This has all the makings for a perfect rom com and is a book that leaves you with a smile on your face. It's hard not to root for Everly and it's so nice to see how she adapts to what's thrown at her. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I recommend for anyone that's been loving Hallmark Christmas movies, but is starting to be glad that they're almost over so we can move on to something else.

I really, really, REALLY hoped I was going to love this book as soon as I read the main character's name: Everly --my youngest daughter's name :-)

And I did! Everly is a young, pretty, 30-year-old radio producer suffering from severe social anxiety. The story starts with Everly finding her boyfriend Simon in bed with another woman.. on her birthday! To make things worse, she goes off on best friend Stacey by telling her what just happened with Simon while the radio mic is on as Stacey's plan was to sing 'Happy Birthday' live. Total embarrassment!

Not only was this romance fresh (bachelor radio contest to save face, organized by Chris Jansen after Everly and Stacey's live fiasco), but it was also meaningful and totally gripping. There was a strong sense of friendship, the importance of parents' behavior toward their kids and how their personality can negatively affect and damage the children, even at an adult age.

I appreciated the focus on Everly's social anxiety and how it strongly hurt her and the people around her on a daily basis. Everly is very much aware of her condition and she is willing to change things. One cannot get rid of their anxiety but they can make an effort to try to be around crowds, warm up to people, be more talkative, be bold. The beauty of this story is that Everly tries hard and things turn out for the best, making this a delectable romance story.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Like if I don’t kiss you, something inside of me might break.”

After Everly accidentally announced to her entire radio show audience what a crappy 30th birthday she was having she made a list of goals... and winds up in a Bachelor style dating game to help ratings at her network.

This was such a sweet book. I can’t think of a better word for it. Well written relationships and connections between characters. I loved the wonderful, true, mature friendships. I appreciated how Sophie handled Everly’s social anxiety - not hiding it, but really showing how it affects everyday life. The chemistry between Everly and Chris was intense, but there was an extremely slooooooowwwww burn as they finally figured it out. I struggle with slow burns but for somehow with the circumstances it really worked here! Chris was such a sweet, caring, swoon worthy guy - honestly what every girl deserves. I’m excited for more from this author!

I enjoyed this book! Everly Dean rants about catching her ex cheating and oops, the DJ didn't mute the mic and everyone tuning in heard it. Suddenly people are lining up to date her and her cute boss Chris is involved in managing the competition. I adored Chris - he is patient and understanding. Everly fights her anxiety and fears and makes lists of "rules" as she turns 30. The author did a great job portraying Everly realistically. The author builds up the romance to a point where you are thinking, "Just kiss ALREADY." I would definitely recommend this book to those who just enjoy a good. well rounded romance.

Ten Rules For Faking It is a sweet romance that deals with some interesting issues. When Everly walks in on her cheating boyfriend on her 30th birthday, and her story becomes public knowledge when it is revealed on-air at the radio station where she works, she agrees to participate in a Bachelorette-style dating game. As someone who suffers from anxiety, its her worst nightmare, but she agrees to do it and writes herself a checklist to help her cope with the whole process - the ten rules of faking it. She goes on the dates, but is she looking in the wrong place?

The romance in this book is very much a slow burn, and at times I did find it a little too slow for my taste. It took me a little while to get into it, but the further I read, the more I enjoyed the depiction of the main character and her struggles with social anxiety. Whilst dealing with a serious issue, the book combines it with plenty of humour and a fun, likeable cast of characters. All in all a fun, easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Really sweet, fun slow-burn romance. Loved the bachelorette style plot line, I was hooked from start to finish.

This book blew me away with how accurate and well portrayed its anxiety and panic attack rep was. I find most novels have the character unrealistically 'overcome' their anxiety in order to be happy, whilst this story shows her manage her anxiety as a part of who she is and not a barrier to happiness. Huge props to the author for that!

The blurb sounded interesting and fun and I had high hopes. It didn’t take long before I found myself skimming and at least the middle third or more of the story was very slow. There seemed to be a lot of internal thoughts of the two characters vs more interactions.

Everly’s best friend and co-worker Stacy, was feisty and most of the time supportive of Everly. Chris, the station manager, was interested in Everly but after a year she had no idea of his feelings with the way he ignored her. The dating contest was a cute idea but didn’t seem to add too much to the story except to make Everly think a bit about what she wanted out of a relationship.

Everly had an extreme case of anxiety about numerous things and, at times, the story seemed more clinical. I certainly empathize with her and know many people with varying levels of anxiety, but it seemed to be the focus of the story and not so much on the romance. It was interesting how she made the effort to push past her anxiety by going on dates and other social activities. Sometimes she managed to have fun and other times the anxiety was just crippling and so painful to read. Chris seemed to notice what triggered Everly’s anxiety and didn’t try to push her or tell her what she should do.

Everly’s parents were so irritating to me and that they could not seem to realize how pushing her to be something else was hurting her. Their decisions that they could just ask anything of her made me want to knock them upside their heads.

The last part of the story was a bit more interesting when Everly started to speak up for herself and let others know what she would and would not accept anymore. I was somewhat surprised that seeing a therapist was never mentioned as a possible way to help Everly.

Unfortunately, it’s definitely a slow burn when other than hand touching a few times, it takes till the end of the story before anything romantic actually happens between the two main characters. If anyone wants a ‘clean’ romance, you will be happy as there was absolutely no smexy times, not even ‘behind closed door’ scenes.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this work.

This was a mixed bag!
Likeable characters and a seriously accurate portrayal of social anxiety (from someone who knows first hand) but, while enjoyable, it was a little forgettable too. There wasn't really anything to distinguish it from the million other 'chick lit' books out there. If you want a light hearted cute read, pick it up!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for letting me read an ARC of Ten Rules for Faking It early! I was super intrigued by the summary for this book because it's about a main character who just turned 30 (that birthday is coming up sooner than I'd like), is single (will you look at that, so am I), and has not had any luck in dating, like ever (it's like this book was written about me). I thought it would be fun to read about someone who's in a similar situation to me, but with one key difference, she's doing a bachelorette style competition for work, whereas I'm deciding on whether to run a paid social ad or not to target our super niche market and creating instagram graphics for the boutique fitness studio I'm doing marketing for. I was super excited to read about Everly and her journey and everything in Ten Rules for Faking it and while I thought it was a promising concept and a fun/cute story overall, it wasn't my favorite, but it's definitely still worth the read.

Ten Rules for Faking It 4/5 Stars


Summary from Goodreads
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.

So based off of the summary, you expect the plot to go in a certain order: Everly to have her birthday where she wants to talk to Chris about her podcast (so you assume you're going to meet Chris at the beginning or at least hear about him somewhere at the front, or at least more about this podcast), Stacey and Everly to have some sort of interaction where Everly starts ranting about her cheating ex, people to start this bachelorette style dating pool/game/format, Everly to make her list. Well, all of those things kind of happen, but I don't remember really knowing much about this podcast until Everly (and Stacey) are working on the list. Stacey leaves the mic on during Everly's rant before we even know who Chris is (plus, did Simon and Everly ever really break up or was it just assumed because he was cheating on her?). We know that Everly thinks Chris is cute and intimidating the first time they speak and the first time we see Chris' point of view, we know he likes Everly (which ok, having worked in corporate for most of my life gives me the creeps- like ew. Don't think your boss is cute and as a boss, don't think your employee is cute and like her like that. HR nightmare. Power imbalance. Gross.) Everly didn't even know about the bachelorette style dating thing until after she made her list for faking it- her list was made for her 30th birthday. All of these things aren't that big of a deal, but I hate it when I get a timeline in my mind based on a summary and then the book doesn't follow it!

I really enjoyed the first half of this book (I'm sure the paragraph above doesn't really make it seem that way, but I promise I did). Stacey and Everly have a really cute friendship. It made me really sad that so many people in Everly's life (in the past) had brushed off her anxiety and told her to just calm down or relax, as if them telling her to do that would magically fix everything. I don't have bad anxiety, but often, before something big, my mind gets stuck in what if loops or it goes through all the possible scenarios that could happen and it's always so frustrating because I know I'm stressing myself out for no reason, but I can't help it, so to read about someone whose anxiety is much worse and how much it impacts her life and how many of the people in her life don't take it seriously is so frustrating. Here are some of my favorite lines from the e-ARC (caveat- these may not be in the final version or they may be slightly different in the final version)

"How? You pick immature men who you have very little in common with, hoping their extroverted qualities cancel out your introverted ones.” This comes from the first page of the book and man, it really spoke to me, because from college through my mid twenties, this is exactly how I dated- I looked for the life of the party to make up for the fact that I was often on the fringes of everything- I came to the same conclusion that Everly did though, and once I realized that, I was able to make better choices.

“Maybe it was time to make some changes. For herself.” (Pg 42) So often, we change ourselves for others or we make changes in our lives to better convenience other people, so it’s nice to see Everly say that she’s going to be making these changes for herself- that’s what everyone wants right? To make changes for themselves and better themselves/to be the best version/most fun version of themselves that they can?

“‘No. You’re not. But our parents’ behavior can impact us as adults more than we expect.’” (Pg 62) In this conversation, Everly and Chris are talking Everly's parents' on-again, off-again relationship and I love this quote- I think sometimes we forget how important our parents are (if you're close to your family) and even when you're an adult, what they say, how they behave, and how they interact with others will still shape how you see things, whether you realize it or not.

“‘Because it’s hard to let go of things and say goodbye to them even when we should? Because each of them represents a stage in your life? A little piece of who you were, even if you don’t want to be that person anymore?’” (Pgs 108-109) Stacey and Everly are talking about clothes in this scene, but I loved this line because it relates to so much more than clothing- I have books from different stages of my life that I won't throw away, shoes, photos, friends- all the things that you really should get rid of once they stop bringing you joy/being a part of who you are today, but sometimes you just can't say bye to that stage in your life.

All of these were from the first half of the book, and it's not that the second half of the book was bad, but it just wasn't my favorite. There was a secondary conflict that seemed thrown in there to throw a smaller wrench in Everly and Chris' relationship, but then they got over that and then there was the real main conflict that should have been the only actual conflict in the book because it was the important one that had been set up throughout the whole book and that was solved in the proper rom com way and everything and had characters growing etc- I think that secondary conflict could have been nixed all together and the author could have had the resolution/growth that both characters needed to gain happen because of the main conflict. I also had a much harder time with Everly's anxiety in the second half of the book, not because I thought that the portrayal of the actual anxiety was bad, but because I felt like those same characters who knew her and were her rock in the first half (well, I'm mainly thinking of Stacey here) suddenly seemed to be different people in the second half of the book and the author made it out that the only person who could be there for Everly/her only beacon of light was Chris and I hated that. I get trying to make him seem like this great, amazing guy, but don't do it at the detriment of the person you've built up to be Everly's only lifeline. The biggest, glaring example of this is when Everly and Stacey go to a kickboxing class and run into Simon there and after the confrontation, Everly runs and Stacey follows her, trying to get her to come back to the class instead of letting Simon "win" by running her off. Everly snaps at Stacey and leaves and does some stuff and then in the morning (because Stacey didn't respond to her texts), goes to her house to apologize, where Stacey tells her that there was never an issue and no apology was ever needed- but like when you've known your friend with severe anxiety for a few years and you get into a fight like that, you know you would never not answer their texts that night/as soon as possible. That's not what you do, and I feel like the author just changed Stacey on us and I hate that!

Overall, even though the second half is not my favorite and the power dynamic between Chris and Everly freaks me out (since he's her boss), I enjoyed this book and I thought it was a cute rom com.

Sophie Sullivan’s romcom debut novel Ten Rules for Faking It is a lighthearted read about two characters who are both in need of a happy ending. The story follows Everly, a radio producer who has spent much of her adult life struggling with anxiety, horrendously bad birthdays, and apparently, awful taste in men as well. Everly’s thirtieth birthday may be her worst yet too as she catches her boyfriend in bed with his assistant and then proceeds to accidentally rant about the cheating snake live on-air to all of her radio shows’ listeners. The radio station’s manager, Chris, the other protagonist in the story, is initially not excited about the attention Everly’s on-air outburst is going to bring to the station, but when he realizes that nearly all the attention is positive and that all of Everly’s listeners think Everly deserved better, he comes up with a plan that will not only help Everly find someone better, but it could also benefit the radio station and land Everly’s show in a more coveted timeslot. His plan? A Bachelorette-style radio contest where listeners enter for a chance to go out with Everly and prove that they are the Mr. Right she has been looking for.

The contest premise was so much fun and was definitely a highlight of the story for me. I also thought the author did a wonderful job of showing just how much anxiety played a role in Everly’s everyday life and particularly as she is faced with the stressful prospect of going on so many blind dates per the rules of the contest. I also liked the idea of Everly deciding that she really needed to take control of her life, and particularly that anxiety, so that she could really move forward and make things happen. She comes up with a list of 10 “rules” that she’s going to try to live by, most of which are geared toward her not becoming a hoarder or crazy cat lady but also which force her to step out of her comfort zone and take chances both personally and professionally. It’s a huge step and I was rooting Everly on every step of the way.

Everly and Chris were also highlights for me. Both are just such likeable characters and I enjoyed watching them get to know each other better as the contest progressed. I was an especially big fan of Chris, who is living under the shadow of his father, a cutthroat businessman who doesn’t think twice about pulling the plug on a company without any warning. I found myself really invested in Chris as he tried to find a way to get out from under his father’s thumb and become a businessman in his own right, and one with a heart. Watching both Chris and Everly evolve made for an enjoyable reading experience all around. I did find myself wanting them to move through their issues faster and find their way to each other because this one is definitely a slow burn.

A final highlight for me was the cast of secondary characters at the radio station, especially Everly’s friendship with her DJ, Stacey. Stacey is the friend who tells Everly what she needs to hear, even when she really doesn’t want to hear it. As I was reading, I kept thinking it would be fun to read another book all about Stacey because she was such a scene stealer in this book.

If you’re in the mood for a fun and romantic read that will leave you with a smile on your face, give Ten Rules for Faking It a try.

Ten Rules for Faking It both felt fresh and classically comfortable. Everly works as a producer for a radio show, and when her best friend accidentally reveals her dirty laundry dating history on air, her boss arranges for her to go on Bachelorette-style dates to be recapped on air. But what happens when her boss starts looking like the best option?

Ten Rules offers a wonderful look at the life of a successful, capable woman who also happens to struggle with anxiety, and what a loving partner can do to support someone with anxiety. I truly appreciated the real take on this and how it was interwoven into the story. The book was incredibly predictable, but had a nice narrative arc, compelling characters, and lots of detail. A friend mentioned that she thought the book felt finished when it was only halfway, and I almost protested but then I realized I was only halfway when I had thought I was 75% done. So maybe some of the middle could have been cut but it didn't make me hate it. It's hard to find a PERFECT book, and the small areas of improvement are most definitely cancelled out by the many, many positives.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

5 stars - 8/10

Ten Rules for Faking it touched wonderfully on social anxiety and the struggle one can have with it in their day to day life. That being said this book just didn't hit the mark for me. It is labeled as a romance but it definitely felt more women's fiction with a side of mild romance. The love story just didn't catch on for me especially when it took near the end for anything to happen.

Then there's Everly, her character has social anxiety and man do you feel it. But the story focuses sooo much on it to a point I was over it. On top of that, Everly was not a good character. She was a terrible friend who apparently can do no harm even though she does...several times. Everyone had to keep telling her how awesome she is but we never saw that awesome side as an audience. I think that was the balance issue with the love story, crazy parents, best friend, love interest, and the blind dates. Too much going on while also trying to drill social anxiety in your head.

I can not stress enough though how great social anxiety was handled and written into her life. If you do decide to read this one, do not go into it thinking it is a romance but as Women's Fiction.

When a huge on the air exchange happens, life is destines to change for Emily. Plagued by anxiety, the introvert is tossed into a dating radio promotion which messes with all she feels and changes begin to happen to her.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

On the morning of Everly’s 30th birthday, she catches her boyfriend sleeping with his assistant. Not only that, she is on the verge of getting cut from the radio station where she works. Between making a list of ten rules to abide by to start off a new decade, her boss Chris pitches the idea of a bachelorette radio show to save Everly’s job... where Everly is the bachelorette.

Two words for you: SLOW BURN. Written in 3rd POV, I got the inner workings of both main characters. But, I found it just a tad bit tough to get through. The premise was definitely cute, and the setup with the bachelorette made it fun. And, you can’t forget the fun side characters that help support Chris and Everly! Overall, it was a sweet and fluffy read that would make a great palette cleanser for heavier ones.

