I love reading anything by Mhairi McFarlane. Her writing is so sharp, her characters layered and the banter is laugh out loud funny. This was a slow burn enemies to lovers but was also just a good book. This is definitely worth your time, especially if you appreciate witty writing.

Thanks to netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Oh, Mhairi McFarlane... few things make me happier than a new release from her!

Bel is a reporter in a small satellite office of a big national paper, so small that there are only three people in the office - Bel, her colleague Aaron, and a rotating intern. When the new intern, Connor, starts, he and Bel get off on the wrong foot. But then he gets caught up in an undercover story she's working on and the two have to pretend to be a couple 0r Bel's story will be blown.

Loved the story, the characters, the relationship. Mhairi really can do no wrong!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with this ARC!

4 stars!

This was my first Mhairi McFarlane novel and it did not disappoint!

I will admit that this book took me longer to read than a usual fiction/romance book would, and that is because I have never read writing like McFarlane's, and it took some getting used to. I struggled a little bit at first to get my bearings, but then it clicked, and the slang, wit, and humor started propelling me through the book. Every time I picked it up, I did not want to put it down!

The characters and the story line of this book were both great as well. I found Bel to be hilarious but also realistic and flawed, and she felt like a real person as I was reading. I loved her dynamic with Connor and her relationship with her friends and just seeing her go through different road blocks and come out of them in a way that felt authentic. Connor was also an amazing character. He was intelligent and witty, but also protective and he just felt so genuine. Watching them navigate jobs and develop their relationship (fake or not) made the story flow really well and kept me entertained the whole way through.

Overall, this book was the perfect blend of fiction and romance. Mhairi McFarlane's writing is refreshing and her character work in this book was wonderful. I would highly recommend picking this one up when it publishes on October 7 if you are a fan of workplace settings, fake dating, and love reading books with humor and banter!

I do like a good Rom Com and this book certainly fills that criteria. Story does include some heavy topics like stalking and Me Too movement. I was glad to read it thru NetGalley and will look for other works by this author .

Dual POV
Fake dating
Journalists
British humor
Slow burn

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Like all of Mhairi’s books - I devoured this one in two days. Loved having a dual POV and as always love that the romance was a side plot. There are multiple stories you are finding the conclusions to and they all will have you hooked.

Connor and Bel meet at work - both journalists and when Bel gets a big lead on a story that will make her career she’s got to go uncover to prove it. When connor accidentally bumps into Bel when she’s in the act she’s got to sell the facade by calling Connor her boyfriend - enter in fake dating. You will love learning more about Connor and Bel and their pasts as they figure out what they want for their future.

Publishes Oct 2025!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. Unfortunately, I found this book difficult to get into and ended up putting it down at around 42%. The pacing was very slow, and there wasn’t much romance to keep me engaged. I didn’t feel any real spark between the characters. I’m sorry, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Bel, a podcaster turned journalist, is contacted by someone in the know of, what could be, a huge story. While undercover, her identity is almost blown by the new office intern. Now that he's unintentionally inserted himself in the operation, they've got to convincingly fake date in order to pull off a career making cover story.

I've read a few of Mhairi McFarlane's backlist, so I think that qualifies me enough to say if you've enjoyed her past books, you'll also enjoy this one. She writes witty, flawed, but loveable characters.

I've never read a Mhairi McFarlane novel and after reading through the first chapter, which seemed like a collection of gibberish to me, I don't think we're a match. I just can't keep going.

Mhairi has yet to disappoint me. If you’re into contemporary romance and authors like Emily Henry, Carley Fortune, or Annabel Monaghan are some of your go to’s then don’t sleep on Mhairi McFarlane’s work! Enemies to lovers, banter, and forced proximity are like catnip for me and Cover Story has it all. I just love the amount of depth and emotion she’s able to pull out of our main characters making the story feel *real*.

Cover Story follows Bel, a journalist who is following a major story. She ends up having to fake date her office rival in order to create a 'cover story.' Overall, I thought that this book was fun-- there was a rivalry between the two main characters which provided an interesting dynamic. I did think this book took a while for me to get through and it didn't hold my attention as much as I'd hoped. I did like McFarlene's writing but just thought this one needed a bit more oomph for me to be invested.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an early copy of this book!

This was my first Mhairi McFarlane book, however will definitely be fixing that, I loved this book- it's a perfect mix of fake date, undercover hijinks and slow burn perfect recipe for success! Bel is an impossible not to love girl, and Connor frows on you lol, this book is not only fun, but has a story within a story about how to trust and chemistry between the to of them.
...this book takes place in England -i like to be aware before I read it so I just include it in a review.

