Unfortunately I didn't finish reading Ten Rules of Faking It by Sophie Sullivan. It didn't capture my interest, and I couldn't stay engaged with the story.

Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan originally caught my eye because of the adorable cover. It is a dual narrative book which follows Everly Dean and Chris Jansen.

Everly is a producer of a radio show that her best friend, Stacey, is a deejay of and on the morning of her birthday she catches her boyfriend cheating on her. Everly unfortunately rants about all of this on live radio! Chris, the manager of the radio station comes up with a great idea to help Everly get over the cheater, but also helps the radio station make more money and keeps Everly and Stacy's jobs after the accidental tyraid.

The book was slow for the first 10%-15% until the reader starts to get Chris' narration. But once we do, the slooooow burn between these two is undeniable. However, it left me wanting a little more steam, if you know what I mean. 😉

Everly has extreme social anxiety (so much so, that her little quirks make me wonder if she's actually slightly on the spectrum), so when it's suggested they start The Bachelorette-style radio edition project, she is really pushed above and beyond her comfort zone.

The character development of the main characters and side characters was great. I'd love to read more about Stacey and Rob and even Chris's brothers and sister!

Overall great writing, good story, 4/5 stars!

Everly is a producer for a radio show where she works with her best friend Stacy. Her boss Chris is there to improve the business as his dad owns it to prove that he is ready to take over communications for his dad. Although no one at the radio station knows that his dad owns it, or that he has a thing for Everly. Everly accidentally vents her frustration of her ex boyfriend cheating on her on air. In order to help the company and deal with her slip up they decide to set her up with eligible guys and broadcast results to increase ratings. This would be a great plan except she has severe anxiety around people and the fact that Chris has to hear about her dating other guys!

I wish I had liked this book more. I did appreciate the portrayal of anxiety - the representation is appreciated. But - so many things were contrived and obvious! I guess I had higher hopes from the premise than what was delivered. No fault to the writing, no qualms there. I guess this book just wasn't for me, but maybe it'll be for you. It's quite sweet.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ten Rules for Faking it was a cute read. The story follows Everly, who catches her boyfriend cheating on her on her 30th birthday. But she's determined to make this her year. She won't let anxiety hold her back, and she'll pitch more ideas to her boss, who happens to be super cute but also very distant.

Although things get messy when her friend and and DJ doesn't mute the mic while Everly spills her guts and rants about Simon, the cheating ex.

Suddenly, people are lining up to date her in a bachelor=style, and fans are voting, not to mention her crush on her boss might be a two-way street.

This was a sweet rom-com, and had some entertaining and cute moments. This book tackles anxiety which is such an important subject.. I loved the idea of the plot, but the writing was a little slow for me at times which made me lose interest occasionally. It's definitely a slow-burn romance and I wish there was more steam.

Overall, I recommend if you're looking for a quick romcom and if you're a fan of the bachelor!.

This romance didn't catch my attention or hold my interest. I thought the characters were sweet - although the main character was a bit too quirky for me to buy. Would have liked a little more steam ;)

Plot: It was fun! Reading about Everly going on the dates was entertaining. And there were plenty of moments that made me laugh, too!

Characters: Everly was a great main character, and I loved that the author had her have social anxiety! As someone with severe anxiety, it was really nice to read a book where the main character had anxiety, but still got a happy ending. (How many times can I say anxiety in one paragraph? Oh, well.) I loved her love interest! And her friendship with Stacey was great.

The Cover: It's really cute! I love illustrated covers.

Overall: I really loved this book! I thought it was a fun romance, while also having more serious parts (though never so much as to overwhelm the book). I hope we get a book with Stacey as the main character, and perhaps one with Noah, too? Overall, I would highly recommend this book!

I remember reading this book a few months ago and thinking it was cute but honestly, it's been so long not much else comes to mind.

Ugh, turning 30 is hard - especially when you have a series of bad birthdays since forever. Everly Dean turns 30 and catches her boyfriend cheating on her, on her birthday! Her dear friend and coworker, Stacey, tries to sing to her on-air at the radio station they work at. Everly doesn’t know she’s on air, and spills her guts!! Then then hatch up their own version of The Bachelorette ~radio edition~! This was so cute and so much fun!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC of Ten Rules For Faking It by Sophie Sullivan.

Ten Rules For Faking It is a sweet Rom Com centered around Everly Dean. Everly works at a radio station and her birthday she thirtieth birthday she discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her. She is devastated. When she gets to work, she tells her best friend Stacey who also works at the radio station. As she vents to her friend, Everly doesn’t really that they are live on the air. Now, everyone knows. Everly also suffers from severe social anxiety and this almost sets her over the edge. Her boss, Chris, comes up with an idea to help lift her spirits and boost the ratings of the radio station Everly will go out on dates with different men and then the viewers will vote on the two remaining bachelors. Everly agrees. She has made a list of 10 rules to help her come out of her shell. As Everly meets her suitors, she discovers that she is developing feelings for her boss, Chris. Chris is smitten with Everly as well. When the time comes for Everly to decide to make her choice will she follow through or follow her heart?

This was a sweet story about finding love in the most unexpected way and walking through your fears. It’s about finding “your person.” I did feel like this was a slow burn and that the story could have been condensed. Overall, this was a fun read. I would recommend this book for fans of rom coms. This one earns 3 stars. It will be released on 1/5/2021.

I loved this book. Sullivan gave Everly's character such fullness that I want to HUG both the character and the author. Thank you for giving us a well-rounded view of a woman with anxiety that isn't a cliche. There is such a trend right now with chick lit full of anxiety-suffering women and (being someone who can fully relate) I have yet to read a single one that lives up to the complexities of it as this portrayal of Everly does.
Chris is a dream-guy, obviously. Stacey is a great friend, also not a stereotypical sidekick caricature, which I loved. Will she get her own book with Rob? I would read it!
Thank you so much for the ARC. This really was one of the best reads of this genre for me this year. Can't wait until it comes out. I am already suggesting it to our book club for 2021.

this is such a fun and funny read! i'm so glad i got to read it. i lvoed the characters and it was amazing. please read this as soon as you can!!

I absolutely LOVED this book! The main characters were real and complex, and I thought the author's bold decision to have the heroine suffer from severe anxiety was a huge attribute to the book. People can relate, yes, but those that feel like anxious people can "just calm down" etc. really have the insight into the silent, often debilitating issue. I enjoyed the dating segment of the radio show and how it relates to the budding attraction between our hero and heroine. A 5 star read!

Thank you for a arc in exchange for an honest review!
These thoughts are all my own. I was looking forward to reading this book, even though it is written in a third person pov i still gave it a try! Personally I liked the theme of the story, but it was a but excessive. The beginning was very quick, then we get to a chapter where we learn of Chris secretly liking Everly, but not doing anything about it because he's her boss, and she's anxious. anxious at work, anxious on the dates, anxious around her boho parents. I ended up DNFing around 75 percent because i simply didnt enjoy it anymore

Spoilery discussion ahead.

Everly has the worst birthday ever, arriving home to discover her boyfriend in the sack with his assistant. She goes to work, because she can't let Stacey, her best friend and partner in their morning radio show, swing in the wind, as Everly is Stacey's producer. Everly is usually very quiet in the way of those with extreme social anxiety, but she lets it all go about the crappy boyfriend and scummy men in general . . . and discovers too late that Stacey had flipped the switch and they were on their air--she'd meant to sing "Happy birthday."

So the entire world (or so it seemed) heard the rant, which incidentally zoomed the listener quotient, a lucky break as Chris, the manager, is getting a nasty phone call from his dad (who owns the studio) to fire the pair. But he doesn't want to for a number of reasons, with secretly liking Everly at the top.

In a brainstorm, they come up with an idea: finding Everly a perfect date. The radio listeners can nominate guys.

So there's the setup, all accomplished in the first couple chapters.

Now I have to get generally spoilery.

The beginning took off like a rocket, but then we got chapter after chapter of Chris secretly liking Everly, but not doing anything about it because he's her boss, and she's anxious. anxious at work, anxious on the dates, anxious around her boho parents. She has panic attacks and nerve storms one after another, as Chris tries to back her up, while hiding his feelings.

Chapter after chapter, repeatedly the same note.

The characters are lovely, some of the dates funny, but the central romance stays on this single note, with the strongest emotion being Everly's really well described panic attacks, until the last quarter of the book. Then things begin to move rapidly again, with the expected bad scene, followed by a cascade of resolution that pulls everything together in the last few pages.

Nice writing, great characters, fun beginning, but that middle needed a lot more romance and fewer of the (very vividly described) anxiety scenes to really work for me.

Sophie Sullivan takes readers on a realistic journey in “Ten Rules for Faking It.” The characters are well fleshed out and feel realistic; they are flawed and lovable, and feel like they could jump off of the page and be your friends in real life.
Sullivan took great care in addressing the main character’s struggles of living with anxiety. It’s not portrayed as a crutch, or something to get over, but rather as a characteristic that is a part of who she is, and something that she can work with instead of against. The respect and care is woven into the story beautifully.

It’s a charming, slow-burn romcom with a bachelorette kind of contest after Everly reveals on air about how she ended her relationship. I liked that Everly, the lead character, is someone who has social anxiety issues and she tries to overcome them by facing the situations head on now. Chris was absolutely adorable and their chemistry started off right away but they stay away from each other for a long time. Everly’s friend was her support system and was a hoot as well.

Everly’s mind voice was hilarious and the dialogues she thinks over in her mind were laugh out funny. I wish there were more scenes between Chris and Everly as there was so much angst between them that needed to be addressed. A fun, light and enjoyable romcom!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy!

A charming slow burn that I couldn’t put down. I really loved Everly’s character! She was complex, unique and felt real. I also appreciated that Sullivan took great care in writing her challenges with social anxiety, Everly’s storyline with Chris was frustrating at times but it was true to her character and I’m just impatient with some romance tropes. Speaking of Chris- I loved his character too. He was layered and nuanced; which is sometimes hard to find in male protagonists. Would’ve liked a little more heat, but this read was so sweet and endearing, I finished it in 2 sittings!

I think this was absolutely adorable. I loved all of the characters and Everly’s social anxiety is so relatable for me. It’s a little long for my romcom expectations though. It goes on and on about details that aren’t needed and that would help trim it down immensely if they were removed. I wish this book had a little steam because it makes all that angst unbearable without it. I still enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it!

Thank you so much for approving my request. I started this title, but I just cannot connect with the plot and characters at this time. I will not be reviewing this title for now. I look forward to working again with you in the future.

Kind regards,

Brittney