Insta Boyfriend by Jen AtkinsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
If Iris McCoy had known that her cousin Shelia was engaged to her college ex-boyfriend, Travis, she never would have agreed to be the photographer for their upcoming wedding. With only a few weeks left until the big day, it's too late for Iris to back out, so she reluctantly heads off to meet Shelia and Travis for a consultation. Unfortunately, her car breaks down along the side of the road and she's forced to accept a ride from the Good Samaritan who stops to help. A short time later, social media influencer Dean Cooper drops Iris off to meet her cousin, but he can't help worrying about how she'll get home. He decides to head into the restaurant and discreetly observe the meeting from another table. When Travis's boorish behavior prompts Iris to make up a fake boyfriend, Dean comes to her rescue once again by pretending to be the man in question. However, the plan backfires when Shelia announces that they've decided to move the wedding to Tahoe and pushes Dean to accompany Iris on the trip. Forced to spend time together to make the pretense believable, Dean and Iris quickly become friends with the possibility of more. But when a secret from the past is revealed, will Iris be able to forgive Dean for keeping it from her?
I very much enjoyed this funny, sweet book. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, but IMO it was done particularly well in this story. The early stages of Dean and Iris's relationship felt more realistic to me than in many of the other fake dating stories I've read because they were so awkward with each other at first, and it showed, even in how they posed for pictures. That's not to say that they weren't attracted to each other, it's just that everything was new and they weren't comfortable together like an established couple would be. Iris herself was a bit awkward in general, but endearingly so. I loved that she treated her dog as if she were a person and talked to her as if she expected an answer back at any moment. I also loved Iris's sweet relationship with her Gramgram, who was a real highlight of the story. Johnny Cash forever!
I highly recommend "Insta Boyfriend" for all fans of sweet contemporary romance and romantic comedy. I will definitely be picking up the next book of the series.
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