Noah and Mia have always been best friends, and their friendship is the most important thing to them. Life is going great for Noah and he's up for a promotion in a job he loves. But Mia's life is on hold as she awaits a kidney transplant. She's stuck in a dead-end job and, never wanting to be a burden, has sworn off all Romance. So when the chance of a lifetime comes to go back to school and pursue her dream, it's especially painful to pass up. She can't quit her job or she'll lose the medical insurance she so desperately needs. To support her, Noah suggests they get married—in name only—so she can study full-time and still keep the insurance. It's a risk to both of them, with jobs, health, and hearts on the line, and they'll need to convince suspicious coworkers and nosy roommates that they're the real deal. But if they can let go of all the baggage holding them back, they might realize that they would rather be together forever. 

This was one of my favorite rom-com reads of the year, mainly because I felt like the characters had genuine love and affection for each other, not just attraction. A need for health insurance was one of the most plausible reasons for a marriage of convenience plot I’ve come across in a romance. If you’re a fan of favorite romance tropes like friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, and “Oh no! There’s only one bed!” you’ll enjoy Would You Rather. 

The Flatshare
by Beth O’Leary
Flatiron Books, 2019. 352 pages. Fiction 

After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art. Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He'll only ever be there when she's at the office. In fact, they'll never even have to meet. Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes - first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more. But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea ... especially if you've never met. 

The Ex Talk
by Rachel Lynn Solomon 

Berkley, 2021. 352 pages. Romance 

Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can't imagine working anywhere else. But lately it's been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who's fresh off a journalism master's program and convinced he knows everything about public radio. When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it's this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it's not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts. As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers.

SGR