Slow burn romance. Sweet and adorable characters. The right amount of drama. It was a delightful, light read to pass a few hours.

The heroine does have anxiety and I feel like the representation wasn't over the top or unrealistic.

And I see follow ups featuring Everly's best friend + Chris' neighbor, and maybe a book for at least one of Chris' brothers.

This was sweet, albeit pretty cheesy. There wasn't much to make it really stand out. It was way too long. It would have worked at like 250 pages—short, sweet, and fluffy.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.
This was cute. I really enjoyed this one. I couldn’t put it down. Everly was sweet and Chris was lovely. I relate to Everly some - some to the same degree but a good bit of it. I liked how Chris really got her and didn’t judge her but just loved her anyways. The story was good, the plot interesting. I liked the vibes and the feel of it. It just all worked well together.

3 Stars- This had all the makings of an easy romance. A woman who does radio discovers her boyfriend is cheating and the discovery is when she walks in on it. Bam. She then is at the radio station and starts to tell the sad, angry story to her producer. Oops, mike was on and it was all broadcasted out to the universe.

Another fella at the station is secretly the son of the owner. He steps in and suggests it works to be a dating thing for our gal...therefore saving the day.

There is a problem, fella really likes the gal and doesn't want her to date anyone else except him.

I'd give this 3.5 stars...

I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book. Everly is a radio producer with social anxiety, Chris is the radio station manager. Unbeknownst to Everly or the other employees, Chris' father is the studio owner. Future complications coming right up!

Everly pops into her boyfriend's house on her birthday, only to find him in bed with another woman. When she gets to work and confides in her best friend, Stacey, the DJ on her radio show, it is inadvertently broadcast live. To save face, and prevent Daddy from firing Everly and Stacey. Chris comes up with an idea to find Everly a new boyfriend via a radio contest. The only problem is, Chris is head-over-heels for her!

I honestly could not get enough of this story for about 3/4 of the way through. Lots of tension between Chris and Everly. She struggles with social anxiety and he's tuned into it. He tries really hard not to put her outside her comfort zone.

The ending of the book just got a little too wordy and extended for me. Everly has a very necessary conversation with her parents, and it was just too many words! LOL Also, Everly's struggles with relationships got a bit tedious.

Anyhow, alls well that ends well, and this one ends on a sweet note.

I enjoyed it and would read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

If anybody knows me at all they know that I'm not a big fan of contemporary romance but this one intrigued me so I requested it on NetGalley. I'm glad that I got picked to read it because I enjoyed it very much. Everly is dealing with social anxiety and her parent's neverending relationship issues, (which have skewed her views on love) along with the consequence of blurting out on the radio that her boyfriend cheated on her with his personal assistant. The overwhelming support she gets from the town prompts the radio station to start a bachelorette type contest for her.

On the other hand, we have Chris the station manager who just wants his father to uphold his part of the deal they struck. Chris also has a tendre for Everly and gets jealous when she goes on her dates. Eventually, these two get their acts together and finally start dating.

I enjoyed this book and I will read more books from the author in the future. However, I would like to see some love scenes as this one had a decided lack of any.

3.5/5

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Everly Dean could not think of a worse way to spend her 30th birthday. After catching her boyfriend cheating, she accidentally tells the entire story on live radio! Her very good looking boss, Chris, agrees to a Bachelorette-style event where eligible bachelors date Everly and fans of the radio show can vote on their favorite contenders. The problem is, Everly struggles with anxiety which makes dating in this capacity an ultimate challenge AND her feelings for Chris are growing stronger. Looks like she'll just have to fake it til she makes it.

This was a bit of a slow burn for me. I enjoyed the creative plot and the forbidden love aspect of Everly and Chris's romance. I wasn't the biggest fan of Everly at first, but she began to grow on me. I am a big proponent of maintaining one's mental health, and I was a bit disappointed at how Everly's anxiety was addressed and handled. I appreciated the closer look at how anxiety can be crippling but also make you resilient, but it also seemed like a mental health issue that Everly did not want to seek outside help for. Mental health was a major theme within the book so I was hoping for some more discussions on support.

The romance aspect was solid. Everly's dates with the bachelors were interesting, but not the major plot. Her relationship with Chris was much more interesting. The beginning of it felt a bit rushed. He went from not acknowledging her at all to being the supportive boss and friend. Once the relationship developed more, it felt more natural to me. The book was lacking in steam for me, but the cute romance was definitely there.

Ten Rules for Faking It is out December 29th!

In full disclosure: I was 10000% super excited to read this. I do believe that I overhyped it in my mind and it didn't live up to it.

But before I explain those feelings, let me tell you what I enjoyed!

Things I enjoyed:
Our main character, Everly, learns how to be brave. The reader witnesses her slowly tackle her personal struggles, and learns it all on her own. She learns a lot about herself, and that she has always been brave, but just didn't quite believe in herself. Once she begins to believe in herself, she conquers her journey! She learns that she is in fact very strong and not weak, like she has always believed. She learns that she can make a difference in helping others be brave. I do wish that I could've gotten to know Everly better, or Chris really. However, I enjoyed the author pulling in the characters' parents, and how those relationships affect their personal lives (and even with each other).

Another thing I enjoyed was that the author did a good job at tackling the topic of anxiety, and how it's a daily struggle for those of us that struggle with it. Due to this, it became easier to relate to Everly. She seemed more real.

However, I personally did not like how Chris, Everly's love interest, points out her anxiety in certain circumstances. At times, he came across as making her sound weak, like her anxiety was something about her that HE had to take care of (and note: this is before they even shared that they were interested in each other / expressed it openly to and with each other).

At times, it made me uncomfortable because I personally would rather someone ask how to me when I'm feeling anxious/ask me if I need help OR, when referencing my anxiety, ask me good questions about it, not just bring it up. I think if it was approached in this way, it would have helped me fall in love with Chris' character more. It would've shown more evidence that he does see her as a strong woman. Don't get me wrong- he does think she's strong, but at times, he seems too overprotective, which raised flags in my mind. And remember- this is before he was in a relationship with her (and even in a relationship, overprotectiveness is not ehhhh not that okay).

If those ^ things don't tend to bother you, go for it!

Lastly, it took me a few days to read this book. I was expecting to breeze right through it, but I wasn't as pulled into it as I had hoped.

And this is why: I honestly wish that this book was told in first person. I know I know, that sounds oddly specific. But, my reason being is because we find out Everly and Chris' thoughts right off the bat. We know they are attracted to each other right in the first few chapters of the book. So throughout the rest of the book, it felt slow paced. It would've been different if this was from either character's perspectives, that way, we're wondering along with them whether he/she likes them back. I believe that I would've been more pulled into this book had this been the case.

Overall. This was an alright read, and there are some strong points. I do recommend giving it a try– the plot is smart, funny, and there's some great supporting characters. The idea of a radio show basically have their own version of "the bachelorette," made it a fun story to adventure along with!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very cute, kind of cinematic rom com featuring Everly Dean, a radio producer with serious anxiety issues, who accidentally shares some very personal information on air after she catches her boyfriend cheating on her... on her birthday. Chris, the station manager (who is secretly the son of the station's owner), has a huge crush on Everly, but doesn't act on it because 1) he's her boss and 2) he's leaving soon. He has a deal with his dad where, if he turns things around and makes a profit at the station, he can take a more important role in the family business. Unfortunately, the whole Everly spilling her guts on air and her BFF, the dj who was on at the time, accidentally letting the station go to dead air gets back to Chris's dad, who lays down the law. Everly writes a list of 10 rules for faking it to help her take more risks and move forward with her life, and that makes her agree to Chris's plan to boost ratings and advertising - a Bachelorette-style dating series in which Everly goes on dates and talks about them on the station's social media. Of course, Chris and Everly get closer and have lots of sparks between then, but they have a legitimate obstacle standing between them, which makes things complicated. A cute, quick read that I think would make a great movie or TV series.

A sweet and light read featuring charming characters! This was reminiscent of the Bachelorette yet was relatable. Ten Rules For Faking It was a slow burn and a bit long considering the outcome was obvious from the beginning. Overall a feel good read that was a nice escape! 3.5 ⭐️ My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan totally caught me by surprise. I don't enjoy the Bachelor(ette) reality show, so I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy this. BUT - this is nothing like that, and for that I'm thankful.

This very slow burn romance was so genuine and honest, which was nice to be able to dissect feelings without the physical aspect as well. It really made the connection seem stronger - built on more than lust.

