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Tangled #6

Tangled Chances

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People have called me impulsive and reckless before, yet my spur of the moment decision to “date” Claire Hart might be the best chance I’ve ever taken.

When I find out my landlord is selling my house, I’m desperate to buy it. But as a second grade teacher, I’m not exactly rolling in the dough. I find my solution in a local radio station giving away $10,000 dollars. The catch? Only couples can enter.

Undeterred, I convince the school librarian to play my girlfriend, although she doesn’t think anyone would believe we’d ever date in real life. Especially since she was recently dumped for supposedly being boring and grumpy.

One kiss is all it takes for me to know there is nothing boring or grumpy about her, and suddenly this little game we’re playing is about more than just money.

I am nothing if not competitive, and Claire is one challenge I’m not willing to lose.



Content Note: Tangled Chances is a fake dating, workplace romance between the goldenest of all golden retriever boyfriends and the librarian he is obsessed with. But if you are for book banning, against supporting teachers, and don’t feel like it’s important to protect ALL children, then this book ain’t for you. Everyone else, enjoy!

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2023

45 people are currently reading
532 people want to read

About the author

Sophie Andrews

28 books247 followers

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5 stars
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66 (32%)
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49 (23%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for sil ♡ the book voyagers.
1,360 reviews3,190 followers
May 15, 2023
ೃ⁀➷ GRUMPY HEROINE WITH HER GOLDEN RETRIEVER BF, WHO SAYS ME?

I'm slowly falling madly in love with Sophie Andrews' novels. I mean, I read Tangled Expectations a bit ago and Sophie was kind enough to send me an arc of Tangled Chances, the next book in the series. Let me tell you that it was such a good time. I am loving this series because it's so flowy, entertaining, and swoony. These two books I read, they don't really have third act breakups. The couples do have to figure out a bit to take step into the right direction for their happily ever after. But they don't break up to do it.

Tangled Chances is Jimmy and Claire's story. Claire is the grumpy librarian who was told by her last boyfriend that she's boring. While Jimmy is the personification of a Golden Retriever who constantly annoys Claire. But his cuteness makes her fall in love. When Jimmy needs her help by pretending to be her boyfriend for a contest, at first she doesn't want to do it. But she agrees! And now everyone believes they're dating and EVERYONE ROOTS FOR THEM. They're actually the most perfect couple ever. They make so much sense even though they don't see it at first.

And this book also brings the topic of banned books into the story. Claire gets one of her students a book she's been wanting to read ft. a queer character and the mother of the student finds out and she's basically the worst person in the whole world and makes such a big deal about the themes in the book, and trying to ban all the books in the school, and basically fire Claire too. You get that part of the story in the last third and it is heavy and Claire's whole person slowly starts to fade with each new thing that comes up. So you feel like you want to help her but you're just someone whose reading a book so you can't lmao. But ugh! This is happening in real life so I'm so happy to see it talked about in a romance novel as well.

I hope Sophie continues to write more books in this series because I AM SO THERE. I totally need to read the ones I haven't yet lmao. But yes, I highly recommend this book and hopefully you all get to read it when it comes out too. The hero is adorable and follows the heroine like a puppy would.
Profile Image for jaclyn ☽.
203 reviews2 followers
May 29, 2023
thank you to sophie andrews for the arc in exchange for an honest review


GOLDEN RETRIEVER BF AND BLACK CAT GF SAY LESS!!!!

i am quickly becoming sophie andrews number one fan! hands down an auto-buy author for me. this was super cute! you cannot go wrong with a golden retriever boyfriend. i'm also loving the no third act breakups 😅 i also loved the banned book discussion as this is a real thing that's happening and needs to be discussed. overall i will be reading all of her books in the future 🤭
Profile Image for Minnie.
868 reviews
April 28, 2025
5⭐|3🌶|10%🌶frequency

Thank you for this book!
I may not live in the US, and we don't have school libraries here like they are in the US (we do have A LOT OF public libraries) but the meaning of this book is so big and I love it 👍 and the situation right now in the US makes me very angry 🤬

As a librarian, Claire finds herself in a situation many librarians are in right now. Especially right now. Project 2025 will make it even worse 🤬
Just because a 5th grader wants to read books about girls who like girls. No adult stuff, just kids' books. These books are not in the library, but Claire gives the girl the opportunity to read them differently.


H0m0ph0bia should be iIIegal!!!
Stop book banning!!!


Our school system in Germany is also different from the US. You wouldn't find a teacher like Jimmy here, because it's just not possible 🙈 Here, kids sit at their desks. No difference between first grade to 12th grade.
I don't want to dive in too much. I already said a lot in a book review that's not book review-ish 🙈

I really loved this book. And I so loved Jimmy 😍 He is the class clown. He is always funny and a sunshine. But he is also insecure with himself. He has problems showing emotions because of it 😔
Claire is the opposite of him. She is more the grumpy "boring" kind of girl. Even with 6 siblings... You would think boring won't happen in such a family 🤣 Especially if you have a family chat group with all siblings and the parents. God, I nearly peed in my pants for laughing while I read this chat 🤣🤣🤣

OK, space fully used, I can't say more 🙈
I'm now hopping into the last book of this series... 🤩


Follow me on IG for more
https://www.instagram.com/minnie.love...
Profile Image for ryleecanread.
166 reviews
Read
May 29, 2023
ARC provided by the author!

This grumpy/sunshine, work place romance had a little bit of everything! A sweet, whirl wind romance with a pretty accurate depiction of being a school employee in the current political climate— which I definitely didn’t expect! A fun and quick read
Profile Image for Craftybookworm11.
341 reviews7 followers
June 14, 2023
Golden retriever MMC

Jimmy is the most golden of retrievers. And Claire is definitely a bit of raincloud. I love all the cute nicknames Jimmy makes up for Claire as well. He is all about making her happy. Definitely an enjoyable read with a good social message as well.
Profile Image for Carley Whitehead.
401 reviews19 followers
December 18, 2023
do read if: you like golden retriever men and enjoy some current hot button social issues with your romance

don’t read it: you’re put off by unrealistic timelines, like your Mcs with their shit together, or support book bans
Profile Image for Ashley.
652 reviews
June 4, 2023
alright this one was valid even tho jimmy gave me the ick sometimes
Profile Image for Patty Duplechin.
768 reviews9 followers
June 21, 2023
Claire Hart is a school librarian who just broke up with her boyfriend recently. He called her grumpy and that she never wants to go out. The more she thinks about it the more she realizes he wasn’t for her. Now she’s going to prove that she can have fun, so she’s changing her life. Be more outgoing. She joins some of the teachers at school who play on a softball team. Who is on the team? None other that Jimmy, the second grade teacher who’s class is across the hall from the library. The man who always plays loud music too. He does it to give her a hard time. He’s a wonderful teacher and is well liked. Up for Teacher of the Year.
Jimmy has a problem. He loves the place he rents. He recently found out that the owners have to sell the place. Now he needs to find the money to buy it. He heard that a radio station has a contest for a couple who could win $10,000. He just happens to put Claire’s name as his girlfriend. Now to talk Claire into helping him. Will she help him? She thinks he just a player. Will they come together and convince people that they’re dating? Will people believe them? The more time they spend together the more they’re convinced that they belong together. Can the win the contest? Will Jimmy buy the home or will he have to move? More complications happen when Claire has trouble with a parent of a student who is talking about banning books. Threatening voicemail, text has Claire not sure if she will have a job. What happens to Claire? Will she keep her job? Jimmy, her family, his family and the school stands by her. How will all this pan out? Will Jimmy and Claire win the contest? I loved the characters. I received this book for my honest review. I gave it voluntarily.
Profile Image for Jessica.
426 reviews3 followers
May 29, 2023
Maybe it’s because I’m a teacher and the idea of two teachers falling in love is so romantic to me. Or maybe this is just an amazing book. Maybe it’s both?

I fell in love with the story of Jimmy and Claire from the beginning. Jimmy is a second-grade teacher (thank you for supporting males in education!) and energy and competition are his thing. Meanwhile, Claire is a quiet librarian, just trying to keep her head down and do her job. When a radio contest provides the opportunity to win a little money, Jimmy and Claire end up together - for fake, until it obviously becomes real :)

This love story would have been enough, but the teaching element was interesting too. Rather than presenting a cliched conflict, this book explores the dangers of censorship and book banning. Even more, it provides a detailed look at the power parents have over teachers and their, sometimes, flawed understanding.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The love story moves fast, but it’s pretty clear from the get-go that Jimmy and Claire and exactly what the other needs. The conflict is engaging and I found myself riled up throughout the book by the very real reality presented. Surely the author has been a teacher or librarian in order to have such an amazing understanding of this issue.

Thank you for fighting for us through your writing! I can’t wait to read another.

I received and ARC copy of this book through BookSirens and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Megan Pitts.
124 reviews3 followers
May 26, 2023
🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Fake Dating!!! Grumpy Sunshine!!! This book was such a fun read! The owners of the house Jimmy is renting decided to sell the house. Jimmy loves the house but doesn’t have the money for a down payment. He learns of a contest where he could win $10,000. The only thing is that it’s a couples contest. Claire, the school librarian, recently joined his softball team and Jimmy decided to use their picture to sign them up for this contest which leads to them “fake” dating.

••••

What I loved about this book is how the grumpy sunshine roles were reversed. I mean Jimmy was literally a golden retriever. Claire reminds me a little of myself which is why I think I enjoyed her character a lot. I enjoyed how the conflict in the book was different than others. There was no random break up. While Claire was going through a lot, Jimmy never left her side or gave up on it.

••••

I definitely suggest reading this book. This is my first book from this author and I definitely plan to read the rest of the books in this series. Thanks for the ARC!!! I never thought in my life I would get to read a book before it was released. I normally do simple reviews as well so this was definitely interesting doing a longer review. Also, as a former softball player, I would like to say I definitely enjoyed the softball scenes!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
108 reviews4 followers
May 21, 2023
Claire is the seemingly boring, grumpy librarian and Jimmy is the beloved 2nd grade teacher up for teacher of the year. Claire gets convinced to join the teacher softball team and her and Jimmy become close. And then Jimmy enters in a contest to win money that can help him put a down-payment for a house. Seems like a no brainer, except it was a contest for couples and he's not in a relationship. He entered the contest saying he's in a relationship with Claire! Claire gives in and then the circus begins.

I loved this story from the beginning. Jimmy was just a rockstsr with his students and seemed like he could do no wrong and Claire was the grumpy one of the couple, until Jimmy brought her out of her shell, when she wanted to be (and Jimmy respected that). I was not so sure about the parents coming after the teachers since that just makes me angry. I loved how it all turned out. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my review.
Profile Image for Brynley Hope.
671 reviews9 followers
October 6, 2023
4.5 ⭐️

wow i really didn't expect this book considering the rest of the series has been between 3-3.5 stars for me, but this one was super powerful. jimmy & claire both work at a school, and they begin fake dating so that jimmy can win a competition to buy his house, but it turns into a completely new plot soon after. this really turned into a political storyline but it was SO important. without revealing too much, this was a great book to read during banned books week. jimmy did such a beautiful job supporting claire through a nightmare situation. i also enjoyed that claire was plus sized, but that was not harped upon or overdone, it was just who she is and she loved herself, and jimmy sure loved it too. i loved their love story, and what this entire book represents. i would definitely recommend this book, but not many others in this series.

📚☀️☔️🏡💞

"I was pretty sure Claire was my comfort read…or whatever you called the human equivalent."

🌶
Profile Image for Nicole .
129 reviews2 followers
November 26, 2024
3.5 Stars

I liked this book up until the conflict. I won’t spoil it for anyone but I just felt like the conflict went on too long and went too far for a rom-com. I don’t enjoy real world problems in my books. I read romance books to escape this every day life not to get angry at narrow-minded ignorant people. I see enough of that in my daily life.


The only other thing I don’t love is the fact that this series seems so random other than Jimmy’s brother also having a book. I have only read the book before this one and I guess that’s why it popped up in my recommended but when I went to check out the next book and some of the other books I was confused on who any of the characters were. Had I realized that I probably never would have read any of the books. I’m not a fan of a series not linking characters together. Doesn’t make much sense to me to have them grouped together to not even be in the same circle.
Profile Image for Rebekah Powers.
272 reviews4 followers
May 24, 2023
I loved so much about this book! I’m always a sucker for a fake dating book (cue my story about my husband and I fake dating and 16 years later we are still together!) and this one does it sooooo right!

I also like the message it brings about not judging someone at surface level; the fun guy is masking insecurities, the quiet librarian from a loud family doesn’t want to be grumpy or boring. And those two people balance each other in this story so incredibly well and they really bring out the best in each other. He’s the Ying to her Yang.

Add in a librarian fighting for her books? Claire is a Queen! And I love her dedication to her job and how she realizes the impact it could have on a child’s life. So many positives in this story, all from one little, white, fake-dating lie. I can’t wait to read this book again.
Profile Image for Ivy.
8 reviews4 followers
May 25, 2023
This book had me from the beginning. The fake dating trope was done in a way that drew you in without being overwhelming to the plot. Jimmy and Claire were so effortlessly real and honest people. I work in elementary schools so seeing those themes twisted within made the book seem so much more realistic to me. I think the way the author built the relationships and interactions between the characters reflect so many real experiences and ties in the current political battle of banned books in a way that makes you angry and a little fired up. As a queer educator, I wonder every day if this will happen to me or someone I know and I felt that same anxiety reading Claire's story. I could not wait to finish this book from the second I picked it up and would recommend it to any realistic romantic that asked.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for lathifah (readbytifff).
85 reviews
July 17, 2025
here's the other book from tangled series that i read a few weeks ago. i'd say this one just became my number 1 favorite from the series (it was tangled want before) bc it was that good 🥹💗 srsly sophie's writings is just my style it never disappoints!

so claire is a librarian and she was asked to fake dating this hot golden retriever + second grade teacher, jimmy, bc he wants to join a contest (he needs the money) and after one kiss, everything changed. jimmy is the definition of green forest y'all gonna love him soo much he's so supportive and understanding when claire got into trouble with the student's parent.

