[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]

Sweet and light but not for me.
Although I was hooked by the blurb and the starting point seemed great (seriously, I love rom-coms and I would go to that kind of resort right now!), I couldn't enjoy as I hoped this book.
It all begins great but at some point everithing felt wrong for me, too many misunderstandings, very little interactions between the MC, very few love moments... I don't know but at some point I felt very disconnected and I strugled reading the rest of the story.
I think this is a case of "it's not you, it's me" but, although I loved the movie references and the MC seemed charming and sweet, I didn't feel their love and I couldn't connect with the story.
But the writing is good and I think Melodie Johnson can write something that I like more..
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2'5 estrellitas
Más de lo mismo. Portada colorinchi, promesas de algo divertido y ligerito, planteamiento original, entretenimiento inicial, desarrollo regulero y debacle final.
La protagonista es una periodista que, junto a dos amigas, pasa una semana en un resort (tipo Dirty Dancing) para vivir una experiencia inmersiva en el mundo de las comedias románticas y recrearlas, para luego escribir un artículo sobre la experiencia. El maromo es el game master de la experiencia. El libro está lleno de homenajes a las comedias románticas y eso fue lo que me atrajo a la hora de leerlo pero la autora se acaba liando más que la pata de un romano. Hay demasiados malentendidos, demasiadas ganas de meter referencias y la historia de amor, que parecía mona y original, acaba siendo casi un mero accesorio, empieza llamando tu atención pero luego se tuerce de tal modo que no ves el amor por ningún sitio.
Otro libro que, para mí, prometía más de lo que ha dado.

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published July 6, 2021.

Have you ever wanted to be in a rom-com? Or wanted to feel like you are in one?🙋🏼‍♀️

While trying to come up with a great pitch to give her boss and beat impending layoffs, Julia comes across a resort that allows you to experience your own romcom. So Julia and her two friends go to the resort in exchange for Julia to write a review. Soon after arriving she has her own meet cute with Luke who will also be participating in the week ahead. Julia hides the fact that she is there to write a review, but Luke has a few secrets of his own. Their experiences intertwine throughout the week and feels develop quickly. Will they realize it’s all real, or is it too good to be real?

Y’all. This book👏🏻👏🏻 my husband was getting so mad at me because I COULD NOT stop laughing. (And then I tried to explain and he was like you’re crazy🙄) I loved the friendship of Julia, Kay and Andie. I loved the meet cute that happened between Luke and Julia. I loved the resort and the activities. I would have probably been more upset at some things than the characters were, and the ending almost ruined it for me but honestly I loved this book y’all.

Rating: 🧪🧪🧪🧪(.5) / 5

QOTD: Would you to a resort like this? Either single or with your partner?

AOTD: I think it could be really fun and I loved that you got to pick your group activities and bonus activity! My husband may or may not go for it!

I really liked the premise of this book, how fun a book all about rom coms! Julie and Luke started outa so fun and promising but then it just got boring, Luke really annoyed me, I thought he was so boring and where was the banter?? I DNF'd this book about 55% of the way. I just couldn’t get into it I'm not sure why but it wasn't for me. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

A unique premise set in a hotel theme of rom coms. I loved all the references to rom coms. The main hero Luke was such a goofy and adorable man. A well welcomed break from the typical buffed up and perfect male leads.
Julia and Luke both kept secrets from each other. I knew the secrets were going to come out which put me on the edge of my seat.
I loved the opening page with Julia’s friends. Such fun banter.
At the end of the book, I had the sudden urge to watch a rom com.

