Review: The Pretending Plot

The Pretending Plot by Lauren Blakely
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The Pretending Plot" by Lauren Blakely was a fun combination of the fake relationship and older woman/younger man tropes that I really enjoyed. The age difference between main characters Sutton and Reeve wasn't all that big (she was 28 and he was 24), and Reeve came across as rather mature for his age, so it wasn't as much of an obstacle for them as it could have been. I also appreciated that even though their chemistry was obvious from the start and most of the story took place over the course of just one week, Sutton and Reeve's relationship never seemed like it was based on insta-lust or insta-love. Their emotional connection grew right along with the physical one, and the way their feelings developed seemed both realistic and believable to me.

Reeve and Sutton were very likeable characters, and the story was full of amusing situations and banter. They made a very cute couple when Sutton allowed herself to relax and enjoy being in the moment with Reeve. However, as Reeve pointed out himself, she had a tendency to run hot and cold. I found that to be somewhat frustrating at times, especially because she didn't seem to have a very good reason for pulling back from him. I might have believed that Sutton was trying to maintain a professional distance from Reeve since their relationship was supposed to be a business arrangement, but instead, she kept expressing vague concerns about getting involved with an actor because it was difficult to tell what was real and what was pretend with them. Maybe she dated an actor in the past and their relationship ended badly? A past bad experience would have provided context for her concerns and made it easier for me to understand and empathize with them.

At any rate, "The Pretending Plot" was an enjoyable story and I would recommend it.

*ARC provided by the author via Candi Kane PR.  All opinions expressed are my own.

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