Let's Kiss and Tell

by Joss Richard, Arya Jacobs (Narrator), Robert Hatchet (Narrator)

A sex columnist and a news reporter realize a fake relationship can help them both professionally and personally—but they aren’t prepared for the real feelings that start to develop beyond the headlines—from the bestselling author of It’s Different This Time.

Lucy Reid is a sex columnist whose views on relationships aren’t exactly optimistic. Instead, she empowers her readers to embrace their sexuality and challenge the belief that you need a partner to be happy. That is, until her editor tells her that their readers are all in relationships . . . and the team thinks it’s time for something (or someone) new. To buy herself time, Lucy impulsively claims she’s just started a new relationship that she can write about. Enter Marshall Oakley.

Marshall Oakley is the new Senior News Writer at Lucy’s company. When the two meet at a work event, Marsh reveals that Julia, his ex of nine years, is getting married, and he needs a plus one to keep his family off his back. They agree to pretend to be in a relationship until the wedding—Lucy will be able to write about finding "the one" only to break up and prove to her readers (and her bosses) that relationships don’t solve everything, and Marshall gets a no-strings date to show off to his friends, family, and his ex.

But as they spend more time together, the lines blur and each begins to reevaluate their previously held views on love. As fear gives way to misunderstandings, can they find the courage to rewrite their story with a happily ever after?

Genres: Romance, Fake Dating, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Fiction, Workplace Romance

14 pages, Audible Audio

First published August 11, 2026

Reviews

[Dab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Happy Pub Day, I guess.

So, after long and difficult consideration, I decided to give this book three stars. I love this author’s writing, and I loved these characters (at least for the first ~65% of the book), so this feels fair.

(I might still change my mind, though…)

I fell in love with this book. At first sight.

But then it broke my heart.

(Or should I say, made me throw up in my mouth a little?)

Marsh was such a perfect book boyfriend, I wanted to hug him and hold him. Their chemistry was chef’s kiss, and the first half of this book gets all the stars from me. All of them!

Marsh and Lucy’s dynamic was so well crafted that I couldn’t stop reading. She was pure chaos, bursting with energy and joy. Marsh was quiet and hardworking, a little cautious, but with a heart of pure gold. He was just enjoying Lucy’s company, not trying to tame her, just admiring her and recognizing how smart and brave she was. It was magic. Their banter! Her randomly talking about sex in public and his shocked reactions made me cackle multiple times. It was so much fun to read!

But then they slept together, and she realized that he meant more to her than she was ready for, and it went downhill from there. I just couldn’t get past the fact that she had sex with Marsh, then with another guy, and then with Marsh again, all within 24 hours. It was gross. They moved on from that as if nothing had happened, but it wasn’t the same book to me after that.

Then the third-act breakup was awful too, because third-act breakups always suck, and then he hooked up with someone else too, which was also gross. I’m not overly sensitive to OW drama, but I also don’t want to read about some random chick screaming his name at 93% of the book.

So yeah, how do I rate the first half five stars and the second half two?

Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[ahmeeka · Rating 2 out of 5]

[arc review] I finished this last night and felt stuck on my overall opinion of it. I struggled to get through the first ~33%, and while it did pick up, I don’t really know if this was for me. I think it’s probably a 2.5* rounded down!

let’s kiss and tell follows lucy and marsh in a dual pov. lucy is a sex writer who is trying to keep her job amid layoffs within her company, and marsh is the new senior writer looking for a date to his ex girlfriend’s wedding.

the story was fleshed out, which I did enjoy because it didn’t feel rushed and choppy. I loved the tension between lucy and marsh, and how their relationship was a slow burn.

I will, however, say that I finished not really knowing much about marsh? I do think that might be intentional, because his life revolved around writing (which became a plot point) but the only thing marsh and lucy had in common was their jobs?

I did find myself relating to lucy and how she’s anxious avoidant, and I felt connected to her in that way. I don’t really know? maybe I need to reread properly when it’s released?

I really enjoyed joss richard’s first novel, but I just don’t think this book was for me. that’s not to say it’s not good, because I know a lot of people will enjoy it and love it! I’m just probably in the minority, and I’m sad I didn’t enjoy it the way I thought I would.

at the end of the day, joss is and forever will be one of my auto buy authors, and I look forward to whatever she releases in the future!

thank you headline eternal for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Lottie Smalley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️😭 no one is more disappointed than me!!! i LOVED it’s different this time, so i went into this ready to be swept away… but omg this was just so boring to me!!

there simply was not enough story here!!! this book could’ve been an article! everything felt so long-winded and repetitive, there were no side characters i cared about, and i never felt immersed in the romance or the world 😫

i usually EAT UP messy relationship dynamics. give me bad decisions! give me emotional back and forth! but the mess has to feel earned! (i think this is usually better with second chance when there’s history) but here, the characters just felt so underdeveloped and childish, and i could not get emotionally invested in their scheming!

i also wanted more from the sex columnist setup because, on paper… SO fun! but the whole thing ended up feeling strangely dated to me? i appreciate the carrie bradshaw of it all, but in 2026 i had such a hard time believing anyone is reading this extremely traditional newspaper column. get this woman on substack!! let her freelance!! or set the book in 2008!!! the columns themselves were also pretty cheesy and took me out of the story too.

i DO appreciate the progressive conversations around sex, sex work, women’s sexuality, and the idea that romantic partnership isn’t the ultimate marker of a fulfilling life. genuinely! i think there were excellent intentions here. but i fear i also did not need nearly as many sex scenes as we got, especially when i already wasn’t emotionally invested in the relationship.

cute in theory and definitely thoughtful, but emotionally flat, painfully predictable, and soooo repetitive. i originally thought 2.5-3 stars because it was perfectly fine, but by the end i wished i would’ve just DNFed 💔💔

[Delaney · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

How to lose a guy in 10 days vibes

[Jessica Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joss Richard just brings a freshness to this genre that we desperately need!!

[Mai ༊*·˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ★— Move along, Carrie Bradshaw! There’s a new sex columnist in town.

For 2/3rds of this book, I was fully bespelled, as this story features one of my favorite heroine types in romance: the avoidant commitment-phobe.
I love reading about women who have to wrestle with themselves to open up and admit that they’re falling in love, and with Lucy Reid, we get a protagonist who matches that perfectly.

She and Marsh meet and embark on a How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days-esque adventure, with her needing a fake boyfriend to write more about relationship issues in her column and him needing a date for his ex-girlfriend’s wedding.

The story did a really good job of letting the two get to know each other, their chemistry really feeling off the charts as they went on dates, bantered, and had insaaane sexual tension. I can't emphasize enough how much I liked the scenes that built up their desire for each other and how well the author portrayed them as truly losing it for each other once they both gave in.

Now, let me get to the last 3rd of the book that sort of woke me from my reading euphoria. Marsh and Lucy get into an argument that I honestly thought felt rushed and… weirdly corny? There was a moment where Lucy attacked Marsh on the basis of him being a news journalist, saying that he was doing that because he couldn’t write personal stuff, and all of that felt so out of left field to me, as their different writing careers had never really been a point of contention between them before, which all contributed to this defining fight feeling contrived and hamfisted.

It felt like the book veered into a more schmaltzy direction that I hadn't really felt prior to this point and... I don't know why exactly, but the last few articles and bits of dialogue between Marsh and Lucy started to read like a cliché romance mishmash that dampened my love for their love a little.

I still really liked this as my introduction to Joss Richard (though… the name Marsh is something I never warmed up to, sorry!), and I am absolutely adding her to my short list of treasured contemporary romance writers.

___________

Thank you to Dell for the ARC.

[julie ★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

‧˚꒰💗୭ ˚. 5 stars ౿ let's kiss and tell ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ
⤿ finish date: august 17th ⋆ ˚.

OMG i love this one so much. joss is def became one of my favorite authors. it's the second book of her that i read and it's the second five stars. and she has published two books. do with this information what you want.

in this one we follow Lucy and Marshall, she is a sex columnist and he is a news reporter. they both def have commitments issue and they avoid serious relationships, for all the right reasons obviously.


i completely adore the emotional maturity and depth that this book and characters have. it is a book that have all the 90's early 2000 energy, all light and flirty but then all of a sudden here there is the emotional punch. and i love every second of it. i am such a big fan of romcoms having a really intense deep emotional layer and i love seeing how characters navigate them, the duality of it is just my cup of tea in romance and this book was perfect!

another aspects that i feel is so much need to be discussed is the spicy one. normally I don't like heavy spicy scene but in this case first they are important for the book and characters growth and second they are beautifully written. i truly cant even explain what about these scenes felt so hot and next level for me because it wasn't just two hot people with insane level of chemistry having sex but i think the trust and the intimacy of it all just really elevated every single scene we get.

i loved everything about lucy & marsh from start to finish, i tried to prolong my reading this for as long as possible because i never wanted it to end while simultaneously dying to see how it ended!!

also i wanted to give a shout out to the voice narrators, i absolutely loooove the audiobook of it, like so much that you can even imagine how much.
I think that I my very little and new journey through audiobooks this might really be my favorite.


⌗‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ── 💗💋 .ᐟ pre-read
⤿ start date: august 17th

i have loved it's different this time and i can't wait to read this one too, the premise is sooo intriguing.
also i would do immersive reading so expect also audio review!

[bean · Rating 2 out of 5]

No one is more upset than me that I didn’t love this. The first 60% of the book?? Five stars!! Incredible (off the charts banter. Unreal chemistry.) The next 40%? 1 star. I’m devastated.

I would say why but I don’t want to read think pieces about how I must just not like real, raw, messy humans! (I do & I’ve done what both of these characters do that pmo. Many times. But not to the love of my life. Never to the love of my life. It’s inexcusable to me)

[Susan Carolynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I unfortunately am disappointed with Let's Kiss and Tell, and the more I think about the direction of the plot, the more miffed I am. Especially because the author's debut (It's Different This Time) was my favorite romance book last year.

At first, I loved Marshall. He was such a sweetheart and so kind and nerdy. Then his character development and actions went downhill. And Lucy from the get-go was avoidant and noncommittal. They both needed therapy for different reasons. She was using physical intimacy to avoid her emotional intimacy issues. And he was using work to avoid his feelings and emotions + problems from his past relationship with Julia.

I get that people are messy in real life and have complicated problems, but in a romance book, I want that to not be the sole focus. The third act breakup was so infuriating, and they both acted almost mean-spirited. I think these characters would most definitely get divorced if this were reality.

Though I did like their opposites attract personalities. They had great banter from the beginning, especially before they grew closer. And the tension and build-up was fantastic, until they actually sealed the deal. And to be fair, this was different than other romances I've read so I appreciate the author stepping away from the traditional romance book formula.

Thank you so much to Dell Romance for sending me a copy of Let's Kiss and Tell. As always, my reviews are one hundred percent voluntary and all opinions are my own :)

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Sex columnist Lucy Reid is looking for a new twist on her usual pro-singledom column. Newly hired news columnist Marshall Oakley needs a plus-one for his ex-fiancé’s wedding. Soon, an agreement to fake date to achieve both goals becomes complicated by some very real feelings, leading both to question whether their views on love are mutually exclusive.

Admittedly, this took me a minute to get into, but once I reached the midway point (and the fake dating was fully underway), I was completely invested. From the moment our MCs meet, you could feel the intensity of their connection jump off the page. Both writers (albeit in very different subjects), the witty banter, and of course the flirting, was superb! But it wasn’t until these two were thrust into each other’s lives in a concrete way, that I was able to really appreciate their dynamics.

Marsh is an absolutely standout MMC, who never felt pigeonholed into a specific trope. And while I know that our FMC isn’t the easiest character to love, especially based off of some of her decisions, I tend to prefer messier characters whose complex psyche makes them act in ways that feel more real than rom-comy. And I think Joss Richard has definitely done this here in her sophomore novel with Lucy.

🎧 I tried to read via the audiobook around the 20% mark and was not a fan of the narrators, more so because by that point, I had already envisioned what the characters would sound like and they did not match up for me. I ended up quickly switching back over to the ebook.

Read if you like:
▪️fake dating
▪️writer x writer
▪️workplace romance
▪️west coast setting
▪️messy characters
▪️sex positivity
▪️forced proximity

Thank you Dell Romance and PRH Audio for the advanced copies.

[Aleksandra [semi hiatus]]

MMC has sex with OW at 93%

[caleigh]

i fear i just wasn’t vibing w this at all :(((

── .✦ pre read
i was sold on this the second i read the blurb but then bought it and why is it 450 pages 🫪 fingers crossed it doesn’t fall into the standard contemporary romance trap of overestimating its importance and being too long 🤞🏼🫣

[cat]

・❥・⁀➷ pre-release

march 30th- please please PLEASE let me be accepted for this arc. Joss Richard made it into my top 3 new authors of last year and I was OBSESSED with her debut. I can’t wait for this one🤞🏼🥹

[Izzie (always behind) McFussy · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 26%. Too much telling and not enough kissing, although by the way (think clucking chicken) SexsexsexsexSexSEX! was repeatedly invoked in the text (174 times), you’d think there there was kissing up to the eyeballs, which knowing my timing, there probably was, starting at 27%. I’ll never know. And thats okay.

The story had a snappy start with Lucy, a sex columnist, rating an array of vibrators. She’s happily single, but her boss needs her to change her focus to couples in love. Then, Marshall, a hotshot reporter, is hired. He happens to need a plus one for the wedding of his ex. The two click and decide to help each other. Of course he wants to know what she writes (why sex, you silly), and how she feels about sex, and SexsexsexsexSexSEX! 🐓

Dislikes Other Than Repetitiveness

🤔Me issue. Marsh investigates a high profile tech mogul’s pending divorce trial. What trial? California is a “No Fault,” “Community Property” state. What perplexed me even more was that the author lives in California. What the—? The discrepancy was a distraction I had hoped would clear up as I read, but then…

🌱 🌾 The narrative was lost in the weeds. Every. Itty. Bitty. Detail. Was. Included.

A small sample of Lucy and Marsh’s communication at a boxing gym:
“One, two,” he calls out, and I give him sharp jabs. There’s a slight curl in his mouth and he leans in. “One, two, three, four, one, one, block.”
[…]
“Okay…” I say carefully. “One, three, two, one, two, one, catch…five, two, three.”

Hey, you gotta fill 450+ pages with something.

With the book expiring in a few days, I checked GR reviews whether it was worth continuing. My thanks to Dab and Stormy for tipping me off to the third act drama. 🙊🙈 No. Just no.

[Mai T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Filipino American History Month 2026 #2

Joss, you did it again.

IT'S DIFFERENT THIS TIME was a love letter to New York. I like to think this is a love letter to LA, a city I've grown to love the longer I've lived in it.

I'm not like Lucy, but I am? She is a biracial Filipina American sex writer that loves sex, but hates love. Or does she? And what does this stem from? There is a moment from her childhood that she misconstrues, one where she berates her mother for staying with her cheating father, but is that the full story? I mean, obv not.

Marsh(all) is a hot nerd with abs that also works as a writer, but his stories are taken more seriously because of the content matter. Ick. Ick to people being judgmental, not ick to Marsh. Weird LA thing, though. If someone lives in Mar Vista, they are not hanging out in Highland Park this much. I never see my friend that lives in HP. I'm sorry, Carolyn.

They meet. I don't love Taylor Swift, but sparks fly. They're obv attracted to each other, but remember that Lucy doesn't trust love. Turns out Marsh doesn't either. His ex of nine years is getting married six months after they broke up. Does anyone smell a scandal? Oh, but the worst part is, the ex invites him and his entire family to the wedding, because she can't let go. Or needs to show off. She is a mousy grey-brown brunette that is a schoolteacher. Cunt. I did it. I judged.

So obv they decide to fake date. And Marsh needs a plus one so he doesn't look sad at the wedding, right? And obv there is only one bed, my absolute favorite trope, because I am a slut and a half. And these not-lovebirds become friends with benefits, something Marsh lowkey hates, but if that's the only way he can have Lucy, he'll do it.

They catch feelings. There's a weird third act breakup. The third act breakup is actually not that weird. I just hate third act breakups with a fiery passion. Not Joss' fault. Just get your shit together already. @Marsh and Lucy

Read this if you don't believe in love. Read this if you do believe in love. Read this if you love the westside. (I can smell you haters.) Read this if you love books about writers. Just read this.

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ]

ꨄ 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 💋
ARC APPROVED FOR THIS ADORABLE BOOK WITH ITS ADORABLE COVER 💖💗🥰💞

[Tanvi Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴?” “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦?” “𝘔𝘩𝘮.” 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵. “𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺?” “𝘐’𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺.” “𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘒𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭.”

Lucy, our beloved sex columnist, and Marsh, a news reporter with his slutty tortoiseshell glasses, have the most charming meet-cute at a work happy hour. What starts as a chance encounter quickly turns into a mutually beneficial arrangement: they agree to fake date since he needs a convincing plus-one for his ex’s wedding, and she needs a relationship to satisfy her editor and keep her job.

I genuinely thought this book has everything I look for in a great romance. It’s full of heart, depth, and layered, complex emotions. It is one of those books you’ll either completely fall for or not connect with at all.

Lucy and Marsh are both commitment-phobes, but for entirely different reasons, and one is clearly more afraid than the other. Because of that, mistakes are inevitable, but I really appreciated how Joss never lets their conflict feel juvenile. They’re both deeply prideful, which leads to some painful, honest conversations, but never veers into spitefulness, which is a difficult balance that’s handled so well. Even at their most complicated, as they try to make sense of what their relationship could be, you can feel how much they care for each other. I have zero notes and am so excited for everyone else to experience this story too.

Thank you Netgalley and Dell Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Mira · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 65%

The author's debut wasn't a favorite of mine, but I enjoyed her writing style, so I decided to give this book a chance. Unfortunately, I wish I hadn't.

This book felt way too long and boring. In my opinion, a fake dating romance has no business being 464 pages long.

The FMC is a sex columnist who's completely against relationships. I disliked Lucy from the very beginning. She's selfish and overly confident, but not in a good way. It felt like she looked down on people who are in relationships or want to be in one. Despite my dislike for her, I kept reading because I hoped she would grow as a character. But after her disgusting actions around the 60% mark, I completely lost any desire to continue. I understand that she and the MMC weren't officially together, but what she did was unacceptable to me. And then she acts as if nothing happened. How am I supposed to sympathize with her after that?

I generally liked Marshall, but he lacked confidence and personality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine (Dell) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Sarah (bookofsari) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

About halfway through this book, I realized I wasn't rooting for the romance anymore. I was just waiting for one of the characters to change my mind.

Unfortunately, neither of them ever did.

Lucy was a tough protagonist for me to spend time with. I understand why she keeps people at arm's length, but after a while it felt like every conversation circled back to the same fears and the same conclusions. Instead of watching her grow, it felt like we were having the same argument over and over again.

Marsh didn't balance that out either. I kept waiting for there to be more beneath the surface, but by the end I still felt like I barely knew him outside of being "the nice guy." I never reached the point where I understood why these two specifically belonged together.

The fake dating setup should have been an easy sell, but I never felt that delicious "are they actually going to kiss?" tension that makes the trope so much fun. The relationship just... happened.

I'll also admit workplace romance is one of my least favorite tropes, so this was already starting at a disadvantage for me.

The hardest part is that I loved Joss Richard's debut. I went into this expecting another favorite, and instead it left me feeling pretty indifferent. I'll absolutely read whatever she writes next, but this one just wasn't my book.

[Farisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fuck this book, remind me to never read Joss Richard again. Also why the fuck is it 13 hours long????

Lucy is an asshole with commitment issues who thinks she’s got everything figured out. I could empathize at the beginning but that became increasingly harder as it became clear that she truly believed she’s the only person who knew the truth about love and relationships in possibly the world??? She sleeps with OM 2/3 into the book after a stupid freak out with the MMC.

Marshall is an idiot willing to take whatever crumb Lucy allows him. He sleeps with OW 94% into the book. It was a completely unnecessary chapter, almost like a fuck you from the author, and I might’ve actually cared if I didn’t hate Lucy so much.

Also I am fully aware that magazines/ journals/ newspapers are in fact a part of the capitalistic structure of society, ie, they are soulless corporations that do not in fact care about its employees, but for some reason Joss Richard felt the need to beat us over the head with it every other chapter? It made no sense.

[megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 ⭐️

i loved everything about lucy & marsh from start to finish, i tried to prolong my reading this for as long as possible because i never wanted it to end while simultaneously dying to see how it ended!!!

one thing about me is i LOVE a hard fought romance book, we have two traumatized for different reasons massive commitmentphobes (rightfully so) who are so perfect for each other in every way but SO damn stubborn and refuse to get out of their way the entire time they’re fake dating which is super frustrating (fun for me tho) and it just made the ending and them finding their way back to each other that much sweeter.

this book felt so sex in the city, carrie bradshaw coded but LA. i think joss hit the 90s romcom nostalgia vibe right on the head and with characters and relationships youll actually want to root for!!

the emotional depth in this book was out of this world for me, it for the most part is light and flirty but then all of a sudden joss will gut punch you and it was just so beautifully written and well done. i have become a big fan of my romcoms having this really intense deep emotional layer to them and getting to see how characters navigate them, the duality of it is just really doing something for me lately and this book was perfect in that aspect!!

lucy and marsh were mouthwateringly hot. i dont ever really make it a point to talk about spice levels or scenes in my reviews unless they leave a lasting impression on me and boy did they ever. this was one of those books where my bi panic went haywire. i truly cant even pinpoint what about these scenes felt so hot and next level for me because it truly was just two hot people with insane chemistry having sex but i think the trust and the intimacy of it all having both POVs and their inner monologues of how they view themselves, each other, sex, relationships just really elevated every single scene we get and it was H O T T T T T 😛

this was my first book of joss’ and i truly cannot wait to go listen to her debut sometime in the next week because i am just so excited for more of her words. even though i’ve only read one of her books LK&T truly cemented her as an auto buy/read author for me. i am already gnawing at the gates of my enclosure to see what is next from her and plotting how to get my grubby little paws on it asap!!

[Sian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will write a proper critical review in a few days but for now I will say this: I am crushed that I didn’t love this.

Also, there’s a line in the epilogue where the fmc playfully rubs the mmc’s dick and it’s made me drop this from a 3.5 to a 3 star read because it’s icked me out.

---

I'm so sad to say this one didn't work for me. And not necessarily because I had a bad time reading or that I thought the book was bad but rather that I thought the message about love to be quite muddy and unclear.

Our FMC is very sure she doesn't want a relationship but rather than seeming independant she comes off as slightly hypocritical as the story progresses. Her issues which are presented originally as incredibly logical, honest and subversive. Despite the relationship seeming destined to end in flames, they fall in love and get some therapy and all of sudden love really is amazing and she was just scared. I almost found it offensive, if I'm being honest. It felt like it was being implied that anyone who isn't interested in relationships is to be pitied and must clearly be hiding some sort of deep hurt (which, for our FMC was a misunderstanding anyway).

I'm sure that wasn't the authors intention but that element hindering my enjoyment and the fact that the pacing was a little inconsistent, led me to rate this a 3.5 stars. I'm a Joss Richard lover for life and I cannot wait for the rest of her novels. However, this one just isn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballentine for this e-arc, I am extremely grateful.

[lali ✰]

Rtc
DNFd at 66%

How??? I was obsessed, planning my reread already, and then suddenly there was one scene with one of my most hated tropes.... and then I found out it happens twice?!?!?!?!
I just wanna cry right now 😭😭😭

[Sarah]

I did NOT like the author's debut, but I want to give her books a second chance, so I was sooo happy when I was approved to read this. God, I hope I love it. 😭🤞🏼

[Lindsey · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was my second novel by Joss Richard and she just does not miss! She writes characters that feel so real and her writing style is beautiful!

Read this if you enjoy:
- lover boy + anxious attachment girl
- fake dating + workplace romance
- forced proximity

[Amber (ambersmagicallibrary) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this story so much!!! It started off as fake dating, but they ended up helping each other out way more than what was agreed upon. I loved that they were both writers. This reminded me so much of the rom come movies I love. Their banter was absolutely my favorite part!!!! I was giggling so much!! Of course there was a one bed scene AND date to their exes wedding. I ate this story up! Read in one sitting because I really enjoyed it. Marsh and Lucy were so perfect for each other , I was rooting for them the entire time! Marsh always stucking up for Lucy’s writing made my heart so happy. Easily 5 stars!!!

[veerali · Rating 3 out of 5]

the only reason i gave this a 3 is because the third act was so messy like don't even talk to me.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5 stars, rounded down)

"Because I love sex," she says, and there's honesty to her answer. "Sex is like math. It's the same in every language."

Joss Richards intentionally wrote messy, realistic characters, which created an interesting dilemma for me.

At times, Lucy's clinical choices made it hard to root for her, and Marsh also deserves to be called out for how he publicly handled his past relationship drama.

Relationships are messy, but these two characters were always honest with each other. Even though some of their actions annoyed me, I still enjoyed the book. It was hard to put down, even if it left me feeling conflicted until the very end.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 !!!

I love reading about writers

[esther ⋆⭒˚.⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a reminder that this book came out yesterday!!! If you love sex and the city, read this !!

Thank you, Netgalley, Dell, and Joss Richard for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Even after watching only a couple of episodes of Sex and the City, I could tell immediately that those who loved that show would enjoy this book. Lucy is a sex and relationship columnist, and she needs to write about relationships to maintain her audience and her job. Marsh is also a writer, but he is a new one, in stark contrast to Lucy's opinion pieces.
I think they had great chemistry, and their banter felt quite natural. The workplace aspect of their romance was not explained or discussed very well, so that "trope" did not work at all. While this book had many tropes, like fake dating, it did not feel overly formulaic; there were great emotional conversations and exploration of their own identities.
Lucy felt very well-developed and really real and true to herself, but Marsh felt a little flat and like we did not get to know him. I am not sure if this is done on purpose, but if it is, I wish it were a bit more pronounced and more deliberate.
Overall, I did quite enjoy it, but I'll explain below why I dropped the book from a 4.5 to a 3.75.


The part that really rubbed me the wrong way was where Marsh hooked up with someone in the third-act breakup. It really did not fit his character, and it made me really not like him. For the 3rd act breakup overall, I really wish the workplace dynamics and how important the job actually was would have been more front and center for the conflict to actually make sense.