I’ll never say no to an opportunity to read a fake dating, forced-proximity, destination romance, so I was very excited to dive into In a Not So Perfect World! I love traveling to fun locations through books, and this one is set in a place I’ve been before (Turks & Caicos) so I could picture the water and the sand and the balmy breezes off the ocean. I initially had fun with this one. It was heartwarming and got me in the feels at times, but I also felt like things spiraled out of control and ultimately fizzled. Anyway, let’s discuss.

Right off the bat, things started strong for me. Sloane has a unique and sexy meet-cute with Charlie, who for some reason she doesn’t know is her super hot neighbor. Like, actual neighbor. Not a down the hall or one floor above kind of neighbor. She can see his door from her door. How does one miss a guy like Charlie?? They’re both reeling from recent break-ups and when he offers her his ex-girlfriend’s spot on his fancy tropical vacation (to make his ex jealous, of course) she reluctantly agrees to go, thinking it would be nice to get away from the possibility of running into her own ex. We’ve seen this premise before, so it’s obvious that shenanigans will ensue and the feelings will flow. This storyline is my kryptonite, and I quickly settled in. But things grew clunky for me as I read more.

I liked Charlie a lot and thought he was sweet and very caring. His punny t-shirts were very entertaining. Sloane wasn’t as easy to like. I wanted to see a strong woman challenge the norm in an often male-dominated sector of the business world, but she practically laid down and invited these guys at the video game company to wipe their feet on her. Watching her value herself so little was infuriating. I did LOVE her dog. Her dog is my favorite character in this book. Charlie and Sloane are cute together, and they have some very silly, chaotic interactions that I wish I had seen more of. When they got deep into their banter, I couldn’t contain my smiles. They have some purely golden moments. However, they got boring. I wanted to see these two spending more time enjoying the resort and sightseeing together than sitting on their balcony having the same conversations over and over again. There was a LOT of sitting around talking about their past struggles, and I did start to skim at times when things began to drag. The fake dating plot was seriously overshadowed and nearly wiped out completely because the emphasis was on their painful pasts instead of leaning into the fake dating and the forced-proximity tropes. I really enjoyed the connection they developed but, I can’t believe I’m saying this, when all was said and done I actually liked the friendship parts of their relationship much more than the romantic parts. The romance developed so slowly that when it finally happened it was all way too fast. It’s like they fell in love because this book is supposed to be a romance instead of general fiction, and I didn’t believe in it.

This might be a bit spoilery (maybe?), so stop reading here if you’re worried. The third-act break-up was so long that, again, the romance was unbelievable. I was getting Elsa feelings like… how do you fall in love with someone you just met and hardly know? A week-long vacation, followed by months of not even being on speaking terms does not a love story make. The ending is so messy. For all the conflict and drama that Sloane had to wade through, things were wrapped up too quickly and too perfectly. Like the romance, the ending came out of nowhere. There was so much more that could have been done to let Sloane really shatter the glass ceiling of video game design, but it all fizzled. I wanted more oomf from her. More power. I wanted to be jumping up and down, fist-pumping, and living vicariously through a strong woman that actually declared her worth and stuck it to a group of misogynistic, egotistical men. I wanted her to grow a spine, but she never did. At least, she didn’t on-page. She put up with so much crap and I never got the satisfaction of her telling anyone off about it. So much of what happens in the epilogue should have happened in the story, with details on how we got there. Instead, the ending seriously just happens and then an “oh, by the way, let me tie up some loose ends really quick” epilogue was slapped on at the end. “This happened and this happened and this happened…” NO!! As a reader, I want to see an ending happen. I don’t want to be told about it after it’s over. This issue right here is what made me give the book a much lower rating than I was planning. The last 15%-20% made the entire book plummet for me. All in all, this was not what I wanted.

One of my earliest reflections of In a Not So Perfect World was how much character there was in the first few chapters. These characters immediately enter the page with flair, unique qualities, and a characteristic of being memorable. I loved Sloane from the beginning. We always love a career driven video game developer who just wants to be taken seriously. To be given a shot. In a Not So Perfect World balances the toxic masculinity and sexism of the video game sphere with Sloane's desires to make a space, an impact, of her own.

A flirty, feel good vacation romance between Sloane, a South Asian American female video game designer recently dumped and Charlie, her hot neighbor who is also fresh off a breakup. When he proposes Sloane accompany him on a vacation for two to Turks and Caicos he had planned to go on with his former girlfriend, the two find themselves slowly falling in love while Sloane works on a designing a game to win a new job and finds out she's competing with her ex. I liked but didn't love this one. It was good on audio and a quick, light-hearted read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this romantic Caribbean adventure! I always adore Neely's voice and this book lived up to Love Buzz! The fake dating was so well done, and I always love the forced proximity trope. A must-read for sure!

LOVED this one! Sharp dialogue, good pacing, a sense of humor, and plenty of spice. Tubati-Alexander writes so smoothly that it's easy to get lost in the narrative - the mark of a good book! Loved it.

I loved the push and pull in this book! I think it really worked well that when they were out of town it was pretty focused on the two of them with no distractions. The thing that frustrated me the most was what I felt was a false conflict with Catapult keeping her apart from Charlie. I am certainly not saying the world of video gaming is not horribly misogynistic. But even in this world it is not acceptable to so blatantly try to dictate your employees personal lives. So I hated that part. But everything else I loved.

"In a Not So Perfect World" by Neely Tubati Alexander is a delightful rom-com that effortlessly blends humor with heartfelt moments. The story follows Sloane Cooper, a talented video game designer who faces pressure to prioritize her career over romance. However, when she unexpectedly agrees to accompany her *super hot* neighbor, Charlie, on a vacation to Turks and Caicos, Sloane finds herself catching unexpected feelings. Sloane's plan to focus on her video game development during the trip is thrown off course as she navigates the complexities of love and career. Despite her initial reluctance, Sloane soon discovers that she may have found more than just a vacation companion in Charlie.

Neely Tubati Alexander skillfully tackles themes of balancing love and career, challenging unfair societal expectations placed on women, and overcoming heartbreak. What sets this rom-com apart is its ability to address these serious topics in a lighthearted and playful manner, without diminishing their importance.

Overall, "In a Not So Perfect World" is a charming read that will leave readers smiling. Alexander's witty writing and endearing characters make this book a must-read for fans of rom-coms.

This was a cute and funny story about finding love after a breakup. I really enjoyed Sloane and Charlie’s energies - they balanced each other well. I liked learning about the world of gaming and unfortunately found the sexist heads of Catapult to be very realistic. If I am ever asked about my personal life in an interview it would be a big nope for me if I was offered the job. The majority of the story takes place in Turks and Caicos and it was delightful - I am ready for my next beach vacation!

If the cheery cover to In a Not So Perfect World by Neely Tubati Alexander didn’t pull you in already, then hopefully this glowing, gushing review will convince you that this is the perfect uplifting romance you need right now!

Sloane Cooper is a heartbroken video game designer. She found out the man that she thought was the love of her life had been cheating on her, and she was left to pick up the pieces of her heart after the shock of betrayal. Sloane tries to avoid all of those messy heartbreak feelings by throwing herself into her career aspirations to work a dream job at Catapult—a top video game company. But in her very first interview it seems the all-male team is skeptical about her focus, until she promises to remain single and not let her personal life interfere with her dedication to her work (can you imagine a male having to promise the same thing?).

Sloane isn’t too worried about remaining single, until she meets her hot neighbor Charlie who surprises her by asking her to go on a trip to a resort in Turks and Caicos. Sloane may barely know Charlie, but he’s hoping to win back his ex by a bit of good old-fashioned jealousy. Perhaps a mysterious new girlfriend is just what he needs. Sloane agrees to the vacation, figuring a bit of island paradise might help her creative energy working on a game design for Catapult.

Sloane may have looked at this as an opportunity for a free trip, but she didn’t count on how attracted she is to Charlie—not just his looks, but also his kindness and supportive nature. As their connection deepens, Sloane can’t help but worry about her commitment to stay single and land her dream job. Not to mention that Charlie is still hoping to win back his ex, isn’t he? Sloane will need to avoid falling for Charlie if she hopes to land the job—but maybe she really can have it all?

The meet cute between Sloane and Charlie in a bar is adorable. Don’t we all dream of meeting a hot neighbor who invites us on vacation? Unfortunately, Charlie was desperate to make his ex jealous—not ideal if you’re hoping he falls in love with you. But Sloane also needs to stay single. Paradise does have a way of turning platonic friendship towards the romantic, though…

Charlie is a very likable leading male. Sometimes with a story like this where a couple is forced together, the author draws tension from the characters being a bit surly toward one another at first. That doesn’t happen with Charlie. He is hurting from his break up, but he also makes an effort to actually have fun with Sloane and have a good vacation. The whole trip isn’t solely about the photographable moments to make someone jealous.

The romance develops in a lovely, slow way. This isn’t a hot and heavy physical attraction that revs up right away. Of course Sloane is attracted to Charlie, but their relationship felt organic and their chemistry is undeniable. Sloane may be trying to focus on work, but she can’t help it when feelings start to develop for Charlie.

An adorable romance in an idyllic location and two compelling leads make this an easy, breezy read with a heartwarming ending!

It is rare that I get time to myself but I had that after dropping my daughter back at college after Spring Break and in that time I finished this absolutely delightful book. Love Buzz was a favorite in 2023 and In a Not So Perfect World is in no way a Sophomore slump by Ms. Alexander. The characters in this book are just delightful but not without their share of foibles. Sloane has always loved playing video games and is now poised to get her big break at the biggest gaming company. Coming off a pretty bad break up, she doesn't even flinch when the 3 men ask her to basically devote herself to the company and stay single. Yes, it's all kind of illegal but I get the feeling this isn't uncommon in these types of companies. Enter, Charlie, the hot neighbor guy she kissed at the bar the other day and his offer for a paid vacation after his horrible break up.

Sloane thinks that she can use the vacation to work on her game demo for her final interview without interruptions but her best friend, Tess knows that she's going with the biggest distraction there could be, Charlie. While he is a distraction, he's also encouraging to Sloane and understands how much this interview and job mean to her. He even plays her games.

Of course it's not without misunderstandings and wrong turns and silence. Both Charlie and Sloane have baggage and Sloane has some control issues she needs to deal with as well. I did love the ending to this book and hope that they both get their happily ever after.

Sloane is a video game designer who recently goes on her dream job interview at one of the most successful game company in the country.
This is a field that is dominated by men. They interview Sloan and ask her to remain single and fully dedicated to the job. At first, Sloane didn't give the request a second through because she just ended her relationship with Zane, who cheated on her.

Sloane gets to know Charlie, who she meets at a bar and realizes he is "The Hot Neighbor Guy" who also just got out of an relationship. Charlie surprises Sloane and invites her to an all inclusive vacation to The Turks and Caicos. Well, needless to say, Sloane says yes, but the catch is that she would have to pose as Charlie's new girlfriend and to make his old flame come back to him.

There were several sweet moments and adventures on the island. I really enjoyed this slow-burn romance and the character development between Sloane and Charlie. The beach setting in the Turks and Caicos make this for a perfect beach read!

