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Can We Pretend?
Unpublished/Outdated Edition
- GenresRomance
342 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2020
About the author
Sana Khatri
9 books197 followersSana Khatri is an International Bestselling author, an IT (Information Technology) graduate, a bunny momma, and a makeup junkie. She resides with her aunts, mother, and her younger brother in Mumbai, India. Because her dad is the one who initially motivated her to keep writing, she makes sure to ask him for book-related opinions and suggestions whenever she needs them. She is an unwavering reader, dreamer, and believer, and prefers to have a speck of reality in her fictitious stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
October 2, 2020
YAY! My 2nd contemporary romance book baby! I'm so incredibly proud of this one! It's special to me on so many levels, and I'm so honored to have the continued support of my amazing readers and friends. 🤧💙💙💙
NOTE: This book has mentions of sexual assault, suicide, and bullying. If any of the given topics are a trigger to you in any manner of the way, then a consideration is advised.
NOTE: This book has mentions of sexual assault, suicide, and bullying. If any of the given topics are a trigger to you in any manner of the way, then a consideration is advised.
February 11, 2020
I really liked the minor characters in this book. I wanted to like the whole book, but there were so many elements that were problematic to me.
1. I didn't like Wane-- Vera's love interest. He's a yo-yo. He says one thing and acts in a completely different way. Borderline emotionally abusive to Vera. I don't understand why he insists on staying with his girlfriend who's clearly a bad person. The connection between why he stays with his horrible girlfriend and his sister's suicide isn't emotionally developed. The girlfriend seems in no way endanger of committing suicide. Then he cheats on his horrible girlfriend making me dislike him even more. If you're going to stay with your girlfriend in a loveless relationship for some high-minded moral reason for YEARS, you wouldn't just cheat on her. I feel like a character like that would be more calculated when trying to do the right thing.
2. There are a lot of diverse issues brought up, which I usually like, but in this case, it felt like they were tacked on to develop an instant emotional intensity without having to do the actual work of creating emotional intensity. There was also confusion in the way details were presented. For example, Wane's sister committed suicide and at one point he says her personality completely changed after their father hurt her then in the next instance he says the suicide came out of nowhere. As a reader, those two things didn't make sense to me or weren't written in a way that made sense to me.
3. I don't understand why Vera likes Wane. There seems to be some idea of him as a savior BUT by the time he'd reached her in her moment of peril, she'd already saved herself. On top of that, he's kind of douche mansplaining how he thinks she should deal with her trauma, which she cowers to. She tells him he was right. That was cringy.
4. Vera cries a lot and it's not only about her traumatic situation. It's about nothing at all it feels like sometimes. I had to remind myself that she had trauma and that's probably why she was crying so much, which was problematic because I should have FELT it instead of having to remind myself why it was happening.
5. The words "retard" and "retarded" are used too much for comfort.
6. The timeline felt off. When I looked back, it was for all intents and purposes it was "there," but the language confused me as the book went on causing me to HAVE TO go back and look it up to make sure.
1. I didn't like Wane-- Vera's love interest. He's a yo-yo. He says one thing and acts in a completely different way. Borderline emotionally abusive to Vera. I don't understand why he insists on staying with his girlfriend who's clearly a bad person. The connection between why he stays with his horrible girlfriend and his sister's suicide isn't emotionally developed. The girlfriend seems in no way endanger of committing suicide. Then he cheats on his horrible girlfriend making me dislike him even more. If you're going to stay with your girlfriend in a loveless relationship for some high-minded moral reason for YEARS, you wouldn't just cheat on her. I feel like a character like that would be more calculated when trying to do the right thing.
2. There are a lot of diverse issues brought up, which I usually like, but in this case, it felt like they were tacked on to develop an instant emotional intensity without having to do the actual work of creating emotional intensity. There was also confusion in the way details were presented. For example, Wane's sister committed suicide and at one point he says her personality completely changed after their father hurt her then in the next instance he says the suicide came out of nowhere. As a reader, those two things didn't make sense to me or weren't written in a way that made sense to me.
3. I don't understand why Vera likes Wane. There seems to be some idea of him as a savior BUT by the time he'd reached her in her moment of peril, she'd already saved herself. On top of that, he's kind of douche mansplaining how he thinks she should deal with her trauma, which she cowers to. She tells him he was right. That was cringy.
4. Vera cries a lot and it's not only about her traumatic situation. It's about nothing at all it feels like sometimes. I had to remind myself that she had trauma and that's probably why she was crying so much, which was problematic because I should have FELT it instead of having to remind myself why it was happening.
5. The words "retard" and "retarded" are used too much for comfort.
6. The timeline felt off. When I looked back, it was for all intents and purposes it was "there," but the language confused me as the book went on causing me to HAVE TO go back and look it up to make sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2020
Review to follow :)
March 11, 2021
ARC provided by the lovely author in exchange for an honest review. 🙂
If I could I would quote the entire book here because Pearl's writing is so stunning and poetic that I always get lost in it. Not to mention her deep and influential storylines. Just WOW.
Wane is my favorite hero by Pearl so far because he's so passionate about his dreams and he cares for his friends and family like no other. He's beautiful both inside and out and I love how Pearl based him off of one of my favorite tv stars, Taylor Kinney.
The book is dedicated to Kinney and I hope one day he reads it because I know he'll be in awe of how talented and determined Pearl is in her craft of storytelling.
Vera stole my heart really. Despite everything she's been through she fights back with everything inside her. Definitely an opposite to Pearl's Amara from Those Chance Encounters. I loved Vera so much because she's quirky, honest, caring and beautiful. Also, Snow is a package deal with her and who doesn't love a cute bunny?
I looooovvvvveeeee Snow. He's so adorable 😭
The Can We Pretend? storyline is so well in sync with the trope (slow burn) and at no point did I feel bored or uninterested because the relationship and interaction between all the characters and all the events happening in the book were so engrossing. It really felt like a movie plof and I hope this book turns into a movie one day. It'll be so very amazing to see Wane and Vera come to life.
Despite there being an age gap between Wane and Vera they truly connected and formed a very soulful relationship. Pearl didn't over do the age gap thing and kept it respectfully minimum. I loved that.
Plot: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Characters: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Romance: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Drama: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Steam: 🌸🌸
Storyline quality: 💯
Thank you Pearl for giving me the chance to read this masterpiece early and thank you for writing this book 😭 I love love love love love it and HIGHLY RECOMMEND this to readers who are looking for a meaningful love story and not just pages upon pages of alpha BS and weird sex scenes.
THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU FALL IN LOVE AGAIN I PROMISE 😍❤️
WANE JACKSON 😍👇
If I could I would quote the entire book here because Pearl's writing is so stunning and poetic that I always get lost in it. Not to mention her deep and influential storylines. Just WOW.
Wane is my favorite hero by Pearl so far because he's so passionate about his dreams and he cares for his friends and family like no other. He's beautiful both inside and out and I love how Pearl based him off of one of my favorite tv stars, Taylor Kinney.
The book is dedicated to Kinney and I hope one day he reads it because I know he'll be in awe of how talented and determined Pearl is in her craft of storytelling.
Vera stole my heart really. Despite everything she's been through she fights back with everything inside her. Definitely an opposite to Pearl's Amara from Those Chance Encounters. I loved Vera so much because she's quirky, honest, caring and beautiful. Also, Snow is a package deal with her and who doesn't love a cute bunny?
I looooovvvvveeeee Snow. He's so adorable 😭
The Can We Pretend? storyline is so well in sync with the trope (slow burn) and at no point did I feel bored or uninterested because the relationship and interaction between all the characters and all the events happening in the book were so engrossing. It really felt like a movie plof and I hope this book turns into a movie one day. It'll be so very amazing to see Wane and Vera come to life.
Despite there being an age gap between Wane and Vera they truly connected and formed a very soulful relationship. Pearl didn't over do the age gap thing and kept it respectfully minimum. I loved that.
