3.5 stars! I really loved the end of this book! I generally liked all of the storylines and liked how they were resolved, but found the book a little slow moving overall. I only have If I Never Met You, Who's That Girl and You Belong With Me to compare this book to which I remember having more romance despite being slow moving. As usual, I enjoyed Mhairi McFarlane's writing and the British humor, but I felt like the romance was too much of a slow burn and there was not enough of it for me personally. It was such a slow burn with too much assuming and prejudging that there was just not enough chemistry or tension. I did appreciate how both Bel and Connor helped each other and grew to trust and love each other after their previous relationships. I actually bought into their connection and the romance, I just wished there was more of it and wasn't as rushed in the end!

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This story follows Bel, an investigative journalist who goes undercover to work on a major story. She ends up working the case with the new office intern, Connor, who she is not that fond of.

There are a lot of plots in here including Bel's stalker, her ex, fake dating Connor to sell her undercover persona, and a little thriller involving the big story she's reporting. While all of these plots were interesting, none involved the slightest bit of romance. I normally wouldn't mind this, not every story needs a romance plot/subplot but Mhairi McFarlane's books are marketing as "Romcoms" and it's very misleading. I read Just Last Night last year and that one lacks in romance as well. Romance is barely even a subplot in these books. The romance in Cover Story didn't kick in until 95% into the book....the literally end. Because of that, I found myself not really caring at this point whether Bel and Connor ended up together. I just think these books need a new marketing strategy.

As for the writing, I find it very difficult to read at times mainly due to the slang and setting of her books which isn't the author's fault. It's just so heavy in the book that it keeps me disconnected from the story.

There were a few quotes from Connor's POV that kind of made me dislike him. Just his general dislike of Bel at first and how he would never be attracted to her because he's "not most men" was strange to me. He had a few sweet lines when we got to the 90% mark when the romance came in but it wasn't enough to outweigh his attitude at the beginning of the book.

Overall, I think if you go into this story with the mindset that it's majority fiction and a tiny, tiny subplot of romance, you will probably enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

wasn’t my favorite mcfarlane but there was still a lot of heart and humor to this that i enjoyed! definitely one of her more romantic ones which i appreciated.

I think overall this is a 3.5 for me. Bel and Conner were both likeable characters but it wasn’t super different from any enemies to lovers/fake dating tropes that I’ve read before. Maybe some spots of added depth. Overall good, but didn’t blow me away. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc.

Cover Story was my second Mhairi McFarlane book, and she is now a must-read author for me. If you aren't reading her books, you are missing out. They are just perfect. Fans of Falon Ballard would enjoy. Cover Story is two colleagues, who don't really like each other, but become forced to work together on an assignment.

As much as I’ve enjoyed Mhairi McFarlane’s previous books, this one was too entrenched in British culture for me to stay involved in the latest of her lovely, messy, very human tales. This was quite disheartening because I love stories from all around the world. Unfortunately, when I keep having to search online for definitions to phrases dropped without any context clues to help an ignorant American reader, it’s hard to stay involved in the story. So let me say that while it’s likely a 4 for those who get all the lingo and other references, it was just a 3 for me.
That being said, it is a good story; the protagonists both had emotional growth to accomplish here and the journalism plot was an interesting one. However, the fact that we were only given dribs and drabs of the FMC’s main dilemma until nearly 3/4 of the way through seriously hampered my connection to her character. Everyone orbited around her as if she were as glorious as the sun but the scenes where she was actually in action never demonstrated much to justify that awe.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ARC. All opinions here are wholly my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Cover Story’ is of those rare reads that skillfully combines witty humor with complex themes in a way that is both captivating and thought-provoking. In McFarlane's world of investigative journalism, Connor, a quiet but perceptive intern, and Bel, an experienced reporter with a cut-throat approach, work together to secure a huge story. The curve? To do this, they pose as a couple.

The story is far more complex than the typical fake dating setup, which was a breath of fresh air to me. There is a lot of emotional weight here, particularly when it comes to topics like harassment and abuse of power. While some readers might have hoped for more romantic tension in the beginning, Bel and Connor's relationship develops gradually, and the payoff feels genuine and well-earned. As always, McFarlane's speech is dazzling, and the characters are incredibly flawed and human.

I thought that Bel and Connor’s interactions were refreshing in a way, specifically because of the enemies-to-lovers trope. I hate a lot of angst, and I am not a fan of too much conflict (to the point that both characters set themselves up for failure). McFarland showed this palpable respect these two had for each other in the work setting, even if they aren’t the best of friends. The intentionality behind the writing is the unique storytelling I’ve needed this year.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the chance to read an early copy!

