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

I loved the idea of this story, but it didn't quite work for me. I think there was maybe too much going on which distracted from the romance element and the ending was a little abrupt.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I have been reading Mhairi McFarlane books for years. I have always found them either really great, or really poor. This one was just OK.
I struggled to get into this book, and usually (if not reviewing) I would have DNF'ed the book.
I'm pleased I carried on reading though.

This book handled some delicate topics really well - such as depression and suicide - and gave the book a bit more of a 'backbone' than some other romantic books.

Overall this was a nice book to read (despite some of the sad elements) but is not one I will rave about, or even remember in a months time.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Bel works as a undercover investigative journalist based in Manchester. When a new calmed Connor joins the paper, they don’t exactly get off on the right foot and decide to stay as far back from each other as they can manage.

But, when Connor finds himself involved in the latest investigation Bel is undertaking, which is a political corruption, they have to improvise and Bel has to portray him as her fake boyfriend.

The story had romance as well as the importance of the investigation.

I highly recommend this book.

. I liked the setting and that the dual narrative meant that we got insights into both Bel and Connor. A slow burn which took a little time to get going. It was not my favourite from this author but still an enjoyable read

Bel used to be a podcaster now she's an investigative journalist at a national paper in Manchester. It's a small office consisting of herself her co worker Aaron and a new intern, Connor. When her and Connor get off on the wrong foot she thinks it's going to be a difficult few months. Until she gets wind of a massive story and Connor gets caught in the crossfire and he's roped into being Bels fake boyfriend. If this goes well Bel will be able to break a massive story and get justice for the sources but it doesn't take long for the lines between real and fake dating to blur. Will she be able to get the story and the man?

Mhairi McFarlane has done it again. At this point I think I'd even love reading her shopping lists. I've loved everything ive read by her so far and this was no exception the way she writes keeps me so gripped. This was a mixture of witty hilarious banter and really heavy emotional topics making me both laugh and cry. Connor and Bel were such a slow burn and I wondered if either of them were going to admit their true feelings in the end. I will continue to read everything Mhairi writes and will continue to recommend her to everyone.

Bel is a sharp, determined investigative journalist, and Connor—an intern in his thirties—is her reluctant office rival. Sparks don’t exactly fly when they're together... until an undercover encounter forces them into an unexpected arrangement: fake dating. From there, the tension simmers in classic slow-burn fashion.

Having recently read a lot of American cowboy romances, I found the shift back to British slang a bit jarring at first—but once I adjusted, Mhairi McFarlane’s signature wit and dialogue came through strong. As always, she excels at crafting emotionally intelligent, layered characters.

Bel and Connor's relationship unfolds gradually, almost imperceptibly at first, which is both a strength and a slight drawback. While I appreciated the depth of their emotional connection and the realistic pacing, I wasn’t fully convinced by their chemistry. Still, I enjoyed watching them learn to trust each other, and the journey felt authentic.

The story takes its time to get going, which aligns with its slow-burn nature, so while the early chapters dragged a little, the payoff later felt earned. That said, a few narrative choices left me unsettled. Without spoiling too much, I wish there had been more closure around Bel’s past relationship with Tim. There were layers to their breakup that never came to light, and it felt unfair that Tim was left with only part of the truth.

The ending also felt quite abrupt. A short epilogue would have gone a long way in giving readers more closure—especially since McFarlane doesn’t always guarantee a couple’s happily ever after!

Overall, while this isn’t my favorite of McFarlane’s novels, it’s still an enjoyable read for fans of emotional depth and nuanced character work.

Tropes:

Enemies to lovers

Fake dating

Slow burn romance

Thank you to the writer, publisher and Netgalley for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for a review.

Oh my goodness, I totally love Mhairi McFarlane – this book is just gorgeous. Pure joy to read, lots of fun, humour and intelligence – basic genius really.

It’s a simple enough rom-com but those are hard to write and McFarlane nails it with sharp detail, layered characters, and genuine humour. This isn’t fluffy, patronizing fiction. It’s clever, emotionally intelligent, and written for women who know their own minds.

As I’ve said in other reviews of her work, she doesn’t write dumb, trashy fiction. This is for intelligent, well educated, career-driven women who want something light for their leisure time. This is for my friends and peers—women take up space in the world and want fiction that respects both their intelligence and their emotions. Why shouldn’t we have both, cerebral fiction that makes you laugh out loud, and fall in love with a new book boyfriend?

The story gives us everything we love: enemies to lovers (my favourite!), fake dating (not usually my thing, but it works here), forced proximity, even a shared bed. It's basically a rom-com masterclass. But somehow, none of these tropes feel forced—they just unfold naturally, and you don’t realise how many you’ve ticked off until later.

It’s Bel and Connor, both working on a newspaper – She’s the quirky roving reporter (imagine Lois Lane in Doc Martens), and he’s the polished, aloof new guy—total Mr Darcy vibes (which McFarlane leans into with delightful irony). When she goes undercover for the big story, he accidentally finds himself along for the ride and they start to misunderstand each other. This is slow burn, this is no kissing until the end, this is no spice, this is about the verbal sparring, the shared experiences, the mistakes and the missed opportunities.

There are loads of cultural references that made it feel so up to date that it's just not true – when did she write this, last week? But also, probably play to a generation X audience very well.

I guess the thing I would say is, I just loved it, go and read it. NOW! Run, don’t walk!

The problem with being a Mhairi McFarlane fan is you get used to being spoilt. As someone who’s read hundreds of rom-coms, I know there are books that are absolute toilet, then above this there are fairly pleasant reads that make up the majority of the genre, and above those there are absolute crackers. Then there’s Mhairi.

I consider myself pretty widely-read, from Anglo Saxon poetry to Brit-lit, from popular fiction to medieval mystery plays. So when I read my first Mhairi McFarlane novel, I got a couple of pages in to what I expected would be a book that was average for the genre before I literally sat up a bit and thought, ‘Oh! Oh, so this is someone who really knows what she’s doing.’ And after that, I found each of her books was witty, well-plotted and paced, had engaging larger-than-life characters with well-crafted arcs, and an incredibly insightful understanding of human nature.

So when a new McFarlane book is released, your expectations are high and the fear is anything less than brilliant is going to be a let-down. Like the pressure of being the next actor to don the Superman suit after Henry Cavill, the odds weigh heavily in favour of disappointment.

But I should remember In Mhairi We Trust, because Cover Story is soooo good. I’ve long accepted that it’s unlikely anything will ever quite reach the heights of Don’t You Forget About Me or Last Night (if you’ve not read them, check them out), but her latest is quintessential Mhairi.

Bel is a typical McFarlane incisive-yet-messy protagonist, and I really enjoyed the dual aspect narrative that allowed us to see Connor’s personality and thought-processes. Bel’s story and arc outside of the romance element was really interesting and served to ground the developing relationship in some substance. As always, there were some expertly-drawn supporting characters from the toxic (Anthony, Glenn, Jen and even Aaron) to the sublime (Shilpa, Ian, Shaun, Amber). The characters’ inner thoughts and repartee with others is so sharp (for me, that’s the defining feature of McFarlane’s work), featuring sometimes subtle cultural references that keep me entertained, on my toes and frequently snorting out loud with laughter – I think every woman of a certain age has been to a place where ‘men roamed like feral jackals in Superdry.’

I’m so glad (and relieved) that Cover Story is another winner. In our modern, throw-away culture that churns out masses of low-quality goods for consumption, this feels like a rare treat: the satisfaction of this read is that which you get from anything well-made that’s had time, effort and skill poured into it.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A Duel POV full of McFarlane's usual wit and banter. This author is an auto-read for me, and she never disappoints.
Characters that are well rounded with the charm and flaws that we all have. Stories that are true to life with laughs, great friendships, and the reality of situations that we could all find ourselves in.

The slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers dynamic that Bel and Connor is just perfect. Thrown into a fake relationship due to a story that reporter Bel is investigating, Connor has her back at all times.
Being able to know what each character is going through with the dual POV is just masterful.

Serious issues are also dealt with in a sensitive manner, but one of the things that I love about this author is how "real" her books are. Never tacked on, but included because life is never easy.

Highly recommended

Another absolutely fantastic read. I think I have read every book this author has written and enjoyed them all. Each time a new one comes out I fear it may not be as great but that has yet to happen. The characters are so well written and true to life it was a joy to read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.