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Please Note: I received an advance copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
When her partner of over a decade suddenly ends things, Laurie is left reeling—not only because they work at the same law firm and she has to see him every day. Her once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again in the age of Tinder is nothing short of horrifying. When news of her ex’s pregnant girlfriend hits the office grapevine, taking the humiliation lying down is not an option. Then a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy opens up a new possibility.
Jamie Carter doesn’t believe in love, but he needs a respectable, steady girlfriend to impress their bosses. Laurie wants a hot new man to give the rumor mill something else to talk about. It’s the perfect proposition: a fauxmance played out on social media, with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind. With the plan hatched, Laurie and Jamie begin to flaunt their new couple status, to the astonishment—and jealousy—of their friends and colleagues. But there’s a fine line between pretending to be in love and actually falling for your charming, handsome fake boyfriend...
Review:
Mhairi McFarlane is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors of contemporary fiction. I loved Don't You Forget About Me, published in 2018. Her newest novel, If I Never Met You is a fun, romantic novel with enjoyable characters, and a plot that made this a page-turner. This is just what you need if you want a positive distraction in the coming months.
What I Liked:
Characters:Laurie is coming off of a devastating life change. Her long-time partner has left her and is having a baby with his new girlfriend! After being blind sighted with such a betrayal, how can she regain your confidence? I enjoyed how Laurie found her confidence, realizing that her ex-boyfriend may have not been such a great fit for her, after all. She moves from questioning her judgement to understanding how much she tied her self worth to her partner. This helps her to move on in a positive way.
There are other relationships in Laurie's life that also need some reflection, particularly with her parents. The dynamics between them have some bearing on how she relates to men. Sorting them out seems like a turning point in her life.
Jaime begins the novel as a stereotypical womanizer. He is unapologetic about keeping his relationships at a superficial level. I liked that he was not some misunderstood damaged Peter Pan man-child.
He also gradually wanted Laurie to respect him and found her assumptions of him irritating. Could that be because they were accurate?
Fake Relationship Trope:
I enjoy the fake relationship device. Both Laurie and Jamie had plausible reasons to need a fake partner. As with all of these plot devices, this book relies on the two main characters falling for each other. But I felt this was done slow enough that it was credible. I also really liked that this occurred independent of Laurie getting her self-worth back.
"Clean" romance:
Unlike many contemporary romance books, this didn't ever go into the "Mommy Porn" territory. There were many sexy, romantic scenes, but we didn't get a play by play of the action. Thank you, Mhairi!
What I Was Mixed About:
Pacing:The book has a very slow beginning, not getting to the good stuff until about 25% into the novel. While I liked how Laurie needs to analyze her breakup with Dan, it went on a little too long. It also gave the book more serious tone than I was expecting.
But hang on. When we get past the meet cute, things really start to pick up, and then I couldn't stop reading.
Ending:
The ending was a bit rushed. I wish that things were not quite so perfectly tied up at the end. I would have been just as happy for a ending that was more nuanced.
Rating:
Release Date: March 24th, 2020
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Page Length: 432 Pages
Source: Edelweiss
Format: E-Book
Recommendation: A solid, clean romance. Highly enjoyable.
