This book was consistently enjoyable throughout. The maid premise was a little bit cringy and I’m not the biggest fan of puns, though that is pretty transparent going in.

Lynn Painter has done it again! I loved this book so much! The characters were great, the storyline was so fun, and overall I loved reading this! I will say, I am usually not a fan of characters who fall in love so quick, but I didn't really mind too much while reading this. I am so happy I got to read this, thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

While I always love a fake-dating trope, Maid for Each Other falls flat for me. While I've liked Painter's characters in her YA novels, Abi and Declan feel more like Gen Z slang-laden caricatures than 3-dimensional people, leaving the reader pining for more substance.

I love a good fake dating trope, and Painter does a great job - as always - of turning Omaha into a fun rom-com wonderland. And while I love an outlandish plot for a contemporary romance, I also want characters that feel a little real.

Abi and Declan - 0ur maid and millionaire, respectively - are defined mostly by their money or lack thereof and their overuse of Gen Z slang. It could be that I read too many historical romances (just kidding - I could never read too many), but the constant use of the "hippest" slang felt like it dated the story and didn't feel authentic to people in their late twenties/early thirties. And the class and privilege divide in the book is never quite covered as satisfactorily as I would have liked.

There are moments where Painter does dive deeper into the characters' backstories, only to reel us back into the present with more cute and quirky antics. And again, I'm a big fan of cute and quirky antics - just not at the cost of character development.

What I love about great romances is that while the plots might be completely outlandish, we can still see ourselves - and our own happiness - reflected in the characters. Maid for Each Other, while a fun little romp, lacks that depth that is needed for a truly wonderful romance.

⭐ Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐

Lynn Painter has somehow done it again! This woman never misses. Her books always have me giggling and kicking my feet, and Maid for Each Other was no different! While this is an adult romance, it still radiates the same flirty, fast-paced energy that makes her YA books so enjoyable.

The story follows Abi, a professional maid and part-time student juggling two jobs, who suddenly finds herself temporarily homeless due to an infestation in her building. With nowhere to go, she takes a bold risk: staying in the penthouse she cleans—just for a week—since the owner is never around. What Abi doesn’t expect is for the rich owner's parents to show up one morning and immediately assume that she’s, not his maid, but his girlfriend. Caught off guard—and seeing a perfect way out of her situation—Abi goes along with it.

Enter Declan Powell, a career-driven, emotionally unavailable executive. He’s just as shocked when he hears that his parents have met his “girlfriend, Abby.” Turns out, he made her up months ago to get them off his back about dating. Now, he’s face-to-face with a real woman who has accidentally stepped into the role. Seeing an opportunity, Declan proposes a deal: Abi keeps pretending to be his girlfriend for the weekend, and in return, she can stay in the penthouse for the week. It’s strictly business... until, of course, it isn’t.

Let me start by saying that the fake-dating trope is my all-time favorite, but I’m usually not a fan of billionaire romances (eat the rich!). So when I saw both in the synopsis, I was equally excited and nervous—but Lynn Painter nailed this. This book was SO fun. I swear it has a hint of so many tropes—enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, one bed, he-falls-first (and hard)—but with the main focus on fake-dating, forced proximity, and opposites attract. Their dynamic was pure gold, and the relationship felt incredibly well-evolved. Their relationship started as a slow burn, but once the tension broke, it felt like it quickly spiraled into a whirlwind romance. 100% recommend reading!

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC of this fun rom-com from one of my favorite authors!

Wow, what a fantastic romance! I was drawn in immediately as the book opens on Abi, a part-time house cleaner, waking up in a fancy condo while her apartment is being fumigated to find the parents of the owner there, delighted to see her, and acting as if they knew who she was. Turns out Declan, the owner, had been lying about having a girlfriend to get his parents and hedge fund/investment firm co-workers off his back--and he happened to name his fake girlfriend Abby. Declan convinces Abi to go along with the ploy for the weekend to help advance his career, and their chemistry is undeniable--but is it real, or just for show? I appreciated the shifting perspectives, chapter by chapter, for a deeper insight into what each main character was feeling, but mostly, I loved the immediacy of the writing that pulled me in and kept me reading, dying to know how things worked out between these two. Highly recommend for a very fast, very charming read.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.25🌟
Ugh just a classic, super cute, very easy Lynn Painter read!!! And also BILLIONAIRE AND FAKE DATING romance?!? YUP! This was my first adult romance by Lynn Painter, it was very reminiscent of her YA books but with just a HINT of spice. I wish we dove more into Abi’s family background and just got a little deeper & more emotional connection but overall it was sweet. I personally loved Declan & having both POVs. But HATED the classic miscommunication :((( I guess for an adult romance, I wish they communicated a little better and grew a more mature connection. But overall, a great summer read!

Thanks so much to Berkeley publishing and NetGalley for the ARC🫶🏼🩷

Maid for Each Other was mostly just meh. I wasn’t enamored by either main character, though there was something about him that just seemed uncharmingly haughty. Like less Darcy, more the guy in Pretty in Pink that you wished Molly Ringwald didn’t end up with. It was a fun way to spend some time, but not much more than that for me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Light and fluffy romcom by Lynn Painter. Such a cute story of a fake dating, enemies to lovers, one bed trope. Abi is a maid working nights cleaning Declan's apartment. She is displaced from her apartment temporarily so figures why not crash at the fancy apartment that she knows is going to be empty, or is it. She wakes up and meets the parents literally and they think she is the girlfriend of their son. Declan soon comes up with a plan so they both get what they want. He shows up to work events that weekend with a girlfriend everyone thought was fake and Abi gets a place to stay and gets to keep her job. What could go wrong?

Lynn Painter is a must read for me, and she doesn't disappoint with Maid for Each Other. Abi and Declan's story is so much fun. Once you start reading, you don't want to stop but you also don't want to story to end. Romantic comedy readers, if you haven't read Lynn Painter, you are missing out. Her books have the part amount of romance, comedy, and drama.

I absolutely loved this book! I am such a fan of fake dating and forced proximity, so this story was an instant win for me. I found myself completely entertained by the setup—Abi’s need for a place to stay and Declan’s surprise at his parents thinking she’s his girlfriend. I felt like the situation was full of fun and tension that kept me hooked from the start. I appreciated how Abi and Declan’s dynamic evolved throughout the story. I felt their chemistry right away, and it was so enjoyable to watch them navigate their awkward arrangement. I laughed out loud at some of their interactions, especially when Declan tried to balance his busy career with the chaos of the situation. I admired Abi’s practicality and independence, and I found her sense of humor really relatable.

Overall, I thought this book was such a delightful read, and it perfectly captured everything I love about fake dating and forced proximity tropes. It left me smiling and wanting to reread it immediately.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!!

I love how you can really tell when a book is written by Lynn Painter. She always manages to introduce such a fun, flirty and full of heart vibe! It gives romcom in the 2000s in the best possible way! Her books always cure my reading slumps (and I was in one before I picked this up!).

This book follows Abi and Declan and their pretend relationship. It is funny and sweet and messy and the tension!!! Definitely pick this up! Would recommend if you like stories with fake relationships, opposites attract and slow burn romance.

I think that I could read a book anonymously and be able to tell if Lynn Painter wrote it. She has such a clear tone of voice, and I will continue to pick up everything she writes. With that being said, I didn't love this book (yet I still felt the desperate need to finish it asap lol)

I'm in my eat the rich era currently, and I felt like the first 20% was hard to get through because Declan was so insufferable and downright mean to Abi. I was the least bit empathetic to any of his issues and was incredibly weirded out that Abi felt the urge to just stay the night at a stranger's apartment?! Declan did get better throughout the rest of the book, BUT I genuinely thought about DNFing the book at the beginning because of it.

However, with that being said, I truly love Lynn Painter's amazing romantic comedy writing, and would still recommend this book to anyone who wants a lighthearted and funny Pretty Women-type book.

Thank you, Netgalley, for sending me an advanced copy of this book!
3.5 stars

I absolutely ADORED this book!! Lynn's prose is so fun and she always creates these unique and quirky characters that are so easy to connect with. I gave this book five stars on my goodreads and wrote the below review. Please, PLEASE continue to grant me ARCs for Lynn's books :)

“I wanted to pull apart every fucking thing and get lost in the truth”

thank you net galley for the advance copy!! I am happy to share that my 5-star drought has ENDED with this amazingly delightful book.

after better than the movies was a like-not-love for me, I was on the fence about Lynn Painter being for me but boy, was I wrong. this book had me hooked and giggling out loud, I haven’t enjoyed a story like this in a loooong time. highly recommend pre-ordering for when it publishes in July!

Lynn Painter’s books are always such a delight to read, hence why she’s an auto-read author for me. This book was pure fun from start to finish, packed with her signature banter that never fails to entertain.

Also, every single mention of Abi’s muffins had me *desperately* craving one. I need that recipe ASAP! Lynn Painter has once again delivered a charming, witty, and utterly enjoyable rom-com that I couldn't put down.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Lynn Painter does it again—this had all the normal charm and banter you’d expect in one of her books, with the addition of a little spice! Maid for Each Other was the perfect blend of Maid in Manhattan and Pretty Woman—two of my favorite romcoms. Abi was quirky, sharp, and entertaining, where as Declan was rough around the edges, rich, and broody. I was kicking my feet giggling at some of the cute parts (the book charm, iykyk) and also rooting for them throughout the whole book. Fake dating and forced proximity are two things I'll always enjoy reading, and this was no exception—one of my favorite of hers to date!

read if you like:
💸 millionaire romances
🥰 he falls first (and hard)
✨ fake dating

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book! Maid for Each Other comes out July 3rd!

More like a 3.75 stars!!! This book was super cute and I love the way Lynn Painter does fake dating!! It gave me all the early 2000s romcom vibes which I always love!!

Abi and Declan have such a fun relationship—banter, flirtation, tension—and I really liked seeing them open up to each other more and the way Declan takes care of her?? swoon! They definitely have chemistry and I am a sucker for when the MMC falls first AND harder!!!

I think ultimately this book did feel a little rushed in the end, I feel like Abi and Declan both flipped very quickly and I also would have liked to see how his family reacted to finding out the truth about their relationship and about who Abi really is, because we don’t really get any of that. Overall very fun and sweet, but nothing too special!

4.75⭐️
- fake dating
- forced proximity
- millionaire mmc

What do you do when your apartment is infested and you work as a cleaner in an apartment where rich people aren’t there half the time. Well, for Abi, you sleep in their beds while they’re away like a real life Goldilocks. Only what she doesn’t expect when she wakes up is this tenants parents to be there and think she’s his girlfriend.

Declan is a very busy working on his business. His family had been concerned about him settling down with someone, so he lies about having a girlfriend. Who he coincidentally has named Abby. So when Abi walks into the kitchen and they think she’s his girlfriend and she confirms she’s ’Abby’ his parents tell him they met his ‘girlfriend’ Abby this morning. Declan is obviously confused as there is no Abby. Only to confront this Abby saying he’s going to get her fired. They both need a way out of there situations. They make a deal that Declan won’t get her fired if she helps him with his problem of being his fake girlfriend.

I loved these two. I always love the fake dating trope and this was no exception. Their teasing and banter was so fun. In fake dating books I always love when they’re forced together by the situation in which they realize they have to act as though they like each other only to realize they really do like each other. This would’ve been a 5 star, if the third act breakup didn’t piss me off.
Abi was so cute and spunky. Declan, though seeming grumpy in the beginning, was truly just a softy, down bad mmc.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Maid for Each Other comes out July 3rd, and I definitely recommend picking it up!

Lynn Painter does it again. This book was exactly the comedic relief that I needed. I loved the banter between Declan and Abi. Absolutely adored the Pretty Woman vibes, and I’ll always eat up fake dating.

3.75 stars!
When I first saw this book, I thought, "meh, another billionaire trope". It'll be entertaining if nothing else. The thing is, it WAS entertaining. It was fun. and funny at times. Was it just too much of a coincidence that Abi just happened to have the same name as Abby? Sure. Let's face it though: how else do these stories start? Two people have a dilemma; they can both help each other out, and so they do. You know they will get together in the end so it's about the journey. This journey was cute. The only thing is that when it did end, I wish there was some explanation as to how they got together to their family and friends.

Description
A millionaire and a house cleaner are a match maid in heaven in this sparkling new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Happily Never After.

As a professional cleaner, Abi Mariano never thought her apartment would have any sort of infestation, but because of a building-wide outbreak, she now needs somewhere to stay for a week. As a part-time student with two jobs, she doesn’t have many options. Then the solution presents itself: the owner of the penthouse she cleans is out of town for the week. She normally wouldn’t consider it, but he’s literally never around (she hasn’t even met him). It goes great…until one morning she finds two strangers in the kitchen. They’re the parents of the penthouse owner and they seem to think they’ve heard all about Abi—not as their son’s maid, but as his girlfriend.

Declan Powell has always put his career first, working his way up to become an executive at his company, but he still has his sights set on the next level. When his parents mention that they met his girlfriend, “Abby,” he all but chokes on his escargot. As wonderful as it sounds that she was just darling, he doesn’t actually have a girlfriend—he made her up to get everyone off his back. When Dex finds out who Abi really is, he makes her a proposition: pretend to date him, and he’ll provide everything she needs during their little arrangement. What harm would it do? It’s purely business, no pleasure…right?

This was a cute, quick read. My first Lynn Painter book and I've heard so many good things about her. The story was fun, but there wasn't much depth. Not to the story, the characters, or their growth. Still enjoyable.