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Review

3.5 stars

This is a short and sweet story, a fake relationship for two of the very minor side characters from the Hermosa Beach series (you could easily read this one as a standalone), it’s such a cute read.

Reggie has a big family event over the Independence Day long weekend, and his mother has invited his ex-girlfriend along in an attempt to reconcile the pair. Reggie wants nothing to do with his manipulative ex, so when his sister introduces him to Eleanor at a party and suggests he take her along as a decoy, he readily agrees.

Eleanor’s world is completely different from Reggie’s. While he is wealthy, privileged and successful, she’s quiet and a bit withdrawn, and has struggled her whole life. But she fits in like a dream as his fake girlfriend, chatting with his family, enjoying the PDA, and snarking back brilliantly when his ex brings her claws out. It’s going so well, in fact, that what initially starts out as a brunch extends to a whole weekend.

Reggie and Eleanor share an easy connection that quickly becomes so much more than either of them were expecting, and as they start to fall for each other, they discover that they’ve stumbled into something real after all.

“This is real, you and me,” he says, his head dipping down to the nape of my neck. “It’s real.”
I nod and whimper. “It’s more real than anything I’ve ever felt.”

This is a really cute read. I liked Reggie and Eleanor as characters, their chemistry is fantastic, and everything between them felt so natural. It’s sweet, flirty and sexy, with a nice amount of emotion, and I really enjoyed it.

3.5 stars.