Mhairi McFarlane's books are always an automatic read for me. This book felt a little different to me though. The first 50% of the book felt very much all over the place and very drawn out. But I ATE UP the second-half of the book. Once everything began with going undercover, it really picked up and sucked me in. I will say that some of the slang was a bit too hard for me to understand and I felt like I had to go back and re-read certain parts because of it.

A charming slow burn romance. Bel is a talented investigative reporter. She isn’t too interested in mentoring the new intern, even if he is an incredibly handsome man her age. Connor makes a terrible first impression on Bel and the feeling is mutual until Bel and Connor find themselves on the same side, trying to break an important story. While this is a bit slow to start and has a lot of plot packed in, there is plenty to enjoy and Bel and Connor have lovely chemistry. The author does a nice job of making this a fun and cozy read even with a couple of distressing subplots.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Thanks to NetGalley I received an advanced electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

In true Mhairi Mcfarlane style, this was a true delight!Her writing style and charm is top notch - I will always enthusiastically put a book of hers to the top of my TBR pile and Cover Story further proves why. I really enjoyed every page of this.

The witty banter along with the self-conscious and self-deprecating inner dialogue made Bel and Connor incredibly charming and easy to love. Their development and growth along with the way they each handled their prior relationship challenges made them easy to root for in their character growth. Plus the hilarious (sometimes tense!) and chaotic hijinks were icing on the Mcfarlane cake!

All the stars - always! I loved every page of Cover Story.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were relatable, the plot was interesting, and the story was great! I would definitely recommend!

To no one’s surprise, I LOVED "Cover Story" by Mhairi McFarlane! She continues her streak as a five-star author in my book, every single time.

This one had everything I adore: relatable, real characters (Bel and Connor felt like people I actually know); a deliciously slow-burn romance; and classic tropes done so well -- fake dating, enemies to lovers and the always-entertaining forced proximity. The banter was sharp, funny and full of tension, and watching the relationship between Bel and Connor shift and evolve felt so natural and satisfying.

The pacing was just right, with emotional depth balanced perfectly by wit and charm. If you love romance that takes its time and gives you all the feels, this is it. Another gem from Mhairi. Thank you to Mhairi McFarlane, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!

Reading a Mhairi McFarlane book is always delightful. Her characters are witty and sharp, and her writing style is top-notch. The dual POV really added to the story and I liked it.

Bel and Connor misjudge each other when they first meet and it lays the foundation of a good enemies to lovers book (which I love!) Their misunderstanding of each other leads to awkwardness when they have to pretend date in order to try to break a very big story. So many issues make up the story in this book that are now part of our contemporary world - burnout, revenge porn, stalking, ethics and mental health. She does a great job making them realistic and relatable.

As always, there is the best friend who's a gem. I love love that part of her books; good female relationships are so important!

This book is a great read and I devoured in one sitting. The characters are smart, complex, makes imperfect decisions and relatable. Her storytelling well-paced and immaculately told. It'll make you laugh and is thoroughly enjoyable. The romance is slow burn and almost didn't happen as they still couldn't understand each other's true feelings when their time together was coming to an end but thanks to Shaun (Connor's brother) always being right, Connor finally tells Bel that he loves her in the end. Cue HEA and good feelings both in the book and for me.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a truly delightful read.

I will say, as an American, the dialogue took some getting adjusted to. This book is brimming with British slang and terminology that I was not aware of, so with some Googling and a bit of puzzling on my part, I found that this became a part of the atmosphere.

This was the story of a very adult romance between two very well developed characters. Recently I have found that my romances tend to feel cookie-cutter, and this one is very much not that. These characters have flaws and faults and difficult conversations, which made me very sympathetic to both of their stories, even though they may be somewhat spiky and unloveable at times.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the subplots of a stalker mystery and workplace investigations - I was thoroughly engrossed the entire read. Sometimes romance seems to take the spotlight when it should not, and this book was perfectly paced throughout.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

As a longtime fan of Mhairi McFarlane, I was excited to dive into A Cover Story—and it delivered so much of what I love about her books: sharp writing, layered characters, and smart, witty dialogue. Bel and Connor were both compelling in their own ways, and I appreciated how real and flawed they felt. The fake-dating setup made for some great tension and emotional depth.

That said, I would’ve liked a bit more focus on the romance itself. While the character arcs were strong, the romantic development sometimes took a backseat to other plotlines, and the ending felt a bit rushed. Still, McFarlane’s voice and character work shine, and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. A solid 4.25 stars!

I enjoyed this one! It’s my first one by Mhairi McFarlane and I’m convinced to check out her backlist!

Bel and Connor have an instant enemies-to-lovers connection, but manage to start working together on a big story Bel wants to break about the mayor. When they end up creating a fake dating relationship as part of their cover, there’s definitely not instant chemistry. I found Connor and Bel to be complex, flawed, relatable characters with real issues to work past, both individually and together. If you love tropes like fake dating, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and only one bed, this book may be right up your alley (especially if you’re a fan of a true slow-burn romance)!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the early reader copy of this book!

Even though I'm not a fan of the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith nor the book The Hating game. I did enjoy this one, as it was enough out of my wheel house to keep me turning pages to find out what happened.

cover Story is everything I love in a book. Shilpa was one of the best best friends I've read in a while. I was a little bit obsessed with her.I really did adore this book and sped through it

Cover Story
Mhairi McFarlane

Bel and Connor

Bel used to host a podcast, but a personal issue took that away, and her to Manchester.
Bel is a journalist in Manchester and Connor comes in as an intern to help her. They are doing an undercover assignment which has them “fake dating”.
Mishaps and misunderstandings seem to always stand in their way.
I liked it was not an insta-love book. It was a slow building burning love. A part that made me think was a turning point was the situation with Tim at the wedding. Connor stepped up to help Bel. Plus Connor lets something slip at the wedding and Bel doesn’t find that out until close to the end of the book.
It was a good book. I liked the characters and overall feel of the story. It was not predictable.
A book you will not be disappointed with.

Mhairi McFarlane, you've done it again!
how completely excited I was to be able to read this ARC because I love Just Last Night and Mad About You!
Such a great little rom-com!
I love duel pov's and enemies to lovers more than anything!
I really enjoyed this book, and will definitely be reading more books from Mhairi. I definitely recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

This book was so enjoyable to read, even though it didn't totally stick the landing. Two journalists who start out antagonistic towards each other find themselves going undercover as a couple for the sake of a potentially explosive Me-Too story lead. As always, McFarlane's characters are sharp, witty, and complex, and their banter is a real highlight here.

set against the high stakes of a journalists fighting the clock to break a me too scandal, cover story will read as surprisingly tender if you're someone that wasn't familiar with mcfarlane's work beforehand. however, if you're like me and have read almost her entire backlist, this shouldn't come as a surprise with mcfarlane's characterization of the main couple as a highlight. she writes about people who have strong moral compasses, but are just idiotic with each other sometimes and that is just refreshing; bel and connor are the type of people i hope to meet in my lifetime over and over again.

I love Mhairi McFarlane. She tells a great story and it happens to be an interesting saga combined with a really sweet love story. She’s a must-buy for me. I loved This one!

Okay this was cute! This was my first time reading Mhairi McFarlane, and I enjoyed her unique writing style. I was a big fan of our FMC Bel; a strong, independent career-driven woman.

Read if you enjoy:
*** Enemies to lovers
*** Workplace romance
*** Fake dating
*** Slowwwww burn
*** Dual POV

I wouldn’t say that the romance was front and center in this novel; but I enjoyed the brief detour into women’s lit.
The topics discussed were entertaining and compelling.

I would absolutely read the author’s other novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

Bel has a successful podcast, but after making a bad personal choice, she finds herself fleeing to Manchester, where she takes a job at a local newspaper. There, she meets her new desk mates—Aaron, a snarky, smarmy journalist, and Connor, an intern navigating a late-in-life career change. Naturally, she and Connor become instant enemies, but an investigative assignment in Manchester forces them to work together.

I’ve read several of Mhairi McFarlane’s books, and they NEVER disappoint! Her writing style is fantastic, the dialogue is sharp and authentic, and the banter—whether between colleagues or romantic leads—is both hilarious and relatable. I loved how this story unfolds, from the intrigue of the assignment to the satisfying vengeance over bad behavior, all wrapped in an extremely slow-burn romance between Bel and Connor. The dual point-of-view narrative works perfectly, and while the level of miscommunication is OFF THE CHARTS, somehow, it absolutely fits this story.

I adored this book and can’t wait to read more from McFarlane—I’ll always pick up anything she writes!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I've read every single Mhairi McFarlane book and I was ecstatic to see that she had a new book out this year. I was lucky enough to get an ARC and I devoured it in one sitting.

Bel and Connor are journalists who are forced to work together on an undercover story and end up having to fake date in order to sell it. Hence, 'Cover Story'. Connor, a new journalist sent up North to Manchester to work with Bel for 3 months, immediately rubs her the wrong way, but they are forced to tolerate each other for the greater good. Bel also hasn't been in Manchester long, and we find out that she left her last paper in York after a bad breakup and moved to Manchester to be closer to her best friend.

I'm pretty sure that this is the first Mhairi McFarlane book I've read with a dual pov and I liked it! It was nice to get inside Connor's head and it made me feel so much empathy for his reasons for switching to journalism as a career and why he came across as cold sometimes. Seeing him gradually open up as he and Bel form a friendship was very rewarding, and I felt as though the conclusion was well-earned.

However, I'm saving my highest praise for Bel. It was refreshing to have a main female character who has done something pretty terrible and is grappling with the after-effects. I think that all too often, the FMC has to be "perfect" in order to elicit sympathy from the reader and I loved that Bel felt like a real person with flaws, who was just trying to do her best. She may have done something bad, but she's not a bad person.

The realism and sharp banter of her characters have always been Mhairi McFarlane's strong points, and I am happy to report that all is present here. I also enjoyed her side characters more than usual and I didn't feel like they were too prominent as I have done in the past.

I'm taking away a star because I would have liked to see more time dedicated to the romance and it felt a little rushed at the end. I also think that we perhaps had one side plot too many. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I highly recommend it.

Hold the presses: major book hangover alert.

How the fuck does Mhairi McFarlane do it? Every book just gets better and better (and I know sound like a fawning cliche saying this). Cover Story is like the smoothest cocktail that carefully balances all the flavours. The next thing you know you've woken up with a major hangover and can't read another book. The only cure was to re-read my fave bits and look at tickets to Manchester (seriously, Manchester tourist office should give her commission).

This book is sharp, witty, well-paced and astute, blending social commentary, a bit of a mystery (I'd kill for a series with Bel and Connor investigating crimes) and a swoony, very slow-burn romance. It also continues a recurring theme from her previous books, namely the varying ways men wield their power via The Nice Guy in the Room act (who, past McFarlane hero Finn advises we should beware of) to inoculate themselves against scrutiny for abusing women.

I adored Bel, she's resourceful and daring but a bit battered after a toxic dalliance. Connor was also her perfect foil, a man wears his heart on his sleeve. Shilpa and Shaun were also perfect, with Shaun giving Fraser a run for his money as my fave McFarlane brother. To reduce the romance to 'enemies to lovers' ‘fake dating’ tropes is to do a disservice; it's far more layered. Instead of immature pranks and insta-lust with a romance going zero to 100 out of nowhere, it's a gradual slow-burn. Bel and Connor constantly wrong-foot and misunderstand each other every step of the way. I love that we witness both points of view as their feelings sneak up on them.

I was bereft when it ended. A gazillion stars.

Massive thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC.