As They Are by Elle Rivers

I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to review another ARC!! I instantly fell in love with Wren and Henry. They have such great chemistry together, and they ease each other’s insecurities beautifully. Also, I’m a sucker for fake dating–it gets me every time.

Wren takes a vacation from her construction reality TV show and visits her best friend, Mollie, in Strawberry Springs. She first meets Henry, the town’s doctor, when he stops to try and help her fix a flat tire on the outskirts of town. The two are instantly attracted to each other, but Wren is in a “relationship” with her co-star and Henry doesn’t feel worthy of a relationship. Wren falls in love with the town’s derelict library and convinces her producers that the second season of her show should feature the restoration of the library. 

Unable to stomach her showmance with her co-star anymore, Wren convinces Henry to be her fake boyfriend for the cameras. The two grow closer, but they both maintain some separation–Henry is worried that his autism and dominant tendencies will scare Wren away, and Wren thinks Henry deserves someone more traditionally feminine than her. However, when their respective insecurities get revealed, they are quick to comfort each other and fall in love.

I absolutely adore Elle Rivers’ writing. Her characters are complex, and while romance is centered, it’s not the only important thing in her books. As They Are is a wonderful sequel to As It Was, the first book in the Strawberry Springs series. This book is simultaneously realistic enough to be relatable and enough like a fairy tale to be a perfect escape.

Thanks for reading with me,

Katie