I'd rate this somewhere between 3.5-4 out of 5 stars.

An understated clean romance with nice banter between the characters and dual POV. I specially liked the dual POV because it gives so much depth to both Ted and Abbey, who are both pretending to be someone else due to circumstances. Fake dating trope is always fun to read and this book didn't disappoint. I wish the ending could have been extended more into the future to see how things worked out, but all in all I still enjoyed reading this one.

Special thanks to Boldwood books and Netgalley for providing me an advance copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5
🌶️ 1/5
Tropes: fake dating, mistaken identity & forced proximity

Abbey is a mess but it’s fine she’s figuring it out and doing some self discovery. Ted is also a mess and trying to pick up the pieces of his own life, while also trying not to fall for the girl next door (technically she’s a floor below but it still works). As a potential couple I really liked Abbey and Ted as it’s nice to have two characters that have a lot in common and are both equally as geeky, try not to fall for each other.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but the time it took for the mistaken identity to be resolved and the end of the book was too close for me to really enjoy the ending ( it was a good ending but i wanted more of the Abbey and Ted together dynamic).

I thought this was a really cute and fun read! It featured fake dating, which is one of my favorite tropes, so I was so excited to read this. While I do think it was a good book, it wasn't great for me and missed the mark on a few things. I wish there would have been more fake dating within the book. It felt like we didn't get enough of it. I also did not like the mistaken identity trope, and that threw me for a loop and took me away from the book. I also didn't like the very basic use of childish language, like "gosh", "sheesh", or "crap". It was like the author was afraid to curse, which is common in rom coms. I wanted this to just be more, but it ended so abruptly and felt so rushed. I think the potential was there, but it just didn't work for me like I wanted it to.

Fake it till you Make it is a typical fake dating romance which I just loved!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Abbey and Ted both have had their hearts broken by cheating ex’s. Abbey is dumped on the day she believes she’s being proposed to and Ted walks in on his fiancé and his best friend. So when Ted moves into his brother’s luxury penthouse in New York and Abbey spends her wedding savings on an apartment in the same building which she’s always dreamed about. It’s inevitable that the pair will meet.

Laura Carter cleverly crosses enemies to friends to lovers with some secrets and lies with a slow burn thrown in for good measure. It’s really got a bit of everything and I’m here for it!

There was parts of the book where I found myself almost shouting at Ted to come clean (as I could just tell what was going to happen…) so maybe the lieing went on a bit too long? Or maybe it was perfect with the ending… I’ll let you be the judge!

Thank you so much Laura Carter, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for another amazing read! Fake it til you Make it comes out on the 8th April and I’d definitely recommend getting your hands on a copy!

This was a very sweet story and at times very amusing (I was definitely smiling throughout). The author’s note at the end (and epigraph) dedicates this to “every person who thought they had to be someone else to be loved… stop doing it because you are enough and the good people around you already know that”.
What a very touching thing to say, and I like that the whole premise of the book is this. Most people go through this feeling at some point: that they are not good enough as themselves. It explains a lot of why this was written the way it was as both Ted and Abbey feel they have to reinvent themselves to be ideal for the other person: Ted thinks a baseball player is cooler than a programmer to be with an actress whereas Abbey believes being an actress is better than an auditor knowing Ted’s ex is a model and believes him to be a sporty guy. However, when they are their true selves, aka nerds, they are more alike than they think!

Indeed, I especially appreciated the tech nerd aspect of this book, being one myself. Therefore, Laura’s reference to programming here and there, merging it poetically with the narrative was nice. I like Abbey’s "what I want to say is" vs "what I actually say is" moments which, as she grows more confident, align and she says exactly what she wants to say (such as chapter 16 and chapter 48). Unfortunately, this is few and far between. I would have liked more of confident Abbey. She is my favourite character.

There were some hilarious moments and descriptions, such as what Abbey says about her younger sister Dee: "I love her for what she is, and in spite of what she isn’t" or when she says to Ted ‘Goodnight, my knight in chauvinist armor’! And then there were very heartwarming moments which I must say did change my opinion on some characters.

