Pretending to date? Simple.
Pretending it doesn’t feel real? Impossible.
Emily Rodriguez’s New York dreams crumble when she loses both her career and her boyfriend. Now juggling three part-time jobs, she decides to shake things up with an impulsive date. The catch? Her dreamy mystery man turns out to be Joshua Santiago—her best friend Bon’s annoyingly attractive older brother, whom she hasn’t seen in a decade.
Back in Manila for a wedding, Emily and Joshua are caught in a storm of stressful situations—including her ex-boyfriend showing up with his new date and Joshua’s mother playing matchmaker. As a temporary solution, they hatch a plan to pretend to be a couple until they’re back in New York.
With rules that seem simple enough—no feelings, no messy attachments—they think they have it all figured out. After all, Josh is a serial casual dater, and Emily is just getting over a long relationship.
But as boundaries dissolve and feelings intensify, they must confront the possibility that their staged romance could evolve into something profoundly real.
Kyra Ysabel: Romcom Author 