The Cheat Sheet

Ha sido tan cuco, tan cuco, que me han dado ganas de dar al libro un besito de buenas noches y arroparle

Bree y Nathan son los mejores amigos desde los quince años. Estuvieron un tiempo separados, pero el destino un día les volvió a juntar. Él una estrella del futbol, ella la dueña de un estudio de danza solidario.

Y sorpresa, ambos han estado enamorados del otro desde siempre. EN SECRETO.

“A mi izquierda hay una vista del océano de tres millones de dólares, pero a mí derecha está la vista que daría mi alma por tener todos los días por el resto de mi vida”

Así que, tras una ex celosa, un reportaje poco favorable, una noche de borrachera y un video después, se ven obligados a comenzar una relación falsa. Una relación falsa que servirá a Nathan para conquistar a Bree. Cómo, os preguntareis. Pues con una chuleta. Una chuleta llena de cosas románticas (y no tanto) que hacer.

Bree me encanta, soy yo en tantas cosas que me he sentido súper identificada y Nathan es puro amor.

El libro ha estado bien, ha sido adorable pero cuando por fin ambos se juntan, bueno ha faltado algo. Si queréis algo liviano y os gusta el sport romance, podéis pasar un rato agradable con este libro.

1.5/5 stars

I hate how there are questions that I will never know or understand the answer to. How does someone as perfect as Harry Styles exist? Where do broken hearts go? How do airplanes fly when gravity exists? How the fuck did this book get published???

There was nothing redeemable about this book, especially our main character Bree, who is not like other girls. I hope she goes broke when she inevitably has to pay for a divorce lawyer.

Ok, here's my dilemma with this book: I love love love fake dating stories, but I Do Not Like Friends to Lovers. (yes, the capitalization on that is important)

I requested The Cheat Sheet because if I see fake dating mentioned anywhere I have to read it. As such, that's my main concern in this review.

So, how was the fake dating? Mediocre to Terrible

My opinion, as mentioned, is tainted by my dislike of friends to lovers. It took a while to get to the fake dating, and we already know at this point the main characters have been in love with each other for nearly a decade (I can't remember the ages of the characters, so that's a rough estimate. They could be thirty, they could be twenty (they act more like teenagers so it's hard to judge)).
The Cheat Sheet featured many of the aspects of Friends to Lovers that make me dislike the trope. The central premise of the book is that Nathan and his friends come up with a list of things to try to get Bree to see him in a romantic light. Aka – getting out of the friendzone. A plus of this situation – he's fairly sure she might have feelings for him already. A negative – it gives me the ick. I can't express well what puts me off, but the fact they don't just sit down and have a conversation now that they're grown adults and both single is annoying. Also, it feels underhanded. Relationships change, and friends do become lovers. But it feels like a violation of trust when Nathan uses the pretense of the fake relationship to kiss, hold hands, and touch Bree when she isn't aware of his feelings and purpose. It made all my favorite parts of fake relationships feel slimy because there was a personal agenda behind it.

Another drawback: the writing. It read like mid-tier fanfiction (and no, I can't expound on that. That's just what it is) It's the kind of writing where if you're reading a fanfic of a ship you love and it's an intriguing premise, you don't care about writing as long as you can understand what's happening. When it's a published book with characters you don't already know or care about, I expect more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.