I really liked Elle and enjoyed her story. She was my favorite character, along with Aunt Clara, and I especially loved Inky the Penguin!

Elle and August meet during a flight from NYC to Seattle as seatmates. Elle is trying to be friendly despite the debilitating migraine she's suffering while August is the typical grumpy billionaire who refuses to give her the time of day. Until he sees her collapsing in the airport when he rushes to catch her and then takes her home. The next morning, the papers and social media are blowing up at this girl the reclusive single billionaire has rescued and he turns up at her door to strong arm her into pretending to be his fiancée for the next few months. Part of her compensation will be working alongside her childhood heroine, illustrator and writer Clara Marshall, who just so happens to be August's aunt.

Their fake relationship is barely mentioned over the rest of the book as they both start falling for each other and things between them become real, despite August's attempts to push Elle away. He has some demons from a previous relationship that he refuses to admit to himself, but eventually he's able to work through his issues and realise he's in love with Elle and doesn't want to live without her. Her chaos to his quiet.

I felt like some parts of the story weren't fully explained, but the main storyline about the publishing house and the intellectual property thankfully was completely resolved.

I enjoyed the story but Elle and August both felt a little flat as characters, there wasn't really any real depth to each character. Ok they both were raised by a family member other than their parents and they were always the weird kid in class but it seems to stop there. We don't really know anything else about them which makes it hard to connect to them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I didn’t like it at all. Both of them are like the same person and the age gap made me really uncomfortable.

This one was a REAL STRUGGLE to get through. I love the concept and fake dating is one of my favourite troupes, but I was a fan of the writing, so it’s not for me.

Almost Pretend is a light hearted feel good storyline with a quirky cast of characters a combustible heat level and a twist that was a unexpected and surprising outcome.
I received a advance readers copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Elle and August could not be more different. She is outgoing, a bit loud, spontaneous and happy. He is cold, professional and grumpy. When she literally falls in to his arms at the airport it seems their lives have become intertwined. She needs a new job and he needs to look more human in the press. They agree to a mutually beneficial arrangement, they pretend to be together, she gets to meet one of her heroes (his aunt) and he looks like a caring fiancé.

They are such opposite it seems absurd to start with. She brings chaos, sunshine and fun wherever she goes. He brings order, grey clouds and dullness. They should not be attracted to each other. That wasn’t the deal, but boy they both can’t seem to keep away from each other. I loved their struggles to stay apart and their heat when they did get together was blistering.

The more Elle drew August out of his shell, the more I understood why he was the way he was. I loved how she did this for him and how he showed her how talented and capable she was.

Although I understood August, I still wanted to shake him at times. He let his fears get in their way!

I liked the Aunt Clara part of the story and did not see the twist at the end coming. I was so nice seeing August looking out for his aunt!

I really love when an author lets us see the after part of the story and we get lots of that here. This book made me smile, made me hot and left me feeling warm and fuzzy.

This is one of my favourite reads so far this year. Loved it!

stars: ⭐️ ⭐️ . 5
spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ (there was a lot of it, like too much even)

me in the first half of this book: 🥰 🥰 🥰
me in the second half of this book: 🤮 🤮 🤮

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, because it sounded interesting and I did enjoy the start of it, but after the first few chapters I just struggled to feel any sort of connection between the main characters. I just never felt that August even truly liked Elle, even at the very end something always just kind of seemed off to me.

If you like grumpy/sunshine, marriage of convenience, workplace romance check this one out and maybe you’ll enjoy this book more than me.

Very slow paced😴

2.5-3🌟stars
I thought the general plot and characters were fine and found the initial chapters captured my interest, but this story took so-o long to get to the point. The romantic and steamy scenes were so descriptive, every thought and gesture meticulously covered: just too much for me. And the excessive introspection and describing rather than doing goes through the entire book. I repeatedly thought about just not finishing but I pushed through to the end. Don't know if I really feel it was worth it.

I also did not have a lot of sympathy for August, the wealthy male lead, or Elle's ability to put aside his bad behavior so quickly. This surprised me because a good portion of the novel is told from his point of view. Theirs did not seem like a balanced relationship no matter how much they clicked behind bedroom doors. And I did not think the Aunt Clara subplot added much to the story.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This review will be shared on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads and Bookbub.

𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: April 30 2024
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

The story revolves around two very different people, Elle and August, who are brought together by a chance encounter on a flight.


One of the things I liked about this book was the slow burn romance between Elle and August. It was refreshing to see them fall for each other gradually instead of at first sight. Their banter and chemistry were also a joy to read. 



The plot was also interesting and kept me engaged throughout the book. I enjoyed the whole fake engagement trope, although I did find it a bit unrealistic that a billionaire would board a plane in the economy class. It felt like a minor detail, but it kept nagging at me throughout the story; Like why is a super rich guy like August would sit in economy class on a plane. It just didn't make sense to me. 


But I did Love how the author included Elle's anemia because I have it too. It felt awesome to see a character going through something similar to me.


While it may not be the most memorable romance I've read, it was a enjoyable and entertaining read. I would definitely check out more books by Nicole Snow in the future.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Billionaire romance, grumpy/sunshine, age gap, fake engagement, opposite attract

Elle and August are so fun to get to know. August is a stuck up business man who runs into Elle on a plane ride and their lives get tangled on the way. I loved the little mysteries tied up in the spicy love story!

I have read quite a few of Nicole Snow’s books and I found this one followed a similar pattern as many of her others.

While I do enjoy a good fake dating, age gap, grumpy x sunshine romance, this one had too many similarities to some of her other books.

I did enjoy the characters of this book however! Like I said, I do love a grumpy man, especially if he’s a billionaire

3.5/5

First person, dual POV: August & Elle
Rating: 1⭐️/DNF
Spice: DNF

Unfortunately, after about 25%, I had to give in and DNF this. We get the dual POV of both MMC and FMC and they both annoyed me beyond comprehension.
Couple things right off my head:
- Why is a billionaire flying in business class on a red eye? Maybe it’s talked about later on, but I just didn’t get far enough.
- The FMC has anemia and is prone to migraines. I am a migraine sufferer, so I get it. But that scene where she passes out and he can’t get her awake and just takes it upon himself to dump her in his car and take her to the street she mumbled him grated on my nerves.
Both MCs were seemed incredibly whiny. Her playing a bit of the “I’m not like other girls” vibe. Apparently she’s just so pale and so frail (her seatbelt couldn’t even keep her upright…). The MMC was so hot and so grumpy that no one can help but swoon over this mysterious creature.

Thank you to netgalley for a review chance, but I think this is my last chance with trying Nicole Snow.

✨ARC review✨

If you want a lighthearted, easy to read romance that you don’t mind stretching your imagination on, then this is the book for you.

What starts as a business class meet-cute with the grumpiest of grumps, who also happens to be a billionaire, and a quirky 20-something who suffers from debilitating migraines ends up with a really sweet and happy ending for August and Elle. The author throws in some quirky side characters and a little witty banter to make for a fun read.

August Marshall has a bad reputation in the media, deserved or not, but he's managed to stay out of the spotlight for years. At the worst time for bad press, a strange woman suffering from a medical condition collapses in his arms and the media headlines read that he's taking advantage of a drunk woman. He proposes a plan: if she'll pretend to be his fiance for a couple months, he'll set her up with a job a an illustrator at his aunt's company. Real feelings soon develop but August knows he can never be the kind of man Elle deserves. If only this relationship wasn't pretend...
August is the grumpiest of grumpy! Tortured by his past, socially awkward, shy, and way too serious, but somehow Elle finds his awkwardness cute. With all the times he put his foot in his mouth, I expected a lot more groveling! I had a hard time feeling the connection between these two after the way he treated her, but the cute make-up epilogue made up for some of that.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story started out to be quite interesting and I was for sure I’d get into it but them it sort of fizzled out mid way. So I had to seem through it in order to see the end. It does have an happy ending though.

This was supposed to be a fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, billionaire romance with chronic illness rep. I assure you it has all of that.

The book is messy, so is its plot honestly. Elle and August’s chemistry isn’t quite there for me and I just am not feeling August for a character that’s supposed to be older in age. He comes off rather young in maturity.

Overall this one fell flat for me and I just couldn’t get into it like some of her other work. Some of the instances just make no logical sense, or there’s random tidbits of information thrown out with no ties. Just information.


Thank you Montlake, Netgalley, and Nicole Snow for the eARC!

Although I have a few of Nicole Snow’s books in my Kindle, I’m sorry to say that this is my first experience reading her work. Based upon this reading I’ll be downloading the ones I do own to read them because I enjoyed her writing style in this one. As the blurb implies, Almost Pretend encompasses a few tropes – fake engagement/age gap (but not a huge one)/billionaire romance, but I think what I enjoyed the most was Elle being such a ray of sunshine. She most definitely is a “glass half full” kind of girl and I love that – it takes a lot to knock her down because she’s such an upbeat, optimistic personality. On the other hand, August, is not. That’s all I’ll say so I don’t ruin the plot, but suffice it to say, these two are not what you would categorize as perfectly mated, but you’ll need to read it to appreciate it. The banter between Elle, her grandmother and her best friend had me in stitches – these three were a hoot when they got together and those were some of my favorite parts of this read. I thought it had the right amount of angst without being over the top and I would definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a slightly different take on the typical billionaire romance genre. I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

DNF at 34%

I had a very hard time getting into the story and connecting with the characters. I love me a good grumpy billionaire too!

Some people have rave reviews some I am thinking this one just may not be my style.

Thank you to NetGalley for

LOVED IT. I love a Nicole Snow book. Lots of content, quick read, enjoyable...right up my alley. Wouldn't we all like to be "stuck" on a plane with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?! Clearly fictional characters have all the luck!!! This is a good one to bring to the beach, on a trip to the mountains, or on a plane ride while you try to steal the armrest from the unruly passenger you've been sidled with. Enjoy.