It may be October, and Halloween is around the corner, but it's never too early to read a holiday romance novel set during Thanksgiving. I'll Get Back to You is the first book I've read from author Becca Grischow, and I'll be checking out other books she writes in the future. I enjoyed this book and loved getting to know the main character, Murphy, which the book is told solely from her point of view.

As a mother of a college-aged daughter who is now living independently, I definitely sympathize with Murphy and everything she experiences in this book. She is trying to navigate her future while coming to terms with the changes in her life that are happening around her. Murphy is having to adjust to friendship dynamic changes with her best friend, who is now in a relationship, while also dealing with her family, making adjustments that will impact her life too. It's a chaotic time for poor Murphy, especially since everything is happening all at once. She encounters Ellie, a former high school acquaintance, who is also facing her own struggles. A new friendship leads to a fake relationship between the two who aim to help each other with their challenges. Ellie's mom is Murphy's accounting professor, and her approval is crucial for Murphy to pass the class. Meanwhile, Murphy can assist Ellie in convincing her parents about the art graduate program she wants to attend at NYU. But what if their fake relationship ends up developing into something more in the meantime?

I love a fake dating/relationship story, even if it's a predictable storyline. I could read this trope forever due to knowing that one or both characters are eventually going to realize they like one another and that was the case with Murphy and Ellie. They just needed to work on some things, especially if they had their futures to plan that were different from one another. I loved how Ellie saw potential in Murphy when it came to her graphic design and what she was already doing with her current job and used that to get her to pursue it, even if Murphy didn't think that was what she wanted. Murphy even helped Ellie with her life struggles, especially after what happened to Ellie in her past relationship. It was like these two were always meant to meet up with one another and be together since they complimented each other so well. Even Ellie's family noticed how happy they were together, even when their relationship grew pretty quickly.

This is a sweet, romantic, sapphic story about Murphy and Ellie, who support each other as they navigate their adult lives. The author, Becca Grischow, manages to unfold their love story in a span of a few days over Thanksgiving break. Although it develops quickly, it feels as if Murphy and Ellie are always destined to meet and be together, which makes it believable.

The only complaint is that at first, I didn't like how Kat, Murphy's best friend, treated Murphy because poor Murphy felt like she was losing her best friend. I understood what was happening, though, because I had experienced my friendships changing when I was the same age. It's still hard to read, and I felt for Murpy and what she was experiencing. It's also hard when you feel like she'll never find someone who will love her, and I'm so glad she found Ellie.

Overall, it's a great story, and I give it four stars. This is a book I will recommend to both of my daughters, especially the one in college right now. She will certainly relate to the experiences of both characters in the story. Becca Grischow is definitely an author I'll keep an eye on for her future works.

Single/Dual POV: Single POV (Murphy's POV only)

Standalone or Part of Series: Standalone

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would recommend this to readers who enjoy Coming-of-Age stories with a sweet and romantic Sapphic storyline.

What to Expect:
✓Sweet & Romantic Sapphic Romance
✓Holiday Romance (Thanksgiving)
✓Coming of Age
✓Fake Dating/Relationship

This was such a warm, loving sapphic love story!

The FMC, Murphy, was such a relatable character to almost anyone IMO. Her struggles were things we all deal with at some point in life and because of that she felt very real and relatable which made you root for her more as a reader.

I feel like the biggest story line of the book we all deal with was the struggles between Murphy and Kat. It was written so well and really made you see yourself in one of the girls.

The author did a very good job at weaving real issues that young adults all deal with as they get older into a really warm and engaging love story between Murphy and Ellie. I really enjoyed watching them come to in their own right and what they wanted in life and with each other.

I think we all struggled at one point or another making decisions about where to go in life when it came to a partner or very close friend. The author did a beautiful job of weaving it all together!

I would absolutely recommend to my peers and would definitely read more by this author.

4.5 star review rounded down

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a very, very easy target for a sapphic fake dating morsel.

Even so, this one delivered on just about every level, with holiday vibes to boot.

Murphy and Ellie are both just hot messes trying to figure their crap out and failing miserably. They are immature, quick to jump to conclusions, easily offended, and adorable.

There isn’t a whole lot of character development in this one, but it’s just a really fun little holiday read that moves quickly (which is perfect for me). There’s a good amount of taking advice from where you least expect it, and a lot of working through some big feelings regarding family. In my opinion it was just enough to ground the book in reality.

It’s all the best and worst parts of being 21, wrapped up in a neat little Happily Ever After.

This is such a fun, warm, deep, and romantic sapphic love story. The characters are flawlessly written and so relatable - more relatable than a lot of others that I've read. Murphy... oh, sweet Murphy... she's dealing with such a challenging time in her young adult life, she's questioning where she fits in - if anywhere? She's at that cusp of true adulthood, and she's just struggling. Her friendship with Kat, and all of those friendship dynamics are so well written as we all know what it's like to go through periods where your friendships just change - they can't stay the same, but it doesn't make the change any easier to handle.

The fake relationship feels as natural as the real feelings that develop, and the chemistry that blooms is so sweet and full of love. The entire book was very well paced - it was a quick read (less than a day for me) but felt perfect. The dialogue was spot on, as was the inner critique. The characters and small town were both delightful and fun and just added to the overall storyline.

Thank you so much to Becca Grischow and NetGalley for this ARC - I cannot wait to read more from this author!

This book was really cute! I loveeee a good fake dating book and this one was adorable! I love gay women and seeing a bisexual and lesbian women fall in love make me happy. I will say both characters are flawed and when crap hit the fan I couldn’t support either of them cause they both got whiny.

Other than that I recommend this book!!

This was a really fun read. I liked both characters, and loved the holiday vibes. I liked that the MC and her friend were able to work out their issues as well. The parents did kind of annoy me at the end, but still enjoyed the book overall.

Gay rom-com? Mixed with Christmas, this is my FAVORITE kind of holiday read!

I don't want to say too much, just please read this. Please.

Thank you to netgalley & the publisher for my early e-arc.

I'll get back to you is a fun little romance novel. Murphy is dealing with that weird space post high school where you aren't quite an adult but not a kid anymore, and everything is changing. The author does an excellent job portraying that time of life and the feelings that come up when we're faced with things changing when we don't want them to.
The night before Thanksgiving, Murphy runs into Ellie after being bitterly disappointed by her best friend opting for boyfriend time and hijinks ensue when Ellie's mom turns out to be the professor of the one class Murphy needs to pass to get out of Geneva and into the university her best friend already made it to.
All the characters are fully fleshed out and fun, and Grischow does an excellent job writing families and best friends. She also really captures the emotional turmoil of young adulthood, figuring out what you think you want and navigating the changes that come with college.

I've been anxiously awaiting this debut novel for a long time and I was not disappointed. 'I'll Get Back to You' has a special way of bringing you right back to that confusing feeling of being out of high school but not sure what's next. This got me out of a HUGE, months-long reading slump and for that I am forever grateful

This book is perfect for you if:
- You love cozy, holiday stories, but don't want to wait for the "Christmas season"
- You grew up with Sarah Dessen, but want something a little more grown up
- You want a sweet, sapphic romance, but with complexities of family and friendships mixed in
- You're nostalgic for that 'new adult' time when you're no longer a kid but aren't quite sure what you're doing with your life either
- You prefer your romance with a 'closed door'

I was excited to read this story as someone from Illinois who works at the University of Illinois. I was so happy the author wrote this story because I wish it was something I had to read while growing up. Perfect read for someone looking for an engaging queer meet-cute romance story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I’m a little past pub date on this one, but I really enjoyed it! Thanks to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Since it’s a THANKSGIVING queer romance (omg can we get more of these? Enough of the December holidays already!), I definitely recommend checking it out this fall.
I’ll Get Back to You involves some softball/baseball, but I finished it while watching early morning NFL football from London this morning. While the main characters are in their early twenties, their journeys felt realistic and relatable, even for someone who is double their age. Set in a small town, the book opens on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as college students are back in town, reuniting at the local bar. I could almost feel the sticky floor as I was reading it! This coming-of-age story involves fake dating, second chances, and learning to balance friendships and relationships. I really enjoyed it and think you should check it out!

Honestly. I read about 30 pages of this story and thought "this isn't for me." I found Murphy's actions to be very immature and had a hard time relating to her. But I liked the premise enough to keep going, and I'm glad I did. Murphy and Kat are written as very typical 21 year olds and I had to remember that. These aren't full grown adults so I ended up appreciating how they spoke and acted with each other. I especially related to Murphy's uncertainty about her future and how she didn't have everything figured out and how that was okay. This would be great for romance fans that want a holiday story with very little spice.

Perhaps I wasn't in the mood or I didn't love the narrative style but I didn't love it.
However, that didn't mean I didn't love moments of this book or know that this book will be great for a few people.

I will say that I saw this book play out very well as a movie. It had that slight hallmark/ happiest season movie vibe to it, even if all the charms weren't nailed. The character development got good halfway through the book and I did enjoy the development, even if it was a tad fast.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Books, and, most importantly, Becca Grischow for this e-arc! I apologize that this review is late.</i>

OH MY GOD I LOVED THIS BOOK.

Ahem. Sorry, that shouting was needed for a second. This was everything I needed in a book at the time. The only reason I am only getting around to finishing it now is due to things that were outside of my control (aka real life). But this was a lovely hug of fall comfort romance Thanksgiving holiday fun. One of the best things about this book was Murphy, the main character, and just how real she felt. Speaking as someone who has felt left behind / had to restart at a community college, I felt a connection to her about life not going the way she planned. As well as hitting the one barrier again and again with seeming like there's no way to go around it. And then finding a way because you have to. I loved her journey and all of her relationships as well as her growth.

Ellie, the love interest, also felt the same way. I liked how we got to see her family over the course of the first half of the book and then crashing back to Murphy's life going all to hell. Very realistic and, I know I keep going back to it, but that was a great strength of the book.

Also, the fake dating trope? So good. One of my favorites and this one hit it out of the park. And then all the feels at the end and making things work and gyaaah. But, unlike most other romance books, I did not feel like this was being unrealistic. This also felt real and awkward and just clicked together to work.

So, I highly recommend this book if you want a hug of fall comfort with a dash of feeling like it could be the real world, and coffee. Also, Hallmark? Can we get this made into a movie? That would be FANTASTIC. Thank you.

Big thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an ARC of this novel, in return for this review 😁

This was a cute book! At first the character development seemed a bit rushed and unrealistic but about halfway through I found myself really loving all the characters. (Even Kat, though that one took me a little longer haha)
Cute little romcom about finding the right person at the wrong time, it was heartwarming and cute and not too serious. 3 stars just cuz it took me a little bit to get into the story, but overall I really enjoyed it!

I really enjoyed the writing, but the story was going a bit too slow for me. I picked it up and put it down and went to another book a few times, because I got bored and eventually decided not to continue reading it. I wish I could blame it on "this book just wasnt for me", but I think I am actually the targeted audience. I was really disappointed because of how much I was excited to read this book by this author.

I was drawn into this book by the cover. I mean??? Look at HOW CUTE IT IS! This is a perfect contemporary romance cover for me.
The description also got me really interested. Sapphic? Fake dating? Holiday romance? Count me in!

Sadly… This was where my love of the book ended.
The characters are all very base level for me. They were not much past what we were told about them in the first chapter.
There is very little romance to the book. I could not feel the like/love from Ellie throughout almost the entire book, and Murphy’s felt very insta-lovey without reciprocation.

I did love the IL based story and the input of Chicago, Cubs, and Geneva itself.
This book did have funny moments sprinkled in.

There is one spicy scene near the end. I did not think it was necessary at all, it just felt like a throw in.

Thank you to Penguin Books, Becca Grischow, and NetGalley for an audio ARC of this book.

4.5⭐️

“I’ll Get Back to You” is such a lovely tribute to the in between stage of the college years and the different types of love one finds along the way. At times, Murphy, was annoying and insufferable, thinking of herself before anyone else. But who doesn’t do that at 21 years old??

While this does feel like two separate love stories, I don’t think Murphy’s world would be quite complete without Kat’s friend love and Ellie’s New Romantic love.

Being from the Midwest, I especially loved that I could relate to so many aspects, especially the desire to attend a Big 10 school. (Sorry Murph, U of I is second tier to UW. Go Badgers! 🦡)

“And anyone else I love, I’ll know how to love them because you taught me first.”

Undoubtedly, one of the best sentimental quotes from this book and I can see myself reading IGBTY many times over the years.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this book! This was a romance that felt very real. A lot of romances, especially fake dating ones, can feel way too fantastical and like it could never happen in real life. This one felt much more grounded, with characters that also feel like real people. My dad is a huge Cubs fan, and that made this book even better. Would recommend reading while visiting your hometown for Thanksgiving.

Lesbian fake dating in the academic world? This was adorable. Although I abhor holiday romances this one wasn't terrible and fit into the storyline very well.