Cute premise. Someone with social anxiety creating coping mechanisms to create a better life for herself, a little workplace romance and a little crazy family thrown in for good measure. I thought between a pandemic and the holiday season this light rom-com seemed perfect thing to pass a bit of time. There romance fell flat and there wasn’t a lot of the com that I was anticipating. I didn’t feel as if there was much chemistry anywhere and, the only person I liked was Everly. She is a good person who suffers from social anxiety that people around her seem to not get or use as fodder and try to push her in ways that seems ignorant and or mean. Stacey, her coworker and supposed best friend causes a situation that absolutely should have known better than to create and it all hits the fan. Then Chris, the boss, who is at best a spineless liar. Though withholding the truth isn’t technically lying, using what has happened to his advantage to get what he wants and so he can finally achieve approval from his uncaring unfeeling bully of a father is just in poor taste and well, crappy. He is 31 and “really really likes Everly” and shows it by being a cold fish, treating her like a leper and using her for his own benefit. What a guy. Everly feels like her hand is forced and semi willingly goes along because she is that good of a person and doesn’t want to lose her job and that of her best friends does what under any other circumstances would never have done. She agrees to be participate in the radio version of the Bachlorette. Yikes. They aren’t even really good “bad dates”. I’ve heard way worse much funnier stories in real life. Oh and toss I two theoretically intelligent parents who act like immature children on their best day and share waaaayyyyy to much with Everly and are so selfish they have no idea who she really is, what she wants and how inappropriate their behavior is. She is more the parent and they are two petulant children. Ultimately things work out in Everly favor, but he road there wasn’t one I’d want to travel again.

I really enjoyed reading Everly’s journey in this book. I feel like Sophie Sullivan really took the time to research anxiety & created a realistic character with this disorder. She didn’t just throw it into the story then not give descriptions of the signs Everly exhibited & how it affected her life. This storyline was unique coming through her lens. I also enjoyed all of the other characters, like Stacy & Chris. I highly recommend reading this book.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for honest review

The book is written with a sardonic tone that had me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. Everly is extremely unlucky when it comes to birthdays, and right off the bat we’re introduced to that bad luck when she walks in on her boyfriend cheating on her.

Everly is a unique protagonist in that she suffers from extreme anxiety. She seems to think that she needs a partner who is her polar opposite–an extreme extrovert–since he’ll force her to do things that she’s uncomfortable with. She’s also aware that she has the problem of coupling up with guys that she doesn’t feel strongly for. It’s harder for her to get hurt if she’s not that invested. So, in the beginning of the novel, when her boyfriend cheats on her on her birthday, she’s angry and upset, but not devastated.

One of the (many) things that makes Chris perfect for Everly is that he understands her anxiety and how it influences every aspect of her life in a way that not even her parents or best friend understands. He doesn’t try to push her, and even his presents for her are thoughtful on such an adorably sweet level. Even though he’s the one that suggests the dating show, he never actually forces her into it, and he constantly gives her the option of getting out of it.

I’ve noticed a lot of books will have a heroine who’s “socially awkward” in the sense that the author keeps telling us that. But in this case, it’s shown to us on so many occasions and in different ways–from the way that Everly speaks when she’s uncomfortable, to the way that she handles things. The author does even more than show us these personality traits, but I honestly felt them in almost every one of Everly’s interactions. This is a sign of a fabulous writer in my book!

Just like a true romantic comedy, there are a lot of laughs in this book, but there are parts that are heartfelt and sweet. Everly learns a lot about herself and her relationships, not only with past boyfriends, but with her parents and her best friend. I’ve talked a lot about Everly (because I love her so much!), but Chris has a beautiful, if more subtle, character development in this novel as well.

I definitely recommend this romance book to those who suffers from varying degrees of social anxiety, and anyone who wants to read a sweet, clean, and at times hilarious feel-good novel.

This book was cute but honestly I wasn't in love with it. I do love how it portrayed anxiety and more specifically social anxiety. The romance was slow burn and I wish it developed sooner. Overall cute read but wasn't wowed by it.

4 star review Ten Rules For Faking It by Sophie Sullivan
Sophie Sullivan is a new author to me and I enjoyed Ten Rules For Faking It. Poor Everly Dean life keeps knocking her down, particularly around her birthday and this year is no different when she catches her boyfriend cheating on her with his assistant. Turning thirty never felt so bad.
Everly suffers from social anxiety and has a hard time when there are a lot of people around. She has a boss who she thinks can’t stand her but there is a fine line between love and hate. Could Chris’s seeming indifference actually be his way of trying to hide his true feelings for Everly?
Everly has so much going on around her that she comes up with making a list: The Ten Rules for Faking It. Chris pushes Everly like no one else does and the banter between them had me laughing out loud at times. I found Everly to be a quirky and interesting character and I really liked Chris.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan opens with radio producer Everly Dean reeling after learning that her boyfriend Simon is cheating—and on her birthday no less. What follows is a furious rant about his betrayal blasted to an audience of live listeners and all because Everly's best friend Stacey didn't mute the mic in time. If this premise sounds flimsy, that's because it is. That an experienced radio DJ of many years and one who intimately understands the contours of her best friend's social anxiety would not know to immediately cut Everly off and transition to music before allowing her to vent through her very fresh humiliation seems implausible, if not inconceivably sloppy.

But Ten Rules for Faking It relies on this premise to launch the radio station into a bachelorette-style dating competition put together by radio supervisor and resident love interest Chris Jansen. I feel comfortable calling him that because it is established practically from the moment that he's introduced. His most notable feature is that he is infatuated with his employee Everly as soon as we meet him, though he's been working with her for about a year when the novel opens. Not only does this serve to warp the pacing and evolution of their romance, it also tinges every single action he takes from the onset with strange, borderline creepy undertones.

"She was the toughest woman he'd ever met," mere minutes in reader time into establishing that Chris is Everly's boss—in other words, on the first page of chapter three—completely undercuts the power of this statement. The greatest realizations in romance novels are those reached after time and hard work. They are most convincing when the narrative offers a substantial amount of characterization and development to back them up. Outlandishly romantic statements like these from Chris' chapters come with none of that development or even characterization, effectively rendering them meaningless.

I don't know what to call this, because it's technically not insta-love, considering Chris has known Everly for a year now. But we have only known Chris and Everly for two chapters by this point, meaning we've had about 30 minutes of insight into their dynamic—less if you're an especially quick reader—out of the eight hours of reading we're due to receive from Ten Rules for Faking It.

Let's call it retroactive love, then. Chris has realized his feelings offscreen before the book even begins—and in fact admits at several points that he liked Everly as soon as he saw her—an absolutely absurd choice when considering the pacing of a romance novel this long. As for Everly? Well, she recognizes that Chris is attractive in vague terms at a couple points, so hey, let's call it even. Or..."There were plenty more reasons she could think of—he only just started talking to her and acting like she was there."

...After a year, for no reason other than that she's become suddenly available in the wake of her cheating ex...?

One of the more recents romcoms I read didn't introduce the love interest until the third act and this one introduces him from the get-go without ever actually fleshing his feelings out. I'm more than a little mind-boggled, since I feel like it's generally agreed that hard-fought mutual pining is textbook romance and the genre's greatest draw. Where is the satisfaction in unearned pining? There is none. All it does is create a tension imbalance between both leads—one that is only exacerbated by the power imbalance of a boss pining after his unwitting employee.

More than that, though, the developmental leaps are rushed, at times outright bewildering. In chapter three, Chris is already looking up Everly's home address and swinging by with food unannounced. As someone with social anxiety, I cannot imagine ever being okay with that breach of privacy, even after a year of working with someone, particularly a supervisor. But Everly doesn't blink twice.

I can't tell you how head-scratching it is to read the words, "His arms itched to wrap her up in a hug, but he wasn't sure if she'd accept it, if it would be over the line, or if he'd be doing it more for himself," after knowing a lead and her boss for two and a half chapters. This man is ready to settle down and marry Everly 10% into the book. There is no gradual transition into feelings, no real sense of resistance or responsibility as her supervisor, next to no bargaining or professional guilt. No. In three chapters, he's holding her hand and calling her "Ev" without warning, after seemingly no signs from Everly that she returns his feelings, something even acknowledged by the narrative itself: "She jolted at the nickname. It'd come out of nowhere and, sadly, felt right."

