Rent to Be

Harsh economic realities contrast jarringly with romance tropes in this uneven contemporary from Hartl (Heartbreak for Hire). Recent MBA grad Isla feels like a failure because she’s struggling to repay her student loans while working an unfulfilling office job. After her roommates kick her out for not paying rent, she decides to lie low at her brother Sebastian’s apartment while he’s away. Unknown to Isla, however, Sebastian’s life-long best friend, Cade, is already staying in the apartment and she embarrasses them both by walking in on him naked. Too proud to stay, Isla spends the night sleeping under her office cubicle, then secures a house-sitting job. After Cade asks Isla to pose as his girlfriend to help him at work in return for his not telling her family she is homeless, the attraction that has existed between them since adolescence turns into a steamy romance, despite their fears that Sebastian will never approve. Isla’s self-pity combined with her stubborn refusal to ask for help can make her narration feel immature, while Cade’s own baggage ensures their relationship is anything but smooth sailing. The discussion of debt and financial insecurity, though admirably frank, will put off readers looking for romantic escapism. This is a bumpy ride. (Aug.)