Overall rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️💔
Heat Level: 🔥
Trope: Fake relationship
What do you get when you combine a hot mess with a serially uptight barrister? A hilarious rom-com with witty banter and a feel-good vibe.
Luc is tangentially famous, meaning he’s famous by association in the form of his has-been rockstar parents. He’s a mess in every sense of the word. He has no real career, his apartment is a pigstye, and his love life is non-existent. Oliver, on the other hand, is a successful, opinionated vegetarian who defends criminals for a living. But don’t let the outside fool you, Oliver is just as messed up as Luc with his mommy and daddy issues.
I still don’t really understand why Oliver agreed to fake-date Luc who, while quite charming, is not precisely the kind of guy you want to take home to meet the parents. I suppose he was just really into him and logic didn’t factor into his decision. Oliver, on the other hand, was a total catch and *bonus* he makes French Toast! His vocabulary roster is impressive, he calls Luc by his full name: Lucien (super sexy), and sends hilarious Dick/Richard pics.
The side characters almost made me dock the entire review a full star/heart. They were cartoonish, unrealistic, and overall more annoying than supportive. I enjoy diversity in contemporary romances so I appreciate how the author did that with the supporting cast. But it was too much! Not enough to take away from my overall enjoyment of the book, buuut I could have done with 2-3 side friends + Luc’s quirky mum. Really that would’ve been enough.
Nothing beyond kissing and heavy petting goes on in this book, which was kind of a bummer. As expected, Oliver took forever to let Luc into his pants. Sloooow burn and then no gratification for the reader *sigh*
Overall, it was a great read. Lots of fun, with two completely different personalities trying to make things work. The fake relationship was a nice touch and the fact the author made fun of the trope in his own novel was pretty funny. I highly recommend it.
Jean Wilde 