Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher

A modern rom-com with legit laugh-out-loud hilarity, Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher is a sure thing for a truly hilarious, swoon-worthy love story.

Jack Nolan is a gentleman, a journalist, and unlucky in love. His viral success has pigeon-holed him as the how-to guy for a buzzy, internet media company instead of covering hard-hitting politics. Fed up with his fluffy articles and the app-based dating scene as well, he strikes a deal with his boss to write a final piece de resistance: How to Lose a Girl. Easier said than done when the girl he meets is Hannah Mayfield, and he’s not sure he wants her to dump him.

Hannah is an extremely successful event planner who’s focused on climbing the career ladder. Her firm is one of the most prestigious in the city, and she’s determined to secure her next promotion. But Hannah has a bit of an image problem. She needs to show her boss that she has range, including planning dreaded, romantic weddings. Enter Jack. He’s the perfect man to date for a couple weeks to prove to her boss that she’s not scared of feelings.

Before Jack and Hannah know it, their fake relationship starts to feel all too real—and neither of them can stand to lose each other.

Let’s start with our hero, Jack. Oh, sweet, charming, hot-as-hell, clueless Jack Nolan. Need a visual image? It’s Chris Evans. (Seriously, Chris Evans.) Jack is the good guy, the nice guy, the perfect boyfriend … who can’t figure out why every serious girlfriend has left him. He sees his buddies making the same dumb mistakes every time (sending dick picks, being late to dates, just general asshole-ish-ness), and he knows how to woo a lady, even if the ladies have always eventually dumped him.

So when he finally decides to prioritize himself and his career, of course it’s when he’s met the woman who could be The One. And as a romantic and a serial monogamist, Jack definitely wants The One. But he also wants to take the next step in his career, and all of his friends (even the priest!) are telling him to put himself first for a change. Even if it means treating this amazing woman like garbage.

It’s not even easy for Jack. One of my favorite scenes in the book is when Jack decides he has to send a dick pic to try and get Hannah to dump him. Just the act of taking the photo is distasteful to him, and he wonders what other men are even thinking when they photograph their junk and then send it to women.

Meanwhile, Hannah has been burned one too many times. She’s given up on the idea of romance because it’s just never worked out for her — and given her anecdotes from relationships past, who can blame her? So when Jack saunters in exactly when she needs a fake boyfriend, she takes advantage. Except, despite some of his mistakes (the aforementioned dick pic, mansplaining a hockey game — which is, for the record, one of the BEST scenes in the entire book, being obscenely late to an important event, and introducing her to his family way too soon), she finds herself falling hard for Jack.

Separately, Hannah and Jack are each kind of a train wreck. But when they come together, they somehow find happiness and peace and joy. It’s just a matter of coming clean to each other and hoping their feelings are strong enough to withstand the fallout.

Ultimately, Not the Girl You Marry is exactly the kind of feel-good, happy-ending story you want in a romance, wrapped up in a contemporary, modern package that feels wholly relatable to today’s dating adults. It’s funny and charming and sexy, and delightfully entertaining from start to finish. Look for it in stores today!