Love In Our Experience

by Elaelah Harley, Alanya J. Stuckey

Romance author Marlow Scheer relies on her fairytale relationship to inspire her writing. With her famous trilogy coming to a close, she is ready to write the perfect ending for her characters, and hopes that her boyfriend will propose in the process. The problem is, Marlow gets dumped without warning, and now she wants her characters to break up—until she crosses paths with Porter.

Porter Salway is a university drop-out from a family of academics. He’s a disappointment to everyone but his Gran, and his life turns upside down when he learns her health is rapidly declining. Amongst the bad news, his parents threaten to cut him off if he doesn’t get his act together and show some commitment. His Gran offers an ultimatum; she wants him to get into a serious, loving relationship before she dies.

After a disastrous first meeting, Marlow and Porter agree to fake-date, appeasing everyone around them without having to fall in love themselves. But when lines blur between them, and with their goals in reach, will they be able to walk away, or have their feelings buried themselves deeper than they thought possible?

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2025

About the author

Elaelah Harley is an Australian author who earned her Bachelor of Media and Communications from the Queensland University of Technology in 2018. Following her debut novel ‘A Plan to Save the World’ in 2021, she pursued a Master of Editing and Publishing at the University of Southern Queensland, and now works with publishing houses across Australia to edit both fiction and non-fiction stories. Aside from working in the industry, Elaelah finds happiness in the company of her friends, family, and animals. She's passionate about immersing herself in new books and TV series, fuelling her love for storytelling.

Reviews

[Emily Hawke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the Berry Agency for sending me an ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this book, it was an easy and fun book to read. I really liked the two main characters Porter and Marlow and the connection they had. They were both likeable and well developed. Their romance was very sweet and they had great chemistry. Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes and it was really done well in this book! I also really enjoyed the side characters especially Porter’s gran Roisin and her relationship with Porter.

I look forward to reading another book by these authors and would love to see a sequel soon (maybe Ally’s story?)

A solid 4 star read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Alanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankyou to the berry agency for the opportunity to read an arc copy of this book.
4 stars 🌟
I really enjoyed this book. Both Porter and Marlowe felt very genuine and they had really great chemistry once they started interacting with each other properly. The story itself flowed really well without any parts feeling like they were forced into something while highlighting some hard topics in an easy to read way that still had the impact they needed. The whole story just worked really well and was the first fake dating story I’ve read without a big chunk of miscommunication at the end. I loved the journey of self love that Marlowe went on through this book also discovering her worth after a long relationship where she was made to feel small.
I absolutely devoured this story and I’m so happy with how it ended for everyone.

[Millie Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

Thank you to The Berry Agency for letting me read this as an ARC 🫶🏼

This was such a sweet romance! I’ve some have random thoughts that I jotted down while I was reading:

- This guy better have a good redemption arc because I’m about to get the ick…
- I feel like Marlow just needs a hug
- Roisin 🥹🥹
- Overbearing mum and dad check

I absolutely recommend this book! For me this is a perfect cute romance for spring!
The character progression is so good and I loved Porter’s growth!

My only gripe is that sometimes I felt like it jumped and I had to figure out what is just missed/how did we get here kind of moments? It was only a couple of times but it did throw me a little bit.
I also didn’t know the timeline of this book? I’m not sure if it happened over a week or months…

I felt as though Marlow could have had a bit more character growth and I would have loved to have seen more depth with her relationship with her Dad and Ally.

I would love a sequel to this book too 🤪🤪🤪

[Cobey · Rating 5 out of 5]

so much love for this book!!

The biscoff kiss !!! the pear picking !!!! Russian caravan w honey 😭😭

I also didn’t know how badly I needed the Australian-isms in a romance book!!

I cannot wait to see what else the GNU has to offer, especially cannot WAIT for ally and hudson as well as soon as I read he dropped her home I was like waiiiit a minute !!!!

[Steph Prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!! Absolutely loved this book! I struggled to put it down and didn’t want to pull myself away from it. It’s so cute and funny and just what I needed! I’m now obsessed!
Thank you for letting me read this before the release!
Definitely recommend!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Alto Zee · Rating 3 out of 5]

****Fake dating, forced proximity, disaster first date, closed door and some found family****

These are all the tropes you can expect in the book Love in our Experience by Elaelah Harley and Alanya Stuckey. I read an advanced reader copy of this book. Marlow is a writer about to put out her second book, she's happy with her life until her boyfriend breaks up with her out of the blue. Now Marlow who writes from personal experience is heartbroken but her character definitely can't also be heartbroken and break up with her love interest within the book, Marlow's Agent just won't allow it. Incoming Porter, with is pushy professor parents who want nothing but for Porter to follow in their footsteps. But Porter can't think of anything worse and so on his last legs just seconds away from being cut off by his parents, Porter makes a deal with his Gran that if he can find a partner, someone to care for, Porter will inherit his Gran's money. Porter and his family also find out that his Gran is sick and they don't know how long she has left. Porter must make his gran happy and agrees to be set up on a date with Marlow. Marlow and Porter meet and the date is a disaster. The second meeting is a coincidence or so they think and so begins Porter's master plan to fake date each other. Porter gets to convince Gran and Marlow gets a new muse for her novels. Win Win right? Maybe. This book was a delight to read specifically for the familiar Aussie language and the little window into Australian landscape and scenery. I absolutely loved the relationship between Porter and his Gran as well as Marlow's journey back to finding her voice as well as her finding her way back to her family. Family was a big theme within this book and I think the writer did well with building these relationships within the book. I think the characters were well developed individually but together; I would have liked more chemistry. It was a slow burn that turned into a fast burn but I'm not sure there was enough build up. The climaxing conflict was well written and the concept was well thought out. I would have enjoyed a little more spice, maybe not all the way spice but that chemistry and yearning was missing for me. I give Love in our experience a 3.5-star rating. The story was sweet and entertaining and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes the fake dating trope among others. Love in our experience is available everywhere as of 18 November 2025. Thank you to the Berry Agency and Elaelah Harley and Alanya Stuckey for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

[peculiarly_bookish]

Thank you @theberryagency, Elaelah Harley and Alanya J. Stuckey for the gifted eARC of Love in our Experience. This review can also be found on my bookstagram.

Books about books, or in this case a romance book where the female main character Marlow is a author. Not only that but her characters love lives are inspired by her own. Honestly this alone had me interested.

This was a fun read where after Marlow's wanting her fairytale, and male main character Porter is balancing the knowledge of knowing his grans declining health with his family wanting him to show some commitment. With the added relationship ultimatum his gran gave him.

This created a relationship dynamics that went from fake dating to growth, as seen in the characters and thier experiences. This was done especially well I thought as a reader, as their relationship wasn't limited to and defined by the fake dating trope.

I also found this read to have lovely written and wonderfully devloped side characters, as they were still important and devloped with the main characters.

I also loved how character driven this was as a read, as it allowed for me as a reader to connect with the narrative and it's development. As it was written in a way that you wanted to see, these characters get their happy ever after.

Overall I found this to be a cute easy and fun read, that I think romance readers, and those who just enjoy the fake dating trope will enjoy.

[samreadsromance · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴.

marlow is a romance author and when her boyfriend dumps her she doesn’t know how to finish her book when she based the characters on her life! enter porter, he is being cut off from his parents and is about to loose his interitance when he makes a deal, find a girl and settle down!

marlow and porter have the worst first date, porter was late and on his phone and that just gave marlow the worst impression of him! when marlow meets her academic idols they ask her to help their son settle down and finally find purpose when who walks in… yep you guessed it porter! enter the fake dating which turns into something real from the slowest burn!

their relationship may start fake but when they really get to know each other they realise how perfect they are for each other!

you see the grow from both marlow and porter and how much family means to them! you see how much marlow doesn’t want to hurt porter so she does everything she can to fix a mistake and make things right! you see them both happy and in love celebrating with their loved ones and looking forward to life together

if you love small town australian romance with fake dating, slow burn, closed door and a romance author fmc then this is for you!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Marlow + Porter is a closed door fake dating romance. I found it difficult to connect with both characters at the beginning. I found it odd that our fiction writer FMC said she could only write from her lived experiences. I also struggled with MMC Porter who came across as a spoiled rich kid (though I believe the authors intended him to be seen this way). There were a few times when I re-read passages thinking that I had missed a section but I had not. I am not into instalove or instalust and was glad that the characters got to know each other before declaring their love. I was also pleased that they told each other they wanted it to be real without overthinking it. I enjoyed the growth of the MC's but would have loved to see even more depth. With that being said, this could have taken place over a few weeks as we didn't get any timelines. Overall, I recommend this if you are in the mood for an Australian heartfelt romance with a lovely HEA.

