This was an okay romance book. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either, I just think it could have been more.

This book had everything- childhood friends to lovers, marriage of convenience, mutual pining, with a smidge of workplace drama, what more could you want! I enjoyed the relationship between Mia and Noah and the progression from friends to lovers throughout the book. They had such love for each other throughout and it was adorable.

Top shelf friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience romance. Noah and Mia are childhood friends who get married so that Mia can pursue an opportunity to finish her degree and start working in her dream career, but also keep her health insurance coverage for her rare kidney disorder. Mia has pretty significant baggage about accepting help or letting people care for her (to the point that she distances herself from her parents after her diagnosis and refuses to date), and Noah has pretty significant baggage about losing people he loves since losing his older brother in an accident several years prior to the story. And not so surprisingly, Noah and Mia have each been secretly in love with each other for a long, long time. Their marriage is supposed to be fake, but they don't want to get caught committing insurance fraud, so they have to make it look real... and in making it look real, their real feelings about each other start to come out, and their emotional baggage has to be unpacked.

I loved seeing the emotional development of these two characters, especially Mia, who had to contend with a lot of feelings that will be familiar to anyone with a complicated family history or a chronic illness/disability.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this book!

“The thing we fear most has the greatest reward.”

Five shiny stars for this incredible contemporary romance. Noah and Mia have been best friends since childhood. Although they each have had undeniable feelings toward the other, they have chosen to keep those feelings a secret. While Noah’s professional life is taking off, Mia’s is on hold while she waits for a kidney transplant. When Mia receives the opportunity to return to college and pursue her dream of being a dietician, Noah makes a crazy suggestion that they get married so that she can be on his medical insurance. Although the initial premise of this arrangement is to ensure that Mia have access to healthcare, it is clear that they two may have a hard time suppressing those lifelong feelings they’ve had for one another.

I absolutely loved this book, and I think it does a nice job of being a “feel-good” romance, while also tapping into more substantial topics. In particular, both Mia and Noah realize the personal baggage they each carry and how it impacts their love life. I beyond enjoyed watching their relationship grow, as they each learned about themselves along the way. This is such a fantastic read, and you should absolutely add it to your TBR list!

So sweet! A pair of best friends, Mia and Noah, enter into a marriage of convenience so that Mia can have health insurance coverage for her chronic illness while pursuing a degree in dietetics. Now, they have to convince everyone they are in love…so is it a good thing they have both been harboring secret feelings for one another or will that make everything more complicated?

Well, I loved this - it was a comforting and heartwarming read. Mia and Noah are a good match and while it was occasionally frustrating to see them struggle with expressing their true feelings, it also felt true to the characters as the stakes were high for them, with their friendship on the line. Rounding out the group of friends are Claire and Graham, who provide comic relief and the potential for a frenemies-to-lovers follow-up novel?!

Recommended to anyone looking for a pleasant (closed door) rom-com/drama featuring marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and friends-to-lovers tropes.

Thank you very much to Harlequin for the opportunity to read an advance review copy via NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I love reading a great story about friends to lovers’ romance. There’s always one that has a secret love for the other that has been festering for years. It’s such a revelation when everything finally comes to light.

Ashley does a wonderful job with her character development, especially with the intense love Noah shows for her. It is a little heartbreaking to watch him struggle with the deep feelings that he is hidden for years.

She too has strong feelings for him that have been hidden. But both of them were struggling with the fear of losing each other so ignorance is bliss I guess – until it is not.

The author delivers a touching story that brings up so many different emotions. Hurt, anger, and fear are just to start. But one of my main peeves is the frustration with her extreme denial of assistance of any kind. She is overly stubborn and it got super repetitive for a bit.

But all of the feels are definitely there. While the steam level is pretty low, the anticipation is high and intense. These two are definitely meant to be. That made it all worthwhile!

Would You Rather is definitely a swoon-worthy read that leaves you with a feel-good smile for days.

“Noah wanted Mia to look at him the way Mia looked at chicken wings.”

“He ran a hand through his hair, feeling that stubborn piece in the back stick up again. He sort of loved it though, because it drove Mia nuts, and her fingers smoothing it back down was the best part of his day.”

“You said you just wanted to be friends.”
She stumbled over the words. “So did you.”
“I lied,” he said simply.
One breath. Then two. “So did I.”
“Well, then.” His eyes burned like fire. “Let’s go home.”

CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS NEVER DISAPPOINTS and throw in marriage of convenience and grumpy-sunshine…

Mia’s development in this book, *chef’s kiss*
As much as I wanted her to just get over her “irrational guilt”, I loved the way she learned to let it go.
Goddamn Noah… what a man. His fear was so tangible, I could feel it on my skin and I absolutely loved how deeply rooted it was.
I love characters that are still figuring things out at thirty, especially what they really care about.

MVP: CLAIRE the supportive matchmaking bff of the year a true queen.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

Thank you to #gifted HTP Books for our copy of Would You Rather by Allison Ashley. This book publishes on August 23rd.

Rating: 5 star
Genre: Romance

Where do I even start?! This book deserves all the stars. It’s beautiful, emotional, and a true testament to real love. Please just trust me and pick this one up.

Read this if you like:
-Emotional books that make you think about life.
-Romance books that deal with complicated real life situations
-Best friends to lovers tropes
-Books like Swear on this Life
-Books that tug at your heart strings ❤️

I really really wanted to like this one. But sadly it fell a little flat for me. The premise had a lot of promise but I felt like the characters needed a little more personality and the book jumped too quickly into the romantic relationship and I didn’t feel that yearning that the author wanted to create.

A little slow in some parts but overall so sweet and a great friends to lovers tale. The characters were sweet and felt real. The antagonist was hateable. A very fun read all around.

WOW!! This book totally exceeded my expectations and is a MUST read for fans of romance books with emotional depth.

Noah and Mia have been best friends since they were seven. While each deeply attracted to the other, neither of them have acted upon their feelings. When Mia gets the opportunity to go back to school to pursue the career of her dreams but needs her job's medical insurance, Noah proposes that the two get married. As Mia and Noah spend more time together, live under the same roof and display public signs of affection, they have a harder time hiding their feelings and start to see what was there all along.

I LOVE a childhood best friends to lovers book and this one is now ranked very highly on my favorites list. I felt the instant chemistry between the two, loved their banter, all the would you rather games and how they always just got each other. I loved how the marriage of convenience was used for medical reasons and how their history and backgrounds made it all the more plausible. There was a big emotional side to the story that pulled at my heartstrings so many times- the worry of being a burden because of an illness, the weight carried after a family tragedy, the emotions you feel when a friend just gets you and the opportunity to have a second chance to do what you love. Literally pre-order this book/ request from the lib because it is SO GOOD.

Read if you like:
-Best friends to lovers
-Marriage of convenience
-Forcex proximity
-All the pinning
-Closed door scenes
-Dual POVS
-Baking/ nutrition

Thank you HTP and Mira for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: 8/23

Would You Rather by Allison Ashley
Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
TW: Chronic Illness, Death of a Loved One

Bookstagram, please take note that I call dibs on Noah. I now proclaim him my new book boyfriend because he is perfection. Sure, he’s dealing with some emotional baggage (aren’t we all?) but he is constant, loyal, smart and good looking to boot. As best friend to Mia, it’s a no-brainer when he proposes marriage so that she can keep the company insurance, quit her mediocre job and go back to school to pursue her passion. Noah was there when her plans were derailed because of a chronic illness and Mia isn’t about to let that stop her from pursuing her dreams.

I was so invested in their relationship I found myself sniffling. I never cry at books but their relationship was just so pure and cute that I was rooting for them long before they were rooting for themselves.

Mia is totally relatable in the sense that her first instinct is to protect everyone around her from her own illness. However her reasons for pushing everyone away become flimsy overtime and eventually lead to me wanting to have an intervention with her character.

This book is for anyone who likes:
Friends-to-Lovers
Second chance romances
Marriages of convenience
Forced proximity
Closed-door romance

If you do, you are in for a treat with this book! It might just be my third favourite romance I’ve read this year (sorry Book Lovers and Mazey Eddings leave some big shoes to fill).

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an advanced reading copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Would You Rather is a perfectly sweet, fake romance story between childhood friends. When Mia is met with a difficult decision, Noah offers her a solution that leaves her in a difficult position. Being one to never want someone to put themselves out for her, she doesn’t want him to put his life on hold for her. The two life long friends come to an agreement, full of tension as their true feelings for each other come to a head. I loved the emotions in this story, the worry of being a burden because of your illness, the emotional toll after a family tragedy, romance and friendship, this book has it all along with steamy scenes leaving you wanting more.

a heartfelt childhood friends to lovers romance where the hero offers to marry his best friend, so that she could use his medical insurance while going back to school to finish her dream career

i suck at summaries but c'mon...how does this not sound like the sweetest story?!

Mia and Noah were just the cutest and i adored their chemistry, whether it's the friendship or the intimacy aspect, they truly were perfect for each other

even though Mia's chronic kidney illness weren't intensely described, it still contributed to a journey of raw emotions from a man that can't fathom losing another important person in his life

it's also a beautiful story of how the right person can help you in tackling your past demons, and just makes the trek... a bittersweet one

*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*

Rating: 4.25/5
Warnings: Death, Difficult Family Dynamic
Steam: 2/5 (closed door implied)
Read If You Like: With You Forever
Tropes: Marriage of Convenience, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Only One Bed, Forced Proximity

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA and NetGalley for access to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Would You Rather will be released on August 23rd, 2022.

(note I am obsessed with each cover for different reasons and want to own them both)

Things I Loved: It's my favorite trope and was done really well! The angst and tension was prime! These idiots really were both in love with each other and I'm so glad they finally got together. Noah was the perfect cinnamon roll hero and he was a freaking tattooed ripped ginger. He cared for Mia in such a deep and fierce way. I was so excited for Mia to go back to school and watching that journey. Practice kissing and the cabin moments. Great side characters! All the forced proximity and only one bed. Such a tearjerker!

Things I Didn't Care For: Okay, I'm going to be that person...it was closed door. We had heavily implied tension leading to steam, the bangxiety was ready and then it wasn't there. I wish there was more resolution on their individual issues. Mia's guilt for her illness.

Can I have more of this book now?

The story was a five chair, but the unnecessary use of the "f" word and a few too many steamy scenes brought it down to a four. On the positive side - this is my favorite sub-genre of a fake relationship that turns into a real one. On top of that Noah and Mia have known each other for a long time - I like that too.

The characters in this book drew me in from the first page. I wanted them to admit their feelings for each other to themselves as well as the other person. There were several turns along the way that I did not see coming which added so much to the story.

The ending was exactly what I wanted and expected, but came in a way that I didn't expect. I would like to read Allison Ashley again.

Would You Rather is so cute! I was in love with Noah and Mia from the very beginning! They are best friends and have been their whole lives. There's nothing more important to them than their friendship. When Mia gets the chance of a lifetime to go back to school on scholarship, she's so excited. The only problem is she needs health insurance, and can't quit her current job because she needs a kidney transplant. Her best friend Noah suggests they get married so she can use his insurance. A fake marriage between best friends! SWOOOOONN! I loved loved this one! It's charming, sweet and full of great characters.

What a sweet story. Marriage of convenience is such a fun trope. This time it was mixed with childhood friends to lovers. Filled with fun banter and sweet moments. I really enjoyed this one a lot.

Noah and Mia are lifelong friends who never considered a romance. Well... They've considered it, but never done much about it. One night in college, the possibility of attraction between them was brought up, but shortly after, devastation struck. Mia was diagnosed with a kidney disease and Noah's brother, Nathan, died in a car accident within the same week. In order to navigate through the difficult times, the two friends communicated that they didn't want to pursue a relationship and that there was nothing between them, despite the fact that this was untrue for both of them.

Now, quite some time has passed. Noah and Mia are in their early thirties and have remained close. Mia receives an opportunity to go back to college. She dropped out when she became ill. She's passionate about becoming a dietician, but in order to go back to school, she can't work full time. It's imperative Mia has a job with good healthcare benefits because of her disease, particularly as she is waiting to hear about a kidney transplant - after that she will be eligible for Medicare. Noah is her coworker at an architectural firm his father helped found. He suggests that they pretend to have been secretly dating and marry to secure insurance for Mia so she can go back to school full time. It takes some though and convincing, but Mia agrees. The two move in together to make their relationship look real, which is essential when a coworker up for the same promotion as Noah reveals that he overheard their plan and blackmails Noah into giving up the promotion.

Mia and Noah both have a lot to get through before they can make their relationship work. This is a slow burn, with the two friends living together for some time before their hidden emotions come to a head. Would You Rather is a closed door romance, showing some hot kissing scenes but fading to black before anything gets steamy - though there's plenty of indication that once these two are able to admit their feelings to one another, there's plenty of sex happening off the page. But love isn't always enough. In order to make this marriage go from convenient to for real, both Noah and Mia need to face their biggest fears when it comes to interpersonal relationships.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It felt a little cheesy at times, and I did think it was strange so many people cared about Mia and Noah committing insurance fraud outside of their blackmailer. Healthcare is wild in America. Do what you gotta do. This was a 3 star read for me that I think other readers who like their romances sweet, cheesy, and spice-free will appreciate even more than I did.

This was a book that I took a chance on and I am glad that I did. Based on the summary I wasn't sure what the direction this book would take. I was hoping that it would be more than a sad "sick lit" book, and my hopes came true!

Noah and Mia have been best friends since they were children, and now they are adults who are still a part of each others lives. Mia has a kidney disease, so she feels forced to stay with a less than ideal job for the health insurance. She gets an opportunity of a lifetime to go back to school, and pursue the career she actually wants, but she would have to give up her full time job with benefits. Noah suggests they get married, because that's what a good friend does. What they don't know is that they are attracted to each other, but they don't think the other wants a real relationship. This book covers their journey to really being together from friendship to fake- marriage to real marriage.

This book was amazing! I really enjoyed how this story was told through both Noah and Mia's perspective. I think it allowed for the characters to develop fully and naturally. A big question throughout the book is "Why?" Why don't they just admit to each other their feelings? Why don't they just admit they like being married? Seeing both perspectives allowed for the reader to see the walls they both put up and why.

This book had a great pace. I couldn't put it down! I felt like so much was going on, but in a good way. There were so many factors at play here, yet there was a balance between just enough tension and not being too overwhelming. Mia and Noah made a great couple, and I think anyone that enjoys the friends to lovers trope or the marriage of convenience trope will fall in love with Mia and Noah!