I LOVED THIS BOOK. like LOVED LOVED IT.

Summer and Jules are REALLLLL and really adorable and smart and kind and generous and wise and so open to growing and learning and being better humans.

And Barbie and Zach and Jana and Safi and Raj and Laila and Fatemeh??? There is not a character (besides Mama and Baba, ew) that I did not love in this book. They are all so real and supportive and I want them in my corner.

So good. My favorite of all of Tashie’s books so far. ❤️

PS- Tashie!!!! Girl!!!! I keep getting more amazed with your talent and vulnerability with every book you put into the world. Can we PLEASE be friends?!?! Hearing the author’s note at the beginning about how Summer is so connected to Tashie honestly made the book even better to me because the whole time I could really see Summer as a real person, not just a character. I love how she represented her culture and her sexuality and just everything.

I didn’t even realize this was a queer romance until I started reading, but it’s now my first Pride read this month. Summer is a teen popstar who’s pansexual but terrified to come out. She’s just fired her controlling parents as managers and is now fake-dating Jules, a child-actor-turned-fboy.

This heartfelt, spice-free YA romance beautifully balances queer identity and slowburn love. Summer’s journey with her sexuality is tenderly portrayed without making Jules a pawn in the story. He is the sweetest, most supportive fake boyfriend—a refreshing take on romance and identity.

Jules, an Iranian white-passing person of color, struggles with his sense of self. Summer is the first outside his family to celebrate his otherness and helps him demand more from his career. Their character arcs explore race, reputation, verbal abuse, boundaries, and acceptance in a way that feels deeply authentic.

Narrated with huge emotional range by Soneela Nankani, the story brings Summer’s many sides to life—from anxious celebrity to fierce protector. Music references and film events create a fun pop culture backdrop, making this perfect for fans of contemporary YA.

Overall, this queer YA romance is a beautiful exploration of identity, love, and standing up for yourself.

I’ll Pretend Jules and Summer Are Real and Living Their HEA a review by me 🤣. Folks I ADORED THIS BOOK.

This is a celebrity romance that even people who don’t typically read celebrity romance will love. Because Jules and Summer are such relatable characters, both learning to stand up to those closest to them while dealing with racism in the industry. They’re both young but written with such maturity due to their experiences and having to grow up fast in the limelight. The unconditional friendships, strong sibling bonds, cute dates, were just irresistible. Their love story was so sweet. And that epilogue of the headlines?! Such a unique way to give us a peek at their lives together. I hope we get books for the others in the friend group!

The narrator is fantastic, in fact I listened to the audiobook version because she also narrated NSFW and I loved her narration.

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read! I absolutely loved how the narrator brought this book to life! Great job!

I picked this up on a whim with no idea what it was about and I have no regrets at all! Summer and I are so similar down to the thought spirals we go on and Jules is so encouraging and was such a solid friend before they were anything more. I was halfway through the story before I even knew it and couldn’t wait to see this fake relationship become forever!

I think I’ll probably go back and read more of Tashie’s titles now. I finished this in two days and again, Soneela Nankani didn’t disappoint me. She narrates so beautifully with care and emotion in every word.

I absolutely loved this one. Tashie Bhuiyan has a way to write characters that speaks to my soul. I loved the playlists, the plot and, honestly, just everything. I know the main character is a popstar, which I am definitely not, but I related to her. She was layered and I loved being with her this entire book. It wasn't always a fun time but I loved it nonetheless. Once I started reading this one, I couldn't stop. It drew me in from the first page to the last. I also really liked the love interest and the friends too. I hope we get to see more of that group in another book actually! I also really liked the setting and the subject it broached. It was truly a captivating read and I'm really looking forward to whatever Tashie writes next! And I'll definitely reread this one in the mean time!

Another emotionally deep YA coming of age story featuring a South Asian American teen singer who has recently cut ties with her controlling parents only to find herself fake dating an actor. I loved the T. Swift similiarities in this story, how well the author writes about mental health and accepting that it's okay to remove emotionally abusive people from your life. There's also a relatable coming out as pansexual storyline made more challenging by living in the limelight and having homophobic parents. I adored the friends to lovers fake dating romance, it was sweet and swoony all at the same time with no unnecessary drama or miscommunications. Great on audio too narrated by a fav, Soneela Nankani. Highly recommended! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This author writes the best YA celebrity romance books! This one has the sweetest slow burn coupled with the coming-of-age challenges in the Hollywood spotlight. The main characters engage in PR fake dating and develop a supportive friendship. Likely because of the author's background in PR, their relationship seemed realistic as far as photoshoots and how a normal relationship might develop under these circumstances. It was really cute! After turning 18, Summer breaks free of her extremely controlling parents and has to navigate new boundaries and how to create her own path forward. This YA novel has lots of emotional depth while still having a fun, romantic and interesting celebrity aspect!

I liked the narrator overall. There were some odd pauses here and there that made me wonder if my audiobook had randomly stopped playing. I have not experienced this with other netgalley books. I am not sure if it was the way it was recorded or my app malfunctioning.

I understand that this book was meant to be upper-YA/New Adult but I simply could not reconcile with how clueless our FMC is. She is “finding herself” but that process was almost a little too dramatized? I don’t think I connected with her at any level. Additionally, the heritage of both characters are mentioned multiple times but neither culture was explored, which I found quite strange. Soneela Nankani’s narration is perfect, however and made this story much more tolerable.

First thing. SO MANY READERS ARE GOING TO FEEL SEEN READING THIS BOOK.

Second thing. It is so, so good. Summer and Jules. Could I love them anymore? Most likely no. They are both battling private personal battles while trying to live in the spotlight. Though it’s not always at least they have each other. And Barbie. And Zach. And Raj. And Jana. And Safi. These side characters are everything in this book.

And then add in the playlist for each season.

Another amazing read from Tashie. An autobuy author for sure.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.