4.25 stars

I enjoyed a lot about this book. The protagonist is a public school library, which I loved, and the political backdrop was realistic but still interesting. I appreciated the characters and found myself amused and otherwise invested in the story throughout. All in all, it was a good one. I’m looking forward to seeing what the writer comes out with next.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead

an amazing book by an amazing author! i loved this story and it was just so good. full review soon when i gather my thoughts <3

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

I love Ashley Winstead's books and was so excited to get an advanced copy of The Boyfriend Candidate.

She is the only author I know of that can write such compelling thrillers and romance!

The Boyfriend Candidate is a fake dating & grumpy/sunshine romance - there is definitely a lot of anticipation in this one that kept me turning the page.

Logan is my new favourite book boyfriend!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Someone said this was Beto O'Rourke fanfiction and unfortunately, that image stuck with me and I cannot stop thinking about this (not that I'm letting it affect my opinion... or am I?).

No, but really, I enjoyed this book a lot. I haven't read a romance book I liked this much in a while! Ashley Winstead is so talented so it was no surprise that I ended up enjoying this book. Alexis and Logan were unbelievably endearing in their own ways and this was just such a feel-good romance. I can definitely see myself rereading when I want something light!

I really enjoyed this one a lot! It was very timely with the talk of book bans, etc. I could see how this could be considered a Beto O'Rourke fanfiction though...

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin trade publishing and Ashley Winstead for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good fake dating trope and this one was done amazingly. I was mad addicted to this novel from the first page right to the last. The characters are amazing and I really love that both characters found themselves and how to be themselves before they came together. Definitely recommend.

Super cute romcom with chemistry that jumps from the pages! The characters are endearing, and watching (or reading, rather) their slow burn romance come alive was what kept me turning the pages.

Would recommend to any romcom lover!

What can Ashley Winstead not do? Honestly, the woman is a genious. To be able to submerse a reader into a dark and twisted story, and then right into a light hearted, political romantic comedy takes talent. Ashley Winstead will forever be an autobuy author for me. Hands down.
The Boyfriend Candidate is heartwarming, funny, brave, sexy, and relateable! Quick-witted and well written, Alexis and Logan are a match made in heaven! From one-night standers, to business partners, to lovers. I love a good fake dating scheme, and their chemistry was *chef's kiss*. I absolutely LOVED this book! Also, the fact that Alexis was a librarian and LOVED books was the icing on the cake.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy to review.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

I was entertained with this book! It was a good read and I would absolutely recommend reading it to my friends. Quick easy read for me. Cute romcom.

The Boyfriend Candidate
By Ashley Winstead

Thank you to Netgalley, Ashley Winstead, and Graydon House books for this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Quotes:
“Was it possible to have an emotional orgasm?”

“My mom had assured me life simply didn't go our way sometimes, but I'd always attributed the rejection to the lacking in me that I couldn't put a finger on.”

“Never trust your secrets to men who golf.”

Wow, Winstead sure knows how to write a fictional man. I never would’ve thought I’d fall for a politician in a book haha.

Brief Synopsis: Alexis Stone is a librarian that finds herself in an interesting situation: fake dating a man running for governor of Texas!

Things I Liked:
- The anticipation was EVERYTHING
- Logan Arthur will definitely go down as a popular book boyfriend among the bookstagram and booktok crowd!
- Layers: this book discussed censorship, book bans, and hot topics in politics all while having you root for our girl Alexis to succeed in life, love, and her career.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/(5)
This was absolutely a 5 star romance for me.

I always get sucked into the new book emails that they are asking for me to review. The last few times I had to say no because I was in school and didn’t have enough time to read books like I really wanted to. So I was excited when I was able to take some books for review. My best-laid plans didn’t happen since I am late getting this review out and two more I have found myself behind on. Life and switching jobs and my deadlines just snuck up on me.

Alexis is out on the town. Looking for a one-night stand. She got out of a relationship where her ex basically told her she was boring and vanilla. Logan is out on the town as well, he, however, is looking to blow off some steam. He without Alexis knowing, is a gubernatorial candidate. Each thinking they will spend a lust-filled night with each other and go their own ways. That all changes when a fire alarm forces the hotel to evacuate and someone snaps a picture of them and puts it online. I adored this book. It may have taken me longer to read than I planned. I woke up many times with my Kindle still propped up on the pillow next to me and turned off. It was a light breezy read with lovable characters.

I think my favorite character was Alexis. Honestly, her character was me on so many levels. She was a lover of books made obvious by her job as a Librarian. She had problems with relationships and trusting people. While I have been in a relationship with my husband for 17 years (married for almost 12) I still am terrified that he is going to cheat on me or leave me or some crazy thing. I thought that the relationship between her and Logan was the perfect slow burn. It was the type of romance that you knew was going to happen you just didn’t know how or when. When it did, oh man it was one for the books. I finished the book while working at the clerk’s desk, it, I am sure had me blushing and hoping no one knew what I was reading. I wanted more from the book. The 6 months later was wonderful but I wanted to read more. Did they get married, did they have kids? Their relationship was so special and wonderful I just wanted to know more. I will certainly be keeping my eye out for more books by this author.

Which Hollywood streaming service is going to pick this up? Honestly, Ashley Winstead wrote a made-for-movie treasure! The entire way through, I just kept picking new actors to play Alexis and Logan. I couldn't help but love this and I plan to recommend it to everyone that enjoys RomComs.

Instant chemistry plus a little hidden-identity meets disaster. What else would you expect at a hotel bar when trying to find yourself a one-night stand???

This was a very endearing book! I hadn’t heard of Ashley Winstead before this one, but she is a true talent. There are a ton of novels with this similar concept, but Winstead made this one stand out. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this one and meeting Logan.

This was a light read, full of fun details guaranteed to make bibliophiles swoon. This book could have benefitted from a bit more comedy—I thought we were on to something with the bungled press conference, but alas no. I liked it enough to want to read Leigh's origin story in Fool Me Once.

This book melted my cold, dead heart. I listened to the audiobook pretty much straight through (besides taking a few hours to sleep at night), it was so captivating.

As a librarian myself, I loved Alexis. I don't think the characterization of her in the synopsis as shy and meek is necessarily accurate because we never actually see her being shy or meek. She jumps into this new outgoing and adventurous persona immediately with almost no hesitation. I'd expect to see at least a little bit of that shyness needing to be broken as she begins doing things outside her comfort zone, but there is none of that on page. This isn't really a bad thing, just an observation. I still really loved her.

Logan on the other hand, is the epitome of foul-mouthed grump and I fell for him immediately. One other review simply said: "we love a man losing his mind" and that is exactly right. The only thing I love more than a man obsessively in love is a man obsessively in love and cares about social causes enough to actually do something about them (like run for office).

Romance aside, this actually had an interesting backstory/set up. The discussions around school budget cuts is so timely for the United States right now and I hope this book brings more attention to the serious ramifications of these cutbacks.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was really hooked on this book knowing it was a fake dating romance. Ashley Winstead did a fantasitc job of making the plot unique but believable. I mean cmon a one night stand with a hot politician - sign me up! The characters and their connection both also felt so real, almost as if I was reading about an actual politician from Texas & his "fake" girlfriend!!! This is a quick and easy fast paced read that I would highly recommend!

This was such an addicting read. As a Texas girly I loved how real Winstead’s descriptions of Texas and the Austin area felt. But the chemistry between the two main love interests was literally there since the first page they were together. Perfect for readers that like friends to lovers, political romance books, and the fake dating trope, “The Boyfriend Candidate” is an easy and fun book to read this summer. I feel that every book nerd like me can relate to it’s protagonist, so I’ll definitely be on the look out for future books by Ashley Winstead!

One of my favorite adult romance books I've read this year! It was charming and a fun read. Loved the premise and the tropes and the enjoyable experience.