I really enjoyed this book; it was my first by Ashley Winstead, and It had many elements I liked.
The boyfriend candidate is about Alexis, a librarian who is an introvert. She was dumped by her ex for being too shy and people-pleasing.
Logan the mc is a politician running for governor of Texas. He’s garnered popularity through his unconventional ways. They agree to start dating to boost his campaign.

Alexis was a really great character, I loved how she came into her own throughout this book and develops into a character that stands up for herself and what she believes in. She was so relatable, and seeing her campaign for things and advocate for herself was great to see. Logan was also a good character I love politics, so it was nice to see a character who truly believed in helping people. He did come off as a little stiff at times because of his focus on his campaign though I liked how he gave Alexis the space to grow during the campaign trail.

The romance in this was a cute slow burn, I found myself a little annoyed by some of the miscommunication, but I liked it and was rooting for the characters.

Overall this was a good story that had the backdrop of a political campaign. It also had good character development, a fmc finding her passion and gaining confidence, and a sweet romance!

Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley, for this arc for an honest review.

January 17, 2023
4.25

Ashley is literally one of my favourite authors out there and I will literally read anything she writes. So when I got an advanced galley of this book, I squealed in excitement. And as expected, it didn't disappoint.

All Alexis Stone wanted was a simple one-night stand to get over her recent breakup. And she almost gets it when she meets Logan at the bar. But when the hotel catches fire - of course it does - the night ends with Alexis being carried out of the hotel room in his arms. And then she finds out that he's a politician when the photos appear the next day. Enter the fake dating plot.

This was just pure amazingness!! Funny from the first page to the very last, off the charts chemistry and lovable characters that make this book absolutely wonderful.

If anyone's read Fool Me Once, Ashley's debut rom-com, then readers will know that Alexis is Lee Stone's sister. And while I loved her first one, Ashley managed to top it because this one was even better! Alexis is a librarian and I loved everything about her, and the more I read about her, the more, I wanted to do was hug her with every page.

This book is more than just a romantic comedy. It's a book of self-discovery, pain and grief, and I related with Alexis' character on so many different levels.

Ashley, you've managed to do it again, and as always, I'm in awe of your craft. I can't wait for readers to fall in love with Alexis and Logan just as much as I did!

Thank you HarperCollins for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

LOVED this book! This novel is fun, funny, and bit quirky. I loved the characters and I think everyone can identify a bit with Alexis - and everyone remembers the hot guy who was out of their league. But what if the wallflower connected with the hot guy? The sparks and humor flies. I was totally invested in the characters and wanted them to get their HEA ending. I stayed up way too late in the night reading because I couldn't put this book down.

This book is a winner! While this is the first book I've read by this author, it won't be the last all I'll be working my way through her prior novels. Fans of the genre will love this book and want to put it at the top of your TBR list.

This was such a fun book to stay up late to read! It had some great spice and characters and I enjoyed how it all came together! Well done by Winstead! Four stars and a big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead is a romance about a introverted librarian and an unconventional politician. They make a deal to start fake dating to help his campaign for governor of Texas.

I really liked Alexis. She was extremely relatable. She doesn't have it all together and she's not perfect. That's why I loved her. Logan was also a really good character. Under all the politics he's is just a soft boy who loves kittens.

The romance was really sweet and even has a couple of good steamy scenes near the end. My only annoyance is that they could've had better communication but that is usually a complaint I have with romance books.

Side note, I think it is so interesting when an author writes in 2 completely different genres like Ashley Winstead does.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc copy to review.

I loved the chemistry between Logan and Alexis. I liked that they both were working on themselves and helped each other along the way. I liked that it was set in Austin, TX. I am from Texas and I lived in Austin for awhile so I could see the setting and picture some places where they were.
I don't want to give anything away, but I really liked the ending.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Such a fun take on the fake dating trope set amongst a backdrop of (idealistic) Texas politics. I loved our foul-mouthed half Texan/half British main love interest so much. Contrasting with sweet, trodden over librarian Alexis, this couple made no sense and absolutely all the sense in the world. My only wish is that I could have a celebrity cast formed before I started reading so I could better play out this book in my mind like the romcom movie it felt like!

This is the second in the Stone Sisters series and can be read as a standalone but there are some really stellar scenes with Lee Stone that you would appreciate more if you've read Fool Me Once first.

Ashley Winstead sure can write some twisted psychos that will have your eyes bulge out when you're reading her thrillers but her romance is where she shines for me!! I'm obsessed with her writing, her banter, and how relatable her characters are. I was truly cackling out loud throughout that my husband even asked what was going on in the book which he rarely does anymore!! One of my favorite scenes is when Ruby Dangerfield was describing the plot to a children's book as one of her own life experiences.

The Boyfriend Candidate is a romance in a political setting and is a fake dating, m. Alexis is so relatable and is a shy girl that is an introvert, complex, likable, inspirational, and passionate. I love how much you learn about the education and political world from this story. I also loved their story arcs and where the characters ended up with their professional and personal goals

Recommend if you enjoy
Political world setting
Fake dating
Mutual pining
Pro teachers!

My new favorite romance book from Ashley Winstead!

Thank you to HTP Books and Ashley Winstead for our copy of The Boyfriend Candidate!

This book is available May 9, 2023!

Rating: 4.5 star
Genre: Romance

Thoughts - Alexis and Logan....I LOVED them! Swoon! I really loved this book.

Full disclosure - there are heavy political topics throughout the book.

I was just sucked in from the beginning and flew through this book. It was one of those books where you just love the main characters and cannot stop reading! A fake dating trope can be hit or miss for me, but this one worked!

Oh Ashley Winstead how I love you!

When I saw this book had a school librarian as one of the main characters, I knew I had to read it. I think most librarians can agree there is always a little extra fun when there is a main character who is a Librarian. This book was done especially well because the library side fit pretty well with reality, though a more optimistic one then the one we are currently struggling through. The romance, too, was well done. It was a very slow burn with a fake dating premise. Admittedly, more slow burn then I generally enjoy. At times, I felt like yelling "Just be honest with each other!". But, there is an appeal with this and the book did end in an HEA, so I can't complain. Will definitely be recommending this one for people who like some political drama, fake dating with real feels, and an HEA.

There isn't an Ashley Winstead book I haven't loved. Alexis is mousy and shy and is trying to fly out of her comfort zone by trying a one night stand. Unfortunately, true to form, things don't go her way. Just when things heat up, they really heat up with a fire in the hotel and they are caught leaving the hotel together. On camera. Just like that, her hookup flees without a glance backward.
Logan is running for governor and doesn't need bad press. When he sees the paps taking his picture with Alexis, he can't get out of there fast enough. This looks bad for the campaign and so they need an angle. They ask Alexis to pose as Logan's girlfriend just for the election, so he has a chance to redeem himself.
I related to Alexis so much in this story. She was shy, yes, but she also spoke up for what she believed in and made a crappy situation better by using it to benefit her agenda. The fact that her sister is Lee, yes that Lee from Fool Me Once, doesn't hurt matters. I loved seeing their sisterly bond grow through this novel and I also loved seeing what a goner Logan was for Alexis at every turn. His words often didn't match his actions. He wanted to be near her so badly the pining was palpable, and it wasn't even from his POV.
"Do you know what it's like to work for something your whole life and then have someone walk in and become the most important thing to you in an instant?" And I just swooned myself onto the floor.
Thank you to Harlequin, Ashley Winstead and Netgalley for an early copy.

omG i loved it so much. i knew i would. AW has become a favorite author of mine at an incredibly quick rate. her ability to write so well across so many different genres is incredibly inspiring. and the fact that she has written 5 books in 3 years is crazy ridiculous 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 but i look forward to every single she you will put out.

I cannot describe how much I loved this swoon worthy slow burn. Logan and Alexis’s fake dating, mutual pining story is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Did I go back and reread each of their 1:1 scenes before savoring the ending? Definitely. Loved this even more than the first in the series. Alexis is a relatable shy girl’s dream; it’s rare to feel like introverts are represented in romance novels in a way that is so likable, complex, and genuine. I’m sure I’m not the only reader who saw so much of myself in her. And what can I say about Logan except that he is absolute perfection to complement her, so passionate and so in love with her. If we can just make a trope out of this book I would read so many more versions of it. Can you tell I’m gushing? Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is out in May and you should run, not walk, to preorder it.

Logan Arthur is running for Governor of Texas. 🇺🇸 Alexis Stone is a shy librarian. 📚 You wouldn’t expect their paths to cross. But when Alexis goes out on the town with a mission of proving herself to be the new and improved, bold & daring Alexis, she and Logan have quite the meet-cute. After being photographed in a compromising position, 📸 Logan’s team decides to do damage control by asking Alexis to fake-date Logan until the election. 🗳 But as Alexis and Logan spend time together, things begin to feel less fake and more real… ❤️

The Boyfriend Candidate can be read as a stand-alone novel, but all the characters from Fool Me Once are back in this book. 🥳 SO, I highly recommend reading Fool Me Once while you wait for The Boyfriend Candidate to be released.

Okay where do I start??? The tension. 😍 The whispered moments. 😍😍 THE LIBRARY SCENE. 😍😍😍 I devoured this book and I cannot wait for Winstead’s next romance!

You know what’s funny? I JUST said that I didn’t like a different book because of all the political talk. This book was FULL of politics, but I loved it. The difference is that I never felt like Winstead was pushing her political views down my throat. I appreciate politics, different views, and I love when an author can meld politics and romance without the book being a turn off for either side. Winstead is great at this. Winstead did it with Fool Me Once & she did it again with The Boyfriend Candidate. 👏🏼 I cannot recommend this one enough!

There's this scene where they're at a restaurant, but Winstead keeps describing the servers in increasingly discomfiting ways and...I laughed hard enough to startle the dog awake when a disembodied arm slid an entre in front of a character. That's all I'm saying.

This is my first time reading this author and I LOVED this book so much. It was different, original and I truly adored it. Its a fake relationship in the political world between two people who have an almost one night stand. When images of them together get out well thats when the shenanigans begin. I didn't just love the main couple Alexis and Logan but I also adored the supporting cast and my favorite was Kate.

This book is told from Alexis' POV 99% of the time which is not my favorite way to read a story but it totally worked in this story. We only get Logan's POV in one chapter closer to the end. This is a story about Alexis finding herself and her voice. She is the sister of a politician and has always been in the background. When Logan and his team invite her to be a fake girlfriend, she finds her voice and her cause and fights for education and libraries and kids.

I seriously loved this book so much. It was a total Girl Boss story and I could not put it down.

Having only known Ashley Winstead as a mystery/thriller author, I was intrigued by her latest book: a romance novel titled, "The Boyfriend Candidate." Winstead's newest book includes some of my favorite literary tropes: a meet-cute, fake dating, and lots of unresolved sexual tension! Alexis and Logan meet in a swanky hotel bar one night and sparks fly. But before they can get much farther in the night, they're interrupted. When they cross paths once more, they pretend to be dating in order to help Logan's political career. Along the way, the lines get blurred between what is just for show and what is real.

I really enjoyed this book! The chemistry between the characters was steamy and fun, and both of them are highly rootable! I will definitely read more of Winstead's books. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will, unfortunately, be withholding my review until a fair contract agreement is reached with the HarperCollins Union.

Witty, charming and a perfect romcom to get you hooked on to it since the very beginning. And also could get you out of the book slump? That’s magical and powerful. Highly loved and enjoyed it. Can’t wait for it to be out and about in the world so that I can start recommending it to almost everyone I can.

I loved this -- it was so funny, genuinely, which I find is a rarity in romcoms these days. The premise was fantastic, and the chemistry between the characters really sold it.