Books Like Dolly All the Time
by Annabel Monaghan
Dolly All the Time is built on a tight, feel-good rom-com engine: a pragmatic heroine with family stakes, a negotiated fake-relationship, and a summer setting where small-town obligations collide with unexpected chemistry. Practical Dolly Brick returns to Wickford, Rhode Island to help save her family's home and agrees to pose as Stewart's girlfriend so he can prove himself as the heir — what begins as a transaction gradually complicates into real feelings as the pair navigate community expectations, family pressure and private compromises.
Readers come to this story for different reasons: some want the specific mechanics of a fake-dating contract that steadily unravels, others want the comfort of seaside scenes and small-cast town life, and many are invested in Dolly’s practical, no-nonsense voice as she softens without losing agency. The recommendations below separate those pleasures — whether you loved the negotiated arrangement, the warm ensemble, or the slow shift from convenience to commitment — so you can pick the next book that scratches the same itch.
Recommended for fans of Dolly All the Time
The Unhoneymooners
Christina Lauren
Fake-relationship leads to real feelings on a sun-soaked getaway.
Pick this if you loved the staged relationship mechanic and want a near-identical emotional arc set on a sun-soaked getaway.
The Wedding Date
Jasmine Guillory
A spontaneous fake-date at a wedding that blossoms into something real.
Pick this if you enjoyed the convenience-turned-chemistry aspect and want a story that begins with a spontaneous faux-date at a wedding.
Beach Read
Emily Henry
Summer setting, emotional growth, slow-burning second-chance vibes.
Pick this if it was the seasonal, emotional evolution over one summer — rather than the specific fake-dating contract — that appealed to you.
The Hating Game
Sally Thorne
Workplace rivals fake-friendly facade turns into genuine romance.
Pick this if you liked slow-burn tension and workplace-style sparring that shifts into romance; note this is more rivalry-driven than family-rescue driven.
The Flatshare
Beth O'Leary
Quirky premise, warm small-cast characters, and slow-building intimacy.
Pick this if you wanted a small cast of sympathetic characters and a gradual build of closeness through unconventional living/interaction setups.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Talia Hibbert
Practical heroine, family stakes, and tender romantic growth.
Pick this if you connected with Dolly’s can-do approach and family pressure and want a heroine who grows tenderly while keeping agency.
The Kiss Quotient
Helen Hoang
Unconventional arrangement evolves into unexpectedly deep connection.
Pick this if you were drawn to an atypical romantic arrangement that deepens unexpectedly; this shares the structural oddness more than the seaside setting.
The Rosie Project
Graeme Simsion
Practical protagonist with a structured plan confronted by messy love.
Pick this if you appreciated a protagonist who tries to control life with lists and logic and is forced into messier emotions when love intervenes.
The Right Swipe
Alisha Rai
Career stakes, fake/negotiated dating elements, and fiery chemistry.
Pick this if you liked the interplay of career stakes and arranged or negotiated dating elements; this is a looser match on setting but echoes the professional pressure angle.
At a glance
These matches were chosen for three concrete dimensions: the fake-relationship setup and how it evolves, the protagonist’s practical/problem-solving POV and family stakes, and the novel’s summertime/small-town tonal setting. Each pick shares one or more of those elements to varying degrees.
| Book | First published | Pages | Closest match on | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Unhoneymooners Christina Lauren | 1934 | 424 | Fake‑dating to real feelings | 95% |
The Wedding Date Jasmine Guillory | 2018 | 352 | Wedding‑spark fake date | 90% |
Beach Read Emily Henry | 2020 | 376 | Summer growth arc | 88% |
The Hating Game Sally Thorne | 2016 | 379 | Enemies-to-lovers tempo | 86% |
The Flatshare Beth O'Leary | 2019 | 344 | Quirky, warm intimacy | 84% |
Get a Life, Chloe Brown Talia Hibbert | 2019 | 377 | Practical heroine arc | 82% |
The Kiss Quotient Helen Hoang | 2018 | 336 | Unconventional arrangement | 80% |
The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion | 2013 | 326 | Structured plan meets love | 76% |
The Right Swipe Alisha Rai | 2019 | 386 | Career & negotiated dating | 74% |
About Dolly All the Time
Dolly All the Time is a summer fake-dating romance selected for the GMA Book Club. Its spine is a clear premise: a practical heroine returns home to save her family’s house and enters a staged relationship with the local heir, only to find pretense turning into real attachment.
Frequently asked questions
What if I liked the fake-dating setup — which book should I read next?+
If it was the contractual, staged romance that hooked you, The Unhoneymooners is the closest match for that mechanic and the way pretend intimacy becomes real. The Wedding Date and The Right Swipe also feature negotiated dating arrangements that pivot into genuine feelings.
I loved Dolly’s practical voice and family obligations — recommendations?+
For a pragmatic heroine balancing love and family stakes, Get a Life, Chloe Brown and The Rosie Project mirror Dolly’s problem-solving temperament. The Flatshare and The Kiss Quotient offer similarly resourceful leads who must learn emotional flexibility.
Want a similar summer/small-town atmosphere?+
Beach Read captures the seaside, seasonal setting and character growth over one summer. The Unhoneymooners also uses a sun-soaked getaway to accelerate emotional shifts while keeping a light tone.
Looking for lots of workplace tension or enemies-to-lovers energy?+
The Hating Game is the pick for office-adjacent rivalry turning into romance; it shares the slow-burn transition from antagonism to attraction rather than the small-town, family-rescue plotline.
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