Let’s Kiss and Tell by Joss Richards: My Honest Review
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⭐ Quick Verdict
⭐ My Rating: 4 ★
💭 Quick Take: A charming fake dating romance that pairs witty banter, believable relationship development, and thoughtful conversations about love with two characters you’ll genuinely want to see find their happily ever after.
👉 Read If You Love:
- fake dating with believable reasons
- workplace romance
- relationship-focused character growth
- witty banter and great date scenes
- sex-positive heroines
🚫 Skip if:
- You don’t enjoy romances that spend time exploring relationships and emotional growth
- You’re looking for a fast-moving romance without relationship setbacks
- You prefer high-steam romance
Book Details
Release Date: August 2026
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Fake Dating, Office Romance, Writers
Series: Standalone
Steam Level: Low
What This Book Is About
News writer Marshall needs a fake date for his ex’s wedding to convince his family that he’s moved on after ending his previous relationship. Keeping the real reason for the breakup to himself, the last thing he wants is everyone assuming he’s still hung up on his ex.
Their arrangement starts as mutually beneficial, but every fake date chips away at the walls they’ve both built. As they spend more time together, pretending becomes increasingly difficult when the feelings growing between them become impossible to ignore.
My Review of Let’s Kiss and Tell
I’m a complete sucker for fake dating romances, so I couldn’t resist seeing how a sex columnist and a news writer would fake their way into a real relationship while navigating their very different perspectives on love.
Lucy and Marshall were incredibly easy to root for from the start. Their meet cute immediately establishes a fun, effortless chemistry, but it’s the series of fake dates that truly make this romance shine. Rather than simply serving as entertaining scenes, each date allows them to lower their defenses, discover who the other person really is, and gradually build a relationship that feels genuine long before either is willing to admit it.
I especially appreciated that both characters had compelling reasons for entering the fake relationship. Marshall hopes bringing a date to his ex’s wedding will help him prove to his family that he’s moved on after his long-term relationship fell apart, while Lucy sees the arrangement as an opportunity to strengthen her relationship writing and prove herself professionally. Their motivations never felt forced, making the fake dating setup one of the more believable I’ve read.
For me, the best fake dating romances are the ones where the relationship quietly stops feeling fake long before the characters admit it, and that’s exactly what Joss Richards accomplishes here. Marshall and Lucy gradually become each other’s safe place, making their transition from pretend partners to real ones feel natural and completely believable.
Joss Richards also explores topics like love after infidelity, sex work, and living a sex-positive lifestyle with nuance and compassion. Lucy’s confidence in her sexuality is refreshing to see in a romance heroine, particularly because the story never treats it as something she needs to apologize for or outgrow.
What kept this from becoming a higher-rated read for me was Lucy’s point of view, which occasionally felt more like the author making a point than Lucy naturally expressing herself. Their relationship also hit a few pauses that interrupted the otherwise steady progression of the romance. While those moments didn’t completely pull me out of the story, they kept me from feeling fully invested throughout.
Overall, this is a thoughtful take on fake dating that prioritizes emotional connection over grand romantic gestures. If you enjoy watching two people gradually realize that the relationship they’ve been pretending to have has quietly become real, I think you’ll enjoy this one.
Joss Richards feels like a fresh new voice in contemporary romance, and I’ll definitely be interested to see what she writes next.
I received an advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.
What I Loved
- A fake dating setup with believable motivations for both characters
- Fake dates that naturally deepen the romance instead of feeling repetitive
- Lucy’s unapologetically sex-positive perspective
- Thoughtful conversations about love and relationships
- A romance that develops through genuine friendship and trust
Things to Know Before You Read
- Both characters have intimate interactions with other people during or shortly after their fake relationship, which may not work for every romance reader
- Explores themes of love after infidelity, sex work, and sex positivity
- The romance is relationship-focused and builds gradually over the course of the story
- Standalone romance
Final Thoughts
Let’s Kiss and Tell delivers exactly what I hope for in a fake dating romance: believable chemistry, meaningful relationship development, and two characters whose feelings evolve naturally from friendship into love. While a few pacing issues and moments of heavy-handed messaging kept it from becoming a five-star read for me, I still thoroughly enjoyed watching Marshall and Lucy find their way to each other.
If fake dating is one of your favorite romance tropes and you appreciate romances that explore love with honesty, humor, and emotional maturity, this is well worth adding to your TBR. I’ll definitely be picking up whatever Joss Richards writes next.
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