Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane | Book Review

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Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets The Hating Game in this heartfelt, witty, and utterly unputdownable enemies-to-lovers romance from international bestseller Mhairi McFarlane, about two journalists who must fake a relationship in order to land a huge story.

Bel has just landed a job at the Manchester office of a big national newspaper, coming off the success of her latest award-winning podcast. The team is small, consisting of Bel, her ambitious colleague Aaron, and the new intern. But when the intern turns out to be a thirtysomething man called Connor, she’s not impressed. She’s patronizing, he’s hostile: it’s a terrible start.

Connor’s life is in a state of collapse. He’s left his seemingly perfect life in London—a well-paying job, great apartment, and beautiful girlfriend—for a chance to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a reporter. After a bad first impression with Bel, his internship begins to feel like another in a series of poor decisions. But if Connor were honest with himself, she’s the first bit of excitement he’s felt in a very long time.

When Bel suddenly finds herself at the heels of a huge story, she’s determined to see it through— even if it means involving the inscrutable and aloof Connor. Before they know it, they must convince people they’re not just a couple, but a couple madly in love. If they mess up, Bel’s cover is blown and the biggest story she’ll ever have landed will disappear, along with justice for its sources.

But as time goes on, Bel and Connor start to wonder if their cover story is just an act, or if their feelings are real… 

There is something so special about Mhairi McFarlane’s books. Each one leaves me feeling some type of way. Cover Story is the latest from McFarlane and is another book that I am sure will be on my top ten that I’ve read this year, this book was so wonderful. If you are looking for a fiction book with interesting characters and a romance element, you need to pick up Cover Story.

Cover Story follows Bel and Connor who both work at this newspaper office in Manchester. Bel is an award winning podcaster and so she has a focus on long form journalism. Joining the office is Connor, a new intern. Unlike typical interns, Connor is in his thirties and has come to the world of journalism after leaving a lucrative career in finance. To look at Connor, you would think he has it all — he had a beautiful girlfriend, his previous job paid so well, but he wasn’t happy. Bel is working on a story about the mayor who apparently takes advantage of women behind closed doors. In order to get the scoop, she has to get into the inner circle of the Manchester elite. She just about makes it, when Connor happens by and almost blows her cover. Now in order to proceed with the story — the two have to pretend to be dating. And so, they do, but there ends up being this intense chemistry there. I should also mention that at first Bel and Connor do not get along and their initial meeting is one where no one is on the right foot, so to speak.

I think what I love about McFarlane’s books is that they feel deep. I feel such genuine investment and care for the characters. The chapters alternate between Bel and Connor, so you really get inside the head of both characters. You get to understand their motivations which actually make sense. I was so invested in what was blossoming between them. But then, the story that Bel is trying to break is really interesting too. I loved how she interacts with her sources. You get a sense that Bel is truly a wonderful person. Oh and I loved her interactions with her best friend Shilpa. As for Connor, he contains multitudes and I liked that. I liked that he didn’t read like the typical MMC. He has his struggles with mental health — which made him feel real and just relatable and added this layer. I love when characters don’t feel perfect or like a caricature. 

The pacing in Cover Story is perfect. I gobbled this book up in essentially a day. I could not set it down. It felt like there was depth and that truly resonated. The plot line hit all the right beats for me. Meld that with the excellent characterization and the thoughtful romance and well, this was the ideal read for me. If we have similar tastes, I cannot recommend this book, or rather, Mhairi McFarlane’s books enough.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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