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Gorgeous and the Geek
She thought he was a safe bet. She was wrong…
Faking a relationship with a costar for ratings is ridiculous, and Willa won’t do it unless she gets to pick the guy. There’s only one man she trusts in Doug Keller, a little on the geeky side and totally reliable. It’s just a few months, and if the show takes off, she’ll be one step closer to the independence she’s always craved.
Doug knows he’s in trouble. Willa Stanton is everything he’s ever wanted, and way too much for him to handle. Their on-camera chemistry is making it hard for him to keep his true feelings under wraps. And off-camera is even she's making friends with his cat, kicking his butt in Gin Rummy, and making him wish he could be that soft place for her to land. The closer they get, the harder it is to stick with the plan.
She’s afraid of love. He’s afraid of getting played. What happens when the beauty falls for the geek?
Faking a relationship with a costar for ratings is ridiculous, and Willa won’t do it unless she gets to pick the guy. There’s only one man she trusts in Doug Keller, a little on the geeky side and totally reliable. It’s just a few months, and if the show takes off, she’ll be one step closer to the independence she’s always craved.
Doug knows he’s in trouble. Willa Stanton is everything he’s ever wanted, and way too much for him to handle. Their on-camera chemistry is making it hard for him to keep his true feelings under wraps. And off-camera is even she's making friends with his cat, kicking his butt in Gin Rummy, and making him wish he could be that soft place for her to land. The closer they get, the harder it is to stick with the plan.
She’s afraid of love. He’s afraid of getting played. What happens when the beauty falls for the geek?
175 pages, Paperback
Published August 21, 2019
90 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Rachel John
51 books513 followersRachel John is the author of books filled with awkward humor and sigh-inducing romance. When not burning dinner or chasing kids, Rachel can be found working on family history, writing, reading, or putting off writing by staring at Facebook. She lives in Arizona with her husband, four crazy kids, and her desert tortoise.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 19, 2019
I was not sure if I would like this! The set up had me worried! The tough no nonsense girl and the tender hearted sweet guy. I thought of a young
Christopher Eccleston as Doug and Gemma Arterton as Willa:} WOuldn't that be perfect. This was a nail bitter with all the tension! Poor Doug the guy got put threw the ringer! Loved how she wrote this. You didn't get into their lives too deep but just enough to see what was going on and why it was causeing them such issues. Really enjoyed this one:}
Christopher Eccleston as Doug and Gemma Arterton as Willa:} WOuldn't that be perfect. This was a nail bitter with all the tension! Poor Doug the guy got put threw the ringer! Loved how she wrote this. You didn't get into their lives too deep but just enough to see what was going on and why it was causeing them such issues. Really enjoyed this one:}
October 28, 2024
There's a lot that Doug doesn't know about Willa. And with all the fakeness of reality TV, including their fake relationship that doesn't feel fake to him, it's hard to know what's real and what's fake. Doug is not the typical Hollywood actor (which is exactly why Willa picked him), and watching him try to navigate all the twists and turns that came to him was fun and interesting!
February 7, 2025
Cute, Charming, Swoony, and Hilarious!
Okay, I love this one so much 🥹 Willa and Doug have my heart.
The machinations of reality TV were super believable (and made me realize I know nothing about how Hollywood works??) and each character was distinct. The banter is great, and the chemistry between the two leads is both electric and heartwarming 🥰
I couldn’t put it down!
Perfect for fans of:
- closed door romcoms
- reality TV
- fake dating
- cinnamon roll heroes
- black cat & confident heroines
- loveable side characters (and believably dislikable antagonists, too)
Content warnings:
- mentions of death of a parent and infidelity
Swearing: none
Spice: kissing-only, mildly descriptive and focused on emotions
Okay, I love this one so much 🥹 Willa and Doug have my heart.
The machinations of reality TV were super believable (and made me realize I know nothing about how Hollywood works??) and each character was distinct. The banter is great, and the chemistry between the two leads is both electric and heartwarming 🥰
I couldn’t put it down!
Perfect for fans of:
- closed door romcoms
- reality TV
- fake dating
- cinnamon roll heroes
- black cat & confident heroines
- loveable side characters (and believably dislikable antagonists, too)
Content warnings:
- mentions of death of a parent and infidelity
Swearing: none
Spice: kissing-only, mildly descriptive and focused on emotions
Read
October 16, 2023Sweet Romance ♡♡♡
November 20, 2024
Loved it
What a great, fun, and entertaining story. This book took no time for me to read which says a lot since I'm a slow reader. I loved the characters and hung on every word and action.
What a great, fun, and entertaining story. This book took no time for me to read which says a lot since I'm a slow reader. I loved the characters and hung on every word and action.
October 18, 2024
DNF'D at 32%
I really wanted to give this a shit, if for no other reason than DNF'ing a book makes me feel like a quitter. But I just couldn't with this one.
This book was boring. So. Very. Boring.
Doug (the MMC) was...you guessed it... boring. It's like he had no real character, and he had no backbone. Willa was kinda selfish. After aging out of the children's TV she and Doug starred in, she pretty much does whatever she needs to do to get her new project off the ground, even using and lying to Doug.
There is zero chemistry between Doug and Willa. Nothing exciting happened in the seven or eight chapters I read. Nothing. At all.
I really wanted to give this a shit, if for no other reason than DNF'ing a book makes me feel like a quitter. But I just couldn't with this one.
This book was boring. So. Very. Boring.
Doug (the MMC) was...you guessed it... boring. It's like he had no real character, and he had no backbone. Willa was kinda selfish. After aging out of the children's TV she and Doug starred in, she pretty much does whatever she needs to do to get her new project off the ground, even using and lying to Doug.
There is zero chemistry between Doug and Willa. Nothing exciting happened in the seven or eight chapters I read. Nothing. At all.
July 20, 2022
"Kissing is more than technique. It's feelings too."
Seriously, this quote says it all. "Kissing is more than technique. It's feelings too."
This book set the bar high! The romance was truly swoon worthy. The chemistry was palpable. The sparing sharp. Willa and Doug felt the physical draw towards one another, but didn't spend every moment filled with making out or lustful thoughts of doing so.
The kissing was quite hot on a temperature scale, but I wasn't blushing reading through it.
This book is definitely worthy of a repeat read!!
Seriously, this quote says it all. "Kissing is more than technique. It's feelings too."
This book set the bar high! The romance was truly swoon worthy. The chemistry was palpable. The sparing sharp. Willa and Doug felt the physical draw towards one another, but didn't spend every moment filled with making out or lustful thoughts of doing so.
The kissing was quite hot on a temperature scale, but I wasn't blushing reading through it.
This book is definitely worthy of a repeat read!!
February 21, 2020
I love a good romance story with a nerdy, beta male lead, but the story was not one of those. The vast majority of the book ignored romance and just described all the makings of reality television show. The most exciting thing the two leads did was play Uno. They pushed each other away a lot, and reading the book just was not very enjoyable. The tiny percentage at the end when they were together was too little, too late and not satisfying at all.
August 25, 2019
I found it too wordy. I got bored with it quickly.
March 7, 2025
I will preface this by saying I don't usually read contemporary. It's not my preferred genre but the book was free on Amazon once so I had it and did try it. Everything I didn't like comes down to personal taste, and I don't think was a flaw with the book or writing.
The writing style, as with most contemporary books, was more casual than I enjoy and some of the side characters had kind of weird names. These things pulled me out of the story a lot at the beginning but the plot and concept did interest me. I haven't read much celebrity or reality TV romance and I think that is different enough from the usual contemporary stories that it kept me pulled in. I wanted to know what happened next and I was able to ignore the stylistic things and get invested in the story as time went on.
The main character of this book actually seemed to be Doug in my opinion and I really liked him. Willa took more time to grow on me but she did Doug justice and they did seem well suited. Fake dating is fun no matter what genre you're in. They did have a little more miscommunication throughout the story than I like but it didn't ever feel contrived or unrealistic, I just didn't like it anyways.
I also think they jumped from fake to real dating faster than I'd like but it didn't feel unrealistic, I'd just wanted a more gradual shift.
All this to say, I did have fun with the story. The plot and worldbuilding made sense, Doug is so easy to root for, and I couldn't put it down for wanting to know what happens next despite the genre itself not really being my thing. My enjoyment was lower but I think a fan of contemporary books would really eat this up.
The writing style, as with most contemporary books, was more casual than I enjoy and some of the side characters had kind of weird names. These things pulled me out of the story a lot at the beginning but the plot and concept did interest me. I haven't read much celebrity or reality TV romance and I think that is different enough from the usual contemporary stories that it kept me pulled in. I wanted to know what happened next and I was able to ignore the stylistic things and get invested in the story as time went on.
The main character of this book actually seemed to be Doug in my opinion and I really liked him. Willa took more time to grow on me but she did Doug justice and they did seem well suited. Fake dating is fun no matter what genre you're in. They did have a little more miscommunication throughout the story than I like but it didn't ever feel contrived or unrealistic, I just didn't like it anyways.
I also think they jumped from fake to real dating faster than I'd like but it didn't feel unrealistic, I'd just wanted a more gradual shift.
All this to say, I did have fun with the story. The plot and worldbuilding made sense, Doug is so easy to root for, and I couldn't put it down for wanting to know what happens next despite the genre itself not really being my thing. My enjoyment was lower but I think a fan of contemporary books would really eat this up.
October 19, 2024
OK. Didn't care much for the heroine who started off mostly taking advantage of the hero. I also don't like duplicity and deceitfulness and that was one of the tropes of the story. She also couldn't decide whether to like him sincerely or not and it felt like she kept blowing how and cold and playing with the guy emotions because she couldn't figure out what she wanted.
Read
January 13, 2023Fun read
Great characters that have you rooting for them or against them depending on who they are. Major plot twists keeping you on your toes and wanting more. I recommend to everyone that wants to enjoy reading .
Great characters that have you rooting for them or against them depending on who they are. Major plot twists keeping you on your toes and wanting more. I recommend to everyone that wants to enjoy reading .
August 22, 2024
Willa and Doug are costars on a kids TV show. When Willa gets booted from the show due to her age (28) she invites Doug to be a judge on her new reality TV show and act as her fake boyfriend. A cute story with fun characters.
June 14, 2020
I really enjoyed this story. It seemed a bit different than what I had been reading (I have avoided books lately about actors) but I really enjoyed this one.
July 11, 2020
Cute, but sometimes hard to follow.
January 23, 2021
A fun read!
These characters grabbed me from the beginning. There's a good plot, romance and happily ever after. All my favorites. Very entertaining.
These characters grabbed me from the beginning. There's a good plot, romance and happily ever after. All my favorites. Very entertaining.
October 5, 2022
Very Sweet
Doug is just the most likeable guy ever! This is a sweet, clean story of TV stars who get pushed around by their producer and have to make hard decisions.
Doug is just the most likeable guy ever! This is a sweet, clean story of TV stars who get pushed around by their producer and have to make hard decisions.
June 7, 2024
So cute!
Loved the back and forth between characters! So cute! I loved the setting of Reality tv show! A great summer read!
Loved the back and forth between characters! So cute! I loved the setting of Reality tv show! A great summer read!
August 14, 2024
A fun read. I enjoyed the reality TV angle, and Doug was just so dang likable.
October 17, 2024
Cute Hallmark style love story, but better than most with its great entertaining dialogue and fun characters
October 22, 2024
I loved this story.
Content: clean
Content: clean
January 12, 2025
Fun, quick, easy read.
Fun, quick, easy read. Slow burn. Doug is a nerd but not too nerdy, it's believable that Willa would fall for him. Would recommend.
Fun, quick, easy read. Slow burn. Doug is a nerd but not too nerdy, it's believable that Willa would fall for him. Would recommend.
February 22, 2025
Cute story
I enjoyed the dual POV, side characters, and plot. It was pretty formulaic, but it kept my attention. I liked it!
I enjoyed the dual POV, side characters, and plot. It was pretty formulaic, but it kept my attention. I liked it!
September 23, 2025
DNF. I made it 32% of the way through the book but honestly, I was skimming before that. This was just too vanilla for me.
November 3, 2025
2.5⭐️? Just fine
September 6, 2019
Cute ending, but getting there...
I’m not a fan of reality TV. And this series relies heavily on the fact that real life can invade TV real life. I doubt that it’s possible, but the book manages to convey that same feeling. The feeling of doubt and confusion. I just the characters had a little more to them. It maybe my utter distaste for reality TV that didn’t allow me to be truly invest in the characters. Then ending was interesting, Hollywood as it may come off. But i think the best part this entire book was the epilogue. It managed to wrap up the stories and some of the odd sections of this story quite well. I have loved Ms. John’s takes on Austen and tried this one on a hunch that it could be as good. It wasn’t as good...but it was a fun light read. It didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth like some other books, so I am giving it a win. Just I hate that it had some rather odd spots in it that were maybe a bit unbelievable.
I’m not a fan of reality TV. And this series relies heavily on the fact that real life can invade TV real life. I doubt that it’s possible, but the book manages to convey that same feeling. The feeling of doubt and confusion. I just the characters had a little more to them. It maybe my utter distaste for reality TV that didn’t allow me to be truly invest in the characters. Then ending was interesting, Hollywood as it may come off. But i think the best part this entire book was the epilogue. It managed to wrap up the stories and some of the odd sections of this story quite well. I have loved Ms. John’s takes on Austen and tried this one on a hunch that it could be as good. It wasn’t as good...but it was a fun light read. It didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth like some other books, so I am giving it a win. Just I hate that it had some rather odd spots in it that were maybe a bit unbelievable.
August 8, 2019
(4.5 stars) - What a fun story!
I wasn't sure if I liked Willa sometimes, but she did eventually grow on me. She's confused between her goals & her emotions. Her character's development is worth waiting for.
Doug is definitely the highlight of the book. Such a wonderful guy! He's a prime candidate for doormat, but he's self aware & sets firm boundaries. And even though he was so miserable, he did his best to be a stand up guy, even when the people involved didn't really deserve it.
By the story's resolution, I was totally immersed in all the feels, & the happily-ever-after was a pure hit of warm fuzzies!
*Clean romance level: sweet kisses
I wasn't sure if I liked Willa sometimes, but she did eventually grow on me. She's confused between her goals & her emotions. Her character's development is worth waiting for.
Doug is definitely the highlight of the book. Such a wonderful guy! He's a prime candidate for doormat, but he's self aware & sets firm boundaries. And even though he was so miserable, he did his best to be a stand up guy, even when the people involved didn't really deserve it.
By the story's resolution, I was totally immersed in all the feels, & the happily-ever-after was a pure hit of warm fuzzies!
*Clean romance level: sweet kisses
August 9, 2019
Fun clean behind-the-scenes reality tv show book
This story grabbed me from the beginning with talk of the spiff Power Rangers TV show. It was funny and the characters were interesting, flawed, real dimensional. The end kind of jumped on me and then I found myself wanted to find out about what happened with the reality tv show (not enough story info about the contestants were given for my tastes) and the other people involved. This was a fun story. Just wish it gave a little bit more to fill in the blanks before the epilogue so it could feel a little bit more resolved.
3.5 stars
Rating: PG, clean
This story grabbed me from the beginning with talk of the spiff Power Rangers TV show. It was funny and the characters were interesting, flawed, real dimensional. The end kind of jumped on me and then I found myself wanted to find out about what happened with the reality tv show (not enough story info about the contestants were given for my tastes) and the other people involved. This was a fun story. Just wish it gave a little bit more to fill in the blanks before the epilogue so it could feel a little bit more resolved.
3.5 stars
Rating: PG, clean
August 1, 2019
I'm really enjoying this series. Reality shows make up so much of TV lately. This was such a great take on American Idol and other talent shows and then adding in the corny kids show where they met and you have a great connection with anyone who has ever watched TV. (Who doesn't love the silly villain OR the Simon Cowells).
Clean romance, great connection with both the readers and other family and friends in the book, believable chemistry, just all around an unexpected joy. I want more! (In fact, I did go looking for more and read them)
Clean romance, great connection with both the readers and other family and friends in the book, believable chemistry, just all around an unexpected joy. I want more! (In fact, I did go looking for more and read them)
August 12, 2019
This is such a fun romance! Doug is a good-looking geek that Willa trusts to have a fake romance with her on a TV show that she pitched. With the understanding of a fake romance, it's hard for Doug to tell what's real and what's for the show. I really liked both characters and could empathize with them. The plot has some twists and turns and moves at a good pace. I like Rachel John's work and plan to read more of her books. I recommend this to clean/wholesome romance readers and to rom/com readers. I obtained a copy through KU.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews