First published 2014
Elise Dutton sits alone in the mall food court when a man from her apartment building approaches with an unusual offer. Three years after her husband's affair with her best friend destroyed her marriage, Elise dreads another solitary Christmas season. The stranger proposes they pretend to be a couple for eight weeks, complete with a written contract. The rules are simple: no personal questions, no drama, no telling anyone the truth, and the arrangement ends on Christmas Day. Elise shocks herself by saying yes. As they play their roles through holiday parties and family gatherings, the fake relationship begins healing wounds Elise thought would never mend. She starts feeling joy again for the first time since her divorce. But Elise guards a secret that could destroy everything they've built together. When she discovers her fake boyfriend may be hiding something too, their carefully constructed charade faces its biggest test. The safety of pretend love has given Elise hope, but real feelings demand real trust.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating
272 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster