This was a debut author and I highly enjoyed this one! I loved the sapphic characters and their story! I’m a big fan of YA books! I read this one so fast too! I think it was well written! Def thing those who love YA should give it a read:)

Thank you to NetGalley + the publisher for providing me with an arc copy of this book!
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1 star.
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It took me 3 months to read this book. If that doesn't tell you something, I don't know what will!
Disclaimer: when I first saw that Raegen Revord had a book being published, I was super excited for and proud of her! The title made me think that this book was about the general concept of fake girlfriends, not two girls who were fake dating each other. Plus, in the description, there's Avery and Charlie, which is super easy to think that one of those people is a guy, and the other is a girl! As a Christian, I do not support the LGBTQ+ community. However, that does not mean I removed any stars for this book as a result. The reason I gave it the lowest rating is because of all the other issues, including but not limited to:
- Plot holes
- Grammar errors
- Spelling errors
- Slipping in and out of different tenses (past and present)
- Inconsistent writing style
- Rushed writing
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So first, I'm going to talk about the LGBTQ+ aspect of the book. I am not hating on the community in any way, I just want to point a few things out.
I genuinely do not think someone has this many friends that are a part of that community. Let me quickly list you every single LGBTQ+ person mentioned in the book:
- Lesbian main character
- Lesbian love interest
- Lesbian ex-girlfriend
- A mentioned gay man
- A mentioned non-binary person
- Another mentioned non-binary person
- Non-binary side character
- Brief appearance of a non-binary character
- A mentioned lesbian woman
- A transgender side character
- Probably a few more that I missed.
Look at that list for a second. Do you know that many people apart of the community? No. I believe that Raegen was trying so hard to be inclusive that she lost sight of what is actually normal and regular in today's culture. Honestly, there wasn't a single chapter where an LGBTQ+ member was mentioned, and that's just unrealistic.
There was a brief but rather graphic description of someone's experience with top surgery, and frankly, it broke my heart. I don't think we need that in books, people.
I'm not sure whether or not this is a grammar or LGBTQ+ problem, but there were several inconsistencies with someone's gender identity. This person is named Maddi, and she identifies as non-binary, from what I could figure out. But, when someone mentioned her in the book, they said (back to back quotes), "they does," and, "they needs." I'm not an expert on the whole pronouns thing, but I'm pretty sure that that's not how that works. And then, later in the book, people start referring to Maddi as 'she' here and there. Once again, could be a grammatical error, could be an LGBTQ+ error. And I realize that Maddi might just use she/they pronouns, but people didn't start calling her 'she' until the last 20% of the book. And I don't remember her stating that she was changing her pronouns!
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Second, I'm going to briefly touch on the topic of self-harm. One of the side characters, Maddi, clearly has scars from when she self-harmed. And as someone who has a family member who used to self-harm, I think Avery (the main character) said the completely wrong thing to her, trying to show support. She basically said something along the lines of, "oh, and if you want to talk about your self-harm scars, I'm here." While I'm sure there was no ill-intent, it was definitely insensitive. It was harsh, and the last thing someone struggling with mental health needs is something that sounds, honestly? Completely nasty.
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Third, the grammar/spelling issues. I already covered the majority of them in my LGBTQ+ section, but there were more. For instance, there was one section of the book where one sentence was stated twice, word for word, back to back. At the very end of the book, the main character says, "If I'm were to brag." These are just two minor issues that I found. Honestly, they were all over the book. And I also found lots of typos, but also just incorrect spellings of words. For example, 'except,' instead of, 'accept.' I get that this is Raegen's debut novel, and I should give her more grace, but I'm 15 and I've written several books, making sure that I get lots of feedback before I jump to publishing. I think Raegen should have hired a better editor, if one at all.
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Fourth, the relationships. I didn't really feel any sort of connection to any of the characters, or connection of characters to other characters. I really didn't feel any of the love or friendship. And Avery's relationship with Charlie is so obvious--she's constantly talking about the grief of her mother, and it's so incredibly obvious that she's looking for a woman to fill that void that was created when her mom died! Avery isn't looking for a girlfriend...she's looking for a mom. And that's exactly how she treated Charlie--like a mom. She was constantly over-relying on her, and getting upset when she let her down. Parents don't usually do that, and that's why Avery was so distraught every time it happened, because subconsciously, Charlie was a mom to her.
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Fifth, generally the plot and the pacing of the book. Leeeeettttttt'sssss gooooo sloooowwwwww aaaaaannnddddd maaaakkkkeeeee ouuurrrr reeeeaaaadddeeerrrrssss boooorreeeeddddd AND-HERE-WE-GO-WE'RE-UP-AND-WE'RE-GOING-AROUND-LONDON-AND-WE'RE-DOING-THIS-THAT-AND-THE-OTHER-THING. That's how the entire book felt! Books are supposed to have their different slower and faster moments, yes. But those moments in this book just dragged and dragged. It was slow for a quarter of the book, and then it was fast for a quarter of the book. That's not how pacing works. And the ending felt so rushed. Goodness gracious, I was barely keeping up with how fast everything was going! I missed so much because of the rushed writing, and I didn't get to enjoy the closure because I was still so confused about things from 5 chapters ago. And the chapters were way too short. I know plenty of authors who can make short chapters feel very nicely laid-out, and sadly, Raegen isn't one of those authors. All of her chapters felt like the end of the book--rushed. You would be deep into a meaningful conversation, and all of a sudden, "whoops, bye!" It was so abrupt and made me confused the whole time.
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All in all, the general idea of the book was cute. And Raegen did do a good job in some areas, but unfortunately, they did not outshine the areas where she needs help. I hope to see her write more books someday, and I'm proud of her for pursuing the career of an author!

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc copy!

This was such a fun, heart-warming read! I loved the fake-dating trope so much it’s so something that could be easily doable in real life and that’s what makes it so fun to see how it places out on the page! Definitely recommend if you love feel-good romance with just the right amount of tension.

This was such a cute story! I loved the scavenger hunt aspect — following Avery as she uncovered secrets about her mom’s past while also learning more about herself kept me turning the pages. The fake dating setup was a lot of fun too, and all the little tropes sprinkled throughout made it even better.
I also really appreciated how diverse the cast was. It took me a while to realize Colin was trans, which I thought was refreshing because it wasn’t treated like a plot twist or a source of tension — it was just part of who he is. Same with Avery and Charlie being lesbians, Colin being transgender, and Maddie being non-binary — it was all handled as no big deal, which is exactly how it should be in real life.
And the way Colin’s disability and life with a disability were portrayed felt thoughtful and real. Overall, this story was heartfelt, inclusive, and a genuinely enjoyable read

This book was so sweet to read and I really enjoyed it. From the tropes to the characters, it was well worth the read!

Rules for Fake Girlfriends was a fantastic book! This book was very well written. I loved the story line and the characters.

This was a fun read. Heartfelt grief topic, but overall a cute concept with fun characters and a fun, hippie vibe. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. Solid 4 stars.

Unfortunately, though I think Raegon Revord has a lot of potential as a writer, this felt a little like an underdeveloped draft for me. It was very fast-paced and I kept wanting Revord to dig deeper. However, escpecially as they are so young, I look forward to their future as an author!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Abe review Rules for fake girlfriends. Avery Judy lost her mom and is about to go to Columbia university to study medicine. She receives a post card from her late mother which is a scavenger hunt in England (where her mom grew up and met her father ). Avery decides to go to college across the pond and try and solve the scavenger hunt. On the way there, she meets Charlie. Charlie wants Avery to pretend to be her gf to make her ex jealous and she will help with the scavenger hunt. Avery agrees because she loves a good rom com. But her feelings for Charlie become real. Are they real for Charlie? Or is Avery just her fake girlfriend. Overall I thought this was a cute story. Nicely done as a first novel. 3.5 stars

3.75⭐
Thank you Netgalley and the publishing company for giving me and arc of this book
It was a beautiful story and Avery trying for find out the truth about her mother and father's marriage to having to being in a fake relationship. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you.

Not for me; the UK setting was poorly developed, the characters read to me as too juvenile for their age, and several subplots were underdeveloped. References to popular media felt forced, and one scene in a hotel with too-small beds was very obviously ripped straight out of Heartstopper. Knowing Raegan Revord wrote this when they were filming the last season of Young Sheldon, I'm willing to forgive a lot of this stuff; I wasn't writing anything remotely worth publishing at 15. But definitely lots of room for improvement.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The story was fun and captivating with humor and interesting characters. The plot kept me hooked and I read it in one day. I loved the author's writing style, and it reminded me of one of my favorite author's, Jenny Colgan. Lighthearted reading and a joy to read. I look forward to reading the author's next book.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Avery Blackwell is off to Brighton to attend the university her late mother attended in hopes of a little adventure (and closure) before attending Columbia University the following year (her father’s dream).

Avery meets Charlie, an effortlessly cool girl on the train, and the two quickly become embroiled in a fake dating scheme to try to help Charlie win back her ex-girlfriend. Although rom-com aficionado Avery knows that she can’t fall for Charlie, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Feelings get involved, secrets come to light, and things aren’t as easy breezy as Avery had hoped they would be.

TW: loss of a parent

I will definitely recommend this title to my students. The FMC was real and relatable, the found family element was heartwarming, and the scavenger hunt was a nice way to convey information.

A decent debut novel. The cast of characters is very diverse, so this is a great choice if you’re looking for representation. The chapter headings point out the backbone of a rom-com which is fun. This felt like it might come off better as a screenplay, which makes sense given the author’s background. There is one character that I never fully understood the inclusion of, and a few plot lines that felt unnecessary. They would make sense as subplots in a tv show to flesh out background characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Rules for Fake Girlfriends is a hilarious, heartwarming romance that had me laughing out loud and swooning at the same time. Raegan Revord crafts characters who are charming, relatable, and full of personality, making their fake-dating antics utterly entertaining.

The chemistry between the leads is electric, with witty banter and tender moments that feel genuine and sweet. It’s the perfect mix of humor, romance, and heartfelt emotion.

If you love funny, feel-good romances with a little chaos and a lot of heart, this book is a must-read.

🌸 Final thought: A delightful, laugh-out-loud romance that proves sometimes pretending can lead to real love.

Ok the chapter titles are incredible. overall, I did enjoy all 4 more prominent characters. And enjoyed that there was a good diverse rep present throughout the story.
One thing I didn't really like: it seemed like there were a lot of things happening off page, that seemed like they were super relevant to the story line and shouldn't have been skipped over as they were. And there were a lot of inconsequential details that happened on page that were totally unnecessary to story comprehension or plot line.

This book was okay, but it was very repetitive. I enjoyed the representation of a character with EDS who often used a cane or wheelchair. Few books represent disabilities, and this is one have never seen in a book before, so I really appreciated that. Characters were uniquely drawn and well developed. I enjoyed the quirky chapter titles. However, there was a lot of repetition, and this book really could have benefited from a tighter edit. Also, there were some errors that I do hope are corrected before the final copy comes out, such as descriptions of characters changing (ex: hair color). But overall, for a debut book, it wasn't bad.

A light hearted read and a very light hearted story. There’s a lot of great characters and it reminded me a lot of my college friend group. I loved the diversity and Avery’s emotions felt real which was one of the main reasons I stuck with the book instead of DNFing.

That being said, I do wish there was a bit more editing because the writing style does reflect the author’s age and not necessarily in a good way. There’s an abundance of pop culture references which felt heavy handed at times especially with how many artists, movies, or video games are name dropped.

The book moved very fast and the ending felt very abrupt and I wish we got more closure with the characters instead of a flashback in the last chapter.
It was a cute read but I don’t see myself going back to reread it.

DNF 34%

Thank you Net Galley for letting me read this ARC! I love Raegan Revord and was beyond excited when she announced her debut novel and as the title, cover, synopsis, and tropes got announced my excitement grew! Reading this I loved the setting, the characters, and the ideas, but I felt that the plot was everywhere. Between the fake dating trope, the hunt, and Avery trying to find herself, every chapter felt like jumping plots, and plots were being lost/forgotten. I do plan to try and pick this back up another time, solely because I love the idea of this book!

I almost DNFd at 52%. I ended up skimming to the end.

This needed an editor. Felt like a lot of the same conversations happened over and over. Or characters noticed something and then commented like they hadn’t seen it before a few chapters later.

The scavenger hunt was cute but a little too convenient. Would all those clues stay in place for 20 years?

The FMC seemed older than 18. But still she was immature.

Several college things didn’t make sense. On a campus of 18,000 how did she have every class and event with the same 6 people? And why were they all taking the same classes despite having different majors?

The constant miscommunication was so frustrating.

I wanted to like this one, but I really didn’t.

Thank you to @Netgalley @wednesdaybooks and @stmartinspress for the chance to review this ARC.