The Best I Never Had: A Novel

The Best I Never Had — Amy Buchanan

Author: Amy Buchanan

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy / Fake Dating / Second-Chance Romance

Book Rating: ⭐ 9/10 (Estimated)

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5 (Estimated)

Genre

Three years ago, he paid her to be his girlfriend. They faked the perfect romance, staged a devastating breakup, and walked away. Now they're reunited at a wedding, and pretending not to have feelings might be their biggest lie yet.

Thea Pappas has never been the kind of woman who plays by the rules.

Fiery.

Unpredictable.

And fiercely protective of the people she loves.

Growing up in the foster care system taught Thea that life rarely goes according to plan.

But through every difficult moment, one thing has remained constant.

Her younger sister, Addy.

So when Addy announces her whirlwind engagement, Thea is determined to be the perfect maid of honor.

Even if she's a little suspicious of the mysterious fiancé her sister never mentioned until there was already a ring on her finger.

And even if being the perfect maid of honor means spending an entire week in the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounded by strangers.

One week. No drama. No disasters.

How hard could it be?

Apparently, very.

Because the moment Thea arrives, she realizes the wedding guests aren't nearly as unfamiliar as she expected.

And among them is one man she never thought she'd see again.

Owen Hayes.

Three years ago, Owen hired Thea to pretend to be his girlfriend at a family wedding.

He needed someone to keep his meddling mother from interfering in his love life.

She needed the money.

It was supposed to be a simple business arrangement.

Show up together.

Act hopelessly in love.

Convince his family their relationship was real.

And walk away when the performance was over.

But their fake romance became a little too convincing.

So convincing, in fact, that they eventually staged a spectacularly heartbreaking breakup.

And then they went their separate ways.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Now, three years later, Owen is standing in front of her with the same familiar look of panic.

Because his younger brother is getting married.

His mother is once again determined to meddle.

And the woman who once helped him escape his family's expectations has unexpectedly returned.

Which gives Owen a terrible, wonderful idea.

What if they pretend to be together again?

Just for the wedding.

Just for one week.

One more carefully rehearsed romance.

And, if necessary, another perfectly believable breakup.

No complications. No attachments. Absolutely no real feelings.

Easy.

Except Thea and Owen have never been particularly good at keeping things simple.

Owen has spent his entire life trying to maintain control.

Following the career path expected of him.

Managing his family's demands.

And becoming the man everyone else believes he should be.

But Thea was always the exception.

The one impulsive decision he made for himself.

The one woman who challenged his carefully controlled world.

And the one person who made pretending feel dangerously close to something real.

Now, reunited in the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains, their old chemistry returns with a vengeance.

The teasing.

The lingering glances.

The familiar closeness.

And the kisses that are supposed to be for show.

But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to remember which moments are part of the performance.

And which ones are coming straight from the heart.

Because some feelings don't disappear just because you pretend they were never there.

Thea knows better than to let herself fall for a man whose life is so different from her own.

Owen knows that loving Thea might mean finally standing up to the expectations that have controlled him for years.

And both know that when the wedding ends, they'll have to decide what happens next.

Do they walk away and break each other's hearts all over again?

Or do they finally admit the truth they've spent three years avoiding?

That their greatest performance may have been pretending they didn't fall in love the first time.

He hired her to play the woman he loved. Now he has one week to prove she was never just pretending.

Funny, heartfelt, and filled with irresistible romantic tension, The Best I Never Had delivers a swoony contemporary romance featuring fake dating, a wedding reunion, meddling family members, a fiercely independent heroine, a controlled and conflicted hero, and a second chance at the love neither was brave enough to claim.

They faked the relationship. They faked the breakup. But falling in love? That might have been the only real thing all along.

Tropes / Mood

Fake Dating • Fake Relationship • Second-Chance Romance • Wedding Romance • Brother's Wedding • Sister's Wedding • Forced Proximity • One Week Together • Reunited After Years Apart • Opposites Attract • Fiery FMC • Controlled MMC • Meddling Mother • Family Expectations • Fake Breakup • He Falls for His Fake Girlfriend • Unresolved Feelings • Old Flames • Mutual Pining • Romantic Comedy • Witty Banter • Hidden Feelings • Emotional Vulnerability • Found Family Themes • Foster Care Background • Protective Older Sister • Blue Ridge Mountains Setting • Small-Town Atmosphere • Family Drama • Love vs. Expectations • Rewriting the Past • Pretend Kisses • Real Feelings • Swoony Romance • Moderate Spice (Estimated)