I hate to say it but I think Mhairi McFarlane may not be for me. This is the third book i've tried from this author that I just cannot for the life of me get into. The prose feels a bit too scatterbrained for me to parse through naturally - and taken with the fact that it's distinctly British it almost feels like work getting through her books. I just couldn't finish this one - but I do think she has a lot to offer the right reader!

THIS WAS PERFECT. i love this author so much. this book healed a piece of me that i didnt know needed healing. i couldn’t put it down. the writing was impeccable. these characters will forever hold a special place in my heart!

I enjoyed the reporter aspect of this story. It felt believable with high enough stakes to need a fake relationship and then low enough stakes that it could still be a hopeful rom-com.

I feel like I don't totally feel the ending was impressionable because there wasn't a big like "talk" about the 2 characters being in love and stuff.

I was really looking forward to Cover Story. The fake dating trope is one of my favorites, and I was hoping for a funny, feel-good romantic read. While the premise had potential, the execution didn’t quite land for me.

It’s on me for not catching this from the summary, but the humor was very much rooted in British wit, and unfortunately, it didn’t hit the mark for me. I often felt like an outsider looking in on inside jokes I couldn’t fully appreciate.

That said, McFarlane’s writing is undeniably strong. Her prose is smart and engaging, even if the story itself wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I personally would have preferred more romance throughout the book, but that’s a matter of personal taste, not a flaw in the book itself.

This one wasn’t for me, but readers who enjoy British humor and clever, layered storytelling may find it much more rewarding.

After being disappointed with some of my previous Mhairi McFarlane reads, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about Cover Story but I was pleasantly surprised. I think I’ve found I really enjoy Mhairi’s books that lean more contemporary fiction than romance. That’s not to say the romance between the two main characters wasn’t integral to the plot or not well done. Bel and Connor felt like real people with interesting and well developed backstories, the magic here was their character growth.

Some parts of the investigative journalism felt juvenile and missed the mark for me. The process wasn’t as believable or realistic - especially the plot to get footage from the iPad and to have that be the ONLY plan.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have come to really love Mhairi McFarlane's character development and storytelling. I love her witty dialogue and regional turns of phrase. Her reads are always so fun! Cover Story felt a little different to me than some of her past work but I loved that it took on the uncovering of illicit behavior that is far too common in our society and explored some interesting ethical dilemmas on the way. The romance was secondary to the story and very much a slow burn, but the story comes together beautifully in the end. I enjoyed this one and will be talking about it and recommending it to others, for sure! I regularly push Mhairi on my friends and they are all always blown away that she's not a household name here in the states. Such talent. Thank you for the opportunity to read this story early in the US. I loved it!

This one had a little bit of slow start for me, but then I was off and running and couldn't put it down! Mhairi McFarlane's writing is captivating, filled with humor and heart. Her characters are perfectly well-developed and flawed.

I waffled a bit between two and three stars for this, but I think McFarlane's strong writing pulls it into the three category. However, I would say this if far from her strongest work. Her characters were well crafted, but I didn't like them that much; the plot made sense and was well paced, but I didn't find it that interesting/insightful; overall the prose was smooth, but at times the dialogue was rather stilted. I usually avoid the fake dating trope, but I really liked If I Never Met You so I trusted McFarlane to sell me on this one; alas, it didn't work for me, as it had all of the fake dating aspects that irk me so much, namely contrived situations and miscommunication of feelings. (If you're a fan of fake dating in general, you'll probably like this a lot more than I did!)

While this book definitely had McFarlane's signature on it, it also felt like she wrote this to appease the masses more than her previous works. Her other books have been heavier on character growth than the romance, which I've liked, but this one had the romance take more of the center stage, and I think the rest of the book suffered because of that. I guess Bel learned some lessons, but I wouldn’t say that her character grew all that much. Also, I'm kind of sick McFarlane's female protagonists all having horrible exes—surely not all men are so horrible???

i'm just a sucker for anything Mhairi McFarlane writes. love her humor and writing style, her stories always keep me interested. another solid book.

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!