Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West | A Bananas Fake Dating Romcom
Why had I been so sure a therapist would know we were strangers? Maybe our chemistry had been undeniable from the start. Because we did have it—chemistry. It simmered there under the surface whenever he was around. – Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West
Another heartfelt romcom by Kasie West?! I was floored with excitement to get my hands on Stranger Things Have Happened ever since I read and LOVED We Met Like This. Kasie West books have now become such comfort reads for me.
I said it once, and I’ll say it again: I still don’t understand the cover art. We Met Like This had lemons, and now Stranger Things Have Happened has oranges. I can’t wait to see the next one. Peaches would be cute.
But if we’re being 100% honest, the cover for this book should have been bananas because that’s exactly what this plot is. Bananas.
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What Is Stranger Things Have Happened About?
Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West follows Sutton, a woman with a recent breakup, a struggling family situation, a newly opened restaurant, and suddenly finds herself pretending to be engaged to a handsome stranger named Elijah.
Their fake relationship begins as part of a wildly questionable plan to fool a couples therapist, but as the sessions continue, Sutton and Elijah discover that the line between pretending and something very real may be literally nonexistent.
Stranger Things Have Happen: Where The Villain Is The Green Flag
From the very first chapter, I had one thought and one thought only: please let the “villain” be the love interest.
Sutton describes Elijah as the villain while her friend Tara’s fiancé, Mike, is the handsome “pretty boy,” and I immediately knew which man I was rooting for. Thankfully, my instincts were right because Elijah turned out to be an absolute walking green flag in every possible way.
This is truly one of the most (bananas) unhinged plots I’ve encountered in a romance novel.
Mike’s solution to avoiding couples therapy is to have two strangers pretend to be engaged and attend couples therapy just to prove to his fiancée that a therapist can’t tell the difference between real love and fake love…?
Ummm… what? I think we’re focusing on the wrong problem here, Mike.
Just get it over with and admit that you don’t love your fiancée…
As for the “fake” relationship, Sutton and Elijah just simply work. Their chemistry is effortless, their banter is quick and fun. Their fake relationship slowly but so surely turning into something very real was so perfectly executed.
Is Stranger Things Have Happen Worth Reading?
Was this plot ridiculous? Yes. Did I question literally everyone’s decision-making skills? Also yes. But Kasie West takes this completely absurd (bananas) idea and turns it into something incredibly sweet and heartfelt.
As I said before, her books are becoming such a comfort read to me. I know I’m getting the banter, the chemistry, the well deserved and earned happy ending we all want, and I know we’ll get some cute fruit on the front cover.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
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