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The Romcom Writer: A fake-dating, enemies-to-lovers, small-town romance...
Not yet published
Expected 20 Mar 26Two enemies. One fake-dating romance. Unexpected fireworks.
Aspiring author Sarah should be happy—she’s just landed her dream job at the Romance Library. Instead, thanks to relentless writer’s block and the news that her cheating ex is bringing his girlfriend to her brother’s wedding in Spain, Sarah is reeling. Going alone isn’t an option. She needs a fake date. Fast.
The last person she expects to volunteer is Ben—the infuriatingly handsome playboy and romance-book-hating property developer Sarah’s been forced to work with to open the library’s idyllic reader’s retreat.
Sarah would rather stick pins in her eyes than spend time with a man who disrespects her favourite genre, but she has no choice. And it’s only for one weekend —how bad could it be?
Except when Ben impresses her family, then charms his way into Sarah’s good books and her knickers, the words suddenly spill onto the page faster than she can say ‘only one bed’ and he becomes her unexpected muse.
But with Ben’s time in town running out, will their story end in heartbreak? Or can they write their own happily ever after?
The Romcom Writer is a dual POV, steamy, enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating, small-town, forced proximity, only one bed, workplace romance. Ideal for fans of The Spanish Love Deception, The Hating Game and Book Lovers.
Key Tropes and Fake-dating romanceEnemies-to-lovers romanceSmall-town romanceWorkplace romanceForced proximityOnly one bedDestination romanceLibrary settingBook loversSpicy scenesGorgeous happily-ever-after guaranteed!
Aspiring author Sarah should be happy—she’s just landed her dream job at the Romance Library. Instead, thanks to relentless writer’s block and the news that her cheating ex is bringing his girlfriend to her brother’s wedding in Spain, Sarah is reeling. Going alone isn’t an option. She needs a fake date. Fast.
The last person she expects to volunteer is Ben—the infuriatingly handsome playboy and romance-book-hating property developer Sarah’s been forced to work with to open the library’s idyllic reader’s retreat.
Sarah would rather stick pins in her eyes than spend time with a man who disrespects her favourite genre, but she has no choice. And it’s only for one weekend —how bad could it be?
Except when Ben impresses her family, then charms his way into Sarah’s good books and her knickers, the words suddenly spill onto the page faster than she can say ‘only one bed’ and he becomes her unexpected muse.
But with Ben’s time in town running out, will their story end in heartbreak? Or can they write their own happily ever after?
The Romcom Writer is a dual POV, steamy, enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating, small-town, forced proximity, only one bed, workplace romance. Ideal for fans of The Spanish Love Deception, The Hating Game and Book Lovers.
Key Tropes and Fake-dating romanceEnemies-to-lovers romanceSmall-town romanceWorkplace romanceForced proximityOnly one bedDestination romanceLibrary settingBook loversSpicy scenesGorgeous happily-ever-after guaranteed!
447 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 20, 2026
36 people want to read
About the author
Olivia Spring
32 books176 followersOlivia Spring is the bestselling author of fifteen romantic comedy and women’s fiction books.
Whether you want to fake date a hot Hollywood movie star in London, jet off to Paris with a handsome billionaire, enjoy some sun, sand and sea with a gorgeous Spanish DJ in Marbella or attend a castle wedding in the South of France, Olivia’s books will help you to escape reality and transport you to a dreamy romantic location. No ticket or passport required!
Olivia was born and raised in London and divides her time between the UK and Spain.
When she's not writing new steamy romcoms, Olivia can be found reading on the beach, enjoying cupcakes and cocktails and of course, seeking inspiration for her next book!
For exclusive updates, join the Olivia Spring VIP club at
https://www.oliviaspring.com/
Whether you want to fake date a hot Hollywood movie star in London, jet off to Paris with a handsome billionaire, enjoy some sun, sand and sea with a gorgeous Spanish DJ in Marbella or attend a castle wedding in the South of France, Olivia’s books will help you to escape reality and transport you to a dreamy romantic location. No ticket or passport required!
Olivia was born and raised in London and divides her time between the UK and Spain.
When she's not writing new steamy romcoms, Olivia can be found reading on the beach, enjoying cupcakes and cocktails and of course, seeking inspiration for her next book!
For exclusive updates, join the Olivia Spring VIP club at
https://www.oliviaspring.com/
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
5 ⭐️
Tropes: dual POV, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, fake dating, small town romance, only one bed, forced proximity, destination romance, bookish FMC, reformed playboy
“ It didn’t matter if he was pretty, he was a d!ck. If you sprinkled glitter on a turd, of course it would look better, but underneath it’d still be a lump of shit. I just had to remember that.”
I LOVED the instant hate and enemies to lovers in this book! Because I’d be just as outraged as Sarah hearing someone trash romance novels the way Ben did. To make things worse she thought she would never see that jerk again but the universe had a different idea and the jerk was not only her new coworker but her besties husband’s bother! AND they were both working at her friends romance themed library / book store; which made him hating romance novels so much worse!
Sarah and Ben were thrown together, to work on special projects and help each other out and I ate it up! I LOVED the hateful and hilarious banter between them and their chemistry was undeniable 😍
Sarah very verbally made it known she hated him. When her brother told her he was getting married in Spain in less than a month she was a wreck knowing she would have to face things and people she ran away from. To her surprise Ben offered to be her date and her fake boyfriend for the wedding to help her safe face.
“But remember, Jeffries, don’t go falling in love with me like they do in those books of yours. This is just to get revenge on your ex.”
But in true romcom fashion spending time together pretending to be a couple slowly blurred those lines and neither Sarah or Ben stood a chance!
“If you’d asked me about Ben a couple of weeks ago, I would’ve said that he was the red flag poster boy. But now, it was like those flags had all been bathed in green paint.”
I seriously SWOONED over Ben, HARD! He hated love yet he was so sweet and attentive, caring and protective of Sarah. It was adorable and I loved everything about it. They were seriously so perfect together.
AND not only were they perfect but the setting and the town?! It was MAGICAL 😍 I adored the bookish theme and the romance library, it was such a cute concept and honestly wish it was a real place because everything about it is a book lovers dream.
Mark your calendars for March 20th 2026 because you won’t want to miss this!
Thank you to Olivia Spring for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes: dual POV, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, fake dating, small town romance, only one bed, forced proximity, destination romance, bookish FMC, reformed playboy
“ It didn’t matter if he was pretty, he was a d!ck. If you sprinkled glitter on a turd, of course it would look better, but underneath it’d still be a lump of shit. I just had to remember that.”
I LOVED the instant hate and enemies to lovers in this book! Because I’d be just as outraged as Sarah hearing someone trash romance novels the way Ben did. To make things worse she thought she would never see that jerk again but the universe had a different idea and the jerk was not only her new coworker but her besties husband’s bother! AND they were both working at her friends romance themed library / book store; which made him hating romance novels so much worse!
Sarah and Ben were thrown together, to work on special projects and help each other out and I ate it up! I LOVED the hateful and hilarious banter between them and their chemistry was undeniable 😍
Sarah very verbally made it known she hated him. When her brother told her he was getting married in Spain in less than a month she was a wreck knowing she would have to face things and people she ran away from. To her surprise Ben offered to be her date and her fake boyfriend for the wedding to help her safe face.
“But remember, Jeffries, don’t go falling in love with me like they do in those books of yours. This is just to get revenge on your ex.”
But in true romcom fashion spending time together pretending to be a couple slowly blurred those lines and neither Sarah or Ben stood a chance!
“If you’d asked me about Ben a couple of weeks ago, I would’ve said that he was the red flag poster boy. But now, it was like those flags had all been bathed in green paint.”
I seriously SWOONED over Ben, HARD! He hated love yet he was so sweet and attentive, caring and protective of Sarah. It was adorable and I loved everything about it. They were seriously so perfect together.
AND not only were they perfect but the setting and the town?! It was MAGICAL 😍 I adored the bookish theme and the romance library, it was such a cute concept and honestly wish it was a real place because everything about it is a book lovers dream.
Mark your calendars for March 20th 2026 because you won’t want to miss this!
Thank you to Olivia Spring for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Right from the very first sentence i was pulled into the story, it was hilarious and i definitely wanted to keep reading to see how it all unfolded. It also kept me intrigued throughout the story about Sarah and Ben and why they had both relocated to Sunshine Bay to start afresh…
Both Sarah and Ben were such likeable characters and i loved them both, they were such wonderful people. When you got to know him Ben was amazing and so kind and caring and just wanted to look after people, especially Sarah. They were both hilariously funny and i lived for the banter between them, it was soooo funny! And Sarah was such a nice person and was just trying to be the best at what she does and be happy doing it too.
I absolutely loved the descriptions of all the places in this book and i love Olivia’s writing style and descriptions and as always i build a picture in my head of what everything looks like and its always wonderful. Sunshine Bay sounds like such an amazing place and i wish it was real because i would love to go and live there and go to The Romance Library too, that would be perfect!!
I LOVED the whole story, everything about it was wonderful, i loved the characters, i loved the banter, i loved the Romance Library, i loved Sunshine Bay, I loved the cameos from previous characters, i particularly loved all the mentions of Bookstagram and all the things that book nerds do!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole of The Romance Library series but i actually think that this book is my absolute favourite one…..
Both Sarah and Ben were such likeable characters and i loved them both, they were such wonderful people. When you got to know him Ben was amazing and so kind and caring and just wanted to look after people, especially Sarah. They were both hilariously funny and i lived for the banter between them, it was soooo funny! And Sarah was such a nice person and was just trying to be the best at what she does and be happy doing it too.
I absolutely loved the descriptions of all the places in this book and i love Olivia’s writing style and descriptions and as always i build a picture in my head of what everything looks like and its always wonderful. Sunshine Bay sounds like such an amazing place and i wish it was real because i would love to go and live there and go to The Romance Library too, that would be perfect!!
I LOVED the whole story, everything about it was wonderful, i loved the characters, i loved the banter, i loved the Romance Library, i loved Sunshine Bay, I loved the cameos from previous characters, i particularly loved all the mentions of Bookstagram and all the things that book nerds do!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole of The Romance Library series but i actually think that this book is my absolute favourite one…..
Review of advance copy received from Author
Love spicy rom coms and books about books?! This one is for you! And can I just say that I wish I could visit the Romance Library! It is such a magical place!
A not so pleasant meet cute with a very handsome stranger. And then you get a big shock when you find out you have to work with him. But maybe you shouldn’t judge him so harshly based on that first impression….
This book is rom com gold and just like all of Olivia’s books, you forget you’re even reading! It immediately drew me in and I couldn’t get enough of the tension and silly disagreements between Sarah and Ben. She is determined to turn him into a romance book lover if it’s the last thing she does.
Their interactions had me so intrigued with their playful banter disguised as giving each other a hard time! So entertaining! And add in close proximity as they are sort of forced to work on some projects together at the romance library. Their “enemies”energy of course transforms into feelings of attraction that they both try to brush off. We all know where this is going and following along with them to see how they get there was chef’s kiss! So many caring and thoughtful gestures that gave me all the warm fuzzies! And the spicy scenes are top tier! I could rave about this book all day!
Thank you so much Olivia for the arc!
A not so pleasant meet cute with a very handsome stranger. And then you get a big shock when you find out you have to work with him. But maybe you shouldn’t judge him so harshly based on that first impression….
This book is rom com gold and just like all of Olivia’s books, you forget you’re even reading! It immediately drew me in and I couldn’t get enough of the tension and silly disagreements between Sarah and Ben. She is determined to turn him into a romance book lover if it’s the last thing she does.
Their interactions had me so intrigued with their playful banter disguised as giving each other a hard time! So entertaining! And add in close proximity as they are sort of forced to work on some projects together at the romance library. Their “enemies”energy of course transforms into feelings of attraction that they both try to brush off. We all know where this is going and following along with them to see how they get there was chef’s kiss! So many caring and thoughtful gestures that gave me all the warm fuzzies! And the spicy scenes are top tier! I could rave about this book all day!
Thank you so much Olivia for the arc!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really enjoyed all of the romance book references in this story, and the concept of a business devoted to the genre. Sarah is excited about her new full-time job as a marketing manager for a romance library and bookstore in the seaside town of Sunshine Bay (England). She’s escaping a messy broken relationship involving her sister back in her tiny home-town, and is looking forward to trying to write her own romance book. While traveling to her new job, Sarah overhears a hot man dissing romance on the train. That irritating man turns out to have his own connections to the romance library business. Ben is traveling to Sunshine Bay to temporarily help his brother and his fiancé with their romance business’ expansion and to serve as his brother’s best man. After Ben offers to be Sarah’s fake date for her own brother’s wedding and they start to spend time together, Sarah begins to realize her perceptions of Ben were wrong. Feelings grow, but Ben has his own baggage. His time in Sunshine Bay has always been temporary, and their clock is running out. This romance has adult spice along the way to the HEA. It’s a satisfyingly swoony story that’s hard to put down! I received an advance copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
So many tropes, so little time!📚😍
Wow! From the first time this couple encounter each other on a train to the incredibly happy ending, I really got taken in to the story of Sarah and Ben, intended fellow workers in the Romance Library coming from such different viewpoints. Sarah is a thorough romance novel devotee and Ben, shades of Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy, gets caught making scathing statements that set her firmly against him despite his drop dead looks and single status. Thereafter author Olivia Spring brought a romance filled with tropes that shape their relationship, shifting from stone cold to passionate. It's a fun read that I devoured in a little over a day.
Warning: Ben at the story's start was hard to take. But as his layers of protection fall away, he's oh, so dreamy!
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.
Wow! From the first time this couple encounter each other on a train to the incredibly happy ending, I really got taken in to the story of Sarah and Ben, intended fellow workers in the Romance Library coming from such different viewpoints. Sarah is a thorough romance novel devotee and Ben, shades of Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy, gets caught making scathing statements that set her firmly against him despite his drop dead looks and single status. Thereafter author Olivia Spring brought a romance filled with tropes that shape their relationship, shifting from stone cold to passionate. It's a fun read that I devoured in a little over a day.
Warning: Ben at the story's start was hard to take. But as his layers of protection fall away, he's oh, so dreamy!
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was such a fun read, so much so that I didn't want to put it down and ended up reading it in 2 sittings! 😍
We follow the story of Sarah and Ben who have both relocated to the small town of Sunshine Bay. Sarah is an aspiring romance writer and Ben doesn't believe in romance stories!
Both characters are completely relatable and as we follow their story, their backgrounds become clearer and we see why they both behave the way they do. I absolutely loved the banter they have together which left me chuckling while I was reading it! 😂
There were so many tropes throughout this book and honestly it kept me so hooked because I kept wondering how each one would be tackled and what the outcomes for Sarah and Ben would be!
If you want a book that will have you laughing. crying and kicking your feet up in glee then read this! 💕
We follow the story of Sarah and Ben who have both relocated to the small town of Sunshine Bay. Sarah is an aspiring romance writer and Ben doesn't believe in romance stories!
Both characters are completely relatable and as we follow their story, their backgrounds become clearer and we see why they both behave the way they do. I absolutely loved the banter they have together which left me chuckling while I was reading it! 😂
There were so many tropes throughout this book and honestly it kept me so hooked because I kept wondering how each one would be tackled and what the outcomes for Sarah and Ben would be!
If you want a book that will have you laughing. crying and kicking your feet up in glee then read this! 💕
March 14, 2026
I received a digital ARC of this book. This is the third and current final book in the series, if you want to avoid spoilers you should read them in order. I have loved this whole series, and every Olivia Spring book that I’ve ever read. She pulls you into the story and you can’t stop turning the pages. There are some spicy scenes along the way. Sarah is moving to Sunshine Bay to work full time at the Romance Library. She’s also trying to become a writer. Ben is moving temporarily to Sunshine Bay to help his brother with some renovations on the Romance library. Instant enemies until Sarah needs a date to her brother’s wedding and Ben offers to be her fake boyfriend. But what happens when the fake starts to feel real? Do they give in, or just deny it and go back to being enemies? You’ll have to read to find out! Clear your schedule because you won’t want to stop turning the pages.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Having read the first two books in this series of course I jumped at the chance to read this one.
We follow Sarah and Ben who have both relocated to the small town of Sunshine Bay. Sarah is an aspiring writer and Ben doesn’t like romance stories. Will Sarah be able to change his mind?
There are so many tropes in this story including enemies to lovers, fake dating, small town romance, workplace romance, forced proximity, only one bed and it’s absolutely the perfect book for book lovers.
I loved every minute of this story and didn’t want it to end. The banter and chemistry between these two was off the charts. It was fantastic to catch up with previous characters in the book.
We follow Sarah and Ben who have both relocated to the small town of Sunshine Bay. Sarah is an aspiring writer and Ben doesn’t like romance stories. Will Sarah be able to change his mind?
There are so many tropes in this story including enemies to lovers, fake dating, small town romance, workplace romance, forced proximity, only one bed and it’s absolutely the perfect book for book lovers.
I loved every minute of this story and didn’t want it to end. The banter and chemistry between these two was off the charts. It was fantastic to catch up with previous characters in the book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Really enjoyed The Romcom Writer. I read it in one sitting.
Benjamin Buttface and Jeffries were well written and likable, even if Ben is a little egotistical at the beginning. He has a certain charm and I love that Sarah doesn't take any of his crap!
'mammoth magic stick' had me howling 😂
I really want to visit The Romance Library and the retreat and bar sound amazing!
Another top read from Olivia
Benjamin Buttface and Jeffries were well written and likable, even if Ben is a little egotistical at the beginning. He has a certain charm and I love that Sarah doesn't take any of his crap!
'mammoth magic stick' had me howling 😂
I really want to visit The Romance Library and the retreat and bar sound amazing!
Another top read from Olivia
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews