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.

I chose this book purely for the cover, and this definitely did not disappoint. Not quite sure if this is a first purchase, but definitely a backlist bump

Everly is having a very hard time; the fact that it will be her 30th birthday makes everything feel even worse.

Everly is shy and anxious by nature. In order to come out of her shell, she will develop her ten rules. Will they help? Will Everly get her podcast up? Will she find Mr. Right? Just relax while awaiting the answers in this delightful romance with its engaging characters and storyline.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this read. All opinions are my own.

This book started slow, but picked up and turned out to be a good book. Thank you for letting me read this book.

This was an enjoyable read with an MC that was relatable! I also loved the romance and the secondary set of characters!

The premise of accidentally broadcasting your love life woes on live radio is a good one. I was interested in the story. I also appreciated that the main character dealt with social anxiety, something I can relate to.

Unfortunately, this book moved at a glacial pace. Everly is tormented about EVERYTHING, seeing the negative in just about every aspect of her life. I get it. And I know this is how some people feel. But reading the play-by-play of one character’s constant stream of negative thinking is basically torture. I was happy to be done with this one.

It’s a story I’ve read before but I’ve read it done a bit better. I did really like how anxiety was represented. That’s the only thing I really liked though. Everything else, including the chemistry was fine.

I think the pace was what really lacked for me. I needed it to go a bit faster because I had a hard time paying attention or wanting to continue through the middle. Definitely an audience out there for this one but I’m probably not it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange of an honest review!

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This was a cute book. I liked it for the most part, but I did think the characters needed to get out of their heads and use their voice to talk about how they felt a little faster than what actually happened. But I get that they both had their own personal demons they were fighting, so I can see how it took so long.

I'm actually really proud of Everly and how she started speaking her own thoughts at the end of the book. That took a lot of courage from her, and she really grew in this book.

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this eARC!

This was a super sweet and light hearted slow burn. I really enjoyed this one! Especially the radio theme was super unique and cool to read!! The beginning when the entire thing starts going had me CRACKING UP!! It felt like something straight out of a romantic comedy movie and I loved it. The slow burn was really good and really well developed, I thought Chris and Everly had a ton of chemistry and I really enjoyed watching them slowly fall for each other. I loved that Everly was putting herself out there and fighting against fears and anxiety, super relatable and I was cheering her on from the very beginning! I do wish they admitted their feelings a little earlier into the book but it was still a very sweet romance to read!!

This book was so good! Everly was a relatable lead and it was so much fun watching her slowly fall for Chris. This book definitely touched on somewhat heavier topics in a fun lighter hearted way.

I started reading the book, but was not drawn in & decided not to continue reading. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book, but it unfortunately just didn't work for me to continue with it.

It's not even noon, and already Everly Dean's birthday is a total bomb. Not only did she walk in on her boyfriend banging someone else, but she unknowingly proclaimed that fact to an entire radio audience while venting to her friend & show host at the station they work at.

The set-up of TEN RULES FOR FAKING IT was punchy, and I love a good list, so Sullivan had me for the first few chapters. Unfortunately, as things continued, I got frustrated with Everly's inability to exert herself in the face of a pushy mother/her life circumstances. Something was missing from the characterizations for me, leaving them feeling two-dimensional. The genesis of the connection between the main characters also seemed like it was missing a few crucial steps (they go from "barely talk outside of the necessities demanded by work" to "him showing up at her apartment to make her feel better" VERY fast).

Life's short, so I DNFed.

Light & fun read! I purchased a hardcover copy to add to my library! Definitely one that I will read again! Interested in reading more by the author.

You spend a lot of time waiting for Everly to stop being such a punching bag. Girl. Just go to therapy.

I think that the secondary characters took more centerstage, even with less personality, because it was so painful to read from Everly.

The perfect rom-com! Read every page with a smile on my face. A wholesome and heartwarming story that wa hard to put down.

Ten Rules for Faking it was an adorable workplace rom-com. I particularly liked that this book dealt so much with the main character's anxiety. It made her seem much more real and relatable. And Chris, because of course, that was his name, was darn near perfect! I mean almost too perfect. I think my main complaint is that the two main characters just seemed to be getting in their own way for the majority of the book and I didn't love that.

Everly Dean has always disliked birthdays, but this one tops the cake when she walks into her boyfriend's place with coffee and donuts to see him in bed with his assistant. It only gets worse when she walks into work to rant to her best friend, who didn't have the mic muted and was live on the radio. Yikes.

The premise of this book was cute and (surprisingly) not the first book I read this year with a Bachelorette vibe. As a gold card holding member of Bachelor Nation, I was in! In an attempt to boost rating and save her and Stacey's job, Everly agrees to be the stations very own Bachelorette and goes on rounds of dates with different men vetted by the station, and her very cute boss, Chris.

The book was cute and I enjoyed how lighthearted it was. It really went through the thoughts and struggles of dating (especially multiple men) and how horrible and great it can be wrapped into one. I will definitely be picking up Sophie Sullivan's next!

And of course, a big thank you to St. Martin's Press for the free copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts above are completely my own.

I absolutely loved this book! I was so engrossed by the characters right off the bat. Sophie Sullivan's writing is out of this world, if you've been in a reading slump this is a great place to start, it absolutely blew me away!