I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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He’s an actor in need of an image makeover. She’s determined to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. A fake relationship between two best friends is the perfect solution. Or is it?

Reese Murphy has been my best friend since before we took our first steps. She’s the yin to my yang. The peanut butter to my jelly. It’s all platonic, of course, as we made a pact years ago that we’d never cross the line. But then she took a job abroad and moved away for a year. To say I’ve been lost without her would be a massive understatement. She’s finally coming home, and I couldn’t be happier about it. And then she presents me with a proposition... Pretend to be her boyfriend. I am an actor, after all, so it should be a piece of cake. It’s all part of her grand plan to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. My agent wants me to clean up my image, so it would be a win-win for both of us. But then she moves into my house and prances around in those tiny pajama shorts. There's also the night she catches me alone in the bathroom in a compromising position. And she isn’t in any hurry to leave. We get lost in the moment and now I can’t think of anything else.We are way past a gray area at this point. We’ve entered a smoking-hot-I-think-I-might-be-in-love-with-my-best-friend area. The problem is, she still thinks we’re fake dating. And I stopped faking it a long time ago.

I’m a huge fan of Laura Pavlov’s writing and I’ve been really loving her Cottonwood Cove series. So I was super excited to receive an ARC of the fourth book in the series. This is the story of best friends Reese and Finn and I was hooked to their story right from the start.

Reese and Finn grew up together in Cottonwood Cove. They have always been extremely close and people have always thought they would end up together. But they never did cross that line. Reese has been with her boyfriend for a long time, and when she took the opportunity to work in London he broke up with her. And Finn was always there for her. Even though he has a very busy job himself.

Finn is an upcoming actor who just finished his first season in a very popular tv series. When it’s time for a break, he goes back to Cottonwood Cove to relax and be with the people he loves most. But first he has to go to London, to take Reese back home. Reese is devastated after her fiancé, and boyfriend for many years started dating again. And Reese’s manager is trying to convince him to find a steady girlfriend to help him get rid of a co-star who is trying to make him look bad.

It seems like the perfect solution to help each other out by fake-dating. Reese and Finn have always been close, so people will easily believe that they are now dating. But the longer they do the whole fake-dating part, the harder it gets. And soon Reese and Finn start to realize there might have been more between them for a very long time.

The story of Reese and Finn was one I really enjoyed right from the start. I loved reading about their close friendship, and how they always stayed close in spite of life taking them to different places. I was rooting for them from the start! Their characters where easy to love! Reese was just so kind, and just started to make changes in her life to make her dreams come true.

Finn was just so charming and fun. At first he seems like he is mostly a fun guy who doesn’t take a lot serious. But we soon learn there is a lot more to him. And I especially loved how much he loved Reese. He would do everything for her.

Some parts of the story where a bit predictable, and I really didn’t like Reese’s ex. But this didn’t make me like this story any less. I loved reading about Reese and Finn and I enjoyed reading little moments about the other Reynolds siblings. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

If you’re looking for a fun friends to lovers romance set in a small town, this one is definitely for you. And although it’s part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

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About Laura Pavlov

Laura Pavlov writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome almost-grown kids, and dog-whisperer to one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. Laura resides in Las Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves to hear from readers!

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Maureen Bakker

Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always!  Facebook | Instagram