The Girlfriend Agreement

Conwick U #1

by Rowan Croft

Who said faking it was easy?

Lexi Dornan is a genius. Literally. Except when it comes to her university’s most renowned playboy, Damian Navarro. When they’re together, her IQ plummets by at least eighty points and her life becomes a series of miscalculations, leading her to make the worst decisions imaginable...like agreeing to be Damian’s fake girlfriend despite knowing it’s a terrible idea. One she will probably live to regret.

Damian Navarro has zero interest in dating. He just wants to enjoy his senior year before following in his father’s footsteps and going to work for his grandfather’s pharmaceutical company. Trouble is, Damian’s parents are starting to think he might not be the best thing for the family business…or its reputation. Tired of his childish antics, they present him with an prove he’s matured before graduation or face being financially cut off and disowned.

The last thing Lexi wants to be is Damian’s girlfriend, but he needs to show his parents he’s capable of commitment and she desperately needs the money he’s willing to pay her to put on a good act. Will they make it to his graduation deadline unscathed—from their lies and each other? Or will they discover that, when it comes to the equation for love, sometimes, the right people + the wrong reasons = happily ever after?

The Girlfriend Agreement is a slow-burn, laugh-out-loud college romance featuring fake dating, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a notorious playboy who meets his match in the one girl who wants nothing to do with him. Packed with sharp banter, undeniable chemistry, and just the right amount of chaos, this spicy romcom guarantees plenty of swoons, steam, and a happily ever after you won’t want to miss! This is book one in the Conwick U series. Each book follows a different couple.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fake Dating, Enemies To Lovers, Slow Burn, Contemporary, Forced Proximity

581 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2025

About the author

Rowan Croft is an American-born romcom enthusiast now thriving in picturesque Cornwall after finding her own happily ever after in the UK. When she’s not chasing caffeine-fuelled inspiration, she’s busy in the publishing world as a graphic designer, diving into a good book, or simply enjoying day-to-day life alongside her hunky British husband, bubbly daughter, and Milo, her delightfully moody Jack Russell.

She writes the kind of romance she loves to read—full of quick-witted banter, undeniable chemistry, and just the right amount of chaos. For her, there’s nothing better than a love story that keeps you laughing, swooning, and maybe yelling at the characters to just kiss already.

For all the latest news and updates regarding Rowan's books—including exclusive sneak peeks, giveaways, and other reader perks—subscribe to her newsletter: https://authorrowancroft.myflodesk.co...

For pre-order alerts, following Rowan on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rowan...

Find her online at:
Website: www.authorrowancroft.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorrowancroft/
Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/croftsloft
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Reviews

[jasmine ☆₊⁺🦢🪽₊⁺★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️
╰► 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱!

❰ 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰! ❱

“𝑺𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆...𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑼𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑰 𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒌 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆.”

₊˚ʚ ➼➻❥𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨💭
╰┈➤ EXCUSE ME?! THIS BOOK HAD NO REASON BEING THIS GOOD! guys i’m literally not even joking, this has got to be one of the best romance books i’ve read. and i’m pretty sure this is a debut book… this was so so amazing. i’m not gonna lie, the first few chapters reminded me a little bit of maxton hall. like the two main characters, lexi dornan and damian navarro, were lowkey giving ruby bell and james beaufort. the plot of this book was literally *chef’s kiss* 💋 i haven’t been this excited to write a review in a while but oh my gosh, this book has brought literal happiness back into me.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙞 𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙣🤓
✶࿐”𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰’𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑶𝒓 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒐..”✶࿐
╰┈➤ LEXI IS THAT GIRL! she was so amazing and i loved how blunt she was. she is such a selfless character and of course a smart one as well. for lexi, life isn’t easy and she’s struggling with money to pay for her mom’s chemo. she was abandoned by her father and dumped by her ex boyfriend. lexi is an actual genius at math. it comes to her in ways it doesn’t come to other people, and i was just fascinated by her throughout the whole book. i think her ability to overcome the hatred she felt towards damian was great character development. the scene that i love the most was at the end when she went to damian’s house to confront his parents about why he did the things that he did. even though she was nervous, she didn’t back down. I BASICALLY JUST LOVE HER!

₊˚ʚ ➼➻❥ 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙤💸
✶࿐“𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒓. 𝑰 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒊𝒕.”✶࿐
╰┈➤ speaking of character development, DAMIAN’S WENT CRAZY! literally a reformed fuck boy to a lover boy. he didn’t want a girlfriend because he was scared to let someone back into his life and be vulnerable…. until lexi came along. they had a little… interaction (they fucked) during lexi’s freshman year because of a checklist damian had to complete. so lexi was basically part of a bet. damian was very misunderstood by his parents and they never wanted to get to know why he was rebellious, they just cared that he was rebellious and that he was impacting the future/legacy of the family company as well as his position in the company. i felt bad for him because he didn’t have any real friends and didn’t have someone to comfort him besides his abuela. i really loved his character so much even if i thought he was a dick at first.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣🔒
╰┈➤ something i REALLY enjoyed about this book was the fact that damian was hispanic. i don’t think i’ve read a book where the mmc is mexican, and i just think that was a very nice aspect of this book. my 4 years of high school spanish really came in clutch with this book. the romance in this book is top tier. literal enemies to lovers. also, the cover is so pretty! overall, i would recommend this book 100 times over. PLEASE READ IT!🙏

°•. ★ .•° °•. ★ .•° °•. ★ .•° °•. ★ .•° °•. ★ .•° °•. ★ .•
₊˚ʚ ➼➻❥𝙦𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙞 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙✨

“𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔—𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒙 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆— 𝒂𝒎 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒕.”
˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖✮✮˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖
“𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅-𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒂𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕, 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒖𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆."
˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖✮✮˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖
“𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒌, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆. 𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆.”
˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖✮✮˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖
“𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔, 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏.”
˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖✮✮˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖
“𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝑰 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆-𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒔. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆—𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒘 𝒗𝒖𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏—𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒐𝒃, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝑬𝒅𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅.”
°•. ★ .•° °•. ★ .•° °•. ★ .•° °•. ★ .•° °•. ★ .•° °•. ★ .•
𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱
𝗶’𝗺 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶’𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲!

[seeraaa ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

✎ᝰ. 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘙𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘌𝘞.

𝟣,𝟧/𝟧 ✯
𝘋𝘕𝘍 𝘢𝘵 𝟦𝟢%




I really wanted to love this book and gave it multiple chances, but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me 😕. The chapters are extremely long—some reaching up to 33 pages—which made it hard to stay focused. I kept losing interest and honestly felt bored most of the time 🥱. I’d find myself zoning out and struggling to finish even a single chapter.

The pacing felt off too. The main characters briefly interacted in the first two chapters, but then didn’t cross paths again until chapter nine 😵‍💫. That kind of slow burn could’ve been fun, but it just dragged way too much for me.

Now, about the characters... Damian Navarro didn’t quite click with me. He acts more like a moody teenager than a college senior 🙄. Hopefully, he grows as the story goes on—he really needs to. On the flip side, Lexi Dornan is brilliant, responsible, and overall a solid character. But the moment Damian shows up, she turns clumsy and awkward 😬, which felt out of character.

It had potential, but I just couldn’t push through. DNF for now 🚫.






I received this ARC from NetGalley a while ago and I'm finally getting to it.🩷 Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity! 💚🫶🏻

[Dani (Daniiireads)]

I love LOVE Lexi, but Damien sucks ass. He's seriously so disrespectful and rude, and he completely killed the vibe.

[Mia fawnsandfairytales · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Scholarship students like her are usually working in the administrative office or library during their free periods and evenings, or doing whatever else it is that poor people do for fun.” - a direct quote from the wonderful mmc Damian.

~

I always feel a bit uncomfortable writing a negative review, and how much detail is appropriate to go into on why I disliked a book. Since this book is an arc, the conditions of me receiving it on netgalley were to leave an honest review in exchange for receiving it for free. I also dedicated my time to reading this book, and taking notes, so it feels important to me to provide my feedback.

I had a really negative experience with this book, and so many times I just couldn't believe what I was reading. I believe the way the male main love interest behaved was dangerous. He displayed despicable behaviours, and I don't believe they should be romanticised or brushed off.

I do have quite a lot to say, and usually my reviews take a sort of mini essay format, but to save time and space, I think it’s better to just have two clear sections; what I liked, and what I disliked.

What I liked:

- Detailed and good writing style
- Compelling and engaging story
- Lexi
- Strong characterisation
- Depth and backstory to each character
- Invested in Lexi’s storyline

What I disliked (basically everything Damian):

- He was obnoxious, rude, offensive, derogatory, and disrespectful
- None of his actions felt in any way excusable or redeemable to me
- He refers to women as 'chicks'
- Entitled and snobby

- F*ckboy personality taken to extremes;

-- I don't think there's any way to make a f*ckboy look great, but if he were a somewhat decent person it would help balance it a little I guess.

- Says he “doesn't spare the girls (that he hooks up with) a second thought” and couldn't remember their names;

-- especially our fmc and love interest, whose name he forgot three times! As well as what she looked like. Isn’t he just charming?

- Lack of maturity;

-- I feel a little thrown off by how explicit the spice was in this, (which I have no problem with) when the immaturity of Damion’s thoughts and conversations to me reflected that this story would suit a younger audience, but obviously can't be due to the spice.

- Referring to Lexi as "Blondie", "Repeat", and "Poor Girl";

--which I kid you not he says to her face, which adds a whole other layer to this book, as Lexi is now aware of his way of thinking, and still feels like she needs to stick with the 'girlfriend agreement' to save her mum. It made me feel sick. Damians' behaviour was red flag after red flag, and this poor girl is just doing her best to find a solution.

-- such a light-hearted and fun plot line of a 'fake dating' trope is completely overshadowed by the terrifying reason Lexi needed to do this. The cover of this book suggests a romcom vibe but the content of this book does not reflect that. She’s trying to save her mums life by relying on such a scummy man to help her. I couldn’t have fun reading this, I was so thrown off and horrified by the circumstances. (I have no problem with the sensitive subject in this book, but I don’t think it was handled appropriately alongside the immaturity of our mmc and the fake dating).

- Creating and following through with an ad offering $10,000 per month for a girl to fake date him;

-- because that's what he very maturely deems is the most appropriate and responsible way to prove his ability to one day lead his father's company. What is wrong with his way of thinking?? Instead of using money for a tutor or just, I don't know... being a good person?

- Then of course, the main event, we have the S*X BUCKET LIST;

-- ...a theatre girl, twins, a teacher, another guys girlfriend, a poor girl (Lexi) etc. Cool Damian, really great. You’re truly just the worst.

-- There were multiple layers of planning to this bet that he could - and should - have gained some common sense and decency to stop it after each girl. But he went through with the entire list and used and crossed off real women from the list as if they were nothing but fun prompts.

-- 'I used your body as a means to get a car’ is just... wtf. This is NOT okay.

- A bet about getting hard in public??;

-- ‘#hardonforHallazgo’ “I don’t normally walk around with raging hard er*ctions, but I lost a bet.”

-- One heinously inappropriate bet was enough, but a couple pages later we find out rather casually that another bet he accepted was to walk around while hard, which is completely disgusting and a borderline s*xual offence. I had to re-read the paragraph a couple times to make sure that's what was being hinted at having happened, but the evidence was there, in the form a photograph his parents showed him - of him outside a restaurant with a hard on after failing a bet. I'm so grossed out. Who would do that? Oh I know, probably the guy that had s*x with multiple girls from different social standings in life to win a car.