Unforunately, I felt there were a bit too many parallels between Abbey and Ted: have siblings, both family-oriented, life being perfect then not, significant other cheating on them then wanting to get back together. Indeed, I think the latter annoyed me because both Fleur and Andrew want to reconcile with Ted and Abbey respectively, and behave like narcissists so again there was a lot of repetition. Surprised they don’t ever meet each other in this book as they would be perfect for each other! Even Abbey’s mum is like that, keeping on pushing the idea that Andrew is perfect for her without knowing the details.

I also felt the pacing was off: I am a fan of the fake dating trope but it felt like there wasn’t actually enough of it. There was the slowest of slow burns and a low amount of spice but I did not mind it. The start dragged out too long, as did the pretence, and then everything wrapped up so quickly at the end. What happened after the airport? What about the legal case between Ted and Roman? I honestly wanted to see Ted (or Ted and Abbey together) tackle the issue of Roman and Fleur. Therefore, I think an epilogue should have been considered.

I am honoured to have been selected as an ARC reader for this book, and I’d like to thank Laura Carter and Netgalley for the opportunity.

Firstly, thank you so much the team of netgalley letting me have an early copy of fake it 'til you make it.
I very much enjoyed the story.
We met Abbey who thinks she's about to get proposed to, however her world crashes down when she finds her long term boyfriend confesses that it was over. After losing her job, she decides if who she was wasn't working, then it's time to become a new person.
Ted also goes though similar situation where his fiancée sleeps with his business partner, which leads to ted fleeing away to his brothers apartment, which happens to be above abbeys.
I highly recommend this story.

I was very excited about reading this book--its description made it sound like a fun rom-com.

Abbey and Ted are great characters. They are each suffering from an equivalent trauma, and their personalities are well-suited for one another. I wanted to enjoy their chemistry and the journey to them falling for each other.

I began to worry when I was at the 20% mark, and the "faking it" had yet to really begin...this had a pretty slow start, and I'd hoped to get to the meat of the story sooner than that. My worry grew in a different way when I'd hit to 73% mark and they were still lying to each other about who they were. It went on for too long, so long in fact that what I enjoyed about the two characters was lost. Yes, I wanted them together--but why did it take SO long for them to stop lying to each other? To their family and friends, sure. But to each other? That part felt like a huge miss for me.

Overall, while I wanted to be on board for a fun read, the pacing was just too frustrating for me, the "faking it" went on for far too long, and I ended up disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Boldwood for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun, quick read. I am a big fan of fake dating, and am a sucker for all the tension. I do feel like Ted and Abbey's relationship progressed nicely, but at some points it felt slow as opposed to tension building. There was also the major mistaken identity trope, which I am not a huge fan of and was not expecting, that took away from the plot a little. The ending also felt rather abrupt without an epilogue. 



Overall it was cute, entertaining, and I was rooting for Abbey and Ted!



Thank you Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

This was a really fun, quick read. I LOVE fake dating, but I didn't feel like there was enough of it. Ted and Abbey's relationship progressed nicely, but the actual fake dating amounted to probably less than half of the book. That, combined with the fact that there were some tropes I wasn't expecting (like a major mistaken identity trope) dampened my enjoyment of the plot a little.

There were also a few times when I felt that all the character voices blended the same, which isn't ideal when it's a dual POV book. For example, our two main characters Ted and Abbey, and Abbey's sister, all say "feck" in place of the F-word. And of these three characters, it's only believable when it's Abbey.

Overall it was entertaining and I was rooting for Abbey and Ted to just kiss already!!!! And isn't that exactly what we all want from a romance book?

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fake It til You Make It ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The story follows Abbey and Ted who both have recently been dumped by their cheating partners. They form a bond and decide to fake date at Abbey’s parents vowel renewal. During this time their “fake” feelings turn into something more. Only problem is, they both have lied about their identities.

Overall, this story was ok. It was an easy read but I felt like it was lacking something and was slow in some parts. The chemistry was ok and I liked both characters. I do wish we would have gotten an epilogue to wrap up some things and to finish out the story.

This book publishes on April 8, 2024. Thank you to @netgalley and @theboldbookclub for my advanced readers copy. This is my voluntary and honest opinion.

I choose the romance novels I read very carefully. I like stories with a lot of substance to the characters and not cringy banter. I'm happy to report that I am very happy with my choice on this one. The plot was unique and entertaining. The chemistry between Abbey and Ted was funny, lovable and heartwarming. The reveal of the big lies added some drama. Overall a very entertaining and enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fake it ‘til you make it. Literally. Fake dating. Fake life. Fake career. Fake personality. Only the love is real. I am obsessed with this story. I love them. Yeah they gave me some headaches but that’s okay. It’s a 4.5⭐️ read for me because the ending felt rushed. Can I get an epilogue?😅😩

A perfectly enjoyable enemies-to-lovers/fake dating romance that I may have stayed up late reading. 1/5 for spice which is fine, just set expectations accordingly! The story is a solid 4/5, however I'm docking a star because of the occasional use of language that took me out of the moment and had me rolling my eyes (really, I started keeping a list and it includes such expressions as "double crap," "gosh," "stuff it," "stick it," "sheesh," "drives me potty"???) I didn't know where or when I was when I read these, but Abbey and Ted were otherwise well-written (ok, maybe except for some clothing descriptions, but that is pretty common in romcoms, or even just books in general).

⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
🌶️ 1/5

First of all, this was such a fun read! I was laughing so much throughout the book and my husband can tell you I audibly gasped and said, "Oh no!" several times 😅 Abbey & Ted both just got cheated on in their long-term relationships and they both decide to, you guessed it, fake 'it 'til they make it! They just never expected their lies to go on quite this long.

I loved Abbey's nickname of "Fluffy Boots" and her love of chocolate calzones! With all her goofiness and unsureness of herself, she reminds me of myself a lot which really helped me connect with this book. I was also getting livid for Abbey when she was visiting her hometown and really anytime her ex popped up. I definitely got livid anytime Ted's ex showed up. It was very interesting getting to see Ted's perspective with him being a nerdier guy that thinks he has to be a jock to get the girl. I think a lot of time's we only get the women's perspective, and it was nice to be able to see it through both lenses.

What I didn't like was how quickly the book ended. It felt very abrupt and I wished there had been an epilogue so we could know some of the questions left unanswered. I wanted to know what the business arrangement Ted came to with Roman was? What happened with Ted and his ex? How are Ted and Abbey doing now? I also felt like Ted could have come clean a lot sooner and there was no good reason not to. I can never stand getting interrupted several times as a plausible excuse for not coming clean because as someone with high anxiety I would tell the interrupter to go away and then finish the conversation 😂 I think that's more a personal thing than a real issue though.

I will also say that I know the author is in the UK and that there are Canadian characters where they may potentially use some of the same sayings, but they had Ted (the Californian) saying several phrases that I have never heard anyone in the US use before. It's not a bad thing necessarily, but it takes me out of the book because I know that I would never hear someone from Cali say anything like that. I felt like some research into what slang is used in the US could have been done to make it a bit more realistic, but it's not a huge issue for me.

Overall I thought this was a good book and worth reading!

Tropes to expect-

🎭 Neighbors to lovers
⚾ Sports romance-ish (part of the mistaken identity)
🎭 Mistaken identity
⚾ Dual POV
🎭 Relationship Scars
⚾ Fake Dating

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

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Overall rating 3.75

Abbey and Ted both have their hearts broken by cheating ex’s. The night Abbey thinks she’s about to be proposed to her boyfriend confesses he’s found someone else. Ted who’s set to be married walks in in his finance and his best friend/business partner doing the deed.

Ted runs from San Francisco to NYC and stays at his brothers NY apartment which also happens the be the same building where Abbey spends her life savings to rent her dream apartment. After running into each other Abbey mistakes Ted to be his professional MLB brother Mike and Ted assumes Abbey is a stuck up actress.

One night Abbey runs into her ex walking into her building with a new woman. Ted sees her freeze and he walks over and saves her from embarrassment by pretending to be her new boyfriend. Abbey needs a date to her parents vow renewal and Ted needs an escape from his ex and business partner so they agree to fake date.

This book is written in a dual POV which I loved and it made the book so much more enjoyable and you had the chance to see how the feelings of each character evolved. The banter between Abbey and Ted was great and I found there to be quite a bit of humor.

-fake dating
-slow burn
-humor
-mistaken identity

This book is an easy read however the lying felt like it went on longer than I would have liked. I also felt there were some words used in the book that are not frequently used in the US. This would have been a 5 star read for me if it had an epilogue that addressed what happened between Ted and Roman, and also addressing Abbey’s work situation. Also where did Ted and Abbey decide to live. I felt it left too many questions that I would have liked answered.

Overall I did enjoy this book and I did enjoy Abbey’s personality and the chemistry between her and Ted. The development of their relationship felt believable and real. The tension between them made me look forward to reading more and wanting to know where they ended up.

After being cheated on by her boyfriend and losing her job in the same week Addie decides to rent an - too expensive - appartement and get a new wardrobe in order to "fake it 'til she makes it". When she meets her upstairs neighbour she thinks he is totally obnoxious but it turns out he is not so bad after all. If only they weren't both pretending to be other people than they are...
I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked both main characters, even if I could not always understand why they were both so keen on pretending to be other people. The story was funny, fast-paced and mostly believable. And of course there is lovely happy ending.

This was a fun read that had me thinking of old movie screwball romantic comedies. I found all the characters very likeable except for the two or three romantic villains in the story. The main characters’ friends add humor and romantic insights into the story.

The “faking” theme runs through the whole novel as the characters (with the best intentions) lie to each other as well as exes and family. The reader roots for them to realize what the other characters and the reader can see…they are perfect for each other.

The settings, New York and rural area in Alberta, Canada, were also a major plus for me. If you are looking for a lighthearted read, yet with some substance, this book is for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Some bits on descriptions were a little cringe, but only happened a few times. Overall the story was very enjoyable. I truly enjoyed Ted, he was so lovable. Abbey was so relatable and just dealing with so much while trying to find herself. It was interesting to see how both MCs decided to he deceitful in pursuit of changing their current situations and how all of that unfolded. When it all came to light, I was shocked. I truly loved how it played out and how the ended was wrapped up nicely! I got all teary eyed because it was so cute and sweet!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Boldwood Books to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

I am thankful to each author who chooses to share their art with the world, and I am always honored to be one of the first people to get a chance to experience their art through receiving an arc. I hate when I can't provide a glowing review of an arc, but this one didn't work for me.
However, you may enjoy this more than I did if you like:

- low-spice romance
- spending a weekend flying through a lighthearted read
- an ULTRA slow burn
- a quirky, people-pleasing FMC who says things like "sugar and pies and berries!" in frustration

Now, onto my personal thoughts. (Pls remember that the things that bothered me won't bother everyone and are in no way a personal attack on the author).

I would have loved to see Ted and Abbey come into their own more. We didn't get to see Ted finally take control and end it with Fleur. He didn't confront Roman for being a horrible friend and person. Abbey didn't gain the confidence she deserved. She didn't even make Andrew suffer basically at all. I felt like they weren't super fleshed-out characters to begin with, and seeing so little development by the end of almost 350 pages was a bit disappointing.

Another issue that continued to take me out of the immersion was the author trying hard to make the book feel distinctly "modern" when it doesn't seem like it is where she is most comfortable writing. In one moment Abbey is a strong modern feminist telling Ted not to call her "babe" or any other "massively misogynistic term" ever again (which I found odd on its own but to each their own ig), only for her to turn around and think another girl "smells expensive but looks cheap" in her "hooker sandals." Don't worry, she feels bad about thinking it, until the girl (MAYBE!?) teases her about being dressed in her pajamas at a party. Tim is a great feminist man who consciously doesn't offer to help Abbey into a kayak in case he comes across as anti-feminist instead of just "manly," (also odd) but watch out if you have on "unnatural" lipstick or wear fake eyelashes. Further odd moments include the reference of eHarmony as a superior online dating platform, capri pants, "shorts and a blazer combo," and the misuse of the word "gaslighty."

I also found the pacing challenging to work through, where too much time was dedicated to the build-up, and the true conflict and ultimate resolution felt quite rushed. I feel like I deserved a treat after hearing their repetitive inner monologues for so long, and I love the pining after the fake dating breakup. I feel like they brushed past a lot of things and Ted could have groveled a bit more.

This read had me interested from the first chapter. I loved the pacing and characters. The mistaken identities made sense and I liked how it all played out. My only qualm is that I really wanted an epilogue!!