A steamy, slow burn friends to lovers rom com with How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days energy, big city charm, and a romance worth fighting for.
Release date: August 11, 2026
Publisher: Dell
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Synopsis:
Fall for the brand-new sexy, sweet and heart aching romance from the bestselling author of It’s Different This Time!
📝 Workplace romance
📝 Fake dating
📝 90’s romcom nostalgia
📝 Spice
——————————
Lucy Reid’s about to fake it.
As a sex columnist, her views on relationships aren’t exactly optimistic.
Instead, she encourages readers to embrace their sexuality and that you don’t need a partner to be happy. But when her team claims that all their readers are in relationships, and that it might be time for something – or someone – new, she’s got to act fast.
Enter Marshall Oakley.
Marshall is the new Senior News Writer at Lucy’s company, and he’s just confessed to needing a girlfriend for his ex’s wedding. Faking a relationship is perfect. Marshall can finally prove he’s moved on, and Lucy can write about finding ‘the one’ only to break up and prove to readers – and her bosses – that relationships don’t solve everything.
But spending lots of time together and faking affection has lines blurring… And now the two of them must find the courage to rewrite their story with a happily ever after.
Review:
I loved Joss Richard’s debut last year, so I had high hopes going into this one—and she absolutely lived up to them. She is officially on my auto read list.
One of my favorite things about Richard’s books is her ability to create such a strong sense of place, and that was once again fantastic here. Her debut gave me New York City in the fall, while this one brings us to Los Angeles, and both settings feel like actual characters in the story. The atmosphere, the city, the lifestyle—it all added so much to the reading experience.
Lucy is a total firecracker, Marsh is basically 🫠, and together they have the kind of banter and chemistry that kept me glued to the page. This is a slow burn friends to lovers romance with so much tension, pining, and lusting, and I was absolutely here for every second of it. There are major How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes, which happens to be my favorite rom com, so obviously I was going to eat this up.
What really made this work for me, though, was the emotional depth underneath all the fun. Both Lucy and Marsh have their own issues with commitment, and neither magically gets over them just because they fall for each other. Their journey is messy, complicated, and occasionally frustrating in the most believable way. Their romance feels hard fought and authentic, with both of them having to confront what they actually want and what they’re afraid of. The emotional growth balanced beautifully with the flirty banter, steam, and charm.
Perfect for Readers Who Love
- slow burn friends to lovers romances
- fake dating with very real feelings
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes
- strong banter and undeniable chemistry
- lots of pining and sexual tension
- characters with emotional depth and commitment issues
- romances that are messy, funny, sexy, and heartfelt
- books with a strong sense of place
Overall rating: 5/5
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
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