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Member Reviews

I really wanted to love this, as a lesbian and a lover of a holiday romance. However.

Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I am working through my backlog, and will be momentarily posting reviews for the stories I have yet to get posted but have finished reading.

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I’ll Get Back to You is such a fun and lighthearted read! Becca Grischow’s writing is witty and sharp, and the banter between the main characters had me smiling the whole way through. The story strikes a great balance between humor and heart, making it feel both fresh and genuinely sweet.

The characters are relatable, flawed, and real—definitely not your typical rom-com tropes, which was a nice change of pace. The pacing is spot on, keeping things moving without rushing the emotional moments.

Why not 5 stars? A few predictable plot points and some minor clichés, but honestly, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment.

If you want a cute, feel-good romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this one’s a solid pick.

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Nice but predictable romance with many laugh out loud parts! I enjoyed reading as it held my attention and moved at a great pace.

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I love a good book with a fake dating trope. Are they overdone? Sure, but they're also fun. I'll Get Back to You is a quick read with Sapphic characters that are actually really likeable. I felt like they had depth. The romance was a bit rushed, but it still felt believable.

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In this book we get to meet Murphy who is currently stumbling through this thing we call life. She is dealing with taking accounting for the second time, being still home with her parents, her best friend having a boyfriend taking all of her time up while she is at university and Murphy is stuck at community college. She also works full time at the local coffee shop as a barista, social media and event manger. She has to navigate a lot in a short period of time without many willing to actually support her and are doing their own selfish things. I really felt for Murphy through this whole book. I laughed, I cried and I smiled with the happily ever after. If you enjoy sapphic romance, small town near a big city, land messy yet relatable families this is the book for you. Thank you Netgallery, Becca Grischow, and Penguin Books for choosing me to be an arc for this book.

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Maybe I'm in a romance slump, but this book unfortunately wasn't for me.

It's positioned in a hard place--it read more like YA than romance for adults, given that new adult isn't really a place in the market. But it also seemed inconsistent: elements that were meant to age up the characters weren't introduced until 50% through.

I think fake dating isn't the trope for me generally, but this was extra contrived. Also, I found nothing redeeming about one of the MCs and would not want anyone to be in a relationship with her.

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Such a cute romance. A little short and quick but a great read. Other than the quickness of the plot and relationships, my only note was that some of the specifics of the pitching bugged me. As a former collegiate softball pitcher myself, I’m not sure why the book’s former softball pitcher was throwing a knuckle ball or describing mechanics that implied pitching overhand, but I don’t think that will bother others as much as me. Otherwise, this was a really fun book and I’d love to read more from the author!

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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As a primarily romance reader, this book truly fell short for me. I felt unconnected to the characters and felt un-invested.

The romance aspect truly fell short.

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I read this awhile ago but struggled to compile my thoughts. I really wanted to enjoy this book but I couldn’t relate to the characters and the story just didn’t pull me in. I liked the small town setting and could relate a bit to that feeling of being left out, but overall I could not relate to the characters.

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I enjoyed I"ll Get Back to You by Becca Grischow and found myself getting very involved in Murphy's story. I don't know why it sat on my To be read list so long but I'm glad I finally got to it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of I'll Get Back to You in exchange for an honest opinion. This book is available now.

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Becca Grischow's debut is a heartfelt romance that captures the struggles of growing up, finding independence, and looking for love. Struggling with feeling left behind in her small hometown, Murphy strikes a deal with Ellie—she'll pretend to be Ellie's girlfriend to help her win her parents’ approval for grad school, while Ellie’s professor mother might go easier on Murphy’s grades. But as their fake relationship deepens, Murphy realizes that pretending to love Ellie might not be pretend at all. With a fresh take on the fake-dating trope, the novel delivers lovable and relatable characters that feel authentic. Warm, funny, and brimming with charm, this is a perfect feel-good read for anyone who loves romance with a side of real-life challenges.

