Lynn Painter has become one of my favorite romance authors to read and recommend to others. Her books are so fun and charming. Abi is one of my favorite main characters of hers. Fake dating is not usually my favorite trope, but felt that this was well done and the book gave me Maid in Manhattan vibes in the best way!

This was such a fun read! I enjoyed the concept and Abi was a really fun female protagonist. The banter between Abi and Declan was top notch and this book was hilarious. I also enjoyed the side characters (especially Lauren and her internet sleuthing) and was very satisfied with the ending. Another gem from Lynn Painter!

I unfolded it, expecting a printed fortune, but instead found a book quote.
In the prettiest handwritten font.

You have bewitched me, body and soul.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC!

4/5 stars for this adorable story!

I really enjoyed Abi and Declan's story so much. The flirty banter and fake dating trope will always get me in the end. They had a slow burn with wonderful dialog. This book was overall warm and sweet.

Abi was really fun and worked hard to get everything she needed in her life. Getting her masters degree with little help from family, working two jobs to make sure she had a roof over her head and insurance. I really appreciated that aspect of her character. Her fun wit and sass was a great match for Declan and I loved the way this book started.

It really is a fun, easy, soft spice rom com. Declan was a great character I enjoyed his chapters and how his voice was written. He went from being all business man to fully in love. I thought their moments of fake dating were really captivating and sweet with a charge of humor added in. Lynn Painter always knows how to write banter so well.

The premise of the book is a little out there but its meant to be quirky, again, a fake dating book will get me every single time! We got a little bit of backstory and moments with their families. The grandmother could have been either more involved or not really in the book, it seemed like there should have been a bigger role for her , maybe adding more pressure on Dex as to why he needed a fake girlfriend in the first place. The reasoning for a "couple" being together while they are coming up with a ruse needs to feel like they are genuinely playing a role, this didn't stick throughout the book as they were getting more flirty. Declan's family were so outwardly hilarious right in the beginning I was wanting a little more dynamic with the couple "almost getting caught" but it was focused on the two MC's relationship developing.

The spice was what could be called as closed curtain, very vague and non descriptive but mentions of sex and intimacy were in the book. So I would consider this adult (not YA) and just for the girlies that like sweet/cutes.

Overall very fun and excited to see more of Lynn Painter's books in the world!

Lynn Painter thank you for always writing books the have me kicking my feet and smiling ear to ear!! This story was so cute, I adored Abi she had the best personality and just made this book so enjoyable, one of my favorite romcom books of the year!

thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this amazing eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Super cute fake dating romance with all the tropes. Basically a rewrite of Pretty Woman. Super fun, super quick read.

This is my new favourite Lynn Painter novel! The entire time I was reading the book, I could picture it being turned into a romcom (can someone make this happen please?). This had all of my favourite tropes (fake dating, grump x sunshine, millionaire MMC, he falls first and HARD, acts of service as a love language).

Abi and Declan are complete strangers when they meet and strike a deal to pretend to date and they slowly become friends and eventually develop feelings for each other. I loved the way their relationship flourished and it didn't feel forced or insta lovey despite the forced proximity/fake dating aspect. Declan was down bad for Abi and it was so adorable to read!

Maid for Each Other was fake dating perfection—hilarious, sizzling, and so full of chemistry it should come with a fire hazard warning.
Abi was a whirlwind of chaos and charm, a house cleaner just trying to survive when an infestation (rude) led to a weeklong penthouse stay gone very, very wrong. Enter Declan, her never-home boss who suddenly became way too present once his parents mistook Abi for his girlfriend. And since Declan had, in fact, invented a fake girlfriend… well, let’s just say fate was cleaning up the mess for him.
What followed was a fake dating masterclass—banter so sharp it could cut glass, tension that could power a small city, and a love story that sneaked up and smacked me in the face with all the feels. Declan? Secretly soft. Abi? Impossible not to love. The plot? A rom-com dream.
This book had it all—forced proximity, swoon-worthy slow burns, laugh-out-loud disasters, and an ending that had me positively melting. If you love your romance messy, fun, and absolutely adorable, Maid for Each Other was an instant favorite.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Abi stumbles into Declan's life and becomes the perfect 'opportunity' to become his fake girlfriend for a work-event filled weekend. There's class-difference, extreme inherited (and earned) wealth (him) to barely getting by (her). Of course they are good at the ruse and catch feelings which have to be untangled.
If you/your patron are new to Lynn Painter, I would start them elsewhere. This one just didn't hit for me the way others have. The main characters aren't particularly memorable and there's a lot of attraction but not much depth. The banter isn't as sharp as I have come to expect from Painter, either.
Thanks so much for the ARC and the opportunity to preview!

This was the first adult romance I’ve read by Lynn Painter and although I don’t think any of her books will top “Better than the Movies” for me, I did have an enjoyable time. I enjoyed the subtle (and not so subtle) references to Cinderella, Pride and Prejudice and Taylor Swift. It was exactly what I want out of a rom-com. I had a fun time and I kept wanting to read more. Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy! I’m excited to get this one into our store!

I will read anything that Lynn Painter writes. I love her books that include weddings. They all just feel so magical. She is the best romance writer out there right now!

I am already a fan of this author. There's something to be said for how great this writing is though. This book sucks you right in with it's easy going nature and all and then sweeps you up and you're completely invested in the book and the characters. This book had depth, the characters grew throughout the book, and I didn't expect to be emotional throughout, but this book delivered on all the levels. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting a good read!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC! Loved it!

When a housecleaner/barista is displaced from her apartment due to an infestation (interesting that she was not able to keep her own home clean enough…), she crashes at one of the posher apartments she’s assigned to, knowing she only cleans when the owner is out of town. When Declan’s parents unexpectedly show up, she introduces herself as his girlfriend. Mystified, Declan tracks the squatter down. Their sparring is not off-putting enough to suggest she allow him to hire her as his fake girlfriend for some upcoming familial and business obligations. Abi, an aspiring writer and desperate grad student, decides all of this can be fodder for the romance novel she’s penning, and uses Declan as the template for an unlikeable protagonist–before she discovers the billionare philanthropist is very generous with his wealth; his discovery of her hurtful character analysis is the excuse for a convincing third-act breakup.

This fish out of water story with shades of Pretty Woman, Robin Hood, Cinderella, and Maid in Manhattan explores the gap between the haves and the have nots and the ethics of generational wealth. Painter portrays Abi as a character with severe asthma and allergies (so it’s interesting she choose a career working with dust and chemicals…). As a she While Declan and Abi speak more kindly to one another than in previous novels by this author, which is a profound relief, I did not find them particularly endearing or relatable. The pacing was a bit slow, making this a bit of a slow burn; the swoony intimacy is out in the open.

Fans of fake dating, dual point of view, low stakes, rich man rescues working class girl will enjoy Maid for Each Other. I like books I can savor as I’m tearing through them, and Painter’s work are more like Harlequin bon-bons: sweet,, a quick yummy bite, easily digestable, and then sort of forgetable. They tend to be quick reads, even when the pace is dragging and the plot and character development are not well-executed. The dialogue and descriptive writing is good, but when I was searching for a particular word and then did a little digging, she tends to use the same words over and over, and if I’d been editing, would have given the note “vary your vocabulary.”

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #MaidForEachOther via #NetGalley courtesy of Berkley in exchange for a fair and honest review. A review will post to HLBB in July 2025.

“You’re cute when you’re serious.” And I dropped a kiss on the tip of his nose.”

Oh, Lynn. Lynn, Lynn, Lynn. You have bewitched me. I love all your books. Yes, ma’am, May I have another?

✨THINGS AND STUFF✨
-dual pov
-a pretty woman situation aka fake dating
-making a deal
-he’s a billionaire
-a butterflying my caterpillar moment (it’s a makeover)
-pals with zero romantic interest
-the hotel room with only one bed
-oh no, you’re wounded!
-inhalers & EpiPens
-surprise peck attack 💋
-#IsThisAKissingBook open door, non explicit.

4🌟 this book was SO CUTE! one word - bingeable. I had the honor of reading an ARC of this book, and I just love lynn painter’s writing so much! fake dating always gets me when it’s done right, and lynn did it right!!! the banter between the main characters was so fun, and the ambiance created, filled with wealthy businessmen and fancy cars, food, and jewelry, made for such a silly and fun plot. would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, cheesy, light romcom ❤️

Ok this is adorable!!! I was hooked right from the beginning. I could not put it down. I loved Abi. She was so spunky. And Declan was a pretty perfect book boyfriend. I loved the millionaire boyfriend but of course he was also super generous. Big fan!

I don't think I'll ever read a billionaire romance again if that's what they all look like. It was slow, sometimes frustrating to read.

Abi was an insufferable character—she lacked development and was very judgmental. She mocked Declan throughout the entire book for not caring about money (because he has it) without considering the hard work he’s done in his career to achieve it (granted, he does come from money, so it was easier for him). Only when she found out he runs a charity did she have an epiphany and apologize for being judgmental. She was just an awful person.

And why was he so hell-bent on keeping his charity work a secret, not wanting his grandma to know for fear of being disowned? Even though he raved about how good she was and how she "started from the bottom, but now she's here!"

In the end, they stayed together, as we knew they would. But alas, the journey leading up to it was not as exciting as I would have hoped. We never found out how his family and employer reacted when they learned her true identity. Did they keep up the charade for the rest of their lives? How did she become a professor so quickly?

I need a second part to hear Roman's story. Out of all the characters, I liked him the best.

Read Happily Never After by Lynn Painter, now that is a good Romance.

This book was everything I could want in a romantic comedy! The tension, the banter, and the chemistry were top-tier! This has easily become my new favorite Lynn Painter book and I won't stop shoving it down everyone's throats.

Swooon! Thank you Lynn Painter for giving us two adorable characters that captured the fake dating, grumpy/sunshine with a little Pretty Woman vibe (even the red hair!).

Loved the vibes and chemistry between our two MCs and how smitten grumpy became so quickly.

Would love to see a book about our meddling best friend and business partner!

Lynn Painter is one of my favorite authors so I had high hopes for this new rom-com and it did not disappoint!!

Her writing is so descriptive I literally felt like I was watching a movie play out in my head! I loved every minute of it!

Abi Marino in a hardworking student juggling two jobs, one of which is as a house cleaner. Life isn’t exactly easy for Abi, especially compared to Declan Powell’s luxurious, carefree life where money is no object. When Abi faces maintenance issues in her apartment, she decides to spend the night in an empty unit she’s supposed to be cleaning. But things take an unexpected turn when she wakes up to an uninvited surprise-Declan’s parents!

After discovering her “little escapade,” Declan initially threatens to have her fired. But soon, he comes up with an alternative: she’ll pose as his fake girlfriend to help him and In exchange, all will be forgiven.

Their chemistry was SO good, you'll be kicking your feet and rooting for them the whole way through!

Enemies to lovers, fake dating, banter, tension and a happily ever after - this story literally has it all! This is the kind of feel good read everyone should pick up! Perfect to get you out of a slump!

Lynn Painter's writing style is SO good! You will be hooked within the first few pages - I couldn't put this one down and ended up reading it in a day!

Perfect read for fans of the movie Pretty Women and Maid in Manhattan!

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Romance for this eARC!

SO CUTE! another hit from Lynn Painter.

It's almost unfair of me because I am always going to give a Lynn Painter book 5 stars but I assure you, she deserves it every time and this book is no exception. I twist on the classic tale of Cinderella, this book is stuffed full of witty banter, smitten (and very rich) men, a relatable female main character that has you rooting for he the whole time. LOVED IT!