This was a fun romance and a light read. Lily is not aware that her image is being used in paintings. Ryder is the artist. Will they develop feelings for each other? Thanks to BooksGoSocial and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mona Lisa and Little White Lies
John Herrick
Description
She’s America’s hottest new celebrity. But her identity remains a secret.
Lily Machara is a wisecracking auto mechanic. She’s never cared for glitz or drama. But when Ryder Flynn, a rising star in the world of commercial art, adopts Lily as his muse after a random sighting, Lily discovers herself painted into his hot new pieces ... and becomes America’s newest — anonymous — celebrity. The only problem: The woman Ryder imagines isn’t the true Lily.
Or is it?
Now, as Lily and Ryder give in to mutual curiosity and a budding romance, Lily’s life — secrets and all — fall victim to pop culture with one question on its mind: Who is the woman in Ryder Flynn’s art?
In the spirit of Cyrano de Bergerac and Pretty Woman, MONA LISAS AND LITTLE WHITE LIES is a delightful new romantic comedy from John Herrick, author of Beautiful Mess, From the Dead, and 8 Reasons Your Life Matters. A character-driven page turner and the feel-good story of the year, in the tradition of Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult, Emily Giffin, and Elin Hilderbrand. Available as a Kindle Unlimited title.

Lily and Ryder are the year's rom-com. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fun and sweet. No need to go into spoilers, I recommend you read this on a weekend and enjoy as I did.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I am struggling with this one, it is not my usual category of book, I prefer mystery or thrillers. The cover drew me in but so far the story is not. I hate to not finish a story so bad will put it aside and try again in a few days.

If you like a good rom-com this book would probably be for you. The premise was cute with all the right elements. A chance meeting that leads to Ryder Flynn painting Lily for years before they meet. A white lie that you don't think will be a big deal. And then you wait and see what happens. Overall the book was a quick read and had some great elements. At times I felt like the execution was a little stilted and found myself skimming some of the book, but I liked the ending.

A light romance for a lazy Saturday afternoon. Somewhat predictable, but expected in this genre.

The characters never really got under my skin, they did not feel like family, they stayed acquaintances, as if observed from a distance. Neither Lily, her friends or Ryder managed to evoke any emotion.

The writer managed to show how creative someone in love can be. Love is patient, love is beautiful. And love at first sight is indeed possible.

Not beautiful prose that made me want to mark passages in my Kindle, but a love story told.

While I do think that contemporary romance fans will enjoy Mona Lisas And Little White Lies better than I did, I still had a good time reading it. I really liked the premise of this story. The artist inspired by a face he only saw once in all those years, the down to earth car mechanic who doesn't know the power behind her appearance... The art, the chance meeting, the different worlds colliding: the story definitely has all the signs of that feel-good fairytale romance. The main characters Lily and Ryder are easy to like and each have their own personality. I like my quirky characters with flaws and they do feel quite realistic. Their story sounds like something straight out of a movie and it's a story romance fans most likely will fall in love with. For me, there were a bit too many cliches involved, including romance tropes as insta-love and a love triangle. The whole 'little white lies' part felt a bit forced, as well as the final part of the story. Their reactions to the plot twist reveal and aftermath were a bit too cliche and over the top for me, but then again I'm not a drama fan. Some parts were a bit underdeveloped as well, including for example Aaron's past and the role of Chase in the story. I really liked the many descriptions of Thailand though! Overall Mona Lisas And Little White Lies was an entertaining and fluffy contemporary romance read I can recommend to fans of the genre.

If you enjoy cute 'love at first sight' stories with quirky and flawed characters that are easy to like, you will probably love Mona Lisas And Little White Lies. The general idea behind this story is interesting and I loved the many art, car and Thailand references. The plot did get a bit predictable and cliche at points, and the dose of drama was a bit high towards the ending, but overall this was still a satisfying contemporary romance read.

If you're into Romance, you should give it a try because this is what you get.. It was way too flowery for my taste, that's why the low rating. I can easily see a Romance lover having great fun with the book!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Review can also be found on goodreads.com/kits.picks

I absolutely loved the main characters, Ryder and Lily. Ryder doesn’t have the tortured artist, ego-filled persona that I thought he would, so I appreciated his genuine personality. As for Lily, I connected to her on many personal levels and I see a lot of other people easily relating to her emotions and thoughts. Both characters were very realistic which was the highlight of the book for me and made it enjoyable to read.

As far as plot goes, the climax was definitely a let down. Of course with any love story, there’s something that tears the couple apart, and in this case that reason/event was very weak. In my opinion, it wasn’t a huge deal and saw this coming from the very first time it was mentioned in the book. Since I couldn’t get behind the drama of the climax, it was hard for me to relate to Lily and Ryder’s feelings in the aftermath and left me half-heartedly reading for the remainder of the book.

Overall, I did enjoy the book because of the story itself, which was the premise on why I read the book. Her being the modern Mona Lisa was very appealing and I thought it was a fun idea. I’m glad I got to meet Lily and Ryder and follow their love story, but the plot overall is what made this fall short.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 
The plot was very unique, if only a bit far-fetched. The writing was so beautiful that I went back and read many paragraphs again and again. Ryder's paintings and his reasoning behind them were poetic. He could have been portrayed a little less sappy though!
Lisa was totally relatable and I was able to understand her predicament better than I thought I would. Everything is fair in love and war, eh? I liked the marketing guy she dated better than Ryder. He seemed genuinely interested in her than some version of her he created in his mind and idolized. And her bestfriend Aaron's story seemed like a weak link to the storyline.
3.5 stars for this one of a kind romance with a fairy tale touch. Perfect read for a warm summer day!

Loved this book. Great read. Kept me interested until the end. Really liked the story. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.

Wow! Mona lisas and Little White Lies by John Herrick was the perfect book to read by the fire this weekend. Herrick has a way with characters, there is so much depth to them, that I am sorry to give them up. I won't retell the story here as I could never do it justice. Instead, I urge you to give this book a try. You will not be disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author of this book for giving me access to this arc in return for an honest review.

Mona Lisas and White Lies almost felt like two books to me. The first was before Lily and Ryder actually met and got to know one another and the other was after they started to spend time together. I really enjoyed the first part of the book and couldn’t put it down or wait to find out what would happen next but once Lily and Ryder got together my interest began to wane. I’m not sure what it was but I just didn’t feel the chemistry between the two and it left me wanting a bit more. I will say that I would definitely try reading another book by this author because the writing style was easy to read, funny and had well rounded characters. I just lost interest in the story as it went along based on the relationship between these two characters.

Mona Lisa's and Little White Lies is a fun romance story. Lily is an auto mechanic. She is unaware that she has become a muse for a painter and her image is now everywhere. Ryder is the painter who saw Lily,by chance, and felt compelled to paint her. This puts Lily in the spotlight where she never wanted to be. Is it right for someone to paint an image of a stranger without permission? Are Lily and Ryder developing feelings for each other? I think it's a question of ethics and Ryder has none. Lily is a sympathetic likeable character. The premise is unique, and the story is engaging, entertaining and well written. I recommend for a fun light read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ryder meets Lily by chance - she doesn't remember him due to libation at her cousin's wedding. But, oh, he remembers her. Ryder is an artist who goes commercial. It is brought to Lily's attention that she is an exact likeness of the woman Ryder always depicts in his paintings. Finally, Lily, who works as an auto mechanic, decides to go to a convention that Ryder will be attending. She is not sure if she is flattered or feels used.

Eventually, Ryder and Lily become an item. They bare their souls to each other. Except Lily lies about her job.

When their romance really heats up, the tabloids get ahold of the famous painter and his "muse". Naturally, the reporters dig into Lily's past (she is dubbed the modern Mona Lisa - and of interest to the readers!) and find out where she works. Since she had been lying (instead, saying that she was in marketing) Ryder confronts her.

This is a sweet, if not predictable, story of young love and the consequences of a "little white lie"

A fun read!!!

Many thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for a good read!

This book begins at a hotel where Lily is attending her cousins wedding and Ryder is there for an art show. Ryder sees Lily and it was love at first sight, the problem was Lily was a damsel in distress and probably would not even remember Ryder helping her the next morning. Years pass and Lily notices an add that features a women who looks identical to her. Ryder could not forget Lily's face and in the years since he met her had incorporated her in almost all his artwork. Lily was upset and wanted to confront Ryder and ask why he was painting her all these years. For Lily it ended up being love at first sight as well. Throughout the story the author takes you through their journey of love and the trials they go through once the public finds out who "Mona Lisa" in Ryders pictures was. Overall the author is a wonderful writer and the book was easy to navigate. Personally the story was a tad far reaching for me.

Mona Lisas and Little White Lies, John Herrick

Jeannie Zelos Book Reviews

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Women's Fiction.

Well, this is written by a man and Still classified as Women's Fiction – I just don't understand why we try to exclude men we should be encouraging readers not discouraging them :-(

Anyway, my first read by this author. It was well written, and the story flowed well but.....maybe In was just over-expecting. I love the fame/non fame romance trope and with the famous lead being an artist, ( such a change from the usual rock/film star leads), and being an artist myself I was hooked. Throw in that Lily isn't a primped and pampered lady but one that works as a mechanic and I thought I'd love this.

So what went wrong? Well. Its not the writing but the story-line. I didn't understand why the first 30% Lily and Ryder had barely met, and she was involved with Evan. Unless maybe it was to showcase her insecurity in her looks? Lily is lovely but not bursting with confidence, even though her friends tell her she is beautiful, she just can't see it. And of course her job isn't one that springs to mind as feminine even though she's good at it and loves it.
I loved that Ryder inserted himself and Lily into so many paintings after only meeting her once, though I'm dubious that he could paint her so exactly without and reference pics ;-). still, artistic licence all round! Once his paintings start becoming famous and seen everywhere though the hunt is on, who is the mysterious lady in his work. They meet after Lily sees one of these works....and it doesn't go too well. Ryder isn't letting her go though, six years he's been thinking of her and now he's found her he's not letting her disappear again. I guess this is where my expectations and the book parted ways. I expected more of the fame aspect, more of the hounding the media do to people.
The breakup was a shock, it just didn't seem real even though I suspected it would happen that way. I felt they needed more of a reason to part, and that Ryder was wrong. I did like that it wasn't one of those break up and two pages later make up books. I like my drama to wallow, to really feel “will they get back, or has too long passed?” A side effect of the break up was a revelation about someone that caught me out, and yet looking back all the clues were there but I missed them. I love that kind of surprise, clever planning.
I'm not sure why its billed as comedy though? That has me mystified, and I had to go back and check the description but yes, comedy is there in the blurb. I didn't find it though.....

Stars: three a half, a fun read but a one off only for me.

ARC via Netgalley and publishers

Ryder is a modern artist who accidentally found a muse in a beautiful girl he saw in a hotel lobby. He was instantly drawn to her, and repeatedly painted her image along with his in all sorts of commissioned works. As Ryder rose to fame, the woman became known as his Mona Lisa. Now the media is desperate to find out who she is.

Lily is an auto mechanic. When she sees the beautiful renderings of her likeness show up in billboards and magazines she is stunned, and more than a little intimidated at the thought of actually being the polished woman she sees reflected. When her privacy is invaded, Lily is determined to meet the man who has exposed her to scrutiny, and let him know exactly how she feels.

Both of these characters have issues to work through as they interact emotionally with the art Ryder has created. The big question is whether they will be able to have the relationship they both seem to want.

I loved Lily and Ryder's story. They were real people dealing with realistic fallout from fame neither was seeking. The emotional journey they take to discover who they are and what they're looking for is thoughtful, interesting, and more than a little emotional. They each have to grow up, and grow into the relationship they fantasize about.
This was a fabulous read.

Lily Machara is a wisecracking auto mechanic more at home with the other mechanics than in the pages of a magazine. She is shocked to find her doppelgänger appearing in advertisements.

Lily has no connection to the artist that she is aware of...and the media is clamouring to locate the source of the artist’s muse.

A delightful romantic comedy develops and would be popular for fans of Nora Roberts, Kristan Higgins and Nicholas Sparks.