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Southern U O'Brien Brothers #5
The Nicest Thing
Romance author seeks fake husband.
I told one lie. A lie of omission, but it may cost me my writing career—which can't happen. I need the money from book sales to save my grandma, the woman who raised me, or she'll be kicked out of senior living.
That's why I accept Finn's offer—even when I know I shouldn't.
Best friend wants to pretend.
Finn O'Brien is smart, kind, too gorgeous for his own good. He's a nice guy, a gentleman, and he's always had my back. When Finn finds out I'm in trouble, he steps in to save the day.
I've been secretly in love with my best friend for years—but he's also my roommate's little brother, four years younger than me, and so off-limits.
I won't risk losing him.
But as Finn and I attend author events, we end up sharing a bed. Will we stay just friends? Or will I finally tell Finn the truth?
He was always my endgame.
This new adult sports romance features two best friends, one marriage of convenience, fake romance, and a sexy set of brothers guaranteed to make you swoon.
I told one lie. A lie of omission, but it may cost me my writing career—which can't happen. I need the money from book sales to save my grandma, the woman who raised me, or she'll be kicked out of senior living.
That's why I accept Finn's offer—even when I know I shouldn't.
Best friend wants to pretend.
Finn O'Brien is smart, kind, too gorgeous for his own good. He's a nice guy, a gentleman, and he's always had my back. When Finn finds out I'm in trouble, he steps in to save the day.
I've been secretly in love with my best friend for years—but he's also my roommate's little brother, four years younger than me, and so off-limits.
I won't risk losing him.
But as Finn and I attend author events, we end up sharing a bed. Will we stay just friends? Or will I finally tell Finn the truth?
He was always my endgame.
This new adult sports romance features two best friends, one marriage of convenience, fake romance, and a sexy set of brothers guaranteed to make you swoon.
- GenresNew Adult
343 pages, Paperback
Published October 7, 2025
18 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Cookie O'Gorman
25 books1,116 followersCookie O'Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad, The Kissing Challenge (YA novella), WALLFLOWER, CUPCAKE, FAUXMANCE, BOOKWORM, SWEETHEART, and INTROVERT are out now! She is also the author of NA sports romances The Best Mistake, The Perfect Play, The Sweetest Game, The Total Knockout, and The Merriest Christmas! Her newest release The Nicest Thing came out on October 9, 2025!
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 6, 2025
***4.5/5 Stars***
The Nicest Thing was a fake marriage of convenience that was so much fun. With sports and friends to lovers mixed together, this story was beyond easy to devour. So if you’re needing a romance that is beyond adorable, with a little steam, and two characters that love the book world as much as us, then this is your book!
Rose wanted a husband to do book reels with, and after lying in an interview that she was married she found herself stuck. When her bestie Finn volunteered to be her fake husband, Rose seemed floored. Finn and Rose had only ever been friends, and he was four years younger. While they were both clueless that the other one wanted them, it was entertaining watching them both find their way to their happily ever after!
Finn was a cinnamon roll who had no problem laying it all out there. He had his eyes on the prize, and knew that Rose was his forever. I loved how supportive he was of her, and that he was one of her biggest fans! But I have to say that this book shocked me. In the previous books, Rose came across as confident and I loved her older vibe. But in this story we got to see all of her insecurities and the struggles she faced within her own head. I just wanted to hug her!
Once they both agreed to their fake marriage, I was clapping my hands with joy! Finn charmed his way into my heart, and I loved how their moments together had so much tension. It left me begging for them to truly cross that line to more. So with only one bed, steamy moments, sleepy confessions, and slow dances, I fell in love right along with Finn and Rose!
Finn and Rose were so effortless to love! Their journey had me laughing but I loved how it had touching emotional moments too. When you mix that with jealousy, friendship, book club time, and more, I adored their story! And while this was the final book about the O’Brien brothers, I can’t wait for us to read Emmy and Seaver’s story down the road. I hope she makes him work for it and grovel like no other lol!!!!
For more of my reviews, please visit:
Blog * Instagram * Facebook * Bloglovin * Feedly
The Nicest Thing was a fake marriage of convenience that was so much fun. With sports and friends to lovers mixed together, this story was beyond easy to devour. So if you’re needing a romance that is beyond adorable, with a little steam, and two characters that love the book world as much as us, then this is your book!
"Gorgeous, Curvy Romance Author Seeks Fake Husband."
Rose wanted a husband to do book reels with, and after lying in an interview that she was married she found herself stuck. When her bestie Finn volunteered to be her fake husband, Rose seemed floored. Finn and Rose had only ever been friends, and he was four years younger. While they were both clueless that the other one wanted them, it was entertaining watching them both find their way to their happily ever after!
