I Think They Love You

I Think They Love You by Julian Winters, 336 pages

Denz's workaholic dad has just announced his retirement from the family-run, super-successful party-planning business, and even though he's always been a bit flighty and unserious, Denz really wants to be named his father's successor as CEO. To convince the family that he's serious about the commitment that comes with the job, Denz decides to fake a relationship and is somehow forced into asking for help from his ex, Braylon, the man who dated him through college and then broke his heart. But Braylon needs Denz's connections to the mayor to make his own career succeed, so he agrees. Unsurprisingly, given that this is a romance novel, what starts as very fake turns very real when the pair starts to rediscover what drew them together in college.

Combining a second-chance romance with a fake-dating trope is a risky choice in a romance novel, but somehow the flashbacks to the messiness of the characters in college makes it much more believable — neither one was ready for the commitment then, though they certainly are more primed for it now. The flashbacks were a bit confusing at times (it wasn't always clear what was then and what is now), but otherwise this was a lovely contemporary romance.

This Spells Disaster

 This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin, 368 pages.

Morgan Greenwood is a disaster witch with a massive crush on Rory Sandler, who recently quit professional spellcasting to mix up magical cocktails in Morgan's hometown. Her family isn't thrilled about this decision, so Morgan agrees to be her fake girlfriend for the upcoming regional witch festival to convince Rory's family that she's happier with her life now. Unfortunately, the "disaster" part of "disaster witch" appears in the form of Morgan messing up a perfectly normal relaxation potion and potentially giving Rory a love potion instead, leaving her trying to break the effects of the spell with as little collateral damage as possible.

I really expected to like this book. The blurb really sold me, and I was ready for a light, funny book for Halloween. Unfortunately I found it very difficult to read because most of the plot could have been avoided if Morgan didn't constantly make the worst decisions physically possible for no obvious reason. There's an amount of suspension of disbelief usually inherent to fake dating (it's usually a larger-than-life kind of premise), but there was an amount of frustration involved with the choices of this book that made it very difficult for me to get invested in finishing it at all. I could clearly see all of the plot twists of the last fifty pages coming from before Morgan even suspected she gave Rory a love potion, and given that it's in first person it feels hard to believe that Morgan didn't even consider any of the many ways there may have actually been no problem. Although I'm sad to say it, I don't think I can recommend this one. 

The Break-Up Pact

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord, 310 pages

June and Levi grew up as best friends, but have barely spoken since high school. When both of them retreat to their hometown following high-profile breakups that went viral, they decide that a fake romance might help change the public narrative and win back Levi's ex-girlfriend, while also helping June's teashop become solvent. But as fake dating tropes ALWAYS do, what's pretend becomes real and they soon must grapple with what it means for their goals and their long yet strained friendship.

While there was nothing *wrong* with this book exactly, it also didn't feel quite right. The decade of silence between June and Levi could've been fixed with any one of several conversations (between them or with June's late sister), and while I get that small towns have a vibe all their own, the fact that what seems like their entire high school is still in town and super-involved in town events (despite being just a stone's throw from New York City) felt just a little too insular. The scones that June made sounded fun and, for the most part, tasty though, so there is that.

Funny Story

Funny Story by Emily Henry, 387 pages

A year ago, Daphne moved to a small town in Michigan with her fiance, Peter. She didn't know anyone except for Peter's friends, but managed to find her dream job as a children's librarian at the town's small library. Daphne's wedding was just a few weeks away when Peter returned from his bachelor party confessing that he's in love with his lifelong best friend, Petra. And, oh yeah, Daphne needs to move out, because Petra's moving in. With no friends of her own, Daphne goes to the one person she knows has room to spare — Petra's ex, Miles. When Daphne and Miles receive matching invites to Peter and Petra's wedding just a few months later, they decide to pretend to be madly in love, to show their exes that they're just fine without them, thankyouverymuch. But somewhere along the way, pretending to date starts feeling real.

Fake dating is a tricky romance trope to pull off, and the setup for this situation is a bit hard to believe, since Daphne and Miles know absolutely nothing about each other before living together. The book is good and I'd recommend it to Emily Henry's legion of fans — the relationship develops well and their hang-ups definitely seem plausible — it's just that initial setup that seems a bit awkward to me. But I'll happily accept that it's a "me" thing.

Kiss Her Once for Me

 Kiss Her Once for Me by Allison Cochrun, 351 pages.

Ellie is broke, anxious, about to be evicted, and still secretly pining for the woman she had a magical day with last Christmas. Given these circumstances, it doesn't seem like the worst idea to go along with it when the handsome man who owns her job's building suggests they get fake married for a year to get around a nonsense clause on his inheritance. The 10% he promises Ellie would be enough to completely change her life, and she really needs to get out more anyway. The one catch is that she has to spend Christmas week in a house with his family. Then his sister turns out to be the girl from last year. And Christmas with his family is making her long for the kinds of things she never got from her own neglectful mother, and this arrangement is feeling more precarious by the day.

This is a reread (you can see my original review here), and I liked this delightful fake-dating rom-com at least as much a year later. I was even more struck the second time by how much I like the supporting cast. There is a very literal sort of found family at play here, and it makes for a very cozy Christmas read. This is in fact pretty much an ideal Christmas book for me I think, so I can see myself reading it again in the future.