When Abi finds herself in need of a place to stay on short notice, she decides to take advantage of the fact that one of the ritzy penthouses she cleans is unoccupied…or so she thought! She wakes up to find two strangers in the kitchen who think she’s their son Declan’s girlfriend. Turns out, Declan came up with a fake girlfriend to get his parents off his back and to be perceived as more of a family man at work. So, when his parents mention meeting his fictitious girlfriend and expect her to be at Declan’s upcoming work functions, Declan scrambles to find out who the real-life Abi is. When Declan tracks Abi down, she ultimately agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend during the weekend of work functions in exchange for a place to stay and money to pay off her student loans. As a bonus, Abi will get some real-life inspiration for the story she’s writing, and she definitely won’t catch any feelings for Declan…right?
Maid for Each Other is a low-spice adult contemporary romance perfect for fans of authors like Sarah Adams, Christina Lauren, K.L. Walther, and B.K. Borison. This book deals with themes and topics like truth and lies, appearance versus reality, wealth and power, working class struggles, love and heartbreak, family, loss, societal norms, loneliness and isolation, and asthma.
I heard about Maid for Each Other when I was at a Lynn Painter signing event last year and it has been on by TBR list ever since; I loved the concept of a maid being mistaken for a millionaire’s girlfriend and being whisked into a weekend of luxury, it was super fun and very Maid in Manhattan! As always, Painter’s writing style is super easy to follow and flows really nicely, which I appreciate. Maid for Each Other also dove right into the action with almost no preamble at the beginning, which was great as it allowed me to get engaged in the story really quick. There were some super swoony moments, like the bookish gift that Declan buys for Abi, as well as some laugh out loud moments, such as Abi’s hysterical backstories for how her and Declan met. I thought that it was so cool that Abi decided to use the once-in-a-lifetime ritzy experiences that she was having with Declan as inspiration for her writing, plus not to mention the references to Taylor Swift and Gilmore Girls throughout!
One downside for me was that there was a lot of miscommunication in Declan and Abi’s story, which can be frustrating. The action and conflict wrapped up really quickly at the end and there was an expectation of a big reveal where Declan’s parents and coworkers inevitably found out about the fake dating ruse. The fact that we didn’t get to see this on-page felt like a missed opportunity.
Overall, Maid for Each Other was a very unique, fast-paced, and entertaining read that I would highly recommend adding it to your summer TBR lists!
Maid for Each Other is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 15th 2025.
Will you be picking up Maid for Each Other? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis
A millionaire and a house cleaner are a match maid in heaven in this sparkling new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Happily Never After.
As a professional cleaner, Abi Mariano never thought her apartment would have any sort of infestation, but because of a building-wide outbreak, she now needs somewhere to stay for a week. As a part-time student with two jobs, she doesn’t have many options. Then the solution presents itself: the owner of the penthouse she cleans is out of town for the week. She normally wouldn’t consider it, but he’s literally never around (she hasn’t even met him). It goes great…until one morning she finds two strangers in the kitchen. They’re the parents of the penthouse owner and they seem to think they’ve heard all about Abi—not as their son’s maid, but as his girlfriend.
Declan Powell has always put his career first, working his way up to become an executive at his company, but he still has his sights set on the next level. When his parents mention that they met his girlfriend, “Abby,” he all but chokes on his escargot. As wonderful as it sounds that she was just darling, he doesn’t actually have a girlfriend—he made her up to get everyone off his back. When Dex finds out who Abi really is, he makes her a proposition: pretend to date him, and he’ll provide everything she needs during their little arrangement. What harm would it do? It’s purely business, no pleasure…right?
