Not a bad story, but I feel like everyone has a book coming out this year with journalists fighting for a story. It was nothing new and having them fall in love is the same trope over and over. I feel like this book had so much going for it with plot line, but fell flat in certain parts.

Thank you HarperColins Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC E-Pub

So pleasantly surprised by this, probably one of the more enjoyable romcoms I’ve read in a while. I really liked having both Connor’s and Bel’s perspectives and the investigative elements of the story. The ending was very satisfying and sweet. Not usually my favorite genre, but I thought this one was super well done and cute. Very lucky to have received an ARC (:

Ive read a lot of books by mhairi and never connected. they were okay but nothing to wrote home about... this book?! 5 stars. A extremely well deserved 5 stars.

I love this book so much I might reread it this exact second. The story was phenomenal. No stone went unturned. She made sure there were details and descriptions to back every turn and fully develop her characters.

Someones review said theres only romance in the last 5% of the book and i totally dont agree. I feel the most connected to them because we spent this whole time getting to truly know them separate and together and it was so incredibly believable. not only do i fully believe they exist, but the romance too. People forget you cant have fantastic romance unless you do the work on the beginning. she wanted us to really see the progression of their relationship and buy into it.

I will be recommending this book to every reader I know. It was truly spectacular.

i think i'm going to settle on a 4.25!

there is no doubt in my mind that mhairi mcfarlane is extremely talented when it comes to blending wit, banter, and emotional topics. this book is packed full of humor, a little bit of suspense, and difficult situations. i really really enjoyed my first work by her!

i thought the premise was very fun and i personally haven't read much like it so i was very invested. the only two things that i had a little bit of trouble with was the very beginning as we find out the background and the ending. at first, everything felt very thrown at me and i had a hard time following who was who and what their relationships were to each other as well as their history, etc. it took a little bit of processing for it to fully click in my brain. and at the end, i felt like the romance plot concluded very quickly and felt a little bit rushed. i also would have loved more of them embarking in their relationship (but maybe that's just because i'm a sap for these two).

i loved the mcs and their banter. i was fully invested in their "adventure" and kept wanting to read to see where things were going in the mission and in their personal lives ;)

huge huge thank you to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc! cannot wait to read more by this author!!

Cover Story follows Sushma, a journalist navigating grief, friendship, and unexpected romance while investigating a celebrity scandal. Something that I think Mhairi McFarlane does very well is write about grief, and this was no different. I loved that Sushma felt real and her feelings were relatable. I'm not the biggest fan of slowburns, but the quiet love throughout the book was so great.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the journalism elements of the story! Both the main characters are flawed, however, you still want to root for them both individually & as well as for them to get together in the end. The author does a good job making both characters well rounded and human. My main issue was that for a romance, this was an incredibly slow burn but it felt like a realistic pace.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Mhairi McFarlane, and Netgalley for providing me with the e-arc of this in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first Mhairi McFarlane book, and its safe to say I will definitely be reading more of her work! The humor throughout the book actually had me laughing out loud at some points. One thing that is no fault of the book and is entirely on me is that I did not understand a lot of the British jokes/references, but that's on me for being a silly American.

I really enjoyed the slow burn of this book, which is not something I expect to say usually. The slowness of their relationship really helped to show the growth of Connor and Bel's relationship. And it felt super realistic considering their thoughts of each other at the very beginning.

This one was really fun, and I cannot wait to try out more from Mhairi!

4/5 stars

3.5 stars for my first Mhairi McFarlane & I'm excited to read her other works!! I had a great time reading Cover Story, especially as someone who loves a workplace romance + fake dating.

Cover Story follows Bel, who gets an inside scoop on a huge scandal that she goes undercover to investigate for her newspaper. When her intern Connor (who did not get off on the right foot) ends up in the middle of her undercover operation they have to fake date to keep the ruse up. What could go wrong from here?

I absolutely loved the growth you see in both characters throughout the entire story. You really learn that first impressions are not always correct, and there can be a lot underlying that you just don't realize about this other person. Connor especially had a lot of depth you don't see in the beginning, and I really enjoyed his character and how he treated Bel.

For me, I felt like the beginning was super slow and I was struggling to get through the first 30% or so. I felt like there wasn't much progressing and also throughout the story felt like there were a lot of side stories that took me away from the main objective. I didn't feel like all of them were necessary, which is why I didn't completely get immersed at times. With that said, I still had a great time and couldn't put down the book once I got past the halfway mark.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is enemies to lovers & fake dating of two journalists working undercover on a story. There is a lot going on and I found it difficult to connect. I enjoyed the dual POV, however, I did not enjoy it in third person. There is some funny banter and sweet moments but overall I struggled a bit to get through this book.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

This is an auto-buy author for me and this absolutely worked for me! I love the characters this author is able to create. They truly are relatable, multi-dimensional and have real problems to sort out! When I want a deeper rom-com/women's fiction/lit fiction, I can always count on Mhairi McFarlane and this is no exception!

Thank you so much to the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like Mhairi McFarlane's books are written especially for the girls who can't get enough of early 200s British rom-coms (its me, I'm girls). They are heavy on the slow burn to each relationship, but so tender and full of carefully precise character development that I don't even mind the lack of spice. I love the fake dating/journalistic intrigue to this one and Bel and Aaron's connection grows from despise to fraught trepidation to trust over the course of the story. I wish the miscommunication narrative hadn't been used at the end, but it did make for a great confession scene.

Mhairi never disappoints and I feel like not enough people talk about the amazing books! Such a great story that's funny with Mhairi heart!

Mhairi is one of my favorite authors and every time I read her writing I remember why. This time around, I was SHOCKED that she tried out dual POV and it gave the side of the romance I have always wanted from her books. Her MMCs are so effortlessly romantic and getting to hear Connor’s thoughts about Bel made him even more romantic. I don’t know that the dual POV enhanced the story, but it definitely appealed to the romantic in me. The plot was, as always, very thoughtfully planned and concluded. I will concede that the reason it all works out for the investigation story line was a little too easy, but it makes sense for the character. I was on the edge of my seat til the very end and I loved every second of it,

Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favorite authors. She somehow can entwine humor into serious topics. Her banter in the dialogue is always so great and she didn’t disappoint with this book. With the fake dating and forced proximity, you fall in love with Bel and Connor. Really enjoyed this one and definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ebook ARC.

Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane
Pub Date: October 7, 2025

This is my first Mhari McFarlane read & definitely won’t be my last.

Fake relationship. Enemies to lovers. Journalists.

Set in Manchester, UK.

Isabel “Bel” Macauley - a podcaster that lands a job at a national newspaper.
Connor Adams - the intern, leaves a stable job for something he’s always wanted to do, become a reporter.

They end up being in a fake relationship for work, going undercover. As they try to uncover the scandal, they blur the lines of fact and fiction.

This was such a slow burn closed door romance, with so much miscommunication because of the roles they were playing. I found their chemistry made sense and their reactions based on their own histories palpable.

Mhairi McFarlane has done it again! This book is easily the best romance that I've read so far this year!

Loved the investigative journalism elements that forms the backdrop of the book! Both the main characters are flawed, however they also have their vulnerable side and reasons for acting in a certain manner which makes you want to root for them both individually & as well as for them to get together in the end (given that's is a romance, I don't think I am giving away too much about how the story ends, LOL!).

McFarlane is an astute observer of human behaviors and psyche. The way she has brought all the characters, including the negative & the side ones to life in the book, feels absolutely effortless!

This is a slowwww burn. For some reason although this book was marketed as being similar to "The Hating Game" IMO, it doesn't feel like it. At no point does it feel like they are out to get each other. Sure, there's rivalry but you also feel the simmering tension (which doesn't feel only physical!) and grudging respect that they slowly develop for one another. As the author deftly puts it they became allies first (from rivals), followed by friends and then lovers :) Pretty much, McFarlane covers the entire spectrum of emotions Bel and Connor have for one another in how they transition from being enemies to lovers. Excellent pacing and nothing feels too soon/too rushed.

Overall a fabulous read in the charming McFarlane signature style and one that I highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #CoverStory

Ladies and gentleman, she’s done it again! Another book that is not overtly about the romance and thus, it ends up taking center stage in the most natural way.

Bel and Connor had the best back and forth banter. If you like tension and forced-proximity you’ll love this one. The under cover element was such a great plot. And every scene was infused with the coziness(drinks at a pub, low lighting, etc) I’ve come to associate with McFarlane.

I got seriously riled up when it came to certain characters and their behavior toward Bel, and I teared up at the end as I am wont to do with these novels. No smut and consequently, no notes from me.

Thanks NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an ARC!

2.5 rounded down. It just wasn’t fun? Like the writing was good and whatnot (I think) but it felt like a slog. The characters got together way too late to the point it didn’t feel flirty? In a way it was hyper realistic. And while in the past I’ve definitely said oh I like so and so book because it’s grounded in reality, this was too far in the ground. I’m all over the map with McFarlane’s books, so disappointed this wasn’t one of the top end ones for me.

My first note is that this is NOT a romance. I probably should have realized that before going into it because “A novel” is written right there on the cover. I read and loved another one of this author’s books that was clearly a romance, so I went into this one with the same expectation and was severely disappointed.

This is a podcast investigation book. The two main characters do have some chemistry and have romantic feelings towards each other, it just does not turn romantic until the last 9% (literally 9%). The bulk of this story is the investigation into the mayor and his corruption. There is a revenge porn element to it as well and I thought all of that was handled with sensitivity and care. There was a little bit of a stalker sub-plot that felt out of place and the book would have been totally fine without it.

Some of the dialogue was really cringey. “Pube jokes were life” was a particularly bad line.

Overall, a perfectly fine book. It doesn’t do anything particularly new or inventive to the podcast book genre, but it’s better than some that I’ve read.

Cover Story was such an enjoyable read! It’s the perfect mix of romance, humor, and mystery, centered around two rival journalists forced to work together on an undercover assignment. Their banter and chemistry were spot-on, giving the story a fun enemies-to-lovers feel with a fantastic slow burn that never dragged.

The pacing was strong throughout—I always wanted to get back to it—and the character development felt natural and believable. I especially appreciated the low-spice, closed-door approach, which let the emotional connection shine through. The undercover investigation added a unique twist that kept things interesting and elevated the story beyond a typical rom-com.

Overall, a smart, funny, and heartwarming read with just the right amount of tension and charm.