Synopsis:

Dane Marner’s aunt is obsessed with soul mates.

As a self-proclaimed ‘cosmically guided matchmaker,’ she’s played every card in the deck trying to set Dane up with the perfect match she’s found.

The problem? The ‘perfect’ match is Evangeline Hudson.

Dane and Evangeline rent rooms in Dane’s eccentric aunt’s house, but that’s where their similarities end. Dane is a drifter who freewheels from one odd job to the next, and Evangeline is an overachieving undergrad with a ten year plan so detailed it reads like an autobiography.

The two can’t even agree on a laundry schedule without feuding, but when Dane’s aunt reveals new tenants ready to take over the lease, they realize they’ll need to play some cards of their own to keep the beautiful old house they both love.

Their plan is simple: fake falling for each other long enough to get some soul mate sympathy—and a lease renewal.

A few lingering glances, some ‘accidental’ touches, maybe some well-timed tiptoeing into each other’s rooms late at night…

It’s a stretch, but it just might work.

Only said tiptoeing starts to heat the house up faster than they can stop it. As their plan begins peeling back the layers between them to reveal more similarities and way more feelings than either expected to find, Dane and Evangeline are forced to toe the line between real and fake—and decide which side they’re brave enough to stand on.

Just Might Work is a New Adult NBLW lesbian romantic comedy featuring a non-binary lead and a cis heroine faking their way into real love.

Thank you to the author for an eARC of this title.

I have to say that I really loved the relationship that developed between Dane and Evangeline. One thing I really loved about this book was that the fake dating scenario felt realistic. The fact that they were roommates who hated each other, but everyone around them say that they probably had feelings for each other, felt like it was something that could happen. I liked that it was so awkward and uncomfortable between Dane and Evangeline because I can imagine that, that would be a difficult situation to actually deal with.

One thing that I didn’t love about this was the meddling family member. I tend to find that meddling friends and family is something that puts me off, because it can make the whole situation feel forced. Also, in real life I think meddling is really frustrating. The saving grace with the meddling situation in this story was that it wasn’t just allowed to happen and ignored. It was at least addressed and that made me feel a lot better about it.

The more romance I read the more I find the tropes and situations that I enjoy. I loved seeing the enemies to lovers have to go through fake dating and realize their feelings for each other. I liked seeing the nonbinary rep in the story too. It was great how Dane and Evangeline talked about it and navigated their relationship together. I really enjoyed this and I think it was a great introduction to Katia Rose and I will definitely be reading more from her in the future.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars