Ten Rules for Faking It is Everly's journey as she tries to get some control of her life, which seems to have unravelled horribly on her thirtieth birthday, with a live broadcast of said unravelling on the radio show she produces. Then there's also the attraction she feels towards the station manager Chris, who has been attracted to Everly from the first time he's seen her, but can't act on that attraction for so many reasons, the primary one being that she is his employee.

This book was such a delight to read and not knowing exactly what to expect from Sophie Sullivan, I was taken on a rollercoaster of emotions which left me wanting to read more. Both main characters in this book were brilliantly crafted and so relatable. She tackles some serious issues in this book beautifully and with a delightful comic twist. I really liked all the secondary characters too and I thought the whole story came together really well. I'd highly recommend this if you're looking for plenty of laughs with all the feels.

Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan follows Everley, who accidentally rants on live radio about discovering her boyfriend cheating on her on her birthday. As a result a radio Bacherlorette style dating game for her takes place, forcing Everley to face her anxiety head on. Meanwhile her boss, Chris, who had always previously been distant with her, is very cute and supportive and they begin to become… friends?

I found the tone and writing style of this book drew me in almost immediately. I thought Everley was super endearing and a great character to follow and also really enjoyed getting Chris’ perspective. I had been pleasantly surprised that this was a dual narrative story and I think it really helped with the development of Chris’ character since there was a lot of other stuff going on when we were in Everley’s perspective.

I do not struggle with anxiety like Everley, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of the portrayal necessarily but I did find it really interesting to see anxiety represented to this extent and it helped me learn more about people like Everley. I don’t think I’ve read a story with a main character similar to this and I really loved seeing this portrayal.

While I loved the first half of this book enough to sort of make up for it, unfortunately the latter half of this book ended up really falling short. The pacing was really slow and I found myself not really caring it pick it up as often (and I can usually finish a book this size within a day, maybe two if I’m really busy).

One of the main conflicts at the end of the book is something that you immediately know is going to cause the big problem from when it is introduced earlier on. Personally I really don’t enjoy that sort of thing because the entire time you’re reading you are waiting for this to cause a problem, and also it could so easily be resolved.

Also while I appreciated we got Chris acknowledging he’d gotten some great opportunities because of his family, a lot of his problems were just rich boy problems that I couldn’t overly bring myself to care about. Oh you feel your father is controlling and undermining your work? It’s not like that is because you are willingly working for him making him your boss. It’s not like you are super wealthy and could easily just not work for your father so he wouldn’t be able to mess with your work.

Finally on a personal level I much prefer stories that extend past the moment the main relationship begins. While I appreciate this is a slow burn, and that can work for me sometimes, I found myself wanting more scenes when they were actually together. (But this doesn’t affect my official rating since my rating is for what it was, not for what I wish it was.)

This is a zero steam level novel.

**Thank you to NetGalley & Headline Eternal for providing this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are subjective but my own.**

Ten Rules For Faking It is a sweet romance that deals with some interesting issues. When Everly walks in on her cheating boyfriend on her 30th birthday, and her story becomes public knowledge when it is revealed on-air at the radio station where she works, she agrees to participate in a Bachelorette-style dating game. As someone who suffers from anxiety, its her worst nightmare, but she agrees to do it and writes herself a checklist to help her cope with the whole process - the ten rules of faking it. She goes on the dates, but is she looking in the wrong place?

The romance in this book is very much a slow burn, and at times I did find it a little too slow for my taste. It took me a little while to get into it, but the further I read, the more I enjoyed the depiction of the main character and her struggles with social anxiety. Whilst dealing with a serious issue, the book combines it with plenty of humour and a fun, likeable cast of characters. All in all a fun, easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this. I identified with so much of the book, particularly the inner dialogue (don’t know if that is the right word) of the main character. Job well done.

Ten Rules of Faking it by Sophie Sullivan a great read that deals with so much. This could have been a five-star read for me, and in some ways, it is, but then there are parts that I wouldn’t even give 2 stars. But what did it for me was Everly, her character and how she deals with her social anxiety, how they were written, made this five-stars. What I didn’t like was Chris and Everly, the slow burn was temperamental, and needed a little work. The witty repertoire that Everly brought to this story was great and honestly what made it for me.

Everly has just turned 30. But this year is the worst birthday ever, finding out her ex was cheating on her and having the news broadcast live on the radio. What ensues is countless requests from listeners to date her and so begins the new radio segment where Everly goes on dates and reports back to the public how they go. Will Everly find her happy ever after?⁣
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This book is what I love about romcoms! Funny moments, heartwarming characters who have their own flaws and are in no way perfect with a cute believable love story. For all my romcom fans, you have to read this one!⁣

What happens when your social anxiety gets the better of you? You push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Enjoy Everley battle to work with her social anxiety and still be successful.
From family relationships, work situations and romantic issues.
Laugh and cry with Everley as she battles in the romance department.
Aided by Stacey her work bestie who unwittingly sets the whole ball rolling.

Ten Rules for Faking It was a sweet, slow-burn romance that focuses heavily upon the protagonist, Everly, and her struggle with anxiety. This is a book I'd recommend to people who are looking for chick-lit rather than pure romance; to people who want to watch the main character getting her life together and figuring out the things she loves. Although it was slow at times, this book gave me a lot of the warm, fuzzy feelings I wanted.

Everly's birthdays are always horrible, but this one takes the cake. She walked in on her boyfriend cheating on her, and now her friend has managed to broadcast that news at the radio station she works at. Suddenly people are lining up to date her. She gets involved in a Bachelorette-style game which is way out of her comfort zone. On top of all this, she can't stop thinking about Chris, her distant but extremely cute boss.

If you love slow burns filled with quiet, sweet moments between characters who don't want to be honest with each other, this is a great book for you. I'm always a sucker for slow burns, and although their relationship could have has more momentum towards the beginning, I had great fun. Chris is an incredibly kind, understanding man when he lets himself be, and he truly understands Everly.

Neither of them are ready to be honest with each other. To the point where it was Chris's idea to start up the bachelorette style dating competition with Everly at its heart. Fresh out of a bad relationship Everly isn't sure what she wants, but she knows she needs to feel safe and comfortable around them. The passion she has for Chris is way too much for her to handle. Meanwhile, Chris is the son of a billionaire businessman who owns the radio company; he was only supposed to be managing it for a short while to prove himself to his father. He can't fall for Everly if he's going to be leaving.

Alongside the slow burn, this book is generally slow-paced. It's the one you pick up when you want something softer. This isn't a steamy book. If you're a fan of romance but could do without all the sex, here you go!

The anxiety representation was excellent. Ten Rules for Faking It goes into depth surrounding Everly's mental health. She's trying to push herself, to become more confident, but recovery is never a linear progression. She has bad days and good days, victories and defeats. The book doesn't shy away from depicting the messier side of mental health.

I especially the character development here. Everly still has anxiety at the end of the book, but she's learnt so much about setting boundaries and questioning her invasive thoughts. She's learnt she can cancel plans, she can have time to herself, but not to let her anxiety drive her life. The honest conversations she has are so important.

I wish Everly going to therapy was included or at least looking into it as an option. I think books that handle mental health issues need to start accepting that people can't fix everything themselves, that therapy isn't a bad thing.

I also wish that Chris has a little more depth to him. Other than his tricky family dynamics and loveliness towards Everly, there wasn't much to him. I especially would have liked to see more of his relationship with his siblings, or mother. I'm not a fan of how his sister was treated - brushed aside in favour of the professional men of the family. In a book that's so slow-moving, there should have been room for development. This is also true of some of the other side characters, I'm glad Everly was given her time to shine, but the book focused so intensely on her other aspects suffered slightly.

Regardless of my small criticisms, this was a lovely book to read, it was a heartwarming romance, but where it really shone was Everly's fight with mental health.

A brilliant read about a woman suffering from anxiety working through work and relationship problems. I found this book hard to put down and enjoyed the slow burning romance between Everly and Chris. I found the story easy to get in to and was pulled in from the beginning. I will be looking out for more books by Sophie Sullivan and would definitely recommend this to a friend.

Sullivan's novel is a feel-good trip and though I did not exactly get the romantic experience I craved for the characters were relatable, the writing style flowed well and the humour was absolutely my cup of tea. Will definitely be reading more of Sullivan's work.

Everly Dean walks in on her boyfriend in a compromising situation with his assistant, on her birthday. As if her day cannot get any worse, she goes to work at the radio station and tells her friend about her dreadful morning only to discover she is live on air and has revealed her dreadful morning to all of their listeners.
With the help of her friend, Everly decides to make a list of who she wants to be-10 rules for faking it. This leads on to her going on a series of dates as part of a radio promotion designed to help improve her work and personal life, but perhaps she has been looking in the wrong place all along.
She has an undeniable chemistry with her boss but he is hiding something and Everly's anxiety is stopping her exploring all of her options.
I enjoyed this book, it was funny but also emotional and romantic, such a brilliant book.

"The warmth of his body and the heat of his gaze made her to step forward. The alcohol had pretty much worn off, and she felt hyperaware of ... everything. Like that chick in Twilight after she turned. What is wrong with you?"

This was such a delight. I fell in love with this book. It is a rom com at it's finest. I love Everly she is such a beautiful person. And Chris is just the sweetheart.
I love them together, they are just perfect together.
I love that this is just a clean romance book. It is just about falling in love. The feelings are important.
I just love the friendship aspect of this book, both with Stacey and with Chris.
This is not just a sweet romcom. This is also a story about anxiety disorder. About stepping outside the comfort zone, and face your demons.
Love, love this book
This is a 4 stars for me.

"Your message to Stacey says: I'm heading to the booby shake with Chris and his lover Noah. I need you to meet me there. I don't know why I say yes, but whatever you're doing, come there. Please, I'll be your date. "

After Sophie accidently rants on air about her cheating ex, the radio station where she works decide that she should go on a series of dates to try and find a new boyfried, with listeners voting for them along the way.

This forces her to spend more time with Chris the station manager. There is chemistry between them, but he is keeping a big secret from her, so how will she react when she finds out?

This book was a bit far fetched, I think. The boss seemed to be in love with the employee before they'd even had a real conversation and the whole "accidentally on air" thing just didn't ring true. I ended up slim reading the last 25% of this book.

Couldn’t imagine a sweeter rom com! The topic of “going viral” is depicted on the love arena, when a young woman gets dumped and becomes an instant sensation. The way she handles it is beyond hilarious! Highly recommended!