4 Trying to Live Her Best Life Stars!

I love finding new authors and this book by Ms. Shepard is a wonderful introduction to her writing. I truly enjoyed reading Caroline and Adrien’s story. Caroline has spent most of her life competing in the tennis world thanks to an overbearing father. When her grandmother leaves her a cool $2 Million Dollars, Caroline decides to take her life in her own hands and moves to Boston to get her MBA. The only bump in her road is that she doesn’t know anyone and she’s a quiet and introspective young lady. I happen to love that she’s got a sense of naiveté about her. It makes her burgeoning relationship with Adrien that much sweeter.

Adrien is a “starving artist” and has been bunking with friends for a while as he tries to get his mojo back for his art. The only problem is that his current roommate needs some cash so his solution is to sign Adrien up on a website that he can earn some cash as an “escort.” Don’t let your mind go there!! Caroline hires Adrien to show her around Boston and all the art and culture that’s offered in this amazing city and for two people that you wouldn’t think could belong together, their friendship has moments filled with witty banter, encouragement and a slow burn that had me captivated.

I loved that Caroline believed in Adrien and became his Sugar Mama. I mean what’s a better investment of her now hefty bank account than helping a man that’s become her friend but is also truly gifted. I loved the slow burn of their relationship. The more time they spent with each other and learn about each other, the more I wanted their relationship to work.

I can honestly say when I read the blurb for this book I was very intrigued by the entire concept of how our H/h meet and I’m happy to report this book lived up to and exceeded expectations. I’m a Katie Shepard fan and can’t wait to see what comes next from her.

I did like this book but not as much as BEAR WITH ME NOW, since I felt like the romance was a little too wholesome despite the sex work aspect--or more accurately because the sex work aspect didn't give me what I wanted from that scenario (which was, essentially, a more interesting exploration of the power dynamics involved in it). I also liked the hero and heroine as characters but ultimately liked them both better as individuals than as a couple, which is not ideal with a romance. This was still a quick fun read, though, and I'm rounding up a star for the autistic representation and Adrian's late coming of age crisis, which I thought were both well done; Shepard is good at building characters who stay with the reader, and I look forward to her next novel.

Thanks to Berkley Romance for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I enjoyed this one and have the author’s previous book on hold from my library.
Last weekend I gobbled up two things: an adorable frosted candy-corn shaped cookie and this fun Boston-set romance!
Sweeten the Deal follows FMC Caroline who has just moved to the Boston area to earn her MBA after graduating college while living at home in her small hometown in Texas. She’s also just inherited 2 million dollars upon her grandmother’s passing. This has caused a family commotion because no one else, including her father and uncle, the grandmother’s children, received anything. Caroline was pressured to sign the money back over to them, but instead she bolted for Boston. While she’s now a millionaire and in a new town, Caroline doesn’t have great social skills. After not succeeding with online dating, she decides to try to hire an escort to take her around town via a website. She meets Adrian, a painter who’s over ten years older than her, and she’s his sugar daddy! I bet you can imagine what happens from there…
The story was well paced and I read it quickly. I am a sucker for fiction set in Boston, and it was great to remember how fun my city is - I feel like I have become such a homebody, both on weeknights and when I’m not traveling out of town on the weekends. The main characters are in and around the Boston/Brighton area for most of the book. They attend the Symphony and afterwards eat at Symphony Sushi (I almost trekked there for my own meal and a picture for #booksta but I got lazy!), and the FMC attends business school at Boston College (this BU alum tried not to boo every time BC was mentioned). The book addresses how insane it is for Caroline to have a large SUV while living on Commonwealth Avenue, as well as how complex the T can seem to someone from out of town. That being said, if you aren’t from Boston, these parts probably wouldn’t even stand out to you - but I bet you’d still enjoy the “sweet” story.

When I was a teenager Pretty Women was new and I remember begging my mom to let me watch it. She would resist and I ended up at a sleepover watching it, much to my mothers disappointment. Years and years later whenever I’m channel scrolling and Pretty Woman is on, it doesn’t matter what part the movie is at, I stop scrolling and watch it. I love Julia Roberts so much and this book is like Pretty Woman but in reverse, kind of.





Caroline is a 22 year old ex tennis player that has been sheltered her whole life. She is sunshine and cheeriness but lacks friends and is a bit naive. She decides to look on an escort, or sugar baby site, to meet someone that can help her be more cultured and less lonely. She finds Adrian, an older artist. He’s just broken up with his ex and has no home and not much money to his name. He isn’t really grumpy so much as jaded. I absolutely loved what blossomed between them!



Caroline and Adrian’s interactions had me laughing out loud in moments and also clutching my heart in other more tender moments. I love that Caroline is okay being vulnerable and I love how Adrian is so thoughtful and such a gentleman. Their connection slowly builds and I love that in a romance. Not to mention the fake dating trope is one of my favorites of all time!



Much like Pretty Woman, I could come back to this book over and over again, no matter the page, and be immersed in this story and these characters. Shepard’s writing is witty, engaging, and intelligent. The details really pull you in and make this such a fun escapist read. Also, the way she develops her characters was so enjoyable to me as strong character development is really important to me as a reader. I loved learning about Caroline and Adrian and being along for the ride as they grew as people.



I think Caroline might be one of my new favorite characters! She is wise for her age and really cares about people. She also inherited a HUGE sum of money and I love the way she navigated that in the story. I also love that although she hasn’t had many experiences in life, she’s not afraid to roll up her sleeves and try. I loved her lists and her questions and her need for explanations. I loved that she gives people the benefit of the doubt which isn’t that easy to find these days. Caroline reminded me slightly of Isadora from the book The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley which is also another favorite character of mine.



While this is my first Katie Shepard story, it most certainly will not be my last! I highly recommend you grab this one as soon as you can!

Sweeten the Deal is the second book by Katie Shepard, and I’m looking forward to reading her next book, No One Does It Like You, in which there is an excerpt at the back of the book.

Sweeten the Deal is fast-paced and held my interest throughout, even with some repetitiveness to the storyline.

Caroline is in school for her MBA in Boston, and Adrian is a decade older and a starving artist staying with a friend rent-free due to his breakup with his fiancé, who also showed his art at her gallery. Caroline and Adrian’s meeting on the Internet was an interesting concept, and their business arrangement has some laugh-out-loud moments. She’s all about spreadsheets, costs, and profits, and he doesn’t know anything about the business side of his art. That’s all about to change with her help, or is it?

Caroline is awkward in her social interactions, and Adrian is helping her in that venue as well as taking her to cultural events at her request. She grew up in a small town in Texas, and her family life was very dysfunctional, even before money was involved.

Several storylines are told, and the author brings them together nicely. The relationship between Caroline, Adrian, and his roommate, Tom, was sometimes fraught with tension, but other times, it was just them being there for each other. It was fun to see how Caroline often inserted herself into their lives.

There is some closure, especially with the epilogue, which takes place two months later, but I wish it went on a little longer. Is there truly a happily ever after?

Sweeten the Deal is set in a big city with an age-gap romance, and opposites attract tropes. I turned the pages quickly, riveted to see what the characters would be up to next. This is a lovely rom-com to cuddle up to with a cup of hot cocoa.

The premise of this one was so promising and the cute cover really was appealing. But, unfortunately it fell flat for me. There were some fun aspects of this one that I liked: age gap, witty banter, fake dating, and seeing the personal growth of Caroline, the FMC.

But there were also some parts that were on the confusing side: is Caroline neurodivergent? I would guess so, but the idea was only mentioned once by a supporting character and then never discussed again and I don’t like that the reader was left wondering for hundreds of pages. The timeline was rushed in some places and then there would be big gaps of time between scenes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Pub for the digital copy. My review is honest and voluntary.

Out Tuesday (10/17)! [Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC to review!]

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Caroline is a twenty-two-year-old MBA student with a huge inheritance and trouble connecting with strangers. Adrian is a thirty-three-year-old artist who needs a job. Enter a “sugar baby” arrangement and watch shenanigans (and feelings) ensue.

I really enjoyed Katie’s debut BEAR WITH ME NOW, and was super excited to dive into SWEETEN THE DEAL. I expected to have fun, but I didn’t expect to be so wholly engrossed in the story and the characters that I’ve been thinking about them nonstop for days after finishing the book. Adrian and Caroline were both EXCELLENT—Caroline was wildly relatable (and offered great neurodivergence rep) and Adrian…ugh my sweet soft swoony vaguely obnoxious art guy with a heart of gold, I love him so much.

If I had one complaint it’s just that I wanted a longer epilogue…but I’m a fan of closure and *mostly* I really just wanted more time with these two. Crossing all my fingers that they show up in cameo in Katie’s third novel? Maybe? Please?

Anyway, if you enjoy rom-coms that are sweet but also sizzle and really bring the “com” part, I urge you to pick this one up!

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: fake dating; neurodivergence rep; age gap romance

CW: Ableism; death of a loved one; bullying

A delightful age gap, fake dating, and opposites attract contemporary romance.

After inheriting 2 million dollars from her grandmother, Caroline left Texas to study MBA in Boston. To go live a big life as her grandmother wishes.

Being new in town, Caroline has no friends and decides to find a sugar baby who can show her the city. She finds a starving artist Adrien whose friend signed him up on an escort site. He agrees to be her "guide".

I found the two MCs to be adorable!!! Caroline is insecure and socially awkward but quirky and loves to talk about balance sheets. She has a good heart. Adrien is sweet, and caring, and is just down on luck and recently been dumped by his fiance. I like Tom, Adrien's roommate too! 😘

Sweeten the Deal is a spicy romance peppered with funny dialog. I had some good laughs along the way. I wish Caroline had a friend back home that would make the story more realistic. The pace in the middle was a little slow for me and the conflict near the end didn't feel right. I know the author needs something, but still. I think you'll enjoy it if you're interested in campus life, music, theater, and art. 3.5⭐

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for this DRC.

I love a good age gap romance and this was no exception.

Caroline at the age of 22 is incredibly smart and driven and has worked her way up and is very successful in her work life. When it comes to her personal life. She finds herself very lacking. Never really having a boyfriend or dating or any experience in that arena.

On the other side you have Adrian who is currently coming off the end of a very bad breakup and is sleeping on the couch of his old college roommate. At the age of 33. He's hoping to restart his career and become the artist he's always wanted to be.

Essentially Caroline starts bankrolling Adrian to help him out in his career in exchange he is going to show her different cultures and things in the world.

As they grow to get to know one another they start seeing each other in very different lights. And their relationship because so much more and it's so beautiful to see. This is such a good mix of sweet and innocent and a little bit of raunchy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley publishing for an arc of this book. Loved having the opportunity of reading this.

Caroline is a sheltered 23 year old former tennis player who has recently inherited $2 million from her grandmother so she can “live the life she’s always dreamed.” To do so, Caroline decides to leave her native Texas to get an MBA at a university in Boston. She realizes that she hasn’t experienced anything she’s wanted to: no friends, no boyfriend, no social life and she has no idea how to go about it.

Enter Adrian. Adrian is a 33 yo artist who recently broke up with his gallery owner girlfriend. He’s crashing at his friend’s apartment while deciding his next steps. His friend suggests that Adrian puts up a profile on a “sugar baby” website.

Caroline hires him to show her around Boston and they go to galleries, opera, etc. so she can get a feel for Boston. Adrian encourages her to branch out on her own as well.

This is an interesting romcom concept with the “sugar baby” trope. The age gap isn’t gross as I expected it to be (I’m usually not a fan of age gap romances). I enjoyed Adrian’s roommate and how Caroline became friends with him too. I liked how the relationship between Adrian and Caroline progressed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this eARC. Sweeten the Deal comes out on Oct 17, 2023.

Caroline and Adrian are neither exactly what they seem. They're complex and incredibly different in background, goals and temperament. But they really are made for each other.

This story was cute, the premise different and the characters very likable. I enjoyed watching them process, find out their feelings for each other and I rooted them on to their happily ever after. A fun read.

Thanks to Berkley, the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

Katie Shepard’s novel Sweeten the Deal throws all gender norms and stereotypes in the trash for a sweet, juicy, and unique contemporary romance that was simply refreshing and fun to read. The writing and banter was elevated from the average romance novel (no criticism intended to any novel, just something I noticed about this). I found the story to be subtle and more elegant than what I expected.

Caroline is a sheltered, 22-year-old MBA student who is driven by making her grandmother proud of her. When she inherits $2 million from her grandmother, she suddenly becomes aware by how much she has sacrificed in relationships with others in service of her goals. She doesn’t have friends, a boyfriend, or many experiences outside of school and tennis.

Adrian couldn’t be more different from buttoned up Caroline. He’s a struggling artist with no money, not home of his own, but a wealth of talent and creative energy. If only he had money to fund a gallery, he could finally make something of his passion.

When is roommate lists him on an escort site, he ends up assisting Caroline. Young, naïve, and uninterested in intimacy, Caroline is nothing like he expected. But perhaps she can learn to open herself to culture and creativity while he can get the cash he needs. These two have nothing in common, but it soon becomes clear that they may be exactly what each other needs.

I found it interesting that Caroline wasn’t written as the typical, neurodivergent character whose “quirkiness” is a symptom of her struggles she’s looking to overcome. Instead, Caroline knows exactly who she is, and she’s just looking to open up to more experiences that she shied away from in the past due to her goals.

Caroline has a bright and sunny disposition and a caring soul. I thought she often read older than 22 years, despite her admitted lack of life experience. Caroline is a character who thinks first before leading with her heart, so part of her story with Adrian is about testing the waters in leading with her heart and curiosity rather than pragmatism and intellect.

Adrian was bringing romance and passion, while Caroline is bringing a desire for self-exploration. The two were balanced and somehow compatible. At times gender reversal in romance can feel forced or broken, but it didn’t at all here. There was a symmetry to their dynamic that I can’t quite explain—you’ll have to read it.

An intelligent concept delivered with elegance that is unique to the genre. Feel-good, heartwarming, refreshing, and engaging—this was one of the better romance books for me and I loved it!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

I loved getting to see more of Adrian after Bear With Me. I do wish we would
have had a tad more discussion on if Caroline was neurodivergent, as it felt like it was just thrown in and discarded, but rang very true. I loved the role reversal and that she had the power being the sugar momma. I do wish we had the chance for a little more relationship development to see them go from interested in each other to in love with each other

After seeing one of my favorite author's recommendations, I decided to give Sweeten the Deal a shot. From the get go, I was intrigued by the plot and the Pretty Woman vibes. Unfortunately, the characters didn't do it for me. I found Caroline's naivety unrealistic. I also didn't care for Adrian...the whole using Caroline to go to Art Basel left a sour taste in my mouth. This book just didn't work for me 🙁 Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

This was a fun age gap, fake dating slow burn that sees a wealthy young heiress hiring a struggling older artist she finds on the internet to be her pretend boyfriend. The premise was a little weird for me (read not very plausible/realistic) but if you can get over that, it was a cute opposites attract, friends to lovers, dual POV romance with great narration by Savannah Peachwood. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Caroline and Adrian would never have met had she not inherited all her grandmother's money, moved to Boston, and decided to hire someone to take her around town. She's 22 and naive, to put it mildly - and it's never entirely clear if she's neurodiverse, Adrian is 33, a struggling artist, and a gentleman when it comes to this arrangement,. It's a trope-y one to be sure as the fake dating turns to love but it's got a good heart, And it's nice to get the tour of Boston sights. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A light read,

Sweeten the Deal by Katie Shepard
Narrator: Savannah Peachwood
Rating: 2.5 stars
Steam: 1 chili
Pub date: 10/17

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for my free book and PRH Audio for my complimentary audiobook.

Caroline and Adrian start in a reverse Pretty Woman arrangement, where Caroline pays Adrian for his company. She has recently inherited millions and gone off to college in Boston to pursue a business degree. As a sheltered, socially awkward young person, she has difficulty meeting people, so she signs up for a dating site where she pays for company. No funny business; she just wants someone to take her around Boston and show her the art scene. Enter Adrian: an out-of-work artist sleeping off a bad breakup on his college bestie’s couch. He needs cash fast, matches with Caroline on the app, and becomes her sugar baby. Despite the ten-year age gap (Caroline is 23 and Adrian is 33), they start to develop feelings for each other, but are they too different to make it work?

Do you ever read a book and feel like you missed a few chapters somehow? That’s how this book felt to me. There were a few times when I couldn’t figure out how we got from A to B. By the time Adrain was telling Caroline he was in love with her, I almost wanted to go back and find any evidence that he even liked her through this entire book.

And I’m very confused about Caroline. Is she on the spectrum? Adrian’s friend fleetingly mentions this, and it’s never brought up again. Or was she just sheltered to the point that she doesn’t understand how anything works? Either way, I think her naivety was incredibly overdone.

Everyone she meets is mean to her, except for one friend at school, Adrian’s roommate, and Adrian himself. There are constant jabs about her wardrobe and haircut, and she never seems to know how to act or what to do in any situation. I just wish I had a clearer idea about what we were working with so I could empathize more with her character. Her naivety made her seem almost childlike, making her relationship with Adrian feel super creepy.

And Adrian. Ugh. He’s such a snob and so whiny. I couldn’t relate to him, I didn’t like him, and I’m honestly not sure I even understand his decision about his career in the end.

I listened to this mostly on audio, and I while I liked the narrator, it would have been a much more enjoyable experience if there was a male narrator for Adrian’s POV.

Overall, this really didn’t work for me. But, this book has a 4-star average rating on Goodreads, so this is clearly just a me problem. I would encourage anyone who likes opposites attract, age gap, the Boston art scene, fake dating, and slow-burn romance to give this one a chance.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book!

This book was really fun and quirky. I liked the premise of fake dating, a sugar baby type situation, and the differences in the two main characters. The female main character, Caroline, was such a contract to the male main character, Adrian. I liked the contrasts between their personalities and general styles of engaging with each other.

I don't think this book will be for everyone, but, I loved the age gap romance. Adrian actually gave me Mr. Darcy vibes with his thoughtfulness and reservation, and Caroline's attitude was reminiscent of Lizzie. I thought this book was so well done! This is the type of trope that could easily have gone wrong, but Katie Shepard does it right in this story! I enjoyed every aspect of the story. Despite the inherent steaminess of the will they/won't they vibe between Caroline and Adrian, this is definitely a slow burn romance.

Overall, I enjoyed this one very much! I'm looking forward to Katie Shepard's new work!

Star Rating: 4⭐️

I really enjoyed this unique spin on the fake dating trope - a sugar baby arrangement where the younger woman is the sugar momma. This arrangement is more based in friendship for Caroline and watching the romance develop between Caroline and Adrian was really enjoyable.

This was my first read from Katie Shepard but will definitely pick up more from her in the future.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

4.5✨️

Wow, this book was an experience. I lived and loved it so hard! It also made me realize that my reading slumps of late have been caused by burnout on romcoms, with all the same vibe, banter and tropes. But this was so refreshing! Like that first rain after many hot days of summer. You love summer, but sometimes you need to cool off, you know?

Anyways. That's my rambly first impression as I just finished reading this in two sittings. Such an interesting and unique spin on Romance, I need more of them. Point me in the right direction and I will read it, no question asked.

If you want to put it into nowadays tropes boxes, we could say it's a super slow burn, age gap, angsty, dry humorous Romance.

But it's more than that. Beside the reverse Pretty Woman vibe, which was original and fun on its own, it also has this bohemian, artistic, out of the box vibe. I want to see it as a movie so bad!!!

No fuss, no muss, no drama, just two unlikely characters finding and needing each other in some low points in their life. The way their relationship progressed was so realistic and organic, it gave me butterflies. He is a recently single and broke artist, out of options to get out of the hole his career and personal life has sunk into.

She is a newly rich, sensitive, big hearted, sweet to the point of naive student who has been playing tennis and studying all her life, being sheltered, controlled and put into a cage by her family. She wants to live life but has no one do it with, no experience or social skills to speak of. He used to live the life, but now he has no finances to survive day by day, let alone live, go out and socialize. Hence their partnership starts. She has the money, he has the plans. And it slowly becomes more.

The culture referrences, the dates, the galleries, the struggling artist MC, the very subtle yet profound and tentative mutual pining (without the usual in your face horniness and one-mind-track speels), the growth, the communication, the clever, nuanced and poetic writing without the cliche bluster and loud voices, the smart and realistic characters... It all makes a great package.

I'm truly impressed and grateful for having experienced such a story. It may not be for everyone, it may not stick to tiktok trends, but it's a great story that I would wholeheartedly recommend. Actually, it's the kind of story that I'd recommend even to my non-reader friends, because there is so much for everyone in it. It's a balm for the soul and a tonic for the mind.

Thank you so much Berkley for the ARC and the opportunity to read this.