I wanted to be used.
By her.
In any way, every way.
Finn was a cinnamon roll who had no problem laying it all out there. He had his eyes on the prize, and knew that Rose was his forever. I loved how supportive he was of her, and that he was one of her biggest fans! But I have to say that this book shocked me. In the previous books, Rose came across as confident and I loved her older vibe. But in this story we got to see all of her insecurities and the struggles she faced within her own head. I just wanted to hug her!
Finn never seemed to notice, but pieces of him were in all my books. Some of my heroes' best lines were things Finn had said to me.
Once they both agreed to their fake marriage, I was clapping my hands with joy! Finn charmed his way into my heart, and I loved how their moments together had so much tension. It left me begging for them to truly cross that line to more. So with only one bed, steamy moments, sleepy confessions, and slow dances, I fell in love right along with Finn and Rose!
He was good at everything. Casual touches that set my skin on fire? Check. Flirtatious glances that made me feel like the sexiest woman in the room even though I knew I wasn't? Check. Kind words that embedded themselves deeply into my heart? Check.
Finn and Rose were so effortless to love! Their journey had me laughing but I loved how it had touching emotional moments too. When you mix that with jealousy, friendship, book club time, and more, I adored their story! And while this was the final book about the O’Brien brothers, I can’t wait for us to read Emmy and Seaver’s story down the road. I hope she makes him work for it and grovel like no other lol!!!!
"Love is worth the risk."
For more of my reviews, please visit:
Blog * Instagram * Facebook * Bloglovin * Feedly
November 20, 2025
**I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest voluntary review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by my source.**
This was super duper sweet! I feel like Finn and Rose's story has been brewing since the start of this series so I was eager to finally see their time together.
Finn is everything you want in a book boyfriend: sweet, caring but knows when to step up and take a stand.
For me, there was just something missing from the plot. I feel like the other books in the series had a bit more of a focus on character growth and how their personal flaws hold them back. Whereas this one is all about the romance slowly brewing between them. That's not to say there isn't character development here, it just wasn't the main focus so the vibes area a little different.
But this was a great way to wrap up the series and Cookie's books never fail to put a smile on my face.
Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!
Full Review: https://seriesousbookreviews.com/
Actual Rating: 4/5
This was super duper sweet! I feel like Finn and Rose's story has been brewing since the start of this series so I was eager to finally see their time together.
Finn is everything you want in a book boyfriend: sweet, caring but knows when to step up and take a stand.
For me, there was just something missing from the plot. I feel like the other books in the series had a bit more of a focus on character growth and how their personal flaws hold them back. Whereas this one is all about the romance slowly brewing between them. That's not to say there isn't character development here, it just wasn't the main focus so the vibes area a little different.
But this was a great way to wrap up the series and Cookie's books never fail to put a smile on my face.
Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!
Full Review: https://seriesousbookreviews.com/
Actual Rating: 4/5
October 13, 2025
Finn and Rose - My Fsvorites
I loved all the brother’s stories, but Finn’s turned out to be my favorite. Loved the dialogue and chemistry between Finn and Rose.
I loved all the brother’s stories, but Finn’s turned out to be my favorite. Loved the dialogue and chemistry between Finn and Rose.
October 9, 2025
Friends to lovers + ONE BED trope + fake marriage of convenience???
JUST TAKE MY MONEY AND GIVE ME THE BOOK !!!
As always, @CookieOGorman wrote a swoony and perfect male lead and a related female lead and godddd, Finn is perfect😮💨🤌🏼💕 and so so so in love with his best friend Rose!!
Finn’s charm and oh-so-in-love behaviour had me aahing and oooing throughout reading the book and I loved how the story flowed and how easy to read this was, the side characters had their appearances and so did Bo & Lottie from the book “Bookworm” (which is another heart meltingly cute read).
When Finn overhears Rose looking for a fake husband to sell more of her books, he can’t help but offer himself up to be “used”, and despite how may times Rose thinks it’s not right for Finn to offer his services (not only because he’s her best friend but also because he’s the one she’s in love with), Finn is stubborn and persuasive and so is the situation because of which she needs more sales. But as their reels blow up on social media generating more sales, so does their feelings for each other, the risk of the lie coming out and the risk of backlash from the book community.
Overall, this was a low-drama, sweet and refreshing read and I’m excited for Emmy and Seaver’s book because Emmy is definitely gonna make him work for it🙌🏼
JUST TAKE MY MONEY AND GIVE ME THE BOOK !!!
As always, @CookieOGorman wrote a swoony and perfect male lead and a related female lead and godddd, Finn is perfect😮💨🤌🏼💕 and so so so in love with his best friend Rose!!
Finn’s charm and oh-so-in-love behaviour had me aahing and oooing throughout reading the book and I loved how the story flowed and how easy to read this was, the side characters had their appearances and so did Bo & Lottie from the book “Bookworm” (which is another heart meltingly cute read).
When Finn overhears Rose looking for a fake husband to sell more of her books, he can’t help but offer himself up to be “used”, and despite how may times Rose thinks it’s not right for Finn to offer his services (not only because he’s her best friend but also because he’s the one she’s in love with), Finn is stubborn and persuasive and so is the situation because of which she needs more sales. But as their reels blow up on social media generating more sales, so does their feelings for each other, the risk of the lie coming out and the risk of backlash from the book community.
Overall, this was a low-drama, sweet and refreshing read and I’m excited for Emmy and Seaver’s book because Emmy is definitely gonna make him work for it🙌🏼
October 16, 2025
I did enjoy this book, but I was so thrown off by some of the vague details that it distracted me from everything. They're both in college? But Rose is four years older than Finn? Rose has an established romance writing career as a college student? Her author photo is ten years old? Why are they so set on being fake MARRIED when they both seem so young? Why does the cover model look like such a teenager? I don't know, I enjoyed the characters, but these details, or lack of, were so confusing to me that I couldn't get past them during the entire book.
November 24, 2025
Excellent ending to an amazing series.
Rose was a fun character. I think I wanted a little more from her, maybe more with her family or more about her unwillingness to admit her feelings about Finn. I liked that she was a bit older than some of the characters in the previous books; it allowed us to see what some of these characters were doing after college.
I have loved Finn since we first saw him in book one. I like that he is a little different than his brothers. And while I appreciate that he did not want to follow in his brothers' footsteps and play pro ball, I wanted an explanation as to why. We've seen him on the field sometimes, so why did he only want to do the behind the scenes stuff? I like that he was different, but was there a reasoning behind this?
When I read "fake husband" in the synopsis, I was so excited. Marriage-of-convenience is in my top 3 favorite tropes. I was really hoping we were .
I loved seeing all the friends back in this one. I feel like in the later books, they drifted a little bit, but it was nice seeing all the roommates be there for Rose and all the brothers try and give Finn advice.
Fantastic ending! Now I just need Emmy's story and some sort of epilogue with the whole family!
Rose was a fun character. I think I wanted a little more from her, maybe more with her family or more about her unwillingness to admit her feelings about Finn. I liked that she was a bit older than some of the characters in the previous books; it allowed us to see what some of these characters were doing after college.
I have loved Finn since we first saw him in book one. I like that he is a little different than his brothers. And while I appreciate that he did not want to follow in his brothers' footsteps and play pro ball, I wanted an explanation as to why. We've seen him on the field sometimes, so why did he only want to do the behind the scenes stuff? I like that he was different, but was there a reasoning behind this?
When I read "fake husband" in the synopsis, I was so excited. Marriage-of-convenience is in my top 3 favorite tropes. I was really hoping we were .
I loved seeing all the friends back in this one. I feel like in the later books, they drifted a little bit, but it was nice seeing all the roommates be there for Rose and all the brothers try and give Finn advice.
Fantastic ending! Now I just need Emmy's story and some sort of epilogue with the whole family!
October 27, 2025
Finn O'Brien is everything you could ever want in a man. He is supportive, kind, loving, and absolutely adorable. Finn and Rose's story has been brewing since the beginning of the series and I absolutely loved being able to read their love story. I love how Finn and Rose were best friends first and we get to see them finally accept their feelings for one another and act upon them. Their chemistry and understanding of one another is so beautifully captured in the writing and I would expect nothing else from Cookie O'Gorman as she is one of my favorite authors! This story also has Finn's brothers and sister in it along with their significant others and it's like going back and catching up with old friends after having read all their stories. We also got to see a cameo from one of Cookie O'Gorman's other books and I was so excited to see Lottie and BO again! I have read the entire Southern U O'Brien Brother's series and have loved each and every book! I will defiantly be recommending this book/series to anyone who is looking for a sports romance that gives you all the feels.
October 9, 2025
An Amazing Love story!! Rose and Finn best friends who will do anything to help each other out.. They both have amazing families. Their relationship bond and how you feel all the feels as friends and more! I always have thought knowing someone and then becoming more is just the best way and “The Nicest Thing”!!!
I highly recommend this book and the whole O’Brien series!
I highly recommend this book and the whole O’Brien series!
October 27, 2025
I’ve been reading this series since The Best Mistake came out and waited years for Finn to finally make his move! Like all of Cookie’s books, this one was super adorable with a little steaminess. I totally loved that she threw in a scene with two of the characters from Bookworm, that part felt magical, like two universes colliding into one. I am over the moon excited for Emmy to have her ending. Hopefully she’ll get her “hit-it-out-of-the-park kind of love” as well.
November 27, 2025
I love love The O’Brien family so much I’m sad to see them go but it was so much fun reading about all of them! Rose & Finn oh my goodness they are just so cute together I love how they were friends first then to lovers so good. I say this every time and I’ll never stop Cookie’s books are just they best they just give you all the feelings and you love every character, all of her books are 5⭐️’s if I could give her more I would, Even though we are done with the O’Brien Family I know that we haven’t seen the last of them and I can’t wait to see what book comes next. 💗☺️🥰
December 12, 2025
BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE 🤗🤗
i’m so happy i loved this so much i want to cry that it’s over i wish there was more brothers 😭😭💔
also finally a guy who doesn’t allow the girl to tell him he’s not in love with her and he only thinks he does
LIKE YES FINN YOU KNOW YOU LOVE HER!!!
i’m so happy i loved this so much i want to cry that it’s over i wish there was more brothers 😭😭💔
also finally a guy who doesn’t allow the girl to tell him he’s not in love with her and he only thinks he does
LIKE YES FINN YOU KNOW YOU LOVE HER!!!
October 17, 2025
I really liked the book!
I think Finn and rose were cute together! Here’s the deal I think Emmy’s story was to short!! I think there needs to be a continuation of her story. I’d be sad to not see her story fully unravel.
I think Finn and rose were cute together! Here’s the deal I think Emmy’s story was to short!! I think there needs to be a continuation of her story. I’d be sad to not see her story fully unravel.
November 16, 2025
As always Cookie doesn't disappoint with her books. The O'Brien family has been one of my favorites and I loved to read the love story of the youngest brother Finn. He and Rose are such a dream team and I must admit Rose was always a bit in the background for me during the last books but she really rocked my world and made me love her so sooo much!!. Finn and Rose are just meant to be. 🥰
I also loved the many side characters like Arnold and Emmy (crossing my fingers she will get her full stories VERY soon!!), but also enjoyed the whole O'Brien family being back in the picture and learning a few snipoets about their current life. This family/these stories will always have a special place in my heart.. and reading this book makes me want to reread the whole series again. ❤️🥰😄
I also loved the many side characters like Arnold and Emmy (crossing my fingers she will get her full stories VERY soon!!), but also enjoyed the whole O'Brien family being back in the picture and learning a few snipoets about their current life. This family/these stories will always have a special place in my heart.. and reading this book makes me want to reread the whole series again. ❤️🥰😄
November 15, 2025
This was a cute and fitting end to this series. I loved Rose and Finn.
November 5, 2025
I really want to know where I can find one of these men.😭😭😭💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
November 10, 2025
I normally love a Cookie O’Gorman book. Seriously, I devour their sugar sweet goodness and live on a happy thrill for days. Not so in this one. Not sure what happened, but there were so many inconsistencies in here.
I know the author is an absolute sweetheart and will read this though, so I’m so very sorry this one wasn’t for me. There’s a first time for everything.
Most of these things felt like changes were made and different versions/chapters were hatched and things got missed, but once I started noticing them I couldn’t turn my brain off from seeing more and just let myself enjoy the book.
Our love interest is definitely the nicest: with all his years of secret pining he treats her like a queen. They had so much chemistry in the buildup, but it just felt like they knew nothing but the others’ lives which gave it such a disconnect.
I know the author is an absolute sweetheart and will read this though, so I’m so very sorry this one wasn’t for me. There’s a first time for everything.
Most of these things felt like changes were made and different versions/chapters were hatched and things got missed, but once I started noticing them I couldn’t turn my brain off from seeing more and just let myself enjoy the book.
Our love interest is definitely the nicest: with all his years of secret pining he treats her like a queen. They had so much chemistry in the buildup, but it just felt like they knew nothing but the others’ lives which gave it such a disconnect.
October 23, 2025
The sweetheart of the O'Brien siblings finally gets his story told.
He's been yearning for years for his sister's best friend and it's her unintended lie that finally allows for her to really 'see' him. Unlike the other books in the series, there was a bit of spice sprinkled in with the sweet.
Rose is a curvy heroine, a writer, and an all around good friend. She deserves her HEA. She finally gets one.
He's been yearning for years for his sister's best friend and it's her unintended lie that finally allows for her to really 'see' him. Unlike the other books in the series, there was a bit of spice sprinkled in with the sweet.
Rose is a curvy heroine, a writer, and an all around good friend. She deserves her HEA. She finally gets one.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews