While We Were Dating

We’ve heard this story before: two attractive single people pretend to date each other to advance their careers. Naturally, they catch feelings and it makes everything complicated. Jasmine Guillory takes this basic rom-com plot and elevates it into a ridiculously fun narrative that is grounded in reality while offering a much-needed escape from it. In While Were Dating, Ben Stephens is a hotshot advertising executive whose latest campaign features beautiful movie star Anna Gardiner. They hit it off and Anna realizes that towing Ben around with her and calling him her boyfriend for the spotlight might just help her land her next role. The sparks between these two are palpable and Guillory demonstrates, once again, her power at crafting chemistry and a couple to root for. It’s a cheery romance that’s not afraid to dip into the hard stuff—Anna and Ben have a natural ongoing dialogue about everything from race to body image to mental health. The result is a book that honors its readers by taking its genre seriously all the while providing humor and scenes of charm and delight.

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