I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Since I read a lot of romances, it takes a lot to really impress me. For me, this book fell in the middle of the pack. It wasn't bad but it wasn't that great. It probably didn't help that this is the second book in a row that dealt with a couple pretend dating. That right there told me the plot wasn't entirely original.
Greta doesn't believe in love and thinks all men are going to leave her disappointed. A lot of this stems from her father who abandoned her family and a handful of boyfriends who did the same. Her best friends think they know who would be perfect for her and try to set her up with the DJ at her sister's wedding. Sure she's attracted to him, but she's not looking for a relationship, so to give her friends what they want, she asks the guy to pretend to be her boyfriend. The up-and-coming DJ - Jon - doesn't just want to pretend to be her boyfriend, so he insists on real dates to go along with the fake dates, hoping he'll be able to woo Greta. She, however, insists on sabotaging those dates, although Jon isn't that easy to get rid of...
I can't say that I was a big fan of either main character. Jon was too perfect. He didn't seem to have any flaws or problems and that felt a bit unrealistic. Sure he makes a bet that he'll win Greta over but nothing ever happens with it - a second bet is made after they start dating and then never brought up again. There really needed to be some sort of fall out regarding that, especially given how hesitant Greta is regarding relationships. Sure that's another predictable/unoriginal plot device, but to put it out there with no follow through wasn't fair. Either way, Jon didn't grow as a character, which was a bit disappointing. As for Greta, the way she sabotaged everything was a bit of a turn off. It got to the point that I wasn't rooting for her to get her happily ever after because she wasn't even trying - she didn't feel worthy.
Aside from the characters, there were a few other issues that left me not really loving this novel. This is probably just me nitpicking, so take it all with a grain of salt. A twist in the story regarding Greta's boss occurs, which initially felt like a cop-out to avoid the problems the character had created and as a way to throw Greta and Jon together. While it forced Greta to grow-up a bit and created conflict, it also showed how immature she could be. Then the solution to her financial issues comes in an all too perfect manner that made things way too easy for her future. It didn't feel very realistic (I know it's fiction, but still...) There were also a lot of pop culture references that might be a bit of a turn off for people who don't know or don't relate to the references. While it helped define the character, it also played into my preconceived opinions of those references and worked against her. She's also obsessed with baths and wine, which was mentioned multiple times and became a little annoying.
Like I said, maybe I'm just nitpicking this novel. I don't generally write reviews of romance because they're escapist reading and I don't expect much from them. Since this was a Giveaway and I felt like I should review it, I paid more attention to what worked and didn't. The overall story worked like all typical romances - it was a little escape with a happy ending. What more could you honestly hope for? The secondary characters in Greta's life were a nice addition and fully developed, although I can't say the same for the people and Jon's life. Overall, I just think that this novel could have been better. Jon could have been a bit more developed and Greta could have lightened up a bit more. The book does have the potential to have sequels and it would be interesting to see what happens to Greta's friends.