If I had to give it a short phrase: “Meta Rom-Com Perfection”, “The Mother of All Rom-Coms”, Or, “The Rom-Com to End All Rom-Coms”. This book is perfect for fans of any Meg Ryan romance or for readers who loved Kerry Winfrey’s Waiting for Tom Hanks and Not Like the Movies. Too Good to Be Real isn’t hiding the conventions of romantic comedies from the reader. We know to expect a meet-cute, an elevator scene, and a grand gesture, but it is impossible to not have fun while reading it. I found myself smiling and chuckling throughout the book. You may have to suspend disbelief for some seagull shenanigans, but the love between our hero and heroine is always believable and true.
The rom-com simulation resort was such a clever place for this story, and the characters, including the furry and feathered ones, are equal parts ridiculous and delightful. I loved the multiple perspective and the side characters. Julia and Luke deserve this love story.

Bonnie and Clyde, the seagulls, clearly stole the show!

Have you seen Austenland? Or literally any rom com? Because this book is a gold mine for rom com lovers! A retreat based on rom coms? Yes, please! If you did happen to watch Austenland, this book is the same general idea. Julia is a reporter that needs a story and discovers a retreat that is based around rom coms. Julia and her friends are promised an escape to rom com world to experience what it's like in a fantasy.

This was just a delight! Pure delight. It's always fun to see two characters that have real love in the midst of a fantasy. You get to see the when it's real and discover the hardships with reality that doesn't always show up in a fantasy. Also, Luke is just too cute. Such a fun character! The Big Green Giant indeed.

If you love your rom coms, you'll love this! And you'll love Bonnie and Clyde.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review.

A fun read with lots of storylines to follow. In “too good to be real” We get to see into both Julia and Luke’s experiences and minds. It’s fun to see both sides of things, and they both have something they are hiding. Julia, trying to keep her job and review a romance resort. Luke, trying to ensure a good review and bonus so he can pursue his dreams. It moved a little slowly in the middle, I’ll be honest. It’s hard when a book like this is set over the course of a week basically, as opposed to others that can have more pace to them and passage of time. By being set at a resort during a week long vacation, it focuses the story to be on just what’s happening at that resort... which dragged a bit with a lot of internal thoughts instead of action, and that ever unrealistic falling in love in just a few days. Also “The rules of the game are hard to follow when you mix fantasy and reality” — a quote from the story that I think the book honestly struggled from a bit. But all in all it was a fun story with lots of fun references to romantic comedies sprinkled within!

Too Good to Be Real explores the world of LARP-ing - Live Action Role Playing for those of us unfamiliar. Journalist Julia pitches a story about a romantic comedy themed LARP-ing hotel in an attempt to save herself from the latest round of redundancies at her work. However, when confronted with the prospect of a relationship how do you tell the difference between real and role play?

Melonie Johnson has written the perfect beach read, light, airy and captivating. The characters are all fleshed out incredibly well making for a unique novel that is difficult to put down. This July when you are looking for a nice summery read I suggest you pick this up.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC.

This novel was my first Melonie Johnson and might I say, she has such a humorous wit about her writing. Too Good to be Real is about a trio of friends (specifically, Julia whom is a magazine journalist) that venture to a newly established resort where all guests are encouraged to play a character of a well known rom-com (think Meg Ryan, Cameron Diaz, etc); this resort has established this sim-like experience where a person can experience meet-cutes and other romantic notions. Some of the “guests” are paid actors, there to set the image of the game. Julia just wants to write a review of this resort for the chance to get in the good graces of her boss, but is finding it tough to sort out what’s real and what’s part of the game.
The entire time I was reading this book, it reminded me of The Bold Type tv show (it’s subject contents, conversations, and this group of 3 strong women). It was nice to see the plot of this book wasn’t something I’d ever read about before, ringing a completely new experience. Most of all, I must applaud this author for stressing that a successful relationship only comes from one person placing the other person’s joy as a priority (along with their own) and noting that lasting love requires work at times! This made this book so much more relatable and realistic than a typical rom-com!

A resort where guests participate in an interactive real life rom-com experience, what lover of rom-com’s wouldn’t want to experience that? Well that’s exactly what happens in “Too Good to be Real.”

Julia, a writer who doesn’t fully believe true love exists is in a desperate last ditch attempt to save her job. When she stumbles on an article of the grand opening of a rom-com resort, Julia grabs her friends and decides Notting Hill Resort is the perfect place to conduct the article to save her job.

Luke, a computer loving giant, has been hired as game director of the resort and making sure guest have the proper real life rom-com experience. But Luke’s priorities get twisted when he meets Julia.

Sparks fly when the two meet, and Luke decides to go undercover for the week to take part in real life interactive rom-com to be closer to Julia. Little does Luke know that Julia is also hiding her true identity. Let the classic rom-com movie moments commence.

I truly was head over heels in love with this book for the first 50% I couldn’t get enough. I loved both Julia, Luke and the side characters romances. Incorporating classic rom-com moments took me on a trip down memory lane.

What got me not giving this a 5 star review was the incorporated family drama that dragged on which eventually felt repetitive and took away from the romance factor.

Overall I truly enjoyed this rom-com way more than I was expecting. My favorite so far by Melonie Johnson. I highly recommend for rom-com lovers! I definitely wish there was a real life resort like this I could to experience.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

A must read for rom-com fans! So many cute little Easter eggs in this one that will keep fans of romance movies smiling.

This story is a bit hard to describe/pin down, but if you like modern romances, you will like this book.

The book feels a bit cliche, but its whole premise centers around a rom-com retreat, so cliches are expected. The book was in some ways predictable, but there were many lovely moments. The characters were well written and there was quite a bit of depth and growth, even from the side characters.

This book is fun and I would recommend it for a quick, frothy (but with some substance underneath the froth), romantic comedy.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first foray in years into modern romance fiction - usually I dwell in the land of corsets and carriages, but the concept of this book really drew me in. As a long-time fan of romantic comedies I have lamented the lack of really good romcom movies since the age of Notting Hill and Love Actually.

This book is a RomCom inside a RomCom themed resort which is a really fun idea. Julia and her friends take a trip to this interesting resort so that Julia can write an article about it and save her career; but when she meets one of the organisers in a meet-cute straight out of a movie the line between work and play becomes blurred.
I really loved the witty, funny dialogue between Julia and her friends, the loving relationship between Luke and his sister and the romance, which was plenty steamy enough to keep me reading. A very entertaining book - as soon as I finished I wanted to read more from this author.
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SPOILERS AHEAD. "Too Good to Be Real" was a frothy romance perfect for a chilly winter. The premise is endearing - three best friends go to a resort for a week to experience rom-coms in real life - and the amount of references littered throughout the book was fun for someone who is an avid rom-com watcher. I did find myself rooting for Luke and Julia to be together, however, I had a hard time buying that they were in love by the end of the novel. They have about three real conversations amidst their budding physical attraction to each other, so while I certainly wanted them to be together outside of their week at the resort, it felt a little forced to me that they were in love with each other so quickly. Penelope and Jay were also a little tough to swallow, mostly because I loved the Luke-Pen sibling relationship - they are extremely close - and had a difficult time believing that Pen would keep the two biggest things in her life a secret from him, and then get upset when he was, understandably, upset by that. All in all, while it wasn't my favourite rom com that I've read, it was still a delight.

Also, the corgis were amazing! Loved that they were included in it.

Loved this book. So much more than a rom com. The story is not only fun but has depth and all the feels. We meet Julia, Luke and the supporting characters and their side kicks, which include sweet corgis and a conniving pair of sea gulls. Add this one to the top of your TBR list, it is not to be missed.

It has become traditional thing for me (and I believe many others) to read a cute romance on Valentine's Day.

Too Good to be Real showed up in my life unexpectedly, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to read it prior it's release, because it was a perfect pick.

It is a book for rom-com fans, and reading it felt like being at home. Even though it is a new story, because of all the references about popular romantic movies, I felt like I was re-reading one of my favourites.
Here I have to stress out that the story itself was not predictable.
Ok, let's go all the way in with philosophy: Do you know that feeling you get when meeting someone for the first time but feel like you know each other for centuries? Well, that's how I felt about Too Good to be Real.

The writing style was good. It is written in third person following Luke's and Julia's perspectives.

This was an enjoyable story, light and perfect summer read.

I like the idea of staying in a place with all the rom-com references, but I also appreciate how the author showed us how unhealthy it can be, if we don't know how to separate real life from the simulations (or however you call it).

In the end, I want to phrase the book cover, as it show cute little parts of the story: Bonnie and Clyde the squeals and a corgi (even though there were many in the story).

One more thing: the opening line made me laugh out loud.

This was such a cute book! I loved the two main characters and was very invested in their story! Julia is a skeptic when it comes to love but she is a reporter that has to write a review on a getaway that is based on rom-coms. Luke is a coder that created this rom-com fantasy at a resort but he is hesitant of love. Can they learn to love someone completely? This book would be a great summer read!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54860400-too-good-to-be-real

This started out promising but after the beginning I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like the whole premise and there was way too much going on to get invested. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

Welcome to the dreamy vacation in Wisconsin to live your own rom-com story in real life: the estate team provides anything you’re looking for to help you find the real one to fall for while you enjoy the activities based on favorite romcom movie cliches!

Heartbroken writer Julia who is about lose her faith in love makes her last attempt not to get sagged from her full time job at popular website ! She’s writing entertaining Cosmogirl style quizzes, entertaining articles about modern woman’s love life. But she needs to find a brilliant idea to keep her job which means she’s due to make earth shattering pitch to her boss Chloe till Monday. Clock is ticking!

As she makes searches about how it’s impossible to find love like romcoms in the real life, she finds the advertisements about this new opening new place providing real romcom experience which gives her opportunity to convince her boss about writing her brand new article for Take that which is also popular travel section of website!

Her idea gets approval and the best part of it: she’ll have all exclusive vacation for one week to experience the romcom taste of the estate and she can also bring guests! She chooses her besties Kat and Andie to accompany her for this dreamy vacation.

After that we’re introduced to our a little control freak, geeky but cute, protective brother Luke who is the game developer of this place. His sister Pen helps him as event planner and his bestie Jay is working on marketing side. They’re just like three musketeers working together for this brand new enterprise and the best thing is Luke is promised to get a bonus if the launch turns into a success.

Luke didn’t plan to meet with Julia at the beach when he was get attacked by the seagulls which steal his notebook and poop on him! Their awkward-ish romantic encounter pushes Luke to join the game as Lance character. His plan was simple! He heard a journalist will write a review about the place so he has to do anything in his power to control everything goes as planned. He also thinks Julia’s friend Kat is the writer!

Julia also hides her identity to write an objective review. But when love is on the way, both of our MCs will be forced to get rid of their disguises and fall for each other!

I think this was creative and entertaining reading and I honestly say I loved Julia and her friends’ conversations more than the romance parts. I think if those characters have their own talk show about modern romance, I’ll be the addictive fan of them. Those conversations were witty, smart, enjoyable!

But the romantic elements of the book was a little overshadowed by the concept of romcoms. Both Julia and Luke’s characterizations are one dimensional. ( I can define both Kat and Andie with few words but I barely do that when it comes to MCs) And I couldn’t feel the real chemistry between them. Their love story is a little unreliable!

But there are still great things about my reading including the supporting characters Patrick and David ( they were amazing) ! Let’s not forget assassin seagulls! They made me laugh so hard!

Overall: even though the romance part was a little weak, I liked the clever dialogues, romcom references and supporting characters. It’s still feel good, enjoyable, creative, easy to read romcoms inside a romcom ( which is a brand new concept! )

Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Griffin for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

i honestly do not have much to say about this book other than its a pefect read for the relaxing evening. its entertaining and funny, and the main idea ( a getaway place straight from a romantic comedy ) was very original and interesting. there was a lot of references to iconic rom-coms which i really liked. so if youre a fan of films like 10 things i hate about you or notting hill youre going to love this book!<3