Plot: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Characters: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Romance: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Drama: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Steam: 🌸🌸
Storyline quality: 💯
Thank you Pearl for giving me the chance to read this masterpiece early and thank you for writing this book 😭 I love love love love love it and HIGHLY RECOMMEND this to readers who are looking for a meaningful love story and not just pages upon pages of alpha BS and weird sex scenes.
THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU FALL IN LOVE AGAIN I PROMISE 😍❤️
WANE JACKSON 😍👇
January 27, 2020
*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
Content warning: cheating/infidelity
Trigger warnings: mentions of assault and suicide
Rating: 3/5 stars
Can We Pretend? starts off with Vera and Wane meeting after a traumatic event that Vera endures. Wane assists in getting Vera to a safe place and seen by emergency professionals. He offers her his number, but she never calls.
Fast forward five years and Vera walks into a job interview with none other than Wane. They both try to play it cool, but internally both are flashed back to the night they met and the fact that Vera never called.
The story started a little bit slow. Both characters had major internal battles working overtime. They had the chemistry and great tension and I did want them to be together, but my biggest hang-up with the whole story was the fact that Wane had a girlfriend. A live-in girlfriend at that. One that he was too much of a coward to break up with because she guilt tripped him into keeping her around even though he had the suspicion that she wasn’t being faithful already. I am not a proponent of cheating and I know that it happens, but it was a major turn-off for me. I probably would have rated the book higher if it weren’t for that aspect.
A couple of additional things that lowered my rating were the author's almost over use of a thesaurus. I feel that at times the author used $5 words when a 50 cent word could have been used and been totally fine. To me it distracted from the writing rather than enhancing it like it should have. Also, the author's writing style threw me off a little while reading. There were phrases and actions that I felt were a little out of context or character and broke my concentration. These may not bother other readers, but they took away from my reading experience.
Overall, the book was creative and I liked the base story line a lot. If it weren't for the cheating and my struggle with the writing style I would have given it a higher rating. If you're someone who can look past those then definitely give this book a shot!
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Content warning: cheating/infidelity
Trigger warnings: mentions of assault and suicide
Rating: 3/5 stars
Can We Pretend? starts off with Vera and Wane meeting after a traumatic event that Vera endures. Wane assists in getting Vera to a safe place and seen by emergency professionals. He offers her his number, but she never calls.
Fast forward five years and Vera walks into a job interview with none other than Wane. They both try to play it cool, but internally both are flashed back to the night they met and the fact that Vera never called.
The story started a little bit slow. Both characters had major internal battles working overtime. They had the chemistry and great tension and I did want them to be together, but my biggest hang-up with the whole story was the fact that Wane had a girlfriend. A live-in girlfriend at that. One that he was too much of a coward to break up with because she guilt tripped him into keeping her around even though he had the suspicion that she wasn’t being faithful already. I am not a proponent of cheating and I know that it happens, but it was a major turn-off for me. I probably would have rated the book higher if it weren’t for that aspect.
A couple of additional things that lowered my rating were the author's almost over use of a thesaurus. I feel that at times the author used $5 words when a 50 cent word could have been used and been totally fine. To me it distracted from the writing rather than enhancing it like it should have. Also, the author's writing style threw me off a little while reading. There were phrases and actions that I felt were a little out of context or character and broke my concentration. These may not bother other readers, but they took away from my reading experience.
Overall, the book was creative and I liked the base story line a lot. If it weren't for the cheating and my struggle with the writing style I would have given it a higher rating. If you're someone who can look past those then definitely give this book a shot!
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October 25, 2020
This is an age-gap and second chance contemporary romance. The story starts off with Wane and Vera meeting at the night when she got assaulted. Wane accompanied her to the hospital and to the police station. He gave his number to Vera but she never called him. They met five years later, where Wane is now her new boss.
To be honest, my expectations are not quite high going into this book. I got an ARC copy of this book. The author approached me and since she is independently published I know from the get-go that there will be grammar lapses and the story might be flawed because this is just her second released book so she is still honing her skills as a writer. Having said that, I am writing this review in the hopes that the author will consider the points I will be mentioning when writing her next book. Here are my thoughts:
- The cover. I must say, the cover is good for someone who is not traditionally published. The Photoshop work done for this is decent enough that it can catch the reader’s eyes. Judging a book by its cover is true and we all know that there are awesome romance books that are frowned upon just because of their butchered photoshopped book cover.
- Visual image. The author dedicated the book to an actor so it gave me a solid visual image on my mind all throughout the book.
- Songs. A couple of songs are mentioned all throughout the book. The songs are not of my taste but if you’re the kind of reader who enjoys listening to the playlist, I urge you to check out the author’s playlist for this book.
- Writing style. I struggled with the writing style. I was overwhelmed by the number of hyphens and semicolons. It threw me off the story so many times. It breaks the natural flow of her narrative. These types of romance are supposed to be fast-paced and using these punctuations tends to slow down the reader. On the upside, it mellowed down as the story progressed.
- Word choices. The author is really fond of her figure of speech. Not that it’s a bad thing, no. I appreciate being poetic and all that jazz. However, you have to set the tone clear from the beginning until the rest of the book and be consistent with it. The scenes usually start with a lighthearted conversation between two characters, then someone will just throw a line from a Lifetime movie. Also, I don’t think the word theorem is used outside a math class. I know, because I took engineering and hated that word with a passion because it’s a pain in the butt when I need to derive a theorem on my exams.
- Character development. I finished the book but I felt that I don’t completely know the main characters and never cared for either of them. I don’t know their goals, their motivation, what makes them tick, their internal and external conflict. The author tried but I felt that the execution is done poorly. I felt that some were mentioned just to add flavor and move the story forward but not really to make their character more realistic. I honestly don’t know how the characters went from A to B. The journey to their self-discovery is not there. They just... changed because the other one is there.
- Cheating. So, Wane has a girlfriend at the majority of the book. Granted that he wanted to break it off with her so many times, HE STILL HAS A GF AND HE HAS NO BUSINESS KISSING THE FOREHEAD OR TOUCHING THE WAIST OF HIS EMPLOYEE. Oh gosh, the people around them just tolerate it. This is exactly the reason why I didn’t feel the chemistry. I wince every time they act lovey-dovey. It would probably be better if there’s angst between them so we could at least feel that the characters are trying to fight what they are feeling. But they did not. Also, can we talk about this trope where the other woman is so evil for us to root with the heroine? Can we not do this? Is it too much to ask for a well-developed heroine instead so we readers will root for her because of who she is?
- Sensitive issues. The premise of the book is that Vera is a victim of sexual abuse and she also suffers from PCOS. Both are a great topic to discuss within a book but it was just glazed upon. It feels like these two were mentioned as a plot device. If you didn’t read the prologue, you wouldn't know that Vera is a victim of abuse aside from her phobia of alleys. She’s perfectly normal. She doesn’t shy away from touch or any form of intimacy. And there is no mention that she has gone through therapy and her family’s only hope of bringing her back is Wane.
- Wane. If a knight in shining armor in a white horse with not a strand of bad thing about him is your jam, then you would like Wane. I swear he is a God’s gift to women with his cute butt and silver hair. He’s good at running a business, he’s good with carpentry, he drives a motorcycle, and OMG he can cook and bake. Perfect right? Oh, I forgot he doesn’t have balls. He doesn’t have one, that’s why he can’t break up with his girlfriend. His character is not well fleshed out and his conflict doesn’t add up. He came out looking like a douchebag to me. I don’t like him, he goes around saying “I was sure I was going to fully submerge into the pool of my sorrow”. What I don’t like about him is that I feel that the author purposely makes the woman be in a certain situation so that the man will come and save the day.
- Vera. So Vera. I don’t like her either. She cries a lot. She’s such a softie. She freaking cried just by the cuteness of a bunny and I quote, “It looked up at me with big red eyes, and the sudden urge to sob and snuggle it to me for the rest of my life was overwhelming”. Like whoa! Wait a second. She’s bitter (she called a girl bitch in her mind just because she is with her ex and she has fake boobs) and she allows Wane to demand something from her or mansplain her.
Overall, this book is pretty meh for my regular dose of romance. I am by no means have a background in literature or am I a professional when it comes to reviewing books. I just love reading and these are the things that prevented me from fully enjoying the book. I just hope that the author will take this criticism constructively.
To be honest, my expectations are not quite high going into this book. I got an ARC copy of this book. The author approached me and since she is independently published I know from the get-go that there will be grammar lapses and the story might be flawed because this is just her second released book so she is still honing her skills as a writer. Having said that, I am writing this review in the hopes that the author will consider the points I will be mentioning when writing her next book. Here are my thoughts:
- The cover. I must say, the cover is good for someone who is not traditionally published. The Photoshop work done for this is decent enough that it can catch the reader’s eyes. Judging a book by its cover is true and we all know that there are awesome romance books that are frowned upon just because of their butchered photoshopped book cover.
- Visual image. The author dedicated the book to an actor so it gave me a solid visual image on my mind all throughout the book.
- Songs. A couple of songs are mentioned all throughout the book. The songs are not of my taste but if you’re the kind of reader who enjoys listening to the playlist, I urge you to check out the author’s playlist for this book.
- Writing style. I struggled with the writing style. I was overwhelmed by the number of hyphens and semicolons. It threw me off the story so many times. It breaks the natural flow of her narrative. These types of romance are supposed to be fast-paced and using these punctuations tends to slow down the reader. On the upside, it mellowed down as the story progressed.
- Word choices. The author is really fond of her figure of speech. Not that it’s a bad thing, no. I appreciate being poetic and all that jazz. However, you have to set the tone clear from the beginning until the rest of the book and be consistent with it. The scenes usually start with a lighthearted conversation between two characters, then someone will just throw a line from a Lifetime movie. Also, I don’t think the word theorem is used outside a math class. I know, because I took engineering and hated that word with a passion because it’s a pain in the butt when I need to derive a theorem on my exams.
- Character development. I finished the book but I felt that I don’t completely know the main characters and never cared for either of them. I don’t know their goals, their motivation, what makes them tick, their internal and external conflict. The author tried but I felt that the execution is done poorly. I felt that some were mentioned just to add flavor and move the story forward but not really to make their character more realistic. I honestly don’t know how the characters went from A to B. The journey to their self-discovery is not there. They just... changed because the other one is there.
- Cheating. So, Wane has a girlfriend at the majority of the book. Granted that he wanted to break it off with her so many times, HE STILL HAS A GF AND HE HAS NO BUSINESS KISSING THE FOREHEAD OR TOUCHING THE WAIST OF HIS EMPLOYEE. Oh gosh, the people around them just tolerate it. This is exactly the reason why I didn’t feel the chemistry. I wince every time they act lovey-dovey. It would probably be better if there’s angst between them so we could at least feel that the characters are trying to fight what they are feeling. But they did not. Also, can we talk about this trope where the other woman is so evil for us to root with the heroine? Can we not do this? Is it too much to ask for a well-developed heroine instead so we readers will root for her because of who she is?
- Sensitive issues. The premise of the book is that Vera is a victim of sexual abuse and she also suffers from PCOS. Both are a great topic to discuss within a book but it was just glazed upon. It feels like these two were mentioned as a plot device. If you didn’t read the prologue, you wouldn't know that Vera is a victim of abuse aside from her phobia of alleys. She’s perfectly normal. She doesn’t shy away from touch or any form of intimacy. And there is no mention that she has gone through therapy and her family’s only hope of bringing her back is Wane.
- Wane. If a knight in shining armor in a white horse with not a strand of bad thing about him is your jam, then you would like Wane. I swear he is a God’s gift to women with his cute butt and silver hair. He’s good at running a business, he’s good with carpentry, he drives a motorcycle, and OMG he can cook and bake. Perfect right? Oh, I forgot he doesn’t have balls. He doesn’t have one, that’s why he can’t break up with his girlfriend. His character is not well fleshed out and his conflict doesn’t add up. He came out looking like a douchebag to me. I don’t like him, he goes around saying “I was sure I was going to fully submerge into the pool of my sorrow”. What I don’t like about him is that I feel that the author purposely makes the woman be in a certain situation so that the man will come and save the day.
- Vera. So Vera. I don’t like her either. She cries a lot. She’s such a softie. She freaking cried just by the cuteness of a bunny and I quote, “It looked up at me with big red eyes, and the sudden urge to sob and snuggle it to me for the rest of my life was overwhelming”. Like whoa! Wait a second. She’s bitter (she called a girl bitch in her mind just because she is with her ex and she has fake boobs) and she allows Wane to demand something from her or mansplain her.
Overall, this book is pretty meh for my regular dose of romance. I am by no means have a background in literature or am I a professional when it comes to reviewing books. I just love reading and these are the things that prevented me from fully enjoying the book. I just hope that the author will take this criticism constructively.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 29, 2021'Can We Pretend?' by Sana Khatri
So, first of all, I love Sana's writing. It's always so alluring and fun to read and makes me wanna read more and more of her stories!
This one, though, wasn't for me. It's really cute and fluffy but the characters weren't IT for me.
I'm much more fond of her newer books, PY and UR, because we can really see how much of a good writer she became!
I really recommend this one for people who are trying to get into romance reads more!
So, first of all, I love Sana's writing. It's always so alluring and fun to read and makes me wanna read more and more of her stories!
This one, though, wasn't for me. It's really cute and fluffy but the characters weren't IT for me.
I'm much more fond of her newer books, PY and UR, because we can really see how much of a good writer she became!
I really recommend this one for people who are trying to get into romance reads more!
February 7, 2020
Can We Pretend is a slow-burn age gap coworker romance, emphasis on slow-burn. There were a few things I liked about this story and a few things I didn't like. The relationship between Wane and Vera begins from a dramatic event and they slowly build a friendship from there. This wasn't an insta-love story and the growth of their relationship was organic. I also liked Mary and her relationship. She has the opposite relationship, a very fast paced love story that off sets the slowness of Vera and Wane's relationship well.
I didn't find either character, Wane or Vera, particularly likeable. Wane had a girlfriend for 90%+ of this book and there is overlap between the relationship with his girlfriend and Vera. I didn't completely dislike that he still had a girlfriend while he was starting a relationship with Vera, however I did hate his reason for having a girlfriend. His girlfriend is a horrible person and his relationship with her was loveless, however he was too weak to leave her. That really bothered me. As for Vera, overall she was OK but she cried a lot and I found that tiresome. One last thing that I disliked, there was a pretty big timeline discrepancy in the story. It might not stick out to everyone, but to me it was a very noticeable error.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't find either character, Wane or Vera, particularly likeable. Wane had a girlfriend for 90%+ of this book and there is overlap between the relationship with his girlfriend and Vera. I didn't completely dislike that he still had a girlfriend while he was starting a relationship with Vera, however I did hate his reason for having a girlfriend. His girlfriend is a horrible person and his relationship with her was loveless, however he was too weak to leave her. That really bothered me. As for Vera, overall she was OK but she cried a lot and I found that tiresome. One last thing that I disliked, there was a pretty big timeline discrepancy in the story. It might not stick out to everyone, but to me it was a very noticeable error.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 28, 2019
➳ Rate: 4.5 / 5 stars
This book is very precious. These main characters are both very sweet and I learned to care for them deeply. Can We Pretend is a very slow burn that will leave you frustrated, make you question what's going on in Wane's mind and is just overall a very sweet but heartaching story. It deals with traumas, incredibly painful losses and the guilt of those who stay behind.
Vera is such a sweet girl which went through a traumatic experience that still haunts her years after it happened. When she stars a new job and shows up on the first day to see that her new boss is none other than the man who helped her on the worst night of her life... it's kismet. These two are being given a second chance to be something, no matter what that will be. It's a second chance to be in each other's lives and help each other through the hard days.
Wane recently accomplished his dream - opening his own flower shop. He has the best employees and friends, they are a tight and fun bunch but when his newest employee shows up... suddenly he's reeling. The girl who he shared an incredible connection with 5 years ago, on the night he also met his girlfriend. Suddenly, she's back in his life and he finds himself sharing a beautiful friendship and the most incredible connection that he has ever felt with anyone. But he is in a relationship and no matter how unhappy he is in said relationship, he won't do anything about it.
Wane was cause for a lot of frustration. He held off on doing anything about his girlfriend, even when he was confronted with her secrets and abuse. And although I understood where he was coming from, I just couldn't get how he keep turning a blind eye on all she did. Wane has the biggest heart and obviously, it is not in his favour sometimes, specially when it comes to Melissa. Be prepared to feel all the frustration that comes with a slow burn and so much more with these two.
I think my most favourite thing about this book is Vera and Wane's connection. It was beautiful and getting to watch them grow it even more with a strong friendship and eventually love was amazing. Their connection is even more amazing than Kenneth and Amara's from Those Chance Encounters and I loved those two so much. Pearl sure knows how to write a beautiful, enthralling connection between her couples, that and secondary characters. I adore her secondary characters almost as much as the main couple; Mary stole a bit of the show in this one and I loved that we also got to see her fall in love and get her HEA.
Can We Pretend? is a slow burn, age gap and coworkers romance; if you love one or all of these tropes than you should definitely add it to your TBR. Expect a sweet and incredibly slow love story, filled with wonderful friendships and issues that we or our close ones all face at one point in our lives.
➳ Early ARC kindly provided by author, in exchange for an honest review.
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This book is very precious. These main characters are both very sweet and I learned to care for them deeply. Can We Pretend is a very slow burn that will leave you frustrated, make you question what's going on in Wane's mind and is just overall a very sweet but heartaching story. It deals with traumas, incredibly painful losses and the guilt of those who stay behind.
Vera is such a sweet girl which went through a traumatic experience that still haunts her years after it happened. When she stars a new job and shows up on the first day to see that her new boss is none other than the man who helped her on the worst night of her life... it's kismet. These two are being given a second chance to be something, no matter what that will be. It's a second chance to be in each other's lives and help each other through the hard days.
Wane recently accomplished his dream - opening his own flower shop. He has the best employees and friends, they are a tight and fun bunch but when his newest employee shows up... suddenly he's reeling. The girl who he shared an incredible connection with 5 years ago, on the night he also met his girlfriend. Suddenly, she's back in his life and he finds himself sharing a beautiful friendship and the most incredible connection that he has ever felt with anyone. But he is in a relationship and no matter how unhappy he is in said relationship, he won't do anything about it.
Wane was cause for a lot of frustration. He held off on doing anything about his girlfriend, even when he was confronted with her secrets and abuse. And although I understood where he was coming from, I just couldn't get how he keep turning a blind eye on all she did. Wane has the biggest heart and obviously, it is not in his favour sometimes, specially when it comes to Melissa. Be prepared to feel all the frustration that comes with a slow burn and so much more with these two.
I think my most favourite thing about this book is Vera and Wane's connection. It was beautiful and getting to watch them grow it even more with a strong friendship and eventually love was amazing. Their connection is even more amazing than Kenneth and Amara's from Those Chance Encounters and I loved those two so much. Pearl sure knows how to write a beautiful, enthralling connection between her couples, that and secondary characters. I adore her secondary characters almost as much as the main couple; Mary stole a bit of the show in this one and I loved that we also got to see her fall in love and get her HEA.
Can We Pretend? is a slow burn, age gap and coworkers romance; if you love one or all of these tropes than you should definitely add it to your TBR. Expect a sweet and incredibly slow love story, filled with wonderful friendships and issues that we or our close ones all face at one point in our lives.
➳ Early ARC kindly provided by author, in exchange for an honest review.
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October 26, 2020
“Never push me away again, Vera. Never do that to me. I want to be there for you, now and forever. Let me stay with you. Lean onto me when you dread a fall.”
Vera was involved in a traumatic attack 5 years previous to this story being told, Wane was there to help her get to safety and it was at this point that he gave her his number and asked him to call if she needed.
She never called.
Wane moved on.
Fast forward 5 years and Vera takes on a job at Wayne's florist. Vera regrets not calling because their connection is sparked to life once again. But Wane has moved on since, but is he truly happy with Melissa???
This is not my typical alpha read, but it's a nice light romance that was overall enjoyable. Sana's writing is improving with every release.
I was kindly provided this ARC in return for an honest review.
Vera was involved in a traumatic attack 5 years previous to this story being told, Wane was there to help her get to safety and it was at this point that he gave her his number and asked him to call if she needed.
She never called.
Wane moved on.
Fast forward 5 years and Vera takes on a job at Wayne's florist. Vera regrets not calling because their connection is sparked to life once again. But Wane has moved on since, but is he truly happy with Melissa???
This is not my typical alpha read, but it's a nice light romance that was overall enjoyable. Sana's writing is improving with every release.
I was kindly provided this ARC in return for an honest review.
Read
October 30, 2020Unfortunately I ended up dnf’ing this one .
I tried to come back to it a few times to see if it was my mood affecting it but I found it really difficult To connect with the characters and the story moved along really slowly . Too slowly for me .
I found the writing style was very descriptive at times and used a lot of words that I’ve never heard before , don’t get me wrong using different and unique words to describe something or feelings sometimes works well, is great and I love learning new words this way but when I’m looking up words every few pages to see what they mean it gets a little much .
I tried to come back to it a few times to see if it was my mood affecting it but I found it really difficult To connect with the characters and the story moved along really slowly . Too slowly for me .
I found the writing style was very descriptive at times and used a lot of words that I’ve never heard before , don’t get me wrong using different and unique words to describe something or feelings sometimes works well, is great and I love learning new words this way but when I’m looking up words every few pages to see what they mean it gets a little much .
November 12, 2020
It was an engaging romance about love, true heartbreak, longing, and desire! And flowers! 🌷 Vera and Wane reconnect after 5 years only to have one thing standing in the way of their desperate need for each other, Wane’s girlfriend that he met the same day he met Vera for the first time all those years ago! Also, Wane is a young Silver Fox! Count me in!! 😍
November 12, 2020
A huge thank you to the author for gifting me ‘Can We Pretend’ in exchange for a honest review’ An enjoyable read that I couldn’t put down, ok so I kind of knew where it was leading but that didn’t spoil the fun. As the synopsis states this story does touch on sexual assault, suicide and bullying and it also mentions PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) I really enjoyed Sana’s writing, the way she brought all of those gritty real life occurrences into the story was perfectly done and it was balanced out well with some humour and a couple of steamy moments too!
Main character Vera is as honest as they come and she’s quite open to the fact that she has PCOS which was refreshing to read. I liked Vera, no matter what was thrown at her she didn’t give up, a strong female character lead which was really nice to read about and not your usual damsel in distress!
I loved the short chapters which rotated between Wane and Vera although a few times I just wanted to bump their heads together! This book was everything I needed it to be, a book that had me addicted until the last page.. I do hope it’s not the last we see of Wane and Vera!
Main character Vera is as honest as they come and she’s quite open to the fact that she has PCOS which was refreshing to read. I liked Vera, no matter what was thrown at her she didn’t give up, a strong female character lead which was really nice to read about and not your usual damsel in distress!
I loved the short chapters which rotated between Wane and Vera although a few times I just wanted to bump their heads together! This book was everything I needed it to be, a book that had me addicted until the last page.. I do hope it’s not the last we see of Wane and Vera!
January 16, 2020
“We often take the people around us for granted. It’s only until we have nothing in our pockets but sorrow, pain, and loss, do we realize how much love is needed to not just survive, but also to live life like it’s meant to be lived.”
•
Vera met Wane on a night that still haunts her and she wish she can forget.
Five years later Vera shows at a job interview at a flower shop and the owner of the shop is Wane. They share an immediate connection, but Wane has a girlfriend so they start a good friendship.
•
I got to admit that I was so frustrated with the way their relationship grew, Wane had a girlfriend and even when it was so obvious he had feelings for Vera and he no longer cared for the actual girlfriend he didn’t end up things.
I loved the way Vera overcame her fears at the end and I felt that the secondary characters helped built the story in a really good way.
Can We Pretend is a sweet slow-burn story about loss, finding your true self and love.
•
“If you’re incapable of doing something about a thing, then it’s best to not be concerned about that thing.”
•
“Angels find their way to light, no matter what.”
•
Thank you Pearl Khatri for giving me a copy of your book in exchange for an honest review.
•
http://www.instagram.com/booksandcoff...
•
Vera met Wane on a night that still haunts her and she wish she can forget.
Five years later Vera shows at a job interview at a flower shop and the owner of the shop is Wane. They share an immediate connection, but Wane has a girlfriend so they start a good friendship.
•
I got to admit that I was so frustrated with the way their relationship grew, Wane had a girlfriend and even when it was so obvious he had feelings for Vera and he no longer cared for the actual girlfriend he didn’t end up things.
I loved the way Vera overcame her fears at the end and I felt that the secondary characters helped built the story in a really good way.
Can We Pretend is a sweet slow-burn story about loss, finding your true self and love.
•
“If you’re incapable of doing something about a thing, then it’s best to not be concerned about that thing.”
•
“Angels find their way to light, no matter what.”
•
Thank you Pearl Khatri for giving me a copy of your book in exchange for an honest review.
•
http://www.instagram.com/booksandcoff...
December 6, 2019
I’d first like to say that I was lucky enough to be a BETA reader of this book. Thank you so, so much, Pearl!!!
Also: there will be no spoilers, just my overall thoughts and opinions of the book and characters ☺️
I am SO excited I can finally put my thoughts for this book out into the world! It was my very first book by this author and can I just say I was so surprised at how quickly I fell for this book. I love her writing style. It’s unique to her & I think it shows, prominently. The beginning hooked me straight into everything that was happening and I didn’t stop reading until I finished.
Characters:
Vera- First off, I love her name. Is that weird? I don’t know, but I just thought it was unique and so beautiful. She is someone I felt for very quickly. Her struggles are very real and honest. But I don’t think those struggles took away from who she was at her core. AT ALL! I loved to see her growth throughout the story and how she opened up, showing herself a little bit at a time. It was just so special.
Her hard work and compassion was very admirable and honestly, I just love the way she loved those closest to her. It was very powerful. *I also have to point out her love for bunnies and Nutella is completely relatable and I LOVE IT!*
Wane- THIS MAN MADE ME CRYYYY! I won’t say why, but just know, I love him. And his actions. And who is. And what he looks like. EVERY SINGLE THING, OKAYYYY??!! Sorry that was a lot 😂
I just need you to know that reading the things he went through and seeing how he deals with them? An HONOR! I love him. Okay, bye.
*The side characters were awesome! I felt like they had a purpose and provided lots of funny, heartwarming moments!*
*One of my favorite things about this book is the sense of friendship, family, and love. It was so cute. It warmed my heart!*
*The romantic relationship in the book is very believable and understandable. The main characters have lots of circumstances and obstacles separating them, but we get to see them work through it all and I love it. I love them. Their love is powerful.*
Overall, I would 10000% recommend this book. I thought it was beautiful. It dealt with very heavy topics, gracefully. I can’t wait to see what other books she has in store. I hope if you do read it, you love it too!! 💙💙✨
Also: there will be no spoilers, just my overall thoughts and opinions of the book and characters ☺️
I am SO excited I can finally put my thoughts for this book out into the world! It was my very first book by this author and can I just say I was so surprised at how quickly I fell for this book. I love her writing style. It’s unique to her & I think it shows, prominently. The beginning hooked me straight into everything that was happening and I didn’t stop reading until I finished.
Characters:
Vera- First off, I love her name. Is that weird? I don’t know, but I just thought it was unique and so beautiful. She is someone I felt for very quickly. Her struggles are very real and honest. But I don’t think those struggles took away from who she was at her core. AT ALL! I loved to see her growth throughout the story and how she opened up, showing herself a little bit at a time. It was just so special.
Her hard work and compassion was very admirable and honestly, I just love the way she loved those closest to her. It was very powerful. *I also have to point out her love for bunnies and Nutella is completely relatable and I LOVE IT!*
Wane- THIS MAN MADE ME CRYYYY! I won’t say why, but just know, I love him. And his actions. And who is. And what he looks like. EVERY SINGLE THING, OKAYYYY??!! Sorry that was a lot 😂
I just need you to know that reading the things he went through and seeing how he deals with them? An HONOR! I love him. Okay, bye.
*The side characters were awesome! I felt like they had a purpose and provided lots of funny, heartwarming moments!*
*One of my favorite things about this book is the sense of friendship, family, and love. It was so cute. It warmed my heart!*
*The romantic relationship in the book is very believable and understandable. The main characters have lots of circumstances and obstacles separating them, but we get to see them work through it all and I love it. I love them. Their love is powerful.*
Overall, I would 10000% recommend this book. I thought it was beautiful. It dealt with very heavy topics, gracefully. I can’t wait to see what other books she has in store. I hope if you do read it, you love it too!! 💙💙✨
December 8, 2019
I found this author one book ago, and while that was a 5 star read, I think this one is even better. You can see the author's growth in her stories and flawless execution of a love story that encompasses so much. I enjoyed how she dove deep into some hard topics, covered them with grace and compassion, and made it real.
Vera is a girl in her mid-twenties with dreams and aspirations. I applaud her for wanting to go it her own way. She loves deeply and fiercely. You can see evidence of that with her family and with her work family. One thing I enjoyed about Vera is while encouraged, she overcame her fears. Nobody did it for her. Sure she had support, but she fought the battle and continued to fight for herself through the story. Even in the end, she still had her insecurities and I love that Pearl didn't make it all vanish at the sign of love.
Wane was a very realistic leading male character. He had a lot of depth but also a lot of p*n*s logic. Seriously, sometimes I wanted to throttle him and kick him in the butt. Piss or get off the pot didn't even come close to summing it up. HA! That said, he has a history that you can tell still plagues him. Even with Vera to help him see things in another way, he still has that past that will stay with him forever. He has to find his new normal and I like how Pearl captures that.
All the side characters are fantastic! Vera's family, Wane's family, Wane's employees, they all bring a special mix that is individual to each character. They only add to the story and make it more special with their commentary and love.
On to the plot. This story had the main plot that flowed and slow burns into a beautiful ending. The subplots within only add to the captivating conclusion of Vera and Wane. I liked that the author didn't rush things. They flowed in their own time at there own pace. There were original quirks that the characters had which also added to the uniqueness of the story.
Overall I really enjoyed beta reading this story. Watching the evolution and progression of Vera and Wane was heart-wrenching at times but also truly genuinely heartwarming. I would definitely give this read 5 pointe shoes and recommend to any contemporary romance lover. Bonus you get some amazing bunny snuggles out of it.
Vera is a girl in her mid-twenties with dreams and aspirations. I applaud her for wanting to go it her own way. She loves deeply and fiercely. You can see evidence of that with her family and with her work family. One thing I enjoyed about Vera is while encouraged, she overcame her fears. Nobody did it for her. Sure she had support, but she fought the battle and continued to fight for herself through the story. Even in the end, she still had her insecurities and I love that Pearl didn't make it all vanish at the sign of love.
Wane was a very realistic leading male character. He had a lot of depth but also a lot of p*n*s logic. Seriously, sometimes I wanted to throttle him and kick him in the butt. Piss or get off the pot didn't even come close to summing it up. HA! That said, he has a history that you can tell still plagues him. Even with Vera to help him see things in another way, he still has that past that will stay with him forever. He has to find his new normal and I like how Pearl captures that.
All the side characters are fantastic! Vera's family, Wane's family, Wane's employees, they all bring a special mix that is individual to each character. They only add to the story and make it more special with their commentary and love.
On to the plot. This story had the main plot that flowed and slow burns into a beautiful ending. The subplots within only add to the captivating conclusion of Vera and Wane. I liked that the author didn't rush things. They flowed in their own time at there own pace. There were original quirks that the characters had which also added to the uniqueness of the story.
Overall I really enjoyed beta reading this story. Watching the evolution and progression of Vera and Wane was heart-wrenching at times but also truly genuinely heartwarming. I would definitely give this read 5 pointe shoes and recommend to any contemporary romance lover. Bonus you get some amazing bunny snuggles out of it.
February 2, 2020
Can We Pretend? is a second-chance, age-gap, boss-employee romance between Florist shop owner Wane and his assistant Vera.
Vera and Wane's story begins when they meet after Vera goes through a traumatic event and Wane rescues her. He helps her out and stays with her throughout the night, and when he drops her home, he asks her to keep in touch so he knows she is okay, but she never calls.
Five years later (or is it seven? There is quite a big timeline discrepancy.), Vera goes for a job interview at a flower shop and who should be her new boss but Wane. Both try to gloss over their initial meeting all those years ago but residual feelings are brought back up. As they begin to spend more time together, inside and outside of work, they see that they have an attraction, but there are a number of obstacles in between the starting a relationship, mainly Wane's girlfriend of five years, Melissa. Can they pretend and ignore the feelings growing between them or will they be able to work through the obstacles and become a couple? Read Can We Pretend? to find out!
There were a couple of issues I had with the book, the main one being that Wane had a girlfriend for 90% of the book and it wasn't because he was in two minds between her and Vera, no he was dead against staying with Melissa. It wasn't necessarily that he cheated on her, it was the fact that the cheating didn't have to happen, he was so unhappy with Melissa. He was guilt tripped into staying with her and had the suspicion that she wasn’t being faithful already, so I just thought he was a bit of a coward for not ending it sooner before anything physical happened with Vera.
My other slight problem was the parts of the writing style of the book, it felt like a thesaurus had been used for most of the descriptive words. It took away from the plot and it got to the point where I was glossing over the long descriptive parts so as to not to have to stop and use the dictionary to work out what was meant. I always find if I am taken out of the story and breaks my concentration, then it takes away from my reading experience. I probably would have given the book a higher rating if not for wither of these points.
This is such a slow burn romance book and it took me a while to see chemistry between Wane and Vera, at times it seemed a little forced. But in the end, they were a sweet couple and I really enjoyed watching how Vera brought Wane out of his shell. They had both been through a lot and you could see how they genuinely cared about each other as friends before they began to fall in love. I loved the base story-line and how they met, giving them a second chance at being in each others lives. This is not an insta-love romance, and I am so happy about that, Vera and Wane became friends first with an attraction and which slowly grew to more.
I also think the subject matters which were discussed, PCOS and suicide, were spoken about with sensitivity and clearly. PCOS is not usually mentioned in romance books so it was amazing to see it included in the narrative, especially mentioning the struggles f living with it in day to day life.
Overall, Can We Pretend? was a good read which I enjoyed. However, if it wasn't for the cheating and some parts of the writing style, I would've given it more stars. I am sure that many people will love this book if you can look past those things and love a slow burn, age-gap romance with the hero as a silver fox and the heroine as a strong woman who overcame a traumatic event.
Vera and Wane's story begins when they meet after Vera goes through a traumatic event and Wane rescues her. He helps her out and stays with her throughout the night, and when he drops her home, he asks her to keep in touch so he knows she is okay, but she never calls.
Five years later (or is it seven? There is quite a big timeline discrepancy.), Vera goes for a job interview at a flower shop and who should be her new boss but Wane. Both try to gloss over their initial meeting all those years ago but residual feelings are brought back up. As they begin to spend more time together, inside and outside of work, they see that they have an attraction, but there are a number of obstacles in between the starting a relationship, mainly Wane's girlfriend of five years, Melissa. Can they pretend and ignore the feelings growing between them or will they be able to work through the obstacles and become a couple? Read Can We Pretend? to find out!
There were a couple of issues I had with the book, the main one being that Wane had a girlfriend for 90% of the book and it wasn't because he was in two minds between her and Vera, no he was dead against staying with Melissa. It wasn't necessarily that he cheated on her, it was the fact that the cheating didn't have to happen, he was so unhappy with Melissa. He was guilt tripped into staying with her and had the suspicion that she wasn’t being faithful already, so I just thought he was a bit of a coward for not ending it sooner before anything physical happened with Vera.
My other slight problem was the parts of the writing style of the book, it felt like a thesaurus had been used for most of the descriptive words. It took away from the plot and it got to the point where I was glossing over the long descriptive parts so as to not to have to stop and use the dictionary to work out what was meant. I always find if I am taken out of the story and breaks my concentration, then it takes away from my reading experience. I probably would have given the book a higher rating if not for wither of these points.
This is such a slow burn romance book and it took me a while to see chemistry between Wane and Vera, at times it seemed a little forced. But in the end, they were a sweet couple and I really enjoyed watching how Vera brought Wane out of his shell. They had both been through a lot and you could see how they genuinely cared about each other as friends before they began to fall in love. I loved the base story-line and how they met, giving them a second chance at being in each others lives. This is not an insta-love romance, and I am so happy about that, Vera and Wane became friends first with an attraction and which slowly grew to more.
I also think the subject matters which were discussed, PCOS and suicide, were spoken about with sensitivity and clearly. PCOS is not usually mentioned in romance books so it was amazing to see it included in the narrative, especially mentioning the struggles f living with it in day to day life.
Overall, Can We Pretend? was a good read which I enjoyed. However, if it wasn't for the cheating and some parts of the writing style, I would've given it more stars. I am sure that many people will love this book if you can look past those things and love a slow burn, age-gap romance with the hero as a silver fox and the heroine as a strong woman who overcame a traumatic event.
November 12, 2020
3.5-4 stars
This was my first book by this author, and I would say that it was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed reading this story, of Vera and Wane, there were funny moments, but also cheesy ones sometimes.
Vera and Wane’s story began on a night when something happened to Vera, and Wane was at the right place on the right moment. Fast forward 5 years, they meet again business opportunity, when Vera was interviewed for an assistant job, at Wane’s flower shop. They pretended that they don’t know each other, at least Vera set this pace, but they had a chance to clear the things between them. So, they began their friendship, and having feelings for each other. The situation didn’t allow for them to acknowledge their feelings, so they pretended that those were not existing. There were some things which happened in between, but they sorted it out in the end, and had their HEA.
I liked how easily Vera became friends with the Flourish crew, they are a big family, and how easily Vera and Wane’s worlds merged. Because both had some past issues, I liked how they leaned on each other to get over those. What I didn’t really liked was how Wane handled his life, I think he should have done something regarding his status early in the book, maybe then the entire interaction between the characters could have been seen with other eyes.
All in all, this story was a pleasant one, with funny moment, I found it easy to read. I would say that it was a slow-paced journey from friendship to love, even though the attraction between Vera and Wane was there from the first time they met.
There are some triggers, mentions of assault and suicide, so be aware of that.
*ARC received in exchange of an honest review.*
This was my first book by this author, and I would say that it was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed reading this story, of Vera and Wane, there were funny moments, but also cheesy ones sometimes.
Vera and Wane’s story began on a night when something happened to Vera, and Wane was at the right place on the right moment. Fast forward 5 years, they meet again business opportunity, when Vera was interviewed for an assistant job, at Wane’s flower shop. They pretended that they don’t know each other, at least Vera set this pace, but they had a chance to clear the things between them. So, they began their friendship, and having feelings for each other. The situation didn’t allow for them to acknowledge their feelings, so they pretended that those were not existing. There were some things which happened in between, but they sorted it out in the end, and had their HEA.
I liked how easily Vera became friends with the Flourish crew, they are a big family, and how easily Vera and Wane’s worlds merged. Because both had some past issues, I liked how they leaned on each other to get over those. What I didn’t really liked was how Wane handled his life, I think he should have done something regarding his status early in the book, maybe then the entire interaction between the characters could have been seen with other eyes.
All in all, this story was a pleasant one, with funny moment, I found it easy to read. I would say that it was a slow-paced journey from friendship to love, even though the attraction between Vera and Wane was there from the first time they met.
There are some triggers, mentions of assault and suicide, so be aware of that.
*ARC received in exchange of an honest review.*
March 31, 2023
What? You read a Romance?
Can We Pretend? by @isanakhatri
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Let's start by saying that I am NOT a romance reader, I don't read smut. This is completely out of my comfort zone and this does affect my reading. However, I am a curious person, ready to try something new. Will that be a genre I will pick above all often? Probably not but I will sample some once in a while.
I was looking for something very light and fluffy to read. I didn't want anything too complicated and over the top. Can we pretend? was recommended to me by the author. It's a cute little urban romance with a lot of touching and brow kissing but barely any smut if that's not what you're into.
Was it believable? No. But again, I usually read high fantasy (pssst! dragons don't exist!). It was entertaining and scratched a itch. It was a very, very slow burn which I kinda enjoy.
Being a non-romance reader, the employer/assistant and the cheating trope was a bit hard to wrap my head around. I could sometimes forget about it and just let myself enjoy the fluff but other times, it was very much "in your face" and I couldn't help myself wondering why the other characters would encourage the MCs on that path. I guess those might not be my favorite tropes. 😅 I'm learning what tropes I like the more I read romance though.
Overall, it was cute and I had a good time. I highly encourage you to check out Sana Khatri's other work. Please make sure to check your TW before reading this book.
Can We Pretend? by @isanakhatri
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Let's start by saying that I am NOT a romance reader, I don't read smut. This is completely out of my comfort zone and this does affect my reading. However, I am a curious person, ready to try something new. Will that be a genre I will pick above all often? Probably not but I will sample some once in a while.
I was looking for something very light and fluffy to read. I didn't want anything too complicated and over the top. Can we pretend? was recommended to me by the author. It's a cute little urban romance with a lot of touching and brow kissing but barely any smut if that's not what you're into.
Was it believable? No. But again, I usually read high fantasy (pssst! dragons don't exist!). It was entertaining and scratched a itch. It was a very, very slow burn which I kinda enjoy.
Being a non-romance reader, the employer/assistant and the cheating trope was a bit hard to wrap my head around. I could sometimes forget about it and just let myself enjoy the fluff but other times, it was very much "in your face" and I couldn't help myself wondering why the other characters would encourage the MCs on that path. I guess those might not be my favorite tropes. 😅 I'm learning what tropes I like the more I read romance though.
Overall, it was cute and I had a good time. I highly encourage you to check out Sana Khatri's other work. Please make sure to check your TW before reading this book.
November 11, 2020
This book had me pleasantly surprised from the first chapter. Being this was my first real age gap read I was surprised by how much I actually liked it. Going into this book blind was interesting and by the time I reached the end I was grateful the author reached out to me and trusted me with her work.
This slow burn romance features Wane and Vera and the journey they take to falling love. I can’t give this book 5 stars but, I definitely rate the story and angst a 3.5/5. To me that rating means it’s a good solid read.
Wane meets Vera on a night when she faces pain, adversity, and trauma. He is already a taken and older man. But love has a way of making this work out, right?
I struggled a little relating to the characters but, still found them to be likable and honest enough to be real. To be honest the fact that Wane was in a relationship threw me off with how much he was obviously falling for Vera. I mean you don’t give that many forehead kisses to someone who works for you unless there are real feelings there.
The character of Melissa was the hardest to relate to. She portrays Wanes current girlfriend but, she is so horrible that it makes her completely unbelievable. To me she didn’t have one redeeming quality and even the worst of people have something that makes them an okay human. Vera is my favorite character and to me the most believable. Though the main characters are likable and the relationship is believable, the characters in and of themselves aren’t as believable. It’s almost as if they aren’t anyone until they have each other. My feeling is the author did that intentionally which bumped up my rating by half a star.
The story itself is so engaging that it does keep your attention enough to make you want to get to the next page. The author knows how to build a relationship full of angsty pleasure. She keeps the readers attention just enough to bring them back again and again.
By the end of the story I found myself struggling a little to turn the page but, I was also too invested in the characters journeys to put it down. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves a silver fox, a protagonist that overcomes struggles and a traumatic past, and anyone who just loves a slow fiery romance story.
This book was gifted to me as an ARC copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This slow burn romance features Wane and Vera and the journey they take to falling love. I can’t give this book 5 stars but, I definitely rate the story and angst a 3.5/5. To me that rating means it’s a good solid read.
Wane meets Vera on a night when she faces pain, adversity, and trauma. He is already a taken and older man. But love has a way of making this work out, right?
I struggled a little relating to the characters but, still found them to be likable and honest enough to be real. To be honest the fact that Wane was in a relationship threw me off with how much he was obviously falling for Vera. I mean you don’t give that many forehead kisses to someone who works for you unless there are real feelings there.
The character of Melissa was the hardest to relate to. She portrays Wanes current girlfriend but, she is so horrible that it makes her completely unbelievable. To me she didn’t have one redeeming quality and even the worst of people have something that makes them an okay human. Vera is my favorite character and to me the most believable. Though the main characters are likable and the relationship is believable, the characters in and of themselves aren’t as believable. It’s almost as if they aren’t anyone until they have each other. My feeling is the author did that intentionally which bumped up my rating by half a star.
The story itself is so engaging that it does keep your attention enough to make you want to get to the next page. The author knows how to build a relationship full of angsty pleasure. She keeps the readers attention just enough to bring them back again and again.
By the end of the story I found myself struggling a little to turn the page but, I was also too invested in the characters journeys to put it down. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves a silver fox, a protagonist that overcomes struggles and a traumatic past, and anyone who just loves a slow fiery romance story.
This book was gifted to me as an ARC copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
November 3, 2020
In the start I found it hard to connect with the characters and I did not understand Vera's character at all. However, as I continued and the story unfolded I really enjoyed Vera and Wane's relationship. They are both broken and together they heal each other. They try and hide their love for each other BUT for how long... I'm glad I spoke to Sana about Vera's character because she is a very emotional character. After talking to Sana about Vera, I was able to understand more about Vera's character and appreciate her more.
November 11, 2020
I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review ✨ Thank you Sana!
5 years ago, Vera and Wane met during a devastating moment in Vera’s life. Cut to present day and Vera ends up working for Wane in his flower shop. The attraction is obvious, but there are several things getting in their way: an age gap, Wane’s often-absent girlfriend and the trauma that occurred 5 years prior. Is it possible to pretend their relationship is possible?
The characters were the big winning point for me! Vera is very sweet (albeit tearful a lot of the time 😅) and Wane has the big-softie-at-heart thing going on. The secondary characters were marvellous and provided great comic relief during the intense moments. However, Snow takes the favourite spot. I will forever picture a white fluffy rabbit following a fruity trail down a wedding aisle 😍
The romance is very VERY slow burn. I do like that, but I found myself a bit frustrated with Wane’s hesitance to leave Melissa. She was obviously cheating and the relationship wasn’t going anywhere. I found myself shouting at my Kindle telling him to just do it so he can be happy with Vera 😂 The steaminess was saved for the end so it’s quite fluffy for most of the book.
At times, the setting of the scene seemed a little bit long winded and times where an unnecessary point was made. That being said, this is the author’s second language so it wasn’t something that bothered me much.
It’s a charming romance with wonderful characters; I definitely recommend it for those slow burn lovers 💞
⭐️ 4.5 / 5
5 years ago, Vera and Wane met during a devastating moment in Vera’s life. Cut to present day and Vera ends up working for Wane in his flower shop. The attraction is obvious, but there are several things getting in their way: an age gap, Wane’s often-absent girlfriend and the trauma that occurred 5 years prior. Is it possible to pretend their relationship is possible?
The characters were the big winning point for me! Vera is very sweet (albeit tearful a lot of the time 😅) and Wane has the big-softie-at-heart thing going on. The secondary characters were marvellous and provided great comic relief during the intense moments. However, Snow takes the favourite spot. I will forever picture a white fluffy rabbit following a fruity trail down a wedding aisle 😍
The romance is very VERY slow burn. I do like that, but I found myself a bit frustrated with Wane’s hesitance to leave Melissa. She was obviously cheating and the relationship wasn’t going anywhere. I found myself shouting at my Kindle telling him to just do it so he can be happy with Vera 😂 The steaminess was saved for the end so it’s quite fluffy for most of the book.
At times, the setting of the scene seemed a little bit long winded and times where an unnecessary point was made. That being said, this is the author’s second language so it wasn’t something that bothered me much.
It’s a charming romance with wonderful characters; I definitely recommend it for those slow burn lovers 💞
⭐️ 4.5 / 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2020
New to me author and this book was so good. It was slow burn romance but I would say that it fir the story so well. I liked how Wane helped Vera at the beginning. But I think it wasn't their time yet. Until they met again and got to know each other better. I think Wane was sweetheart and he was so good to Vera. I liked how she wanted to help when he had hard time and she didn't give up on him.
*ARC for honest review*
*ARC for honest review*
January 23, 2020
The first time Vera met Wane wasn’t under great circumstances. She had just been through something extremely traumatizing, but he was there and he helped her that night, a night that she will never forget. Fast forward 5 years and Vera has re-entered Wane’s life. There is no denying the chemistry between the two, but he belongs to someone else. As the two build a friendship, lives obstacles are telling them this is all they can be, but Wane isn’t happy in his relationship and when push comes to shove will he end it to be able to call Vera his?
This was my first book by Pearl and I really enjoyed it. There were certain parts where I wanted to jump through the book and smack Wane, but that’s how I feel about characters in most books I read. That to me, just shows how well the author wrote the characters, to evoke emotion in me like this book did is the sign of a good book in my opinion. I loved watching Wane and Vera’s journey back to each other. Their first encounter, you could tell there was something more, and to watch them move from an amazing friendship into something more was beautiful. I also LOVED the secondary characters in this book, they were funny at times and just really added to the overall storyline. All in all this was an amazing book, and I highly recommend it!
This was my first book by Pearl and I really enjoyed it. There were certain parts where I wanted to jump through the book and smack Wane, but that’s how I feel about characters in most books I read. That to me, just shows how well the author wrote the characters, to evoke emotion in me like this book did is the sign of a good book in my opinion. I loved watching Wane and Vera’s journey back to each other. Their first encounter, you could tell there was something more, and to watch them move from an amazing friendship into something more was beautiful. I also LOVED the secondary characters in this book, they were funny at times and just really added to the overall storyline. All in all this was an amazing book, and I highly recommend it!
February 1, 2020
Well a good friend told me about this amazing author and this book. So then I was gifted a ARC for an honest review. Well it's been a minute I've enjoyed a book. This was just so good couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end! It's crazy all the characters we so yummy and don't get me started on Snow that bunny! I'm not even a Bunny fan till now! Now as for Melissa I just couldn't stand her, so much dislike and wanting to smack someone she really tried to pull a fast one. All the secondary characters are so good and really brought so much to this story.
So now on to Vera she is just so strong and determined I love love how she wants what she wants! Loved her so much and her and Wade together is so perfect! Now Wade he is so sweet, caring, thoughtful and just an amazing swoon worthy man. Hated Wade struggled with ending things with horrible Melissa. Wade was truly living life in misery! The love for his family, friends and Vera was breathtaking! Ms. Pearl I'm a fan and had a great experience reading your fantastic book. Thank you for a fun ride with all your words! Wish I could give you more star's!
So now on to Vera she is just so strong and determined I love love how she wants what she wants! Loved her so much and her and Wade together is so perfect! Now Wade he is so sweet, caring, thoughtful and just an amazing swoon worthy man. Hated Wade struggled with ending things with horrible Melissa. Wade was truly living life in misery! The love for his family, friends and Vera was breathtaking! Ms. Pearl I'm a fan and had a great experience reading your fantastic book. Thank you for a fun ride with all your words! Wish I could give you more star's!
January 24, 2020
Firstly, thank you to the author for an ARC of this amazing book!
I've never read an age gap romance before but honestly I didn't even remember it was one until Wane started thinking about it.
Vera was such a mature character for being in her early twenties. You would think she was closer to Wanes age and not 13 years younger.
What I loved most about this book was that even though Vera went through something tragic 5 years earlier. She was still full of love towards other things.
Wane was the perfect person to pull her out of her past, especially since he was the person to find her at her worst. Just like Vera was the perfect person to pull Wane away from his demons.
Mary has to be one of my favourite supporting characters because she was just so funny and likeable. She had me laughing at all her parts in the book.
Overall I love this book and would recommend it to any romance lover.
Oh and Melissa, you suck.
I've never read an age gap romance before but honestly I didn't even remember it was one until Wane started thinking about it.
Vera was such a mature character for being in her early twenties. You would think she was closer to Wanes age and not 13 years younger.
What I loved most about this book was that even though Vera went through something tragic 5 years earlier. She was still full of love towards other things.
Wane was the perfect person to pull her out of her past, especially since he was the person to find her at her worst. Just like Vera was the perfect person to pull Wane away from his demons.
Mary has to be one of my favourite supporting characters because she was just so funny and likeable. She had me laughing at all her parts in the book.
Overall I love this book and would recommend it to any romance lover.
Oh and Melissa, you suck.
January 18, 2020
Can We Pretend? By Pearl Khatri is, for sure, one of my favorite books of this month, if not the favorite. I absolutely LOVED this novel. 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Every.
Single.
Second.
Vera and Wane's story was a truly beautiful one.
Every emotion, every inner struggle, every thought, every action...it was so well written that I was stunned! I was buzzing by the end of it! My heart was beating for Vera and Wane!
This is my second time reading one of Pearl Khatri's novels and I can swear that she's become one of my favorites!
The plot was fantastic, the execution was amazing and the conclusion was damn well perfect!
Definitely would recommend this!
Every.
Single.
Second.
Vera and Wane's story was a truly beautiful one.
Every emotion, every inner struggle, every thought, every action...it was so well written that I was stunned! I was buzzing by the end of it! My heart was beating for Vera and Wane!
This is my second time reading one of Pearl Khatri's novels and I can swear that she's become one of my favorites!
The plot was fantastic, the execution was amazing and the conclusion was damn well perfect!
Definitely would recommend this!
January 25, 2020
Can we pretend by Pearl Khatri Was a sweet romance about two people who meet under an unfortunate and tragic night, but end up going their separate ways. 5 yrs later fate had other plans when Vera walks into Wanes flower shop
I really enjoyed it. I thought it had great storytelling and dialogue
The book captivated me from the start. I loved the chemistry between these two. I was rooting for them all the way
What started out in tragedy ended up with a beautiful ending. My heart is full. I loved everything about this beautiful story.
I really enjoyed it. I thought it had great storytelling and dialogue
The book captivated me from the start. I loved the chemistry between these two. I was rooting for them all the way
What started out in tragedy ended up with a beautiful ending. My heart is full. I loved everything about this beautiful story.
February 3, 2020
ARC GIVEN BY LOVELY AUTHOR
I like this book because it very sweet and real. It is not flashy or over the top but common people story. Writing is wow also. I love Mary she very funny. I don't like Melissa. She is bad and make me upset.
Overall I enjoy this story and recommend 👍
I like this book because it very sweet and real. It is not flashy or over the top but common people story. Writing is wow also. I love Mary she very funny. I don't like Melissa. She is bad and make me upset.
Overall I enjoy this story and recommend 👍
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