4.5 Stars

Who doesn't love a bathroom meet-cute... or a "meet-puke" as described in the book. With a marriage of convenience, only one bed, and dual POV, this story is a quick read that had me hooked, as I didn't want to put the book down.

Camilla Isley does it again, bringing readers another fun rom com with likeable main characters and good banter. "If The Ring Fits" is the second book in her Funny Feelings series, but it can be read as a standalone. However, I recommend you read the first book as well, so you don't miss out of another good book. I can't wait to read the third book in the series due out in May 2025.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love a good Camilla Isley story and this one even though i found it a little slow to start off really drew me in and I must say it was a good time. Really enjoyed the characters and the plot.

Highly recommend!

⭐️ 3/5

Ok, hear me out... the writer is good and the writing is good.

The story, however, is not.

I was frustrated with multiple patriarchal vibes... for example, the FMC is very educated and capable, but she becomes pregnant and is suddenly incapable, and the only things to save her are her parents or a rich man?! Like, why?

Then she becomes wingy and mean and gives him the silent treatment 🙄 😒 I just couldn't catch a vibe.

This felt more dramatic and less comedic.

But hey, it got alightly better as it went on. But even then, it wasn't for me.

♡ Marriage of Convenience
♡ Age Gap
♡ Forced Proximity
♡ Woopsie Pregnancy (not the MMCs baby)
♡ STEM career FMC
♡ Rich MMC

I didn’t love the set up of this book. The whole thing seemed unbelievable and random. However, once the story got going, I came to enjoy the characters and story. I always love Camilla’s writing and this one was just as addicting and fun as the rest.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[NET GALLEY READ #23]
4.25 ⭐

"Don't let fear hold you back from something wonderful."

Delightful.

Pros:
- Intriguing premise. Good characters.
- Well written. Dialogues are pretty good.
- Easy to read. A few big or fancy words here and there. But smooth sailing otherwise.
- Has that 'want to read the next chapter' quality.
- Not relevant but all I can think of after reading the name Rowena is Ravenclaw. The character is lovely, though.

Cons:
- Maybe a bit saccharine at a point or two. Otherwise, a good blend of funny and serious.

Other:
The first chapter with Adrian seemed a bit... wonky. It didn't click. But the next few were much much better. The backstory is sad and explains why the character is a workaholic.

Rowena's chapters were really good. Right from the start.
I like that she tells her friends everything from the start. There is no sneaking around and waiting for a few chapters til the friends find out.

Recommended. 👍

This book was so fun to read! And the main characters were likable which is SO great when reading a rom com. The banter was so well written and felt true to the character and plot line. I loved the swoony and spicy scenes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC

I absolutely loved this book, it had everything you want in a cute rom com. The MCs were amazing and I loved them both so much! It was funny and witty, the banter was great, there were tender scenes that made you swoon plus an optional steamy bonus chapter for the readers that want a bit of spice (which I also appreciated because I could skip and know I didn’t miss any of the story). I really didn’t want their story to end, I can’t wait for the next couple in the series either.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC

Basic info:
- Contemporary Romance
- Double POV, 1st person, single timeline
- Part of a series of a series of standalone books.

Tropes & hooks:
- Marriage of convenience
- FMC in STEM, MMC in finances (He is pretty wealthy too)
- FMC in pregnant (MMC is not the father)
- Forced proximity (one bed included)
- Age gape
- He calls her sunshine
- Slow burn

Quick premise:
Rowana (FMC) and Adrian (MMC) work in the same building and haven't really crossed paths before. She is a software engineer and he is an investment broker. The day Rowena finds out she is out of her job because of financial cuts (at which moment she is already pregnant and knows it), Adrian finds out he might be up for a big promotion, but only if he can demonstrate that he is a family man. At this point Adrian most decidedly is not such a person, he is totally devoted to his work. The same day Rowena and Adrian meet and after some discussion, they decide to embark on a journey to help each other and pretend to date and get married. She is moving to his place and as they get to know each other, they slowly fall in love.

<b>My thoughts:</b>
- I Loved the dedication. I was very amused by it.
- Rowena. I loved her. She found herself in a pretty shitty situation but was glad to see she had help from her friends and ultimately from Adrian. As a software engineer myself I felt Rowena. I am totally on board with the business idea she had.
- Adrian. We begin with him being a very work-centered person, he does not care pretty much about anything in the realm of friendships or relationships. The more time he spends with Rowena, the more caring towards her and her baby he becomes. He is very thoughtful and does everything for Rowena to be comfortable and figure out what her next steps should be.
- The tension and banter between the two is delicious. They feel attraction to each other but do not act on it because they both think that for the other is just a business arrangement.
- The meet cure between the main character can go two ways for you, you'll find it funny, or it won't be your cup of tea at all.
- Some might find the third-act breakup not convincing enough.
- It was an interesting choice to start the book with Rowena and Adrian being about to divorce and then go back to explain their story.
- I loved the guest appearance from the characters from The Love Algorithm.

<i>I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks to everyone involved in ARC's distribution.</i>

I was really excited to read If the Ring Fits—I love rom-coms, and the premise sounded like the perfect mix of fun, chaos, and swoon-worthy romance. A fake engagement between two strangers who are complete opposites? Count me in!

There were definitely aspects I enjoyed. The fake engagement trope, combined with forced proximity and an undeniable attraction, made for some entertaining moments. The humour and banter kept the story moving, and I appreciated the lighthearted approach to romance. The story had some fun, rom-com-worthy scenarios, and I can see why many readers would find it an enjoyable, easy read.

That said, I did struggle with some aspects of the book. While I can usually embrace suspension of disbelief, there were moments when the plot felt a little too convenient, making it difficult for me to stay fully immersed. I also found it challenging to connect with Rowena—while I understood some of her actions given her circumstances, I struggled with certain aspects of her personality and choices. At times, she came across as immature and self-centered, which made it difficult to root for her.

Additionally, the book touches on some serious topics, which I appreciate seeing in romance. However, I personally felt that certain elements could have been handled with more depth and sensitivity.

Overall, If the Ring Fits had its enjoyable moments, and I can see it being a fun read for those who love fake engagement and opposites-attract romances. While it didn’t fully work for me, I’m sure fans of lighthearted, billionaire rom-coms will still find plenty to love!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

If The Ring Fits is the second book in Camilla Isley’s Funny Feelings series. Both books are standalone stories.

It is the worst day of Rowena Taylor’s life! She has just come from the doctor where she learned she is 8 weeks pregnant with her ex boyfriend’s child, morning sickness is all day, and she has just lost her job. Trying to make it out of the building with dignity in tack calls for an emergency restroom stop.

Financial executive Adrian West has just been told by his boss that he and one other are being considered to take over as CEO when the boss retires after the first of the year. Adrian feels like he is a shoe in until he overhears the boss say that as good as he is the job will go to the other because he has a family and a life outside of work. The shock of this information and the questionable safety of his lunch sushi, Adrian, leaving the building to get his head together, finds himself in the first floor restroom for an emergency stop in the most unusual meet-cute a rom-com ever had.

Is there a way Rowena and Adrian, each with life changing problems, can help one another? And will the plan solve all their problems or create a whole new group to reckon with? This is such a fun story but woven within are serious topics our characters have to deal with. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Spicy, male female, 1st person point of view, contemporary romance. I love a marriage of convenience trope! This was a fun rom com with a handful of tropes. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the story kept me engaged. I'll be checking out her other books!

Okay, I am officially a Camilla Isley fan girl. Her books are simply *chef's kiss*.

Not too long, not too short
Perfect hooks
Laugh out loud moments
Lovable characters
Sharp banter
Wildly unconventional romance

"If the Ring Fits" is the second book in the Funny Feelings series, but feel free to dive into it as a standalone. This book brings us Rowena and Adrian who get engaged in a VERY unconventional way (no spoilers, but it involves a bathroom, very bad timing, and some mutual mortification). Adrian's CEO promotion is not going as planned and Rowena finds her entire life upended before 10 AM. Talk about a bad day! BUT these two have all the witty banter and an even wittier plan.

Fans of Camilla's previous books will be thrilled to see some of her main characters again and discover what they have been up to. If you're a fan of clever, feel-good romances, "If the Rings Fits" needs to be at the top of your TBR!

Camilla Isley is a must read author for me and her latest novel If the Ring Fits did not disappoint.

The trope of this novel is fake dating (or marriage in this case!) and it follows the main characters Adrian and Rowena.

It was a quick, easy read that I flew through. There is some good banter between the main characters that keeps the book lighthearted.

Rating 4.5/5

With most stories, there comes a moment where you have to suspend reality a little bit and with this one, it is pretty much when our two main characters meet for the first time. I feel like for some with this set of circumstances it will be too much of an ask but since I have read a lot of books by Camilla Isley and really enjoyed them I decided to trust her and buy into it, and I’m glad that I did because I loved this story.

I loved that we started with a flash forward to a crucial point in Rowena and Adrian’s relationship. It really set the tone of the story, added some nice tension, and made way for their kind of outlandish meeting. It made me eager to see what twists and turns the story would take, especially because I hadn’t looked at the blurb in a couple of months, so I was going in with a fairly clean slate.

The story was lovely and lighthearted, it explores how these two characters, who come together for convenience, spend most of their time trying hard not to fall for each other, and it was very entertaining watching the push and pull between them. I would say I don’t feel like we go too deep with this couple, but I didn’t mind that it was kept light, there was a more serious topic introduced towards the end of the book but it wasn’t explored too heavily.

I liked Rowena and Adrian, they had an easy and witty rapport which made their trying to stay separate from each other harder the more time they spent together. They also had very good chemistry which added some extra complications in the story. I was also happy to see some characters from a previous story show up in this one, especially my favourite fictional robot.

If The Rings Fits is a good fun romantic story with characters that I couldn’t help but care about, a delightful and entertaining read.

A software engineer has the worst day of her life by getting fired just hours after discovering she's pregnant to her toxic ex. Yet a chance meeting with a desperate fund manager may provide an avenue of temporary rescue with a fake engagement. Cute story that manages to take a tired trope and make it quite enjoyable.

I absolutely adored this book and these characters. Camilla Isley is one of the top queens for fun, emotional rom coms and I adore her stories! There a couple of different romance tropes in this: one bed, fake relationship, etc. But reading about these characters feelings and how much they end up growing closer is so heartwarming. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!

I like how Isley mapped the story line here. The beginning we get just enough info to know what’s going on then we go back to when Adrian and Rowena meet then we go back to present time. The ending is really good.

There was one thing that seemed weird to me. The “meet cute” they meet in a public restroom….to my knowledge I haven’t come across a unisex public bathroom unless it was a single room that was labeled unisex. I’m not saying they don’t exist but I just haven’t seen one. When I read this I was waiting for either Adrian or Rowena to mention that the other was lost or something like that.

While I appreciate that we have Liam as the “bad guy” and Adrian as the “good guy” I think we had two extreme cases. Adrian was a little more human meaning he has a few faults but they’re pretty minor but Liam was very far on the bad guy spectrum. I appreciate the contrast but I prefer more realistic characters.

My last note is the miscommunication. It’s not my favorite trope but I do have to say it was done well. It was still frustrating but I think the reason for some of it was valid.

Just a random side note- glad to see K2-P!

I’m rating If the Ring Fits 3.5/5. Not my favorite book by Isley but I was still able to enjoy it.

A sweet and spicy fake marriage romance that will have you both swooning and cheering! While I was a little concerned about the premise, once I got a few chapters in, I was sold! I loved the main characters and slow burn transition of their fake romance. Their growth and the end payoff was fantastic! My only critique is that the ending felt a bit rushed - I would have liked a deeper dive into the conflict and resolution rather than the single chapter it got.

4.25 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rowena is having the worst day of her life. Shortly after finding out she's pregnant with her horrid ex's baby, she's unceremoniously fired from her job. As she's suffering from all that's happening, a person falls into her life with needs that align with her problems. Adrian is an investment banker who wants nothing more than to reach the top, so he lies to his CEO and invents a pregnant fiance. When the pressure from the lie gets to him, he accidentally runs into someone who just might be the answer he needs. A marriage of convenience will solve all their problems, but will they be able to keep their emotions out of it?

The plot is as predictable as one could imagine from the synopsis, but Isley manages to make it charming enough that you get pulled into Adrian and Rowena's story. They both know what they want and have personalities strong enough to make them reach for it, as long as they don't get in their own way. It's sweet to see them slowly fall in love, despite their best efforts, as they get to know more about each other.

Extra kudos for including the characters from the previous book in a way that's a lovely surprise for those who read it without making it difficult for new readers to follow what's happening. It also makes me hope we'll get a deeper look at another couple's story in a future volume because I want details on how they ended up getting together.

Overall, it's not genre-defining, but it's sweet, funny, and just the right level of spice. Plus, it's the most grossly memorable meet-cute I've ever read.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the romantic read!

IF THE RING FITS (Funny Feelings Book 2) by Camilla Isley is an age gap, marriage of convenience rom-com with a multi-millionaire MMC and a STEM FMC. It is perfect for fans of Lynn Painter, Sarah Adams and Fallon Ballard. Read above for book description. I loved both of these characters, especially Rowena with her quirky humor and sharp mind. The couple had incredible chemistry in this closed door romcom, which does have a spicy epilogue for those that would miss the steam. Both characters had their own internal struggles and imperfections which gave them depth and increased my connection to them as a reader. It was a perfect example of the ideal that sometimes one has to meet their special person for everything to just fit and a truly unique meet-cute! I have definitely discovered another new to me author whose books I will be seeking more of in the future. I definitely recommend this funny book for readers who enjoy romantic comedies. This novel from Boldwood Books is available in the kindleunlimited program for those who subscribe.

I would like to thank Rachel’s Random Resources and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.