2.5 stars rounded up.

Ten Rules for Faking It is about Everly Dean, a woman who discovers her boyfriend is cheating on her and accidentally rants about it on air at the radio station where she works as a producer. After a huge outpouring of support (and interest) from the radio station's audience, Everly's boss, Chris, pitches a Bachelorette style dating game where Everly will date a set of men, eventually picking her happily ever after. But while Everly is supposed to be falling for one of the men she's dating, she's actually (accidentally) falling for Chris. 

What I liked about this book: It's an amazing premise. I'm here for anything styled after The Bach and I thought this was a really innovative spin. I also really liked this book's attempts at representing social anxiety. It's very clear the author wanted to present the whole picture of how anxiety can affect an individual in all aspects of their life and that came across clearly. 

What I didn't like: The book is a little bit too long -- it's a VERY slow burn that borders on boring at times. I am not a fan of work romances, particularly when there's a very clear power dynamic imbalance (as there is between Everly and Chris) and there was no real attempt to address that issue. It also seemed problematic to me that the only person who "understood" Everly's anxiety was Chris -- and he was like a unicorn in always knowing exactly the right thing to do when she was having anxious moments. It just didn't feel like a realistic depiction of how even the healthiest relationships work.  Also Everly's views on divorce and marriage are... extremely retrograde and that whole plot point I found to be extremely off putting. 

There are parts of this that are very well written and compelling. The scene with the pinata is hilarious, like a slow motion accident you can't look away from. But overall this one wasn't for me. 

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read for me! I just loved everything about the sweet romance novel. I was so absorbed in the unique, quirky storyline!

Ten Rules for Faking It, is a romance that brings light to people with social anxiety and how living with it can effect many aspects of life. Everly has just turned thirty and thought her life would be more “normal” with her being married and having kids by now but life just wasn’t working out that way and has thrown her some curve balls. I enjoyed having both POV’s of the main characters and I feel that added to the story however, much of the book repeated the why they can’t be together so much that it was a bit like bashing my head against the wall. I also had a problem with the main character being hypocritical such has what she says compared to what she actually does in the story and I wish she would have gone and gotten more professional help with treating her anxiety.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this story! From the friendships to the romantic relationships, everything pulled at my heartstrings. I wanted more from these characters! Can there be a sequel please? The writing is fabulous, easy to follow, funny, and witty! The characters are real- nothing cheesy here! I laughed, I cried, and I still wish there were more pages to this one so I didn’t have to stop reading it.

I really enjoyed the premise and the book was hard to put down. It was fun and charming and the main characters were fairly realistic. The only drawback was the constant and repetitive thoughts of Chris. Almost every section written from his point of view was full of the same sentiments and thoughts, so he became a much more boring character. I wish there was more development of his character as there was with Everly.

I have received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This story made me think of the lyrics "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to". It's one of my favorite songs so the book was dear to me by association. The writing and the characters helped with that as well. I also liked how anxiety played its part in the unfolding - I am a sucker for 'less than perfect' girls and the good guys who get them. A very nice read.

2.75/5 stars
I really wanted to enjoy this book, but the main character Everly really brought it down. I really enjoyed her for 65% of the book, but then her character development was actually her getting worse. There were the two stereotypical moments of her overcoming her debilitating social anxiety, but then nothing else happens. Her friend mentions therapy once and then it's never mentioned again. Everly convinces her parents to take couple's counseling, but she never even thinks of doing it herself. She's also a huge hypocrite and by the end she's worse than she was in the beginning.
I loved the love interest/other main character Chris. He has great character development, and while he's very understanding and dreamy, he's able to call Everly out on her hypocriticalness and her naïveté that don't fit into what she's dealt with in her life. She literally wishes her parents would get a divorce, but then, when she finds out Chris had been divorced, she thinks it's the end of the world and refuses to see other sides.
I also really liked the plot and supporting characters, but everyone was screwed over by Everly, and they never really seemed to mind. She is the type of person who apologizes on the verge of a panic attack so you can't stay angry, but then they make the same mistake again and again.

I liked Everly. I liked Chris. I liked their slow-burn romance. I liked Everly's relationship with Stacey and Chris' relationship with Rob and his brothers. I liked the depiction of anxiety (though I would have much preferred seeing Everly get the treatment she so clearly needed!).

But I just liked the book. The writing was often pretty clunky, and the story was quite slow. It didn't seem like Sullivan really knew or understood what working in radio is like, or what producers really do--the workplace setting didn't feel lived in. It's definitely a sweet story and worth a read, but it's not going to change your life or stick with you.

This review is not going to be long. I am not a huge fan of a review rehashing the entire plot and spoiling it for everyone.

This is the first book of Sophie Sullivan that I have read. I loved it!!! The story was engaging and the charters awesome. I actually laughed out loud while reading it. I am going to purchase more of her books.


I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a fun, chick-lit style read. Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sweet and quirky. I like the way the characters are written. They seem like people you would meet while you’re going about your life. The forbidden aspect of the relationship made it all the more steamy and exciting. Very good and well written.

This book is the definition of the slow-burn friends-to-lovers trope, but it does so perfectly. All of the characters in Ten Rules for Faking It feel real and fully developed, and their relationships with one another are completely believable. I appreciated Sullivan's depiction of anxiety, too, and that it didn't act as an easy way to make Everly "quirky"; it was just part of who she was and something for her to figure out how to live with. I flew through this book and wanted more at the end!

I enjoyed the book, and I greatly enjoyed someone with anxiety being portrayed correctly with how all consuming it can be. However, it quickly became the only characteristic of the character. She was shy because she's anxious, she likes routine because she's anxious, she got tongue tied because she's anxious. Anyone with a mental health issue will tell you they want it acknowledged and recognized, but not as their only defining trait.

Everly Dean hates her birthday. On her birthday this year, Everly discovers her now ex-boyfriend in bed with someone else and unintentionally rants about him on air at the radio station where she is a producer. Determined to not let her birthday curse take away her happiness, Everly makes a list of ten rules to live by.

This book is so cute. The relationship between Everly and Chris is very sweet and I was rooting for them the whole way through the book. This was a slow burn (my favorite) and Everly’s best friend Stacey is the perfect supportive side character. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes slow burn contemporary romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I adore this story. Having a plan of things you want to change about yourself, anxiety, boy problems — being able to relate to these issues made Everly’s character relatable and well-liked.
This is the first story I’ve read by the author and I hope to read more. I really enjoy her writing style!

Sophie Sullivan's Ten Rules for Faking It has a cute premise, with leading lady Everly Dean being unlucky in love and making a set of rules after a recent horrible birthday. The most fun part of the book for me is the Bachelorette subplot. There could be a bit more chemistry between the leads, but it's an overall cute story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Love love loved this book! Such a sweet, adult rom-com that was not too mature or graphic. Main characters had a lovely back and forth, and the set-up was so fun. Our heroine becomes a local version of "The Bachelorette" after an embarrassing and accidental on-air reveal of her recent break up. Would recommend for adults.

Adorable and sweet, full of romance and a really fun read. When your disastrous love life is shared with the world via the radio, why not do a bachelorette type dating show while falling for one of the guys who is off limits? I mean, perfect idea, right?! This was a fun read and had some depth to it as well as a great romance. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book did a good job at normalizing anxiety, but it fell flat in the romance department. It took too long for me to be happy about it when it finally came.

When I requested this novel I was into the idea of reading this novel but I discovered that I was unable to provide feedback on this book due to the series being archived prior to download and file/download issues. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience of not being to review and thank you for taking the time to provide me an ARC of this novel.