! I will be encouraging everyone I know to pick this one up for the upcoming season.

Thank you so much for this ARC. I loved it, fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and I feel like it was executed so well ! It was such a cozy vibe and I actually enjoyed that there was no ‘spice’. It was just a feel good book and i appreciated that friendship dynamic and it all felt relatable when growing a little apart from a bestie and navigating that change as well as life’s changes with being a young adult. I would completely recommend for a cozy sapphic romance.

This is a book with great characters, but I don't know what exactly the plot was trying to do. Loved Murph's genuinely heartwarming friendship with Kat and her character arc over the course of the story, along with her equation with her family. There's nothing about the book that I find very memorable, with random tropes thrown in.

It’s been a while since I binged a book, but this drew me in right away, and I definitely lost sleep finishing it. It was nice to see college-aged protagonists and a holiday romance that isn’t Christmas-centric. (The only other Thanksgiving romance I’ve found was Genta Sebastian’s Thanks Flippin' Giving.) Murphy and Ellie were both lovable and very relatable. They also had plenty of chemistry from the get-go. This is a great story for anyone who’s ever struggled to figure out who they are, what they want, and what to do when your plan and back up plan for life fall through.

More focused on the complications of friendship and flawed family than on spice (there’s only a dash) and with a sizable “break up” section this may not be a fit for some readers, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

First of all... a fake dating to actual dating trope is one of my favorites. There is not nearly enough queer romance books in the world with happy endings, so thank you. The writing style and the way you feel for these characters right of the bat is a testament to how amazing of a writer you are. Thank you for putting out such goodness into the world. Cannot wait to see what you do next.

holiday romance just hits different. and this just clicked for me in a certain way - i adored both main characters, and the setting was perfection. 5/5, no notes.

3.75 I enjoyed the characters and I thought they funny. Definitely were made for each even though at times it didn't seem like it.

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, light read that had you loving each character from the beginning. 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 also think this book did a great job of representing all of the growing pains of being in your early 20s. Navigating new relationships, changing friendships, shifting relationships with parents, the stress of college and trying to map out your future when you feel like there’s so much to figure out. I do wish we got Ellie’s POV at some points throughout the book. Romances are always better when you can get both MC’s POVs. It really helps the reader to be able to see why they both fall in love with each other. It's low on the steam factor, but not everything needs a ton of steam. This quick read 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! Thanks to Becca Grishow, Netgalley, and Penguin books for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I look forward to reading Becca’s next book.

I’ll Get Back to You by Becca Grischow is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions, and I loved every second of the ride. The story plunges you straight into the messiness of Murphy’s life—a twenty-one-year-old stuck in suburban limbo, battling the same old struggles with school, work, and an anemic dating pool. But what really shines in this book is how Grischow captures the raw, unfiltered reality of feeling like you’re spinning your wheels while everyone else seems to be moving forward.

Murphy is a character who is instantly relatable. Her frustration, her longing for something more, and her awkward reunion with her best friend Kat all hit home in a way that’s both poignant and, at times, painfully funny. Enter Ellie Meyers—the former classmate turned unexpected crush—who throws a wrench in all of Murphy’s carefully laid plans. Their dynamic is electric, with banter that had me grinning and a chemistry that sizzles on the page.

The plot takes a fun twist with the fake relationship trope, but Grischow elevates it by weaving in deeper themes of self-discovery, courage, and the complicated dynamics of family expectations. Murphy and Ellie’s plan to fake their way through a holiday weekend at the Meyers’ house is as chaotic and hilarious as you’d expect, but it’s the underlying tension and unspoken feelings that make this story truly compelling.

Grischow’s writing is sharp, witty, and full of heart. She perfectly captures the uncertainty of young adulthood—the feeling of being caught between the life you’re supposed to be living and the one you actually want. Murphy’s journey is one of stumbling, backtracking, and ultimately finding the strength to take a leap of faith, both in her future and in love.

I’ll Get Back to You is more than just a rom-com; it’s a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt stuck or scared to step up to the plate. It’s a story about realizing that sometimes, the best plans are the ones that go awry, and the most meaningful relationships are the ones you never saw coming. This book left me with a smile on my face and a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart—highly recommended for anyone in need of a little bravery and a lot of love.

I really enjoyed this sapphic holiday romance. Both Murphy and Ellie are likable and relatable characters, each navigating their own life challenges. Murphy juggles her barista/marketing job while attending community college, all in hopes of joining her best friend Kat at U of I. However, Murphy’s devotion to Kat felt a bit excessive—almost as if she was chasing something more than just friendship. This dynamic frustrated me, even after Ellie entered the picture. Thankfully, by the end, Murphy realized she didn’t need anyone to guide her and embraced her ability to pursue her dreams independently, though it took her until the last chapter to figure it out!

I appreciated the focus on community college, as not everyone can or needs to attend an Ivy League school. Education is important, but it’s also crucial to recognize that college isn’t always the endgame; sometimes, it’s just a stepping stone toward your desired career. For Murphy, this path worked out well. As a baseball fan and former softball player, I loved that Murphy was named after a bar across from Wrigley Field, and the scene where she taught Ellie to throw a ball was a definite highlight.

Ellie, on the other hand, is a typical art school student, determined to pursue her passion despite her mother’s disapproval. Society’s skepticism toward the arts is frustrating, but Ellie’s decision to defy her uptight mother and go after what she wants was inspiring. She even influenced Murphy to follow her own dreams. However, the chemistry between Ellie and Murphy fell flat for me. Their romance lacked the sparks and deep connection needed to make it truly compelling.

Kat and Daniel’s characters added another layer to the story, though Kat’s manipulative behavior toward Murphy was frustrating. If Kat were truly a good friend, she would have encouraged Murphy to focus on her own dreams instead of constantly making plans that kept them together. Daniel, despite being described as sweet and funny, didn’t get much development, leaving him as a background character overshadowed by Murphy’s complaints and jealousy.

The supporting characters, particularly Ellie’s dad and Aunt Carol, were delightful. Ellie’s dad was the stereotypical sports-loving, clueless yet endearing father figure, while Aunt Carol provided warmth and understanding. I appreciated that Ellie’s family eventually came around, even if Murphy’s parents took a surprising and frustrating turn later in the story.

As for the fake dating trope, it’s my favorite!

Oh, and I really loved the cover of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. For this being a fake dating romance it was such a warm one! The characters were all cute and witty in their own ways. It made you root for all of them.

Loved Murph & Ellie, the small town holiday setting, and how well I’ll Get Back to You captures the feelings of finding your path on a different timeline. The baking and baseball diamond scenes were perfect and oh so cute. I don’t think the fake dating trope was needed here — Murph & Ellie working to figure out their next steps was enough conflict to keep me reading and flipping the time spent with Murph & Kat with Murph & Ellie would have helped the pacing challenges tremendously. Expect lots to happen in the last ~20 pages! Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin for the early access.

When what was supposed to be a fun night out the day before Thanksgiving goes awry, Murphy ends up connecting with an old high school classmate Ellie. Each with their own reasons, they agree to pretend to be dating for the holiday but quickly realize they might not have to pretend after all.

This is a sweet slice of life story that takes place mostly over the course of a couple of days and for the first few chapters it is practically real time. Despite the short time frame, the tension between Murphy and Ellie is well-conceived and feels genuine. It is also funny in large part because of Murphy's inner monologue. Murphy's personality feels infused with a sense of humor I imagine comes from the author but doesn't fall into the trap of feeling like a weird self-insert I see in plenty of bestselling books. 

Moreover, it's a quintessential coming of age story that we rarely see about how your life begins to shift after high school but before you get settled into a career and set trajectory of sorts. In Murphy's case, being in community college in her hometown working her same coffee shop job feels like a liminal space of life that I've rarely seen captured in any media. It also features the way your friendships shift and transition during that time period when you go from spending everyday to together to going to different schools and making different connections. It reads like a welcome bridge for queer readers between YA and New Adult romance. I'm a bit bias because I went to community college (while planning to attending UIUC nonetheless!), but I actually liked those coming of age elements even more than the romance which I also thought was sweet and realistic.

I'll admit, "mushy holiday romance" is not usually my go-to genre. I often find myself reaching for books that are at least a little bit weird, with a healthy dose of "oops I forgot to tell you I'm a cannibal and I can also see ghosts, sorry about that!" I reached for this book while I was deep in my "thirty-six year old married lesbian that currently can't read scary things because they had a baby and now all they can think about is bad things happening to said baby" feelings. I am SO GLAD I DID. I'll Get Back To You was fun, flirty, spicy...overall completely delicious. I came in to work after reading it to find a coworker had just finished it as well, and we both spent so much time geeking out over how good it was. So often in romance novels I want to smack the main characters for being emotionally stunted doofuses, but I really adored Ellie and Murphy and was totally rooting for them.

Also, it turns out that I'm a complete sucker for fake dating.

Oh, Thanksgiving weekend… the food, the sports, the connecting with old friends.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was THE night to go out where I grew up. There was nothing like swapping stories of college or arguing over whose football team deserved the championship. Like Murphy Konowitz, I was excited to see my best friend and have a night out together. However, unlike Murphy, I enjoyed meeting my friend’s new friends and significant others. As I witnessed Murphy throw a literal temper tantrum over her best friend bringing her boyfriend home for Thanksgiving, I began to question whether I was the intended audience of this book. I have concluded that I was not, and I think this would have been much more enjoyable 15 years ago.

After running into each other in the bathroom via a lack of toilet paper situation, a whirlwind (majority of the novel is three days) romance occurs between two re-connected high school acquaintances, Ellie Meyers and Murphy. I liked the meet- cute, and I know anyone who has ever used a bar bathroom could relate. The timing threw me off here, limiting my ability to buy the chemistry between these two. This novel was told 100 from Murphy’s view, and as I found her hard to enjoy and connect with, it significantly impacted my reading experience.

Grischow did an excellent job capturing the feelings and jealousy of seeing your friends figure out their lives and college plans while you remain stuck. While I struggled to connect with Murphy, I appreciated her positive depiction of community college and the implications that you don’t necessarily need a degree to be successful.

My second struggle is the classification of this book. Is this YA? Is this new adult? The one spicy scene was mostly faded to black (and spoiler at 94%), so it felt unnecessary at that point. I think anyone in college would appreciate the complexity of managing high school nostalgia and being open to something new. The characters felt immature, but I think it worked if you reminded yourself they were 21, which confirms my belief this might sit well with a younger audience.

I did enjoy Murphy's salt-of-the-earth friendship with Kat. There was genuine love among friends here, and I found it touching that they were able to support each other even in the midst of a disagreement. I enjoyed seeing the friendship through multiple other characters' eyes and felt it was a clever way to indicate how precious female friendship can be!

Overall, I felt okay about reading this. It would be a great read if I were younger, and I would encourage college-aged readers to give it a try!

I was between 2.5 and 3 but rounded up

⭐️: 3.5/5

This isn’t going against the rating, but I take issue with some of GoodRead’s genre tags. This is not a Christmas book. The entire book takes place the week of Thanksgiving. Also this reads closer to YA than adult fiction. I guess technically it could be considered new adult, as all the characters are college aged, but it’s definitely a young read.

Anyway, with that out of the way this was a very cute book. I actually have been on the lookout for a sapphic Thanksgiving novel and here we have one!!

The fake dating trope is one that I can hate so easily, but this one actually wasn’t bad. It was not over the top cheesy. I didn’t groan and yell at the book like I so often do.

Pro tip: make some puppy chow to snack on while you read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

I hate to say this. Because I wanted to enjoy. But literally the writing is so choppy and I found the fmc to be kind of like immature and annoying? I couldn’t finish, or honestly get beyond chapter 6 maybe? Because I was not enjoying.

I've followed Becca on social media since long before this book was announced. Her journey within publishing is so interesting and I'm so glad she has this book in her own name. I love a queer holiday read. This is exactly what I wanted. I'll Get Back to You is equal parts cozy and romantic. It's so fun, I loved it and will be recommending it. I can't wait to see what else Becca has in store!