Never in my life have I read about such a deplorable character.

I dread to think how many more bullet points I would have been able to collate, given that there was no way I could complete this book. I stopped taking notes after a point because my notes app was overflowing and this review would have taken hours to pull together. I personally choose to leave a star rating and a review on any book I complete over 50% of, especially if it’s an arc review, as I feel it’s important to note the issues that arose from it that forced me to stop reading.

I think the author leaned a bit too far with the playboy persona and dove straight into absolute ars*hole territory with Damian. Nothing could ever make me like a man like that, or want to spend more than 20 minutes with him, so it's a great feat that I managed to push through this book as far as I did.

Suffering through Damians horrible personality for the hopefully satisfying result of redemption just wasn't worth it. I didn't want him to be happy or to turn his life around because I didn't think he deserved it, and I love a morally grey man as much as the next person.

This book appropriately had the necessary trigger warnings at the start for the sensitive content regarding health problems, but it really could have done with one for Damian too, because being in his head was vile.

If you can ignore Damians personality for half of the book (maybe he changes but the damage is done) then this is a great read, but I can't believe Lexi was able to see past his abhorrent behaviour (oh wait, she had no choice because her mum was ill and at risk of d*ing). Thank god she didn't have to experience (most of) his inner dialogue like the reader did.

I'm so disappointed because I was very invested in Lexi's storyline and would still consider reading more from this author as I did enjoy their writing style.

I went back and forth on what my rating should be for this novel as it's not my intent to be mean but I unfortunately feel I have to rate this 1 star as Damians behaviour was insane and I could not look past it.

(arc review: I received this book as an arc for free in exchange for an honest review)

[sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨ Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
🫧 Vibes: college campus, nerdy flirting, aching vulnerability
🎶 Song: bad idea right? -olivia rodrigo
📖 Favourite Quote: "Because loving you is the easiest thing I've ever done."
💬 Final thoughts: A tad too long for my liking but will be sticking around for book 2!

in the package:
📦 billionaire playboy love interest
📦 found family
📦 trauma
📦 enemies to lovers
📦 fake dating

The story follows Lexi, who agrees to fake date the university’s biggest playboy (Damian) for cash, because her mother has cancer and their insurance no longer covers the treatment or medication. However, their plan goes off the rails when real feelings—and real consequences—get in the way.

Let me start by saying that I loved the FMC in this book. She was strong, bold, speaks her mind without apology and takes no shit from the MMC. But damn, it took me a VERY long time before I came around to liking the MMC. He was insufferable for a large part of the book. A total ass and typical playboy who was so self-absorbed. I only started coming around to him when I was 80% into the book 🥲 Their dynamic was great once they started trusting each other and opening up to one another.

I did really appreciate the fact that this book shines a light on how messed up and unfair the medical system is in the United States. The second half of the book was my favourite. Damian gradually does a full 180 and this is when the book shines. His growth felt natural without feeling too sudden. A lot of books struggle with this. I personally don't think I would have ever forgiven him, but that's just me 🙃

The chapters were a bit too long and wordy for my liking but that's just a personal preference.

Thank you Rowan Croft for the arc!

✩⁺₊✩☽⋆ follow me on tiktok ⋆☾✩⁺₊✩

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will preface my review by saying this book was well written and very entertaining. I personally hated one character and it skewed my perception of the book. I like romances to have redeemable MCs.

I feel extremely conflicted about this book. I would have DNFd by 20% if this wasn’t an arc. The MMC was absolutely insufferable. There is “fuckboy” and then there is Damian who is absolutely the scum of earth. He literally forgot who the FMC was… multiple times. 🤢

I didn’t think it was possible for me to ever like Damian especially after watching him discover empathy at the age of 22.

Miracles of all miracles he turned into a completely different person who was likable by the end of the book. Luckily his behavior change was enough for me to enjoy reading the romance towards the end.

The FMC, Lexi, I loved. She deserved so much more. She is a brilliant math major who truly loves her family and friends. A really sweet 19 y.o.

I enjoyed reading in the last 40% but was hate reading the first 60%.

Thank you to Rowan Croft, Shire-Hill Publications, and NetGalley for a copy of this arc in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

[Jasmine]

dnf @ 30%

i was bored 🥱

[Kate Dash · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4 stars | Fake love never looked so real

Lexi + Damian = chaos, chemistry, and a whole lot of "oh no, I'm falling for the fake boyfriend."
This book gave me exactly what I wanted: academic girl x rich playboy, slow-burn tension, and emotionally constipated grump finally realizing feelings won’t kill him 😌

Tropes I devoured:
💥 Fake dating (with real butterflies)
🧠 Grumpy x genius
📚 College setting
🫶 Found family
💔 Hurt/comfort
💸 Rich boy redemption arc
🩺 Touch of real-life stakes (medical debt & grief)

Lexi is a powerhouse — smart, sharp, and doing everything she can for her sick mom. Damian? Total walking red flag at first, and I absolutely wanted to smack him... until I didn’t. His growth was so gradual and satisfying it made me almost forgive the early arrogance (almost). Their banter? Sharp. The tension? Delicious. The emotions? Got me unexpectedly in the soft parts of my heart. I maybe swooned a little harder than I planned. 👀

Yes, the chapters were a bit long, but I was invested. Would I read book two? Already mentally there.

Thanks a ton to Grey’s Promotions and Rowan Croft for the ARC — y’all keep feeding my fake dating addiction 💖

[enjoyingbooksagain · Rating 4 out of 5]

The things Damian did to show his parents wrong.
This is one of those books that you’ll find yourself laughing and crying and has all those good romance Feelings.
It was a quick easy read with

Tropes: 
Enemies-to-Lovers,
Forced Proximity,
Billionaire Romance,
Fake Relationship,
Slow Burn,
He Falls First,
No Third Act Breakup,
Redemption,
Small Town Romance,
Second Chance Romance,
Opposites Attract,
Reverse Grumpy Sunshine,
Opposite Sides of the Track,
Playboy

What more do you need ?

[Lyla]

⋮ ⌗ ┆pre-read⋆˚꩜｡
╰ i love the cover + one of my friends on here wrote an amazing review for this + fake dating for the win

can’t wait to love this one because i KNOW there’s no other end game for me, this WILL be amazing! now i just gotta order it from Barnes and Noble and nope around while waiting for it to arrive

by the way, this is the review that convinced me!! i felt like it was right to give credit where credit is due because Jasmine absolutely devoured with this review!

[charisse ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF@42% — ugh i really wanted to love this book, especially with the pretty cover. however, i just couldn't stand the mmc, damian at all. he acted very childish at times. another thing is that the chapters in this book was also very long and sometimes it felt kinda dragged out.

⤷ thank you to the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashly · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 [Rounded Up]
🌶️🌶️/5
📚 Book 1 in the interconnected Standalone Series "Conwick U"
🗣️ Dual POV
💥 Check Trigger Warnings

After looking at other reviews, I feel more confident in my thoughts on this book. It was hard for me to review because I genuinely liked the FMC Lexi, but I really did not like Damien, especially in the beginning to middle of the book. For me, Damien didnt hit his "redeemable" mark until well into the later part of the book which made it hard to get through. I get it, Damien is a billionaire fuckboy when we meet him, so he needs to be and act a certain way but I needed him to get his shit together much quicker than he did.

There is obviously trauma on Damien's side that has contributed to his behavior, but his mentality towards women and his lack of maturity do not align with the trauma imo. My rating for this book really falls on Lexi, her friends [Ronnie & Andie], and her family [Mom & Aunt Gina] because they kept this book afloat, even if the chapter pacing was a little too slow, and the chapters were too long.

Lexi has not had an easy life, not only because she isnt rich in a town filled with the 1% but also because of her genius level IQ and her moms cancer battle. She is resilient, and has an amazing friend base who help her through her hard times without too much judgement on her bad life choices [Ronnie]. There are some tough topics that are touched on in this book, and a light also fixated on the injustice of the medical system.

There really isnt much more to say to this book, Lexi is so far my favorite but I have a feeling that Ronnie and her story might win me over from Lexi.

Tropes:
💊 Twihards
🖤 Enemies to Lovers
💊 Grumpy x Sunshine
🖤 Fake Dating
💊 Slow Burn
🖤 Forced Proximity
💊 Billionaire Fuckboy x Genius
🖤 Trauma

[Cordysbooknook · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟

Firstly, thank you to Rowan Croft, the author of this book, for sending me an ARC copy!
In no way does me receiving an early copy influence my review of this book, and all opinions are my own <3

I decided to apply for this ARC as I kept seeing it all over my Instagram and it sounded like a book I would really enjoy, and I was right. It has so many concepts I enjoy including fake dating and hate to love.

Lexie is my absolute character from the very start. She is keeps to herself most the time, but when she needs to stand up for herself, she knows how. Her interaction with Damian at the beginning of the book shows us that and she was such a bad a** in that scene, even if she felt slightly guilty afterwards.

Damian…. I have fixed feelings on. For the first half of the book, I hated him. His behaviour, the way he spoke about women he slept with etc etc. But I feel as though we get genuine characters development from him. And as much as I don’t love him by the end of the book, I do have a lot more respect for him.

And the way Lexi and Damian handled his parents? Absolutely iconic.

I found the writing to be really immersive and I did get lost in the book when reading it. The only parts I struggled with were where there was a large focus on maths. I love that we learn about Lexis condition and how she sees numbers which is one of the reasons she’s extremely good at maths, even though it can be overwhelming and hard for her. But I feel as though the actual mathematical explanations were too in-depth and I found myself skimming those parts.

Apart from that, I had a great time.

I really hope we get more books in this series, especially one focussed around her friends.

[Kelsey H · Rating 4 out of 5]

FMC - Lexi: 5 🌟
MMC - Damian: 5 🌟
SPICE - 🌶🌶

LIKES: Right off the bat, I was hooked on these characters. Lexi and Damian have that instant chemistry, funny banter, and they balance each other out so well 💕 And even the side characters, Lexi's best friends, were excellent additions!

The story as a whole was written very well, the plot was sweet and held strong from beginning to end, there was a wonderful mix of emotions throughout, and it had a beautiful ending

DISLIKES: I had just one issue while reading this book, and it was the length of the chapters. It may sound insignificant, but for a romcom like this, some of the chapter sizes made the story drag on a bit, putting me in a reading slump where it took me a lot longer to finish a book this size than it normally should have. I still really liked Lexi and Damian's story, but that's the main reason I didn't rate this 5 stars

[Lynnmarie542_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book!

The spicy start into an excruciating slow burn was horrible…. IN A GOOD WAY!
Damian was absolutely a fuckboy and drove me insane for a little while but he grew on me. Lexi and her quirky ways made me giggle. I loved all the side characters and Lexi’s ride or die besties!

I ready for book 2!

🎯 Tropes & Themes
• Fake dating
• Enemies‑to‑lovers /
•. grumpy‑sunshine dynamic
• Slow burn
• College setting
• Emotional growth & redemption
• Social issues: medical debt, health‑care access

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Beth Adman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book SO MUCH!! It's a slower start but I enjoyed how much you get to know the characters throughout. The FMC is a math genius so I loved the women in STEM elements as well. The MMC is very dislikable through the first chunk of the book but that's kind of the point, and his character grows so much by the end. I think this book had the perfect mix of plot Vs spice.
Tropes include:
Enemies to lovers
Fake dating
Women in STEM
College romance

[ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Lexi from the start and she was so easy to root for. Damian, on the other hand… let’s just say he took a bit longer to win me over. I seriously wanted to jump into the book and shake some sense into him! 😅 But once he started to open up, I found myself really enjoying their dynamic. The ending truly pulled at my heartstrings in the best way.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the early access. All thoughts in this review are my own!

[&#x1f33b; · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ a beautiful debut romance! the love i have for lexi and damian will be forever, a true enemies to lovers. the character growth of damian was *chefs kiss* i love a reformed playboy!!

[Phili Memela · Rating 2 out of 5]

2stars

thank you to grey promotions and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review

(please excuse my excessive use of exclamation marks, i love them)

i unfortunately did not like this book. this book just read so much like a person who is very much not 19, trying to write 19 year olds and it showed. this resulted in language that was both dated and offensive? like using the term skank to describe other women, weird fatphobic body talk, and honest to god slut shaming which is just odd?? maybe i just thought collectively we’d outgrown that as a society but, i guess not! also, he refers to his father as “mein Fuhrer” and i don't think i need to explain why i have no patience for hitler references ever, but especially in 2025. your father is an ass, but he’s not a dictator-stop it. also, honourable mention for the use of “lady cave”.

a lot of it read like a book written 5, or even more ,years ago but just loosely updated for the current "lingo" for the teens - which was unsuccessful in my opinion(do the kids still use the term “fam”??) like why would your best friend threatening to unfollow you on tiktok if you didn’t tell them something work as a threat??

side rant on this - why did the author insist on primarily including 90s, and 00s references to only make fun of them??? you could have just not put them in, because a lot of 19 year olds are aware of pretty women and love actually, and i-ughhh. like why is this 19 year old talking about these “old” references if only to be like “hahah, i don’t actually know that because i’m like cool and young and that’s for old people and i love serial killers”

also she didn’t know bake off???

even though it was own-voices, i did not enjoy the neurodivergent rep. i would have like to see in her pov how she thinks and navigates/experiences the world instead of being shown certain lines of thinking and reactions that just didn’t match up with the way her friend describes how we should understand her neurodivergence. i think this was a case of the author being so in the book that she forgets to tell us how step 1 got to step 18 and we’re just meant to understand that of course x, y, and z happened. also, she wasn’t missing social cues and accidentally coming off mean(her friend describes her this way), she was thinking of something to say that will be mean and then said the thing to him to be mean, deliberately. she was just being mean, which is fine i guess, but let’s not act like this was a fault of her neurodivergence that was making her misunderstand a social situation.

i totally understand masking, believe you me, but especially when i’m reading from the character’s pov, i feel that i shouldn’t have to learn about their neurodivergence from their friend monologuing about it halfway through the book.

the book also had some real pacing issues. it is way too long, and even the scenes themselves drag on a lot. the author could have benefitted from some critical editing, not everything needed to stay. the last 20% especially was so unnecessary that i skimmed it all because the book had concluded already at 80%. she just paced it and plotted it poorly, which is tough when you have a book with a deadline gimmick built in because the deadline needs to be completed, and if you hit all your beats before that deadline, those last few months end up happening in 3 pages-which i hate.

i totally respect and have sympathy for the author’s personal experiences that inspired her to write this story, especially with a happy ending for all involved, but unfortunately i think she was too close to the story and that came at the detriment of her book.

[Danielle Strona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! This enemies-to-lovers romance was unputdownable and will have you flipping the pages to find out what happens next!!

The story is told from both Lexi and Damian’s POV. Lexi is on a full-ride scholarship to university because she’s a math genius. Damian is rich and also a ladies’ man. He sleeps with all the girls on campus and has a rule not to sleep with a girl more than once. Lexi and Damian had sex after she tutored him in the library, which she later found out he slept with her because of a bet. Once Lexi finds out about the bet, she kicks him in the balls like he deserves and promises to never sleep with him again… that is until both of them are so drunk they end up sleeping together again. Lexi doesn’t realize until she wakes up from her drunk stupor the next morning and freaks out. They part their separate ways, until Lexi learns that her mom, who has cancer, will not have her meds covered through insurance anymore. Lexi knows that she can’t come up with that kind of money, so she looks on Craigslist to see if there are any jobs. She finds a posting for a fake girlfriend agreement where she would earn $10,000 a month, which would help alleviate a substantial amount of money they need. Damian’s parents don’t think that he’s serious about taking over the company, and they don’t think he’s mature enough. Damian’s parents tell him he has until the end of the semester in order to get it together; otherwise, he will not get to take over the company. This leads him to post online for a fake girlfriend. Damian thinks that if he can prove to his parents that he can be in a serious relationship, go to class, and get good grades that they will take him seriously and will give him the company. Now, Lexi and Damian need to figure out how to be around each other without wanting to maul each other, and throwing verbal spars at each other every time they talk.

I loved both Lexi and Damian’s characters. They both felt so real when I was reading from their point of view. While they both have their struggles that they face, they come together in order to help each other. Lexi struggles to trust people because of her past and how she’s been burned. She doesn’t want to trust people because most of the people in her life have left her, and she doesn’t think that she’s worth loving. Damian struggles to trust people because people typically only like him for his money. Damian puts on his fuckboy exterior because he’s hiding demons of his own that he can’t seem to shake. Together, they will have to learn to face their problems head-on, while also trying to help each other through it all. I truly was rooting for them the entire time, and loved their relationship. I loved how Lexi would give it right back to Damian when he was being a smartass. I also loved the scene when Lexi went to Damian’s parents' house for him. I was rooting for her and so happy that she was able to step outside of her comfort zone in order to help him.

I loved Ronnie as well. She truly wanted to be there for her friend and wanted to keep her safe. You can tell that Ronnie is the type of person who will do anything for the people that she cares about. The whole speech that she gave to Damian at the party really showed how much she cared about Lexi and wanted to make sure that Damian wouldn’t hurt her again.

This book also touches on the healthcare system and struggles that so many Americans themselves have to deal with. It truly broke my heart reading the struggles that Lexi and her mom went through. I could not imagine having an insurance company tell me that they will stop paying for my life-saving medicine. That is not something that anyone should ever have to deal with. While we see the side of the health care system, we also see how it affects our loved ones and how they will do whatever they need in order to get this medicine. It’s not anything that any person should have to deal with, and I think that this book portrays it in a way that’s so real and doesn’t feel fake.

Overall, I loved this book and I highly recommend it!! Instant 5/5 stars~

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girlfriend Agreement is a romance that brings sizzling banter and addicting tension, but it is also a journey of growth, one of empowerment, reflection, and positive change.

Lexie and Damian take on fake dating with some serious bite! Given a past of hurt due to Damian, Lexie has no desire to be anywhere near him, but she needs the money, and he needs a girlfriend cover in front of his disappointed parents, so for better or worse, their goals align, even if not the desire.

At least not initially, muahaha!

I loved Lexie from the very start! I also deeply related to her, especially how she contained and maneuvered through the stress and present grief of seeing her mother's health decline. She's relentless in her resolve, determined to right all wrongs and protect her loved ones, even if it means de-prioritizing her self. She's a very selfless character.

Something the very selfish Damian could learn a thing or two about early in this narrative.

Oh boy, well, more like oh f*ckboy. Damian is awful at the start of this story. Arrogant, thoughtless, selfish, and feckless. But all of that is very much intentional by the author. We are not meant to like him at the beginning. He's cringe! Just look at how he lists his father in his contact, how he brushes over the hurt from a cruel bet, how he laughs over his immature and gross antics. He's just not likable at the start.

Which is what makes his growth a tremendous feat to witness.

Damian earns his redemption. He absolutely earns it.

Through Lexie, he becomes more self-aware, more present to how actions and words carry consequence. How they can carry hurt. Seeing Lexie bottle up her feelings over her own personal situation leads to Damian reflecting on his own. And, eventually, learning to un-bottle it. Learning to confront what has caused him to become who is at the start. For we learn of Damian's own grief, resentment and bitterness. And while it is never used as an excuse for his early behavior, it does incite deep sympathy. And it leads to wanting to see him better himself. To see him distance himself from the actions, words, and so-called friends that were of bad influence.

He replaces the bad influence with the goodness of Lexie. She who is lovable from the start, helps to make the unlovable Damian oh so loved by book's end. Both their arcs are empowering, but there is something so inspiring in witnessing Damian reflect, confront, and change himself. I feel often male love interests are bit monotone and unyielding, so Damian truly is a breath of fresh air. The air may initially have a tinge of sourness, but let it play out. Let him prove himself. Let him take flight.

Then we have our romance between Lexie and Damian! Although it's so much fun to watch them fall in love, I think it's even more heartening watching Lexie learn to first trust Damian. He works for that trust and it blossoms to a tentative friendship. Understanding between the two shifts the perspective of the other. What begins as a transaction on very shaky grounds suddenly starts to build an impenetrable foundation for an evolving relationship.

At times the story felt a bit long for my own preference, but it never ever was it in a distracting way. I kept firmly engaged and immersed throughout the entire course of this love story. It's a story you want to stick through to the very end. And for me, that makes a book like this a winner!

Thank you to Rowan Croft, Grey's Promotions, and NetGalley for this advanced complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily.

[Shakira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me grinning, blushing, and clutching my pearls like a romcom main character.

I love love loved this book!!! It gave me every single emotion I want from a non-magical romance. The banter? On point. The feels? Everywhere. The characters? Utterly lovable.

Lexi is that girl!!!! She’s brilliant, caring, awkwardly relatable, and balancing college stress with messy emotions. She feels like your best friend who never gives herself enough credit, and her journey is all heart.

And then we have Damian… oh, Damian. The cocky bad boy with a tragic backstory, a soft heart, and a filthy mouth. He’s firmly in his redemption era, and you will fall for him. Between his love for his Abuela (who is the cutest thing ever), his brooding guilt, and the way he slowly peels back his armor for Lexi, I was sold.

“Cada quien cosecha lo que siembra.” (“Each person harvests what they sow.”) Damian’s whole arc wrapped in a quote.

What starts as a fake dating deal between a sharp tongued college girl and her campus’s infamous bad boy quickly spirals into something way more complicated and way more real. Lexi agrees to play the role of Damian’s girlfriend to help fix his reputation, but neither of them are prepared for how fast the lines blur between pretend kisses and actual feelings. The chemistry? Electric. The tension? Delicious. And the fallout? Oh, it hurts so good.

And let’s not forget Ronnie and Andie, Lexi’s besties who reminded me so much of my own. They are fierce, loyal, unfiltered, and always ready to throw hands or hype you up. Their friendship brought so much joy and balance to the story. Honestly, I’d read an entire spinoff just about their chaotic energy. (Which Rowan has already said whose story is next… I can’t wait to see that story unfold heheheh)

This book has it all!! There’s spice, emotional depth, awkward bucket list drama (with a swift kick in the family jewels for that BS lol) and “oh no I slept with him again??” chaos. But moreover there’s a lot of healing through love, the kind that feels earned, not instafated or rushed.

If you want:
✨ witty banter with hidden pain
💔 slow-burn redemption with steam and spice
💕 best-friends-to-the-rescue energy
🧡 a book that hugs your heart and tugs it too
Then The Girlfriend Agreement should absolutely be at the top of your TBR.

Thank you to Rowan Croft, Grey’s Promotion, NetGalley and Shire-Hill Publications for access to the eARC in exchange for my review.

#TheGirlfriendAgreement #NetGalley #BookReview #ARCReader #BookDragon #BookTok #5Stars

[Malin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two completely different people who end up finding each other due to a very unfortunate bet. This books starts out with me being absolutely revolted by Damian. He is the worst of the worst when it comes to playboys, who do not care about anyone but himself. That’s until you get deeper and deeper inside his head. He’s built up a wall so tall, not even he can look beyond it.

That’s until he re-meets Lexi, and the two of them are “forced” to get to know each other, for each of their benefits. Lexi is everything Damian isn’t. She’s patient, kind, selfless and brutally honest (with a hint of the tism, she’s so cute in social settings).

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Lexi break Damian’s walls down, and slowly make him reflect over his actions and face his deepest trauma and grief. I will always love a reformed playboy trope, and this one is no exception.

The health representation within this book was also very interesting. It always terrifies me to hear about what it’s like in the US, and putting light on it is something I find very important! It’s done in such a respectful way.

The writing is done so well, the chapters can be quite long, but they kept me engaged and curious. There is so much depth to the characters, and I loved their communication. What could’ve been falling under the miscommunication trope, really didn’t, much to my enjoyment! Probably due to Lexi and her need to state the obvious, as well as all her thoughts and feelings. I loved it!!

I can’t believe this is a debut romance novel. Thank you so much for the ARC Rowan Croft, I had so much fun reading this!

Favourite quotes and scenes:
📝 “a bright golden light is starting to break into the unforgiving gloom of my world, and I find that I want to envision it—what that future might actually look like.”

📝 “Her touch lingers for only a moment—just long enough to permanently mark my skin and memory with the sensation of her fingers.”

📝 “It’s okay to hold onto the stuff that matters. It’s okay to not be healed yet.”

📝 “I don’t want to be your enemy. I don’t even want to be your friend. I just want you. I want more.”

📝 “I want her—all of her.” - “I want all of her parts, even the ugly ones—the parts she thinks I won’t understand. And maybe I won’t, but I’ll sure as hell try. At this point, I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn’t do for her.”

📝 “So much of my life, so much of who I was before…was until you. Until I met someone who made the risk worth it, and reminded me how it feels to live.”

📝 “we’re inevitable. She is the exception to every rule I ever set for myself, the balm to my grief, the life-saving breath to my drowning lungs.”

#Dexiforever

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conwick University’s playboy, Damien Navarro, needs to get serious, or he may be cut off from his family’s wealth and legacy of the family company. Lexi Dornan is a math genius and attends Conwick University on scholarship. The one area where she isn’t a genius? Damien. In order to come across as mature and serious, Damien and Lexi enter into a fake dating agreement. Will they make it until his graduation though? She despises Damien and can barely stand the sight of him. Or will the figure out that underneath it all, they are really what they need for each other?

There are aspects to this book that I enjoyed, and there are aspects to this book that I struggled with. I really enjoyed the witty banter in this book. It’s VERY well done, and it had to me smiling and giggling at times. Lexie, the FMC, was awesome. She was strong and bold. She spoke her mind. She was different – it felt a bit like some neurodivergence rep, but it a diagnosis was never stated. I also really liked the fact that this book showed the inadequacies and disparagement of the medical system here in the United States. That was 100% authentic. Lexie also had some really awesome friends! I also REALLY loved Damien’s grandmother.

This was a slow burn romance, but it was a very drawn out slow burn romance at 581 pages. It was just too long for me. I feel like with better editing, the story could have been the same, but more succinct. I understand the need to make Damien a true playboy for this story, but it just went so far left for me. He was truly deplorable. I understood Lexie’s need for the money in exchange for being his girlfriend, I understood her desperation. He was just a disgusting human. The way he treated and thought of women in the beginning, it just went too far. Even though the author gave us an explanation towards the end, I still didn’t think it was good enough.

Once we were able to see the supposedly “true” Damien, the story got better, and I enjoyed it more. I wish we had more of that. I do see that many enjoyed this, so maybe you will too!

[Spinster Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absolutely magnificent read. It had so much emotion & heart, delightful characters and delicious story.

Lexi is a math genius who is a scholarship student at the elite & wealthy university in her hometown who is juggling her schoolwork with helping care for her sick mom.

Damian is the heir to his family's pharma company & generational wealth who is coasting through his last year of university and spending all his time partying and working his way through the female population.

Their paths have crossed a couple times over the last year. These encounters ended very, very badly. Circumstances, fate and an absolutely despicable medical system bring them together for a little fake dating situation. Because who better to fake date than the dude you despise with the fire of a thousand suns? Insert all the feet kicks and giggles here!

Lexi is incredible. She is sweet and powerful and herself. She is a genius who sees numbers in a way I cannot even begin to comprehend and is dealing with the trauma of her dad being a jerk & her mom being sick. My heart broke each time her being too much to be loved came up.

Damian's journey takes time. He does not immediately grow or learn anything. It takes a significant chunk of the book before he even starts to get it. His story will make you scream, cry and cheer. I adore him.

I loved these two and their story so much. They both grow & learn so much throughout the book and it is beautiful to see. And her friends are *chef's kiss*

I adored this book. My brain liked the writing and structure of the story & characters. It flowed really well and built up to things at a good pace.

I received this as an ARC and am so grateful. My review is in no way influenced by this and is based entirely on the story itself.

[Erin Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review 4.5 ⭐️
The Girlfriend Agreement was such a fun, flirty rom com. Lexi is a college sophomore on a scholarship at Conwick University. Damian is a billionaire heir who has a reputation for being a womanizer, partier and a selfish guy. Lexi needs money to pay for her moms medications and Damian needs to prove to his parents that he can be responsible. With a past social scandal looming, Damian needs a fake girlfriend so he can prove his worth and work for the family company. Despite all odds, Lexi and Damian find themselves in an arranged dating situation, but (as in all great rom coms) Lexi and Damian begin to struggle figuring out what’s real and what’s not.

This was such a fun read! I really loved how Rowan Croft set up the story and presented both Lexi and Damian as individuals first before diving into their relationship. It really gave each character depth and made their story feel more realistic. There was great incorporation of their family life and really getting a good idea of their different backgrounds. I really love how Rowan highlighted common stressors that young adults endure on top of additional stressors like chronic illness, public interest and finances.

While these two definitely struggled at the beginning you find yourself rooting for them to work things out. Rowan brilliantly sets up moments between these two to be vulnerable, take a leap of faith and also learn from mistakes. The Girlfriend Agreement was a roller coaster of emotions but I have to say the banter throughout this book is TOP NOTCH! Lexi is so quick witted and Damian is just the perfect match for her. I am so excited to see these characters again in her next book starring Lexis BFF Ronnie.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

⭐️ Rating: 4.25/5
🔥 Spice: 3.5/5

Read this if you like:
🩷 Enemies to lovers
🩷 Billionaire MMC
🩷 Fake dating

This book had me grinning, swooning, and even tearing up a little by the end. The Girlfriend Agreement was such a fun ride, and honestly, it surprised me with how emotional it got, especially toward the ending!

We get the story from both Lexi and Damian’s POVs, which I really liked. It helped me understand both characters better, especially Damian. I didn’t like him at all at first, he came off too arrogant, but the way his character evolved had me totally rooting for him by the end! The growth on both sides felt real and well-paced🫶🏼

The fake dating was also super entertaining! The banter between Lexi and Damian was sharp, flirty, and sometimes hilarious. There were moments that made me smile like an idiot and I loved that! Also, it was spicy even from the start!🔥🥵

One of my favorite parts, though, was the friendship dynamics. Lexi’s group felt like the kind of friends everyone wants in their corner. There’s definitely a strong found-family vibe here, even for Damian, which made his arc even more satisfying!

However, at some point the book felt a bit longer than it needed to be. Some of the internal dialogue got repetitive, and I found myself skimming a little in the middle. But overall, the writing was engaging enough to keep me invested!

The last few chapters really hit me emotionally, especially the family stuff. It added more depth to the romance and made it more than just a lighthearted read🥹

If you like romance with a mix of fun, flirty banters and spicy scenes, definitely give this one a try!🩷🫶🏼🔥

[The Bookish Narwhal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This romcom stole my heart and is a must-read for the summer tbr! Rowan Croft’s The Girlfriend Agreement, the first book in the Conwick U series, is an absolute triumph of a romantic comedy that delivers on every promise. This book is an experience filled with sharp wit, undeniable chemistry, and a slow-burn romance that left me captivated.

From the moment genius-level Lexi Dornan and notorious playboy Damian Navarro cross paths, you know you're in for a wild ride. Their "agreement" to fake-date sets the stage for some of the most delightful chaotic shenanigans you'll read this year.

Croft masterfully crafts an enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating scenario with forced proximity that feels fresh and exhilarating. The slow-burn is incredibly satisfying, and I was rooting for Lexi and Damian every step of the way.

If you're a fan of the witty charm and captivating angst, then do yourself a favour and read this one. It's packed with swoons, steam, and proves that sometimes, the wrong reasons can lead to the perfect love story.

Thank you to Rowan Croft for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Manon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merci à Netgalley et Rowan Croft pour m'avoir donné l'accès à cet arc.
J'avoue avoir été totalement emballée pour la couverture et que ça m'a fait craqué. Pourtant, j'ai été surprise de découvrir un livre loin d'être aussi léger que ce à quoi je m'attendais.
Les deux personnages vivent tous les deux avec leur lot de difficulté : pour Lexi, il s'agit de la maladie de sa mère alors que Damian vit avec le deuil et sa relation compliqué avec ses parents. J'ai trouvé que ces thématiques étaient très bien traités : sans être fait de manière trop lourde, il y avait quand même quelques moments émouvants.
J'ai trouvé que la question de la famille était une part importante du livre et j'ai beaucoup aimé comment elle était développée dans le livre où les parents ne sont pas juste des personnes anecdotiques qui existent loin.
Damian est un soleil je trouve qui a du mal à prendre les choses au sérieux au premier abord mais cela cache beaucoup de choses. J'ai beaucoup aimé comment il grandissait et évoluait aux côtés de Lexi. Il y a quelques scènes très drôles dans le livre et je trouve que l'autrice a la vraie force de réussir à passer des moments drôles au moment émouvant assez naturellement.
Une très bonne surprise donc !

[Julie M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book a solid 3⭐️

This story follows Lexi, a smart math student, and Damian the rich college guy. It has some fake-dating because the MMC doesn’t want his allowance to be cut off.

I liked that the story touches on real issues like family pressure and grief, which added depth. As well as the banter.
The FMC was great! Loved her.

Damian takes quite a while to grow on you.
The story felt dragging a bit at times as well.

I still liked the book it was a good rom-com!

Thank you so much Rowan for the ARC🫶🏻