I wish I liked this more but I felt like the book was doing too much. Also I think the writing style was not for me sadly.

This one was classic Mhairi McFarlane -- snarky and fun!! Plus so many of my fave tropes: Enemies to lovers, fake dating.....need I say more? I also usually hate books about journalist, as a journalist myself, but this one worked. I liked the characters, and the slow burn payoff was worth it.

I really enjoyed this book. i felt like there was a good story line that switched up the romance aspect. I liked Bel, and I loved how her and Connor interacted. their banter was great, and I love that they weren't really enemies but just didnt care for one another. I do wish there was an epilogue.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy

I don’t usually gravitate toward books set in England, but this one was a pleasant surprise. The storyline kept me engaged from start to finish—I genuinely wanted to see how things would unfold for the main characters and how their relationship would come together. It was heartwarming and sweet in all the right ways. I’m giving it 4 stars, mostly because the male lead cried a bit too often for my taste—it felt slightly overdone and pulled me out of the moment at times.

The plot was less rom-com and way more rom-dram, and despite having so many of my favorite tropes, none of them worked well for me because the vibe was off. I also didn't care for Bel and found myself skimming her POV because she frustrated me. The ending is pretty satisfying, so if you trudge through for that, you (hopefully) won't be left wanting.

I love a good rivals to lovers with a fakeout on the road to romance. Connor is the new intern. Bel is working at the paper as an independent podcaster turned columnist. She's trying to break a huge story and, through romcom style hijinks, convinces Connor to be her fake boyfriend. Super cute, definitely worth the read!

I could not get enough of this book! Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane is an instant favorite, following office rivals - and reluctant undercover accomplices - Bel and Connor. McFarlane has created characters that feel real, vulnerable, and incredibly imperfect, that makes the story so much more enticing. I can't wait for everybody to read this book and fall just as in love with Bel and Conner as I did!

This was such a surprise. It has the appeal of investigation lovers, fake dating (but done really well), enemies to lovers (again, done well and not fueled solely by lust) and an incredibly slow burn romance. A little bit of miscommunication towards the end where you wish they could spit it out, but it felt very realistic and not just for plot. Really liked this one.

I was excited to pick this book up after hearing rave reviews for the author and her previous work but I was sadly disappointed. this book felt extremely slow and I had a very difficult time getting into the story despite the promising plot line. I had to put this book down and pick it back up multiple times in hopes of getting more invested but I felt like the first 25% of the story dragged on and it was hard to continue from there. another thing that I struggled with was the fact that the majority of communication between the two main characters was plagued by miscommunication and thinking that someone felt a certain way through pure assumption or preconceived judgments (especially at the beginning). while I do think this book had potential and could positively received by readers who don't mind a long slow burn, I unfortunately think that this book simply was not for me.

What I enjoy most about McFarlane books, is how character driven and women strong (women centered?) they are. Here latest book, out in the US in October, is no exception.

Bel Macaulay, an award-winning podcaster, has just joined the Manchester office of a national newspaper as an Investigations Editor when she is paired with their latest intern - Connor Adams, a thirty-something career-changer starting over in journalism. When Bel stumbles upon a major scoop involving a powerful politician’s abuse of young women, she’s forced to go undercover—and Connor accidentally gets pulled into the operation via a “fake dating” situation in order to not jeopardize Bel’s lead.

I will say, this book started off a little slow. Both Bel and Connor had initial judgements of each other that took awhile to overcome. There are background subplots of stalker exes, and cheating girlfriends and that, combined with the main story of a politician threatening young women, makes this book a bit heavy than the average romance novel. That said, I've never considered this author's novel mere romcoms so that worked just fine for me. I thought both Bel and Connor were well written, I loved the hysterical cast of friends and family members as background characters and I laughed more than once while reading. While this isn't my favorite McFarlane, it's still quite good. If you've liked her previous books, you will like this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

I feel really bad but I just can’t get into it. I’m not a huge fan of the characters or how it’s started out. I’m still trying to read it.

I wanted to love this one so much, but I think I’ve come to the conclusion that McFarlane books aren’t for me. I’m not a fan of the writing style and find her books very slow

Bel Macaulay, a sharp-tongued, award-winning podcaster, has just joined the Manchester office of a national newspaper as an Investigations Editor, is pared with Connor Adams, a thirty-something career-changer from finance who’s starting over in journalism.
When Bel stumbles upon a major scoop involving a powerful politician’s abuse of young women, she’s forced to go undercover—and Connor accidentally gets pulled into the operation.

To protect the story and their sources, Bel and Connor must pretend to be a couple. A couple deeply in love. What could go wrong, right?

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC!