DNF @ 45% - Got continuosly triggered from the female main character's insecurity and OCD tendencies. In the end, I decided to dnf it because it was too much for me and my mental health. I really liked the writing, the premise and the BI rep, though, and I'll be checking some other book by Dani McLean for sure.

I won't be posting any reviews on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon or Instagram since I've not finished the book.

Thank you, in any case, for the opportunity of reading Mortgage of Convenience.

I really need NetGalley and Goodreads to offer partial star options. If given the option to display true star reaction: this would be a 3.5

I have read a few of Dani's novellas, and was really excited to get a full novel from her. I really loved Bee and Sebastian. I enjoyed following them on their individual and mutual journeys of growth and seeing how they supported each other. Aiden was brother gold --- his relationship with Bee made me smile. Ellie (Sebastian's mom) and Cassie (Bee's new friend) brought a lot of joy and wisdom to the story and I kinda wanted to hang out with both of them and form a Girl Squad! The spicy scenes were plentiful and delicious and Sebastian was absolute book boyfriend goals. I saw a lot of myself in Bee, with her anxiety, insecurity, and people-pleasing tendencies. It was cathartic to watch her face her fears and learn to make better choices and have faith in herself; lessons I may implement for myself.

I did feel like there was a good bit of hyperbole that had me rolling my eyes a little bit. And the toxic friendship took up a tad more book space than I would have liked. But aside from that, this was a really solid contemporary romcom and I am grateful to the publishers for the opportunity I had to read a review copy.

Read if you enjoy:
- Men who cook, love plants, and have gold star bedroom skills
- female bonding & found family
- Journeys of self-discovery
- Making a house a home

Read with caution if you are triggered by: toxic friendships, abusive parent (in the past and off the page, but relevant), Crippling insecurity, open-door spicy scenes.

Mortgage of Convenience is a quick, fun, and heartwarming read. In my opinion, it's a great character-focused palette cleanser with the bonus of adorable cover art and a cute title.

This book had a strong start as the plot was set up and we got to know the characters, but ultimately fell flat for me. The characters lacked nuance and the story lacked depth. There was a lot of jumping around with the timeline and with the conversations. I found a lot of the dialogue to be hard to follow as many scenes lacked context about their physical surroundings or actions. I also found the writing to be very repetitive.

Sebastian and Bee had so much potential (I mean male stripper? How fun is that?) and I would have really loved to see more of their personalities and development - and maybe a touch more pining and angst to build up their chemistry.

While I admit that this book wasn’t a favorite for me, I have an enormous appreciation for the representation in Mortgage of Convenience. Dani McLean touches on things that I've rarely found (if ever) in books I've read in the past and would love to see more of in the future of my journey as a reader. And Dani, being queer themselves, laced in so much free and casual representation from all over the queer map.

One example of the representation I so appreciated is the topic of outgrowing friends. It’s something that resonates with me and can be so hard to go through no matter how needed that transition may be. Yet, you don't often see it amongst all the perfect sidekick besties in romance novels.

Another example - and probably the most meaningful to me - is that the MMC is bisexual and through exploring his attraction to men he has discovered that he is only really physically/sexually attracted to men rather than interested in a relationship. I love that it's valid to him and those he surrounds himself with simply because it's his truth. It's something I identify with as a bisexual woman and it is so nice to see this type of more niche representation.

Mortgage of Convenience didn't end up being the book for me but it is for someone! I will definitely be giving this author another chance - I have my eye on some titles already.

Honorable mentions to the tropes in this book.
- Brother's best friend
- Age gap
- Forced proximity
- Arrangement of convenience
- Man obsessed
- Sober and sober curious MCs
- Found family

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Set The Mood Publishing for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've posted my review on Storygraph, Goodreads, and will be posting my review on Amazon once the title is released and can be reviewed. (Links included)

It kinda hard for me to understand why there are so many bad reviews about this book because i actually enjoyed it. But I get it. Even though i did enjoy it, it kinda felt rushed and more like a first draft. Like Giulia said to Bee “ there’s potential there “ but I think there should’ve been more writing and details about a lot of things but most importantly why did Bee leave home? yes it was mentioned but i feel like it could’ve shown better. What was her relationship like with her parents? I also wanted to read more about Aiden and see him & Bee’s relationship come together instead of it just being as simple as it was, thrown in there. This was my first age gap read, after reading this one i want more. The spice was spicy & a good amount was put into it. A lot of people were talking about Bee’s threw them off & cause them to look at the book sideways, but it was a fantasy of hers, it didn’t make the book TERRIBLE. Anyway, most things in the book were predictable so the excitement wasn’t there. To me it felt as if Dani wanted the book to be relatable & it was ina way for me at least, because i’m also a people pleaser, but it felt like it wasn’t all the way there. It seemed she thought of a relatable topic, started it but didn’t finish. I get Bee was described to be a private person but it felt more like she was a private character due to the fact it was barely much said about her. The ending was a predictable happy ending & was definitely too short and simple. Overall i rate it 3/5 nothing more nothing less. I would read it again if only the feedback was taken and applied.

The beginning of the book had me hooked but the chapters slowly started to get longer and more tiring to read. However the plot and idea of the book was well shown but the end product didn’t live up to the expectation. The lives of the characters were realistic and well written but the story dragged around half way through. But the book itself was comforting in a way, as the characters were relatable and they all had a distinctive energy/feel that stood out.
I would recommend it but it’s not a fast paced read so if your looking to get out of a slump or a quick read i would recommend reading this another time but it was 100% worth it. :)

anyways, the cover of this and the premise was really drawing. i thought it was unique and the author’s writing style was simple to follow. the characters were okay. i didn’t really love them, didn’t hate them. i couldn’t relate to them in the way i typically look for, but they had some thought and flesh to them. i think what really threw me off with the book was the plot. it wasn’t exactly all over the place, but i didn’t see how everything connected and i wanted there to be a little bit more depth to it. nonetheless, it was still enjoyable at several parts and was fast-paced!

Cute title and cute cover!

If you like insta-love, dual POV, brother's best friend, age gap (slight), bookish FMC, LGBTQIA+ representation, and smut - you will probably like this book.

As a whole this book was cute. I liked that they end up sharing a house together - I wanted a bit more tension but with both of them already being head over heals for the other, it felt more just like two horny characters just waiting for the other to make the move. I liked that Bee was a writer and that she was working through her insecurities, but at some point in the book - the insecurities wore on me. Believe in yourself girl!

There were some smaller side stories and some worked well and others left me feeling they were unresolved (Morgan)

This book also didn't have the typical third act breakup, which I liked.

Solid 3/5
Spice 3/5

Many Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher, and the Author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just in time! I really enjoyed this book and how open and honest it was. I really related to the struggle that the FMC was going through. I think this book is excellent for someone who wants some spice and everything nice. This is my first Dani McLean book and I can guarantee I will be picking up another, I also really enjoyed the banter that this book had, A really fun read!

Rushed and Disappointing "Mortgage of Convenience" rushes through its storyline, leaving readers with more questions than answers. The chapters end abruptly, and the characters' motivations feel unclear and thrown together.

Bee, the main character, falls flat and lacks depth, making it hard to root for her. Even the romantic scenes don't add much excitement to the story. However, Sebastian's charm and Bee's journey as an aspiring author do offer some small moments of enjoyment.

This was entertaining, fast paced. I’ve been on a romance kick lately so this was a nice addition to my collection.

Cute read but didn't grip me like I'd hoped. Liked the brother's best friend trope but felt like the book was missing something

Thank you to Net Galley, Dani McLean & the publisher for this E-Arc 💗

Bee is a ghostwriter who returns home and buys a house with the guy she’s had a crush on for a few years. What could go wrong?

Sebastian is still trying to find his way in this world. He’s pushing 40 and strives to settle down, get married and start a family. When his best friends brother, Bee offers to help him buy a house he can’t turn down the offer.. can he?

This was a slow burn, however really got me thinking what I want out of life! I love how the characters challenged each other to be open and honest

A solid 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

You’ll like book if
⁃ you enjoy love of convenience
⁃ best friends brother
⁃ found family

Excited to see what Dani writes next!

Oh god, the sweeetessssst book. I feel so so strongly similar to Bee, i feel so seen having my struggles with friendship, with proving myself to others, with wanting freedom as well as with Sebastian, with not wanting to be like our parents, with tunnel vision on his goals, and with weight holding him back. It is the best kind of not just chemistry but also they fit like a puzzle. I love how mature they are with things, i love how the other seemingly completes the other with domesticity, love, passion and understanding. I don't know how many I annotated and highlighted and how I wish ARC ebooks like this stay in my library for so long, i need to get back to my annotations from time to time and it is hell transferring them one by one so i just let go. I might add them here like my other reviews if I ever get the time before it archives and disappears.

But thanks Netgalley and Set the Mood Publishing for the trust and ARC.

Sadly, this book didn’t work for me. Bee’s pov was so repetitive and not fun to read about honestly. Sebastian was actually sweet and supportive, so I found him to be a little more tolerable. There was actually no tension at all in the romance and because of that, a lot of the intimate scenes came off unappealing and like the characters were nothing but horny 24/7. I usually love the forced proximity trope but it wasn’t executed well in this story, so I just ended up disappointed.

Can I just take a moment a drool over this cover art! 😍
Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean was so freaking adorable!
The story pulled me in from the very start and kept my interest till the end. I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as a rom com, but it is a very sweet and clean contemporary romance with many humorous moments woven in that made me smile and laugh. An adorable and heartwarmingly sweet story that I am glad to have had the opportunity to read.

Thank You NetGalley and Set the Mood Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

And honestly speaking I struggled to finish this one, I didn’t think the storyline with the mortgage was realistic at all, her best friend is a major arsehole & I was quite happy to get to the end.

Bee and Sebastian are nice characters and I did enjoy how much they liked it each other and their relationship, Aidan also seems like a lovely brother. Other than that, this wasn’t the book for me.

2 stars

Alright where do i start..i was very excited to read this book (and my first requested ARC!!). I thought the cover was pretty and the plot summery seemed promising but unfortunately, i was left pretty disappointed by it.

Firstly, i didn’t feel like the characters had any chemistry between each other. Their scenes and interactions felt forced and it made it hard for me to get into the story and connect with both MCs. I’m sad to say it but i was bored. It felt like i was reading a 500 pages book instead of 260 pages. The dialogue was repetitive and the storytelling was confusing and all over the place, it was difficult to follow. If you like brother’s best friend, insta love and forced proximity, i think you might enjoy this book a little more than i did. Overall, this book didn’t work out for me.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First, thank you to the publishers and net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Brothers best friend
Forced proximity

Now, why didn't I like it
I felt zero connection between the 2 main characters, zero.

Second, I didn't understand why she decided to spend 20,000 for a house that he wanted when they weren't even close, except that she had a crush on him.

Third, her reason for coming home seemed huge, but it was really just insecurities about confidence. . . Like what??

The book had a cute premise, so I was excited, but I was hoping for her reason for coming home, asking him for help, and buying a house was something big. I thought maybe she pitched a book about a love story between her and a stripper and needed his pov or something.

This book was hard to get through it was boring, and it felt jumpy. It jumped around alot.Their pov felt like they were the same person, and honeslty boring half the time.
Some of the smut scenes were honeslty ick.

Thank you NetGalley, the Publisher, and the Author for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tropes:
- brother's best friend
- Dual POV
- forced proximity
- age-gap

While browsing I stumbled upon this book and was fascinated from the very first moment and intrigued due to the cover and the description. I was so excited when I finally could begin reading this book & I enjoyed reading it! It was so easy for me to connect with both characters for different reasons. For one Bee was very relatable with her anxiety issues and everything that came with it. And it was so nice to read about topics like outgrowing friendships and trying to open up to new people and how hard it can be. Also, the topic around Sebastian and his hard childhood is something that hit home and made the book even more relatable to me. But due to all these topics, I would say it´s very important to check out the trigger warnings beforehand! While reading the book I always squealed a bit when he recognized something in her no one else did or it became more apparent that they have feelings for each other. More than once I was swooning over Sebastian. But I must say that the last 20% of the book felt a bit slower to read than the beginning.

Some of my fave quotes
"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦?"
"𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦."

"𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥, 𝘉𝘦𝘦. 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."

All in all, I enjoyed this book!

Thank you Net Galley and Set The Mood Publishing for this ARC of the book Mortgage of Convenience by Dani McLean in exchange for an honest review on my part. I'm afraid this book was just not my cup of tea. The pace was slow moving and the MCs just didn't have any redeeming qualities that I could latch on to so I could become invested in their relationship. I was lulled in to the request by the cute cover and title but it just didn't materialize into a great relationship book. The smut was over the top and of no substance to the actual story in my opinion. I have never read any other books by this author, so hate to be making any judgement based on just this one book. For me the 2 STARS is a bit of a generous gift.