Rules for Fake Girlfriends

by Raegan Revord

Overview

A charming and swoony YA rom-com debut from Raegan Revord, star of the CBS hit series Young Sheldon—about a young college student as she navigates her first year abroad, first love, first loss, and finding her place in the world.

Rom-com obsessed but perpetually single Avery Blackwell abandons her plans to attend Columbia in favor of spending her freshman year at her recently deceased mother’s alma mater in a seaside town in England. On the train, Avery makes a deal straight out of one of her beloved romance books with a charming local girl named Charlie: if Avery will pretend to be her girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Charlie will help Avery solve the scavenger hunt her artistic, free-spirited mother left behind on campus decades ago.

As their quest takes them all over Brighton, Avery finally starts to connect with the mother she always loved but never really understood. Before long, pretending to be Charlie’s girlfriend starts to feel like more than just an illusion. But when long-hidden secrets come to light, Avery grapples with an uncertain future and whether or not love is worth the risk.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250356352
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/02/2025
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

RAEGAN REVORD starred in the CBS hit series Young Sheldon and its spinoff, Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, in the breakthrough role of Missy Cooper. Raegan is a dedicated writer and avid reader who launched the hugely popular book club, Read With Raegan, in 2022. A San Diego native, Raegan now lives in Los Angeles with five rescue pets.

Editorial Reviews

"The author charms." —Publishers Weekly

"What a charming, feel-good rom-com! Packed with banter, butterflies, and all the best romance tropes, Revord's debut is sweet, smart, and swoon-worthy!" —Sophie Gonzales, Internationally bestselling author of Never Ever Getting Back Together

"A tender, sparkling journey of love in all its forms." —Kelly Quindlen, bestselling author of She Drives Me Crazy

"Warm and full of heart, Revord’s Rules for Fake Girlfriends beautifully captures the power of love even in the face of grief. A delightfully inclusive debut that puts its own spin on all your favorite tropes." —Jennifer Dugan, author of Some Girls Do

"Rules for Fake Girlfriends made me cry and laugh and then cry all over again. Revord masterfully blends together the sneaky pain of grief with the sparkle of fresh hope, creating characters so real you just want to hug all of them. A brilliant debut!" —Lynn Painter, author of Nothing Like the Movies

"A deeply felt love letter to classic rom-coms and the evergreen allure of going abroad to find yourself, Revord's debut is hopeful and irresistible. It's a joy to explore Brighton, freedom, and other firsts through Avery's eyes." —Melissa Albert, author of instant New York Times bestseller The Bad Ones

From the Publisher

2025-07-19
In this debut by actor Revord, a posthumous postcard from her mother sends a teen across the Atlantic to complete a scavenger hunt—and she finds love along the way.

The note Avery Blackwell receives informs her that there’s a story she can “only finish in Brighton.” Avery had planned to be pre-med at Columbia, but she defers her entry and instead enrolls at the University of Brighton in England, which her mom, whom she recently lost to cancer, graduated from 25 years ago. On the train from London to Brighton, Avery sits beside Charlie, who impulsively pretends that Avery is her girlfriend because Leyla—the ex Charlie is trying to win back—is walking by. When Avery discovers that Charlie and Leyla are studying at the same university as her, she agrees to continue the dating charade. Avery and Charlie grow closer as Charlie helps Avery search for the nine clues that Avery’s mother has left hidden around the city, presumably leading to the time capsule every graduating University of Brighton student receives. But just as Avery starts to fall for Charlie, Charlie pulls away. The plot unsuccessfully balances the scavenger hunt with the love story, making the pacing uneven. The late timing of some big reveals and storyline shifts also contributes to the sense of disjointedness, and the U.K. setting is poorly developed. Avery and Charlie are cued white.

Bites off more than it can chew.(Romance. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews