Fake It Like You Mean It

The fake dating trope takes on unexpected emotional depth in Murphy’s utterly endearing debut. Elle Monroe takes a break from her successful podcast about life in Chicago to return to her hometown of Elkhart, Ind., to care for her grandmother Lovie, who has Alzheimer’s. Elle’s shocked to stumble on stranger Adam Wheeler sleeping in her childhood bedroom, but, after some initial miscommunication, she soon learns he’s the live-in nurse sent by Lovie’s caregiving agency. Despite this negative first impression, the pair agree to work together to help Lovie—a task made harder by Lovie’s belief that Adam is her late husband, Bobby, and Elle is a younger version of herself. To keep her spirits up, they must pretend to be in love. Murphy mines this setup for both pathos and humor while crafting wonderfully three-dimensional leads. As their charade goes on, Adam and Elle develop both a genuine connection and sizzling attraction, but Elle plans to return to Chicago as soon as Lovie is accepted into a long-term care facility, putting their budding relationship in jeopardy. With perfect pacing and chemistry that leaps off the page, this is destined for many a keeper shelf. Agent: Rebeka Finch, Darley Anderson Agency. (Mar.)