Sadly, this book ended up being just kind of “meh” for me. I’ve been really enjoying all the romance novels with the cute illustrated covers, and this one drew me in immediately. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver in the ways I was hoping for.

This book will one hundred percent work for a lot of people. The writing is well done, the characters are likable, and the pacing is pretty quick. The tropes were what lacked for me.

The book is basically the movie “How to Lose a Guy in 10 days” in novelization form with its own key plot points and unique characters, but the premise is pretty much the same. A journalist, Jack, is tired of writing listicles for some Buzzfeed-esque website, and is told by his boss that he won’t get a chance at any hard-hitting stories until her delivers something particularly juicy. He’s then basically challenged to date a girl and see how long it takes her to dump him based on the way he behaves on the dates. Then there’s Hannah, who gets into a predicament herself. Hannah believes she’s “not the girl you marry” based on some crappy comments her ex made to her. She’s a party planner who wants to move on to weddings, but her boss feels like Hanna has to present herself as someone in a stable loving relationship to her clients in order to succeed. When Hannah and Jack meet, they both end up using each other without telling each other, and shenanigans ensue.

One thing problematic to me is the way the book is marketed. A blurb in the summary reads “Before Jack and Hannah know it, their fake relationship starts to feel all too real—and neither of them can stand to lose each other.” This initially intrigued me, because I LOVE the fake dating trope. In this book, it didn’t really play out that way. It seemed to me like Hannah and Jack were both invested in the relationship from the start to some degree and were treating it like it was real. They never had a conversation with each other about fake dating to help each other out. It was clearly more of the miscommunication/withholding information trope, which I HATE, and that immediately took away from the story for me.

Overall, this is definitely the book for someone, but for me it was just mediocre. I will however, be checking out the companion novel in the future, because I think this just wasn’t the right story for me, seeing as how a lot of other writing elements were still executed nicely.

*Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I could not even get past the first chapter. I don't particularly care if the main male character ends up redeeming himself; the way he talked about women was disgusting and out of touch with the current social climate post-#MeTooMovement. Frankly I'm disappointed that this is going to be published with such outright sexism.

Absolutely adored every step of this book’s journey from start to finish. This book left me filled with laughter, love and every close to tears in some places. I loved being introduced to a point of view and situations I personally have never had to face. This was a love story I won’t soon forget!

I’ve always loved the film ‘How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days’ so when I saw the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read it! This had a different spin than the film, but was so much fun to read!

Hannah has had it with men. With her last serious boyfriend telling her she’s not the type of girl someone marries, she’s pretty much given up on love. Then enters Jack Nolan. Jack is not like other guys. He too is unlucky in love, but he’s respectful and a truly nice guy. He’s also a journalist. Hannah is an event planner.

Hannah doesn’t want to date anyone, but she needs the facade of having a boyfriend to get to plan this big wedding that could lead to a promotion so she agrees to date Jack temporarily. Meanwhile, Jack’s boss wants him to write an article on how to lose a girl, and even though it’s against his nature to do something like this, it’s the big break he needs to further his career.

While all this madness is going on, Jack and Hannah start to develop real feelings. Jack feels awful doing any of these things to drive Hannah away and Hannah is conflicted on using Jack as well. It’s all a huge mess that’s just waiting to implode…

Both Hannah and Jack are ambitious and I liked that about them. I also liked how they both learned a lot about themselves from this whole charade. There was a ton of personal growth. My favorite message that the book gave is that just because you’re not a specific persons cup of tea, doesn’t mean you’re not someone else’s dream girl/guy. Sometimes it’s just a matter of finding that person that clicks with you.

This book was smart, witty, made me laugh out loud, and was steamy, sweet, and all around refreshing. I truly loved that the heroine had a back bone and take no crap attitude and the hero was a real sweetheart and a genuinely good guy. Not the Girl You Marry is a fantastic debut and I’m looking forward to reading more from Andie J. Christopher.

Ugh this was so good! I will admit, I was slow to get into it, even put it down. Once I got into it though, I couldn't stop. The chemistry and tension was so good! Such a fun read. Definitely recommending this!

In Not the Girl You Marry, Hannah is tired of men. Her last boyfriend shredded her self esteem, so she has decided she doesn't want another one. She meets Jack in a bar and they hit it off right away, but she still doesn't want to date anyone. Jack, meanwhile, is a journalist for a men's magazine who wants to write "serious" stories, but is stuck doing how to videos and listicles. Hannah is an event planner who wants to move into planning weddings, but her boss thinks she's too cynical. If Hannah can get - and keep - a boyfriend by the company Halloween party, her boss says she'll promote her. At the same time Jack's boss tells him he can start working on more hard hitting stories if he does a "how to lose a girl" story. Hijinks ensue. If this plot sounds familiar that's because it's a gender swapped How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I haven't seen that movie in a very long time but remember if being fun if somewhat nonsensical. This book is an updated version with more serious issues - including toxic masculinity and Hannah, who is biracial, dealing with racism and feeling like she is never enough. I really enjoyed this book. I loved Hannah (and her relationship with her best friend, Sasha). My only complaint is that Hannah forgives a LOT of Jack's bad behavior. I think that the plot (and her needing to date Jack for work), makes it work, but she talks about how perfect it is despite him acting like a jerk half the time. When he wasn't trying to lose her I did like Jack as a character. He was a lot more interesting and well rounded than men I tend to see in a lot of romance novels. Basically this was so fun that I was willing to forgive and forget a lot of the "there's no way she'd put up with that" stuff. Also, Hannah does speak up for herself and gets mad at Jack a lot, so I respected and liked when she did that. I have been having an ARC reading slump recently and this book pulled me out of that. Two other things I really liked - the author's note in the beginning, in which Andie Christopher talks about why she wrote the book, and the epilogue. I normally hate epilogues but this one was so good - I loved it. Recommended.

I loved the way Hannah was a non-traditional heroine. She knows herself and what she wants. Jack manages to break past all the walls she has erected and they had great chemistry. I didn't love that Hannah's boss claims she was joking about Hannah needing a boyfriend to get the promotion, but I look forward to more books by this author.

This was a great contemporary romance that focused more on the individuals and their personal growth than their relationship. A lot of time was spent on Hannah's and Jack's past failed relationships and what THEY thought had happened, and it was interesting in the end to find out that much of what they had assumed went wrong was all in their heads
The author explained that she had based this story on her dating experiences as a biracial woman. I haven't read many novels at all where the main character is biracial, so I really appreciate how much I was able to learn from Hannah and her experiences.
The heroine was also a self-proclaimed b****, who wasn't afraid to be condescending and speak her truth. I LOVED IT. It was great that she wasn't the demure, kind hearted Disney princess we so often see in this genre. I should also mention her friendship with her best friend was refreshing and adorable.
Jack was...perfect. His honesty and kind-heartedness made for a great relationship, and I'm really sad that he's fictional.
Overall, a great contemporary read with a much-needed diverse heroine and relationships I enjoy reading about.

This book is a modern, gender swapped adaption of the beloved early 2000s rom rom, How to lose a guy in 10 days. Jack is a journalist “how-to” guy who wants to be taken seriously. When he meets gorgeous and feisty Hannah, he falls for her immediately. Except he needs to figure out a way to successfully “lose her” (introducing her to his mom on the second date, being a stage 5 clinger etc) for his last story so his boss will let him cover more serious stories. What he also doesn’t know, is Hannah is also using him. She needs a boyfriend in order for her boss to allow her to take on wedding event coordination.

I also loved that Hannah is biracial and that it’s central to who she is. She’s a great heroine (and is even brave enough to wear moccasins to the bar lol). I’m loving the minority representation in romance lately. I’m also always a sucker for a fake dating trope.

In terms of critiques, I felt the plot dragged a bit. Given it’s a rehash of the film, I also kind of felt like I knew what would happen and how they’d get there. The internal dialogue of both characters was quite heavy.

Either way, the author’s writing style is snarky, fun, and witty. The modern critique of dating culture was subtle but rang so true. It made for a hilarious, relatable and enjoyable rom com read. I would definitely recommend it!

3.5 stars for me! Thank you so much Berkley and netgalley!

This book was so cute and I loved the update on the "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" premise. I wish that Christopher would have leaned even harder into the idea that Hannah was shrugging off all the gross stuff Jack was doing because she was used it as a dating woman. I loved that Hannah was biracial and that it was actually a pretty present thing in the story and how Hannah viewed herself, but I thought it was interesting that for the most part, Hannah always felt like she wasn't black enough in certain spaces, and gaining acceptance in the black community. I didn't feel as if Christopher dug into how Andie didn't feel like she was white enough in other instances, like at work or even with Jack's family to some degree. But I loved the huge romantic gesture at the end of the book, and it was a sweet Happily Ever After moment.

It wasn't my favorite. I wanted to like it, but I'm having trouble keeping these books straight. It is very similar to "The Propsal" and books like that.

I really wanted to like this one, but I didn't think much of either of the main characters. He's kind of a misogynist and she's kind of shrill. I just couldn't root for either of them. Plus the writing was not great.

Story seems familiar. Definitely has how to lose a guy in ten days vibe with some slight differences. However it lacks the humor. Also the main character is not someone you want to root for. Man seems unrealistic. Story is not relatable or a very enjoyable ready.

I am SO in love with this writing style, my God. I would read whatever this author wrote if she kept giving me more snarky wise-cracking narratives.

At first I was unsure if I was going to like the way Hannah seemed determined to stick out bad behavior in a relationship but I like the way it was handled in the end.

A very cute, laugh out loud funny romance. Loved it!

1 star
Another DNF for me. This was like, a been there and done that book for me. I was not into it. I gave up and called it a day.

I really enjoyed this one. As it turns out, a gender-bent How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was apparently exactly what I was looking for. The characters are likeable and enjoyable and, even though they are making some less than honest moves with each other, their motives are clear and you kind of forgive them. Especially since they are both doing basically the same thing for some very similar reasons. The writing is engaging and the sexy times are just hot enough (and explicit enough) without being too graphic. I will probably pick up this author’s next book.

Have you seen How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days? This book a spin-off that movie. It was really similar but the Roles were reversed. Honestly this book was really difficult for me to get through. There is a lot of bad language which usually doesn’t bother me, but In this book it Does. I think that if you like the movie, it’s really difficult to love this book because the movie is so classy and sweet and the book is more provocative and it was harder for me to connect with their love story. It’s a modern take.
If you’ve never seen how to lose a guy in 10 days you will probably love it.

This book is AMAZING. I loved every minute of reading Hannah and Jack's story.

NOT THE GIRL YOU MARRY is a perfect contemporary romance. It will make you laugh and swoon and maybe even get a little weepy.

Hannah is a heroine for the ages, prickly, real, and worth fighting for. If only we could all have a Hannah in our corner.

I read the Author's Note at the beginning of this book and it really set me up for this story, which I loved!

I love when a romance has substance and this one did. Hannah is biracial and deals with the idea of fitting in and where she fits in. I got a much better understanding of the experiences of people in different ethnic groups.

Jack is a journalist and he wants to do something different, so he convinces his boss to let him write a piece on How to Lose a Girl. Hannah needs a guy to show her boss that she is not just a workaholic, but also has a life. I love the Fake Relationship trope and this book mastered it well.

Well developed characters, I learned about the experiences of different ethnic groups, the plot was flawless and the writing was wonderful. This was a great book!

Since Hannah left her last toxic relationship she has vowed to stay away from men forever. That was two years ago and Jack Nolan is at the bar with his friends when he sees a beautiful no nonsense type of girl walk in. Jack convinces Hannah to walk to a taco truck with him and the both leave feeling like they just met someone pretty importunate. Fast forward a few days and Jack is pitching his idea of a political scandal piece to his boss who tell him he should think about do a how to lose a girl article and do everything wrong to get a girl to break up wit him. Hannah is trying to break into weddings at her party planning job and her boss tells her to convince her the guy she started dating is the one because "shes not the type of girl someone would marry"