This is the second book from Sharon M. Peterson that I've been privileged to receive an ARC for, and it's the second book from Sharon M. Peterson that I'll be buying on its release day because I need to have it on my shelves along with all my other favorites to read over and over again. She has a knack for building main characters who are wonderfully human -- flawed, brilliant, silly, hilarious, generous, a little prickly, loving and so very lovable. And she constructs some of the best book boyfriends in the game -- men who are tender yet strong, openhearted, hot as hell, packed full of banter and joy. These books give me modern screwball comedy vibes and I want more, more, MORE.

I absolutely love a grumpy/sunshine pairing where the lady gets to be the grump, and The Fake Out serves that dynamic up just perfectly. Other tropes include fake relationship, just one bed, small town romance -- if any of these story elements get you all giddy and giggly, pre-order this book IMMEDIATELY.

'The fake out' By Sharon M Peterson is a heartwarming, fun romance filled with humor and emotions. This is the first book that I am reading penned by the author and I have become a fan and sure to go and read the other books by her.

Mae is a librarian in the town of Two Harts which caters to 4 towns around it. This is her passion to work in the library and be surrounded by books. One day when she wants to close the library she finds a man sleeping in there. Waking him up is a task and an opening to a very roller coaster romance that she still doesn't know. The person was Chris Sterns an NFL player and he is charmed by this librarian who doesn't know who he is and give him back the way no one else has.....What makes him propose a fake relationship to her? What happens to the said fake relationship? Read the story to know more..

I love the 'Fake relationship' trope in romance books and this one has just topped the list among all the fake relationship stories I have read. The characters are unique, down to earth, yet hilarious and funny in their own way. The banter and chemistry between Chris and Mae is enjoyable and with many laugh out loud moments. The secondary characters of Mae's friend, her mother, her neighbor and Chris's family are so uniquely written that the personality of each and every one is visual to me as a reader. I would love top see this story be made into a movie.

After a really long time, I have stayed up at night to binge read this story and I am so happy I did that. I was hooked to it from the first line and the quotes and pick up lines written at the beginning of every chapter are quirky and enjoyable.

If you love to read romance stories that are equal parts fun and emotional with tear jerking moments, then this one is for you. I highly recommend it. Absolutely enjoyed this romantic story.

All opinions expressed ae mine and I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for accepting my request to review this book and its a 5 star read for me.

I had to physically restrain myself from reading this book in one sitting. Literally. I only stopped because my legs started cramping.
"The Fake Out" was very aware of the romance tropes it used (especially the marriage of convenience and grumpy/sunshine), but it didn't make them feel old or overused. Mae and Chris were not stereotypical romantic leads (I think that this is the first romance I've read with a main character who was tall, like me!), and their chemistry was explosive. In addition each of the side/supporting characters was just as fleshed-out as the leads, and I can't think of a single character who was bland and one-dimensional. The chapter titles including pick-up lines submitted by readers was really unique, and it helped to show the (slightly corny, yet thoroughly honest) spirit of the book. It takes you on a rollercoaster of emotion that will have you laughing, crying (partially from laughter), and swooning-- truly an amazing feel-good romantic comedy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

"The Fake Out" is my first time reading Sharon Peterson's books, and it won't be my last! This book has many tropes I enjoy: grump vs. sunshine, sharing one bed, fake relationship becoming real, etc. Mae is a small town librarian desperately trying to make ends meet for her small family. Her single mom is on disability due to a stroke, and her high school sister has become sullen and unreachable. While she loves being a librarian, the town's mayor (and her former fiancé) has decided to cut the budget in half, making her life even more miserable. One day, one of football's biggest stars (although unbeknownst to her), Chris Sterns shows up at her library. Chris needs some time away from the media attention, and thinks the small town will be just right for him. Upon getting to know Mae and her financial situation, he offers her a deal: if she'll pretend to be engaged to him to help him recover his reputation, he'll pay her $100,000. While Mae at first resists, she soon realizes it's the only way to help her family.

Mae and Chris have great chemistry, and I love the sarcastic and witty barbs they throw back and forth at each other. While the relationship doesn't start out as real, it quickly develops into something more. This was a fun read, and I look forward to reading more books by Peterson. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Fake engagement. Pro-athlete and librarian. Small town romance. Only one bed trope. If you like these elements in a story, this book is for you!

Some laugh out loud moments and some “man I hate that guy” moments as well. I’ll let you decide who that “guy” is when you read it. There may or may not be several haha

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The Fake Out to come out July 5, 2023.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book. it was good, i read this in 1 sitting as i was always wanting to know what happened next. I liked the writing style, it flowed very easily. i liked the characters and i liked the plot.

I really enjoyed this second book by Sharon M Peterson. I absolutely loved the pickup lines opening each chapter. And I loved the strong connection Mae had with her family and her town. I feel like I got to know her world and supporting cast much better than in a lot of romance novels.

I did feel like the relationship between Mae and Chris was lacking in depth at certain points. In some ways, this is the downside of a first person novel because only one person's perspective is represented. But I felt like certain moments were just underdeveloped. And this is not an attack on the author's closed-door stance...I just wish that the door was being shut a little more gently rather than being slammed shut all the time.

Still, the book was fun and lighthearted, making it a perfect vacation read.

This was a delightful read with plenty of steam, the right amount of danger, and a fantastic romance. Could not put it down.

I am totally in love with Mae our heroine in this story. This is a book that in some ways we all know the ending but I loved the kick ass lead woman who only wanted to look after her family and will do anything to make sure that happened without changing for a man. When she meets Chris who is asleep in her library her life is changed beyond all her wildest dreams when her new book club friend offers her a deal that will sort all of her problems the question is can either of them stick to the deal without feelings getting in the way and will other people ruin it all. I loved this book and read it in one night.

I laughed throughout this book. The banter was excellent. Good banter is a must have for me so *chef kiss* well done.

The romance was believable and I am a sucker for the fake dating. I have some reservations because Chris kept doing lovely things for Mae but I wanted to see more of why Chris fell for her. It felt a tad too insta love for me but not a massive negative.

I also prefer steamier romances, which I thought we would get what with all the romance book reading but it was rather tame. Again, I enjoyed it enough that this wasn't a huge problem.

This is the 2nd book by this author and I must confess. She is now become an automatic read for me. This book caught me in all the right places, a small town librarian with the heart of a warrior. She takes care of everyone that she loves while masking her needs in her fierce determination that she doesn’t need help. The hero in this story is such a nice guy, with one liners that had me chuckling all the way through. Add in family dynamics, quirky friends, and the love of a small town and its community and it is a great recipe for making me smile the whole time I was reading. I can see the additional characters in this book having their very own happily ever after,. I hope this author will be writing many more stories!

I was completely absorbed by this book. I loved everything about it! Mae and Chris had so much chemistry and banter. I loved that he texted her cheesy pickup lines. They were so much fun, and each chapter of the book began with a cheesy pickup line that was submitted by readers. The book was really funny, but it was also heartwarming too.

I loved Chris' family. His sisters and his parents were so loving, and when they trapped them with only one bed, it was so much fun! The family had so much love for each other, and their family dynamic made me feel like I was a part of the family.

For Mae, she was such a strong and independent character. She took care of her mom and her younger sister, and she also worked two jobs to help out at home. Mae felt like she didn't need anyone to help her or take care of her, but Chris pushed through to be there for her in unexpected ways. The way that he said to her 'it suits you', and the sweet story behind why he chose that phrase melted my heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book.

Read this book if you love:
- fake engagement
- fake dating
- small town romance
- a sweet love story
-cheesy pickup lines
-witty banter
- family fun
- librarians

This was pretty fun! It didn’t take itself too seriously and I enjoyed it for that reason. It wasn’t life changing or anything but it was pretty solid.

I didn’t expect to but I really enjoyed this book, great characters that you were routing for and definitely a book for the beach this summer.

I knew I would love this book once I learned that it contained a fake engagement, but I didn't know how much I would love it. I was consistently giggling and swooning while reading.
The tropes of this book include: grumpyXsunshine, fake dating, she fell but he fell harder, I've loved you since I met you, and small town.
I just want to start off by stating beware of the SLOW burn of this book. I loved every second of it but was not prepared ahead of time (that is my fault). The banter between Chris and Mae fulfills my every wish for the grumpy sunshine trope. The two MCs worked so well together and I connected to each of them so easily. Mae's backstory made my heart hurt, but the way Chris taught her that it's okay to let someone else take care of you made my heart burst. The two of them brought each other exactly what they needed and I would kill to read more about their relationship.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me this arc to read! I would recommend this book to anyone whole loves a slow burn and some good banter!

I loved it and you’re going to love it too! Mae is incredibly independent, used to tackling all hers and her family’s problems herself from a young age, and very much over men - with good reason. She had a lot of depth to her character and I loved that she was grouchy and sarcastic, and it made for a lot of funny interactions with NFL star, Chris. There was plenty going on in this book beyond the romance, and plenty of characters that fit well into the storyline. Chris’ family was good fun and I would have sold my soul to spend some more time with them but we can’t have it all, am I right?

This book comes in strong with the grumpy vs sunshine, he falls first, fake dating, only one bed tropes and it’s thoroughly delicious. Some of the heavier topics are balanced out with a lot of sweetness and humour, and the two person romance book club was inspired (can I join??) but I would say knowing a bit more about Chris would have added an extra bit of pzazz to this story and he perhaps needed at least one flaw? That man was perfect and I know it’s fiction but there’s got to be something! That being said, I blasted through this treat in a day and you’re going to want to grab a copy for yourself.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

OMG I love this book so much! I want a Chris Stern in my life asap.
I loved the pickup lines at the beginning of every chapter, they were hilarious. I loved that the female character was the grumpy one, and I loved the Chris wasn't a dumb player who had no ambitious in life.
This stories is one of my favourites of this year, and after I read this arc provided from netgalley, I will certainly buy the book and read other titles from the author.
Best romance ever !!! So in love 💕

The fake out by Sharon M. Peterson is a great romance which is the perfect length. It’s about a small town librarian and a football player who agree to have a fake engagement. But what happens when they develop feelings for each other.

I absolutely adored this book. If I didn’t have to work I could’ve easily finished this in a day because it’s such a fast paced book. The writing style isn’t complex to follow along which makes it great to read if you need something simple yet amazing in between fantasy books.

At each start of the chapter there is a different pickup line which cracks me up every time. They are cheesy yet incredibly funny.

The characters were also great, I love Chris. He is a caring football players who does a lot of charity and donates a lot. From the start he cared about Mae (the librarian). He is the ideal book boyfriend.

Mae is a driven woman who takes care of her family. She has a lot of jobs to pay her mothers hospital bills and likes to do everything herself. She doesn’t want any help. She is also a great main character, she is funny and sarcastic.

Next the relationship between the two was pure chemistry. I loved how much they cared about each other.

I also loved the small quirky things in this book. Usually they give me second hand embarrassment but Peterson really pulled it off.

And the last thing is that I really enjoyed the epilogue. It was in Chris POV while the rest of the book was in Mae’s. It was a nice switch up and didn’t make me want to skip the epilogue.

I would recommend this book to everyone if you like romance. Even if you don’t like the fake engagement trope, because it’s really well done!


I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the author and netgalley for this opportunity

The Fake Out is an adorable laugh out loud romance you won’t be able to put down. I love Sharon Peterson’s writing style and the humor she adds to her story had me laughing throughout. Mae and Chris are characters you fall in love with and root for them till the entire time. I can wait to read another book by Sharon because this story was soooo good.

My cheeks hurt from smiling through this delightful book. This one kept me hooked and entertained until the last page… The characters each have these little pieces that make them such believable characters! This fabulous summer read is a gentle reminder love never gives up on anyone.