
Member Reviews

I felt for Everly quite a lot throughout the book and definitely related to her. I knew exactly what she was feeling because I’ve definitely had those thoughts and more before. I also liked that she was an adult and she felt like she didn’t have everything together. We were able to see her coming more out of her shell as the book carried on and even her helping others with their anxiety! That’s a big thing being able to help others because you know how they feel and are able to give advice. Everly and Chris worked really well together. They were quickly able to understand each other and Chris wasn’t dismissive of Everly’s anxiety – something I appreciated seeing. Their becoming friends and then obviously ending up at the end were all felt very natural – something to commend Sullivan as authors aren’t always able to write natural relationships. I liked that we were able to experience the dates with her – the bad and the good. And that all of them sort of led back to Chris. Their romance was so cute! I smiled so many times throughout reading because I really enjoyed how kind and sweet Chris was. He wanted Everly to have fun, cared about her a lot – if she would enjoy the dates, how she felt on them etc. I think him caring meant a lot for her and probably made it easier to fall in love with him. Seeing as it’s a trilogy, and each book follows a different brother, we got a chance to see Noah and Wes (book 2 and 3 respectively). I liked that they were close with each other and encouraged each other. They had an easy banter and a good balance between sibling insults and “I’m pushing you because I love you”. |

This was a fun read. I thought it was very clever to have a character with high anxiety. I liked reading the point of view for both main characters. |

A fun and exciting read that makes you feel like the characters are right in front of you. A forbidden love, friends to lovers. |

I wanted so desperately to love this book but I just couldn't connect with the characters. Sometimes the dialogue was just too cheesy. I love myself a little cheesy banter but many times I felt myself cringe towards it rather than have the bubbles over it. It just was not the slow burn I wanted it to be. |

Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan is a romantic comedy that will make you laugh, swoon, and root for the protagonist, Everly Dean. The story follows Everly, a radio producer who hits rock bottom on her birthday when she catches her boyfriend cheating on her with his assistant. Determined to not let her anxiety hold her back, she pitches her podcast idea to her cute but distant boss, Chris. When her on-air rant about her cheating ex goes viral, she becomes a dating sensation with fans voting for potential suitors Bachelorette-style. As Everly navigates through this unexpected turn of events, she creates the Ten Rules for Faking It, a list that helps her overcome her people-avoidance tendencies and face her fears. Sullivan's writing style is witty, humorous, and easy to read, and the characters are relatable and endearing. What sets Ten Rules for Faking It apart from other rom-coms is its focus on mental health and the importance of self-care. Everly struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, but instead of being portrayed as a weakness, it's shown as a part of her personality that she learns to work with and overcome. Overall, Ten Rules for Faking It is an enjoyable and heartwarming read that will leave you feeling good and rooting for Everly's happily ever after. |

A fun cheeky rom com. I love stories that are fake dating and then something more comes of it. This was a cute ride. The MC at times was a little whiny and not as confident as I would have liked. |

This book was definitely a slow burn. Too slow, really, and I normally like a slow burn. I wanted Everly to get past her anxiety, get her podcast up and running, and find love with Chris, so I kept reading. The problem was, the further I got into the book, the more frustrated I became. My kindle is marked up with angry notes about things that were said or done by the characters. By the end of the book, I’d had it with Everly. I ended up liking her friend Stacey much better than her. In fact, I think Stacey understood Everly better than Everly understood herself. It shouldn’t be like that when you’re 93% done a story. I liked Chris. I could respect him for keeping his feelings to himself because of being Everly’s boss. I guess I just didn’t really understand why he thought Everly was such an amazing woman, or maybe I didn’t agree. The ending was flat and drawn out, though perhaps I simply no longer cared about whether the characters got their happily ever after. **Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin and Sophie Sullivan. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.*** |

"A wholesome, slow-burn romance that will warm your heart...This is a Hallmark movie in book form." - USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang What happens when your love life becomes the talk of the town? As birthdays go, this year’s for radio producer Everly Dean hit rock-bottom. Worse than the “tonsillectomy birthday.” Worse than the birthday her parents decided to split (the first time). But catching your boyfriend cheating on you with his assistant? Even clichés sting. But this is Everly’s year! She won’t let her anxiety hold her back. She’ll pitch her podcast idea to her boss. There’s just one problem. Her boss, Chris, is very cute. (Of course). Also, he's extremely distant (which means he hates her, right? Or is that the anxiety talking)? And, Stacey the DJ didn’t mute the mic during Everly’s rant about Simon the Snake (syn: Cheating Ex). That’s three problems. Suddenly, people are lining up to date her, Bachelorette-style, fans are voting (Reminder: never leave house again), and her interest in Chris might be a two-way street. It’s a lot for a woman who could gold medal in people-avoidance. She’s going to have to fake it ‘till she makes it to get through all of this. Perhaps she’ll make a list: The Ten Rules for Faking It. Because sometimes making the rules can find you happiness when you least expect it. |

Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan is such a cute, slow-burn modern romance. The characters are lovable and once you start reading it, you won't be able to put it down. The chemistry between Everly and Chris was instantaneous and addictive to read. You can't help but root for them both. |

This was an all around adorable read. I loved the enemies to lovers vibe and that it represented a social anxiety aspect. At the same time I felt like nothing every really happened with the story |

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book had an amazing plot, but I felt the characters were a bit hard to connect to. Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy. |

I enjoyed the fact that realistic aspects of anxiety were mentioned in this book. This book was a bit slow for me but kept me entertained. |

I absolutely loved this book. I totally forgot to leave my review here!!! I love when a book shows something real. Especially in the romance genre it’s always happy happy. I love how Sophie shows Everly struggle with anxiety. I think a lot of people can relate to those situations. This is a sweet romance can be read as a stand-alone. There is 2 more books coming out!!!! Can’t wait to read them! |

It was okay. I felt like it was way too long and went off on random tangents that I didn’t care about. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book. |

Everly is all anyone is talking about after word gets out after a tell all, on air when she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her. She goes on a series of dates following a radio competition. The book was a bit slow paced, but I did enjoy it over all. I thought the cover was very cute! |

This seemed to be a fun romantic comedy because it was set during a radio station. However, I struggled with it because I did not think the romance was developed. Thus, it had potential but was not executed well. |

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review. I was not a fan of this book. I couldn't get into it. I know others will find it to be great, but I didn't. |

Rule #1: Don't fake liking a book. I tried to like this. I wanted to. The idea and premise of it is fun but the execution and presentation was not fun for me. I got to about half of the book and decided I just couldn't do it anymore. Everly annoyed me. Her ever-changing anxiety gave me anxiety. Chris was just blah. I didn't see any chemistry with these two or even mild flirting and I was halfway through the book. The writing was way too wordy in many parts. Editing for content would've been good. But in some parts, where more explanation would've been nice, you're left to infer what is happening or happened. Also, every character constantly had inner monologs - or even full conversations - in their own head, which were written in italics, became very annoying. I usually read a book in 2 or 3 days but I kept putting this book down because I was bored and I was already a week in. This is the slowest 'slow burn' romance I've ever read. Although, I don't even know if there was any actual romance since I stopped reading at chapter 23 of 41. It pains me not to finish a book. I always think there must be some redeeming quality coming. But I decided life is too short (& my reading list is too long) to try to finish a book I just can't get into and am not enjoying. (I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.) |

Ten Rules for Faking It is a cute book about radio show producer Everly, who experiences an epic romantic fail that is then accidentally broadcasted on her radio show. Fans of the show rally behind Everly as she sets out on a Bachelor-esque dating competition to find a new beau and save the show from cancellation. The catch(es) - Everly is secretly in love with the radio studio manager, Chris, and Everly has severe social anxiety which makes the dating competition a challenge. A lot of this book centers on Everly's list of 10 things she would like to do differently, and, in her opinion, better. Another big focus of the book is Everly's anxiety: how it impacts her interactions with others, her inner monologues, and how others perceive her anxiety. I thought it was a subject handled with great sensitivity. We see Everly often power through her anxiety in the moment but also feel the resulting exhaustion afterward. We also see her sometimes fail, and we see her smart decision to remove herself from the situation that is overwhelming her. And, most impressive, we see Everly asking for and accepting help from those who understand her. I enjoyed the relationships in the book: the friendship between Everly and Stacey, the support Chris gets from his brother Noah, the radio crew who are like family, the dates Everly picks out for the dating competition, and of course wondering what type of relationship, if any, might develop between Everly and Chris. I did, however, feel like the story moved a little too slowly, and was a little too predictable. But, it all wrapped up nicely at the end, and I was glad I stuck with it. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. |

Everly’s love life becomes the talk of the town after she spills her guts on-air when she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her. What follows is a series of dates as part of a radio dating competition. This book moved very slow, which didn’t really hold my attention. The story overall was enjoyable. |