There is something about the “fake dating” trope that makes us happy. It’s one of those (like all tropes) that you either love or hate, but us… well we obsess over the stories that are all about fake dating. And yes, as we read them, we also question where we went wrong in the times we’ve fake dated.
Maybe it’s because the prospect of being with the people we’ve fake dated and stood in for in life – well that alone makes us want to be sick. So that’s why we read about the trope. For pointers and dreaming of things going right.
One of the latest books that we’ve absolutely adored was The Pick Up, by Hannah Doyle. It was a book that we could swoon over and a book that we could day dream over. We love any day that we can swoon (which is any day ending in Y).
In the book, “Sophie Rogers finds it easy to focus on the important things in life. Like her daughter, her job and her family.
So when Joe, another single parent at school suggests they fake a romance to help them both out of a fix, she throws herself in.
But then Sophie starts to look forward to seeing Joe. In fact, she’s thinking about his floppy hair, Irish accent and the way his lips felt when they grazed hers (her commitment to this is exceptional) more than their synced calendars and staged socials. And there is a reason the yummy mummies called him Hot Single Dad.
Sophie Rogers isn’t silly enough to fall in love with her fake boyfriend. Is she?”
Yes, Sophie. Yes you are that silly. Personally, don’t think its silly at all.
It’s been a long time since we (meaning me, I am the we) sat down and finished a book in one sitting, but with this one I couldn’t stop reading I wanted an escape and this gave me just that. But the thing that I loved the most is The Pick Up, picked me up.
It got me out of my reading slump.
Sophie is a single mom whose daughter is ostracized. Kids are cruel and they don’t invite her daughter on play dates. Sophie is a good Mom, she wants her little girl to be happy. She wants her to experience life in the best way possible.
The way Doyle writes Sophie, you can’t help but relate to her. She’s blunt and hilarious. She’s settled in as a single Mom and has committed to hating anyone that comes for her kid. It’s as a mom should be.
Joe is the hot single dad that all the moms fawn over. All the moms but Sophie. He’s definitely over all of the attention that he’s getting and all of the moms that are after him. So he proposes a solution to Sophie for both of their issues.
The banter, the chemistry, the angst… it keeps the reader turning the pages. Doyle does a fantastic job building up the relationship between the two, which leaves the reader wanting more. Need more.
We loved the way that the story keeps you focused on Joe and Sophie and rooting for them, but also keeps you rooting for the children. You are worried about how the relationship will affect them, but you know that Sophie and Joe are such great parents that they are going to make sure that they kids come first.
The Pick Up had us laughing out loud and protective of the characters. You can not help but be emotionally invested in them, because of the way that Doyle flawlessly executes them.
From well written adults to well written children, there isn’t a character that Doyle can’t write. The road to a happily ever after is one that is filled with everything that you want in a romance.
The book does have some predictable moments, but that’s okay. It’s those moments, intermixed with witty dialogue, The Pick Up is a great read for this summer. Pick it up and take it to the beach with you.
You won’t regret it.
