3 stars.

Zoey works for her dad who has a hotel empire. Matt owns a flower shop in a small town. Zoey's dad wants to build a hotel in Matt's hometown, these two meet and everything gets very complicated very quickly.

The small town is always a nice background for a cute story. First I didn't like the main characters too much. Towards the end I started to like them much more. Matt's sister is Autistic and I (as an Autistic myself) always like when there are neurodivergent characters in books.

I liked this book but I didn't love it. However, this might be your new favorite romance as it was romantic and cute, and steamy too!

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Pov: dual, 1st person
Heat: open doors
Pacing: instalust
Communication: both miscommunication and healthy communication
Third act: external crisis / hiccups
Ending: HEA

Main characters:
* Cinnamon roll hero
* Enemies to lovers
* Opposites attract

What?
* Fake dating
* Forced proximity
* Found family
* Grand gesture
* One night stand turned more

Where?
* Small town

Drama?
* Difficult past
* Family drama

Other vibes:
* Autism rep (Matt's teenage sister)

DNF at 60%

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I wanted to put it down at around 25%, but tried to give it a fair shot.

Although I believe this book has a lot of potential and I enjoy the plot line and the characters, I believe the writing and pacing of the book needs to have some more time spent on it.

Some parts I thought were written incredibly well, but the actual romantic aspect felt like it didn’t have enough time spent on the wording and scenes.

I adore Daphne though, absolutely favourite character.

This was such a fun, quick read! I think I finished it within two days because I really enjoyed it.

Zoey and Matt's chemistry was instantaneous but the love that they ended up sharing was very sweet by the end. This one did cross the border into insta-love but I felt that the author did a really good job of walking that line carefully and developing the relationship.

My favorite part was Matt's sister, she was such a delight and I love how Zoey instantly understood and watched out for her best interests.

Thank you to Victory Editing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m really glad I had the opportunity to read this book, Elodie has such an intimate way to write her stories and make us feel like we are inside these world’s, and that definitely happen in Pine Falls.

I liked the dynamic between Matt and Zoey, there was always a spark when they were together, and their chemistry just grows and grows throughout the story. As in some point Matt said, they met in the right moment, and what better way to fall in love, that fake dating each other? 🤭❤️

Zoey is such a businesswoman and I loved that, and how thanks to this business trip, she starts finding the answers to so many questions she had, and that makes her stand up more for her self and her own dreams.

Autism representation will always be important and seeing it in this book through Daphne was really good, she is a key part to the story and seeing how much love Matt gave her was pretty sweet.

This was such a sweet, small-town romance with more spice than I expected 👀🔥. Zoé heads to Pine Falls to prove herself to her father but instead finds Matt—the flannel-wearing, flower-loving lumberjack who completely stole my heart 💐.

I loved the banter, the heartfelt moments, and how Zoé slowly learns to choose herself instead of chasing her dad’s approval. Matt was just perfect—protective, soft, and swoony 🥰.

Definitely a feel-good romance with humor, heart, and passion 💕.

I’m a sucker for a cute cover and these two were definitely cute characters to read! Even with the hot & cold feelings these two have I ended up really enjoying the final act. Zoey’s relationship with her father really takes center stage at the end. I LOVED the epilogue, and I’m a sucker for a good epilogue it’s really what won me over. I look forward to going back and reading this authors other work that has interconnected storylines. Great if you love enemies to lovers who were never really enemies. You’ll fall in love with the town and all the characters.

Matt and Zoey. All I can say is wow. I fell in love alongside her. A rivals to lovers and fake dating romantic comedy.

Elodie has fast become a go-to author for me. Her stories are always full of heart, humour and heat.

With this book, we’re back in Pine Falls, BC, where her last series ended. Matt is the town golden boy. He owns his flower shop and is a devoted brother and carer for his sister Daphne. When he runs into Zoey - a big city girl and workaholic who comes to Pine Falls to secure land for her Dad’s company’s next corporate venture - they get off on the wrong foot. But there’s also an undeniable attraction which leads them to ignore the irritation for one night only.

But as the community of Pine Falls turns against Zoey (Matt being her most vocal critic), she realizes she needs to gain their trust to prove to them that she’s got their best interests at heart, while also proving to her father that she has what it takes to become CEO. And as Matt is trying to run the shop and pay for his sister’s tuition, he’s desperate to get some investment in his business to enable it to grow. What better way for Zoey to win the town over and for Matt to find some solid business connections than for them to make a deal - fake dating.

I adored this book so much! Matt is the sweetest man - so caring and kind. A great brother and friend and so afraid to get hurt again, but powerless against his feelings for Zoey. Having constantly sought her father’s approval, Zoey has put her life on hold to follow in his footsteps. But she slowly starts to fall not only for Matt, but for this little town. They slowly break down each other’s walls and show each other what it’s like to have a person who has their back, no matter what. And the love that grows between them is so beautiful 💕

Thank you to Elodie and NetGalley for the ARC and a chance to read another gorgeous book by Elodie.

Hoax and Kisses is out now and should go straight on your TBR 🌸

This was such a cute read!

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the way the characters were described, and the writing in general was great.

Looking forward to other reads from the author!

This was such a cutesy small town romance about a city girl who goes to Pine Falls and meets a small town guy who's also the town florist. Matt is such a teddy bear, with a soft heart and a mouth that will let Zoey know how much he craves her 🤭 I loved how Matt made sure that Zoey knew that he would be there for her through everything, even when she felt she was battling herself. By the end of the story, Zoey was able to stand on her own and show her father that she didn't need him and was capable of doing things on her own. This story was so heartfelt 🥺 the scene where Matt surprises Zoey in his flower shop with flowers and candles everywhere was so beautiful to read 🩷 and that ending had me in tears 🥹

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t get into it. I think it had a classic romcom Hallmark-type storyline - city girl meets small town guy (who owns a flower shop), and a unique representation a neurodivergent (autistic) person. However, I just found the two main characters super unlikeable. They did warm on me eventually, but I felt like I wasn’t very invested in them because of their personalities early on. Also, I found the pacing off, especially at the end (it dragged on for a long time) and didn’t find it memorable.

The reason I gave this 3 stars and not something lower is mainly because I feel other people will really enjoy this instalust small town romcom. Matt is very dependable, and a great big brother. People in the town love him. And Zoe is a boss-babe who has daddy issues. I felt she was relateable. And I do genuinely think the representation of Matt’s sister was done well.
Overall though, maybe just not meant for me.

𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐑𝐃 - 𝐇𝐎𝐀𝐗 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒
When in Pine Falls #1
𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖
This story has certainly bewitched me in the best sense of the word. It provided a great love story of two people coming from different worlds, strong community vibes and found family in the best way possible.
Zoey has a craved path in front of her. As an heiress to a million dollar hotel chain, she works day and night to receive the appreciation of her father. Dear dad however has an impossible task for her: solve the problem he faced when trying to build a hotel in Pine Falls in order to secure the CEO role after he retires. Armed with ideas and not at least prepared for small town living, Zoey takes on the task of winning over a whole town.Too bad, that her one grumpy one night stand, Matt, all but called bullsh!t on her plans, totally sabotaging the charming offensive.Matt had his heart broken by city folks before, so he doesn't need the added stress Zoey brings. He has enough on his plate, with grant submissions, school fees and taking care of his sister.But Zoey has other plans. Bit by bit she shows her true colours, making it hard for him not to fall. And when collaborating leads to fake dates, and faking leads to real attraction all bets are off. He might have won her over and their plan to blend city and town together might be genius, but dear old dad has other ideas...
I thoroughly enjoyed the city girl gone rough trope, I adored the shenanigans the main characters faced while trying to convince others (and deny to each other) about dating, the Stars Hollow likeness of Pine Falls and the overall cozy, fall vibes the book provided. The love story was equally hot and sweet, making me smile and swoon over mainly the MMC. The self discovery trope and life lessons sprinkled into the romance gave a nice structure to the story.
This was my first book by the author, but not the last, as side characters have me intrigued about their story for sure!
The book comes out on 26/08, make sure to check it out on your usual platforms!

Thank you so much to Elodie Colliard and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book!

This was my first book by Elodie and it did not disappoint! I cannot wait for the second book to this series!

Such a fun, fluffy, cute romance read. I love fake dating, it’s probably my favorite trope. I felt like Matt and Zoey had instant chemistry and there was no miscommunication at all. They acted like true adults. My favorite part was that there was no third act breakup. I loved the fact that there was also a representation of autism. Daphne was so cute and I would actually love to meet her if this was real life. Pine Falls sounds like a place that I would definitely go. The town definitely has each other’s backs throughout anything.

I enjoyed that this book was dual POV and that it was very descriptive. I enjoyed Elodie’s writing style as well! I would 100% recommend this book to others. :)

I am so grateful for the opportunity to read and review this arc, thank you to the author and NetGalley for the acceptance.

Unfortunately this book overall just wasn’t for me. There were characters and elements I enjoyed but as a whole this just wasn’t my favourite small town romance.

The fmc went on a great journey and character arc. Standing up for herself at the beginning of the book was something she wouldn’t dream of but that all changed at the end and I did enjoy that. Additionally the neurodivergent rep in this was very positive. The mmc’s sister was one of my fave characters and I loved how important she was in the story. This was handled with care too which I thought was lovely.

Where I had issues was pacing and just general attachment to main characters. Some things happened really quickly, whilst others I felt not quick enough in relation to everything else. This left me feeling a bit confused and therefore distracted from the story. I didn’t totally buy their connection as there was a lot of back and forth within their own internal monologues.

Once again, thank you for the arc opportunity!

Hoax & Kisses is a wonderful dual POV romcom, with small-town cosy vibes. Whilst the book centres on Matt and Zoey’s relationship, and a plot involving the people of Pine Falls fiercely defending their hometown from a hotel magnate, a real shining point of this novel is the representation and accurate depiction of autism.

Matt’s younger sister Daphne is autistic, and the love and care put into depicting autism is noticeable and outright refreshing! I was so impressed, as Daphne plays a key role in Matt releasing Zoey is the one for him.

I loved this. I do think it needed to be a bit shorter as there was a bit of filler in the middle but it was still incredibly enjoyable.

A hot and steamy one night stand that turns into an enemies-to-lovers, mutually beneficial, fake dating relationship. Zoey needs townspeople to accept her proposal for development, the local florist Matt needs a big financial boost for his business. They connect romantically one night, later find that their professional differences do not align, and eventually agree that a fake dating agreement would help both of them. How their fake dating turns into a real relationship is enduring, full of reflection, understanding and support. Their chemistry was electric throughout, the humor fun, the spice was hot, and their romantic growth deep. Additionally, the autism representation with Matt’s sister and how it affects family members and relationships in different ways was eye-opening and well done. An enjoyable read! 4.25 stars

I'll be honest, when I requested Hoax and Kisses on NetGalley, I hadn’t seen much about it. I spotted the cover on insta a few times, saw it was small town + fake dating, and that was enough for me to hit request without knowing anything else.

Honestly I’m so glad I went into this book blind. It made the whole reading experience for me ten times better and I enjoyed it so much. Everything about this book was perfect. I have absolutely no notes on this book.

I feel like I related to Zoey quite a bit, in terms of behaving how others expected her to, rather than how she truly is. Matt brings out her true self & shows up for Zoey no matter what and these are sweetest and most comforting scenes. To be honest, the whole book is like a giant hug and everyone should read it asap.

Highly recommend this book if you enjoy the following tropes:
- city girl x country boy
- self discovery
- small town
- one night stand
- rivals to lovers
- fake dating
- found family
- autism rep

@elosreadingcorner really does it again 💐

She is becoming such a comfort read author for me!

Matt and Zoey have suvh a good meet cute for a romance book lol I could so clearly see it in my head and giggled whils reading it. She is a business woman from the city and she is coming to this town to try and sell them on building a hotel there (hint, they’re not fans of the idea) and Matt is the towns goldenboy FLORIST, which is adorable, who almost hits her with his truck and shes trying to find her way in her high heels to her cabin.

He makes some bigggg no nos and they really are at odds and do not like each other. But they need each other - Matt needs her to help expand his business and she needs him to help her get this hotel built to take over her fathers company.

I love love loveddd Matt;s younder sister’s autism was handled. I admit that I dont know a whole bunch about autism but I really loved how much Matt (and Zoey) accepted who his sister was and provided love like any older brother should. He was her protector and cheerleader all in one and it warmed my heart.

If you like a rivals to lovers, what should have been a one night stand and fake dating set in a quirky small town with Stars Hollow vibes, I reccomend this one!

I am a day late but, happy release day! (day two cuz it came out yesterday). I hope your release day was amazing.

Thank you to @netgalley and @victoryeditingngc for letting me sneak a read of this early!

I was so excited to pick this up. Her last book was one of my favorite reads from last year. While I enjoyed Hoax & Kisses, I didn't love it. We have Zoey who wants to take over her dad's company, being told she HAS to get a project green lit in a month or she's not getting the job. She's definitely 100% absorbed by her job to get her dad's approval, so some daddy issues. Then we have Matt, who is so absurdly grumpy that he just comes off as MEAN. Zoey comes to town, he almost hits her with his truck, and the 2 just yell at each other in the street. Then they run back into each other and have a 1 night stand immediately? It went way too fast and just felt too much to suspend disbelief for a book with how at each other's throats they were. Combine that with how in basically incited a mob at the town meeting when she mentions her hotel plan, then running after her and consoling her and apologizing in the parking lot. I just couldn't for a while.

Somehow they hatch a plot to fake date to improve her standing with the town residents to sway them to vote in favor of her development idea. He starts schmoozing people left and right and is unlike anything we've seen from him so far. It got better once the 2 started catching feelings for each other and took their fake relationship "slow." Matt is very defensive about his personal life due to his sister being autistic, his ex treating her like an annoyance, and his mother never seeming to accept her diagnosis. So he's very hesitant to let Zoey even get a whiff of Daphne's existence. His mother pissed me off in the first 3 sentences out of her mouth. Zoey's dad was again the conniving asshole he was made out to be in the last book as well and he got his comeuppance.

The insta-lust & insta-love tropes really are not my favorite and we find them both here. The whole story takes place over the course of a month. And that was probably the final nail in the 3 star coffin for this book. What I did love was Matt's unwavering support of Zoey, him straight up asking her what she likes, wants, and needs and not jumping to conclusions concerning her or her motives once they have them established. Zoey sticking to her word and delivering what she promised was very important and I loved that she stuck to her guns on that. Their physical scenes felt as rushed as their hook up. Too fast and a little awkward. Not a bad book overall, but not my favorite either.

“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥?”

I had fun with Hoax & Kisses!

I love a good city girl trope so watching Zoey slowly find comfort in a small town & experience that sense of home was genuinely heartwarming 🧸 Her resilience & drive were incredible! Not just in her efforts to impress her father, but in how she consistently put her best foot forward. Plus, I loved how deeply she cared about the people around her. Zoey didn’t just show up for the big, flashy moments; she learned & made space for others to feel heard. Her actions reflected someone wanting to make a real difference & I loved it!!!

Matt, what a sweet guy. He’s more than the town’s golden boy: he’s grounded, caring, & giving 💕 And his relationship with his sister was beautiful! Knowing that he was the source of Daphne’s joy hit me right in the heart 🥹 His protectiveness over the town was admirable. But seeing him open up to Zoey’s ideas & own his mistakes was amazing!! Matt was such a good guy.

That said, the pacing of the romance wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t love the insta-love or how rushed it felt. The shift from intense passion to intense conflict early on threw off the momentum.

But once we got deeper into their story, I found lots to appreciate. It felt like they were living out the idea that “to be loved is to be seen, heard, & understood.” They showed up for each other in the smallest gestures, & my heart melted. Their chemistry was incredible, & their flirty moments made me smile 🙂‍↔️ I’ll also always love a fake dating trope. Watching their planned moments slowly become real & honest was satisfying!!! Matt & Zoey just felt right <3 Yes, the clichés were cliché-ing & at many times I was cringing (to be clear, that never fully stopped), but in the end this was so enjoyable!

And Daphne was lovely! I rarely see neurodivergent rep in romance done with this much care, loved it!!

Hoax & Kisses is great for a fast-paced & lighthearted read 💓 Thank you NetGalley & Victory Editing for the ARC. All opinions are my own!