Lynn Painter rarely misses and Maid for Each Other is no exception. Abi and Declan are witty, entertaining, and have so many real emotions. I laughed and cried and absolutely devoured this book.

"Our breaths were mingling, his hot green eyes my entire universe, and my brain was at war with my body. Because dear Lord, I'd never wanted anything as much as I wanted to give in to this. To follow these sparks and set the world on fire"
--
Read. It.

I had almost given up on Lynn Painter until I read this book. It turned into my favorite by her by far. I'm not sure if she took the criticism to heart from Mr. Wrong Number and Happily Never After, but Maid for Each Other had none of the red flags of those.

Abi is a strong, hard-working, opinionated poor girl who thinks rich people are immoral for hoarding money. Declan is a super rich guy who has been lying to everyone he knows about having a girlfriend for months. Coincidentally, his fake girlfriend's name is Abby.

Abi cleans his apartment and spends a night there when she can't stay at her own apartment. Immediately, she gets caught by his parents and it's so smooth because she says her name is Abi and they're like "oh great! He's told us so much about you." This leads to a PERFECT and I mean PERFECT gateway to fake-dating. They both start getting along so well, and this naturally leads to love.

I have never seen Lynn Painter write so many pages of "getting to know you" before the sex ever happens. I was so grateful for it. I actually got to see why they like each other so much, and started rooting for them very quickly. I think a benefit of the dual-POV in this book is that you really get to see each character's relationship with money through their own thoughts. If we only saw Abi's thoughts, Declan would seem pretty shallow imo. P.S. the money thing is a huge deal in this book and leads to the climax etc.

About 200 pages in, I was getting a little scared that there wasn't going to be a real breakup because everything was going really well. I think the pacing of the novel was a little...interesting. The characters are building their relationship for over half the book, but that only accounts for about a week of time. I really really wish their dates had happened over the course of at least a month. A little hard to believe that they were saying "I love you" when they were.

All in all, super fun. Both characters are pretty likeable and they get up to some good shenanigans. Some editing issues, but hopefully that will be fixed before release.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC

The humor in this book is spot on, but it’s the genuine moments of tenderness and vulnerability that make it stand out. There’s a beautiful exploration of self-worth, how people’s assumptions can create barriers, and how sometimes the best relationships are built on the most unexpected foundations. If you’re a fan of fake dating tropes with a mix of humor, heart, and undeniable chemistry, Maid for each other is a must-read. It’s fun, fast-paced, and will leave you with a smile on your face.

Really fun meet cute! I thought I would hate Declan but came to love him by the end. The jewelry store scene was the best!