EVERYTHING BUT THE REAL THING

Set against the backdrop of a cut-throat academic competition, this sharp, voice-driven rivals-to-lovers YA rom-com with a fake-dating twist follows a brilliant teen girl whose secret fake-boyfriend business collides spectacularly with her number-one rival, forcing them into a partnership that just might cost her the one thing she's sworn never to risk: her heart.

At seventeen, Millie Esiri has two priorities: protecting her GPA like it's a national treasure and running her secret fake-boyfriend agency for girls in desperate need of borrowed love. Ever since losing her parents in a tragic car accident and moving from Nigeria to Atlanta to live with her aunt, Millie's had one rule: no distractions, no feelings, and no failure. Which is why she has absolutely no time for Tucker Johnson her infuriatingly brilliant academic rival and the only person standing between her and the holy grail of high school accolades: the Wexford Award, a full-packaged golden ticket to her dream future.

But Tucker flips the game before it even begins, blackmailing Millie into pretending to be his girlfriend. With her business and the Wexford prize on the line, she's forced to juggle fake-loving Tucker in front of his nosy family with competing against him for academic dominance. Tucker may be maddening, charming, and dangerously good at kissing, but Millie is not about to let a boy derail her master plan. Until he does. And suddenly, Millie risks losing everything - her scholarship dreams, her business empire, and the one person she never meant to fall for.

This impeccably plotted debut novel is perfect for fans of Lynn Painter, Talia Hibbert, and Ali Hazelwood.

Mimi Tega's reals name is Mimi Ogodi. She lives in Nigeria and works as professional romance ghostwriter for clients around the world. EVERYTHING BUT THE REAL THING is her first novel under her own pen name, and hopefully not her last.