Luc O’Donnell is the son of two rockstar parents: his mother is a French-Irish (but mostly French) folk singer, his father a legendary rock star who has been absent from Luc’s life since he was a toddler. Luc is, to put it mildly, a mess: when we meet him, he is trying and failing to make out with a guy who turns out to be a Buzzfeed reporter. After the terse encounter ends, Luc flees the club, faceplants outside on the kerb and is promptly papped. Donors for the charitable organisation he works for are getting cold feet, and therefore Luc needs to appear more respectable. Enter Oliver, a criminal defense lawyer who is as perfect as can be and, more importantly, willing to engage in a pact to appear as Luc’s boyfriend if Luc grants him the same courtesy.
It’s not so much an enemies-to-lovers trope because after an initial hiccup, the two actually seem to get on quite well. They’re very different; Luc’s behaviour is guided by anger and hurt, and humour that he uses to deflect from his issues, whereas Oliver is uptight and oddly formal. They complement each other.
Writing a romance like this is a tricky business. The author has to walk a tightrope between light-hearted snark where the jokes actually have to stick the landing, and emotional investment. Too much of one, and the emotive hand-wringing soon turns exhausting; too much of the other and it ends up sounding flippant. The book definitely leans towards flippant, but manages to keep its balance.
I also liked that, despite the zany plot, the interactions between Luc and Oliver, if not realistic, seemed believable. I liked their banter, and I liked that Luc isn’t just a screw-up and Oliver isn’t just perfectly composed at all times. They have their talents, and the book lets them shine.
There is a side plot about Luc’s relationship with his father, which ends predictably and is entirely unsatisfactory, but that’s fair because Luc knows that this is how it’ll end. The other subplot, about Oliver’s toxic parents, is left mostly unresolved; I assume because the author knew she wanted to make it into a series (the sequel, Husband Material, was published in 2022. A third book has been announced but not yet published).
This is a fun, undemanding book that nevertheless manages to be a little more than it sets out to be. It’s frequently very funny and a little sexy (the author also understands that sometimes, not showing things is hotter than describing them in detail), but also sweet. I think I preferred Hall’s 10 Things We Lied About, but this comes close.