"The Real Thing" by Laney Webber is a charming and heartwarming romance that explores the complexities of relationships and the search for authenticity, making it a delightful and engaging read.

I read this for the roller derby., not really because of the story and it took me a while to get into it. I actually thought this may be a debut novel, but it isn't. The book showed a lot of promise, but it could have done with some more editing.

This was an ok book but I honestly wasn’t able to finish reading. I guess I expected something completely different. I’ve read some good books by Laney Webber so I won’t give up.

An interesting, easy read but not a novel that I will be remembering for years to come. I still enjoyed and appreciated it.

When Allie figures out she's been catfished by her online girlfriend, she emails the actress whose photo was used. What's she doesn't expect is for said actress to want to meet her and thank her. When the two meet, said actress, Geena, hits on her and stays to seduce her. As the two get to know each other, the adventure and romance begin and made it difficult to put down.

Compared lesbian romances with two people who have "normal jobs," the actress and massage therapist is a nice change. I'd recommend this to those like a quick read.

Good story, couldn't wait to keep reading all what was going to happen. Laney Webber is a talented writer thats for sure to make read a book from start to finish in one sitting.

This cute story about two women with greatly different personalities who meet due to an unfortunate catfishing situation.
Allie can’t help but see Lauren, the person she thought Geena was while she was being catfished online. Allie has a lot of trust issues to work through and Geena looking like the source of those issues is a major complication. Geena has a lot of deep seeded issues in regards to relationships in general and wears a mask at all times so no one can see the real her.
Both women spent most of the book on opposite wavelengths. Allie and Geena must both decide what the are looking for and what they are willing to risk in order to get it.
Both women had really good chemistry together but most of the book they didn’t feel like a good fit for one another, they just never seemed to click to me. I liked Charlie more, but that was my personal feelings from reading this story.
There were several steamy and sweet parts to this story and I really liked the balance that Webber attained. Great character growth and development.
This is a fun and sweet read with great characters and a genuine feeling romance.

This story remains halfway to what it could have been. It hints at several interesting facts to make a good plot, but almost all, if not all, remain only in approach and are vaguely resolved. And the two protagonists have changed their attitude too quickly and these changes have not seemed consistent or coherent to me.

Allie is settled in this small town, she seems to want it like that, but it is not very clear that she is completely comfortable in this environment. In her initial online relationship with that woman, she is apparently a bit gullible and naive.Then she completely changes her attitude in several ways. I would have liked to read more about that roller derby hobby of hers.

And Geena is no less fickle in that way. She is popular, recognizable for her role in an online series, she seems to like taking advantage of that. Then it is so insecure in some situations, at times that should not be like that.

It really wasn't one of the best readings I've had lately, although I can't say it was a total waste. But with a little more consistency my rating would have been better.

I received a free copy of The Real Thing in exchange for an honest review. I'm not quite sure what I just read. The overall story line was confusing. The author completely left out the "fake" Geena after the initial introduction. This would have made for some good reading to see who the "fake" Geena was, and why she "played" Allison.

The real Geena was just awful. I've never disliked a character so much in all of the years that I've been reading. She was only out for "booty" calls, and her own self gratification. Allison was another strange character. She was slightly naive, yet she played hardcore roller derby which didn't fit with her persona, and had nothing to do with the story. Beyond these few things, I'm not sure that there was anything else to discuss or review.

As much as I dislike giving poor reviews, this was just not a good read for me.

I couldn’t really get into this book. Not because it’s an awful story, it’s not. I like the small town setting and I liked Allie but Geena is AWFUL. From the very beginning I didn’t like her and I just wanted Allie to do better than her. My dislike of the main character really hindered my enjoyment of the story. An easy read but I can’t say I wanted to find out more like I do often after reading books

A Sweet Love Story
After the death of her parents, Allie moved to Vermont to help out her cousin. She has opened a massage therapy business and decided to go on the search for Ms Right. After finding out she has been cat fished, she contacts the actress whose picture was used to warn her before she starts to reclaim her personal life. After getting a spot on a roller derby team, she is surprised to learn the actress, Geena, wants to meet. Geena is a player. She has a hit web series and is easily recognized so it is shocking that Allie has no idea who she is. When they meet the attraction is immediate but all Geena can offer is a quick summer fling, can Allie do that or is she really just a forever kind of gal…

This was a sweet story. I liked the author’s writing style, the setting of the book and the characters. I liked how the book flowed and progressed from a weird connection between strangers to something much more meaningful and special. Allie is a strong woman and works hard to overcome her past and build a bright future. Geena is damaged but instead of really growing, she falls into a persona and tries to bury the real her. Allie seems able to see the girl under the image and Geena starts to realize the real her is worth knowing. Was this the greatest book ever, no but it wasn’t bad either, especially for a debut novel. I will be keeping an eye out for more from Ms Webber.

What a whirlwind! I loved this book from page one. Well developed characters, great story and just an easy read.

It was OK, but not very memorable book... Geena is not a very lovable character, for me at least, but the book is an easy read. It's a fun read for a nice afternoon.

Very easy book to read. Story about finding love by trying again, and again. Sometimes being conned give you a chance to find the perfect for you woman. This book was a little about self discovery and what makes one person happy but also about realizing what's important. One book that for sure makes you feel good.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of the story.

Two of the most unlikely women to be attracted to wach other meet through the woman's impulse to expose a catfish scheme.

Allison is lonley and the victim of an elaborate catfish schemem. When she discovers the deception, she reaches out to the small time actress being impersonated.

Geena is an actress with an inflated ego, who routinely trolls for one night stands using her celebrity as bait.

As Allison grows in condidence and skillset through her recovery from being catfished, Genna struggles to know herself and her heart's desire.

A nice read for a Sunday afternoon.

Virginia Harris is living the life she always wanted but to do that she drops her real name and introduces herself to the world as ‘Geena’. An actress looking for that big break but in the meantime she makes do with some bit parts in some tv shows but being on the web series ‘Days and Nights’ worked just as well, giving her a nice fan base filled with women, young and old who dreamed of spending some time with ‘Geena’. Never looking for more than a different woman to entertain her nights...or days because the idea of actually having a relationship wasn’t what she wanted. That would mean actually talking to someone, getting to know more about the women she bedded or worse yet, letting the women get to know who she really was. Never having much of a relationship with her family who never wanted to spend any time with her she decides it will be easier to not get too involved with the woman she’s attracted to because why would anyone actually want to know the real her. She knew they would eventually tire of her and move on.
Allison McDonald is living the life she really wanted to, having her own business in the small community of Proctor’s Falls. She had floundered around doing a variety of jobs, all the while looking after her elderly parents. It was an eye opener for her when she had her first massage because she had finally found what she felt was meant to do. So she goes back to school to learn all the ins and outs of being a massage therapist. Now with her parents gone she comes to Vermont to help her aunt and set up her own business. Problem is there aren’t a lot of women in this small community to date so she tries online dating and meets a woman she thought was perfect for her. Because of both their busy lives they just haven’t had time to meet. When she finally gets her chance to meet Geena she finds out she’s been ‘catfished’ by some woman playing the part of Geena, who in all probably didn’t have a clue someone was using her name and likeness to lure women with. Allie decides it’s the right thing to do, getting in touch with the real Geena and tell her what’s been going on.
Ms. Webber's book is what I’d call a nice read. The author doesn’t make the characters, Allie and Geena all that interesting. Their relationship isn’t the kind where when this book ends you wish you could pick up another book to see where they are now. As I said, a nice read but…
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

This book was awesome. I think that it should be titled, “The Evolution of Allison.” Because that’s what it was about. In the beginning, Allison is lonely and her esteem is beaten because of being catfished. So she goes out and joins Roller derby, makes some friends and becomes a bad ass in the process. I liked how they fell in love despite trying to hold a part of themselves back because love comes whether you want it to or not! Great story.

This book is ok and the central message of be yourself not some image of yourself is a good one, but the theme is pushed a little too hard and that kind of mires the storyline. One of the characters is so on point with working out who she is there ends up being no real portrayal of her character; it all gets a bit bogged down and makes her one dimensional. The other character is more rounded and I would have loved to have had more scenes with her at the roller derby as that sounds like a lot of fun. Overall the book never seems to really get going and sadly for me it ends up being a bit mundane. To be fair that might just be my mood at the moment.

Allison McDonald has been using an online dating service to find romance until she was totally catfished by a person using the identity of actress Geena. Allison, swears off dating but also upset by the ordeal contacts Geena who's real name is Virginia Harris to let her know her identity is being used for online dating. Virginia contacts Allison and there's a spark but Allison is not sure if she's interested in the identity of Geena or Virginia herself.
Confusing right? The synopsis is a little confusing but when reading the book it all becomes quite clear. It's a bit hard to like the characters in this book, Allison was by far the most likeable but you have to question her character when reading about her catfishing relationship.  Geena wasn't exactly likeable and was way too arrogant. Also there didn't seem to be much chemistry between the two characters. This wasn't a bad read but for me it wasn't a page turner either.

Reading the blurb of this book, I got a bit confused at the beginning. But as I read I realized it’s not that confusing but rather just didn’t make sense to me. The plot was interesting for sure, but things just didn’t make sense to me.
I actually liked Allie the MC , she’s a therapist who lives in a small town with no options to date with any lesbians, so she decides to go for a dating app and gets cheated basically. She then decides to contact Geena the other MC who is a non likable character (for me). Which led me obviously to not rooting for the couple and questioning Allie’s actions !
Listen overall this is an OK read, the author can write and I like her style. I will be reading more of her work but this specific book wasn’t for me.
“I received an ARC for an honest review.”