I’ll Get Back To You by Becca Grischow is a nice take on the classic holiday fake dating trope. Murphy, feeling left behind by her best friend Kat at their shared birthday celebration, runs into former classmate Ellie. Ellie is home for Thanksgiving and fresh off a breakup. A misunderstanding with Ellie’s parents results in Murphy and Ellie pretending to be a couple to achieve mutual goals.

While this book has all the comfort of the familiar, it delivered enough originality to keep me interested throughout the story. There was a nice twist early on regarding the fake dating dynamic and the book dealt with broader themes of feeling like you’re not enough, finding yourself, and changing relationships.
There was one chapter that involved two of the characters smoking weed. Personally, I don’t enjoy this in books but I will say that it wasn’t gratuitous and that the scene was used to further character development.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you’re a fan of fake dating and holiday vibes then this is a good book to choose.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Books, and Becca Grischow for the ARC.

What happens when your best friend suddenly gets a boyfriend and you're left as a third wheel.... and then you meet a girl who needs you to be her fake girlfriend but you might actually be falling for her? Murphy and Kat are best friends, they do everything together and were suppose to spend the holidays together and even go to college together... but when Kat brings her new boyfriend uninvited to hang out with Murph, Murph just knows things are changing and she is not happy. At that same disastrous meeting Murph meets Ellie, a cute girl whose mom just happens to be the one professor who is about to flunk Murph. Ellie has just gotten out of a relationship and isn't looking for something serious, she does however need a fake girlfriend to help convince her parents to fund her art grad school mission. Ellie and Murph strike up a deal: if Murph helps Ellie by pretending to be her girlfriend and advocate for Ellie to go to grad school, Ellie will help Murph pass her mom's class. Yet the more time they spend together the more Murph is beginning to fall for Ellie despite how complicated Ellie's current situation is, and then there's the issue of how Murph has to deal with her own extremely codependent relationship with her best friend Kat. This is a story about friendship and growing out of our codependency and learning to have a healthy amount of space with our friends. The queer romance was okay, despite how much I wish it was better, it was just fine. This book just felt a bit bland and I didn't really feel all that connected to the characters. I didn't really feel the spark with this book unfortunately and honestly I was so close to Dnfing it. it's a cozy enough new adult sapphic romance but it felt very YA to me.

Release Date: September 17,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books | Penguin Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A very cute premise - but unfortunately, just not for me. It read a bit too young, and I struggled to get into it and appreciate the stakes.

I'm sad to report that this didn't work for me. The pacing was off and I didn't feel a spark from the romance, and the fake dating ploy seemed more manipulative than charming. The writing is also very plain and the dialogue stilted. I ended up quitting around the halfway mark.

This is cozy, Sapphic, love story with some of the most lovable and relatable characters I've ever read.

I feel like all of the relationship dynamics between the characters felt very realistic--especially between Murphy and Kat. I appreciated the representation of some of the changes that naturally occur in friendships as people move through different points in their lives.

Grischow wrote beautifully and in a way where you could relate to Murphy or Kat or even Ellie. has a way of pairing seemingly mundane things like struggling to pass a class or packing for a move and weaving them into a wonderful love story. These everyday experiences ground the story in a way that feels like these characters are raw and real.

The book takes place around Thanksgiving, but doesn't completely revolve around the holiday.

Overall, this was a pretty good book that I would recommend. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

I’ll Get Back to You follows Murphy, a 21 year old community college student who dreams of passing her accounting class to transfer to the University of Illinois for a marketing degree.

I really liked the dynamics between all of the characters. It was easy to tell that Murphy and Kat had been best friends for most of their lives and the chemistry between Murphy and Ellie was clear in the first scene. However, I found it very difficult to like any of the characters because of the way they were written, Kat especially. The book also moved very fast and there wasn’t enough time to let the new character relationships develop. But, the fake dating plot and Ellie and Murphy’s side plots were interesting enough to continue reading.

Thank you Penguin and NetGalley again for the chance to read this early.

