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2026 Book 27 - Would You Rather by Allison Ashley

Well, part way through reading it I felt a sense of deja vu, but I kept going anyway. I wasn't sure if I’d already read this book before, or just read something very similar. After I finished I looked it up, and apparently I read it in early 2024. Oh well. 

Mia and Noah have been best friends forever, and secretly in love with each other for almost as long. Noah feels guilty about the idea of finding happiness after the death of his brother. Mia feels guilty burdening a partner with her chronic medical issues. When she has the opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream and go back to school, Noah proposes she marry him so she can quit her job and get on his benefits. 

The writing was fine. Their relationship was cute, albeit slightly codependent. Noah being blackmailed at work felt contrived. Noah’s this smart, driven guy, but he can’t just stand up to a work bully who’s threatening to tell their boss Noah’s marriage to Mia is a scam? I mean, he could have just gone to his boss and said this guy is trying to blackmail me, and gotten ahead of it. Does anyone really care why two people choose to get married?

I liked the whole idea of getting married for the insurance benefit. That part felt authentic, and Mia’s concern Noah was with her more out of duty than choice. (7.25)

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