Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the gifted copy!

"Something can be not your finest hour without defining you."

Mhairi McFarlane is one of my all-time favorite authors, so of course instead of reading all the ARCs I have coming out soon, I read this one, which comes out in October :)

What I love about Mhairi's books is that there's romance, but there's also just so much REAL LIFE involved. COVER STORY is the story of Bel and Connor, who are an investigative journalist and an intern in the Manchester office of a national paper... and their story felt like a true enemies-to-lovers scenario. These two do NOT like each other when they meet, but throughout the course of the story, become each others' fake dates and confindates. I loved the undercover aspect of the story, the #metoo and gaslighting storylines that drive a lot of the narrative and show how victims can become threats, and the built-up backstories for our characters as well. Mhairi just writes such a well thought-out book that I was thinking about this all the time and NEEDED to know what happened next. Loved it.

"No one is out of your league. There is no league above you."

I really enjoy Mhairi McFarlane’s books. They always center around a deeper topic and the love story is happens more in the background. Her writing is witty and interesting. I really enjoyed Bel and Connor’s love/hate relationship, my only complaint really is that I did hope for a bit more of a payoff to the romance in the end. Overall I really enjoyed it though.

Sadly this was a DNF, for me. Very slow start. Not enough momentum to keep me going. Also, very confusing at times.

4.5⭐️ Now that I have read a few of Mhairi McFarlane’s book I have to say I really enjoy her humor. I more importantly love how she able to add humor to a book about sensitive topics. The witty banter in this was top tier! I could feel the chemistry between the characters. She fell first, he fell harder😍 I’m a huge fan of Connor! Please pick this book up this summer!

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC🫶🏻

I love Mhairi McFarlane, and this isn't an exception. It's a bit more romance-forward than her other books, and the FMC doesn't have this life altering transformation, but it's sweet and it's fun. It took me a few chapters to acclimate to the jargony-writing - it gave 1950's newsroom meets Gilmore Girls in northern England, but once my brain caught up, it worked. Recommend.

This was a nice improvement from some of McFarlane's more recent works. I've always been a fan of how she writes her characters, especially our FMCs. Now, as someone who loves spice, I go into a Mhairi McFarlane story knowing that's not what I'm going to get, but being completely fine with that. If anything, she knows how to write excellent chemistry between her characters so I always feel rewarded at the end when cupid arrows hit and it's giving "I've loved you all along". I love when a crush seems palpable on the page. I will say that her writing is lighthearted, but it isn't light. A lot of wit, some cultural references, and overall a lot of lengthy exposition.
Cover Story had everything I love in a romance...fake dating trope, forced proximity, longing stares, light touches, and banter!

I enjoyed this! I do wish McFarlane would give us more time/slow down the pacing after the HEA, especially for a closed door romance. Give me an extended cut! I want to see how it all works out!

This was my first title by this particular author of which I had previously heard great things about but perhaps this book isn’t the one to start with. I found it a bit difficult to read and when the writing started to flow it was immediately cut off by a chapter break. Normally by the first quarter of a romance book, I’m rooting for the chapters or at least kicking my feet in excitement however, Cover Story is just not giving me those giddy feelings :(

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyage for the ARC!

4 stars 🌟

A romcom about two journalists who go undercover to get the story on a government employee that is using his position to take advantage of young female employees.

What I Liked:
Macfarlane probably taught me more new words than any other author in one book. I appreciate the variety in her language.
The miscommunication in this book did not feel trope-y but felt authentic. You could see from some of their assumptions and stumblings that it is a very real way for people to react. It was not a situation that required the reader to suspend their belief to follow the book. I loved the banter and the characters.

What I Didn’t Like:
Nothing I can remember. I thoroughly enjoyed and will be reading everything I can get my hands on by this author.

I've really enjoyed Mhairi McFarlane's previous books and this one did not disappoint! The banter, the British straight talk, sense of humor, and the "undercover" pining was right on point. A fresh read that left me feeling delightfully warm and fuzzy!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This one was just okay for me, The premise of the story was cute however I did not love the execution of it. I did like the banter of the two main characters however I did think they acted a bit juvenile at some points. Also the ending to the story came up very quick and not many questions were answered it was almost rushed to finish the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy! This was a fun read about two journalists, Bel and Connor, who go undercover as part of a investigation into their city’s mayor. I enjoyed the Manchester setting and the characters - all were fleshed out pretty well even if they had brief parts. The romance doesn’t really happen till the end and I liked that the author kept the suspense going. The Me Too investigation felt a little light for such a serious topic - it felt like it was just in service to getting Bel and Connor together and I wonder if it would have been better to have a different story. I didn’t really agree with how Bel’s past was handled either.

I absolutely loved this book but felt that the ending fell flat. It was the perfect blend of humor and romance, but the end seemed underdeveloped and would've benefited from an epilogue to build on the HEA.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! Absolutely was floored I even received this ARC. I absolutely loved the dynamic between Bel and Connor it was definitely a slow burn but done so well and throwing in fake dating? Omgg loved the banter and the humor was for sure on point was laughing out loud!

In my brain, Mhairi McFarlane writes rom coms that happen to have a story, but it is for sure the other way around--she is a fiction writer that features some romance. And I love it! Once I got over the mindset that this was supposed to be a cutie lil romance, I was fully invested.

I loved the concept of this book, and the fact that it was very much a mystery. Will they get away with being undercover? Also, I am always a sucker for fake dating. Gets me every time.

Definitely will recommend this one!

4 iPads out of 5

I am a big fan of this author and can not believe I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book. I have to say she killed this book. I will read anything this author writes and they have once again proven to me why they are a top author of mine. I could not put the book down, I read it in two days. Slow burn will keep me locked in from the very beginning and this book did just that. Bel and Connor had such a fun dynamic in the beginning. I love that they started as not liking each other and then slowly as time went on that changed at a pace that was believable and fun to follow. The romance did not feel rushed in any way. McFarlane should be given an award for the banter that their characters have, they are funny and real and I just love reading her books as they always feel real and relatable which can be hard to find with a book that has a romance. Cheers to this author once again nailing it at their craft.

It was just too "wordy" for me! I wanted to like it but I couldn't quite get past that! The concept was good but the characters weren't likable enough for me to finish it!

This was a good read! I had a tougher time getting into it for about the first quarter of the book but then it began to pick up. The beginning felt a little slow but then it really started to pick up around 65% into the book. There is a lot going on in this story. It is a very slow burn which was enjoyable! Check this one out if you like workplace rivalry, enemies to lovers, and fake dating!

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the advanced copy! All opinions are my own.

Cover Story is a fun enemies-to-lovers story with the witty banter and fun but authentically flawed characters that McFarlane does so well. The undercover journalists plot line was an interesting twist in a rom-com that I was very invested in. I also always enjoy how thoroughly British McFarlane's books are; there are always references or turns of phrase that I don't immediately understand which gives me a chance to expand what I know about British culture.

Thank you to NetGally and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

McFarlane never fails to produce smart rom-coms that are ACTUALLY funny. The MC's side conflict with an ex fell a little flat (and her weakness in handling it for much of the book felt contrary to her character), but loved it overall.