Faking with Benefits by Lily Gold

WANTED: Three fake boyfriends. Must be tall, ripped — and willing to teach me how to kiss.

My name is Layla Thompson, and I am undateable.
Seriously. I’m twenty-eight and I’ve never had a boyfriend. And with my thirties rapidly approaching, I’m starting to lose patience.

Look, I say this a lot, but seriously I went into this book expecting a light hearted rom com. And yet again I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of this story.

Faking with Benefits is the story of a woman who begins fake dating her three best friends. These men run a dating advice podcast together and use this fake dating scenario as a segment on their show. It’s supposed to be mutually beneficial. Until feelings get involved.

This book deals with a lot of very real struggles that people deal with in real life, like grief, divorce, abuse, bullying, and more, and deals with them very nicely. I felt a strong connection to Layla, personally, but I also related to one of her guys very much, too. So many raw emotions and heavy moments. But it’s not all heavy. There’s still plenty of soft and sweet moments and quite a few laughs. I really didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did.

Save Me (WITSEC 2) by Ashley N. Rostek

Save me from my past. Save me from my fear. Save me from my pain. Save me from myself.

Save Me is the second book in Ashley N. Rostek’s WITSEC series; a story about a girl who went through the most horrific experience that took her family from her and left her with a host of trauma. Shiloh is placed in Witness Protection and has to start fresh in a new city with a new identity. She meets a family of men living next door who swiftly become everything to her. They each, in their own ways, begin to help her work through her trauma and pain.

This series is a truly well written portrayal of grief and PTSD and the struggles they come with. Shiloh’s journey of healing from her trauma isn’t perfect and she has setbacks throughout the story. So many of her less than happy moments hit really hard. But through it all she has a support system that won’t let her give up. It’s really beautiful.

I would definitely say to be aware of potential triggers in this series. It deals heavily not just with trauma and grief but mentions and portrayals of abuse, both physical and sexual. But on the flip side there’s so much catharsis and, of course, some fantastic steamy scenes.

The ending was heartbreaking and I’m equal parts nervous and impatient for book three.