Thank you to @theberryagency and the authors for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these characters so much, from the start I related to Marlow and her black cat girl energy. She carries a lot of guilt and resentment from her past and struggles to come to terms with her long term relationship coming to an end amongst the writing of the final book in a romance series inspired by that relationship. Porter is the misunderstood kid of two academics who knows that world is not for him and wants to spread his wings and find himself. After an ultimatum to either get himself together or get cut off he and Marlow strike up a mutually beneficial deal. Marlow gets inspiration for her book and he gets to look like he's settling down and getting his life together for his family. I love the fake dating trope so much and this was a really great premise for the trope to occur. It felt authentic and not at all forced like so often the trope can fall victim to. The character development was sensational and I really enjoyed getting to spend time with these characters. I'm really looking forward to reading more books from these authors.

[Pip M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love in Our Experience is a light, engaging holiday read that will likely appeal to fans of contemporary romantic fiction. For a first-time author partnership, I felt this book was a successful exploration of combined storytelling.

Beneath its feel-good tone, it was encouraging to find the novel gently exploring a number of deeper themes. These include the realities of imperfect families and the reassurance that “good enough” parenting can still nurture love and stability. In addition to this, the plot considers the importance of forgiveness and allowing others the space to explain hurtful behaviour and change.

I appreciated the plot allowing a central character to break free from codependent and coercive romantic patterns, and the demonstration of subtle ways people can unknowingly use others for personal gain. Together, these themes added emotional depth to an accessible read.

Overall, this debut novel balances youthful romance with thoughtful insight, showing promise for future titles written by its authors.

[Jessica Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Love in Our Experience is a gentle, reflective romance that delivers some genuinely lovely moments, even if it didn't completely pull me in.
The characters feel real and easy to root for, and the authors captured those small, intimate connections that make relationships feel lived-in.
But I found I felt that the pacing dragged in parts, and I found myself wanting more spark and momentum between the leads. The connection is sweet, but sometimes a little too subtle, and I felt like the story held back when I wanted it to lean in.
Still, there's a sincerity in the writing that's hard to ignore, and when the emotional payoff comes, it does land. If you enjoy slow, character-driven romances that focus more on growth than drama, this might be your kind of read. Thankyou for the opportunity to read this as an ARC, even though it wasn't personally for me I can definitely see others really enjoying this story.

[Lexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I took my time reading it because I just didn’t want to part with these characters.

We follow Marlow - a writer who’s relationship crashes and burns leaving her feeling stuck on finishing her bestselling trilogy. We also meet Porter - the black sheep of his academic family whose parents threaten to cut him off.

Their intersection - fake dating of course!! I loved how it was set at Australian university, and there was so much emotional depth, and slow-burn tension.

The book introduces other emotional topics like grief, rejection and family pressure and they were done so well!

Porter completely stole my heart - he’s messy, insecure, loyal, and so incredibly human. Their chemistry builds naturally, and the emotional payoff was a winner!

If you love character-driven romances with witty banter, heartfelt moments, and genuine growth, this one absolutely delivers.

5 stars - easily! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Zach Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy a fake dating romance. This one was great. Got to love the characters easily. I love how child like, but also adult Porter can be. Gran is also a loved character that just brings the story together (is it too early to say that?) if you know you know.
Realy nice to see how the characters change of the course of the book. Marlow was so dependant (even though she wouldn’t say she was) on having someone by her side and to help shape her writing. And by the end she was independently in a solid relationship.
Porter, well he was my favourite. Fun loving, care free, but inside he was stressed of what was to come the next day. Be that grand passing, his griffins not loving him as much, his parents not believing him and the list goes on.
By the end it’s nice to see them both go for what they want.

[Leticia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I don’t think this was for me, although there were definitely parts that I enjoyed, porter and marrows chemistry was good once they got better acquainted. They really proved that first impressions aren’t everything

What I struggled with was that the book “told” me everything and I wasn’t shown. I felt dragged through the plot when I wanted to see it for myself. The timeline that this was taking place over was unclear and two many little events happened when I think it would have been more impactful if there was a larger focus on a couple of main ones.
Porter needed to convince his parents that he shouldn’t be cut off but I didn’t see any evidence that his parents would actually do that

I will say that I did love some of the classic australian elements that I didn’t realise were missing in my romance books!

[Emily Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes, and Love in our Experience lived up to what I was hoping this would be! After a disastrous first date, Marlow and Porter keep running into each other and because they both need to be in a relationship they decide to fake one! I adore how they fell in love over the course of the book, going on adorable dates and getting to know each other's family.
This was so sweet, and I loved the character arcs of them becoming their best selves thanks to their mutual support.
Highly recommend to anyone wanting a sweet and cosy fake dating romance. This is already out!
Thank you to Elaelah, Alanya and The Berry Agency for this eARC! All opinions are my own 😘

[Lou Holliday · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re after a sweet fake dating romance with a happily ever after then this book is for you ☺️

This slow burn, closed door romance was a fun and quick read. The pacing was great, the characters thoughtfully developed and the happily ever after was very satisfying. I also loved the familiarity of all the Australian-isms 🤌🏽

I do love a good fake dating trope and Marlow and Porter’s relationship developed in a really sweet and organic way throughout the book. It really was a delight to read.

Love in our Experience ~ 4 stars
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to BookSirens for sending me Love in Our Experience as my first ARC! 🩷

I loved this adorably sweet romance book so much and didn’t want to put it down! 😍

Romance books are my favourite and I loved this one particularly because it is set in Australia, which actually helped draw me into the story even more as it felt recognisable.

The fake dating trope is as you would expect, a little predictable (but honestly that’s what i enjoy about romance books but not without some extra surprises!)

This is a slow burn into a real loving romance story between Marlow and Porter with great pacing, flow and character development that kept me hooked 🫶🏻

Getting to read this book was such a wonderful privilege 🥰

[Hannah May · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

I received this book as an ARC from the Berry Agency in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for this book. The blurb had me so pumped so when this landed in my inbox, I sent it to my Kindle. I knew I was going to read it soon. While the tropes are definitely for me and the writing style was definitely good. I didn’t connect with the characters. I was struggling with the book. But just because I wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it isn’t gonna be for anyone else because it was written well I just didn’t connect with the characters.

[Monika Gotthardt-Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy curtesy of The Berry Agency

The synopsis of this story drew me in and it was a cute little romance. Very formulaic and predictable, Marlow who is an author is writing a book based on her life and literally mentions the formula she uses which is also used for the book itself. There weren’t any twists or anything that took me by surprise but I still enjoyed the book and found myself hooked on finishing it. Porter and Marlow’s story was cute, and I loved Lizzy and Flint too.

Definitely recommend if you just want a cosy romance!

[Becky_beksta (beks.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you the berry agency for the opportunity to read an arc copy!

I ate this book up, it's such a cute romance perfect for spring. I love a good fake dating romance and having no miscommunication was the cherry on top.

I loved seeing Marlow's self love journey and how she discovered what she wants after the break up. Throughout the book we see Porter discover himself and the life he wants to live. Porter and Marlow's relationships from the start felt so real and you just knew they wouldn't be fake dating for long.

I love Gran (also known as Roisin) so so much. Porter and her relationship was so wholesome and you saw just how much she wants the best for him.

Love in our experience comes out Nov 18th.

[Isabelle Gorton · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Received as an arc through BookSirens.

This book was well written, clearly illustrating the growth of various characters with charm and ease. I love that the fake dating trope wasn’t the extent of the two main characters relationship and that we got to see them develop both as individuals and together.

It was beautifully written to encompass all of the side characters and show their relationship developments throughout the novel.

[ané retief · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ⭐️
This book is exactly what I needed ! An easy read, packed with emotions and romance. I love a good fake dating trope so this was right up my alley. My grandma passed away last year so that topic of the book was still quite sensitive to me, but I loved how raw and realistic it was. This book honestly has great characters and a very solid plot line.

[Paige Lesley 💐⭐️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC Review

This book was a fun enjoyable experience! They characters were lovable and the plot was solid. It lost a few stars because some of the language that was used seemed a big cringe (eg. sheesh) giving a more juvenile vibe. Also I wished there was more of a discussion on the progress of Marlow’s book.

Overall it was a pleasant read :)

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this book and grew to love Marlow and Porter and miss them once I finished the book. I read a lot of romance books and I’m sick of the get together, have complication and break up only to end up together for the last second of the story. This was unlike that and their relationship felt realistic, where you actually talk to the other person about conflicts!

[Charmaine S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book!!!! 🥰🥰🥰 Such a cute and funny romance, this did not disappoint! I didn’t want to put this book down, will forever recommend Love in our Experience 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thank you for the privilege of an advanced reading this beautiful book 💕

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I enjoyed the energy between Marlow and Porter, I loved the relationship Ported had with Roisín. I wanted more of their story beyond what happened in the book!! I actually sobbed in one part (it takes a bit for me but it tugged on something in my heart)

[chloe jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ - (ARC) this was such a fun romance!!! Really enjoyed Porters character and how she was an author! Wish we had gone more in depth with her relationship with Ally and her family in general and sometimes felt it was a bit jumpy but otherwise had a great time reading it!

[Megreadsau · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

so glad I got a chance to read this ARC

[Katelyn Seiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! I really liked how we got to know Marlow and Porter before they got to know each other. Gran is an icon. Loved the chapter lengths, it made it a really easy book to read. Can’t wait to see what more is to come from Elaelah and Alanya!!