3.25 ⭐️ We’re all aboard the struggle-bus express, apparently.

“The chemistry between the MCs is not my favourite so far, but the comment on how it feels to be a young person trying to strike out on your own in this current late-stage-capitalist-bullish*t of a society we live in is so, so accurate.”

That was my update for this book at around the 50% mark, and it held up until the very end. Now, to say this book feels more rooted in reality than most of the stories that I tend to read would be both accurate and kind of a lie. I love reading all kinds of books, fantasy included, and all of those are very much not burdened by the laws of reality and gravity and, you know… all those pesky little details that makes our world go round. And yet, even those usually hold some type of message or situations that connect with our world and how we live in together in society. This book was not fantasy, but sometimes it felt like the FMC was living in a world of her own. She was prideful and immature for the most part, and it made reading this book a bit of a chore.

Poverty is no stranger to most – that’s the thing about the rich being the 1% - we all at some point, in one way or another, have had to swallow or pride (and sometimes wellbeing) and get help. Even when it feels like you’ve failed at the secret test of life (and capitalism) that no one warned you was going to happen every minute of every day the second you became an adult. Financial stability in your early twenties is no longer a reality, and as Cade, the MMC of this book, said: pride is a luxury. One that most people can’t afford, nor they should. Understanding, learning, and growing together is imperative to our survival -it’s always been- but now it feels like needing help means absolute failure.

There are some quotes in this book that I loved, and the FMC’s growth throughout the book was so incredibly necessary… mainly because at the beginning it felt like reading a teenager, but that’s beside the point. The ending was, like the entire book, both realistic and not. And like the majority of the book, I enjoyed it, but also not.

I would read this to comprehend the change of thought process and understanding that young adults have to make to survive and try to thrive in this day and age – old rules don’t apply to us, as much as we wish they did. The romance was cute but lacking, in my opinion. Overall, though, it was an enjoyable read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 / 5
🌶️🌶️ / 5


I will upload this review to Goodreads closer its publication date ❤️ As always, thank you for the eARC!

Cuteness overload!! One of my favorites is brother best friend. I loved every minute of this book. Now what I want to know is why couldn’t it be a little longer. (That’s the selfish part of me wanting more) I can’t wait to read another book by this Author.

I wanted to like this book much more than I did. On the surface, it sounds like a light, sweet, fake-dating, sort of enemies-to-lovers story about a young woman struggling to find her place in the world post-business school and falling for her older brother's best friend. Unfortunately, a lot of the threads in this book were abruptly picked up and then just as quickly dropped, and ultimately it was a really muddled story that left me feeling confused above anything else.

The pros: I liked Cade, who seemed kind and thoughtful and put together and just all around like a nice, decent guy. I enjoyed Isla's friendship with Neeta. And I thought the events for Cade's company were fun (although I would have preferred them to be more frequent and for them to be more 3D within the story).

The cons: Isla is...a mess. And not even in a charming, relatable way. She makes the wrong choice at so many turns, and I found myself struggling to feel any empathy for her. Her parents are caricatures and I was SO lost on how they had any leg to stand on with the way they treated Isla?? The fake-dating trope also gets dropped like halfway in and then it is just wall-to-wall angst and miscommunication, rinse and repeat, until the end where we get a very heavy confrontation that truly comes out of nowhere.

There's a fair amount of spice, if that's your thing. Overall: a decent beach read, quick and sometimes laugh out loud funny, but a bit too all over the place for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove for the ARC.

If you like Tessa Bailey books you will love this hilarious romance by Sonia Hartl. I spent half my time laughing and the other half banging my head against the wall because Isla and Cade just couldn’t see what was right in front of them! I loved how the characters were built and how the sorry flowed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me with a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

rating: 4/5

This book is about Isla Jane, who's been living in a nightmare since she was kicked out of her apartment by her former roommates and had no money to pay rent anywhere else. Going to her parents house is not an option so instead, she decides to crash at her brother's condo while he's out of the country for work. It seems like a perfect idea until she bumps into Cade Greenley, her brother's best friend who's also crashing on her brother's apartment while his condo is finished.

When Isla's perfect plan is ruined she decided to go and sleep under her desk at the office, hoping no one will catch her, but when this turns into her getting a house-sitting job for her boss Isla thinks that luck is finally on her side.

Or that's what she thinks until Cade finds her sunbathing in her boss's home, where she admits to not having enough money to pay rent. The pair strike a deal then, Cade won't tell Isla's parents about her current situation if she agrees to fake date him for a few upcoming events related to his work.

When Isla finds herself falling for Cade, and finding the lines between fake and real blurry she starts to question if the biggest lie is the one she's been telling herself: That she's certainly not in love with Cade Greenley.

I was really excited when I got this arc since the story seemed interesting and like something I would have a fun time reading. And that was exactly what this book was.

I found Isla's character well-developed and likable throughout the story as she tried to navigate her struggles the best she could, even if sometimes the way she did so wasn't the best option. I appreciated the fact that as the story went by she started to realize things about her family that she hadn't noticed before, which changed her perspective on them completely. I feel like the author did a great job working on Isla's self-discovery during this period of her life, as well as fleshing out her relationship with her family members and friends. Her relationship with her friend was amazing, and it seemed realistic enough which I really liked.

Moving on to Cade, as soon as he appeared in the book the author made me care about him which is normally weird for me to do when I don't know anything about the character. His backstory was well-developed and showed the way he thought about certain things in the present. I won't lie, I almost cried a few times when he was talking about his past and his relationship with Isla's family. HE was sweet caring and comprehensive, even if he sometimes could act a little bit stupid (which was realistic, after all not everyone is perfect).

When it comes to Isla and Cade together I like their relationship a lot. The fact that they basically grew up together gave it a nice touch because it was shown how much they cared about each other ever since they were little, as well as showing the struggles that each one of them went through individually that didn't let them be together. They complemented each other quite well, and I actually felt a connection between them. In some scenes, I could feel the tension between them when they bantered, which I always love and eat up.

Honestly? I think this book might have made me a brother's best friend girlie, and I'm not complaining.

Now moving on to the things that I didn't like, but most specifically things that I wish would have done better. First of all, I would have liked for the author to explore Isla's and her brother's relationship, I just feel like that would make the reader understand more their relationship. I also would've liked Cade's relationship with his own family to be explored a little bit deeper, since I found it intriguing and interesting.

And now onto the final thing, the third-act-breakup or conflict as it is mostly known. Sure I get why it happened, but it just felt like a weird back and forth in between them that could've been solved by doing simple: talking. But I kinda get why they didn't at the same time.

At the end of the day, this book is a story about self-discovery, family relationships, and finding the people that truly accept you and love you for the way you are. Which is why I will probably buy it when it comes out.

I felt like the fake dating trope was abandoned too early in the storyline. Although much is made about the FMC struggle with her entry level job ver y little time was given to what she actually did. Perhaps this is because it wasn’t what she wanted to be doing and that was the author’s point.

I thought the chemistry with the characters was evident and I thought the MMCs backstory was well built out.

I half LOVED this book and half felt really confused by it. Let's start with the positive: It's fast-paced and the leads have great (almost too witty) banter. There's a sweetness and optimism to the book that really moved me.

However, so much of it is a suspension of reality that it borders on almost unbelievable. And, yes, I agree with the reviewers who felt like Isla was a bit immature and that her day job completely fell to the wayside. I think the biggest challenge I had was that part of the ending was so heavy that it felt out-of-place in the mostly light-hearted story.

Rent to Be is a childhood friends to lovers/brother's best friend/fake dating romance. It is a quite fun and fast read that also deals with some pretty seriuous themes such as struggling to find a decent job, feeling inadequate, toxic family relationships, and miscommunication.

I liked the chemistry between Isla and Cade a lot. I liked the banter and constant teasing between them as adults. But what I liked the most are the Rainbow Bear moments they shared when they were little kids.

The only thing I didn't fully like about Isla and Cade's story was the absolute lack of communication between them. I know that they both grew up experiencing toxic family dynamics in which the main issue was the aforementioned miscommunication. I get that, because of these toxic family dynamics, Isla became a girl who's embarassed to express her feelings and she is totally unable to ask for help. I also get that, because of his past, Cade thinks he is not worthy of love. And that is absolutely fine. However, as the story progresses, we're supposed to see them grow and become a better versions of themselves. So, towards the end of the book, I think they should be able to communicate a little bit more. I think there's a scene missing in this book. A scene in which, after their pretty bad break-up, Isla and Cade finally TALK about themselves, about their fears, about their insecurities, etc. A scene that truly marks the beginning of a healthier relationship.

Other than that, Rent to Be was a pretty likable read.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Rent to Be is a lighthearted story about childhood friends and facing financial challenges after college. Although it doesn't delve too deeply and has a clear agenda to mostly complain, I found it enjoyable. The drama aspect is a bit shallow, but the overall mood is upbeat and I appreciated the humor. Did I get there a Tim Minchin reference? Or was it a coincidence? Although I liked following Isla with her train wrack of adventures, my favorite character was Neeta from the start, and I was happy to see her remain a part of the journey.
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc.

I had not heard of this author before reading this book, her debut novel perhaps? The burb seemed promising, but it failed to deliver for me.

PROS
A super quick read, easily finished in under an hour.

CONS
The main character is super irritating and lacks direction.
Plot holes.
Too much telling and not enough showing.
Awkward, almost non-existent chemistry between the main character and her love interest.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

It was meh at best. I absolutely did not like our main character and it tried to be a cutesy, funny book and it was so cringe. Honestly the good thing about it is that it's a fast read.

Every now and again, my brain will need something sweet and cozy and cute and romance-y, even though that's not something that I would normally read. Sadly, the books I pick are, more often than not, not what I hoped for.

And so was this book. The book tried too hard to be funny and quirky, but all it did to me was make me roll my eyes. The main character was so irresponsible, so unlikeable, so delusional, so.... I don't even know what to say.

They all act as if they live in a parallel universe where humans are entitled to something and should be forgiven their crap just because they're friends with someone or they have a college degree.

The thing that got me was this:
Isla, our (not so) charming protagonist, is kicked out of her apartment where she lived with her 2 friends because she didn't pay rent for who knows how long. Then, she complains about that to a friend of her brother's who's like, "how can they do that!?" and "but you have your MBA". Yeah, like, how can they kick you out when they have to pay your rent for you for who knows how many months in a row? Shocking. How are you not a billionaire already, you had your MBA a few months ago?

And then she, the (not so) charming protagonist, gets some money and is like, "I slipped the envelope with part of the money I owned under their door. I didn't expect to move back in, but I believe, from the goodness of my heart, because look what a wonderful person I am, that I should make things right and give them the money back". Well, no shit!!! Do you want applause!??

She's wearing the clothes of the woman for whom she's housesitting, ffs! Disgusting!

Anyway, not for me.

I was able to read this for free thanks to Net Galley, although that does not affect my opinion of the actual book. This book was so fun! I definitely felt like I could relate to Isla in many ways, especially the finance situation because I’m learning all about that kind of stuff now. I loved the chaos this book brought out and it had me wanting to continue flipping the pages(or in this case, tapping my phone screen). A definite recommend!

good romance of friends to lovers. I enjoyed that her life was a mess and that she tried to fix it with out asking for help. I loved cade and their tension was hot. I loved that they worked out their issues. I also loved that she had issues with her parents and tried to fix them. She also found something that she was good at. I would love to read about seb and neeta and I know that it was fast but would love to see their relationship too. What does he do now ? I enjoyed the romance and that they talked over things and that she was growing up and trying to work on herself too.

I had been in a reading slump and this book pulled me right out. Funny, with likeable characters. I enjoyed reading!

<i>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i>

<b> 3 stars </b>

I wanted to like this more than I did honestly - I do like the friends/enemies to lovers trope, but somehow the amount of drama and lack of communication between our two MCs just put me off.

While I understand where Isla's trauma was stemming from, I did find the way she acted throughout the book quite immature, and I really struggled to relate to her!

Although a quick, easy read, Rent to Be fell quite flat for me. The main character, Isla, was annoying and childish and changed her mind - and therefore the course of the book - constantly. I appreciated the tough situations presented throughout, and am happy to see financial struggle represented in this genre, but everything was so two-dimensional. The speech felt fake and it was all tell, no show. Some things either didn't make sense or were very quickly glossed over - like how she managed to run a full-time house sitting business whilst also going to the office 5 days a week? Going into the office was never mentioned again until about the fourth house sit. The spice was awkward - the kind of stuff that would never be said in real life, and if it was, you would be swiftly leaving. I don't know anything about the author, but overall, this felt very boomer trying to pass as the 'quirky millenial' and missing entirely.

Thank you to Net Galley, Sonia Hartl, and Alcove Press for the advanced copy of this book!

-Brother's Best Friend
-Forced Proximity
-Great Banter
-Fake Dating

This rom com truly has it all and was such a fun read. Isla is a regular millennial who is like most of us kind of stuck right out of college. When her money troubles land her in a deal with her brothers BFF to be his fake girlfriend if he keeps her issues a secret, things really heat up! This book was so fun! Since Isla and Cade have known each other their whole lives they have the BEST banter. I was laughing out loud at points in this book and enjoyed every minute of it!

Not only is this book hilarious and such a good time to read but it also has some super relatable points. Isla has just graduated college after getting a degree she didn't even want but pursued because she thought it would make her parents happy and make her money. She experiences the real pitfalls of entry level jobs, family pressures, and economic struggles and the social issues surrounding those struggles. It was a pleasure to watch her grow into her own and stand up for herself with her family and implement healthy boundaries.

This book has the humor, the relatability, and even better it also has SPICE!! Don't let the cute cartoon cover fool you, this book is hot! I loved this book and had an absolute blast reading it! I look forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own!

This was such a fun and quick read. Isla and Cade are so cute together and I loved their story. I love how they relate on a lot of stuff and I love how Cade has always wanted to be there for Isla. Also, the chemistry between them was 🔥🔥🔥.

I will say that I hated how Isla’s parents “jokingly” were mean to Isla and I hated how they looked down on Cade and treated him when he was younger. Like I get that they pretty much took him in but like that was their choice and no kid deserves little demeaning slurs like the ones he got. It also made me mad that he made something out of himself and they still didn’t approved. I was thrilled when Isla stood up for him and picked him over her parents because Cade deserves the world.

Again, this was a great read and l’m looking forward to buying an actual copy.

4.5 starts round to 5!

This is one of my favourite romances I've ever read. EVER. Brother's best friend? Check. Messy characters who are also hilarious and loveable? Check. Spiciness? Check and check. I hope readers find their way to this book en masse because it deserves all the love.