Clean romance, fake dating, friends to lovers.

Sophie wants to be friends with the mums at pick up but feels like an outsider until hot, Irish, single dad Joe turns up to pick up and they take the kids for pizza. Joe proposes a fake romance between them - he needs to keep the feral mums at bay and Sophie wants an in with the same mums.

It's a really sweet story and Sophie and Joe are both lovable characters they just lack some communication when it comes to what's really going on between them. Though Joe knows what he wants, it takes Sophie a lot longer to figure out what she really wants as she's so thoroughly convinced herself she doesn't want or need romance in her life.

I know the description for this book says enemies to lovers but Sophie only holds some animosity towards Joe at the very beginning which is very quickly dispelled after two dates so I really would say this is more of a friends to lovers than an enemies to lovers!

I thought this might be a series as Sophie's sister has her own love life to sort out with her best friend Adam, being completely in love with her but they end up together in this book so clearly there is not to be a follow on.

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me.
Personally I usually love the fake dating trope, however I could not connect with the FMC in the large percentage that I read.
I did love Poppy though and would be keen to read a book on her.
I definitely think others will love this book but it was just not my cup of tea.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, via NetGalley.
Thank you NetGalley and HQStories for the advanced copy!

This has to be one of the sweetest books I’ve picked up (no pun intended) in a while! The book talks about a single mom, Sophie, who is raising her adorable little four-year-old, Lila, and a single dad, Joe, who is raising his little boy, Sidney.

Sophie is a successful businesswoman, who went through a rough divorce from her husband and business partner, after not only finding out he’s having an affair but also having him tell her to get an abortion when they found out she’s pregnant. Now she's trying to get into the mom group at her daughter's school, after noticing that both she and her daughter are being left out of social functions...but it's not going so well.

Joe is a widowed dad to a precious four-year-old named Sidney. He is the "hot, and wounded" single dad in the school that all the moms drool over. Yes. Married women are drooling over the man... Anyway, let's move on.

One day, at pick-up, Joe and Sophie meet and Joe strikes up a deal that can benefit both of them. He proposes that they fake a relationship for a while. This way, he gets the moms to leave him alone, and Sophie fits in with the mom group and gets her sister to stop setting her up on terrible blind dates and dating apps. After hanging out, Joe and Sophie develop a great friendship and bond, which later on, turns into something so much more.

*my thoughts*

This has to be the most realistic fake dating plot I've ever seen, something about it felt so organic to me. It was very obvious that Joe was attracted to her from the start, but he didn't pursue her immediately or was constantly in her face; I liked that their interactions were progressing naturally.
I feel like Sophie represents a lot of mothers out there, not just single moms. The constant worry over her daughter, the scattered inner dialogue when she's trying to balance her work and home life, and overall trying to be a good mom (and succeeding.)

I loved the friend group, they were hilarious! the yoga-loving trendy mom-influencer, the frazzled mother of 3, and the "queen bee" mom. They had a great dynamic, and there was never a dull moment when they were together. They were a great comedic relief! But they weren't the only ones, Sophie is hilarious!! I was laughing so hard during her disastrous blind date with Paul, Mr. Spray-on jeans. I swear to God, Hannah Doyle created a nightmare date and named him Paul, and I enjoyed every second of it.

What I also liked about this book, is that the relationship between Joe and Sophie wasn't the only focus of the plot. We saw the aspects of parenthood, family dynamics, dealing with past relationships, and overcoming the fear of attachments.

Though I enjoyed the book, there were a couple of things I didn't love. I am someone who is a firm believer in the "dual POV", so I wish we could've seen Joe's perspective in the story; especially since he represents a different background of being a single parent. I really would've loved to see his inner dialogue during the conflict. Another thing I didn't love was Sophie's tendency to form snap judgments. I understand why she is the way she is, but sometimes she just comes off as rude, and judgmental. That issue seeps into the miscommunication trope, which I dread in any book, by any author.

Overall, I am very pleased with my experience with this book, it is my first Hannah Boyle book, but it definitely will not be my last! Can’t to read more of her books!

I just reviewed The Pick Up by Hannah Doyle. #ThePickUp #NetGalley

Omg this was such a sweet book! I couldn’t put it down and had the best time reading it.

I love the single parent trope so the fact that both main characters were single parents was what initially got my attention when I heard about this book. The fake dating trope, on the other hand, I have mixed feelings about but when it’s done well it’s amazing, and this book certainly did that.

Sophie and Joe were so adorable together! Their banter was so good and they chemistry was clear from the beginning. I honestly found myself giggling multiple times (some in public as well!) - I just couldn’t help myself. Sophie’s resilience and hard work and the way she built a whole new life for her and her daughter after her divorce was inspiring. And Joe was such a nice guy who deserved nothing but happiness, especially after losing his wife. They both loved their kids more than anything and seeing them fall in love and become a family of 4 was incredible.

If you’re looking for a great fake dating romance that will make you laugh out loud, and especially if you like the single parent trope, check this one out!

4/5 Stars

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just so funny! I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. This book was just a cute book with lots of banter and the romance was adorable. Once I started reading it I just couldn’t put it down!

Thank you so much to HQ and netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book seemed pretty good for the right audience but it wasn’t for me. I did like the writing and the characters. However, I was just a bit bored and wasn’t connecting with the story.

I hope others love this one but it wasn’t for me.

The Pick Up is a single POV single-parent fake-dating romance. Sophie is a happily single mother to a little girl who desperately wants her sister to stop setting her up on dates. Joe is the widowed father of a little boy who is tired of the Moms at the school pick up fawning all over him. The two hatch a plan to fake date: Joe will help Sophie get an in with the other moms so her daughter is included in more play dates, and Sophie will be a buffer between Joe and weirdly flirtatious sympathy casseroles!

This was a fun and funny PG romance! I liked both Sophie and Joe, and could see where both were coming from. Their obstacles were realistic, personal hang ups and walls that were built up defensively. This was my first Hannah Doyle book but won’t be my last!

Read Dates: 04/19/2024- 04/21/2024
Goodreads review: 04/21/2024
Instagram review: 04/22/2024
Blog review: 05/09/2024

fake relationship and single parent? SIGN ME UP

this was a very cute, fast pace and easy book to read, and I really enjoyed.

I've never read anything from this author but boy... I loved it! I loved her writing and the characters, the plot was so much fun (even if I found certain parts a bit repetitive or cliche). What really made me give it 3/5 was the miscomunication trope... I can't, I'm sorry, that's the only part that I really hated...

What I would have really loved as well was to have some chapters on Joe's POV. I really enjoyed their dynamic and would have loved to read what he was really feeling sometimes.

Thanks netgalley for the ARC.

This book was such a cute rom-com. Fake dating, single parents, the banter. I laughed so much through this.

This was a fun and easy read.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for this eARC!

If you like fake dating or single parent romance, this is for you! The pick up was a super sweet story following Sophie and Joe as what starts as a way to keep those around them off their backs, begins to bloom into something more! I loved the dynamic between these two and love the HEA of course!

Thanks Netgalley and HQ for the ARC!

This was such a cute story! I loved the fake romance, but also being best friends. Also, can we talk about how I was rooting for Poppy and Adam from the very beginning?! Very clean romance that I highly recommend. And it comes out May 9th!!

Very sweet, very cute and a whole lot of fun! And he has an IRISH ACCENT! It also has one of my absolute favourite tropes. I would recommend if you're looking for a closed door (loads of sizzle still) romance with a hot Irish dad, fake dating and characters that are a little more mature in age than your usual romance MCs

I was super excited for this one, however it just really wasn't 'there' for me.

Fake dating is probably one of my top favorite tropes, but this one just was a little eh.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Single parents that are fake dating seems like a recipe for a fun book but this one sadly fell a bit flat for me.
The pros for me were their kids. Sid and Lila were adorable and had a lot of cute moments together. Our MMC and FMC had a lot of cute and funny moments together but they read more like good friends or brother and sister than a budding romance. Their chemistry was not really bursting off the page which is why it felt so flat for me. Now my biggest con were the side characters at the school. I know they were intended to be irritating but there so much of them and they were so frustrating that it made it difficult to read. Overall I thought that premise was cute but the romance was not well developed enough to overcome the terrible side characters and a cute kid can only do so much.

I have never laughed with a book as much as I did with this one! I’m so glad I was accepted to read this as an arc! I truly felt like I read this one at the right time!

Super cute predicable rom com. 0/5 spice. Typical independent successful mom fall for good looking sweet single dad. The families and their banter is overall SWEET.

✨ARC Review✨

The Pick Up by Hannah Doyle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Read if you like:
- Single Parent MCs
- Fake Dating
- Slow Burn
- Rom-coms


📅 May 9, 2024

💭 I loved seeing Sophie’s POV on motherhood and all of the 4yr old anecdotes from little Lila. This book was really funny and I loved the banter between Sophie and Joe (also a single parent).

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoyed this book so much! I didn’t knew this author before and I’m so happy I do now. Love her writing style.

Okay so... We have two parents, one divorced and one widowed. The friendship between them felt so effortless, they just fitted so well. They’re so funny I literally couldn’t stop laughing sometimes! The development of their relationship was so sweet and you can also see the personal development of each.

And don’t even get me started with the kids! Lila is such a sweet funny little girl. Sophie’s sister is one of the best!

The fake dating was so good!!! And it was excacly what i WANT!! It really is a rom-com on full mode 😂🫣

Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC.

This book was super enjoyable. I love fake dating, and the banter between the two characters was really realistic and fun. I liked that the children were involved as I feel like a lot of books where the MC's have children, they are kind of forgotten about or just used to further the plot.

I would definitely recommend this to friends who enjoy rom-com books!

Single parent fauxmance? Yes please!

You can feel the pull between Sophie and Joe from the first meeting, and you know they are going to fall hard.

But I didn't really fee the com of the rom com. Sure, there are some funny moments, but to me it was more about the facade we show others, and how we perceive those around us.

I did adore their kids and those around them.

I got frustrated at Sophie, wanted to yell at both of them to communicate.

So, while it was a good read, it just fell a bit flat for me.

I would read more by the author in the future though.

First thing you should know about me, I love a fake dating trope. This book was just perfect. Lots of fluffy romance and a good helping of angst as the faux-mance develops into real feelings and our poor couple can’t see the forest for the trees. This book is funny and a fast read. Perfect to pick up on a lazy afternoon when you want something light and sweet.