This is not to say Chris is written grossly, because he isn't. Surprisingly, he's considerate and accommodating throughout the novel. One of the more refreshing parts of Ten Rules for Faking It is how well-attuned he is to Everly and her social anxiety, how that might interfere with her professional needs, what she wants and requires every step of the way—even if it is stretching the limits of my imagination.

Which leads me to my next point. The skewed romantic pacing becomes far weirder when we come to realize that Chris, a recent and even temporary supervisor of only twelve months, seems to know Everly better than her best friend of several years. He even has to lecture Stacey on her missteps:

'What were you thinking, going live like that? She constantly shies away from being in the limelight, but you thought it'd be a good idea to put her on the radio?'"

This becomes a running theme throughout the novel. Stacey the best friend continues to commit wild transgressions as someone we're to believe knows and understands Everly's very severe social anxiety. She's a willing participant in the orchestration of a surprise birthday party for Everly, knowing Everly hates her birthday, surprises, and large social gatherings. You'd think after years of friendship, she'd have a better sense for when Everly needs space, when she has to disengage and get away, when she wants to catch her breath. Instead:

"'Why is it the people who love you don't get to have an impact on your actions or how you feel about yourself? You'll let some creep you dated for five minutes chase you out of a building but won't take any of us at our word that you deserve better?'"

And all because Everly wants to extricate herself from an emotionally draining situation and go home. The guilt-tripping is so strange and out of place, I can't be sure it doesn't exist to make Chris seem like more of a hero to Everly. Yet it's her who's forced to apologize to Stacey for this hiccup, so it's hard to really say if the narrative even recognizes how irrationally judgmental it is to blow up at your anxious best friend for trying to escape a distressing situation.

This is not to mention some of the more nit-picky issues I took with the novel. A lot of these little issues I often find myself encountering in the romance genre:

1. the minor characters are not just neglected in favor of the leads, they're near nonexistent, making Chris' constant spiels about finding a family with the staff at his station and Everly's excitement over new friendships hard to believe:

"It made her realize she didn't really know the people she worked with. Jane was much less reserved with her girlfriend around, Luke was far more affectionate with his wife than she would have expected of the gruff and tough janitor, and Mari was far less serious."

2. dialogue without any substance / dialogue that uses repeating phrases verbatim across characters

3. language that tends towards the generic or eyebrow-raising ("...she was like invisible lighting."—huh?).

If it seems like I glossed over the bachelorette competition, that's because it had little to no actual presence or bearing on the plot. Instead, it was a device designed to—apparently?—raise the stakes for Chris and Everly, though even that is a stretch.

To conclude, Chris and his brothers' angsty rich boy problems weren't compelling, nor was the idea of his family monopolizing communication companies. His sister getting stuck with a few passing mentions that wrote her off as a ditzy airhead with no talent seemed to check out when set against the maybe two lines the only two gay characters in the book got. Oh, and as far as I can tell everyone was wealthy and white.

It's so frustrating that this book laid out so many interesting concepts and then did nothing with them. I can't help but imagine how much more satisfying the premise of Ten Rules for Faking It would have been had the book opened with a Chris who was struggling to find his footing at the station and establish rapport with his employees as a recent company implant, someone who initially took the work for granted and was then forced to reckon with the fact that real people exist within the companies his father likes to buy up, if maybe he and Everly didn't start developing feelings until the dating competition began and he was forced to get to know her and her romantic interests—and then readers could watch Everly's reluctance and Chris' jealousy develop and grow as she went on more and more dates.

Instead, Chris was near-perfect in the narrative's eyes and never had to truly struggle to get where he needed to be. In that sense, I supposed he perfectly represented the rich white heterosexual male reaping the rewards of his father's nepotism. Of the two, Everly was definitely more compelling, and I liked seeing someone with social anxiety navigate dating, even if it was at times poorly executed.

Overall, I don't have too many positive things to say about Ten Rules for Faking It, aside from the fact that a small iOS voice to text dictation mishap in the middle of the novel made me briefly chuckle at one point. I did appreciate the presence of and discussions around mental illness, about establishing boundaries with overbearing parents, and about grappling with unhealthy relationships, even if this book wasn't my favorite.

*any quotes will be checked & updated when the book is published on December 29th, 202o.