First thing. SO MANY READERS ARE GOING TO FEEL SEEN READING THIS BOOK.

Second thing. It is so, so good. Summer and Jules. Could I love them anymore? Most likely no. They are both battling private personal battles while trying to live in the spotlight. Though it’s not always at least they have each other. And Barbie. And Zach. And Raj. And Jana. And Safi. These side characters are everything in this book.

And then add in the playlist for each season.

Another amazing read from Tashie. An autobuy author for sure.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

This was super cute! I do have to say I found it a bit boring at some parts and I thought Jules’ character was a bit one dimensional, but I did really enjoy it. I thought the dynamic between Summer and her parents was refreshing to see. I loved how the author explored their relationship and how Summer stood up for herself in the end. I think the book could’ve benefited from a few more chapters and a bit more fleshing out of the characters but it was a solid read!

Disclaimer that I am way outside this book's audience - I'm more OA than YA and know next to nothing about celebrities and show business.

And yet I had a great time! This book was adorable - I understand that it was, first and foremost, a romance. But I think that it would stand well on its own as Summer's coming of age story, finding herself and finding where she wants to go in life. The romance with Jules just enhanced it.

Summer's struggles with anxiety about her career, her family, and her future are eminently relatable, even to someone as old and out of touch as I am. Her journey from constantly worrying about her parents' approval to standing on her own and taking charge of her life was heartwarming.

I know that romances demand a happily ever after, and the fake dating trope in particular needs to lead to real dating, but there was one moment about 15% in <spoiler>where Jules, in French, says "she's not my girlfriend...yet" and I got SO IRATE. We know how it's going to end but you're not supposed to come out and say it that early!</spoiler>

Cute. Glad I read it. Thanks to netgalley, author, and publisher for giving me the opportunity.

I have realized with this book that I am too grown up for a Tashie Bhuiyan Book. I have read her first two releases and I loved loved them but with this book I just could not connect as a reader. It was fun nonetheless but I wanted it to be so much more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

I’ll Pretend You’re Mine by Tashie Bhuiyan is a first person-POv YA sweet romance utilizing the fake dating trope. Summer Ali has not only found a new agent, she’s cut her parents out of her life as much as possible while maintaining a relationship with her younger sisters. When former child star Jules Moradi has their agent ask Summer to fake date for PR, she’s initially hesitant but accepts. But the playboy image Jules puts out isn’t really the truth and Summer finds herself falling for the real him.

I knew when I saw the cover and then read the blurb that I had to read this book. Fake dating involving a former child star and a singer? Sign me up! More than that, the cover is everything I want in a romance cover with this kind of premise. There’s no super long make-out sessions or spicy content with almost everything being centered on their emotional connection and the cover sells exactly what this is perfectly.

Summer has pretty bad anxiety though she is described as ‘high functioning’ due to the fact that she can maneuver in the music industry and has for a few years by the opening of the book. IT still impacts her a lot and Jules hugs her to help bring her back to Earth. Summer is also Pansexual and still figuring out if she wants to come out to the public, especially given her parents’ homophobia. I really felt for Summer as she questioned over and over how her parents would react and then how the public would react to her being Pan but having a boyfriend. Bi/Panphobia is so real and it is rampant in some communities, making even those of who are more confident feel doubts.

I was here from the beginning for Summer and Jules’ relationship. There is so much to love about it, from Summer’s firm affirmations that Jules is a man of color (he is Iranian) after he had a bad experience with someone saying he’s basically white to Jules wanting to do anything it takes to help Summer with her anxiety to their easy chemistry. It is hard to write chemistry like that and Tashie Bhuiyan nailed it for me. The titles being headlines about their relationship also helped sell how the world perceived them and the impact it had on the story.

Summer’s parents are emotionally abusive and there is a lot of that abuse on page. We also see some emotional abuse from a former friend of Jules, the same one who said Jules isn’t white and then later said Jules is a diversity hire. It is a lot and could be very triggering for some readers even though so much of the actual romance is sweeter and kind of on the cozy side. I recommend exercising self-care when reading this.

Content warning for emotional abuse

I would recommend this to fans of YA romance who love the fake dating trope and readers of romance who want an exploration of the impact of abuse on individuals and relationships

I can always count on Tashie to write a cute story with great emotional beats & celebrity vibes. Love my girl for that. This story was really sweet!

Tashie’s last 2 books have been less romance than contemporary imo, which is fine, but they need to be marketed that way bc I was more let down by this story than I would have been if I went in with the correct expectations.

I loved this fmc. Her struggles were relatable. But I found myself wanting more of the romance. I was in the fmc’s head, but she knew more about the MMC than I did bc the book jumped around and they hung out off-page. So the romance of it all was underwhelming. Definitely worth the read though if you’re looking for a cute & emotional ya! I loved the FMC's story and the struggles she went through were so real and not ones I see often in media.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Review: 4.5 stars

I was conned into reading this by Farah, a friend who wanted to read it. I binged this book in one sitting and do not regret it.

Summer Ali is in a dilemma; she managed to pull herself away from her controlling parents and set herself up with a new manager thanks to the help of her friend, Barbie, who is also couch surfing. While visiting her manager, she unexpectedly ran into Playboy actor Jules, and the media shipped them together. Because of this, they agreed to a PR stunt to fake-date to help Jules’s audition for an upcoming movie, which may be the next Oscar-winning hit.

Oh gosh, this book is adorable! This is my first Tashie Bhuiyan book, and it does not disappoint. The setting speaks to the celebrity world, and we get peeks of it through Fashion Week, a singing tour, movie set visits, and award shows.

Summer’s character development is phenomenal. At the start of the book, she has just broken away from her emotionally abusive, controlling parents and is slowly taking pains to figure out her life while letting go of her toxic parents. She struggles with putting boundaries against her parents. She suffers from anxiety and would get overwhelmed at crowded events with hints of impostor syndrome. Jules, on the other hand, is portrayed as a playboy actor who is not serious about his career and needs a clean image to win the audition for an upcoming movie that may break his career. He also suffers from misplaced loyalty towards his ex-best friend and his racial identity.

Their relationship naturally progresses from strangers to tentative friends to being in love. I love how they balance each other out and slowly seek each other out for companionship. Urgh, the forehead kisses, hugs, and wonderful talks they have as they slowly get to know each other peppered throughout the book were so cute!

The book also touches on strong friendship. Summer has a strong bond with her friends, Barbie and Zach, and I love how she can call or unexpectedly drop in for a visit as she struggles with her anxiety, and they will always be there to help her through it! It’s just amazing to see true friendship like this.

This is a lovely read as it speaks to anxiety, friendship, love, the celebrity world, impostor syndrome, identity themes and learning to put yourself first.

Thank you, HarperCollins and FrenzyBooks, for the lovely e-ARC.

This was a really cute romance that was both fun and heartbreaking at the same time. While we have the two main characters Summer and Jules fake dating we learn about issues that both of them are having in their personal lives. I really liked how we got to see them both develop and stick up for themselves by the end. I also enjoyed how they often pushed each other to do better and to be the best versions of themselves. This was a fun book overall and I’d definitely read more from this author!

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=4.75 | 😘=2 | 🤬=3 | 😭=3 | 14/15+

summary: teenage pop star and teenage actor are fake dating but make it make me cry!!

thoughts: so I guess I’m in my grown-adult-crying-over-YA-romance-novels era?? this was so sweet and the protagonist was surprisingly relatable (or at least, her emotional state is relatable to the injured 16–19 year old still wandering through my psyche) and I cried at least thrice while reading it which is kind of embarrassing and definitely speaks to my mental state but anyways!! I enjoyed this—so emotional feat. a very sweet main relationship but I especially loved the FMC. only complaint is that I would have preferred a slightly longer denouement, but besides that this was really, really lovely.

One of my new favorite top romances. This felt like a love song. This was also my first Tashie book but will definitely not be my last.

This is my first read from Tashie and it won’t be my last!!!

I really enjoyed reading Sumaira’s (Summer) story! It was both heartbreaking and relatable. Seeing her blossom and find her voice amongst the chaos was inspiring. And let’s not forget the main love interest Jules. He’s a multi-layered guy who saw our girl and was giddy everytime!

I can see this being adapted for screen because it read like a good romcom, coming of age story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Review: 3.5 /5

Thanks for the early read!

Tashie Bhuiyan’s I'll Pretend You're Mine is a heartfelt and charming YA romance that mostly delivers on its promising premise. It’s a fun, emotionally honest take on the fake-dating trope, I love this trope!

Summer Ali is a pop star is navigating independence after years of being shaped by her parents and the music industry. Jules and her fake date, he also is a former child star who has some experience with what Summer is dealing with. Their chemistry is definitely showed throughout the book and I loved that!

I loved the conversation around Summer’s anxiety. This was interesting to read from the pop star perspective.

If I had one critique, it would be the pacing. Some parts felt a bit rushed, especially as the romance picked up, and I wanted a bit more space for certain emotional beats to breathe. Still, that didn’t take too much away from the experience.

Overall, this is a fun and romantic YA read. Definitely recommended if you enjoy fake-dating trope.

very well-written, cute romance with awesome characters. the plot was cool and in general I really liked it. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

“Not everyone is trying to kill you, princess.”

-5 stars-

Tropes:
-Famous
-Fake dating
-Friends to lovers
-Strict parents
-Hella cute

Spice:
1/5

Thank you so so so much NetGalley and Harper Teen for providing me with an ARC I really appreciate it.
Literally this book was so cute! I normally get quite bored of the fake dating trope, but the book actually was so fun and cute.
One of my favorite parts of the book is I love how this book references the band Third Eye (Stay With My Heart) and also how it references Tashie’s next book (Right as Rain).
I absolutely adore the reality/ celebrity aspect of this book. It made it so interesting, and honestly kind of reminded me of what it would be like ti be Taylor Swift (hahahaha)
Also, it’s not a Tashie Bhuiyan book without a twist of music. I loved how the book was split up into sections and each section had a playlist that Summer put together.
Overall, great writing, and great story line! Tashie still always seems to exceed my expectations with every new book I read!

“I’m too young to be calling a lawyer this is stuff adults deal with, not someone who doesn’t even know how to cook rice.”

Since I discovered I'll Pretend You're Mine on twitter last year it became one of my most anticipated 2025 releases, so imagine my surprise when I managed to get the ARC. Happy doesn't even begin to describe it.
If I could give this book six stars I would. It is exactly the type of book I was looking for, it's like the author looked into my mind and wrote the perfect book for me. I was on stan twitter for the longest time so all books with celebrities immediately catch my attention, but this ended up being so much more.
In I'll Pretend You're Mine we follow Summer, a teenage singer that got famous really fast through a singing competition and recently chose to let go of her parents as her managers. I'm certain we've all heard many stories of abusive parents, but Tashie managed to write in a way that made it feel so real and I deeply felt every struggle Summer went through on letting go of toxic patterns. On the other side we have Jules, an actor that had scandals printed all over the media and needs to clean his image for a film that he thinks will change his career. Cue in fake dating for publicity.
Now I must say this is so much more than a fake dating book, the comfort and companionship they find in each other is so wholesome and inspiring, their other friends are a necessary part of the story and every character felt so real. In the end I think this book is mostly about finding yourself, about surrounding yourself with the right people, friends that make you a better person and help you be free and happy.
I wish I could stay in this book forever, I didn't want it to ever end. I would love to read about the rest of their lives, what happens with Zach and Barbie and how they get their happy endings. I absolutely loved this book, an instant new favourite.
I urge you to please read it once it is released(June 3rd!), really give it a chance because it is so, so wonderful.

Thank you HarperCollins and Netgalley for the ARC!

I had so much fun with this story! This was my second read from Tashie Bhuiyan and I need to go back to the ones from her that I haven't read yet!

Summer and Jules were such complex characters and Tashie explored such complex experiences and emotions between the two of them. I loved seeing Summer's inner strength and journey to falling in love with Jules while also finding her own self. Jules was also a sweetheart to get to know, especially through Summer's eyes where she's shown more of the industry that she's been a part of! I really enjoyed the way that Tashie named her chapters, they were a cute insight into the media in such a celebrity romance and I think they provided an extra little something! I do want to mention that I think the time line was initially a bit harder to follow as we don't get to see any direct time jumping but there is a significant amount of time between each of Jules' & Summer's meetings while they first start their fake relationship. It got a little easier to follow as time progressed and the amount of time in between is shortened but there was still some longer periods of time where they weren't seeing each other so we didn't get any store of that part. The page timeline really followed their interactions rather than additionally following some of the time not related to one another.

It is an hour past my bedtime because I was going to read for an hour or two before bed and instead finished the book.

I’ll Pretend You’re Mine is an emotional gut punch clothed in sickeningly sweet fake dating. I had the absolute best time with it. I might be crying on my couch, but I promise I had a good time.

If there is one thing I can expect from a Tashie Bhuiyan book, it is phenomenal anxiety rep. If there’s another, it is navigating fraught relationships with parental expectations. And if I get a third, it is kick my feet cute romances! And I’ll Pretend You’r Mine delivered on all three with an extra helping of queer characters!

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for making me cry right before bed. Wait, I mean for the review copy. The tears were all me.

This book was such a quick read for me I couldn’t put it down! First, the relationship between Summer and her parents was so emotional. It is truly a struggle when you have to go no contact with family for your mental health and I thought it was very well written. Summer’s sexuality really stuck with me as a fellow POC pansexual and I never really get to see myself through characters. Summer and Jules were so cute, but l think the heart of the story comes from Summer learning to stand up for herself and surround herself with the people who truly make her life better.

This one was a struggle for me to finish tbh. I didn’t really feel convinced about Summer and Jules developing real feelings. The sweeter moments between them were way too far in the end. Wouldn’t recommend though I’m sure there’s someone out there who would eat it up.

LGBT themes.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the ARC in exchange for a review. All opinions my own.

This book was so cute! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and it was a nice twist for the characters to be in the entertainment industry. Summer and Jules are definitely relationship goals and I loved seeing all the little ways that they showed up for each other. I also loved seeing how Summer stood up for herself regarding her parents and her relationship with her sisters was heartwarming.

I thought it wrapped up a little too quickly, but overall this was a great book, and a must read this summer!