Blurb:
Two friends. One bed. A big Italian Wedding.
Nico Amato is in trouble.
He’s in love with his roommate. Who’s hung up on his ex. This so isn’t part of his summer plans. Luke’s an all-American jock, a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy. The kind of guy who thinks Nico is too much.
That doesn’t stop Nico from pretending to be Luke’s boyfriend, once, twice, thrice . . . A friend does what a friend does to make an ex jealous.
Just . . . How many favors before Luke gives up on his ex?
Lucas DeRosa has a problem.
His roommate pushes every one of his buttons. Every. Damn. One. This so isn’t part of the script. Nico is flamboyant, a tight jeans/purple blazer kind of guy. The kind of guy who thinks Lucas is boring.
That doesn’t stop Luke from pretending to be Nico’s boyfriend again, and again, and again . . . A friend does what a friend does to repay a favor.
Just . . . How many favors before he wins Nico’s heart?
Review:
This book pressed all the right buttons for me. Slow burn? Check. Roommates to lovers? Check. Fake boyfriends? Check!
Better Be True was such a fun, sweet and endearing book, and the principal characters, Nico and Luke, were totally lovable. Both men have just gone through a horrible breakup: Luke’s boyfriend broke up with him (via text!) because Luke was to “boring,” whereas Nico’s boyfriend broke up with him because he’s too “colorful” and “dramatic.”
Luke, who was planning on moving in with his boyfriend, is now saddled with a one-bedroom apartment that he can’t afford. The solution? Find a roommate. Nico, who needs to remain in Philadelphia because he’s planning his sister’s large Italian wedding and needs a place to say, answers Luke’s ad. But there’s one teeny, tiny problem: there’s ONLY ONE BED. But the guys can work around that, right?
Things become even more interesting when both guys need a “fake boyfriend” for several events, so they each agree to play the role. And we can guess what happens from there….
I thought the authors did a phenomenal job with character development here, and I found our two protagonists to be vivid, dynamic, and brilliantly rendered. These irresistible and wonderfully complex characters came to life for me and felt that they both thrived in their depth and complexity. Both characters come with past heartache, self-esteem issues, and baggage, all of which added an extra intriguing element to the storytelling.
But what really worked for me was the slow burn romance between Luke and Nico, as we move from strangers, to roommates, to fake boyfriends and finally to lovers. And though we had to wait until the last quarter of the book for them to hook up, when the guys finally did get together, it was HOT!
All in all, I loved this book, through and through. I found it impossible not to fall in love with the world and characters that the authors created here. It’s a delightful heart-tugger of a love story. Snappy dialog, stellar world-building, a lovable Italian family, and a slow-burn romance make this novel standout.
This is the second book in a series, and though they can stand alone, I believe there is some crossover with the characters. This one definitely makes me want to read the rest of the books in the series. I’ve read many other Anyta Sunday books, and they’ve never disappointed, but this is my first experience with Andy Gallo. I hope to read a lot more from this duo. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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