What do you think?
Rate this book
Finding You #4
You’re So Vain
Shane
When I quit my job, my boss threatened that I'd never work as a lawyer again . . . I figured he was a fossil with an elevated sense of self-importance, but two months later, I have to admit he has reach. Only one firm is interested in giving me a job, and there's been a slight misunderstanding. One of the partners saw me with my best friend's sister, Ruthie, and her daughter, and now they think I'm a family man.
To my mind, wedding bells only lead to misery, but it seems to be the only reason they want to hire me. So I play along. Of course, they want to meet my family, so I have to ask Ruthie, who's hated me for years, if she'd like a part-time job as my wife.
Ruthie
My brother's best friend is a vain, stuffed suit of a man, and one of my favorite pastimes is teasing him. So I'm stunned when he asks me to pose as his wife.
Still . . . I can't deny it's a compelling offer. I'm trying to get my small business off the ground, but it's proven near impossible with my full-time waitressing job, lack of childcare, and terrible health insurance. Shane is offering me a chance to turn my life around. All I have to do is pretend to like him . . .
Contains mature themes.
When I quit my job, my boss threatened that I'd never work as a lawyer again . . . I figured he was a fossil with an elevated sense of self-importance, but two months later, I have to admit he has reach. Only one firm is interested in giving me a job, and there's been a slight misunderstanding. One of the partners saw me with my best friend's sister, Ruthie, and her daughter, and now they think I'm a family man.
To my mind, wedding bells only lead to misery, but it seems to be the only reason they want to hire me. So I play along. Of course, they want to meet my family, so I have to ask Ruthie, who's hated me for years, if she'd like a part-time job as my wife.
Ruthie
My brother's best friend is a vain, stuffed suit of a man, and one of my favorite pastimes is teasing him. So I'm stunned when he asks me to pose as his wife.
Still . . . I can't deny it's a compelling offer. I'm trying to get my small business off the ground, but it's proven near impossible with my full-time waitressing job, lack of childcare, and terrible health insurance. Shane is offering me a chance to turn my life around. All I have to do is pretend to like him . . .
Contains mature themes.
Audible Audio
Published October 7, 2025
1758 people are currently reading
3687 people want to read
About the author
Angela Casella
39 books748 followersANGELA CASELLA lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her husband, her daughter, and their ill-behaved corgi in an extremely small bungalow. She spends her days writing and pretending to market. She writes solo romcoms and also has three co-written series with Denise Grover Swank.
You can subscribe to her newsletter for exclusive free content and updates on her projects! http://subscribepage.io/AngelaCasella...
You can subscribe to her newsletter for exclusive free content and updates on her projects! http://subscribepage.io/AngelaCasella...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews
September 3, 2024
meh, it was fine. but one thing i refuse to accept is that izzy was 5??? this girl was speaking like a 12 year old, spouting detailed, intricate, thoughtful sentences- please can we have realistic children
March 8, 2024
Another book with a five year old who does not talk like a five year old.
March 5, 2024
The plot was intricate but this book still managed to bore me tf out
January 21, 2024
This was my first time reading this author and I loved her story!
Ruthie was five years younger than her brother and his friends but that didn’t stop her from falling hard for his friend Shane when she was young. Shane found her annoying. As Shane & Ruthie grew older the friendship turned to one of teasing and banter. Everyone thought they hated each other, but that was how they were protecting themselves. Ruthie is a single mom to the most adorable 5 yr old little girl named Izzy. Her life growing up was not the best and it was her brother who help her though it all. When Shane stands up to his boss, his life turns in a direction he never would have imagined. Now a new opportunity has arisen, but it’s Ruthie’s help he needs. She agrees to help because it will be helping her and Izzy in the process. I loved everything about this book - their growth, the chemistry, their friends, family, colleagues, her neighbor, the psychic, Flower, the dog and the love Ruthie, Shane and Izzy have!!!
Ruthie was five years younger than her brother and his friends but that didn’t stop her from falling hard for his friend Shane when she was young. Shane found her annoying. As Shane & Ruthie grew older the friendship turned to one of teasing and banter. Everyone thought they hated each other, but that was how they were protecting themselves. Ruthie is a single mom to the most adorable 5 yr old little girl named Izzy. Her life growing up was not the best and it was her brother who help her though it all. When Shane stands up to his boss, his life turns in a direction he never would have imagined. Now a new opportunity has arisen, but it’s Ruthie’s help he needs. She agrees to help because it will be helping her and Izzy in the process. I loved everything about this book - their growth, the chemistry, their friends, family, colleagues, her neighbor, the psychic, Flower, the dog and the love Ruthie, Shane and Izzy have!!!
January 14, 2025
I don't even know what to say about this book, I liked it to an extent that I read it within like 2 days but I wouldn't say it's a great book. I did like Shane and I liked Ruthie to an extent, her stubbornness was incredible aggravating and not at all endearing considering it's not only her own wellbeing she has to look after, but her 5 year old daughters as well. I found the break in storyline and stealing of the hairbrush was extremely obvious and couldn't believe they had to get a PI to look into it for them when it was right in front of their faces. Danny also annoyed me cause why is he acting like he has any say in what Shane or Ruthie do?? just not a lot of likeable charavyers ngl. I also couldn't believe that none of them decked Ruthie and Danny's mum??? she was literally horrendous and yet she got a little bit of prison time, yeah right - overall 2/5 cause the zesty scenes were good but few and far between and I liked the idea of a book van
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2024
Great Marriage of Convenience
I enjoyed the ending to the series. The chemistry between the two main characters felt authentic. The author is great at portraying real people with real emotions. Found family at its best.
I enjoyed the ending to the series. The chemistry between the two main characters felt authentic. The author is great at portraying real people with real emotions. Found family at its best.
September 6, 2024
Good book. Interesting story.
May 23, 2025
3.8 stars!
This was fun to read, and for a change, the plot wasn't as cliche and followed a lot more communication than I was expecting.
This was fun to read, and for a change, the plot wasn't as cliche and followed a lot more communication than I was expecting.
Read
February 9, 2024This book is so cute romance book. I loved it so much. You’re So Vain is last book for Finding You even it can be standalone book too. Shane and Ruthie are my favorite couple by far with books I read already! They had a love/hate relationship since they were kids, Ruthie is Shane's best friend Danny's little sister. She would tag along when they were kids and she feel like she is third wheel in this boys’ hang outs. Ruthie dislike Shane for years because he was mean and ruined his legacy grow up. She let that crush go and held a grudge against Shane (Vain) for years. Shane, a lawyer who quit his job after he found out his firm would be representing his friend's (horrible) parents in their trial and Ruthie. Shane has been rejected from all firms in his town and only one firm in the town would hire him for a job. The problem is that one of the partners at firm who saw Shane with Ruthie and her daughter and the partner assumed they were family before asking. Only Shane and Ruthie are constantly at arguing to each other all the time.
This enemies-to-lovers story had two main characters made up of so many layers who truly have always belonged together. Ruthie and Shane are wonderful with their snarky banter and chemistry.
I cannot say enough about how much I loved this book. There was romance and steam but it all seemed reasonable. I liked that they didn't fight their feelings for too long and genuinely wanted to be together almost right away. The small plots were great.The whole feel of the book is very relax and very enjoyable to read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This enemies-to-lovers story had two main characters made up of so many layers who truly have always belonged together. Ruthie and Shane are wonderful with their snarky banter and chemistry.
I cannot say enough about how much I loved this book. There was romance and steam but it all seemed reasonable. I liked that they didn't fight their feelings for too long and genuinely wanted to be together almost right away. The small plots were great.The whole feel of the book is very relax and very enjoyable to read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 19, 2024
I love this book so much! Shane, Ruthie, and Izzy filled me with happiness. I enjoyed learning more about Shane’s background and watching his personal growth throughout the story. Ruthie is such an amazing mom to Izzy. I delighted in seeing her self confidence strengthened and her acceptance of herself and her support system. And Izzy’s relationship with Shane fills you with smiles and hearts🥰.
Dual POV
Enemies to lovers
Marriage of convenience
Forced proximity
Brother’s best friend
Single mom
The fourth and final book of the Finding You series does not disappoint! Can be read as a standalone.
When he quit his law firm and his boss threatened he would never work as a lawyer again, Shane Royce did not anticipate the extent of influence his old boss possessed.
There is one firm willing to give him a chance, but they believe him to be a family man, married to his best friend’s sister.
Ruthie Traeger, Danny’s sister, thinks Shane is nothing but vain and never shies away from letting him know.
But when Shane asks her to pose as his fake wife, the offer is too compelling for Ruthie to turn down.
As it turns out, sometimes love comes after the marriage.
Dual POV
Enemies to lovers
Marriage of convenience
Forced proximity
Brother’s best friend
Single mom
The fourth and final book of the Finding You series does not disappoint! Can be read as a standalone.
When he quit his law firm and his boss threatened he would never work as a lawyer again, Shane Royce did not anticipate the extent of influence his old boss possessed.
There is one firm willing to give him a chance, but they believe him to be a family man, married to his best friend’s sister.
Ruthie Traeger, Danny’s sister, thinks Shane is nothing but vain and never shies away from letting him know.
But when Shane asks her to pose as his fake wife, the offer is too compelling for Ruthie to turn down.
As it turns out, sometimes love comes after the marriage.
April 7, 2025
Relyn Rating 1.5 stars
Enh. Another BookTok book that sounded much better in the short video. Not much plot, not much character development, no super-likable characters, too much plotless, pointless sex. No thanks.
I love rom-coms, romance novels, and love stories. So I read a lot of them. This is great fun for me, but it means that my personal "market" is oversaturated. It will take a truly great romance to get more than three stars. In case you are interested:
Relyn's personal rom-com & romance novel rating system
5 stars - This book is excellent. It stands out from the hundreds of other love stories I've read, and I loved it.
4 stars - Oh, I really, really liked this one.
3 stars - This was a good, entertaining book and I'm glad I read it.
2 stars - Meh - boring, or overdone, or in some other way just not a good fit for me
1 star - This one stunk.
Enh. Another BookTok book that sounded much better in the short video. Not much plot, not much character development, no super-likable characters, too much plotless, pointless sex. No thanks.
I love rom-coms, romance novels, and love stories. So I read a lot of them. This is great fun for me, but it means that my personal "market" is oversaturated. It will take a truly great romance to get more than three stars. In case you are interested:
Relyn's personal rom-com & romance novel rating system
5 stars - This book is excellent. It stands out from the hundreds of other love stories I've read, and I loved it.
4 stars - Oh, I really, really liked this one.
3 stars - This was a good, entertaining book and I'm glad I read it.
2 stars - Meh - boring, or overdone, or in some other way just not a good fit for me
1 star - This one stunk.
November 9, 2025
Sometimes love comes after marriage... or after a fake marriage, at least.
This book totally had me at “fake wife for a job.” I mean, who doesn’t love that setup? It promises tension, awkward dinner scenes, and someone catching feelings when they absolutely shouldn’t. And while the story did deliver on some of that, it didn’t quite hit all the high notes for me.
We follow Shane, a hotshot lawyer who quits his job and basically gets blacklisted by his jerk of a boss. Fast forward a couple of months, and no one wants to hire him — until one firm shows interest. But here’s the twist: they think he’s a family man, all because one of the partners saw him with Ruthie (his best friend’s sister, who majorly despises him) and her daughter. So what does he do? He runs with the lie and pretends Ruthie is his wife. Classic.
Of course, the firm wants to meet his lovely wife and daughter, so Shane panics and ropes Ruthie into the whole mess. Ruthie is juggling a million things — waitressing, raising her kid, launching a business — and Shane’s offer comes with perks she can’t ignore. So she agrees. Even though she’d probably love to smack him upside the head on most days.
Now, their chemistry? It’s legit. There’s all this snarky, I-love-to-hate-you energy flying around, and it’s honestly fun to watch. You can feel the tension building, especially when Shane starts thinking, “Hey, maybe this fake wife thing could be kind of... real?” Cue the emotional confusion.
I loved their banter and slow-burn moments, and the wedding night scene? Yeah, the buildup explodes — in the best way.
But here’s the thing: for all the good stuff, the book had a few stumbles.
Ruthie, for one, took a while to grow on me. She was prickly — which I usually enjoy — but she held on to this grudge from childhood way too long. Shane actually came off more grounded and layered early on, which made him easier to root for. Ruthie did get better once she started letting her guard down, but it took time.
Another thing: a lot of emotional shifts and key scenes were kind of... told, not shown. I wanted more moments — like the fake dinners, the awkward near-kisses, the heart-to-hearts. We got bits of that, but it often felt rushed or glossed over. Missed opportunity, big time.
Also, there was a subplot with Ruthie’s daughter Izzy and her bio dad’s family that built up to nothing. I thought we were heading toward drama or maybe a big legal scene (Shane’s a lawyer after all!), but it fizzled. Super underwhelming.
And Izzy — cute, yes, but she talks like a miniature CEO. It just didn’t feel believable for a five-year-old.
Still, despite the flaws, I had fun. The rom-com vibes were strong, the characters had heart, and the banter made me smile. It’s not a book I’d rush to re-read, but I don’t regret picking it up either.
Rating: 3 out of 5. Good bones, fun premise, solid chemistry — just needed more emotional punch and less summarizing. I’d still check out more from this author though. With a bit more polish, I think she could really knock it out of the park next time.
This book totally had me at “fake wife for a job.” I mean, who doesn’t love that setup? It promises tension, awkward dinner scenes, and someone catching feelings when they absolutely shouldn’t. And while the story did deliver on some of that, it didn’t quite hit all the high notes for me.
We follow Shane, a hotshot lawyer who quits his job and basically gets blacklisted by his jerk of a boss. Fast forward a couple of months, and no one wants to hire him — until one firm shows interest. But here’s the twist: they think he’s a family man, all because one of the partners saw him with Ruthie (his best friend’s sister, who majorly despises him) and her daughter. So what does he do? He runs with the lie and pretends Ruthie is his wife. Classic.
Of course, the firm wants to meet his lovely wife and daughter, so Shane panics and ropes Ruthie into the whole mess. Ruthie is juggling a million things — waitressing, raising her kid, launching a business — and Shane’s offer comes with perks she can’t ignore. So she agrees. Even though she’d probably love to smack him upside the head on most days.
Now, their chemistry? It’s legit. There’s all this snarky, I-love-to-hate-you energy flying around, and it’s honestly fun to watch. You can feel the tension building, especially when Shane starts thinking, “Hey, maybe this fake wife thing could be kind of... real?” Cue the emotional confusion.
I loved their banter and slow-burn moments, and the wedding night scene? Yeah, the buildup explodes — in the best way.
But here’s the thing: for all the good stuff, the book had a few stumbles.
Ruthie, for one, took a while to grow on me. She was prickly — which I usually enjoy — but she held on to this grudge from childhood way too long. Shane actually came off more grounded and layered early on, which made him easier to root for. Ruthie did get better once she started letting her guard down, but it took time.
Another thing: a lot of emotional shifts and key scenes were kind of... told, not shown. I wanted more moments — like the fake dinners, the awkward near-kisses, the heart-to-hearts. We got bits of that, but it often felt rushed or glossed over. Missed opportunity, big time.
Also, there was a subplot with Ruthie’s daughter Izzy and her bio dad’s family that built up to nothing. I thought we were heading toward drama or maybe a big legal scene (Shane’s a lawyer after all!), but it fizzled. Super underwhelming.
And Izzy — cute, yes, but she talks like a miniature CEO. It just didn’t feel believable for a five-year-old.
Still, despite the flaws, I had fun. The rom-com vibes were strong, the characters had heart, and the banter made me smile. It’s not a book I’d rush to re-read, but I don’t regret picking it up either.
Rating: 3 out of 5. Good bones, fun premise, solid chemistry — just needed more emotional punch and less summarizing. I’d still check out more from this author though. With a bit more polish, I think she could really knock it out of the park next time.
August 23, 2025
3.95 ⭐
[5:02pm — 23/08/2025]
If I’m being honest it was more of a ‘read the book because of one quote and that’s it’ kind of book. I was influenced and bam I remembered why I don’t join the crowd in that sense. Technically I finished reading it like last month but just didn’t change it but I’ll put it in for August catalog.
Overall, I’m giving this book a 3.95 stars because I know there’s areas where the book can be improved and areas where not so much is needed. Also, my fault too for not reading the other books (I didn’t realise it was a series and till later).
The most basic review but I don’t remember much, so I’m so sorry for that😭
Anyways, bye! Thanks for this book though, it was cute nonetheless. <3
[5:06pm — 23/08/2025]
[5:02pm — 23/08/2025]
If I’m being honest it was more of a ‘read the book because of one quote and that’s it’ kind of book. I was influenced and bam I remembered why I don’t join the crowd in that sense. Technically I finished reading it like last month but just didn’t change it but I’ll put it in for August catalog.
Overall, I’m giving this book a 3.95 stars because I know there’s areas where the book can be improved and areas where not so much is needed. Also, my fault too for not reading the other books (I didn’t realise it was a series and till later).
The most basic review but I don’t remember much, so I’m so sorry for that😭
Anyways, bye! Thanks for this book though, it was cute nonetheless. <3
[5:06pm — 23/08/2025]
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2024
On the heels of Danny and Mira's love story comes his sister's - and with his best friend!
Shane has been a constant, solid friend in Danny's life for many years, and his little sister Ruthie, but default, was always tagging along with her brother. The underlying chemistry and attraction between Shane and Ruthie was masked by outright disdain, sarcasm and snarky banter... But we all know better! There's not hatred there.
Ruthie has not had an easy life as a single mom, even with help from her brother and friends. I applauded her independent streak and protection of Izzy. It was easy to connect with these characters, as they maneuvered from "enemies", to "fake marriage", to acceptance of their true feelings. These two are easy to love, and their sizzling chemistry and attraction is fun to read. And the old saying, "don't judge a book by it's cover" is absolutely true in this one!!
Josie the Psychic is right - again! Gotta love her. For all her flighty, nonsensical ways, she has been correct about so many things this group of friends experienced. Even when they really don't want her readings!! Hahahaha!
I STRONGLY recommend reading this series in the correct order, to get the most from the story line, and the character interactions. I love this series, highly recommend this, and the others from this talented author's catalog of works. Totally worth your time!! I'm very excited to see what comes next!
Shane has been a constant, solid friend in Danny's life for many years, and his little sister Ruthie, but default, was always tagging along with her brother. The underlying chemistry and attraction between Shane and Ruthie was masked by outright disdain, sarcasm and snarky banter... But we all know better! There's not hatred there.
Ruthie has not had an easy life as a single mom, even with help from her brother and friends. I applauded her independent streak and protection of Izzy. It was easy to connect with these characters, as they maneuvered from "enemies", to "fake marriage", to acceptance of their true feelings. These two are easy to love, and their sizzling chemistry and attraction is fun to read. And the old saying, "don't judge a book by it's cover" is absolutely true in this one!!
Josie the Psychic is right - again! Gotta love her. For all her flighty, nonsensical ways, she has been correct about so many things this group of friends experienced. Even when they really don't want her readings!! Hahahaha!
I STRONGLY recommend reading this series in the correct order, to get the most from the story line, and the character interactions. I love this series, highly recommend this, and the others from this talented author's catalog of works. Totally worth your time!! I'm very excited to see what comes next!
February 6, 2024
You’re So Vain
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Angela Casella
While this is a bit of a slow burn, stick with it because it is too good after things start heating up!
You have Shane (Vain) the MMC who gets fired from his high powered partner job at a law firm and is blackballed from getting hired it seems. And you have Ruthie who is Shane’s best friend’s sister who is a struggling single mom.
This story has fake dating/marriage, enemies to lovers, and much more! I found myself up late last night wanting to find out what happens!
I think this is a perfect Valentine’s Day read and one not to miss!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Angela Casella
While this is a bit of a slow burn, stick with it because it is too good after things start heating up!
You have Shane (Vain) the MMC who gets fired from his high powered partner job at a law firm and is blackballed from getting hired it seems. And you have Ruthie who is Shane’s best friend’s sister who is a struggling single mom.
This story has fake dating/marriage, enemies to lovers, and much more! I found myself up late last night wanting to find out what happens!
I think this is a perfect Valentine’s Day read and one not to miss!
June 1, 2025
Super cute. Had me laughing and crying!
June 11, 2025
This is exactly what I needed.
February 8, 2024
Beautiful book!!
So I'm glad I gave this book another chance. When I first staring reading it, I wasn't feeling it and put it down. I had intended on dnf it but decided to try again. I'm pretty glad that I did!
Ruthie and Izzy were great! Ruthie is determined to make her bookmobile happen and things just keep stopping it. She feels defeated but not enough to give it up. She has Izzy to worry about. She had her brother, his girl and her friend Tank. Enter Shane, they've been friends since they were kids and didn't like each other.
Shane doesn't want marriage or babies but when a situation comes up, it ends being in his favor. I have to give Shane so many props. He was the one loyal friend to Ruthie's brother, who's autistic. He accepted him and loved him all these years.
It was such a beautiful fake marriage to real marriage love story for these two! Watching them fall in love with each other was just beautiful!
So I'm glad I gave this book another chance. When I first staring reading it, I wasn't feeling it and put it down. I had intended on dnf it but decided to try again. I'm pretty glad that I did!
Ruthie and Izzy were great! Ruthie is determined to make her bookmobile happen and things just keep stopping it. She feels defeated but not enough to give it up. She has Izzy to worry about. She had her brother, his girl and her friend Tank. Enter Shane, they've been friends since they were kids and didn't like each other.
Shane doesn't want marriage or babies but when a situation comes up, it ends being in his favor. I have to give Shane so many props. He was the one loyal friend to Ruthie's brother, who's autistic. He accepted him and loved him all these years.
It was such a beautiful fake marriage to real marriage love story for these two! Watching them fall in love with each other was just beautiful!
February 8, 2024
You’re So Vain is the 4th and final book in the Finding You series co-written by Angela Casella and Denise Grover Swank. As with most of their books it is centered in the city of Ashville N.C. As I’m sure you know if you’ve read the blurb it’s an “enemies to lovers” trope.
Shane Royce is the ”Vain” in You’re So Vain. So nicknamed by Ruthie Traeger his BFF Danny’s younger sister. IMHO Shane isn’t so vain as he is pathetically desperate to be seen as successful. Part of that is his desire to project an image of success. He’s so wrapped up in this whole show the world how successful he is his idea of dressing casually is taking off his suit coat and tie when he’s hanging out with his three childhood buddies who are the male protagonists in the earlier three books in this series. Of the 3 only Ruthie’s brother Danny and his now live-in girlfriend Mira make any significant appearances in this story. Thier’s was the 3rd book in this series “You’re So Basic.” There’s a 4th Musketeer to this group, Drew who is Danny’s business partner in developing a video game. Drew’s story was the last book in the previous series The Fairy Godmother Detective Agency, that served as the bridge to this series. But at the end of his book he and his girlfriend move with her terminally ill grandmother to Puerto Rico and they’ve rarely been heard from in this series. Oddly the only character that has been a constant presence in this series is Josie who originally appeared as a hack psychic in the Ashville Brewing series and has grown in importance as a true psychic. Well, there’s also Nicole who originally appeared in the Bad Luck Club series and her now husband Damien. Nicole is the Fairy Godmother in the Fairy Godmother Detective series. At the end of You’re So Basic Shane has after much perseveration quit his job at a prestigious law firm where he had worked tirelessly to make partner by age 33 because they were representing the wealthy, corrupt parents of Burke one of his BFF’s who is introduced in You’re So Extra the first book in this series. Because the senior partner of his former law firm has black listed Shane he is struggling to find another position within an Ashville law firm. He is desperate to find a job that will allow him to remain in Ashville because he takes care of his widowed mother who has suffered with severe bouts of depression since his father died from a heart attack when Shane was only fifteen. So desperate that he’s willing to convince Ruthie to marry him when the senior partner of the only law firm that shows any interest in hiring him makes it clear the fact that he wrongly assumes he and Ruthie are already married is the reason he’s willing to extend a job offer to Shane. This man values everything that Shane has come to believe are weaknesses, like marriage and family. Shane views the potential job as a place holder until he can find a job with a law firm that share the same values (or lack of) that he does. Honestly other than his loyalty to his friends and his mom there’s isn’t a whole lot of positive things I can say about the Shane character at the beginning of this story.
Ruthie (yeah, that’s really her first name) Taeger is a twenty-eight-year-old single mom of 5-year-old Izzy. The Izzy character is a wonderful addition to this story. Problem is when she’s not obsessing over all things unicorn and she talks to her mom or Shane she sounds like someone much older and wiser than either of them. Ruthie has a history of falling in love with absolutely terrible men including Roan whom she was only married to long enough to get pregnant with Izzy before he divorced and left them because he had no desire to be a father. Ruthie is very sweet. Well if you can describe a woman who liberally peppers her conversations with F-bombs and never uses any other term than fucking to refer to the sex act. Ruthie is very loving and has a big heart which to me qualifies her as sweet but she’s not innocent by any means. Besides her history of falling for the wrong men Ruthie also has a history of coming up with wild schemes to start mobile businesses using her converted van she named “Vanny” which is falling a part just like her poorly thought out business plans. Contrary to how it sometimes appears Ruthie isn’t stupid or even flighty. Her problem is she lacks self-confidence and believes she’s a failure so the minute her latest business runs into trouble getting off the ground she abandons her idea and moves on to the next. Ruthie struggles to make ends meet with her waitressing job at a diner that is close to going under, reselling items on E-Bay, while her mobile based business ideas cost her more money than she makes.
Now here's the important details about Ruthie and Shane. She had always had a crush on Shane when she was younger. But when she was 10 years old and Shane and Danny were 15, she heard him ask Danny why he always allowed his pesky little sister to hang around with them. She was as heart broken as a ten-year-old could be and has we will say “strongly disliked” because hate may be too strong a term, ever since. So anytime they’re together she never passes up an opportunity to insult him. And Shane for his part, once Ruthie became a woman found himself strongly attracted to his BFF’s beautiful and sexy younger sister. But since Shane views love and marriage as obstacles to success he has no intention of falling in love. Combine that with the Bro Code that says you don’t fuck your BFF’s sister, especially if you have no intention of being in a real relationship with her, so Shane does his best to keep his distance from Ruthie by playing into their feud by exchanging barbs with her. But even with that Shane makes no attempt to hide his affection for Izzy who much to Ruthie’s chagrin refers to him as “Uncle Shane.”
So this story is set up that Shane needs to convince Ruthie to pretend to be his wife to land his last hope at a job with an Ashville law firm. Ruthie could really use the health insurance Shane’s job would provide to pay for expensive surgery (what surgery isn’t expensive?) to have tubes inserted into Izzy’s ears to prevent the frequent reoccurrence of the ear infections she’s been suffering from. The caveat is they will have to do more than pretend they are married for Shane to put Ruthie and Izzy on his health insurance. They’ll have to actually get married. So they end up in a marriage of convenience which they both agree will have a limited shelf-life until Izzy has her surgery and Shane has been married an acceptable amount of time that he won’t lose his job or can move on to a law firm he feels is more prestigious before they divorce. After a secret courthouse marriage circumstances force them to act on the overpowering physical attraction they both feel for each other although it of course starts out with both of them saying it will be a one time thing. Which of course it doesn’t. Over time Ruthie comes to see Shane isn’t the vain, self-involved ogre she believed him to be. She also begrudgingly realizes some of Shane’s constructive criticisms of how she launches her businesses are on target. For his part Ruthie’s voice becomes the conscience in his head pushing him to do the ethical thing even when it won’t benefit his career. He even comes to believe he can have the successful prestigious law career he’s always wanted and still have Ruthie and Izzy in his life on his terms. Of course life and contemporary romances don’t work out that way so at some point Shane will have to decide which he values more.
I really thought this was a great book and a good way to close out this series. Sure I wish the protagonists from the first two books in the series would have had more of a role in this story, but I’m just greedy that way. There’s plenty of romance complete with angst, sexy times and more than a few laughs.
Shane Royce is the ”Vain” in You’re So Vain. So nicknamed by Ruthie Traeger his BFF Danny’s younger sister. IMHO Shane isn’t so vain as he is pathetically desperate to be seen as successful. Part of that is his desire to project an image of success. He’s so wrapped up in this whole show the world how successful he is his idea of dressing casually is taking off his suit coat and tie when he’s hanging out with his three childhood buddies who are the male protagonists in the earlier three books in this series. Of the 3 only Ruthie’s brother Danny and his now live-in girlfriend Mira make any significant appearances in this story. Thier’s was the 3rd book in this series “You’re So Basic.” There’s a 4th Musketeer to this group, Drew who is Danny’s business partner in developing a video game. Drew’s story was the last book in the previous series The Fairy Godmother Detective Agency, that served as the bridge to this series. But at the end of his book he and his girlfriend move with her terminally ill grandmother to Puerto Rico and they’ve rarely been heard from in this series. Oddly the only character that has been a constant presence in this series is Josie who originally appeared as a hack psychic in the Ashville Brewing series and has grown in importance as a true psychic. Well, there’s also Nicole who originally appeared in the Bad Luck Club series and her now husband Damien. Nicole is the Fairy Godmother in the Fairy Godmother Detective series. At the end of You’re So Basic Shane has after much perseveration quit his job at a prestigious law firm where he had worked tirelessly to make partner by age 33 because they were representing the wealthy, corrupt parents of Burke one of his BFF’s who is introduced in You’re So Extra the first book in this series. Because the senior partner of his former law firm has black listed Shane he is struggling to find another position within an Ashville law firm. He is desperate to find a job that will allow him to remain in Ashville because he takes care of his widowed mother who has suffered with severe bouts of depression since his father died from a heart attack when Shane was only fifteen. So desperate that he’s willing to convince Ruthie to marry him when the senior partner of the only law firm that shows any interest in hiring him makes it clear the fact that he wrongly assumes he and Ruthie are already married is the reason he’s willing to extend a job offer to Shane. This man values everything that Shane has come to believe are weaknesses, like marriage and family. Shane views the potential job as a place holder until he can find a job with a law firm that share the same values (or lack of) that he does. Honestly other than his loyalty to his friends and his mom there’s isn’t a whole lot of positive things I can say about the Shane character at the beginning of this story.
Ruthie (yeah, that’s really her first name) Taeger is a twenty-eight-year-old single mom of 5-year-old Izzy. The Izzy character is a wonderful addition to this story. Problem is when she’s not obsessing over all things unicorn and she talks to her mom or Shane she sounds like someone much older and wiser than either of them. Ruthie has a history of falling in love with absolutely terrible men including Roan whom she was only married to long enough to get pregnant with Izzy before he divorced and left them because he had no desire to be a father. Ruthie is very sweet. Well if you can describe a woman who liberally peppers her conversations with F-bombs and never uses any other term than fucking to refer to the sex act. Ruthie is very loving and has a big heart which to me qualifies her as sweet but she’s not innocent by any means. Besides her history of falling for the wrong men Ruthie also has a history of coming up with wild schemes to start mobile businesses using her converted van she named “Vanny” which is falling a part just like her poorly thought out business plans. Contrary to how it sometimes appears Ruthie isn’t stupid or even flighty. Her problem is she lacks self-confidence and believes she’s a failure so the minute her latest business runs into trouble getting off the ground she abandons her idea and moves on to the next. Ruthie struggles to make ends meet with her waitressing job at a diner that is close to going under, reselling items on E-Bay, while her mobile based business ideas cost her more money than she makes.
Now here's the important details about Ruthie and Shane. She had always had a crush on Shane when she was younger. But when she was 10 years old and Shane and Danny were 15, she heard him ask Danny why he always allowed his pesky little sister to hang around with them. She was as heart broken as a ten-year-old could be and has we will say “strongly disliked” because hate may be too strong a term, ever since. So anytime they’re together she never passes up an opportunity to insult him. And Shane for his part, once Ruthie became a woman found himself strongly attracted to his BFF’s beautiful and sexy younger sister. But since Shane views love and marriage as obstacles to success he has no intention of falling in love. Combine that with the Bro Code that says you don’t fuck your BFF’s sister, especially if you have no intention of being in a real relationship with her, so Shane does his best to keep his distance from Ruthie by playing into their feud by exchanging barbs with her. But even with that Shane makes no attempt to hide his affection for Izzy who much to Ruthie’s chagrin refers to him as “Uncle Shane.”
So this story is set up that Shane needs to convince Ruthie to pretend to be his wife to land his last hope at a job with an Ashville law firm. Ruthie could really use the health insurance Shane’s job would provide to pay for expensive surgery (what surgery isn’t expensive?) to have tubes inserted into Izzy’s ears to prevent the frequent reoccurrence of the ear infections she’s been suffering from. The caveat is they will have to do more than pretend they are married for Shane to put Ruthie and Izzy on his health insurance. They’ll have to actually get married. So they end up in a marriage of convenience which they both agree will have a limited shelf-life until Izzy has her surgery and Shane has been married an acceptable amount of time that he won’t lose his job or can move on to a law firm he feels is more prestigious before they divorce. After a secret courthouse marriage circumstances force them to act on the overpowering physical attraction they both feel for each other although it of course starts out with both of them saying it will be a one time thing. Which of course it doesn’t. Over time Ruthie comes to see Shane isn’t the vain, self-involved ogre she believed him to be. She also begrudgingly realizes some of Shane’s constructive criticisms of how she launches her businesses are on target. For his part Ruthie’s voice becomes the conscience in his head pushing him to do the ethical thing even when it won’t benefit his career. He even comes to believe he can have the successful prestigious law career he’s always wanted and still have Ruthie and Izzy in his life on his terms. Of course life and contemporary romances don’t work out that way so at some point Shane will have to decide which he values more.
I really thought this was a great book and a good way to close out this series. Sure I wish the protagonists from the first two books in the series would have had more of a role in this story, but I’m just greedy that way. There’s plenty of romance complete with angst, sexy times and more than a few laughs.
February 13, 2024
Review: “You’re so vain” by Angela Casella
Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Finding You, #4
Tropes: kind of enemies to lovers; marriage of convenience; found family; single mom; best friend’s sister; fake relationship
POV: Dual POV (narrated in first person)
Main characters: Ruthie, a dreamer single mom with terrible upbringing and very opinionated; Shane, a lawyer unfortunately unemployed, his work was his life.
My rating: 5 stars
A book about self-discovery, finding love in unexpected places and “when life gives you lemons” style
This is the unexpected journey of Ruthie and Shane, who seemingly couldn’t stand each other since they were young. Ruthie is Shane’s best-friend’s little sister and has a 5 years old girl named Izzy who is the sweetest and most intelligent girl out there. Shane lives for his work until he has to resign given that his boss was going on a case against one of his closest friends. Said boss not only threatens to destroy his career but fulfills his promise by making it impossible to get any job within his town.
Time’s ticking and suddenly a good man wants him to join his family oriented firm because he mistakenly thought that Ruthie was his wife and Izzy his daughter when they all encountered during a walk.
Shane, being desperate, comes with a plan: pretend to be married and pay Ruthie to go with him to a few business meetings. But he’s not the only one desperate: something happens (not telling what not to spoil) and she can’t afford the cost of what could fix that; she’s a waitress and a side struggling entrepreneur. Therefore she doubles the bet: they have to get married so he not only can pay her with cash but with the insurance that his firm offers him and ‘his family’.
So they don’t tell anyone aside of Ruthie’s bosses, who become they witnesses, and they get married. And there’s where everything begins to get confusing between them…
I loved this story, I love the premise of fake relationships and this one was well developed:
1. I loved the changes in Shane’s characters, how he slowly starts to realize that there’s more to live that the trap of always wanting the next big thing. He had a good heart and when he permitted himself to open up about his story we got to see where he came from and why he did all he did. And although he wasn’t always a great family man he grew a lot and ultimately made the right choices for his life.
2. I loved Ruthie’s development as well, how she also grew and started to become more confident and fight for her dreams/projects. I like that she learnt to stand up for herself, for her heart and Izzy’s. I really liked her mother-daughter bond with Izzy as well.
3. I liked that the characters truly helped each other be better persons, better grown-ups and more emotionally mature at the end. It felt like a real connection between two humans with lots of baggage but with commitment to do better.
4. I loved the side characters, there were lots of mini stories about them around the main one that made the book all the better.
5. I enjoyed the kind of mysterious situation towards the end as I like some suspense on my books as well.
6. I loved the relationship Shane built with Izzy.
7. This felt like a big journey of discovering what truly matters in life, healing old wounds and building new dreams.
“Everything that’s real starts out fictional”, Josie the psychic (oh, yes, there’s also a psychic within this book equation)
This is the first novel I've read by Angela Casella, and I definitely would like to read more from her. I'm glad to have discovered her writing. And I appreciate having received an ARC.
________________________________
Reseña: “You’re so vain” (Eres tan vanidoso) por Angela Casella
Género: romance contemporáneo
Serie: Encontrándote, #4
Subgéneros: “enemigos” que se convierten en amantes; matrimonio por conveniencia; familia encontrada; madre soltera; hermana del mejor amigo; relación falsa
POV (punto de vista): Doble POV (narrado en primera persona)
Personajes principales: Ruthie, una madre soltera soñadora con una difícil crianza y con carácter; Shane, un abogado lamentablemente desempleado, su trabajo era su vida.
Mi calificación: 5 estrellas
Un libro sobre autodescubrimiento, encontrar el amor en lugares inesperados, al estilo “cuando la vida te da limones”
Esta es la inesperada historia de Ruthie y Shane, que aparentemente no podían soportarse desde jóvenes. Ruthie es la hermana menor del mejor amigo de Shane y tiene una hija de 5 años llamada Izzy, que es la nena más dulce e inteligente que hay. Shane vive para su trabajo hasta que tiene que renunciar porque su jefe estaba por llevar a juicio un caso contra uno de sus amigos más cercanos. Dicho jefe no sólo lo amenaza con destruir su carrera, sino que cumple su promesa al hacer imposible que consiga trabajo en su ciudad.
El reloj corre y de repente un buen hombre quiere que se una a su firma, orientada a la familia, porque creyó erróneamente que Ruthie era su esposa e Izzy su hija cuando todos se encontraron durante un paseo.
Shane, desesperado, elabora un plan: fingir estar casado y pagarle a Ruthie para que lo acompañe a algunas reuniones de negocios. Pero él no es el único desesperado: algo sucede (no voy a decir qué para no spoilearlo) y ella no puede costear el gasto para solucionarlo; es camarera y una emprendedora que lucha por salir adelante. Por lo tanto, duplica la apuesta: tienen que casarse para que él no sólo pueda pagarle con dinero sino también con el seguro que su firma le ofrece a él y a "su familia".
Así que no le dicen a nadie excepto a los jefes de Ruthie, quienes se convierten en sus testigos, y se casan. Y ahí es donde todo comienza a volverse confuso entre ellos...
Amé esta historia, me encanta la premisa de las relaciones falsas y esta fue bien desarrollada:
1. Me encantaron los cambios en el personaje de Shane, cómo poco a poco empieza a darse cuenta de que hay más en la vida que caer siempre en la trampa de querer la próxima gran cosa. Tenía un buen corazón y cuando se permitió abrirse sobre su pasado pudimos ver de dónde venía y por qué hacía todo lo que hacía. Y aunque no siempre fue un gran hombre de familia, creció mucho y al final tomó las decisiones correctas para su vida.
2. También me encantó el desarrollo de Ruthie, cómo también creció y comenzó a ser más segura de sí misma y a luchar por sus sueños/proyectos. Me gusta que aprendió a defenderse a sí misma, a su corazón y al de Izzy. También me gustó mucho su vínculo madre-hija con Izzy.
3. Me gustó que los personajes realmente se ayudaran mutuamente a ser mejores personas, adultos más responsables y emocionalmente más maduros al final. Se sintió como una conexión real entre dos personas con mucho bagaje pero con el compromiso de actuar mejor.
4. Me encantaron los personajes secundarios, había muchas mini historias sobre ellos alrededor de la principal que hicieron que el libro fuera aún mejor.
5. Disfruté la especie de situación misteriosa hacia el final, ya que también me gusta que haya un poco de suspenso en los libros que leo.
6. Amé la relación que Shane construyó con Izzy.
7. La historia se sintió como un gran viaje para descubrir lo que realmente importa en la vida, sanar viejas heridas y construir nuevos sueños.
"Todo lo que es real comienza como ficción", Josie la psíquica (oh, sí, también hay una psíquica en la ecuación de este libro)
Esta es la primera novela que leo de Angela Casella, y definitivamente me gustaría leer más de ella. Me alegra haber descubierto su escritura. Y agradezco haber recibido un ARC (copia avanzada de lectura).
Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Finding You, #4
Tropes: kind of enemies to lovers; marriage of convenience; found family; single mom; best friend’s sister; fake relationship
POV: Dual POV (narrated in first person)
Main characters: Ruthie, a dreamer single mom with terrible upbringing and very opinionated; Shane, a lawyer unfortunately unemployed, his work was his life.
My rating: 5 stars
A book about self-discovery, finding love in unexpected places and “when life gives you lemons” style
This is the unexpected journey of Ruthie and Shane, who seemingly couldn’t stand each other since they were young. Ruthie is Shane’s best-friend’s little sister and has a 5 years old girl named Izzy who is the sweetest and most intelligent girl out there. Shane lives for his work until he has to resign given that his boss was going on a case against one of his closest friends. Said boss not only threatens to destroy his career but fulfills his promise by making it impossible to get any job within his town.
Time’s ticking and suddenly a good man wants him to join his family oriented firm because he mistakenly thought that Ruthie was his wife and Izzy his daughter when they all encountered during a walk.
Shane, being desperate, comes with a plan: pretend to be married and pay Ruthie to go with him to a few business meetings. But he’s not the only one desperate: something happens (not telling what not to spoil) and she can’t afford the cost of what could fix that; she’s a waitress and a side struggling entrepreneur. Therefore she doubles the bet: they have to get married so he not only can pay her with cash but with the insurance that his firm offers him and ‘his family’.
So they don’t tell anyone aside of Ruthie’s bosses, who become they witnesses, and they get married. And there’s where everything begins to get confusing between them…
I loved this story, I love the premise of fake relationships and this one was well developed:
1. I loved the changes in Shane’s characters, how he slowly starts to realize that there’s more to live that the trap of always wanting the next big thing. He had a good heart and when he permitted himself to open up about his story we got to see where he came from and why he did all he did. And although he wasn’t always a great family man he grew a lot and ultimately made the right choices for his life.
2. I loved Ruthie’s development as well, how she also grew and started to become more confident and fight for her dreams/projects. I like that she learnt to stand up for herself, for her heart and Izzy’s. I really liked her mother-daughter bond with Izzy as well.
3. I liked that the characters truly helped each other be better persons, better grown-ups and more emotionally mature at the end. It felt like a real connection between two humans with lots of baggage but with commitment to do better.
4. I loved the side characters, there were lots of mini stories about them around the main one that made the book all the better.
5. I enjoyed the kind of mysterious situation towards the end as I like some suspense on my books as well.
6. I loved the relationship Shane built with Izzy.
7. This felt like a big journey of discovering what truly matters in life, healing old wounds and building new dreams.
“Everything that’s real starts out fictional”, Josie the psychic (oh, yes, there’s also a psychic within this book equation)
This is the first novel I've read by Angela Casella, and I definitely would like to read more from her. I'm glad to have discovered her writing. And I appreciate having received an ARC.
________________________________
Reseña: “You’re so vain” (Eres tan vanidoso) por Angela Casella
Género: romance contemporáneo
Serie: Encontrándote, #4
Subgéneros: “enemigos” que se convierten en amantes; matrimonio por conveniencia; familia encontrada; madre soltera; hermana del mejor amigo; relación falsa
POV (punto de vista): Doble POV (narrado en primera persona)
Personajes principales: Ruthie, una madre soltera soñadora con una difícil crianza y con carácter; Shane, un abogado lamentablemente desempleado, su trabajo era su vida.
Mi calificación: 5 estrellas
Un libro sobre autodescubrimiento, encontrar el amor en lugares inesperados, al estilo “cuando la vida te da limones”
Esta es la inesperada historia de Ruthie y Shane, que aparentemente no podían soportarse desde jóvenes. Ruthie es la hermana menor del mejor amigo de Shane y tiene una hija de 5 años llamada Izzy, que es la nena más dulce e inteligente que hay. Shane vive para su trabajo hasta que tiene que renunciar porque su jefe estaba por llevar a juicio un caso contra uno de sus amigos más cercanos. Dicho jefe no sólo lo amenaza con destruir su carrera, sino que cumple su promesa al hacer imposible que consiga trabajo en su ciudad.
El reloj corre y de repente un buen hombre quiere que se una a su firma, orientada a la familia, porque creyó erróneamente que Ruthie era su esposa e Izzy su hija cuando todos se encontraron durante un paseo.
Shane, desesperado, elabora un plan: fingir estar casado y pagarle a Ruthie para que lo acompañe a algunas reuniones de negocios. Pero él no es el único desesperado: algo sucede (no voy a decir qué para no spoilearlo) y ella no puede costear el gasto para solucionarlo; es camarera y una emprendedora que lucha por salir adelante. Por lo tanto, duplica la apuesta: tienen que casarse para que él no sólo pueda pagarle con dinero sino también con el seguro que su firma le ofrece a él y a "su familia".
Así que no le dicen a nadie excepto a los jefes de Ruthie, quienes se convierten en sus testigos, y se casan. Y ahí es donde todo comienza a volverse confuso entre ellos...
Amé esta historia, me encanta la premisa de las relaciones falsas y esta fue bien desarrollada:
1. Me encantaron los cambios en el personaje de Shane, cómo poco a poco empieza a darse cuenta de que hay más en la vida que caer siempre en la trampa de querer la próxima gran cosa. Tenía un buen corazón y cuando se permitió abrirse sobre su pasado pudimos ver de dónde venía y por qué hacía todo lo que hacía. Y aunque no siempre fue un gran hombre de familia, creció mucho y al final tomó las decisiones correctas para su vida.
2. También me encantó el desarrollo de Ruthie, cómo también creció y comenzó a ser más segura de sí misma y a luchar por sus sueños/proyectos. Me gusta que aprendió a defenderse a sí misma, a su corazón y al de Izzy. También me gustó mucho su vínculo madre-hija con Izzy.
3. Me gustó que los personajes realmente se ayudaran mutuamente a ser mejores personas, adultos más responsables y emocionalmente más maduros al final. Se sintió como una conexión real entre dos personas con mucho bagaje pero con el compromiso de actuar mejor.
4. Me encantaron los personajes secundarios, había muchas mini historias sobre ellos alrededor de la principal que hicieron que el libro fuera aún mejor.
5. Disfruté la especie de situación misteriosa hacia el final, ya que también me gusta que haya un poco de suspenso en los libros que leo.
6. Amé la relación que Shane construyó con Izzy.
7. La historia se sintió como un gran viaje para descubrir lo que realmente importa en la vida, sanar viejas heridas y construir nuevos sueños.
"Todo lo que es real comienza como ficción", Josie la psíquica (oh, sí, también hay una psíquica en la ecuación de este libro)
Esta es la primera novela que leo de Angela Casella, y definitivamente me gustaría leer más de ella. Me alegra haber descubierto su escritura. Y agradezco haber recibido un ARC (copia avanzada de lectura).
February 6, 2024
This was so fun and flirty and there was wonderful tension.
February 7, 2024
Title: You’re So Vain
Author: Angela Casella
Series: Finding You
Rating: 4
Blurb: “[…] lawer […] wedding [..] brother’s best friend [..] pose as his wife”. These are the words that made me read this fantastic book; I mean, it managed to fulfil my expectations right from the plot, let alone when I read the book. I’m so glad I signed up to be one of the ARCreaders.
Shane, a lawyer that’s been fired and chances are he won't be able to find another firm he can work for.
Ruthie, a single mom who tries to run her small business, without being successful and with terrible health insurance.
Their life can no longer be messed up than this.
But when one of the partners of a smaller firm, which favours the fact that people dedicate themselves to starting a family and not just to working, sees them together, believing that they are a married couple, he immediately decides to hire him.
Shane decides to accept the job, thus proposing to Ruthie to pretend to be a real family, a proposal that, although difficult to accomplish, given the fact that they have hated each other since they were little, could turn out to be the solution to their problems.
Marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers, single mom, some of the tropes that I prefer the most, this book managed to satisfy all my requests, also adding a pinch of spicy (a generous pinch haha) to everything, just to make it *chef kiss*.
I loved the tension, the attraction, their stubbornness in stating that they prefer to be without each other when in truth you can see a mile away that they are eating each other with their eyes and can't stay apart.
Izzy, my beautiful and wonderful Izzy, a girl that thanks to his sweet innocence, manages to unite them even more. ARGH!!! I love her, she’s amazing. Despite her naivety, she can open the eyes of both: Shane’s eyes, making him understand the importance of caring and maybe having feelings for someone. But also Ruthie’s eyes, showing her that some people can be trusted and not everyone behaves the way her ex-husband did.
A book that makes you think, that makes you laugh (a lot) and that doesn't make you suffer (which I wouldn't have minded: when I read a book I have to suffer so that I can like it 100%), and that makes you feel good.
This is the final volume of the “Finding You” series and I might say, I’m really tempted to read the other three, they intrigue me a lot.
Author: Angela Casella
Series: Finding You
Rating: 4
Blurb: “[…] lawer […] wedding [..] brother’s best friend [..] pose as his wife”. These are the words that made me read this fantastic book; I mean, it managed to fulfil my expectations right from the plot, let alone when I read the book. I’m so glad I signed up to be one of the ARCreaders.
Shane, a lawyer that’s been fired and chances are he won't be able to find another firm he can work for.
Ruthie, a single mom who tries to run her small business, without being successful and with terrible health insurance.
Their life can no longer be messed up than this.
But when one of the partners of a smaller firm, which favours the fact that people dedicate themselves to starting a family and not just to working, sees them together, believing that they are a married couple, he immediately decides to hire him.
Shane decides to accept the job, thus proposing to Ruthie to pretend to be a real family, a proposal that, although difficult to accomplish, given the fact that they have hated each other since they were little, could turn out to be the solution to their problems.
Marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers, single mom, some of the tropes that I prefer the most, this book managed to satisfy all my requests, also adding a pinch of spicy (a generous pinch haha) to everything, just to make it *chef kiss*.
I loved the tension, the attraction, their stubbornness in stating that they prefer to be without each other when in truth you can see a mile away that they are eating each other with their eyes and can't stay apart.
Izzy, my beautiful and wonderful Izzy, a girl that thanks to his sweet innocence, manages to unite them even more. ARGH!!! I love her, she’s amazing. Despite her naivety, she can open the eyes of both: Shane’s eyes, making him understand the importance of caring and maybe having feelings for someone. But also Ruthie’s eyes, showing her that some people can be trusted and not everyone behaves the way her ex-husband did.
A book that makes you think, that makes you laugh (a lot) and that doesn't make you suffer (which I wouldn't have minded: when I read a book I have to suffer so that I can like it 100%), and that makes you feel good.
This is the final volume of the “Finding You” series and I might say, I’m really tempted to read the other three, they intrigue me a lot.
January 30, 2024
You’re so Vain is the final book in the Finding You series. It was the perfect ending to this series. As the author said, this book was the epilogue of the series. Throughout the first 3 books you got a taste of Shane and Ruthie and their antagonistic and often hostile relationship. But for the most part, Shane remained a mystery. Until now.
Shane Royce is a career driven attorney. He’s worked tirelessly over the years to make partner at his law firm but ends up throwing it away when his firm represents one of his best friend’s criminal parents. Shane finds himself jobless and blacklisted with only one firm giving him a chance. In order to get this new job he has to pretend to be married to Ruthie, his best friend’s sister. Only Ruthie hates Shane and finds him to be self absorbed and vain. Ruthie agrees to do it but they have to get married for real so Ruthie can benefit from Shane’s medical insurance for her daughter, Izzy’s upcoming surgery.
Ruthie is a fiercely independent single mom with a track record of horrible taste in men. She doesn’t like to ask or accept help. She’s struggled to find her career footing and often flits from one thing to the next trying to find her true fit. She’s extremely close to her brother as they both survived their childhoods leaning on each other.
As Shane and Ruthie spend more time together it becomes clearer that much of their banter and hostility was just how they were protecting themselves. Shane’s history is very complex and heartbreaking and most of his anti-marriage beliefs were protective armor. Ruthie challenges all of those beliefs in the most beautiful of ways. And Shane accepts and supports Ruthie in ways she’s not even aware of. It was genuinely heartwarming to see their relationship evolve as they navigated through their fake marriage. Their banter led way to steamy chemistry that was just fun to read. Who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers story, right!
I genuinely loved this story. I enjoyed Shane, Ruthie and Izzy so much. But I can’t forget within this love story is also one of loyal friendships, found family, strong family dynamics, a quirky psychic and of course, Flower the corgi. This book can be read as a standalone but will have more context if read in order.
Shane Royce is a career driven attorney. He’s worked tirelessly over the years to make partner at his law firm but ends up throwing it away when his firm represents one of his best friend’s criminal parents. Shane finds himself jobless and blacklisted with only one firm giving him a chance. In order to get this new job he has to pretend to be married to Ruthie, his best friend’s sister. Only Ruthie hates Shane and finds him to be self absorbed and vain. Ruthie agrees to do it but they have to get married for real so Ruthie can benefit from Shane’s medical insurance for her daughter, Izzy’s upcoming surgery.
Ruthie is a fiercely independent single mom with a track record of horrible taste in men. She doesn’t like to ask or accept help. She’s struggled to find her career footing and often flits from one thing to the next trying to find her true fit. She’s extremely close to her brother as they both survived their childhoods leaning on each other.
As Shane and Ruthie spend more time together it becomes clearer that much of their banter and hostility was just how they were protecting themselves. Shane’s history is very complex and heartbreaking and most of his anti-marriage beliefs were protective armor. Ruthie challenges all of those beliefs in the most beautiful of ways. And Shane accepts and supports Ruthie in ways she’s not even aware of. It was genuinely heartwarming to see their relationship evolve as they navigated through their fake marriage. Their banter led way to steamy chemistry that was just fun to read. Who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers story, right!
I genuinely loved this story. I enjoyed Shane, Ruthie and Izzy so much. But I can’t forget within this love story is also one of loyal friendships, found family, strong family dynamics, a quirky psychic and of course, Flower the corgi. This book can be read as a standalone but will have more context if read in order.
February 1, 2024
I can’t believe this is the final book in the Finding You series. Each couple has made me swoon but this definitely takes the cake. Angela has a way with these storylines that makes you fall in love & never want to stop reading.
We start off with Shane trying to find a job after he quit his previous law firm due to them taking on one of his best friend’s (Burke) parents on in a case that he knows they are guilty in & he doesn’t want to be a part of it. His ex-boss threatened he will never work as a lawyer again. After countless interviews, he got an interview at a law firm that is nothing compare to his last. They believe he’s a family man married to his best friend’s (Danny) sister who thinks he’s self-absorbed and vain.
He brings it up to Ruthie & she agrees to it as a business deal so she can get her new business up and going but they would need to get married for real so Ruthie’s daughter Izzy can benefit from Shane’s insurance.
Ruthie has been a single mom since Izzy was born. She’s independent & doesn’t like to ask or accept help. That doesn’t stop her brother or friends from offering. She has endless ideas of what she wants to do but right now her sight is on perfecting Vanny. A bookmoblie. How cool is that?!
I didn’t think I would love Shane as much I as do now. We got to see a different side of him and it broke my heart hearing about his background/past. Makes me understand why he is the way he is. I love how he helped Ruthie in ways she didn’t know. He really does have soft spot that I was not expecting but a big point in this book is never judge a book by its cover.
Throughout the story, we sees walls being broken down. Ruthie comes to see everything is not what it is seems when it comes to Shane. Shane finally comes to terms Ruthie is more than just his best friend’s little sister.
I love seeing the other characters again. Especially Josie the great. I love her! We got drama, mystery, comedy, banter, tears, romance & the spice! What a perfect way to end this series! I’m so excited for what’s to come!
⭐️ 5/5
🌶️ 3.5/5.
We start off with Shane trying to find a job after he quit his previous law firm due to them taking on one of his best friend’s (Burke) parents on in a case that he knows they are guilty in & he doesn’t want to be a part of it. His ex-boss threatened he will never work as a lawyer again. After countless interviews, he got an interview at a law firm that is nothing compare to his last. They believe he’s a family man married to his best friend’s (Danny) sister who thinks he’s self-absorbed and vain.
He brings it up to Ruthie & she agrees to it as a business deal so she can get her new business up and going but they would need to get married for real so Ruthie’s daughter Izzy can benefit from Shane’s insurance.
Ruthie has been a single mom since Izzy was born. She’s independent & doesn’t like to ask or accept help. That doesn’t stop her brother or friends from offering. She has endless ideas of what she wants to do but right now her sight is on perfecting Vanny. A bookmoblie. How cool is that?!
I didn’t think I would love Shane as much I as do now. We got to see a different side of him and it broke my heart hearing about his background/past. Makes me understand why he is the way he is. I love how he helped Ruthie in ways she didn’t know. He really does have soft spot that I was not expecting but a big point in this book is never judge a book by its cover.
Throughout the story, we sees walls being broken down. Ruthie comes to see everything is not what it is seems when it comes to Shane. Shane finally comes to terms Ruthie is more than just his best friend’s little sister.
I love seeing the other characters again. Especially Josie the great. I love her! We got drama, mystery, comedy, banter, tears, romance & the spice! What a perfect way to end this series! I’m so excited for what’s to come!
⭐️ 5/5
🌶️ 3.5/5.
January 31, 2024
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.4/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
I had such a joy reading the fourth and final installment in the Finding You series!
You're So Vain centres around Ruthie and Shane, who have continually popped up in the previous books. This one, I have been dying to read about!
Shane is in desperate need of a job after quitting his law firm when they decided to represent Burke's corrupt parents. Despite knowing he made the right choice by Burke, his career has taken a hit by being blacklisted at all other main firms, until he stumbles upon a middling law firm. Shane is offered the job on the pretense that he is a family man after bumping into his prospective boss outside of work, along with Ruthie and Izzy.
He must keep up the ruse until he finds a 'bigger and better job' and strikes a deal with Ruthie. 2 birds, 1 stone... How wrong can things get? 🤔
Ruthie is a divorced, single mom to five year old Izzy. She is fiercely independent, loyal but stubborn as a mule! After being burned one times too many, Ruthie vows to never fall in love again and agrees to help Shane. After all, thou shalt not fall in love and all that... ♥️❌
My thoughts:
I loved both Ruthie and Shane, their character growth and dynamics in this book. Both dead set on 'never getting married' but end up doing just that! 👰🏻♀️🤵🏻♂️ I mean, watching them fall in love and Shane calling Ruthie "My Wife...". I'm literally D.E.A.D!! 💗💗 It was also heartwarming to see them both heal from past trauma and Shane overall becoming a better person, pushing him to re-evaluate life's choices. I was so happy Ruthie was the one to make him see sense!
The open communication was spot on in this book (no dilly-dallying ⛔) as I think it saved so much unnecessary drama!! It was also amazing to see all the other secondary characters (who I adored).. and who could forget the 'meddling' Josie 'The Great' ??🔮 Definitely a series not to be missed!!! ✨
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
I had such a joy reading the fourth and final installment in the Finding You series!
You're So Vain centres around Ruthie and Shane, who have continually popped up in the previous books. This one, I have been dying to read about!
Shane is in desperate need of a job after quitting his law firm when they decided to represent Burke's corrupt parents. Despite knowing he made the right choice by Burke, his career has taken a hit by being blacklisted at all other main firms, until he stumbles upon a middling law firm. Shane is offered the job on the pretense that he is a family man after bumping into his prospective boss outside of work, along with Ruthie and Izzy.
He must keep up the ruse until he finds a 'bigger and better job' and strikes a deal with Ruthie. 2 birds, 1 stone... How wrong can things get? 🤔
Ruthie is a divorced, single mom to five year old Izzy. She is fiercely independent, loyal but stubborn as a mule! After being burned one times too many, Ruthie vows to never fall in love again and agrees to help Shane. After all, thou shalt not fall in love and all that... ♥️❌
My thoughts:
I loved both Ruthie and Shane, their character growth and dynamics in this book. Both dead set on 'never getting married' but end up doing just that! 👰🏻♀️🤵🏻♂️ I mean, watching them fall in love and Shane calling Ruthie "My Wife...". I'm literally D.E.A.D!! 💗💗 It was also heartwarming to see them both heal from past trauma and Shane overall becoming a better person, pushing him to re-evaluate life's choices. I was so happy Ruthie was the one to make him see sense!
The open communication was spot on in this book (no dilly-dallying ⛔) as I think it saved so much unnecessary drama!! It was also amazing to see all the other secondary characters (who I adored).. and who could forget the 'meddling' Josie 'The Great' ??🔮 Definitely a series not to be missed!!! ✨
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2024
I absolutely adored this book. I love this entire series, but this is my favorite. There are just so many emotions in this book. It is a fun read that made me laugh, while also dealing with deeper emotional topics that made me cry. I could tell by the interactions between Shane and Ruthie in the previous books that there was an attraction there that they were both trying hard to fight and ignore. Ruthie is Shane’s best friends' younger sister, who he has known since she was a baby basically. They have both told themselves that any interest is off limits.
After a misunderstanding of Shane’s soon to be new boss thinking he is married to Ruthie, Shane asks her to pretend to be his wife so he can get the job. While she is reluctant at first, she plays it to her advantage and counters with only if we get married so Izzy, her spitfire 5-year-old, can get the surgery she needs. Shane has a soft spot for Izzy and really would do anything for her. I loved the relationship between Shane and Izzy. Shane was so sweet and great to her.
Shane is so much more complicated than I imagined. Getting to know his backstory and why he has closed himself off broke my heart. Ruthie is a strong, sassy single mom who is doing all she can to take care of her daughter. As they begin to spend more time together and truths of the past are revealed their relationship changes and deepens. With the support of each other they each begin to face the things in their lives that they have buried and not dealt with. Watching them grow and fall in love just made me so happy.
Everything about this book is fantastic. Almost all the characters from the previous books make an appearance and we get a nice conclusion of all their HEA’s. Having Nicole and Damien back always makes for some hilarious antics. Angela has a knack for weaving an entertaining story that draws you in and not wanting to put the book down. I will miss all these characters!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
After a misunderstanding of Shane’s soon to be new boss thinking he is married to Ruthie, Shane asks her to pretend to be his wife so he can get the job. While she is reluctant at first, she plays it to her advantage and counters with only if we get married so Izzy, her spitfire 5-year-old, can get the surgery she needs. Shane has a soft spot for Izzy and really would do anything for her. I loved the relationship between Shane and Izzy. Shane was so sweet and great to her.
Shane is so much more complicated than I imagined. Getting to know his backstory and why he has closed himself off broke my heart. Ruthie is a strong, sassy single mom who is doing all she can to take care of her daughter. As they begin to spend more time together and truths of the past are revealed their relationship changes and deepens. With the support of each other they each begin to face the things in their lives that they have buried and not dealt with. Watching them grow and fall in love just made me so happy.
Everything about this book is fantastic. Almost all the characters from the previous books make an appearance and we get a nice conclusion of all their HEA’s. Having Nicole and Damien back always makes for some hilarious antics. Angela has a knack for weaving an entertaining story that draws you in and not wanting to put the book down. I will miss all these characters!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 22, 2024
More reviews posted at Tales of Love, Life, and Murder
We’ve seen Ruthie and Shane interact throughout the series, so we know it’s not pretty. They always seem to be at odds but maybe that’s only because they think the worst of one another. Shane is currently in a bind because he can’t get a job anywhere and he’s finally gotten an offer, but the head of the firm thinks he’s a family man. Shane would prefer to tell him the truth, but it’s been months and despite interviewing at nearly every firm in town, he’s still jobless. He’s getting desperate so he asks Ruthie to play along but when he realizes that Ruthie and Izzy need better insurance, he asks her to marry him.
Ruthie is a struggling single mom who’s too proud to accept help so being paid to pretend to be Shane’s wife at a few business dinners is a dream job. Acting like she actually likes him will be a challenge, but she wants the money to get her new business off the ground. They agree it’s a business deal and nothing more but by the wedding night, they’re both ready to break the rules. Danny and Mira’s story teased Ruthie and Shane’s, so I thought I knew what to expect but there was so much more.
Shane has some baggage that’s made life difficult, and Ruthie has never honestly told him why she’s perpetually angry with him. Opening up to one another transforms their relationship, even as they both fret about where this is going and what it means. I liked these characters a lot and really enjoyed their story. It was fun and funny with plenty of steam and just enough suspense.
January 19, 2024
In You’re so Vain, love takes an unexpected turn in the midst of pretense and unforeseen circumstances.
Shane, a lawyer facing professional challenges, finds himself entangled in a misunderstanding that leads a law firm to believe he's a family man. With the prospect of a job offer hinging on this misconception, Shane approaches Ruthie, his best friend's sister, with a peculiar proposition – to be his pretend wife. Despite Shane's skepticism about marriage, he decides to play along for the sake of his career.
Ruthie, who has a history of teasing and playful banter with Shane, is initially taken aback when he asks her to pose as his wife. However, she sees the opportunity as a chance to improve her life, given the struggles she faces with her small business, waitressing job, childcare issues, and health insurance woes.
As Shane and Ruthie navigate the complexities of their pretend relationship, Angela Casella weaves a tale that goes beyond the facade of a contractual arrangement. The story unfolds with humor, unexpected emotions, and the possibility that love might find its way into the hearts of two people initially brought together by necessity.
You're so Vain explores the themes of family dynamics, career challenges, and the transformative power of unexpected connections. The author skillfully crafts a narrative that keeps readers engaged, rooting for the characters as they navigate the uncharted territory of pretend love. Dive into this romantic comedy that promises laughter, heartwarming moments, and the delightful discovery that sometimes, love blossoms in the most unconventional ways.
#YoureSoVain #AngelaCasella #RomanticComedy #PretendRelationship #UnexpectedLove #BookReview #MustRead
Shane, a lawyer facing professional challenges, finds himself entangled in a misunderstanding that leads a law firm to believe he's a family man. With the prospect of a job offer hinging on this misconception, Shane approaches Ruthie, his best friend's sister, with a peculiar proposition – to be his pretend wife. Despite Shane's skepticism about marriage, he decides to play along for the sake of his career.
Ruthie, who has a history of teasing and playful banter with Shane, is initially taken aback when he asks her to pose as his wife. However, she sees the opportunity as a chance to improve her life, given the struggles she faces with her small business, waitressing job, childcare issues, and health insurance woes.
As Shane and Ruthie navigate the complexities of their pretend relationship, Angela Casella weaves a tale that goes beyond the facade of a contractual arrangement. The story unfolds with humor, unexpected emotions, and the possibility that love might find its way into the hearts of two people initially brought together by necessity.
You're so Vain explores the themes of family dynamics, career challenges, and the transformative power of unexpected connections. The author skillfully crafts a narrative that keeps readers engaged, rooting for the characters as they navigate the uncharted territory of pretend love. Dive into this romantic comedy that promises laughter, heartwarming moments, and the delightful discovery that sometimes, love blossoms in the most unconventional ways.
#YoureSoVain #AngelaCasella #RomanticComedy #PretendRelationship #UnexpectedLove #BookReview #MustRead
February 8, 2024
I have adored each and every couple of this series, but I have to say, I think that Ruthie and Shane were my favorite! They were the non-couple that you always saw bickering and swiping at one another through every book. The non-couple that refused to see what was right in front of them, until it literally smacked them in the faces. And, it was fabulous!
Shane has always been the guy that seems to be more worried about appearances than relationships. The perfect job, suit and hair seem to come first. But the deeper this story gets, we see why it appears that way and that appearances are often deceiving!
Ruthie is an amazing mom with really bad taste in men. She’s also creative and impulsive and terrified of failure, so she’d rather abandon a project than actually fail at it. And, again, as we learn more of her back story, it becomes clear why.
When fate throws Shane and Ruthie together in a marriage of convenience, all bets are off as they are forced to examine their real feelings towards each other as well as about relationships in general. It’s wonderful and eye opening and not without some hiccups along the way.
I loved watching both Shane and Ruthie have some pretty earth shattering a-ha moments throughout this book as they both grow as individuals and as a couple. I adored Ruthie’s daughter, Izzy who adds beautiful depth to the story. It’s also fun watching Danny (the big brother and best friend) deal with everything as well as catch up with all of the couples . . . and of course, psychic extraordinaire, Josie the Great!
You’re So Vain was the perfect mix of sexy and sweet with some sinful scenes that are spicy hot, phenomenal banter between Shane and Ruthie, some unexpected epiphanies and lots of love! 5 stars!
Shane has always been the guy that seems to be more worried about appearances than relationships. The perfect job, suit and hair seem to come first. But the deeper this story gets, we see why it appears that way and that appearances are often deceiving!
Ruthie is an amazing mom with really bad taste in men. She’s also creative and impulsive and terrified of failure, so she’d rather abandon a project than actually fail at it. And, again, as we learn more of her back story, it becomes clear why.
When fate throws Shane and Ruthie together in a marriage of convenience, all bets are off as they are forced to examine their real feelings towards each other as well as about relationships in general. It’s wonderful and eye opening and not without some hiccups along the way.
I loved watching both Shane and Ruthie have some pretty earth shattering a-ha moments throughout this book as they both grow as individuals and as a couple. I adored Ruthie’s daughter, Izzy who adds beautiful depth to the story. It’s also fun watching Danny (the big brother and best friend) deal with everything as well as catch up with all of the couples . . . and of course, psychic extraordinaire, Josie the Great!
You’re So Vain was the perfect mix of sexy and sweet with some sinful scenes that are spicy hot, phenomenal banter between Shane and Ruthie, some unexpected epiphanies and lots of love! 5 stars!
February 22, 2024
Another enjoyable read by Angela Casella.
I’m generally not a particular fan of the marriage of convenience trope, but over the series I’ve become invested in finding out what’s next for the members of this friend group so, of course, I had to read it. I’m pleased to say that I’m glad I did – this is a case of this particular trope being done well and in a believable manner.
I particularly enjoyed watching Shane’s journey as he transitions from the life he thought he wanted to the start of a new life completely off that plan and heading in a direction that is far less predictable.
Ruthie provided a strong female lead and was a good character match for Shane.
One loose end I’m hoping to see tied up in a future series is the introduction of Ruthie’s friend Tank. Other than being a friend who helped her out every now and then, his story or purpose for being in the story never really became clear. He got mentioned a few too many times throughout the book to be inconsequential and I kept waiting for something more to happen with him, but, in the end, he appeared superfluous to this story other than to leave me wondering and wanting to know more about his story. I can only assume that the intent is to somehow develop him in a future book.
I also enjoyed the unexpected return of a couple of favourite characters towards the end to wrap things up.
Am I glad I read it - yes
Was it a waste of my time - not at all
Would I sit down and read it all over again - yes, I could
Would I read more by this author based on this book - definitely – looking forward to her next series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I’m generally not a particular fan of the marriage of convenience trope, but over the series I’ve become invested in finding out what’s next for the members of this friend group so, of course, I had to read it. I’m pleased to say that I’m glad I did – this is a case of this particular trope being done well and in a believable manner.
I particularly enjoyed watching Shane’s journey as he transitions from the life he thought he wanted to the start of a new life completely off that plan and heading in a direction that is far less predictable.
Ruthie provided a strong female lead and was a good character match for Shane.
One loose end I’m hoping to see tied up in a future series is the introduction of Ruthie’s friend Tank. Other than being a friend who helped her out every now and then, his story or purpose for being in the story never really became clear. He got mentioned a few too many times throughout the book to be inconsequential and I kept waiting for something more to happen with him, but, in the end, he appeared superfluous to this story other than to leave me wondering and wanting to know more about his story. I can only assume that the intent is to somehow develop him in a future book.
I also enjoyed the unexpected return of a couple of favourite characters towards the end to wrap things up.
Am I glad I read it - yes
Was it a waste of my time - not at all
Would I sit down and read it all over again - yes, I could
Would I read more by this author based on this book - definitely – looking forward to her next series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews