I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was heart felt, well written, filled with laughs and totally relatable.

I think everyone at some point could sympathise with Sophie, the main character as she navigated the extremely stressful and at times, soul destroying dating scene.

In parts, it was predictable but enjoyable and had a feel good factor and modern day girl power.

Would recommend!

This was a very new take on the romance genre.

In this one, our heroine is surrounded by people who are coupled up and are insisting that she also should be, but as she goes on date after date, she starts to realise that maybe, this isn't the path for her.

It's an interesting observation, that single women are pestered by society to take a partner even if they are perfectly happy on their own.

I thought this was a really bold storyline and something very different from anything I've read before.

Was wary of starting this because of Reekles’ beginnings - but was willing to give it a go. However, when it got to almost 50 pages in withoutht the love interest even being introduced, the slow burn just felt more like it was being dragged out.

I loved this book. It was way out of my comfort zone. I never read romantic comedies but something drew me to it.

Sophie a forever single twenty something needs a date for her sisters wedding. She puts a shout out on a dating site offering an all expensive paid weekend in a posh hotel with just one catch. They have to pretend to be her boyfriend. Newly separated Harry answers her post thinking it will be a fun way to deal get over his breakup.

It's a theme I've heard before, the fake relationship but Beth Reekles tells it in such a unique way. Funny and heart breaking at times this was a 5 star read for me.

Harry and Sophie agree to be their plus ones at various functions, but are they faking it? ideal holiday reading.

As a big fan of the fake dating trope I had high hopes for this... However, it was a little slow and took me a while to get through. It didn't keep my interest for long so I had to keep coming back to it in stops and starts and there were a lot of side characters to keep track of which was difficult when I hadn't picked it up for a time. I love fake dating stories, and the premise of this fake relationship had the potential to be great... but, without spoiling anything, I was disappointed with the way it turned out. I liked Harry but didn't care enough about Sophie to be truly bothered by the story.

DNF’d around a quarter of the way in because it was just far too cringe, to the point I was uncomfortable reading. Not put off Beth Reekles books in the future though because I have enjoyed her in the past. This one unfortunately didn’t hit the spot for me though.

Okay so to start off with, I found the book to be quite slow. I was reading the first few chapters and it took me a while to get into it and to know the characters but I’d say maybe 25% in, I was fully immersed and enjoying it.

The chapters were easy to read – I never felt like they were too long or too short and each ended at a really good point. I also really liked the mix of event invites between some of the chapters and how there were quotes from Sophie’s articles thrown in too. It really added to the plot and gave you more details without spending pages and pages explaining what was happening which was great.

I loved Sophie as the main character. She really went on a journey throughout the book and you got to see how she learnt and grew from her experiences. At the beginning, I wanted to grab her and shake her and be like why are you focusing so much on finding a boyfriend?????? But you can totally get why she does – all anyone seems to ask about her is how is her love life going or has she found a boyfriend yet. And I think this is so realistic – without always meaning to, families definitely seem to focus on relationships and the next stages in relationships, and even though it can be from a really well intended place, sometimes it’s just so much pressure. So it was great to see a character addressing this and learning that’s now how she needs to live her life.

There were so many laugh out loud points during this book. I really did love the relationship between Sophie and Harry, and I was definitely hoping that they would end up together but the realisation that Sophie comes to is so mature and real, that you can’t be mad with how they ended up. It was nice to see how relaxed they were around each other and how comfortable.

Sophie’s friends – Tally and Lena definitely have some growing to do. It’s nice that they’re all still friends but at the end when Sophie is confessing to them how she’s been feeling, particularly about how they’ve been acting about their friendship, I don’t think they take it very well initially. But then, maybe it’s the shock of it all and they need time to reflect on how they’ve treated Sophie in the past few months to realise that she has actually got a point. I’d like to think that their friendship moving forward is definitely more fair and understanding of each other.

I loved the relationships with Sophie’s family – it was really nice to see such a blended family and one that got along really well. Usually when it’s step parents/siblings it can be quite a negative relationship but I loved how close Sophie was to Camilla as well as her sisters. It was just great to see this type of family portrayed in a book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I felt connected to the characters and wanted to see what was going to happen next. If they were sad, I felt sad, and when things were going well for them, I felt like a proud parent. I think this book does show a true reflection of what society is like in terms of relationships and finding a partner but was done in such a fun way too. There’s definitely some home truths in there that some people need to read so I’d recommend this to people who need to hear them! If you liked Beth’s author stories, you’ll love this one without a shadow of a doubt!

A books with a message, a romance and very laugh out loud in places. But it also has a heroine who doesn’t really conform to convention and in this time of high profile mental health issues I think it is a good thing for the heroine to want things that are different from the norm. Maybe it will help people see that you can be yourself and not just want the usual fairly tale formula.

The story of Sophie, 25 and single, she needs a date for her step sisters wedding so her family will leave her alone. Will Harry become more than just a fake date?

Sophie is a 25 year old single woman who has been dating for a long time! No matter how many dates she has she just can’t seem to find the right man. With all her friends settling down, getting married, and having babies the pressure is on Sophie to find her life partner.

Sophie’s sister is getting married and in an act of desperation Sophie creates a dating profile searching for a fake boyfriend to attend her sisters wedding with her. Harry and Sophie get on really well and soon develop a relationship of convenience and attend one another’s social events together as a fake couple.

Personally I found it a bit unrealistic that a 25 year old is expected to be settled down and starting a family. I can’t imagine many families putting pressure on someone of that age to go out and find a husband. The book did drag on in places and was quite repetitive. The ending wasn’t what I expected but it was the right ending for Sophie.

This is an interesting, almost anti-romcom which follows Sophie, as she looks for love but soon settles for a fake boyfriend. Reekles explores what it means to idolise romance and eventually learn to carve out a new path for yourself.
I enjoyed this book, especially its portrayal of how society pressures single women to find monogamous, romantic love, to the detriment of their sense of self. It is fun; fitting best into the comedy genre.
Sophie is a bit of a hot mess (complimentary), which means she really drives the book with her escapades. I’d say it is reminiscent of Jill Mansell’s brand of chick lit.

I really did try to like this book, but, unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I found the main character unlikable, flat, and annoying with her obsession about being single and desperately looking for love. She is only 25 years old and everyone around her is already pressuring her about finding a man, buying a house, and creating a family. I think it was a bit exaggerated. Also, the pace was slow and the story was often repetitive. Based on the blurb, I was expecting something else from this story, so I was disappointed how it ended, although I liked how the protagonist developed.

Funny, fresh take on single life. I liked the main character and how she came to value herself and her life. The dialogue is excellent - felt really real.

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I cheered when I got to the end of Faking It by Beth Reekles. There was a twist in the tale that pleased me immeasurably. Clearly I don't want to give too much away but this is Sophie's story set in the world of 21st century relationships (which, I have to say, makes me truly grateful not to be a twenty-something). Of all her friends, she is the only single one and she feels pressurised by friends and family alike to change her relationship status. One make boyfriend later, all in the garden seems to be rosy. But then Sophie learns something...

I found this book really easy to read and I didn’t want to put it down. I got caught up in Sophie’s life and her exploits as a single lady. The story was less a romance and more a story of Sophie learning to love herself and accept her situation. But I did love the use of the faking date trope.

I really liked Harry and his relationship with Sophie. And I would have liked for there to have been more of him in the book. I found Sophie a little whingy at times and I couldn’t understand why so much pressure was being put on her to find a partner when she was only 25! However, I did like her relationships with her family and friends and found the side characters to be endearing.

There were some real laugh out loud moments. Especially the scene at the birthday party. Mostly this was a sweet story about Sophie discovering that she was happy as she was and content with her life.

If you are a fan of fake-date scenarios, you are going to love this new release. Although this started as a bit of a slow burn, within a few chapters, I was getting to know the characters, and was actually beginning to like Sophie. The relatability that she brings also brought a nostalgic feel to the storyline too.

I found Reekles' writing style to be thoroughly enjoyable. The way she takes the reader through a year in Sophie's life is just delightful, acknowledging her growth along the way. I started reading the book without any expectations, but as I kept on turning the pages, I was completely hooked. The twist in the conclusion added to the story's charm and although I was gutted for Harry, I was also incredibly pleased Reekles ended it this way.

The reading experience was amazing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good laugh with a simple read. It's the ideal book for a day at the beach, so get your hands on a copy today!

Such a wonderful, uplifting and feel good book, showing the importance of self love and not needing a man to complete your life

This is an easy summer holiday young romance book to read. Not my usual genre, but enjoyed the authors quirky characters & light hearted love story. Fun & interesting read