i wish i read this book sooner 😫 definitely one of those books that made me want to read it again like the first time
Profile Image for J.
4,056 reviews19 followers
July 1, 2023
Book 6 in Andrews' Tangled series and can be read as a standalone. This is Jimmy and Claire's story. Claire is a grumpy school librarian told by her last boyfriend she's boring. Jimmy is a second-grade teacher and Claire's constant annoyance with his golden retriever personality. I love the nicknames he comes up with for her and I love how he wears her down and she gradually gives in to his ultimate charm and oh my that dirty talk - love it!
A smooth flowing storyline that reads quicky and has the most wonderful characters. I also really enjoyed the teacher / school element to this romance.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Vilma .
898 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2023
Jimmy and Claire are teachers (she’s a librarian) in the same elementary school. When Jimmy’s housing status is threatened, he enters a contest to win the money to purchase his rental. But the contest requires couples to enter and he encourages introverted, quiet, librarian Claire to be his fake girlfriend.

I truly enjoyed the banter and sparks between Jimmy and Claire, and yet I hate the socio-politics aspect of the story…but only because it is an actual portrayal of a subject dividing a country.

I loved the outcome, I loved the support for a librarian, teachers, and doing the right thing. And of course, jimmy and Claire get their happy ending.
Profile Image for Evy.
746 reviews1 follower
May 31, 2023
This was my first book by Sophie and I enjoyed it. Claire is an introvert and maybe a little bit grumpy but she’s just insecure as well. On the other hand you have Jimmy who is very sunshiny, optimistic but also a big chaos. I loved that combination. They balance each other out and are quite perfect for each other. Her family’s texts were hilarious and made the story funnier. Curious to read the other stories.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
125 reviews
June 8, 2024
I really liked this book! From her content warning to flipping the script, and having the female character be the grumpy one and the male character being the sunshine.

There were so many things about this book that made it relevant. There were text message threads, a young student interested in a different type of book the library didn’t carry, that then led to an angry parent who accused the librarian of grooming her child. This author seemed to understand the realities facing school employees, and the nuances that go along with walking a fine line, the “ no good deed goes unpunished”.
460 reviews1 follower
May 25, 2023
The dynamic between the main characters in this book is absolute bliss. As an elementary school teacher, this book made me laugh out loud and fall in love with this grumpy librarian and golden retriever second grade teacher. Seeing a book represent what it’s like to be a teacher, and clearly show support for all teacher and students, was so refreshing. This is my first Sophie Andrews read, but certainly won’t be my last!
Profile Image for Annette.
3,167 reviews9 followers
June 7, 2023
The romance is very well written, they have great chemistry. I love his boldness and patience, Jimmy is such a confidence booster for Claire. He's a shining beacon as this opposites attract romance runs into a heap of drama. I did enjoy this addition to series but think feel like the drama, which was a shock factor to say the least, overwhelmed their heartfelt and entertaining story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Barrie Mac.
1,697 reviews170 followers
May 29, 2023
This is the third and my favorite in the Tangled series. All are standalones. I loved how Jimmy is a second grade teacher. His strategies for his ADHD is funny and unique. Claire loves being a librarian and is sweet. Good fake dating read and love how both families and friends come together when it is really needed.

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read.
Profile Image for TWKS.
137 reviews3 followers
June 3, 2023
When I pick up a Sophie Andrews book, I need to make sure I have the time because I won't be able to stop reading and will read the whole thing in a day. These characters will grab you by the heart and won't let go until the last page. An amazing story that will make you laugh and cry and have all the feels. Highly recommend! :D
Profile Image for 634.
34 reviews
June 25, 2023
This book had a breezy, somewhat slower start but by the end had me invested in a plot line I didn’t expect. I prefer a more drawn out romance, Claire and Jimmy went from a 5 to a 100 in a split second but were like able throughout.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
778 reviews9 followers
May 15, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. It’s sad that the situation Claire was in actually happens but it felt so realistic. I’m so glad I got to see Claire and Jimmy’s story. I can’t wait to read more in the series.

Side note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review
Profile Image for Aksita Sarangi.
394 reviews2 followers
June 30, 2023
A well written plot line. The. Characters were well written and the love drama steamy times between the characters were off the charts.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
377 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2025
Cute book. The MMC has ADHD. I like how the author did not make him out to be an alpha billionaire. He’s a second grade teacher who is also described to have a fit body, not over the top. It was referenced that he is a bit of a manwhore.
Profile Image for Cheri Lynn Griffith.
158 reviews4 followers
May 24, 2023
When u get a boring Librarian and an ADHD teacher anything is possible. And these two did not disappoint. Loved their story. Made me laugh and me cry with them. Great read!
Profile Image for Poppy.
305 reviews46 followers
June 13, 2023
this was so cute sunshine bf x grumpy gf supremacy always
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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