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Cover Story

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Cover Story

By: Mhairi McFarlane
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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A Guardian Book of the Year! A Spotify Romance Book of the Year! Winner of the 2026 Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Comedy Award!

Bel’s joined the tiny Manchester office of a national paper from her indie podcast.

Thirty-something Connor is going to back to the start as the new intern.

The latest office news? They can’t stand each other.

So of course Bel bumps into Connor when she’s working undercover on the biggest scoop of her career. And of course she’s forced to improvise, pretending they’re a couple. A couple deeply in love.

Two rivals. One fake romance. The headline writes itself…

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐A five-star read!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This book is an absolute joy from start to finish. The chemistry between Bel and Connor is electric, and it’s impossible not to get sucked into their witty back-and-forth'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Mhairi McFarlane has done it again. At this point I think I'd even love reading her shopping lists' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Cover Story is another winner'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'The characters are so well written and true to life… a joy to read'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Funny and gripping and, crucially, emotionally convincing. McFarlane's characters always feel like real people and this book is no exception'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Dry humour, top friendships and a romantic story … loved it'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

©2025 Mhairi McFarlane (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers Contemporary Literature & Fiction Romantic Comedy Funny
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Critic reviews

'Warm without being sloppy, sharp without being smug, and romantic without being ridiculous. McFarlane writes with a kind of relaxed confidence that makes it feel as though you are in safe hands – you can trust her with tone, with character, and the emotional landing' Sunday Mail
'I loved it so so much. I’m having withdrawal symptoms … delicious' Marian Keyes
'Smart, sexy and oh so addictive…multi-layered, complex characters woven into a story laden with belly laughs. I adored it' Lindsey Kelk
'Everything about this book is perfection … relatable, real, honest and a total joy from start to finish' Lucy Vine
'I literally inhaled it…I found myself going to bed at 8pm, three nights in a row, so I could finish it' Holly Bourne
'The most brilliant beady-eyed social commentary; Jane Austen if she knew where all the best Happy Hour deals were to be found' Emma Hughes
'Unputdownable … Mhairi is the queen of smart-as-hell romcoms' Cressida McLaughlin
'My drop-everything-unconfined-joy-read-or-die author; I love her books so much' Jane Casey
'Genuinely romantic and genuinely funny, while also being incredibly clever, pacy and observant' Niamh Hargan
'A smart, funny, and relatable heroine in Bel, and a sharp, layered hunk in Connor' Justin Myers
'Superb storytelling … puts her into that refined club occupied by Jilly Cooper and Jane Austen. Loved, loved, loved it' Jay Rayner
'Delicious and addictive … Mhairi McFarlane retains her place in the highest echelon of romantic fiction writers' Muireann O'Connell
'Massively entertaining: it's legitimately funny, with steamy chemistry and a heroine so relatable she felt like my friend … Mhairi McFarlane is the voice of genre, the queen of contemporary romantic fiction' Laura Jane Williams
'Hilarious dialogue, great location, hot leading man and an investigative journalism plot – Mhairi fans (there are millions), you are in for a treat' Hattie Crisell
'Smart, relatable and very, very funny. A brilliantly entertaining read – I loved it’ TM Logan
All stars
Most relevant
Another great book by Mhari McFarlane. Highly recommend this author
Did not want the book to end

Thoroughly enjoyed

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my first book from Mhairi and all I can say is that a need MORE.
perfect listen, exactly what I needed. I'm on to the next one.

couldn't stop listening

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Usually love Mhairi MacFarlane but this one didn't really land for me. I think the story was ok, although I wanted more on the non-romantic part of the plot, but the narration wasn't great. The men all sounded like huffy fuddy-duddies. I missed the northern spark provided by other narrators. Will still go back to the author though as she is generally great.

Fell a bit flat

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Had seen meh reviews for this online but I thought it was brilliant. Funny throughout, great character/relationship development and good narration.

Funny and great build up

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