The Love Lie

4.5 stars! I think this is the first time I’ve read a “fake-date” scenario that was actually believable. Don’t get me wrong, I love the trope regardless of believability, but this one actually worked pretty well. I recently became little obsessed with Serena Williams so I loved the tennis angle. That being said I also appreciated that it didn’t get too deep into tennis and focused more on the romance. I also loved that both MCs were femmes. I love a good femme-stud story as well but this was a nice change. The characters were fun and funny and the plot was interesting and entertaining. I also loved the epilogue, because who doesn’t want to know where the characters are three years later? The reason for the 4.5 over the 5 is as follows: First, the author has a habit of writing long streams of consciousness in the middle of dialogue. I didn’t hate that, but I found myself having to go back to find out where the conversation left off so that I understood what was being said in context. Also, some of the supporting characters were pretty flimsy. There were some that you could get a general sense of, but others that were very, very much in the background. I don’t think Sydney’s father has a single bit of dialogue. I wish there was a stronger connection between the MCs and the SCs, especially Brynn, who was a very likable character. All in all, a great read. Definitely recommend!

A cheater's ex and sister team up to fake-date their way through his wedding prep. What could possibly go wrong? This book is like catnip to me, trope-wise. We're doing wedding events for a bride who's too good for this world and her huge douchebag of a fiance; We're doing toxic misogynistic family dynamics contrasted to good and healthy families who still have their own issues. Truly you could not give me something more up my alley if you tried. But beyond the surface level, McCallan's latest work showcases her growth in character and plot work remarkably. I was riveted not by some "will they won't they" miscommunication barrier between the leads, but by how they are both finally at a point in their lives that they're willing to trust, to communicate. You feel in in events like guiltily asking mom if she's okay when you've always treated her as a background element, and discovering a whole person who's always been there for you even if you ignored it. You feel it in how, when the two leads find themselves having a Moment of Romance while fake dating, they just decide to talk about it and see where they want to take this! McCallan manages to maintain a riveting pace while maintaining communicative and respectful characters who clearly love and cherish one another and their families. It's quite refreshing, honestly, getting such a low angst book out of such an explosive array of tropes. The fantasy this book sells arrives precisely when I'm looking for it - the fantasy of…