Neely Tubati Alexander's "In a Not So Perfect World" offers a heartening and effortless romance that will leave readers feeling restored. Sloane, a video game designer, and Charlie, an actor, cross paths at a bar, where Sloane's friend challenges her to kiss a stranger. She chooses Charlie, only to realize later that he's her neighbor. He and Sloane are both healing from traumatic breakups, with Charlie having recently planned a pricey trip to Turks and Caicos for his now-ex-girlfriend. In an effort to provoke jealousy and spur her to reconsider, he invites Sloane instead. Meanwhile, Sloane has just interviewed for her dream job, only to be told that having a relationship would make her ineligible for consideration due to the company's men-only secret policy. (And it's illegal!) To secure the coveted job, Sloane must also create a distinctive gaming concept to present. She realizes that a tropical getaway might be just the thing to spark her creativity and provide the peace and quiet she needs. As they soak up the sun and spend time together, Sloane and Charlie find themselves drawn to each other despite their respective heartbreaks. Charlie was a character who was impossible not to love, despite the pain and struggles he had faced in his past breakup. He had a natural ability to make everything fun and exuded joy and happiness, and it felt like he was someone you could easily be friends with. Sloane, on the other hand, was guarded and had built high walls around herself. Watching Charlie try to break through her emotional barriers and help her heal was heartwarming, and I found myself rooting for him every step of the way. As their connection grew deeper, it was heartwarming to see how they complemented and brought out the best in each other. Will they be able to overcome their pasts and embrace the present? Will Sloane be able to make it in the male-dominated world of gaming? I definitely recommend, “In a Not So Perfect World” if you are looking for a slow burn, friends to lovers, forced proximity, easy to read romance. Neely Tubati Alexander does it again after her debut novel, “Love Buzz”. Go check out this book!

Sometimes, I just need a light-hearted romance to offset everything else that I read. This book was the right choice, and I loved the characters, premise, witty banter, and women working their way into what was predominantly a male-dominated field. In this case, the gaming world.

Sloane is the kind of woman that I can root for. She is trying to break into a field that she loves while not being stereotyped by misogynist males. She gives up her job in engineering and lands an interview with a local gaming company. While it is uncomfortable watching this interview go down, let's be honest: it is probably not uncommon to find this kind of attitude from men in the gaming world. Sloane does have someone in HR looking out for her as one of the few women in the company. It is down to Sloane and her ex-boyfriend for the position. Their task? Create a game for the company to showcase their skills. Is Sloane up for the task?

Charlie is Sloane's neighbor and apparently is very popular for an ad he did for spray-on abs. I can only imagine this product and commercial. However, despite his good looks, his girlfriend dumps him right before a trip to the Caribbean. I think this is to Charlie's benefit because what sane woman would turn down a free trip? So he entices Sloane to go with him as his fake girlfriend. He had planned to post photos to make the ex jealous, but what he doesn't expect is to fall in love with Sloane.

The crux of the book happens in Turks and Caicos at a resort. Charlie and Sloane have a good time, but there are rocky moments, too. I enjoyed watching them get to know one another over the course of the week and seeing Sloane in action creating her game. I know this is a book, but there are people out there who are geniuses when creating games or any other product. The story has its ups and downs, but in the end, they do get their HEA. It just takes some time.

There were many laugh-out-loud moments, some sweet, sentimental moments, and even a few that made you want to punch something or someone.

This book was an enjoyable read, and I liked the STEM connection. We give it 4 paws up.

I adored her debut Love Buzz so I was all over In a Not So Perfect World by Neely Tubati Alexander.
This was a fast read because the story grabbed me from the very beginning.
I loved the different settings and Sloane and Charlie was great company.
Sloane was a great lead character and I rooted for her. Her journey kept me engaged throughout. I loved Neely Tubati Alexander’s writing style. Her descriptions were so vivid that I felt as though I were in the scenes with her characters.
This book was well written and the characters were well developed. I absolutely devoured this book in one day and cannot wait to read more by this author!!

Thank You NetGalley and Harper Perennial for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Sloane is applying for her dream job as a game designer and is up against her ex who dumped her for a cheesy girl from the gym. She has one week to build the perfect game for them when her cute neighbor, Charlie, asks her to join him in Turks and Caicos, a romantic trip he spent his savings on before his girlfriend dumped him for her co-worker; he needs selfies to make her jealous. Sloane sees it as a great place to concentrate but needs to make sure it stays platonic because her potential employer made her promise that if hired, she stay single and fully dedicated to her job during her employment, but sparks inevitably fly.

This was very cute though some of the story was just frustrating silly, just the blatant HR violations of saying Sloane can’t have a personal life and making that an employment stipulation drove me a bit batty. I liked how the author ended it, giving the reader what they wanted but not wrapped in a bow. If one can ignore a basic plot hole (I’m someone who can if the rest of the story keeps me entertained) it was a fun quick read and I would definitely read another by the author.

3.75
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC

A fun read, the story of Sloane and Charlie. Great to read a book about a woman in STEM. Looking forward to more from this author.

a cute rom-com (with some moments of cringe). i did like the main characters and their relationship, but hated that the main premise revolved around sloane’s potential employer telling her she had to stay single to get the job because women always “have relationship issues”. yikes! also, the fact that charlie almost exclusively wore punny t-shirts like it was 2003 was such a red flag? again, it was a cute read, but not my fave!

thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my advance copy of in a not so perfect world by neely tubati alexander. all opinions are my own.

IN A NOT SO PERFECT WORLD – Neely Tubati-Alexander
Harper Perennial
ISBN: 978-0-063292949
March 19, 2024
Romantic Comedy

Los Angeles & Turks and Caicos Islands – Present Day

Sloane Cooper is unemployed but has high hopes of landing her dream job at an up-and-coming video game company. During the interview, the all-male interviewers wring out of her a promise that she will not get involved in a romance while employed with them. Not a big issue since Sloane hasn’t been dating since she broke off from Zane months ago after he cheated on her. She soon learns that she is a finalist candidate and must create a new game and send it to her potential employer. She can do it.

Meanwhile, to get her mind off missing her ex, Sloane heads to a bar with her best friend where she is challenged to kiss a stranger to show she is over her ex. She chooses a guy at the bar and convinces him to kiss her. Later that night, banging on the door awakens her. The smoke alarm is going off due to a fire in the apartment complex. The person at the door is the hot guy from the bar—whom she now recognizes as her neighbor. The fire is dealt with and Sloane and her neighbor—Charlie—chit-chat a little. He suddenly asks her to go with him to Turks and Caicos Island for several days as he already paid for the resort stay. He needs Sloane to pretend to be his new girlfriend so that he can make his ex-girlfriend jealous. He convinces her that she can work on her employment project while there. Sloane agrees, because who wouldn’t want an all-expenses paid trip to an island resort?

It turns into an adventure Sloane never expected in the hilariously funny IN A NOT SO PERFECT WORLD. She has been trying to prove herself apart from her overprotective family as she loves working on video games. But with her bank account funds dwindling, her last hope before she throws in the towel is getting the job at the video game company. Okay, the men interviewing her asked questions they probably shouldn’t have, such as asking if she planned to have children, but she is desperate. Things get even more interesting when Sloane learns that her ex, Zane, is also up for the position. The stakes suddenly got higher. Charlie and Sloane head to the Caribbean and check into their room. Unfortunately, there is only one bedroom, but he agrees to sleep on the sofa. Charlie is a nice guy; someone Sloane might date under normal circumstances. But he is trying to make his ex jealous, which means he is off limits.

IN A NOT SO PERFECT WORLD is an enjoyable read and readers will relate to Sloane’s problems. Her parents think she should do something stable, not work in video games, which is notoriously a man’s world. She is also still pining for Zane even though he has moved on to the woman he cheated with. Will Sloane get the job she wants and still remain friends with Charlie? Or will something happen between them that leads to awkwardness? Charlie’s goal is to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. Will that work? To give a hint…somewhere along the line, they kind of forget what—or who—were the reasons for pretending they were dating each other.

If you love a romance where the two lead characters are fun and the laughter flows easily, then don’t miss IN A NOT SO PERFECT WORLD.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

A wonderful love story with a realistic ending! I read this book within a few days, it was incredibly captivating to me. I feel like it’s easy to relate to the idea of trying to have it all and maintaining your dreams! I most certainly recommend for a fun entertaining read!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I am not finishing this book. It’s a little too slow for my liking. The misogyny is annoying to read about. DNF at 25%.