Disclaimer: I received an eARC for review consideration through NetGalley, on behalf of the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I mean, it did have all of the makings of a great book for me, enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience (but more of a fake dating vibe to it); but it started started out a little dry and I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a good fit for me. But it definitely was! There may be some small spoilers below.

There are so many complicated relationships, for both Sadie and Jonah. And the story examines and focuses on those relationships, rather than falling into a lot of miscommunication. And there is a lot of character growth for multiple characters throughout.

Sadie is confident in her academic abilities (for the most part), she has worked hard and believes in herself. But when it comes to personal relationships, she is less confident, scarred by her childhood and believing everyone leaves. Except her sister. She holds a lot of animosity towards Jonah, as they’ve been competitors their entire academic careers, but most of it stems from his father’s treatment of her, not Jonah’s own behavior.

Jonah feels like his entire life has been a competition, and he’s tired. Forced to compete with his siblings growing up, he continued that competition with Sadie, but all he really wants is a truce. He respects Sadie, always has, and believes she’s just as deserving as she is, perhaps more so.

Their family dynamics are both difficult and Sadie’s is made worse when her sister disagrees with Sadie’s decision to marry Jonah. Suddenly Sadie has lost the only person she can count on. Jonah hates that his relationship with his siblings has always been fraught, so when his sister needs him, he is willing to do anything to be there for her.

As they navigate their changing relationships with each other and their families, Sadie and Jonah are both forced to look at what it is they really want out of life and from each other, especially when their jobs are threatened.

I loved the slow burn romance between Sadie and Jonah. I normally like things a little faster paced, but the slow evolution of their relationship worked. I also loved the friendship that developed between Sadie and Fiona (Jonah’s sister) and Fiona’s kids. Sadie and Jonah balanced each other out.

One thing that bothered me in the book was the fight between Sadie and her sister. I really struggled with the way Ches cut Sadie out of her life and refused to speak to her for so long.

But ultimately I liked the way things came together at the end for everyone involved and I am really looking forward to the next book, featuring Fiona. I feel like there was set up for the third story as well (hope I’m right! And that we also get Ches’s story too).