I can't express how strongly I feel about the accurate depiction of social anxiety. It was the TRUTH. I think this part of the story line will turn some people away who feel like cringing at each mention of what terrifies Everly, but that's the brutal truth to anxiety. People want you to be fine, and to move on (which other books often do). This book doesn't move on and it doesn't gloss over it, which I appreciate. It dives in and sits with the raw vulnerability of this paralyzing feeling. Thank you, Sophie, for this realistic representation - I feel seen.

I loved this. If Sophie Sullivan turns this into a series (maybe a brother or Stacey next?), I'd be all over it.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Everly is having a crappy birthday having found her boyfriend in bed with another girl and unwittingly vents on air during the radio program she works on. It produces a great response from listeners and Chris (the boss) decides to do a radio version of "the bachelorette" to take advantage and boost ratings.
Now Everly, who's shy, must undergo dating rounds, deal w/the crush on her boss and her stressful parents.

It had cleverly written humor. The characters were likable. Everly is very relatable w/her bad birthdays & introverted personality. I liked the representation of a character who suffers social anxiety. That was a unique character detail.
I liked bestie DJ Stacey & gym owner Rob.
It's lighthearted & cute but drags. I also found the 3rd person POV confusing at times.


Overall it was an okay debut novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Seemed to hit a little off the mark for me. I appreciate the realness of how social anxiety is depicted in this. It's not overtly dramatized, but it feels genuine, and that's what attracted me to this book.

Unfortunately, I wish I liked everything else about it. The chemistry between the two leads feels odd and the conflict is magically resolved at the end. Also would've wished the heroine would've gone to therapy for her social anxiety - now that's another stigma that could be portrayed positively. Missed opportunity there.

I was excited to read this with the twist on the Bachelorette and a radio show, but unfortunately this one didn't work for me. I found the chemistry for the love interests to be very hard to believe - the male character spends all of his chapters obsessing over the female lead but it just feels very forced/out of nowhere/not believable. I did like the way the main characters social anxiety was highlighted and getting to see how her internal dialogue was processing a lot of new situations outside her comfort zone. But, instead of going to therapy for help with her crippling anxiety, the main guy magically understood her and she felt better in the end? There were are few times I *thought* she was headed to therapy and it just never happened. Additionally, the couple doesn't get together until the last 10-15% and in that they have the get together - big disagreement - make up scene in that short amount of time.

This was a cute and sweet little book. I haven't read a rom-com in a while and found myself enjoying it. Everly was an interesting character, and while I do not relate to her social anxiety and what she goes through in social settings, I found her very likable. Loved her friend Stacy - there needs to be a book about Stacy, I feel like there is a story there waiting to be told! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for a digital arc of this title.

3.5/ 5 stars


Ten Rules For Faking It is the author's romantic comedy debut. She has written books in other genres under the name Jody Holford.

The main narrator in this book is 30 year old Everly Dean (3rd person POV). The story takes place in a small town in California called San Verde.

It is interesting that this is the second book that I have read recently where the heroine is a radio producer. And it's also the second book that I've read recently where the heroine has bad luck on her birthdays.

Everly is a radio producer. Her best friend Stacey is the on air personality who she works with. I really enjoyed this friendship.

There is also some of the male pov (3rd person). I thought that this added a lot to the story. I really liked the main male character in this book. And I am glad that we got to see some of the story from his perspective. As the things happening to him were very different from what was happening to Everly.

Part of the story has a bit of a Bachelorette theme to it. And I liked that idea. But it wasn't really the focus of the story. I do see why the author chose to not focus too much on this aspect. But I was sort of expecting to see a lot more of the dates and such.

Social anxiety was a key part of the book. And to me this is what made this book special. One of the characters suffers from anxiety. And I really enjoyed how this was presented in the book.

The story was cute. And I did like it the more that I read. However, it didn't completely grab my attention right from the beginning. And I sort of had to push myself to read it. Also I wish that there had been a few more things that were less predictable.

It was an enjoyable story. It was funny. The last half was stronger IMO. And I breezed through that part of it. And the romance was really good. Overall, I did like it. And I ended up feeling good about the story.

Ten Rules for Faking it is a slow-burn romance to bring warm fuzzies to your quarantine winter.

I'll be honest, it took me a while to get into this romance. I didn't really connect with Everly and felt like her relationship with Chris was forced. I never saw their connection making sense and am shrugging at it still.

However, I loved Stacy's character and her hunky gym owner crush (that's a book I'd love to read!). The scenes with Everly's parents made me cringe enough to put down my e-reader and not pick it up for a few days. Don't even get me started on Chris's dad. He is a copy and paste villain whose motivations are only to drive the plot forward.

But despite all the above, I stayed up until 1 in the morning finishing the last 100 pages or so — needing to know how the big twist played out.

So while it's not the book for me, it's perfect for fans of slow-burn romances, The Bachelorette, and Chrismas movies on Netflix.

This one was way too cheesy for me. It was fine? But nothing really stood out to me.

I'm giving it 3 stars though because I thought the Anxiety representation was done well (based on personal experiences). Low key Everly's anxiety was making me anxious so that was a downside, but yay for writing that makes you feel things?

Also, this is the second rom com I've read that deals with radio so that was weird.

TW: social anxiety, anxiety, panic attacks

3⭐️

On Everly Dean’s 30th birthday, her life implodes when she catches her boyfriend in bed with another woman. She doesn’t think it can get any worse until her radio deejay best friend accidentally broadcasts her romantic woes live to thousands of people. When the station manager, Chris, approaches her about doing a Bachelorette type segment that could boost both the ratings and her love life, she decides to embrace the opportunity to challenge herself. What she wasn’t expecting was to develop feelings for her boss rather than the contestants...

On paper this book looks like it has all the ingredients of a wonderful fun and frothy contemporary rom-com. But it just didn’t do it for me.

The good:

I really appreciated the approach and consideration given to Everly and her social anxiety. And representation of social anxiety and how it effects all aspects of Everly’s day to day life and how debilitating it can be. It was well done.

Chris Jansen. There are some reviews that say he is too perfect and that he didn’t have enough time on the page for his bone deep understanding of Everly to make sense. And they’re not wrong. But he is such an angel gem that I’m 100% willing to look past it.

The not-so-good:

The slow paced storytelling really made this book a drag to read. It was hard to get into and then easy to lose interest. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love a good slow burn but the payout has to be there. And Everly and Chris just didn’t have that magic something that would have taken this book to the next level. There was so much tension for what ended up being just a lot of charged pinky touching moments.

Everly Dean. Where to start, I found I was so tired of her by the end. At times she was so judgmental and a touch hypocritical that it just took the fun out of the whole story. At one point she goes on about how her parents need couples therapy, but when her friend brings up her seeing a therapist she shuts down and it’s never brought up again. It was really hard for me to get into for the first 30% because so much focus on how Everly is so special and awesome but isn’t aware of it. From the best friend, from the love interest it was too much. She was too dependent on her relationship status in regards to her happiness. I would have loved for her to come into her own as an individual with the added extra of finding her person. But instead it was more about how the right romantic partner can help you find yourself.

Let’s normalize it being ok to be single at 30+. This was one of the things that didn’t sit the best with me. Everly talks about herself being 30 and single and childless like it’s somehow a defect in her personality.

I would have loved to have seen more of her dates, since that plot was central to the overall storyline. We got to read about a couple of them, but the rest were completely glossed over. Such a fun opportunity that was wasted that could have really added to the story.

I sense an anthology in the works for this world. My guess is that Stacey, her radio deejay BFF, is deck for the next one. I just think the author needs to fine tune a bit more to find that magic sweet spot. Ultimately, it was kind of like a Hallmark movie: perfectly good, but probably entirely forgettable.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It is a sweet read and perfect if you’re looking for something heartwarming but not steamy.

I initially connected with Everly because I’m generally an anxious person (and a list maker) but then something shifted and began to fall apart for me. After a certain point it seemed that the Everly we’re introduced to and the Everly making irrational decisions were two completely different person. I believed Everly was a rational woman who approached setbacks with logic but when something in her personal life is not up to a standard that I, the reader, did not know she had I was very confused. I could not wrap my head around why she was reacting the way she did. However, this may have been the intent all along because love defies all logic.

Chris was a sweetheart and I wonder if there will be more opportunities in other books to read about his brothers. Stacey was delightful, everyone needs a Stacey especially the shy ones! Chris was exactly the kind of hero I like to read. Thoughtful, kind, understanding, patient - what more do you need?!