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cheryldownes's review against another edition
4.0
This was fun. 3.5 stars
The fake romance between Emma and Caroline was brilliant. Plenty of crank and plenty of sweet. The kick off was a bit tricky and not very unique, but once it got going it was thoroughly enjoyable.
Both characters were somewhat unpleasant at the start for different reasons. Emma was a bit of a cad and I almost got to the point of not liking her at all, Caroline stuck in her righteous ways and was similarly unpleasant, but without a doubt they both got under your skin and from there it was sweet, though not always smooth, sailing.
The fake romance between Emma and Caroline was brilliant. Plenty of crank and plenty of sweet. The kick off was a bit tricky and not very unique, but once it got going it was thoroughly enjoyable.
Both characters were somewhat unpleasant at the start for different reasons. Emma was a bit of a cad and I almost got to the point of not liking her at all, Caroline stuck in her righteous ways and was similarly unpleasant, but without a doubt they both got under your skin and from there it was sweet, though not always smooth, sailing.
jsjarvis71's review against another edition
5.0
I had the pleasure of receiving an ARC of Pretending in Paradise from NetGalley in exchange for this unbiased review. This is my first time reading a novel from M. Ullrich, but it definitely will not be the last. Her writing style is fantastic and in this book, she kept me engaged the entire time I was reading.
Pretending in Paradise is a fake romance to a real romance novel. Emma is a writer for a travel website who likes to have a little extracurricular activity on her trips. This gets her in trouble as one of her "activity participants" sues the company after Emma writes a bad review of the property. In comes Caroline, a PR rep that has been recently hired to take care of the issue. Emma looks to be suspended for 2 weeks without pay when she gets a tip about a new couples only resort that is opening in Miami that she can get an instant scoop on. Her boss agrees to her taking the trip, but Caroline must go with her to supervise and make sure that she doesn't get into trouble. Since the resort is couples only, Emma and Caroline must pretend to be a dating couple for the next 10 days.
Without giving anything else away, the pacing of this novel is perfect. It is a very slow build as the two go from enemies to civil friends to more in the span of just over a week. I loved the way Ullrich allowed little pieces of each character's pasts to be brought out through their different activities. The sexual tension increases over time and the end result of the build is amazing! The emotions that are built for these characters had me in tears a couple of times, including the last chapter.
This is such a well-rounded romance novel and I am sure I will be reading it again in the near future. I hope an audiobook version will be coming as well. The story is one that I could easily see made into an excellent romcom movie. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good romance. It is a very special read.
Pretending in Paradise is a fake romance to a real romance novel. Emma is a writer for a travel website who likes to have a little extracurricular activity on her trips. This gets her in trouble as one of her "activity participants" sues the company after Emma writes a bad review of the property. In comes Caroline, a PR rep that has been recently hired to take care of the issue. Emma looks to be suspended for 2 weeks without pay when she gets a tip about a new couples only resort that is opening in Miami that she can get an instant scoop on. Her boss agrees to her taking the trip, but Caroline must go with her to supervise and make sure that she doesn't get into trouble. Since the resort is couples only, Emma and Caroline must pretend to be a dating couple for the next 10 days.
Without giving anything else away, the pacing of this novel is perfect. It is a very slow build as the two go from enemies to civil friends to more in the span of just over a week. I loved the way Ullrich allowed little pieces of each character's pasts to be brought out through their different activities. The sexual tension increases over time and the end result of the build is amazing! The emotions that are built for these characters had me in tears a couple of times, including the last chapter.
This is such a well-rounded romance novel and I am sure I will be reading it again in the near future. I hope an audiobook version will be coming as well. The story is one that I could easily see made into an excellent romcom movie. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good romance. It is a very special read.
queerlitloft's review against another edition
5.0
This is only the second book i've read by Ullrich and i wasn't sure if it would be my cup of tea. But i actually really enjoyed it - i think Ullrich is slowly converting me into a reader of contemporary romance novels
charlieavocado's review against another edition
3.0
The characters seemed to fly off the handle into different personalities to me. Hot cold hot cold hot, plus whiplash. You could never get settled at all, and not in the good slow burn kind of way. It's a shame because good writing is there, but nothing kept the characters on track. At least it didn't feel that way.
Was able to power through it, but unfortunately had to put it down the first night. My wife had to hear me complain about it as I managed to finish it in 10-20mim sergents at a time.
Was able to power through it, but unfortunately had to put it down the first night. My wife had to hear me complain about it as I managed to finish it in 10-20mim sergents at a time.
angieinbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Despite the fact that I had to take a giant leap of faith on the premise of the novel (new employee Caroline has to babysit Emma on a 11-day vacation at a couple's resort where they have to pretend to be a couple? C'mon!), I really liked this. But I can admit this is entirely due to my weakness for an enemies-to-lovers fauxmance with a happy ending. So while this probably really leans closer to a 3 on my scale, I'm giving it a 4 because the payoff is so good. And that big-gesture moment was honestly perfect.
hhushaw's review against another edition
4.0
An honest review thanks to NetGalley. Once this story started going, I really connected to the characters, especially Caroline. Their relationship did go very quickly, and I wished that I had more of them when they got back from vacation. Instead, we only got two scenes when they got back and then the epilogue. Overall this was a great romance, and you won't be disappointed in exploring it!
meero's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 50%
This book has nice pacing and interesting characters, but I'm afraid it wasn't for me.
I had an issue with one of the main characters saying that she's a lesbian but some men are an exception for her, because to me it read a lot like the whole "lesbians just need to find the right man" argument and I truly couldn't move past it to finish the book. While I understand that sexuality is fluid and people can change labels at any time or sleep with whomever they want, the use of the word "lesbian" in this particular context was upsetting to me personally. However I understand that that won't be the case for everyone else, and so I suggest giving the book a go because the story seemed fun and the character dynamics were interesting.
This book has nice pacing and interesting characters, but I'm afraid it wasn't for me.
I had an issue with one of the main characters saying that she's a lesbian but some men are an exception for her, because to me it read a lot like the whole "lesbians just need to find the right man" argument and I truly couldn't move past it to finish the book. While I understand that sexuality is fluid and people can change labels at any time or sleep with whomever they want, the use of the word "lesbian" in this particular context was upsetting to me personally. However I understand that that won't be the case for everyone else, and so I suggest giving the book a go because the story seemed fun and the character dynamics were interesting.
keelin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
patricia71's review against another edition
3.0
No. I did not feel for neither of the MC’s. And I did not feel any chemistry between them. There was no buildup for me. All of a sudden there were feelings. I still don’t like Caroline(even forgot her name already) and Emma was annoying too. The writing was not for me either. I loved their first sex scene and if the chemistry would have been more believable for me it would have been one of the hottest sex scenes I read in a a non-erotic book. I also would have loved the epilogue if the book was better. I give it 2,5 stars. My first book of this writer and I’m not sure I will read another one soon.