I Temporarily Do by Ellie Cahill (2017)
College roommates Emmy and Beckett are both heading to grad school; Emmy has been scammed by a potential roommate out of all her money, and Beckett's married student housing is at risk when his fiancee leaves him. They decide to get married as a fix to both their problems.
If you enjoy fake relationships and friends-to-lovers romances, you might like this book. It was a quick, fluffy read, but unfortunately it's already fading from my mind. The story was entirely too short; it spent too much time on scenes that didn't add much at the expense of background information and development of their relationship. I never fully felt the chemistry between Emmy and Beckett and everything felt a bit surface-y. But, the characters are likable and I enjoyed the college setting. 3 stars
How to Choose a Guy in 10 Days by Lila Monroe (2018)
Of all the contemporary rom-coms I've been reading lately, this is by far my favorite. Competing for a promotion, stylist Gemma has 10 days to make-over her neighbor, Zach, aka Bigfoot, but as she starts to fall for him, she worries about what he will think of the bet.
I loved pretty much everything about this book. The story is light, fluffy, and sexy, and the writing is so readable and fun. I never wanted to put it down. Gemma and Zach had so much chemistry, and they also had a surprising amount of depth. Monroe crafted well-developed characters (Gemma volunteers at a charity helping women get back into the workforce, and Zach is recovering from a failed marriage) while still keeping the tone of the book light. Nothing ever felt forced. I loved watching Gemma and Zach get to know each other beyond their first impressions and how they both grow by the end of the story. 4.5 stars
The Summer of Madness by Alexander Raphael (2019)
I was provided a copy of this story by the author in exchange for an honest review.
In this short story, a man tries to win back his girlfriend by reading her favorite book out loud in public. I thought this was a sweet, simply written story that provides some commentary on our society's obsession with "the grand gesture." Normally with short stories, I find that there's not enough context or information for the story to make an impact. Here, the author utilized some clever tactics to help provide more background and character development. The premise held my interest - I wanted to know how it would all work out - although the writing was a little too plain for me at times. 4 stars