For me, this was too much introspection and not enough action. If you like angsty new adult books, this one might appeal to you.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

When it comes to the atmosphere and the so-genuinely-Illinois elements of I'll Get Back To You, this book felt like a warm hug of nostalgia. I didn't grow up in Geneva, but you can easily swap one suburb for another and the setting feels so familiar. Grischow's writing only further supports this feeling, as her style feels easy to understand, humorous, and light, like sinking down to a meal with an old high school friend. Ultimately, the writing style and setting of this book really helped it along because I might have otherwise put it down. While I loved the main character, Murphy and her quirks, I found it hard to root for the main couple as no one moment during their time together did I hit the "aha!" moment which would sell me on their relationship. Some of this might be that books with shorter timelines (this takes place mostly during Thanksgiving break and a few following weeks). I ended up being more interested in the resolution between Murphy and Kat (I did NOT like Kat from the start, but over the book, I liked her more).

I'm excited to read this author's next book because I think she'll be able to build off the good bones here and build something (hopefully sapphic again) I'll really enjoy.

After devouring this heartwarming and hilarious coming of age story, I think I’ve found my new favorite author! I was in a reading slump for a little while and this wonderful story was just what the hopeless romantic in me needed in order to bounce right back. I have so much love for Murphy because I could easily relate to her struggles with feeling left out while her best friend went off to college and she had so many new experiences with other people and Murphy wasn’t a part of that. I also enjoyed the cozy setting the author created with the Thanksgiving holiday and the fake dating shenanigans between Ellie and Murphy. The author did a fabulous job of bringing all the characters to life for me and I could easily picture myself befriending Murphy and Ellie. If I could have given this delightful story more than five stars I would have because I enjoyed every single word of it!

I’ll Get Back to You had the warm and cozy charm of all my favorite holiday romance movies only better, because it was also an adorable sapphic romance. Murphy’s character was like looking in a mirror, there were so many times I felt connected to her and could relate to her. As a fellow 20 something girl who went to community college, was a barista, and now works in marketing, we feel like kindred spirits. I also appreciated seeing her relationship with her best friend and how it’s changing in adulthood. While I loved the atmosphere and main character I did feel like romance plot was slightly lacking. I did enjoy and Ellie and Murphy together, I just wish there had been more of it. Overall, this was a really enjoyable, well written, queer holiday romance that’s perfect for reading in front of the fire. I look forward to reading more from Becca Grischow.

This was such an unexpectedly good cozy sapphic read. Also, super funny. A lot funnier than I truly expected and I'm not mad about it. If you're looking for a cozy holiday read this will be out just in time for cozy season!

3.5!

This was a very cute read, and it is perfect for those who like a low stakes, cozy romance that also has a little existential feeling thrown into it.

Ellie and Murphy are adorable characters, and Grischow really sells the small town feel of Geneva, IL, especially at the time of year that the book takes place, which is Thanksgiving and a little bit of Christmas. The beginning of the book feels a little tropey, butI think that's to be expected, and not in a bad way! This is a fake dating trope to a T, but sapphic.

The parts that were stronger for me were the times when Murphy had to grapple with big growing up changes. She didnt always handle them well, which is to be expected from a 21 year old, but Grischow makes her discovery and comeing to understand that things change while others stay the same, grounded in reality.

The characters in this book are in the midst of college (sophomores and juniors), and the plot and issues the characters are facing just feel very college. I personally had a hard time getting into the story, and never really was convinced that the protagonists should be together. There’s a lot of miscommunication, and it feels like that’s the main thing going on.

I did really enjoy the bisexual x lesbian rep, and the holiday-centric story that wasn’t specifically Christmas.

I appreciated that it was a short read, and I found myself flying through it, even if I wasn’t particularly engaged.

I found this author’s writing style super engaging. The vast majority of this story takes place over Thanksgiving weekend and I thought it had great pacing. So much of the dialogue between the MC with her best friend and LI was entertaining and had me smiling. I’m a sucker for good banter and extra points for flirty banter.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t rooting for this couple in the beginning. I even had to check the synopsis because I was bummed about the LI. But honestly, I was pleasantly surprised with the way the romance developed. I ended up really liking the LI and was hoping for them to work out even if all the cards are stacked against them.

I loved seeing their intimacy. From the smallest everyday touches to their time in the bedroom. I’m calling the intimacy door cracked open, because there is an on page scene but it’s not graphic or highly detailed. I really enjoyed the way it was written and their chemistry.

Overall, I adored all these characters and loved this story. I highly recommend for anyone looking for a holiday romance!

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.