Arrrgghhh!!! This book has me kicking my feet at the end! I love these characters!

Unfortunately knocked a star off because at times I felt like I was grinning and bearing it through the serious plot scenes in order to get to anything that moved the romance along. And the sheer number of scenes that failed to move the romance along in the way I was craving. I get that was the point, that this was an enemies to lovers slow burn, but at times it was just too frustratingly slow for my taste.

Cute little will they, won’t they..

Two almost strangers who don’t like each other from the moment they met, embark on an undercover mission to out a well known person. A person who takes what he wants, no matter the consequences. These two must “pretend” to be in a relationship in order to get their story.

|#Netgalley|

When Manchester newspaper reporter Bel McCauley gets the opportunity to break a HUGE story, she's delighted - this could skyrocket her career. The only downside is her new colleague, Connor. He's just started work as an intern with Bel and her colleague Aaron. Connor is caustic, grumpy, and dismissive - so when he gets roped into the story and Bel impulsively pretends he's her boyfriend, will he even want to play along?

Sure of course he will, or there wouldn't be a book. LADS. This is one for the slow burn girlies. This had me giggling and kicking my heels like a schoolgirl, I couldn't get enough of it. I've grown to really love Mhairi's books over the last few years, I think she does a really fantastic mix of light contemporary romance and deeper issues. This one is no different - difficult subjects like past relationships and mental health are addressed in a realistic, respectful way.

The banter is top tier, the characters are well developed, the chemistry is electric, and the addition of a slight mystery to the main storyline added an exciting element to what could have been a generic slow-burn fake dating rom-com. It's an engaging read that I devoured over a couple of sittings. Loved this one.

With thanks to @harperfiction for the eARC via Netgalley. Cover Story is out now.

#SharonReadThis25 #CoverStory

I don't know why I waited so long to finally read this book because I really loved it !
This is pure enemies to lovers, set in journalism. Bel works in Manchester; she has moved there to be away from her toxic ex. Connor is the new intern at her journal, whereas he is over 30. He decided to start anew after a carreer in finance. None of them is really happy, but they are good at their jobs. And one day, they are forced by ciconstances to work together. They have to prove that a famous politician is corrupted. And they begin to know each other, and realise that no, they don't hate. Perhaps even they could become friends... Or more ?

Lots of great tropes here, enemies to lovers as I said, fake dating a work partner, reaaally slow burn, strong female main character and toxic exes. It was fun, it was sweet, a really lot of banter and some tender moments.

I don't know what Mhairi puts in her stories but my word they are so good!

In this one we have Bel and Connor and they.....well....they hate each other. Bel is working for a national newspaper and Connor joins the team as an intern
So when Bel runs into Connor while she is working undercover for a story she has to improvise and pretend that she and connor are a couple and are very much in love
The one thing i always find about Mhairis books is that they are not just a surface level romance stories there is so much going on and they can be quite emotional

Loved it!

I wasn’t really expecting this romance novel to be quite so focused on an undercover reporting expedition but I enjoyed it very much specifically for that reason.

I am a big fan of Mhairi McFarlane’s books and usually love them. Yes, you’ll have noticed that ‘usually’. Sadly, I didn’t really get on with this one.

There are some pretty serious issues addressed in the book such as mental health, stalking, revenge porn and ‘me too’ situations. Journalist Bel goes undercover to try to out a high ranking politician taking advantage of his position with young staff. Intern Connor gets dragged in as the fake boyfriend to provide some cover so we have fake dating and enemies-to-lovers tropes

It’s hard to put my finger on why I didn’t click with this book. I didn’t particularly warm to the main characters of Bel and Connor, though actually I liked him better than her. I am used to Mhairi McFarlane’s books being funny and romantic, proper romcoms. In this one though, I didn’t really see much in the way of humour and the romance didn’t come till very near the end of the book. For me, there wasn’t enough light-heartedness in the story to balance the serious topics. There usually are serious topics woven through the author’s work but I didn’t feel there was a balance in this one.

I didn’t hate the book but I didn’t love it either. I was engaged enough to keep reading and the certainly found the final section quite gripping with a satisfying ending. Overall, this wasn’t a hit for me although it won’t put me off this author’s books. There are mixed reviews online but it’s clear that most people have loved it so don’t let me put you off!

Bel takes an instant dislike to her tiny newspaper office’s thirty-something new intern Connor and the feeling is mutual. However, when they bump into each other on a job and must pretend to be a couple, they are forced to reevaluate.

This was my fifth Mhairi McFarlane book! She has such a compelling writing style and her lead characters are always richly drawn. While I enjoyed Cover Story, I don’t think it was one of her more memorable stories. The romance is quite a slow burn, which is fine, but it felt a bit lacking and some more yearning wouldn’t have gone amiss.

Weaving in more serious topics is a McFarlane staple, but I think there were a few too many storylines going on here.

I ultimately did enjoy Cover Story and would recommend it but I wanted a bit more from it.

A Mhairie McFarlane novel is always a really fun read and this was no different. Bel works in a small office of a newspaper in Manchester. Connor arrives to do a short stint as an intern. They dislike each other on sight. When Bel is working under cover for a story, Connor inadvertently bumps in to her and she is forced to introduce him as her boyfriend. While you always know how this is going to end, it's a funny, heartwarming story with lots of great characters.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane? Sharp, smart, and full of emotional depth—loved it.”
This isn’t just your typical rom-com. It’s layered with clever dialogue, real emotional moments, and characters that feel so authentic. Mhairi McFarlane has this amazing way of blending humor and heartbreak, and this book is no exception.

The main character’s journey had me hooked—full of career drama, secrets, and complicated relationships that felt incredibly real. And the slow-burn romance? Chef’s kiss. It was subtle, swoony, and completely satisfying without ever overpowering the story’s deeper themes.

4.5/5 stars. A witty, heartfelt, beautifully written story that balances charm with real emotion. Highly recommend for fans of smart women’s fiction with a romantic thread.”



❤️shaye.readss

After a couple of Mhairi McFarlane novels that were, although enjoyable, somewhat underwhelming, we’re back with a bang with Cover Story, which has all the elements of McFarlane’s earliest works that make her books so good.

Set in the Manchester office of a national newspaper, the story follows Bel and Connor. Bel has established herself there following the success of her podcast. Connor is the new intern. Surprise, surprise, they do not hit it off right away, in all the good ways that McFarlane does so well. But then, Connor almost blows Bel’s cover on a story and is forced to pretend to be dating her so she can continue, and the fun and games begin.

Like with all of McFarlane’s best books, the emphasis here is more on plot than the romance itself, which conversely makes the romance all the more enjoyable when it does happen. In this instance, the plot revolves around a #MeToo type scenario, with a political figure who uses and abuses his position. I have to admit, this is not new for McFarlane, but it’s done with a freshness here, since the story is about Bel’s journalism trying to bring him down, rather than a more individual take she’s gone for in recent books. And there’s a genuine tension of whether they’ll manage it to go along with the will-they-won’t-they romance.

The central relationship itself is beset by miscommunications but, for possibly the very first time ever, I didn’t even mind it! Having established the foundations of their relationship on miscommunication (when they first met), it only made sense that this would keep cropping up because they seemed constitutionally incapable of making themselves understood - right up until the end, that is. Hence the will-they-won’t-they nature of things. Of course, it’s Mhairi McFarlane so you know it’ll all end happily, but I did enjoy the back and forth of it more than I might have expected.

Overall, Cover Story is a book I loved, a welcome return to the best of Mhairi McFarlane. And it remains, nearly four and a half months into 2025, the only 5 star rating I’ve given this year (rereads discounted, since those were inevitable).

Loved this. I read everything Mhairi McFarlane writers and this was one of my favorites. I loved the investigative journalism plot and the romance -- it's rare to read a rom com these days where the enemies-to-lovers plot doesn't feel completely toxic, and she really just nailed it here. Was totally lough out loud funny and the banter was A+. Will be recommending

After being stalked by a sort of ex, Bel shifts to Manchester in her job as a journalist. Meanwhile Connor finds himself an intern at the same organisation after he changes careers from finance. Bel gets a lead on a big story but needs to go undercover, very secretively. But Connor walks in unexpectedly and is dubbed her boyfriend. And so the fake romance trope makes an appearance in Mhairi McFarlane's most recent story.

I must admit it took me a while to get into this compared to previous books. I think what was off-putting was Bel's use of dishonest methods to reach her end goal. This kept me on edge while reading and I found myself not reading as much as I might have. Obviously, she's a flawed character with her own set of problems. But I wasn't quite sure even at the end she understood the significance of her actions on those she used along the way. That aside, I did enjoy this quite a bit. The connection with Connor seemed to develop pretty naturally. His character seemed pretty obvious from early on and I will say he stayed mostly true to that throughout. I think his development perhaps came about before we reach the beginning of this story. There are some great side characters who helped build the story into something interesting, including a villain or two.

Overall, it was a good read and I rate it 3.5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for providing a free advanced reader copy. My review has been written voluntarily.

I’ll be honest, this one took a little bit of time to get into, and I wasn’t instantly hooked. I didn’t instantly like Bel, which is hard as a main character. She really took a bit of warming to. The same goes for Conner really. It wasn’t until the two are forced together that they were able to shine,

I like the journalist aspect of the story, adding a bit of mystery and excitement to the romanic aspect of the book.

I loved this! As always her books explore some hard hitting topics and have amazing character development. I loved Connor and bel as or MCs. Their relationship was great too full of chemistry and good banter. A slow burn but worth it and the writing was great

I’ve always loved Mhairi’s books so when I was given an opportunity to read it in return for a review I was so pleased.
It’s a great story with characters you fall in love with and just hope it works out how you hope!
Bel and Connor meet at work and although they take a dislike to each other, the story focuses on how working together changes their perception of each other - all whilst other page turning things are going on.
If you’ve like me Mhairi’s books before, you’ll love this one too!

I really enjoyed this clever and well written story. Bel and Connor were interesting characters and I enjoyed their own development as well as that of their relationship. A great story of investigative reporting and some difficult topics covered in a sensitive way.

Unfortunately this for me is a dnf because the pacing was very slow and the connection between the main characters felt off to me, the romance part i didn’t feel at all
But thank you so much to the punisher for giving me a Chance to read this arc

This may even closer to a 4.5 for me. Everytime I read a Mhairi McFarlane book, I'm reminded how much I love her. I live close to Manchester and worked there for many years, so I was delighted when I realised this was set in thar locale. I recently read a book claiming to have a Mr Darcy type MMC, but he was essentially just a grumpy older man who got the hots for a younger objectively stunning woman. "Cover Story" on the other hand offers up a story of misguided motivations and perceived prejudices, of which Elizabeth and Fitwilliam would be proud (or mildly exasperated). All this prickly sparring is enveloped into a "His Girl Friday" investigative journalism setting, which is my catnip. One criticism I have is that the switching of points of views isn't always seamless, but I could have stayed in Bel and Connor's world for many chapters more.
"Some people- and I don't mean bad people, all sorts of people- have no interest in changing their behaviour in order to seek better outcomes, and the condition is lifelong. Once you realise you're dealing with one of those people you can make an informed decision about how much energy you give them."
"Some people- and I don't mean bad people, all sorts of people- have no interest in changing their behaviour in order to seek better outcomes, and the condition is lifelong. Once you realise you're dealing with one of those people you can make an informed decision about how much energy you give them."

I really enjoyed this clever, slow-burn romance! Cover Story follows Bel, a sharp investigative journalist, and Connor, a thirty something intern she doesn’t get along with in the beginning. When a big undercover story forces them to fake date, things get interesting fast. The enemies to lovers vibe was strong, and I loved how their relationship grew naturally through shared experiences and trust.
There’s no insta love or over the top drama, just smart, realistic characters navigating their jobs, emotions, and pasts. The writing is witty, and the dialogue had me smiling more than once. I also appreciated how the book touched on real issues while still feeling light and fun.
If you like smart, emotionally grounded romance with great banter and a solid plot, this one’s worth checking out.

Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own