How to Sell a Romance by Alexa Martin

Narrated by Khaya Fraites

Standalone Contemporary Romance

I was sent a paperback to review but ended up borrowing the audiobook from the library. This post contains affiliate links.

How to Sell a Romance by Alexa Martin was fun and unique. With so many romances covering the same kinds of stories, it was refreshing to read about something different. MLMs drive me crazy. I’ve had friends lose boatloads of money on leggings and diet supplements, but I also see how easy it is to get sucked into the promise—I even sold Avon once.

Emerson is a kindergarten teacher who loves her job, and she also volunteers at a pet shelter. But living on a teacher’s salary isn’t easy. When her principal strongly convinces her to attend a Petunia Lemon skincare convention, Emerson, ever the people pleaser, goes along and ends up sucked into the MLM, spending money she doesn’t really have.

After the convention, she goes to the hotel bar, meets a man, and has the hottest sex of her life. But in the morning she finds out that Lucas is a reporter with a grudge who is writing a scathing article on Petunia Lemon—and things don’t end well.

Weeks later, on the first day of school, she realizes the adorable girl in her class’s dad is none other than Lucas, her one-night stand.

As Emerson gets pulled deeper into Petunia Lemon, her best friend Keisha is the voice of reason. Emerson starts to see the cracks in the “Sisters in Skincare,” who are led by her principal Nora and Lucas’s ex-wife. That’s when we learn Lucas’s real motivation for writing the article—his ex-wife sunk all of their savings into Petunia Lemon and chose the MLM over their marriage.

When Emerson finally wises up and works with Lucas, the book really hit its stride. I loved the second half.

I felt like parts of the book were exaggerated, but it still made for a fun listen. Emerson especially reminded me of Janine from the early episodes of Abbott Elementary—a gullible people pleaser who can’t say no. And Nora, the principal, reminded me of Ava, the pushy principal from the show who never plays by the rules.

Likes:

Unique storyline.
Single dad with an adorable kid.
How passionate and dedicated Emerson is to teaching.
Emerson’s best friend Keisha.
The insight into how MLMs prey on women.
A wonderful, dedicated teacher heroine.
The reality of how hard it is for teachers to make ends meet was well shown.

Dislikes:

I would have liked Emerson and Lucas to connect more emotionally before jumping into bed so quickly.
Nora and Jacqueline (sorry if I misspell, I listened) were a little too much like cartoon villains.
As someone who has a hard time saying no, I related to Emerson. I understood why she trusted her boss at first, but I thought she bought in for way too long.

The Narration:

Khaya Fraites brought this book to life. Her narration was excellent, with distinct voices for each woman and even adorable kid voices. She made the story even better.

The Down & Dirty:

I ended up liking How to Sell a Romance by Alexa Martin more than I expected after seeing some mixed reviews. I love a good single dad romance, and Lucas was a great dad to his sweet daughter. The MLM storyline was unique and very relatable—whether you’ve had friends hit you up with a “Hey girl” message or have been tempted to join yourself. While parts were a little exaggerated, it still made for a fun, refreshing listen. Alexa Martin delivers a unique and entertaining romance that blends single dad sweetness with a sharp, timely look at MLM culture.