Rent to Be

I just finished Rent to be by Sonja Hartl and here are my musings.


Isla Jane has hit rock bottom. She graduates with an MBA but the student loan repayments are taking half her paycheque from a job that doesn't see her talent. Living paycheque to paycheque now has Isla kicked out of the home she shared with 2 other people.

Now homeless with nothing in the bank, she can't go home to her disapproving parents but the stars have aligned and she has a key to her brother's condo which happens to currently be empty.... Except when she arrives, she runs smack dab into her brother's best friend Cade, a stark naked Cade.

RTunning out of the condo with a blush on her face, she goes to the only place she can think of... She sleeps under her desk and while there, she overhears one of the big bosses is in need of a house sitter.

Cade finds Isla at the house that is clearly not hers and she must admit why she is there. Cade has a deal that would help both of them out. She pretends to be his girlfriend for work functions and he doesn't tell anyone what she is doing. Things are going really well until Isla unwittingly starts to fall for the broody Cade.

This book made me giggle so hard! The characters were adorable and Isla and Cade had the grumpy/sunshine trope down to a fine art. I love when you feel a kinship with characters in books and while I have never gone through what Isla has, I can see a lot of my own traits in her. She is riddled with self doubt but she has a wild streak I just adore. Cade was too perfect for words and I love the way their friendship turned into something more but it wasn't smooth sailing.

This book highlights the very real problem with how much an education can cost and how much debt it puts people in only to not be able to find jobs that come close to what they need to be paying, especially at an entry level wage. Having to pick between rent or eating is a scary reality for a lot of people and I couldn't imagine how horrific it really is.

I loved the house sitting and the descriptions of all the homes she stayed in. I also loved Cade's company where they are like a family. Everyone should feel cherished in a job, not expendable.

I was hooked from page one and I was so sad it was over but I also loved that Isla didn't get the unrealistic HEA and the ending was so realistic that I enjoyed it even more!

5 stars!!

Thank you @netgalley and @alcovepress for my gifted copy