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I really enjoyed this book! It’s more of a coming of age story and a little less romance. Fake dating is my number one romance trope and this one really delivered. I like how Murphy really came into herself and made the right choices for her instead of her friends in the end.

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I think I've read this story many times before lol I'm not saying it was bad, but I've read better and more engaging ones. I actually love the new adult era, but this one didn't hit the mark for me. It did feel a little premature. Murphy and Kat had a flare for the dramatics lol

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Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of I'll Get Back to You by Becca Grischow!

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I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

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I'll Get Back to You by Becca Grischow is a charming queer holiday romance that blends heartfelt self-discovery with delightful fake-dating chaos. The story follows Murphy, stuck in a rut in her small-town life, and Ellie, a former classmate turned unexpected ally. Their plan to navigate family expectations and personal ambitions through a fake relationship delivers humor, tension, and tender moments as genuine feelings bloom.

The small-town setting and relatable struggles give the story depth, though the pacing occasionally slows during introspection. Overall, it’s an enjoyable, heartwarming read perfect for fans of new adult romances with holiday vibes.

I would give it 4 out of 5 stars for its engaging characters, holiday charm, and heartfelt exploration of growth, though it could benefit from a tighter narrative flow.

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I ADORE a queer holiday romance and this did not disappoint. I can't wait to see what Becca Grischow writes next for WLW everywhere!

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This felt very much like a YA for a majority of the novel, mostly because of the way the main characters were acting and talking. It’s supposed to be more new adult because they’re 21, but honestly they were acting like they were still in high school.

I get that Murphy was struggling with her friends going to university before she was able to transfer from community college, and she was struggling with what she wanted to do with her life so if felt like she was still stuck in a younger age. I personally am a huge advocate for community college and then transferring to a 4 year in terms of being financially responsible if you can’t afford the loans (I took this route and it helped SIGNIFICANTLY) so it was weird near the end when Murphy’s parents were like “well we couldn’t move on with our lives cause you’re still here going to COMMUNITY COLLEGE.”

Like okay maybe just have a conversation with your daughter and be like hey we want to retire maybe you could move out so we can also move to Florida 😂. Like it was such a weird take being mad that she was still around, like maybe you should have communicated better instead of resenting your daughter.

Anyway, overall this was just sort of fine. Most of the romance is a fake date that takes place over one day and the way they fall in love and break up from their fake relationship within hours. It just made the story feel like it wasn’t going anywhere the first half. Also the MC has a sport injury that I feel like was supposed to be something and then was nothing.

Wasn’t for me, but could be for someone who is going through the same experiences 😊.

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

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I'll Get Back to You by Becca Grischow is a fun, cute sapphic romance that follows two former classmates as they navigate a faking-dating situation. Of course, fake-dating situations are almost always more complicated than the people involved plan for them to be!

The main character, Murphy, has been struggling to adjust to adult life as circumstances have taken her down a different path than she had planned. Ellie pops up at a time when Murphy really needs somebody and the two quickly hit it off. I really enjoyed the dynamic between these two characters! Additionally, the book focuses on challenges that Murphy and Ellie face as new adult college students. I think 18-22 year olds would particularly relate to these characters and what they're going through as the story progresses.

One of the major drawbacks of this book was that I felt it was presented and marketed as a Christmas holiday book, however the majority of the story takes place around Thanksgiving. That is fine, BUT I feel like readers should know that in advance so they can plan their reading accordingly. Of course, you can read it whenever you wish, but if you're looking for a Christmas romance this book may leave you wanting more.

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I loved this book but hated every character but Murphy. She is an afterthought to her best friend and parents. I cannot believe her parents wouldn’t even talk to her about selling the house, and during finals time! And her best friend forced her to be a third wheel without even talking to her about it.

With all that being said I’m going to read this again next Thanksgiving, because there are not enough books set around Thanksgiving.

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