What was Delilah always telling her? To sit up straight, look people in the eye, and speak her mind. April had let her family walk all over her for years. She needed to stand up for herself, even if the prospect made her stomach churn. It has the one bed trope, it has the forced proximity trope, fake dating, friends to lovers, and protective male He trailed behind her, stopping at the sight of the freshly baked cupcakes. He reached for one. These look fantastic. This might’ve been one of the books I read whilst I was sweating on a sun bed last month but, on the face of it, it is a cosy autumn romance through and through. For a brief, blissful moment, the fire inside April burned bright. Screw Chris. She was through with all his calorie counting and all his rules. Like no sleeping over. After they were done, he always dressed and headed for the door. No matter how many times she asked him to stay, he claimed spending the night would derail his morning run.

I know. And you’re right—Chris didn’t respect me. I realize I’m better off without him, but that doesn’t solve the problem. He was my plus-one for the wedding. I told my entire family about him. A fake excuse if ever there was one. Sounds dubious. Did you ever consider he might be married? Didn’t you say he never spent the night?

Princess Peach leapt off her chair and approached him, meowing and bunting him with affection. He scratched her soft white fur but stopped her from jumping on the table. Once April set out plates and cutlery, they dished out the food. Over bites of lo mein, interrupted by the occasional groan of pleasure over the wontons, she filled him in on the situation. In all her twenty-four years, she’d never contemplated marriage—not to Chris or anyone else. She had yet to experience the powerful, all-consuming pull of attraction that led to a lifelong commitment. Right now, all she wanted was for Chris to make an effort. Some gesture that showed he cared. Brody is also very likeable, the lovable nerd and the kind of character that makes me annoyed I’ve never had a male friend (especially not one who fancies me, but a girl can dream 😂). Both Brody and April have their problems but, like the first book in the series, there’s no denying that their chemistry is there. Like the movie, The Wedding Date. It’s a rom-com where this girl hires a guy to pretend he’s her date at her sister’s wedding. I don’t remember much about it, except they had sex on a boat, and it was incredible. She gave a dramatic sigh. But she paid the guy three thousand dollars."

Nothing could equal the agony he’d experienced when he recovered and realized what he’d done. Though Marc and the rest of his family had since forgiven him, he still had moments when he lay awake in misery, replaying the entire hellscape. He set down the food and enfolded her in a hug. She clung to him tightly, pressing her body against his, and he was distracted by how nice she felt. Soft and warm and sexier than usual. I mean, one minute you’re happy being single; the next, you’re watching the bride walk down the aisle and wishing you were her.You promised. She hated how whiny she sounded, but he’d agreed six weeks ago. If anything, she’d been pleasantly surprised at how easily he capitulated. After I went with you to the Oakland Triathlon, you said you’d do this for me. This book is a fun and flirty romance. You’ll root for April and Brody as they *fall* for one another while attending this autumn wedding.

When she bit her lip and looked away, he was hit with a rush of guilt. He didn’t want to hurt her. But he also didn’t want her thinking Chris’s behavior was acceptable. Sorry. I’m not trying to make things worse. He groaned. That’s not what I meant. I’d be up for a normal vacation, like a weekend in the mountains. But weddings have this weird impact on women. April and Brody are two besties who are there for each other through it all so when April needed Brody he stepped up and went to her brothers wedding as her ex so her family wouldn’t think he was fake. She twisted her hands together. I didn’t ask for anything long-term. Just a date for Ollie’s wedding. Six nights together in a cozy cottage on Lake Michigan. Think how much fun we’ll have. Her insides twisted into a knot. Maybe this was a terrible mistake. If she acted like she was joking, she could still salvage things.His unabashed affection for her baking skills filled her with a warm glow. Though she’d been seeing Chris for five months, she still harbored a tiny crush on Brody. How could she not? He’d been one of the first people to befriend her when she’d relocated from Santa Barbara to the Temecula Valley—an hour north of San Diego—to work for his family’s company. And he was brilliant, funny, and totally hot for a self-proclaimed computer nerd. No. After being available for Chris whenever he needed her, after cheering him on at all his races, she’d asked him for one thing. Granted, it was a big ask, but he’d given her his word. And by breaking it so casually, he’d shown her exactly how little she meant to him. Both April and Brody have complicated family relationships, though the story focuses more on April’s family. Her sisters are particularly difficult and antagonistic, especially toward April. They are a highly competitive family, unlike April, and April often feels like the odd one out. She and Brody are alike in that way. They both struggle with feelings of worth and not living up to the expectations of their family. Neither feels like they fit in with the rest of their family, and they always seem like they are trying to prove themselves to those who should accept them without reservation. When she put it that way, the whole enterprise sounded likely to trigger his anxiety. But unlike Maui, this wasn’t a romantic trip. He had no expectations other than spending a fun week in Wisconsin with one of his closest friends. There was no chance of heartbreak. Tell them you broke it off. If they ask why, you can say you caught him cheating. Even as he said it, he winced, remembering the callous way Taylor had ended their relationship. She’d told him she’d fallen for someone else. And she’d done it via text.