This was a quick, and cute friends-to-lovers read.
Due to all the things are happening in our country with immigration, this story was perfect for this time. I did enjoy the character development of Miz, Kal, and the stories of both families were perfect.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Only Because It's You was a book I truly wanted to love, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I usually enjoy a good fake marriage trope, but this one just didn’t deliver the charm or emotional pull I look for in the genre. The chemistry between the characters lacked spark, and I found myself missing the kind of witty banter or compelling tension that makes stories like this shine.

The main character, Miz, was particularly tough for me to connect with. From the moment she took the ring and began lying to everyone around her, I struggled to root for her. Her choices didn’t make her feel flawed in a relatable way - they just made her hard to like. And honestly, I kept thinking, “Would I even want to be friends with her?” That made it hard to stay invested in her journey.

I can see this book resonating with other readers, and I know there’s an audience that will appreciate what Fisseha was aiming for. Sadly, I’m just not one of them.

LOVED this!! A fresh, fun take on friends-to-lovers with all the drama I crave!

This book was an absolute blast from start to finish! It follows Miz and Kal, childhood besties from Ethiopia now living in Canada. Miz is firmly anti-marriage… until Kal’s visa is in jeopardy and he’s about to be sent back home. So what does she do? Marries him, of course! Just a casual best-friend-wedding-to-save-your-immigration-status situation—what could possibly go wrong?

Spoiler: so much. And I loved every minute of it.

This story gave me everything I want in a romcom: a playful twist on the friends-to-lovers trope, a fake marriage full of real feelings, and just the right dose of messy, glorious drama. The plot was fun, fast-paced, and kept me totally hooked. I lived for the scene where Miz tries to set Kal up with multiple Ethiopian women in Toronto… only for all of them to show up at the same time. Pure chaos. I was cackling.

Miz and Kal are the kind of characters that make your heart ache in the best way. Reading from both of their perspectives? SO satisfying. Watching them tiptoe around their feelings, each thinking the other doesn’t feel the same? Ugh, my heart. Also, Kal is such a soft, sweet cinnamon roll—I adored him. Miz really scored with that one.

Now, the only thing that didn’t fully hit for me was the Daniel drama. It dragged on a bit, and I kept waiting for some kind of satisfying takedown that never quite came. Miz being hesitant to tell Naomi the truth about Daniel? Girl… no. If I found out I was the side chick and the guy was about to propose? Oh, I’d be yelling it from the rooftops. And when Daniel slithered back at the end like, “we can still hook up tho”? Absolutely not. I needed more justice there!

But overall—what a fun, swoony, messy-in-the-best-way romcom. I tore through this in three days and had such a great time with it. Highly recommend if you love heartfelt tropes, lovable characters, and a little chaos sprinkled on top.

I loved reading Miz’s and Kal’s story and being introduced to Ethiopian culture throughout the book! However, I did not agree with or understand some of Miz’s decisions from the beginning and towards the middle of the book. I felt that some of the decisions she made were unnecessary. I also feel that some of the deliberate miscommunication could have been omitted to avoid some of the situations Miz found herself in.

Loved this!!!! Highly recommend anyone to read it, thank you for accepting me! Definitely need the trophy copy for my shelf

A genuinely funny and high-stakes romance. Mizan and Kal have been friends forever and, in a cocktail of immigration issues, comedy and yearning, the two decide to get married in order for Kal to stay in Canada. This book has the loveliest friends-to-lovers dynamic, and I loved flipping between their lives and families in Canada and Ethiopia. The chemistry, text banter, and family traditions and celebrations were so much fun to read.
Conflicts and tension build throughout this story, and I appreciate the genuine introspections of Miz and how patiently and kindly their expectations were resolved by the end. This book was a good mix of upbeat fun with somber reflections; some of the pacing and lead-up to events could have been given more details (and the side plot with Daniel didn’t contribute much to the story for me) but overall was a very very sweet rom-com.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC, posted on goodreads

The book was not a good fit for me

I felt like there were several elements that felt unevenly attended to. The subplot with Daniel’s engagement ring was unnecessary and didn’t feel like it added anything. The chemistry between Miz and Kal felt… nonexistent. And I felt like Miz was pretty hard to root for. I think this story had a lot of potential but insufficient follow through. It could definitely benefit from more refining and maybe trying to do a little less.

I was bummed too because I felt like there was a lot of fun elements that are really unique to this book that didn’t quite hit with me because there was so much else I wasn’t connecting with.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

I think this makes a good book for people who like the marriage of convenience trope or films like The Proposal. It’s lighthearted, funny and I also like the incorporation of the author’s Ethiopian culture. I enjoyed the first part but as the story went on, I became less interested and skimmed. I’ll probably return to it once the audiobook becomes available.

I enjoyed Only Because It's you. It was an easy read with humorous moments throughout. I appreciated the look into Miz and Kal and the slow morphing of their friendship into more. I think the look into the cultural backgrounds helped to really shape the story as well. The characters felt authentic and relatable. I would rate it 3.5/5 stars

DNF at 15%, not enough to keep me hooked. I had so many high hopes for this one but it didn't do for me.

I think this book had potential, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The FMC felt too immature for my taste. I also found the timeline a bit confusing throughout the book though to be fair, that might be because I started skimming a little toward the end

I love a good fake dating trope, but this was more than that! It was a fake marriage, and honestly, it was on a thin line of actually being fake!! Love it! Miz and Cal really give each other a run for each other's money between trying to figure out if they were going to go to the next level and then finding the balance of the next level. Whew! And to add all the family drama on top of their confusing relationship. AHHH! I love all the characters, main and supporting! And the growth Miz and Cal experience is just right. Fun, easy, and great read!

This book is very a cute, quick read.

I have not read another story about friends to well, more than friends, in this way. I loved that. However, I do wished more time was spent on parts of the story. The end felt somewhat rushed and the Daniel issue didn't seem to matter as much as it did in the beginning.

ARC REVIEW, thank you so much to Rebecca Fisseha, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for this ARC. My review is not influenced by receiving an ARC. This is an honest review!

2.75 stars

This book follows Miz, who is not the marrying type, and Kal, who is a massive romantic. Kal is about to lose his visa, so Miz makes a decision that goes against everything she stands for, a marriage, a marriage of convenience. I loved the setting of Canada and Ethiopia. 

This book had a lot of potential, but it unfortunately didn’t hit the mark for me. I never really connected with most of the characters, they all felt a little flat. Miz and Kal didn’t have chemistry either. I feel like if both characters were fleshed out more then I would think they had more chemistry. 

I think the situationship, engagement ring, and miscommunication that came from the previous things were too dragged out, it was honestly a little annoying. The plot transitions were not smooth. Honestly, the plot just jumped around sometimes, making it harder to stay engaged.

DNF at 25%. I could tell exactly where this story was heading- a marriage of convenience, friends-to-lovers romance that I’m sure would have been absolutely delightful! But something in me was just saying now’s not the time… the woes of being a mood reader persist. I definitely plan to keep this one on my radar and will likely return to the audiobook when I’m craving a light, charming romance, especially since I was loving the beautiful elements of Ethiopian culture woven throughout!

a friends to lovers book following our two main character who have basically been friend their whole lives. but now one of them is threatened with having to leave the country. but this cant happen can it? so of course one will offer marriage is a stopper. it guarantees and easy stay right? errm not when you suddenly realize you care a whole lot more for this person.
not only do they have to navigate the often heartbreaking immigration system but also when other lines closer to home start to blur.
i think this book followed the subject matters well. im not quite sure i was as invested in the pair as i should be though so im not coming on here full of dizzy fizzy heights of this trope that can usually go so well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book. I am not a huge romance reader but I do like this trope. Unfortunately the book didn’t do it for me and I was unable to connect with the characters or this story.

I always thought that friends-to-lovers was the perfect trope but in this book, it failed me, once again. What I usually like about it is that since they've known each other for years, there's already some kind of chemistry. But here, I couldn't see it, I just saw a sister/brother kind of friendship with the FMC being the annoying little sister while the MMC just want to be left alone to do adult stuff (like, I don't know, focus on his job).

I don't really like how they went from friends with no romantic thoughts of each other to fake married with sudden want of each other. It wasn't smooth at all.

I didn't like both MCs, I couldn't believe they were both in their 30s or something. It felt very immature.

I did not finish this one. It is my style but it may be for others.
Thank you to netgalley & the publisher for the ARC.

The book has a decent premise but this reads like a first draft. There are so many time jumps after significant events and started to piss me off. Why is there a time jump after the first time they have sex and after they get back together right after a massive argument. Also they really didn't have chemistry but that's besides the point. At the end of the book everything that went wrong was her fault and yet somehow she was mad at him? There is also a whole side plot about a ring that I guess only exists to cause more problems in their relationship when were having them already so it was unnecessary.

I received an arc through netgalley.