Loved this book. It was fun and had witty dialogues, characters to fall in love with and an unexpected wildness of the main characters. It definitely made me want to read more books featuring the theme of the MCs acknowledging their mistakes while not falling on their swords for them. Adored it!

Four stars. Wonderful characters and plot. Fun Rom Com!! Will be recommending and reading anything in the future from this author. Thank you for the title. Love Ashley's work.

I adored The Boyfriend Candidate. It’s well-written and with such fantastic characters that I am still thinking about it many days later. I loved the swoony slow-burn romance and the chemistry between the protagonists, the friendships and family ties and there are also a few adorable kittens!!!

The protagonist is Alexis Stone who is on a mission: have her very first one-night-stand. So, she goes to a bar, she meets a handsome stranger, they hit it off right away, and they get a room in a hotel to spend the night together. Everything is going better than she could have hoped until the fire alarm goes off and they have to leave the hotel, half-naked. Their escape from the hotel is caught on camera and when the handsome stranger, better known as Logan Arthur, turns out to be a candidate on the run as the next governor of Texas, Alexis finds herself thrown into the world of politics and elections in her role as Logan’s fake girlfriend.

I really liked the character of Alexis. An introverted school librarian and relatable book nerd who’s always lived in the shadow of her successful and fearless sister and is still struggling with issues from her parents’ divorce. Even though she doesn’t like being the center of attention and public speaking, being Logan’s fake girlfriend gives Alexis the chance to grow and come out of the shadows to fight for what she believes in.

The romance is very well-developed. Opposites attract and fake dating go along perfectly with witty banter and flirting that kept me completely immersed in the story. I loved every single page of this beautiful, entertaining, and sexy story and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

The plot started off very well however I felt it did slow for the remaining which was a pity as it did start off strong and I was rooting for the characters.

<b>ONE MILLION STARS I LOVEEDDDD THIS!! </b>

God, it's been so long I've read a book I legit couldn't put down. I LOVED THIS.

Both Logan and Alexia were such incredibly likable characters, I wanted to hug both of them all the time.

I have no words for how much I love the fake dating trope and this one... was executed to perfection. Logan and Alexis had so much chemistry and support for each other, despite constantly trying to outsmart the other.

There was no insta-love, their attraction was there from the beginning, but their connection grew over the course of two months.

I had no idea this book would include so much talk about politics, and I'm not a fan of that but it didn't take away the charm from the book.

I loved how all the characters were quite well rounded - including Will, oh I LOVED Will. I usually hate love triangles but here, I couldn't help but root for everyone. But well, my heart belonged to Logan. I legit cried and SWOONED when they kissed in the library.

Oh and Zoey, Zoey was lovely, always inviting Logan to stuff, and supporting Alexis. We need more female characters supporting each other without competing with each other.

AND MAN, finally, the steamy scenes. I've been reading a lot of closed-door romances lately, not by choice, just didn't know it beforehand, and this one was such a great change. I absolutely loved it. HOT. We should've had more of them dating for real.

I loved Lee, despite she seemed a bit distant at first, but she had great character growth at the end. I truly, truly adored this book. I wish it were a movie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing a free arc in exchange for an honest review. I'll definitely read more of Ashley Winsted's books now.

What an absolute joy of a book. Funny, witty, romantic and so so charming! Highly recommended for lovers of this genre

Alexis meets politician ,Logan, determined to be a more outgoing character . With the race for state governor on, they cook up a false romance . - but will it stay false? perfect holiday reading, an insight into American politics .

This book was a solid romance! I enjoyed seeing the political side of the ML's job, while not also being too bombarded with buzzwords. I also enjoyed how the FL actually had a direct hand in bringing forward policies important to her, as I feel like it would have been easy to make her character stay away from the limelight. all in all I would definitely recommend this title to anyone who enjoys romance, 3.45 stars!.

I loved this, it was such a fun faced paced book. I loved the writing and the storyline, the characters felt so real. A new fave.

I love a good romance, and this one was wonderful! It had witty banter, and lovable characters. I was rooting for them the whole way through!

A laugh our loud rom-com that is definitely one of my favorite books of the year.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

📖The Boyfriend Candidate @ashleywinsteadbooks .
It was such a cute read definitely a slow burn which drove me nuts but loved it. Logan was such a sweet guy he was absolutely obsessed with Alexis from the beginning which was even cuter. I wished we would’ve gotten a longer ending as it felt a bit rush however I’m excited to see if there is a possible sequel 👀 I would totally read it.

It is definitely a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read but obviously, this is my opinion and I highly recommend reading this on your selves.
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Thank you to @netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest thoughts :)

Wow, what a beautifully moving story. I was hooked from the beginning. I devoured it and couldn't wait to follow Logan and Alexis's story. It was so romantic, I'm thoroughly in love with the characters, all of them were just so great! A fantastic book. Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is not my usual sort of book but I am pleased to say that I really enjoyed it. 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

This book was everything I hoped it'd be and more - sexy, smart, empowering, and hilarious, all in one go. I've read a few of the author's other books but not her romances, and now I'll be going to the library to check out as many as I can get my hands on!

Ashley Winstead has written an incredible protagonist in Alexis; she's identifiable, relatable, and so wholesome you want nothing more than for her to succeed. It's lucky she meets Logan, a charming and *good* politician (so rare!!) and you know from the very first instant that they're destined to be together and change Texas.

Normally I wouldn't recommend a political-leaning book, mostly because I feel so world weary around the subject, but this is a masterpiece. Logan is exactly who you'd want real politicians to be... and everything the light touches (Patches, Zoey, even thorny Nora) is a beautifully fleshed out character.

Thank you so much for the advance copy, I can't wait to tell everyone I love about this!

i feel like this book has the perfect mix of a good plot, fun characters and LOL + swoon worthy moments

it's the first book of the author i've read and i'll definitely be back for some more!!

the book follows Alexis Stone who in the beginning is a shy librarian; on the anniversary of her ex-boyfriend cheating, she goes out to challenge herself and step out of her comfort zone

this is where she meets Logan and they seem to be hitting it off......until he, quite literally, takes off after seeing cameras

turns out the man is none other than Logan Arthur, who is running for governor

so when pictures of the two of them come out, his team sees no other option than proposing they start fake-dating

and fake-date they do ;)

i absolutely love the fake-dating trope and the author did it more than justice!!

at first Alexis and Logan seem like opposites, but boy oh boy do these opposites attract

i loved everything about them together; Logan really brought such a beautiful side out of Alexis

he was her biggest cheerleader and pushed her to be her best self; we stan

i love how Alexis in the end actually achieved what she set out to at the beginning of the book; we see her grow, become more confident in herself and her ideas

it's safe to say i loved reading this book; i devoured it in one sitting and honestly had a hard time putting it down

thank you to Netgalley and Ashley Winstead for the ARC❤️

I'm rounding up to 3.5 stars, making it a solid and entertaining 4-star read!

I enjoyed witnessing Alexia's character growth and her journey to assert herself. However, her sister Lee and love interest Logan rubbed me the wrong way. They both displayed alpha attitudes that I didn't appreciate when it came to my beloved Alexis! That's why I couldn't give it a full five stars!

A special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for generously providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Whenever I picked this up it was ✨impossible✨to put down.

Logan and Alexis are the perfect grumpyxsunshine fake dating couple from the get go. Though it was obvious where there story would end, the twists and turns throughout had my heart melting and even a tear or two.

The representation in this was fantastic and done in a way that wasn’t juxtaposed from the rest of the story, which you can see a lot of in hetero romance novels. Cary is up there as my favourite side character!

Every relationship Alexis has is so well written, especially the one she has with herself. It’s not just a ‘silly little romance’, the internal growth that Alexis goes through for the duration of the book is one that I’m sure will resonate with a lot of young women.

Thank you Aria or Aries and NetGalley for the ARC 🥰

THE BOYFRIEND CANDIDATE - ASHLEY WINSTEAD

RATING:
4 OUT OF 5 STARS

ABOUT THE BOOK:
As a school librarian, Alexis Stone is known to be on the timid and shy side of people. As a little sister to an overarchiver senator, she in contrast, likes to hide behind the scenes, her nose deep into a book.
But she is hung up on something her ex accused her of. So to shake off her true persona, she decides she needs to live a little. What better way to achieve it than having some fun and engaging with a handsome stranger in a one night stand?

Too bad, their steamy night is cut short and he leaves her high and dry on the street. What's even worse? Her face being plastered on numerous publishings, stating to be the latest notch on the new hotshot senate candidate's belt.


REVIEW:

I love me some fake dating trope, and when its purpose is to mask a PR disaster? Sign me up!
This was my first novel by the author, and it was the perfect beach read for my vacation.
I did not expect it to be a true romantic comedy, as nowadays often it's a throwaway description of romance, but it truly was hilarious!
Of course, there were moments where I was profusely slapping my head in disbelief, but those quirky moments aside, it provided depth I wasn't expecting. The storyline about the FMC's dad, the warped perception of childhood and trauma, the life of a sister for a popular person were all lined up pretty neatly and provided understanding of the main character.
I loved Logan and his chaotic team. How unbashadly truthful he was to what he believed in.

Winstead's penmanship shone through the pages, she is a crafted writer, who knows how to keep up the attention, where to push and pull certain characters and specific scenes.
The only negative was maybe how current the politics seemed, which, for a foreigner, was maybe too 'American'.
Other than that, I really did enjoy the story, would recommend it, as I was able to keep moments, anecdotes from it well after reading.


TROPES FOR YOUR PLEASURE:

- forced proximity
- fake dating
- romantic comedy
- meet cute
- mutual pining
- one night stand

On the anniversary of her ex-boyfriend cheating on and leaving her school librarian Alexis Stone decides she's going to have a one night stand. Enter Logan Arthur foul mouthed, filterless and gorgeous he's her complete opposite but after some flirting sparks fly and Alexis thinks she's finally going to get her one night stand! Just as she's away to fulfill it the hotel catches fire after being struck by lightening as Logan and Alexis flee the hotel Logan is photographed carrying Alexis and disappears. Alexis has no idea what's gone wrong until pictures of her and Logan appear online and she realises he's the candidate to become governor in Texas. To stop it becoming a scandal Logans team decide it would be good for them to pretend to be dating. What could possibly go wrong?

I loved this. This was so fun and fast paced and I flew through it. I loved Logan and Alexis and really rooted for their relationship. I loved watching Alexis change from the shy meek woman to having the confidence to go out and get what she wanted. The only thing I didn't enjoy was how much Lee her sister intruded on her life by setting her up with people when she knew what was at stake. I only wish there had been more of the relationship between Alexis and Logan before the end. Overall a great fake dating romance I really enjoyed this.