Thank you net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first Mhairi McFarlane book, but it definitely won't be my last! Connor and Bel were an absolute delight as rivals-turned-fake-couple, the supporting characters were enjoyable, the villains were suitably villainous, and there were twists I wasn't expecting. The whole experience has left me giddy and longing for more!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! Mhari McFarlane is hit or miss for me and unfortunately this was a miss. The enemies to lovers felt very forced

I had mixed feelings about Cover Story. While I appreciated the passion and emotional depth of the protagonist, it took me quite a while to really get into the plot. The early chapters felt a bit slow, and I found myself waiting for the story to truly hook me.

That said, Mhairi McFarlane’s writing is as thoughtful and sharp as ever. There were moments of real insight and emotional authenticity, and I did enjoy how the main character’s complexities unfolded over time. Still, the overall pacing and narrative didn’t fully grab me the way some of her previous books have.

It’s a solid read with some strong character work, but for me, it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

UGGGHHHHHH I loved this story!!! This was such a great intro into the writing of Mhairi and I’m lowkey glad I haven't read the book of theirs I have on my shelf right now! This is very much heavy on the fake dating/ investigative journalism than the romance and as a romance girly, i wasn’t mad! I loved getting to know our MCs and see them grow closer after working together. It’s soooooooo obvious to you as the reader that they are both utterly obsessed with each other but unwilling to admit it to themselves its so cute!! Ugh this book was so good please read!!

Again, beware that this book is light on the romance and heavy on the plot. The main focus is deffo on them being undercover and their jobs but the story is missing nothing with less romance! There was so much build up and tension that it kept me FED throughout the entire book!

Part of what kept this from being a 5 star read was the amount of modern slang like rizz used throughout the book… like are 34 year olds talking like young Gen z on tiktok?

Perfect if you love slow burn, great banter, and characters with messy lives!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and the author for an ARC for my honest review :) This book is expected to be released on September 9, 2025

This is my first book by this author and I am a new fan! The writing is smart, witty, laugh out loud funny at times and very heartfelt. This story is about an investigative reporter (Bel) and new to the profession intern reporter who make bad first impressions on each other. They do not necessarily like each other. They are thrown into a situation where they have to work together on an investigative case and peel the onion back on who they are on a deeper level. They grow from dislike to “like” to potentially more.

The plot really kept me invested in this story. I love a good investigative reporter story especially when it’s going against patriarchy and includes taking a bad person down. I didn’t expect to not be able to put this book down to find out what happens (in a rom-com). The setting took a bit for me to get used as an American reading it since some of the lingo, locations and slang was very British. This is not a criticism, but I just had to get used to it.

The love story was slow burn and I didn’t even notice that the romance was not happening for a while because the relationship growth and plot were so good. You do not need spice in a story like this! But on the other hand, the whole story involved romantic elements-- the protectiveness of the MMC, their banter, and the growth from dislike to like was so satisfying in its own right. I also enjoyed some of the side plots with the FMC dealing with a stalking Ex. In my option, it was displayed realistically that a strong FMC is taken out of her comfort zone and responds opposite of her normal personality to the situation.

Ultimately this was top tier banter, excellent plot, romantic and I am crushing hard on this couple! The writing was so smart, being able to be light-hearted but deal with heavy topics. I highly recommend this book (and this author).

I was way more invested in the investigative journalism than the chemistry between Connor and Bel. Liked the parallels between Ant and the mayor.

Never read a Mhairi McFarlane book before and this one was a good one to start with! The tropes were really fun and the banter between the FMC and MMC and the dialogue was soooo good. This wasn't as much as a romance as I thought it would be, but what crumbs we did get I ate them up and luckily I was so invested in the plot. I do think if the mystery plot doesn't intrigue you and you want more than a little bit of romance, this might not be for you, but maybe just try it out! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! The journalists undercover fake dating was sooo tropey & cute. It was borderline enemies to lovers in the sense that they didn’t like eachother at allll. You get their background and also tension. SO. good. SUCH. a slow slow slow burn. but it’s sooo worth it.

While I typically love a Mhairi McFarlane book, this one wasn't as high on my list. I did enjoy watching the relationship between the main characters develop, but I found the plot to be too far-fetched and rushed at times. There were of course hallmarks of the banter and detail you always get which were great. Overall a mixed bag but still an "always read" author!