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Make It Official: A Sweet Romance
In the picturesque town of Cardwick, two best friends find themselves on a writing journey where they must confront their feelings despite their high school pact to protect their friendship.
Corporate newsletter writer Penny Persad is comfortable. She’s made a name for herself as a reliable newsletter writer, and she can secretly write her beloved novels safe and sound under a pen name—all while still helping her best friend, Harley, at his bookstore. Now she just needs to tell Harley she’s in love with him. There’s just one They made a pact to protect their friendship after an infamous spin-the-bottle kiss in high school.
After his father passes away, Harland Agostini takes over the family bookstore. But it has been a challenge to keep it going. When a leaky roof reveals that the store needs to be re-piped, Harley questions whether he can keep things afloat. Plus, he’s dealing with a mom still mourning the loss of his father and trying to suppress hidden feelings for his best friend.
Penny saves the day by devising a wild plan. She proposes that she and Harley write a romance novel together under her current pen name. Her marketing plan? They create a fake relationship to go along with the romance novel, including dates to act out their scenes and document their relationship for their growing audience. No one ever has to know it’s them. To the public, they become a walking love story. As they write and pretend to be a couple, the quiet truth between them becomes harder to ignore. When things don’t go according to plan, though, Penny and Harley face a new challenge. Is what they’ve been feeling real enough to finally make things official?
***Make It Official is a novella and NOT a full-length novel. It's a heartwarming romance very much like a Hallmark movie, with no explicit scenes.***
Corporate newsletter writer Penny Persad is comfortable. She’s made a name for herself as a reliable newsletter writer, and she can secretly write her beloved novels safe and sound under a pen name—all while still helping her best friend, Harley, at his bookstore. Now she just needs to tell Harley she’s in love with him. There’s just one They made a pact to protect their friendship after an infamous spin-the-bottle kiss in high school.
After his father passes away, Harland Agostini takes over the family bookstore. But it has been a challenge to keep it going. When a leaky roof reveals that the store needs to be re-piped, Harley questions whether he can keep things afloat. Plus, he’s dealing with a mom still mourning the loss of his father and trying to suppress hidden feelings for his best friend.
Penny saves the day by devising a wild plan. She proposes that she and Harley write a romance novel together under her current pen name. Her marketing plan? They create a fake relationship to go along with the romance novel, including dates to act out their scenes and document their relationship for their growing audience. No one ever has to know it’s them. To the public, they become a walking love story. As they write and pretend to be a couple, the quiet truth between them becomes harder to ignore. When things don’t go according to plan, though, Penny and Harley face a new challenge. Is what they’ve been feeling real enough to finally make things official?
***Make It Official is a novella and NOT a full-length novel. It's a heartwarming romance very much like a Hallmark movie, with no explicit scenes.***
154 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 20, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 25, 2026
I feel like hers. In a way, I always have been.
If you’re looking for a short and sweet Hallmark-y story, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out this book. It was genuinely so cute, and I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. I love a good best friends to lovers romance, and Harley and Penny just had such a great foundation as their relationship blossomed throughout the book. Neither character is perfect by any means, but they are perfect for each other, and I loved it. I also really enjoyed how much this story focused on books and the romance genre, although I do wish there was more of a resolution to all the drama that happened at the book convention. Overall, though, I really loved!
CW for grief, death of parent (in past).
If you’re looking for a short and sweet Hallmark-y story, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out this book. It was genuinely so cute, and I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. I love a good best friends to lovers romance, and Harley and Penny just had such a great foundation as their relationship blossomed throughout the book. Neither character is perfect by any means, but they are perfect for each other, and I loved it. I also really enjoyed how much this story focused on books and the romance genre, although I do wish there was more of a resolution to all the drama that happened at the book convention. Overall, though, I really loved!
CW for grief, death of parent (in past).
November 11, 2025
Another wonderful, heartwarming, Hallmark-y novella from Racquel Henry! This one will make you swoon and smile all day! A must read for the holidays!
December 5, 2025
3.5🌟
this was really cute, short and sweet 🥰🥰
this was really cute, short and sweet 🥰🥰
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews