For readers who enjoy emotionally earnest new-adult romance in the vein of Lynn Painter or Jenny Han, Picking Daisies on Sundays delivers reliably on its promise. The relationship between Daniella's open-hearted insecurity and Levi's quietly devoted restraint is the novel's most consistently praised asset, and Common Sense Media calls it 'fun, thoughtful.' The key caveat is predictability — the same source flags it as 'charming if a bit predictable,' so genre veterans who have read widely in fake-dating and second-chance romance will likely recognize every structural beat before it arrives.

Best for readers 16 and up. The novel's protagonists are college seniors navigating post-graduation anxiety, romantic confusion, and the complexities of early adulthood — concerns that will resonate most with older teen and young-adult readers comfortable with new-adult romance as a form. Younger readers can engage with it, but the emotional register and life-stage themes are pitched at an older teen and college-age audience.

Picking Daisies on Sundays

by Liana Cincotti

$10.92 on Amazon Read our full review

At a glance

SettingContemporary college campus, wedding venue

AudienceYA (12-18)

ISBN1538779250

About the Author

Liana Cincotti

1 book reviewed

Picking Daisies on Sundays

Name: Picking Daisies on Sundays by Liana Cincotti
Author: Liana Cincotti
ISBN: 1538779250

by Liana Cincotti

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Readers in their late teens or twenties who love emotionally earnest new-adult romance and want a single novel that layers second-chance, fake-dating, and friends-to-lovers tropes around two protagonists with genuine shared history.

Worth it if

You find comfort in familiar romance structures executed with sincerity and warmth — particularly if you enjoy the breezy, emotionally accessible register of Lynn Painter or Jenny Han.

Skip if

You're a seasoned romance reader who needs structural surprises or tonal ambition beyond the rom-com form — the beats are charming but, by Common Sense Media's own assessment, predictable.

4.2from 19,568 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

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Picking Daisies on Sundays by Liana Cincotti is a contemporary new-adult romance that layers second-chance, fake-dating, and friends-to-lovers tropes into a single emotionally cohesive story, following college senior Daniella Daisy Maria and her childhood best friend Levi Coldwell as buried feelings resurface during his sister's wedding. The central dynamic — Daniella's open-hearted insecurity against Levi's quiet, restrained devotion — is the novel's most praised asset, delivering genuine warmth and humor in the vein of Lynn Painter and Jenny Han. Genre veterans may find the structural beats familiar, but readers seeking an emotionally earnest, sincerity-driven romance built around two characters with real history will find it squarely hits its mark.

Is it worth reading?: For readers who enjoy emotionally earnest new-adult romance in the vein of Lynn Painter or Jenny Han, Picking Daisies on Sundays delivers reliably on its promise. The relationship between Daniella's open-hearted insecurity and Levi's quietly devoted restraint is the novel's most consistently praised asset, and Common Sense Media calls it 'fun, thoughtful.' The key caveat is predictability — the same source flags it as 'charming if a bit predictable,' so genre veterans who have read widely in fake-dating and second-chance romance will likely recognize every structural beat before it arrives.
Similar books: Readers drawn to Picking Daisies on Sundays will find natural companions in the curated selections below. Lynn Painter's Better Than the Movies shares the same breezy, emotionally earnest register and is one of the direct comparisons publishers use to position Cincotti's work. Roxana Rotaru's The Man Who Feels Like Home and Bella May's His and Hers: Swapped at the Office both lean into the friends-and-slow-burn dynamic that anchors Daniella and Levi's story. Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before (not currently in catalogue) rounds out the obvious companion reads for anyone who appreciates that nostalgic, warmth-driven new-adult romance tone.
Who should read this?: Picking Daisies on Sundays is aimed squarely at fans of new-adult and contemporary romance who find comfort in familiar tropes rendered with sincerity — particularly readers who enjoy Lynn Painter or Jenny Han. Its protagonists are college seniors grappling with post-graduation uncertainty alongside romantic confusion, so the novel's concerns — self-discovery, the fear of misreading a lifelong friendship, what comes after school — will feel most specific and resonant to readers in or near that life stage. Those seeking genre-bending ambition or unconventional structure will want to look elsewhere.
What age is it for?: Best for readers 16 and up. The novel's protagonists are college seniors navigating post-graduation anxiety, romantic confusion, and the complexities of early adulthood — concerns that will resonate most with older teen and young-adult readers comfortable with new-adult romance as a form. Younger readers can engage with it, but the emotional register and life-stage themes are pitched at an older teen and college-age audience.
How do the tropes work together?: Rather than using a single romance trope as its engine, Picking Daisies on Sundays stacks three — second-chance romance, fake dating, and friends-to-lovers — into one emotionally cohesive narrative. The wedding-party setting, including a softball game that forces both protagonists into uncomfortable proximity, acts as a pressure-cooker that activates all three simultaneously. Sources note that this layering is executed with warmth rather than structural ambition — the goal is to deliver familiar pleasures with sincerity, not to subvert genre expectations.
Where should I start with Liana Cincotti?: Picking Daisies on Sundays is the logical starting point — it is the anchor title of the Heartstrings series and introduces Daniella and Levi, whose relationship carries across the subsequent books. From there, readers can continue with Don't Be In Love and then the novella Daisy & Levi's Christmas Special for more time with the same world and characters.

Summarize this book

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How do the tropes work together?

Where should I start with Liana Cincotti?

Summarize this book

Picking Daisies on Sundays follows Daniella Daisy Maria, a fashion student and self-described hopeless romantic, who reunites with her former childhood best friend and longtime crush, Levi Coldwell — a patient, quietly devoted literature major — after four years apart. Levi asks Daniella to pose as his fake girlfriend at his sister's wedding, she agrees and immediately regrets it, and the story unspools from there as four years of buried feelings rush back to the surface. The novel stacks three crowd-pleasing tropes — second-chance romance, fake dating, and friends-to-lovers — into a single narrative, with the wedding-party setting (including a softball game that puts both leads in uncomfortable proximity) serving as the pressure-cooker for their evolving dynamic.

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Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Ages 12–18

Reading level

Young adult

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Content to know about

anxiety

Best for: Ages 16+ — protagonists are college seniors navigating post-graduation uncertainty and early-adulthood relationships; the emotional register and life-stage concerns are pitched at older teen and young-adult readers

Skip if you're looking for romance that subverts genre conventions or offers emotional depth beyond light beach-read fare

Editorial Review

Picking Daisies on Sundays is a contemporary romance novel by Liana Cincotti, originally self-published before being acquired by Forever, in which college senior Daniella Daisy Maria agrees to pose as her childhood best friend Levi Coldwell's fake girlfriend for his sister's wedding — only to find four years' worth of buried feelings rushing back to the surface. Positioned for fans of Lynn Painter and Jenny Han, the novel blends second-chance romance with a friends-to-lovers dynamic, drawing on themes of anxiety, young love, family bonds, and the messy complexities of early adulthood.

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Books like Picking Daisies on Sundays

Curated picks for readers who enjoyed Picking Daisies on Sundays, with our reasoning for each match.

If you liked Picking Daisies on Sundays

In our catalogue

Better Than the Movies

Lynn Painter

Friends-to-lovers slow burn anchored by rom-com obsession and messy family dynamics — same cozy, hopeful tone as Picking Daisies on Sundays.

If you loved Picking Daisies on Sundays and are searching for books like it, Lynn Painter's Better Than the Movies is the obvious next read. Both novels center a heroine who has quietly carried feelings for a boy she's known forever, and both lean into that aching tension of almost-but-not-quite romance before the truth finally spills out. Painter's Liz is a die-hard romantic who measures real life against her favorite rom-coms — a self-aware, funny quality that mirrors Daniella's warmth and emotional honesty in Cincotti's novel. Family dynamics, self-discovery, and the fear of ruining a friendship by admitting you want more sit at the heart of both stories. Readers who finished Picking Daisies on Sundays in a single sitting and immediately Googled 'what to read after Picking Daisies on Sundays' will feel right at home here.

In our catalogue

The Man Who Feels Like Home

Roxana Rotaru

A slow-burn romance built on history, familiarity, and the feeling of returning to someone who already knows you — strong tonal overlap with Picking Daisies on Sundays.

For readers drawn to the 'coming home to someone' emotional core of Picking Daisies on Sundays, Roxana Rotaru's The Man Who Feels Like Home scratches exactly that itch. Both novels center a heroine who has to reconcile who she is now with who she was in the relationship that mattered most, and both treat that reckoning with genuine emotional weight rather than easy resolution. The title alone signals the thematic overlap — Cincotti's Daniella and Levi share the same kind of deep-roots familiarity that makes second-chance and friends-to-lovers stories hit differently from a standard meet-cute. If you've been searching 'books like Picking Daisies on Sundays' that feel emotionally grounded rather than breezy, this is a strong match, and it's available right here in the LuvemBooks catalogue.

Not your thing?

In our catalogue

His and Hers: Swapped at the Office

Bella May

Fake-relationship premise with snappier pacing and workplace energy — better fit if Picking Daisies on Sundays felt too introspective or campus-focused for your taste.

If Picking Daisies on Sundays didn't quite click because the college setting felt too insular or the emotional interiority slowed things down for you, Bella May's His and Hers: Swapped at the Office offers a different flavor of the same core premise. The manufactured-relationship setup is still there, but the context shifts to a professional world with higher external stakes and a faster, more plot-driven rhythm. The banter is sharper and more combative, the will-they-won't-they tension plays out in hallways and meeting rooms rather than campus quads, and the romance earns its momentum through conflict as much as vulnerability. It's a great pick for readers who love the fake-dating concept but want a version with more external momentum — and it's available in the LuvemBooks catalogue if you want to jump straight in.