It's well worth perserving past the very far-fetched premise of this book, as it has real heart. A story of sibling rivalry and discovering what's important in life, set against the backdrop of the highly competitive sport of yummy mummying. Thanks NetGalley!

A very sweet story about finding your place and fitting in. This was a pretty unique idea for a book: an identical twin asked to take her sister's place for a short time, and having to learn the ropes of a life she is totally unfamiliar with. There's also a nice love story, as well as the main character dealing with past tragedies she'd experienced. A very quick read as well, with a nice happy ending!

Her twin sister is going to jail, and she will have to take her place!

Ella and Emma were not the typical twins we hear all about. They did not experience a deep connection to each other; in fact, they thought so differently they had been apart for more than ten years.

While Emma was the ever successful sibling, Ella struggled endlessly along the way. At age 34, Emma lived in a mansion, married to a gorgeous man, and mother to two lovely children. Meanwhile, Ella was alone, homeless, and unemployed.

It came as a shock to Ella that her sister was going to jail for a few weeks for some recurrent parking infractions, and she wanted Ella to fill in for her so that her kids and friends would not find out.

Ella wanted to refuse, but she had recently lost her job and home, and deep down, she loved her sister despite everything.

The book was so much fun! Ella is hilarious and always getting in all kinds of trouble.

Navigating through Emma's rich and prosperous life was much more complicated than Ella had anticipated, especially when she meets the kid's gorgeous drama teacher.

They could actually work if only he did not think that she was married (lol).

I'm a huge fan of Portia's fun and witty stories and Faking It does not disappoint.

I love that Ella was an unapologetic Bridget Jones. She was light, fun, and full of life. She was happy against all odds and society's expectations.

The romance is lovely. Ella had to choose between handsome, mature and established Christian or smart and friendly, but temporarily unemployed, Marco. They were both so charming, even I had a hard time picking a favorite.

I loved the references to Smarty, a kind of AI similar to Amazon's Alexa. The dog's name was Marty, and it provided some amusing scenes.

Faking It is a hilarious romantic comedy about what really matters in life and a reminder that nobody is as perfect as they appear to be.

Highly Recommended!

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 01/27/2021 as part of the book's blog tour*

It’s safe to say that Ella Coopers day does not start well following a fire at her flat she didn’t cause, her landlord evicting her and to cap it all she gets the sack. Later the same day she receives a phone call from her polar opposite twin sister Emma who asks her to step into her shoes (probably Laboutins to Ella’s Primark) and impersonate her for six weeks! What has she got to lose by faking it by being a married woman with two kids for a short spell?

This is such a fun read! I really like the way it’s written as it’s lively and engaging. Ella is fantastic, she jumps into her sisters life with both feet and boldly goes frequently where her sister doesn’t! It’s light, breezy and funny in places and packed with good characters. Emma’s husband Rich is a nice guy though at times somewhat distracted, son Henry is simply edible and Millie is a teenager. Yip, snark and all, still it does bite her in the proverbial with Ella to the dramatic rescue! Then there’s Marco, yes there’s a Marco just to even the balance with the yummy mummy Mafia. Shoot me now. The story is really heartwarming, Ella learns a lot about herself, about her sister and it’s all to the good. Ella realises exactly what she wants and what’s important and there’s a good message here. The ending is a bit weepy but followed by warm and fuzzies!

Overall, a very enjoyable easy to read novel that is perfect for the right now and yucky winters days. I want to read more by this author for sure.

With thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the arc for an honest review.

I have always enjoyed reading this author books and this one didn’t disappoint . Love how twins can change identity and come together when they are needed. You must keep reading to the end to see how it all finishes.

Fake it til you make it!! The premise is a little wacky but once you suspend your disbelief you get a funny, sometimes touching and insightful, interesting read. I liked Ella and seeing how she came really into her own even though she was pretending to be someone else. Hijinks aside I especially enjoyed the connections she made with Marco and the kids Henry and Millie. Overall an enjoyable read.

I have loved past Portia MacIntosh books, but I think this one is my favorite. I loved the twist on The Parent Trap, with one twin pretending to be the other and fooling almost everyone. Especially when the twins are polar opposites. Throw in a nice love story with a great growth journey for the characters, and that's about all I need.

I really enjoyed the sheer amount of plot points fit into this book. There was so much intrigue, adventure, and secrets. The main character, Ella, grew so much from the unreliable, homeless 30-something from the beginning of the book. It was great to see her learn how to parent and be responsible for a job and extracurriculars. She was thrown into the deep end pretending to be her sister Emma, and she THRIVED.

One part I would have improved would be how Ella was spoken about throughout the book. When she learned her sister used her as a cautionary tale for her children, I was hurt FOR her. Especially after not being there for her for so long. I would've expecting that to come up between the sisters and it didn't, but it should have. I think the book really missed that crucial confrontation for everything to be wrapped up.

I was thoroughly shocked by the ending. There was a twist I wasn't expecting and it took me completely by surprise. The romance was also very subtle, this is not a hot & steamy rom com. That doesn't take away anything from the book, I just like to note it in reviews for those whose preferences go either way!

**Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

This novel disappointed me. I have read other novels from this author that were very enjoyable.
Faking it had a silly premise and was not very believable. I was questioning what was going on the whole time . The story invoked identical twins, one impersonating the other, and not only were the children supposed to not notice that their mother had been substituted, all the people in the village where they grew up were supposed to have forgotten that the other twin existed.
Characters were sketchy and not filled out. It’s ok for a quick read, but definitely not her best work. Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for a review.

First of all, isn’t the cover gorgeous? I am a sucker for beautiful covers and not ashamed to say that I totally judge books by the cover and this story is equally entertaining and does justice to the cover.

I am utterly in love with this book. It’s a non-stop laugh riot. Every page had me in stitches, and by the time I reached the last page, my cheeks were hurting as hell. The protagonist Ella is extremely delightful. There is something magic in MacIntosh’s writing, that made me feel exhilarated. This is one of my most favorite books I’ve read this year.

Ella is a hot mess. Down on her luck, she managed to lose an apartment, job, and car all in a single day. Her estranged identical twin sister Emma contacts Ella out of the blue soliciting a huge favor – fake as Emma. Emma is perfect in every way with a rich husband, stroppy teenage daughter, and lovely son. With no roof on her head, Ella takes up the offer.

What can go wrong in this arrangement. It should be a cakewalk for Ella as it involves dropping kids, prepping meals, and a bit of shopping. But everything goes wrong, which results in hysterically funny situations. She meets dashing Marco who sees through her act in their first meeting.

When she has been caught out in the act, she came up with innovative answers that made me smile and adore her more. Ella’s inner monologues and schemes concoted were highly amusing. She comes up with the best rib-tickling analogies. Fake Emma and Marco’s banter is so playful. I hope there is a sequel to this book.

Macintosh highlighted an important message which is to cherish family and relationships. Don’t hold them back with grudges. The ending is sweet and touching.

Overall, I absolutely recommend this entertaining and uplifting story, if you are a fan of rom-coms.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood books for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore Portia MacIntosh books and this is no exception. They give you all the feels and you genuinely laugh out loud whilst reading them.
Again this is a beautiful story, excellent characters as you come to expect and wonderfully relatable

This was a fun read. Not a brilliant plot (quite simplistic) but it was a funny story with some good characters. Typical for a Portia MacIntosh story which I think gives it great value as a book because you know exactly what to expect!

I loved reading about the relationship between Ella and her Niece develop and found it amusing that she got into some awkward situations with new friend Marco. However I did find it a bit ridiculous to believe that her son wouldn’t have noticed ‘the switch’. Also found the day trip out to Blackpool chapter very amusing ! I grew up visiting there for the Blackpool lights too.

All in all, not terrible. A fluffy chick lit to read when you want a book with a happy ending.

Faking It is the latest, and probably my favourite book from Portia MacIntosh so far (and I’ve read many of them).

In this fictional story Emma seeks helps from her estranged twin Ella. Emma is the twin who seemingly has it all, whilst Ella is single and has just lost her job and home.

The plan is that Ella will pretend to be Emma for a few weeks with only her husband knowing the truth. Ella/Emma will have to navigate being a mum, wife and the yummy mummies on the school run.

I found this so funny and read most of it in a day. It was so good I don’t want to put it down. The ending is a bit of a surprise but leaves you with a warm feeling. Highly recommended.

Is The Grass Always Greener...?
Highly implausible but amusing and entertaining romcom. Is the grass always greener? This is the question that Emma should be asking herself before embarking on her madcap scheme. Abandon all sense of reality. A fun and escapist read.

This is one of those “chick lit” books that aspires to be both a romcom and have a greater meaning, but it doesn’t land either.

Free spirited Ella, homeless and fired, is asked by her estranged type-A twin Emma to pretend to be her for six weeks, to deal with Emma’s perfect life in the house where they grew up. Hijinks ensue.

I get that you’re not supposed to trouble yourself too much about the practical nature of the plot, but it’s just not grounded in any sort of reality. It also wasn’t actually funny. Ella isn’t a distinctive or strong enough character to register any strong feelings toward. Not worth reading.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Laugh out loud funny....this one is so unrealistic that it almost becomes plausible! Twin sisters, who could not be more different, are forced to trade places. Well, technically one just goes away and the other steps into her shoes. As she struggles to be someone she's not, she learns quite a bit about herself and reconciles with her past. The ending had a twist that I never saw coming, too!

Absolutely love all of Portia Macintosh's books, couldn’t wIt to read this one, sat and read in one afternoon. Really enjoyable assuming, and light hearted read. Definitely worth reading !

This was a cute take on twins switching places. I usually don’t enjoy that trope, but MacIntosh’s heroine, Ella, is a lot of fun. She’s down on her luck and agrees to help out her twin, Emma, who seems to be living a perfect life. Of course, Emma’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems and Ella isn’t as hopeless as she seems. And there is the cute uncle who figures out instantly that Ella is not Emma and they soon become good friends.

This was a very enjoyable read.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Ella has always been the less successful twin, but now her twin Emma needs her to help out and pretend to be her for 6 weeks. Can she pull it off? It's harder than she thought to be the perfect housewife and she gets rumbled by Marco within the first few days. Will she manage to fool everyone else and not ruin her sister's perfect life in the meantime?

A great read.

3.5 stars. I found this story to be a really fun and enjoyable read and would have rated it higher until it came to the end because I literally felt bad for enjoying Ella and her crazy antics for as long as I did. Talk about a book that pulls out all of the emotions.

I received an advance copy of, Faking It, By Portia MacIntosh. I thought Emma was very shallow, I did like or connect with her at all.