OMG I LOVED this small-town romance. I finished it in under 48 hours and feel like I immediately need to continue with the other three books by Elodie Colliard. I especially loved the autism representation, the lovely small town setting (would like to move to Pine Falls immediately) and the kind & charming habitants of Pine Falls. I very much related to Zoé's Struggles with meeting her parents expectations. I did struggle a bit throughout the book as I expected her dad to pull some kind of stunt and worried about the possible outcome. I loved the open communication and tenderness in the relationship of Matt and Zoé.
There were online two details that slightly bothered me (for which I would subtract a half-star if I could): the random squirting in one of the spicy scenes very early on in the book after what felt like five seconds of fingering and the fact that we find out about half the way in that the FMCs name is Zoé not Zoey but the chapter headers still use Zoey after that revelation (although it is very cute that Matt doesn't).
All in all a wonderful romance novel, perfect for any fan of a cute small-town romance.

I will post my review on goodreads after the publishing date.

Small town
Fake dating
Found family
Enemies to lovers

My first book by this author and I was not disappointed. Her writing style is easy to follow, funny, sexy, and cute. Full of emotional depth and charming too.

This is an instant favorite book. I now need a paperback as a trophy!

Hoax and Kisses by Elodie Colliard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Autumnal, sweet and spicy - what more could you want? I just finished this book after 2 days and I would have devoured it in 1 if I had the time.

This book was like a perfectly made cuppa after a miserable day outside. I didn’t realise quite how deeply I wanted the sun gone and the leaves to start turning until reading this.

The MMC is sweet and self sacrificing but also haunted by his past experiences and living slightly on autopilot. Funnily enough all he needs is a city girl who truly sees and challenges him to wake him up.

The FMC has lost her sense of self in the pursuit of making a parental figure happy and wouldn’t you know that a small town full of genuinely nice people and a particularly swoony florist are just what she needs to find herself again?

Key elements
-small town (strong Stars Hollow vibes)
-found family
-city girl/ small town boy
-autism rep
-fake dating
-no third act break up
-saucy and sweet
-THE RAIN SCENE

I love that they didn’t fall into the miscommunication trope and genuinely just handled things like decent emotionally intelligent people (if only that always happened in real life). It was so refreshing to read and really made you invested in the relationship between the two of them.

I love the community created in this book, the town is full of oddballs and kindhearted people and the MMC’s friends are no exception to this. They rally around him and provide a much needed support system- I mean who doesn’t need friends who buy you Cockerel memorabilia and tell you to “Go get your f-ing girl” when you need hear it. 🖤

I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more by the author!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Elodie Colliard and NetGalley for this ARC copy, my opinions are my own. 💕

I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end! From the cozy small-town vibes to the fake dating trope (one of my favorites!), Hoax and Kisses pulled me in right away and never let go.

Matt and Zoey had such great chemistry — I was hooked not just on their slow-burning connection, but also on their personal growth throughout the story. I loved how their “business deal” fake relationship turned into something so genuine and heartfelt. The emotional depth behind both characters, especially Matt’s family struggles and Zoey’s internal doubts, made this feel so much more than your average rom-com.

The plot twist caught me completely off guard (in the best way), and the writing style was smooth, heartfelt, and full of charm. The story gave me The Holiday meets Gilmore Girls in all the right ways — cozy, clever, a little chaotic, and full of love.

This is the kind of small-town romance I’ll be recommending to everyone. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Would I recommend? 1000% yes — if you love fake dating, heartfelt backstories, small-town drama, and swoony love interests, Hoax and Kisses will charm you completely. 💐💕

If you’re after a cosy feel good read this is definitely the one for you! A wonderful read with some really hard hitting parts! The approach towards the neurodivergent aspects was really thought out and approached sensitively. It was beautiful to read and Matt & Zoé really are a brilliant couple!! Such a great read!!!

✨ARC Review✨

Small town? Check. Hot single man the town loves? Check. City girl with an agenda not wanting to stay in said small town with said small town boy? Check.

Was that wordy? Yes it was but it’s true.

I was actually really scared to read this book. Everything about this book drew me in. The cover is gorgeous and the blurb really intrigued me. So my biggest fear was being let down or reading just another small town romance. BUT LET ME TELL YOU!

The plot was amazing. It was very different to what I was expecting and really kept me entertained! There were definitely parts that’s I’ve seen on other small town romances but Elodie gave everything her own flair!

My man, Matt is a walking talking sexy green flag. I mean he is literally a florist like seriously how bloody cute! But he is a complex character with a deep emotional understanding and alignment. Zoé just so happens to be amazing. I fell in love with her from the beginning. Elodie wrote her so well, and I often felt what Zoey was feeling.

The way they work as a couple is *chefs kiss*. Although a rocky start Matt would move mountains for Zoé and Zoey is just as supportive. I absolutely love these 2!

Another FANTASTIC dual POV romance from a fav Canadian indie author. This was a small town, opposites attract, one night stand to fake dating love story that has city girl Zoey coming to Pine Falls in order to land a deal her father botched only to fall for cinnamon roll flower shop owner Matt and his adorable autistic younger sister, Daphne.

I loved the Autism rep, the found family and the charming BC town that gave great Gilmore Girls vibes with its big-hearted citizens. This was both spicy and full of emotional depth and had no messy third act breakup. I also really enjoyed that Zoey and Matt communicated and gave their whole hearts to one another. The Leni Kaufman cover blew me away with its pretty pink details and I can't recommend this book enough especially for fans of authors like Sarah Estep, Ashley Herring Blake or Chloe Liese.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy and eagerly look forward to James and Lola's stories next!! While this is the first in a new series there is some overlap from Oli and Charlee's book, Unbearably yours but it can be read as a standalone too.

Reading anything written by Elodie Colliard is always an exercise in cozy, feel good moments and Hoax and Kisses is no different. Beautiful proses, engaging story and characters that stay with you long after you’ve finished, Colliard has me falling in love from page one.

LOVED IT!

I’m a sucker for a small town romance at the best of times but I knew within the first few chapters this would be a good one. Zoë seems like the quintessential city girl on the surface but I loved how much depth she was given during the narrative. As the layers are peeled back we get to see more and more of the “real her” which made the story so much more enjoyable. Then Matt. Sweet, grumpy, protective florist Matt. I adored him every step of the way even when he was making stupid mistakes.

I think what really made this for me though was the neurodivergence rep. From the explicit autism in Daphne to the implications in other characters it felt so well done without stereotyping. Matt and Daphne’s relationship really touched me as I acutely understood the feeling of wanting to protect someone from outside judgement.

And of course last but never least. The spice was PERFECTION!