What happens when your love life becomes the talk of the town?
TEN RULES FOR FAKING IT by SOPHIE SULLIVAN
Series: Standalone
Publication date: December 29, 2020
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: contemporary romance
SYNOPSIS
As birthdays go, this year’s for radio producer Everly Dean hit rock-bottom.
Worse than the “tonsillectomy birthday.” Worse than the birthday her parents decided to split (the first time). But catching your boyfriend cheating on you with his assistant?
Even clichés sting.
But this is Everly’s year! She won’t let her anxiety hold her back. She’ll pitch her podcast idea to her boss.
There’s just one problem.
Her boss, Chris, is very cute. (Of course). Also, he's extremely distant (which means he hates her, right? Or is that the anxiety talking)?
And, Stacey the DJ didn’t mute the mic during Everly’s rant about Simon the Snake (syn: Cheating Ex).
That’s three problems.
Suddenly, people are lining up to date her, Bachelorette-style, fans are voting (Reminder: never leave house again), and her interest in Chris might be a two-way street. It’s a lot for a woman who could gold medal in people-avoidance. She’s going to have to fake it ‘till she makes it to get through all of this.
Perhaps she’ll make a list: The Ten Rules for Faking It.
Because sometimes making the rules can find you happiness when you least expect it.
Purchase your copy now!
"Die-hard fans of The Bachelorette will enjoy this novelistic take on the theme." - Publishers Weekly
"A wholesome, slow-burn romance that will warm your heart and offer a glimpse into social anxiety disorder. This is a Hallmark movie in book form." - Helen Hoang, USA Today bestselling author of The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test
“Impossible to read without smiling—escapist romantic comedy at its heartwarming best.” – New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Layne
“A funny, sweet rom com from a fresh, sparkling new voice. Everly’s social anxiety was instantly relatable, and I was rooting for her every inch of the way to her happily-ever-after.” – Andie J. Christopher, USA Today Bestselling author of Not The Girl You Marry
"I loved this sweet, funny story! Fun, refreshing premise that had me wanting to make a few lists of my own and an ending that had me choking up and happy clapping." - USA Today Bestselling author Kira Archer
“I adored this book! Sophie Sullivan has written a fast-paced, sweet romance full of heart and truth. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it down.” - Lyssa Kay Adams, author of The Bromance Book Club
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SOPHIE SULLIVAN is a Canadian author as well as a cookie-eating, Diet Pepsi-drinking, Disney enthusiast who loves reading and writing romance in almost equal measure. She writes around her day job as a teacher and spends her spare time with her sweet family watching reruns of Friends. Ten Rules For Faking It is her romcom debut novel, but she's had plenty of practice writing happily ever after as her alter ego, Jody Holford.
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Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie SullivanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
“I’ll choose you again and again and again,” she whispered.His heart tumbled. Right into her hands. “I’ll choose you back.”
This book was such a breath of fresh air! My favorite thing about the whole package was the heroine Everly in all of her neurotic imperfections. I can fully understand that not everyone will "get" her, and she may push some people's buttons with her anxieties and constant need to break through her own boundaries. Many readers will connect with her being an introvert, but she has a lot of emotional challenges connected to social anxiety that go beyond that. She suffers from full blown panic attacks and fear of unfamiliar situations. There was something about her vulnerability that spoke to me from page one-despite her emotional baggage she never surrenders to it. She's a fighter; it just takes her a little while to acknowledge that in herself. Haven't we all been there?
The author did a phenomenal job explaining what shapes Everly to the reader, piece by piece. I think that's another reason that she worked so well for me; I understood where she came from and how it molded her into who she was today. Her parents' volatile and rocky relationship left her feeling unstable growing up. She was like a spectator at a tennis match watching their passionate love and fury volley continuously on loop. Now as an adult, she wants a clean, tidy life where there are no surprises.
She didn’t have either of her parents’ tempersor flair for the dramatic.In her opinion, the less conflict the better.
Predictability is her safe haven and this is something she feels that she can control. When she feels out of control, that's when panic sets in. She's happy to blend in the background and observe rather than experience. So she picks extroverted men who are all wrong for her because they fill in the gaps that she leaves in conversations. The problem is that they have nothing in common, so she's doomed to fail every time.
Her latest failure in love leads to a moment that rates a ten on the cringeworthy scale. After busting her man in bed with another woman, she rushes to the radio station where she works to vent to her best friend. Little does she know that the whole sorry tale is broadcast on air, live in all of its humiliating glory. Anyone would want to crawl into a hole and hide after that, but after licking her wounds for a bit she puts on a brave face. Inside, she was a churning ball of emotion and her brain was running a marathon on steroids. Not only did all of the listeners hear, but all of her coworkers, and possibly worst of all, her boss Chris.
Chris' impersonal attitude towards her has led her to believe that he doesn't like her. He isn't a nasty or unfair boss, but their interactions have become uncomfortably stilted. Chris puts on a quiet, stoic front with her, but there's so much hidden under the surface that he doesn't allow to show.
It took a tangible amount of energy tonot clue her into how he felt.Usually, he walked awayfrom an interaction with herfeeling like he’d run a race in jeans.
Chris' father owns the station, and he recently began working there to prove that he could turn the station's profits around all on his own. The job is a temporary stepping stone to bigger and better things so he vows to not get attached-despite his growing attraction for Everly. When his father threatens to sell off the station, he has to kick a plan into high gear to protect the jobs of the people he's grown to care about. Everly will participate in a Bachelorette type reality segment where she dates a series of guys and ultimately chooses Mr. Right at the end. The plan is to boost ratings and gain advertising funds and help Everly to bravely test the waters outside of her comfort zone.
You have to give Everly the credit and respect that she deserves for having the courage to put herself out there in such a drastic way. Not only do her dates provide a little comic relief, but they help her evolve emotionally as a character. She gives herself ten rules for "faking it" until she sees the change manifest naturally in her life. She challenges herself to try new things, be bold at work, figure out what makes her happy and hold onto it, and basically learn to value herself and her impact on others. She recognizes her faults and makes a plan to overcome them in order to turn her life in a positive direction. Yes, she has insecurities, fear, and anxiety, but she's willing to proactively do something about it. Chris is quietly supportive through everything, and she begins to see that she had completely misunderstood him. They grow a friendship with an unspoken attraction on both sides that both stubbornly try to ignore.
These two were the absolute sweetest together. I adored his ability to see her social anxieties like no other, and accept her exactly as she was. In the beginning of relationships people put on a show and only let people see the best side of themselves. The crash and burn comes later when you realize they aren't the perfect package they sold themselves to be. He recognizes her issues and stands solidly beside her. Unfortunately, he's hiding a secret from her that feels like a ticking time bomb the longer he conceals it. The deeper he gets with Everly, the harder it is to tell her the truth. You just can't be mad at the guy though, he wears his heart on his sleeve for her, and his intentions are always in the right place.
His home? It was wherever he could see her face.Touch her. Breathe her in.In that moment, Chris would have turned himselfinside out and upside down if it meanthaving even the smallest chanceat being in Everly’s heart.Of finding a way inside of it.
This could have easily been a five star read. It was for most of the book, but I had one little niggle towards the end that I found a little frustrating. If it weren't for that, I would have easily given this story 5++ stars.
Sophie Sullivan is a new to me author that I can't wait to read more of. Her brand of humor, her skill in character development, and the romantic thrills are top notch. She writes under the name Jody Holford, so I'll be browsing her backlist for more of her work to sample. I really appreciated her sensitivity with Everly’s anxieties, and how she brought a little more understanding to this common social challenge. Not only did Ten Rules for Faking It address the characters' emotional aspect, but it was also entertaining, sweet, and just what I look for in a rom-com. I can't recommend this one enough-it has a little something for everyone.
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