This has been one of my most anticipated books since finishing Meet You in the Middle in 2021! I about fell off my bed when it showed up on my kindle. And let me just tell you Devon did NOT disappoint with this one. It was EVERYTHINGGGG

I read it in 24 hours like I was in a fever dream. You know all that serotonin that floods your system when you watch your favorite 2000s romcom? Ya, this one has that in spades! Rivals to lovers, trying out 1950s dating tips, one sided fake dating, Friends references, an epic love confession, a dog?! Byeee, rip to me 🫠🫠🫠

Daniels is probably one of the sharpest/wittiest (is that a word) authors I have ever read. She’s able to subtly comment on the times of the day in a way that feels timeless. Daniels weaves in the most amazing pop culture references and sarcasm throughout her novels that make the story that much more compelling. The pacing is perfect, the dialogue is smart, the descriptions are written in a way that I feel like I’m actually there. I can so clearly picture the story playing out in my mind that I have no doubt any of her novels would make the next best romcom movie - and I’m actually begging for them to be adapted. The way your favorite rom com feels like a comfort blanket you can rewatch every single, is the same feeling you get from a book written by Daniels!

I want to thank Devon Daniels herself for gifting me my advance copy of "The Rom Con," through her publisher via NetGalley. That said, all opinions are my own. Please note this review has some soft spoilers.

Summary: Cassidy is your Manhattan-branded woman; career-driven, feminist, and irrevocably single because she can't find a man that's outgrown his college fraternity mindset. As a project for her women-operated journalism site, she decides to plan a take down of her professional rival, Jack. While incorporating old fashioned dating advice from her grandmother, Cassidy goes on planned dates with Jack in attempt to find him making snide comments about women that support the mission of his man-operated journalism site. While hoping to catch Jack in the act of being an old fashioned womanizer, Cassidy finds that Jack is a gentleman, one that she really likes too. Their romance ensues and of course, gets complicated. But like all great romances, true love perseveres, and all grandmothers will hold their granddaughters accountable.

I ate this book up faster than Cookie Monster eats cookies. I have very high expectations for books that involve feminism/battle of the sexes. I have found that some recent battle of the sex romance books are imbalanced and have a power dynamic. Some with a female main character that is all too dominant and promotes the "independent woman who doesn't need a man" stereotype to the point where her romantic relationship really doesn't make sense. And others with a strong woman character that completely loses all integrity as soon as she gets a boyfriend. And the first thing I loved about "The Rom Con" was the beautiful balance Daniels gave to this seemingly impossible dichotomy. Cassidy, our leading lady, is constantly expressing where her boundaries are (some as a ploy and others for real), and we see time and time again, her insecurities about falling for a man like Jack. Jack on the other hand, I wish were real. He's a lovable, redeemable tall dark haired white man, and he's capable of stopping the career-driven Cassidy in her tracks.

I deeply appreciated the relationship Cassidy had with her grandmother, as that is something I was never able to experience as a child or an adult and I can only imagine what my grandmothers would have to say as far as dating advice goes. I found myself rethinking some of my own dating philosophies the more Cassidy talked with her grandmother, one example (spoiler) being that it's okay to want to take care of your man, and that it shows him you care. It wasn't until the very end of the book when Gran explains that her late husband also did things to take care of her that I remembered it's a two way street in a relationship. It isn't always one person's job to take care of another, (but frankly, most of what we see from the "olden days" as far as the role of the woman, are the homemaking responsibilities that were largely the responsibility of the woman, and thank goodness we've grown past that.) With that out there, these moments in "The Rom Con" had me thinking about how there are different ways couples can take care of each other outside of stereotypical, old-fashioned gender norms.

Beyond all that, this romance book had everything a good rom-com should. The pacing was excellent, and like in her debut novel "Meet You in the Middle," Daniels shows an early mastery of something that some of the most seasoned authors struggle with. "The Rom Con" had lovable and relatable characters, with real-human experiences, that are sometimes lacking from romance. I adored Jack, as he was a man written by a woman, and I found Cassidy charming and someone that I shared many opinions and experiences with. The banter was top-tier and I smiled at every pop culture reference there was (mostly because I understood them, thank you Devon for including references that seemed built to my interests.) The swoon-worthy moments seemed extra swoon-worthy simply because they were something you should get from a great rom-com, romantic moments that make you jealous and inspire your own wants in a relationship. This book was wonderful from start to finish. The plot moved quickly and didn't dwell on side plots that ended up unnecessary for the whole story. Everything included was written to drive the story of Jack and Cassidy.

Overall, I loved this book and it lived up to my expectations one-hundred percent. I liked that it made me rethink our modern ideas of dating by swiping and the older ideas of courtship. I don't entirely agree with either model and I think this book emphasizes that we can pick and choose pieces of each model to create truly authentic relationships in the modern world of technology. Jack might be one of my favorite book boyfriends and I adored Cassidy for so many reasons that I wish she were a real person I could have a glass of wine with. I will recommend this book to friends and family as it has the banter and quick wit to engage younger audiences and the nostalgia that older generations will smile at. I commend Devon Daniels, she's done it again, and I want to thank her again for pre-approving me to read this galley. I really don't think I could have waited until November and I'm very excited to take my galley to NYC this fall to read one of the scenes in Central Park just because that's where it's meant to be read.

After a brutal breakup, journalist, Cassidy Sutton is finished with dating, until her well-meaning grandmother presents her with the end all of 1950s housewife training manuals: "125 tips to hook a husband" A spark of inspiration later and Cassidy decides to write a column disproving this book and its so-called tips. And who else should she test these on if not her annoyingly handsome professional rival Jack Bradford?
This book left a genuine stitch in my side from stifling giggles. Modern, punchy, and hilarious, The Rom Con is a clear ode to "how to lose a guy in 10 days". An absolutely delightful rival to lovers read that will put a smile on your face.

It sounded great and was right up my alley. I absolutely love the way she writes though and think she’s a great story teller. I just sadly didn’t resonate with any of the characters. Just because I didn’t enjoy it doesn’t mean it’s a bad book.

Devon Daniels, of polarizing fame with her debut Meet You In The Middle, has returned with another similar book but instead of politics she's diving into the patriarchy. It's very How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Cassidy works for Siren, a feminist news website. Jack is the co-founder of Brawler, a misogynistic news website. When Cassidy's grandmother offers her some 1950s dating advice to overcome her most recent break up, she takes that as a pitch to Siren. She'll test out the advice on unwitting men and write a think piece on it. Okay, fine. Perfect. Let's go.

Then she meets Jack and the plan grows like it's on steroids. He can be her subject of all the 1950s advice and when he unwittingly reveals himself as the misogynistic creep Cassidy knows he must be, Siren will spring the trap on him and take down Brawler once and for all. I mean, that seems ethically shady and grounds for a potential lawsuit, but let's ignore that bit of reality, shall we?

The problem is Jack isn't interested in playing along with her 1950s advice and turns out to be a good guy who likes regular Cassidy. Cassidy is flummoxed--how to get him to be the misogynist she knows he is deep down?

The Rom Con did really hook me over and over again. I felt like Cassidy's voice was readable and fun, even though I did not understand at least half of her constant pop culture references. I felt like the plot trucked along at a quick pace and anyone could spend a couple of days reading this by a pool and be perfectly happy with their choices.

But I can't give it five stars. I felt like the book shied away from the theme and even got a little confused about what it was trying to do. Comparing Siren and Brawler, and by proxy feminists and misogynists, and taking the stance that feminism can be just as toxic as misogyny supposes that a) feminism and misogyny are two sides of the same coin (they are not) and b) that men and women are on equal footing and that one sex has not been oppressing the other since the dawn of civilization. But I'm a feminist, so what do I know?

I was also disappointed in the book's resolution. The love interest's direct connection to Brawler is never interrogated and he is repeatedly viewed through this lens as The Sane One Here, while Cassidy is forced to confront her own mindset repeatedly. Jack gets off scot-free, simply writing off his creation as a thing for 18-24 year old men, never mind that he's wildly popular with men in their 30s. He essentially says, "Not all men, Cassidy!" and Cassidy essentially agrees. Then he's too easily redeemed considering his ultimate reactions were over the top in comparison to the main character's sins, which did not nearly rise to the same level as his actions. Mostly everything felt like deal breakers to me and it was hard to impossible to get back on board with the HEA, so I imagine reactions to this with readers will vary.

A good solid rom-com! I had enjoyed the author’s previous work, Meet You in the Middle. I love books where the characters have great chemistry with witty banter. I think this is where Devon Daniels really shines. When I saw The Rom Con was available as an eARC, I knew I had to request it. Best of all, as someone who appreciates vintage fashion and movies, I knew I had to read this. I was not disappointed by all the humour, swoony moments, and witty dialogue. Jack and Cassidy made a great couple and I thought the ending was sweet. The conflicts were a little silly sometimes, but it added to the drama and kept it interesting. I didn’t always agree with the author’s take on feminism, but it didn’t detract me from enjoying the book. However, as a librarian, I might not always suggest or professionally recommend this book because of that. It would depend on the patron and their book preferences.

Three things I love about this book:
Retro/Vintage everything.
Pop Culture references like crazy
Banter. Smart, smart banter

I adored Daniels first book so much and have been anxiously waiting for her sophomore novel to appear. It was absolutely worth the wait. When Cassidy's gran gives her some books and articles of dating advice from the 50's, she laughs. And then decides to use these tools to "catch a man" for an article for her job. This story levels up when her chosen target is rival website owner, Jack.

What Cassidy doesn't expect is for the tips to actually work and for Jack to be not only a little resistant, but more than she expected. It's smart and completely swoony. It's filled with excellent family and friends. It was completely bingeable and practically perfect. I can't wait to put my hands on a paper copy and reread parts as needed.

I liked Cassidy and Jack, and they seemed to be a good couple. The book was solidly fine. I finished it two nights ago, and I don't remember much of it, other than that some of the problems felt contrived. It was standard Rom-Com fare, as expected. There were a ton of pop culture references that felt appropriate since they both worked in media, but the references really did get old. Some of them felt really dated, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

This was just what I wanted. It’s sweet, romantic, important and funny. Cassidy and Jack are such real characters and perfectly shine on the page. They are so real and flawed but work together to find their way to one another. Overall, I liked the cute story. It was unique in the offerings of romance novels that are out there.

I cannot even begin to say how much I enjoyed The Rom Com by Devon Daniels. I have a very full and long review to post but as I am recovering at the moment I just wanted to put down some quick thoughts. I’m always fond of a great book and Berkley never disappoints, but this may be one of my absolute favorites so far. How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days ha also been a huge favorite movie of mine so any book that has that type of vibe immediately grabs my attention. I feel there have been books trying to similarly capture what that movie had in book firm, but no one has quite got it like Devon Daniels. I was immediately drawn in and could picture Kate Hudson speaking the words of our book heroine. I loved her relationship with her grandmother, the relatable dialogue, and let’s not forget our love interest who was layered and interesting much Like Matthew McConaughey s character not just one dimensional. The cover was absolutely gorgeous and I know our readers are going to love this one! Definitely going to make this a book club pick and can’t wait to share my full review. Beyond thank ful Berkley I needed a great read to get me out of my reading slump and you outdid yourselves.