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.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an arc copy to review!!

Wowwww okay many thoughts!! This is not my first Mhairi rodeo it’s just the first one that I’ve completed… this is definitely different from her other novels but I actually think that’s why I liked

It had an early 2000s romcom vibe where (stay with me here) the romantic scenes throughout the movie are cute yet when the movie finishes and the characters are together YOU KNOW as an audience member that their relationship needs more developing time than what was on screen yet you still loved the movie. That is the best way I can describe it!

RANDOM: They had a Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde dynamic and I think that’s what made it an enjoyable experience BUTTT a slow burn novel (that has a crazy miscommunication) that happens over the course of a month is just not going to convince me that they’re IN LOVE with each other by the end… like please get off of the stage 😐 Apart from the romance needing just a little more oomph I can admit that I’m probably being extremely picky because I am in a reading slump (this took me 18 days to read…)

But I love this book. I love that it was third person but it didn’t feel like it was. I love that it was dual pov. I love that it was incredibly funny. And I love that I have my new white boy of the month (trigger warning: he’s fictional)

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for an ARC of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

COVER STORY has a lot of moving parts, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In this case, I felt as if the attention spent on other story lines (a stalker ex, a vindictive ex, a cheating ex, and a sleazy politician) didn’t allow the romance to develop as deeply as I was hoping for. I really liked the main characters—Bel, a successful investigative journalist who made a big splash with her viral podcast and Connor, a 34-year-old intern at Bel’s newspaper starting over after a mentally difficult first career in finance. And the other story lines were interesting, but I was really just left with a feeling of only the surface of that relationship, and even some of those multiple conflicts, being scratched.

The writing, as always with Mhairi McFarlane books, was bingeable and absolutely entertaining enough to keep me invested. Should there be a sequel to COVER STORY, which seems possible given the ending, I would be very interested in reading it.

I enjoyed this book so much.
Meet Bel, an investigative journalist. Bel chases a major story that has the potential to be a make-or-break moment for her and her intern, Connor. There is banter and humor.
The best thing is that the relationship develops realistically. I hate it when the love story is unbelievable, and McFarlane made the love effortless and realistic.
I love that Bel is a strong woman, and Connor has a lovely heart!
The characters are well developed, and I was able to connect with them.
The plot was well structured. The only small criticism I have is that the pace was slow in some instances, but it always recovered.
This book did a great job with mental health representation and did a great job with grief. There is a beautiful sensitivity and perfectly placed humor in dealing with all of these issues. It is worth a read just to see McFarlane cover this.
I highly recommend this for your Fall TBR!
Thank you to NetGalley and Mhairi McFarlane for the opportunity to review this ARC.
Happy Reading!

While I did enjoy the story the writing took me a while to get into. This is my first book by this author and the terms and innuendos that only make sense to people from the UK I'm sure didn't resonate with me but I did enjoy it. Just was hard to follow along with and read through.

This was a cute book , quick read .Thank you met galley for the chance to read this book . Full review on blog

Mhairi McFarlane is such an underrated romance author! I have loved her work since 2019 and was so honored to be accepted for an early copy of Cover Story. Let me say this romance did not disappoint!!! So romantic, swoony, with so much complexity to the MMC and FMC.

DNF @25%

I'm really sorry to say this, but I struggled to get into this book. I gave it a fair shot, but I found myself constantly distracted and unable to connect with the plot. It’s written in third-person with dual POV, so I just couldn’t follow the story. From what I could gather, there’s a serial predator or something, but the writing didn’t pull me in enough to fully understand or engage with it.

I tried using the read aloud option—but unfortunately, I had the same issue. The writing style just didn’t click with me.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

This is my first Mhairi McFarlane book! Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the free eARC 💕

Mhairi McFarlane will always be my original go-to rom-com author. Ever since "Here's Looking at You," I have always sought out her books. The intelligent banter, often involving fairly in depth current events or political information, is second to none (I mean, this one has a mention of Geronimo the alpaca?!) Fantastic.

Where I feel like her earlier books were more straight up rom-com (though with some heavier topics sprinkled in, her more recent books have allowed the heavier topics to take the starring role and the romance takes a back seat. This is no different - Bel's stalker, and the predatory Mayor both take precedence -- essentially cautionary tales, just reflecting (sigh) the real world, I suppose.

Anyway - Bel's character was almost painted as a little too femme fatale sometimes (?) but still liked her alright, Connor was fab, and I even enjoyed Aaron their office-mate for his gray-area kind of character - do we like him despite his really awful / offensive humor? is he a good guy, do we let it go, or is he a creep? Bit of both...

And I also really enjoyed what I felt were a couple distinct nods to Pride & Prejudice (Possibly I am just too much of a P&P head, that I see it everywhere) but stalker-Anthony's ability to only hear 'Yes' when "no' is being said, was like a more malevolent version of Mr. Collins, and Connor & Bel's first impressions & then gradually coming round to the opposite view, is 100% Elizabeth & Darcy.... And, I suppose the Erin storyline is the Wickham/Georgiana/Lydia one.

Anyway - I enjoyed it as I do all of her books, little bit on the heavier side, the romance ending was a bit I dunno - didn't love the miscommunication near the end -- but I did like the letter from Connor's brother.

I really couldn't put it down. Cover Story is my second Mhairi McFarlane book, and I now know I'm going to have to read the rest of them. "Queen of Romcom" was high praise in the descriptions, but they weren't wrong. I found Bel and Connor to both be lovable, funny, flawed, and full of chemistry. A fake dating and workplace enemies-to-lovers filled ride, Cover Story is exactly what I look for in a romcom. It didn't feel cheesy and overdone like a lot of romantic comedies, but instead, it had depth, wit, and discussed difficult subject without weighing the story down.

Cover Story covers the slow burn of Bel, a wild-child, driven podcaster turned investigative journalist, and Connor, a successful finance bro starting over as a newspaper intern, as they go undercover to try to break the story of the year. Both characters are lovable flawed, and I was kicking my feet watching their relationship evolve from enemies to allies to something more.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon or Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved it.

🕵️‍♀️ THE GIST:
Bel, a 34-year-old investigative reporter in Manchester, is stuck sharing an office with a surprise intern: Connor, a former finance high-flyer who's making a dramatic career change.

🤝 ODD COUPLE:
They don't get along. At all. But a big story forces them to work closely—and pretend to be something they're not.

🔥 SLOW BURN:
Tension turns into chemistry as their undercover roles blur the lines between fake and real. But miscommunication and pride get in the way.

🌀 EMOTIONAL PAYOFF:
It’s heartfelt, frustrating in all the right ways, and keeps you hooked until the very end.

📚 BOTTOM LINE:
Sharp premise, great dynamic, and real emotional pull.
Stayed up late to finish it. Solid read—just wish the ending gave us a little more.

The premise of this book was wonderfully interesting - two reporters of varying levels, thrown together by a haphazard plot to bring down a corrupt public figure. Relevant, topical, a plot I could absolutely get behind because I've seen it played out in the real world so many times.

However, the execution of the plot left much to be desired, thanks in part to the characters. The characters had little to no personality, and the way they interacted each-other left even less of an impression. The rushed romance at the end of the book was the only spark of joy I felt, and even then, it felt undeserved, as the two main characters had absolutely no reason to be romantically involved other than because the author said so.

I absolutely adore Mhairi’s writing and find her very underrated. Cover Story was my third novel of hers so I knew I would highly enjoy it. I love Mhairi’s writing style and story telling, and how her books don’t only focus on the romance.

This was office rivals, fake dating to lovers. In true MF’s fashion this was a slow burn romance. The high stakes and the drama was totally bingable and kept me on my toes. The banter between all of the characters was perfect, even if at times I didn’t always grasp the full British humor 😅

My biggest complaint is I wanted more! I feel like ending cut off at the best part and we didn’t get to experience the full love story.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an early ARC!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

This is my second book by Mhairi McFarlane. I enjoyed this one about as much as the other I read, which was quite a bit. I wish they’d market this as literary fiction instead of a rom-com. The romance is more of a subplot and I think having the right expectations helps the reader enjoy the book for what it’s intended to be. If the reader is expecting romance early on, they’ll probably be disappointed. The banter is great and the crumbs of romance we get are well worth the read for the slow-burn. The pacing did drag a bit in the middle and it could’ve used some scenes to be cut. There is so much more to the story than romance in McFarlane’s books.

This does have enemies-to-lovers and fake-dating tropes. The characters have so much depth and backstory. They’re flawed characters that make them feel like real people. I highly recommend this book! Her writing style is great and really helps the reader picture the scenes. It feels like watching a movie at times. I intend to check out more books by McFarlane.

This is my second Mhairi McFarlane book and, unfortunately, my second 2 star review. The romance, in this book that is marketed as a rom-com, was disappointing and lackluster. There was explicitly, on page, no spark or tension between these two characters for the majority of the book. Some may view this as a slow burn but in good slow burn novels the tension builds and we get to see the mutual pining between the characters. That does not happen here, partially because of the somewhat strange choice of 3rd person semi-dual narration. The entire plot revolves around misunderstandings between the two main characters, which felt very silly and annoying for two people in their mid 30s.

I am giving this 2 stars instead of 1 as the undercover investigation story line is fun and somewhat funny and the declaration of love was really great even though it doesn't even happen until the 97% mark!!! The choppy cut-scene chapters also made this super readable and the banter and quips were well written. I could confidently recommend this to someone looking for an extremely low stakes investigative journalist thriller who prefers 0 spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.