“Fake it till you make it” is a nicely written romantic story, very easy and pleasant to read.

Abbie & Ted meet when they are both in a very difficult place in their lives and they end up in a fake relationship for a little while. They both make each other think they are very different than their real selves, each for their own reasons.
This is a slow burn book, based on miscommunication and we get to see in depth how the MCs feel, think and eventually change their hearts. I enjoyed it a lot and could have gotten close to 5 stars but:
-The focus of the book was not exactly their romance, that part only took place towards the end. It was mostly about how they dealt with the hurt and deceit while getting to know and help each other.
-The ending was quite rushed. They were both clear as to what they felt for each other, therefore saying “I love you” made zero sense and was in total contrast with what was described and built until that point.
-We didn’t get to see how they were together as a real couple. This is a book where an extended epilogue is a must.

-Dual 1st person POV
-Spice: 0.25/5 (just kissing)

Overall: 3.75/5 ⭐️ for me.

I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fake it ‘till you make by Laura Carter
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes: Fake dating.

Abbey and Ted find themselves both being cheated on and in order to save face they decide to fake a relationship.

The characters in this book were well written and the banter between the siblings was really good, but I just really wished that there was a bit more to the story as it was a little bit too rushed for my liking.

Otherwise, if you’re looking for a palate cleanser between books, then I would recommend this one.

I always love Laura Carter's books and this was no different.

Granted, it was quite predictable but I don't know if that's just because I'm familiar with this author now.

As always, the characters were well formed and the writing was wonderful.

My only two gripes with this book were that Ted had plenty of opportunity to come clean and didn't, which obviously adds to the drama, but realistically, he could have told her. The second thing was that we didn't get to see Ted confront Fleur and Roman.

Other than that, it was a good book, although I'm not entirely sure that the blurb matches the general premise of the book as I felt that the fake dating was actually only a small part of the book.

4 stars.

I was lucky to get an arc of this novel from NetGalley. This book was good but not great. It was apparent that it was written by someone not actually from the US or Canada because a lot of the terminology/slang was inaccurate for the characters to say. It was jarring sometimes. Another issue for me was the way that the book described Fleur. I get she cheated and Ted should be angry. However, him talking down about her because she got lip filler, lash extensions, wore makeup, and wore designer clothes felt beyond judgmental and borderline sexist at times. It reminds me of how some women pride themselves on “not being like other girls”. On the flip side, the characters were fun! I enjoyed the interactions between the sisters and the brothers. I did find myself wanting more towards the end because it seemed a bit rushed. This book was entertaining enough, but I’m not sure I would read another by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Summary of the plot:

Both Abbey and Ted have been cheated on by their respective partners and moved to NY to the same apartment to revaluate their lives. At first, they don’t start off on the right foot, but when Abbey sees her cheating ex outside her apartment, Ted swoops in and pretends to be her boyfriend. From then, they pretend to being a couple as Abbey’s ex is dating a woman in the same apartment. Abbey enlists Ted as her fake boyfriend to her parents’ vow renewal ceremony as the ex will also be there. Ted is also facing trouble with his company as his ex was messing around with his business partner/best friend. Of course they fall in love, but not without any bumps in the road.

Thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The beginning and end felt rushed to me, but everything in between was nicely paced. There were some writer’s choices that I didn’t understand, like why the two characters felt the need to lie about their identities for so long (also, how did Ted get through security at the airport when his ticket is under his brother’s name…??? Isn’t that illegal?), the very abrupt ending, some unanswered questions about what happened Ted’s company/his best friend/his ex, etc. However, it was a good book as it had some other aspects to the plot aside from the romance plot. I would recommend this book as it was a quick and enjoyable read!

What is this ending?? Where is the epilogue??? No, I'm disappointed, right when everything was great, everything stops? It is the end ? Right when I needed more Ted and Abbey there is nothing left??? It's a big no for me. I would have really liked to have at least twenty more pages?? Is it horrible to finish a book like that??

Fake it til you make it is a romance that focuses on the trop fake dating + fake identities. It was pretty cool to discover this book and see that the fake relationship was pushed to fake identities.

Abbey and Ted decided after an event that they had to be different to move forward, that they had to be another version of themselves to be loved. So almost all the way through the book, they pretend to be people they're not.

And on top of that, they will pretend to be a couple. It all adds up to something incredible.

The book is quite short - unfortunately - but it's super pleasant to read. Some moments are funny then the rest is smooth.

If this book had a moral it would be this :learn to love yourself before loving someone and be yourself, there is no need to pretend to be someone else to be loved.

I really liked the evolution of Ted and Abbey's relationship, their interactions were perfect.

But why not give us more???

I'm really disappointed by the ending - even though it's great story-wise. It's just that after this ending, I was expecting a few more pages? And above all I was waiting for the epilogue??? But nothing at all?? So the ending took me by surprise and left me speechless...

Unfortunately, it's the feeling of "what's next" that remains and makes me want to give this book 3.5 stars.


Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC.

Fake It 'til You Make It by Laura Carter is a fun and witty RomCom. You want the MC to succeed but also have a few moments of "what is happening" that makes it entertaining. This is my first book to read by Laura Carter, and I look forward to checking out some more.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC

I don’t know how I feel about this book. It was a really good romcom but I didn’t get enough. There are a lot of events in the books I wished were longer.

I didn’t know this author but I’ll definitely check her other works. The written is good and easy to read.

Thanks NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC

This is a very enjoyable, clean read, that starts with a case of mistaken identity. Our main characters have each been cheated on by their significant others, and end up becoming neighbours, and, initially, dislike each other. What develops is a friendship and respect, that leads to romantic feelings, but what about the lies they told each other? The only downside to this book is the ending feels a bit abrupt, and like it could’ve done with an epilogue

This rom-com, Fake It Til You Make It, is a cute and enjoyable book. If you're looking for a quick romance read, this is a great choice. However, I felt that the ending was too abrupt and wished for more. Nevertheless, as a first-time reader of this author, I was pleasantly surprised.

The book successfully incorporates the fake dating trope, which added to my enjoyment. The storyline and the characters were quite interesting to me. The chemistry between the characters, Abbey and Ted, was evident from their first meeting and their romance, cute. Although I wanted more of their scenes together at the end, the book still made me smile and laugh. I highly recommend it if you love the fake dating trope or need a good laugh or just an easy and quick read, this is your book!. I look forward to reading more books by this author!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book.

‘Fake It ‘til You Make It’ was a fast and easy read. Unfortunately, not very entertaining.
The premise of the book is that two people, Abbey and Ted, who went through recent breakups due to cheating partners form a fake relationship to keep face in front of Abbey’s family and friends on her parents’ vows renewal. To add another fake layer to their deception, they both lie to one another about who they really are - Abbey pretends to be an actress and Ted pretends he’s his brother Mike, an MLB athlete. This causes all kinds of problems, confusion and misunderstandings and brings drama to their story. It also caused a big annoyance to me, as it’s hard to root for two lying people who are not honest with almost nobody in their lives and instead of dealing with their issues to solve them, they run away from them. In addition to that, the characters are very one dimensional, they have jobs and interests they don’t seem to know much about (as in they are described in such a generic way, it sounds like the author has no clue what they actually mean, but used buzz words and popular themes), their personalities seem to be limited to managing lies and feeling sorry for themselves due to their breakups.
The storyline pace feels wrong as well, there is a very long introduction to the characters, plot and lies, then short culmination of the events when the party takes place and lies are revealed, even shorter fall out due to lies reveal and the shortest ending where the characters come back together after deciding the lies are part of life and they love one another. We get too much time on honing the lies and false narratives of their lives and not enough time to learn how about them when they deal with their feelings, the reveal of the truth, the fights and drama.
The whole story and characters seem lazy and lacking depth.
1,5/5 rounded up.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

After being humiliated on the night she thought she would be getting engaged, and then losing her job as well as her boyfriend, Abbey decides to blow her entire wedding fund on six months rent in her dream apartment, and a whole new wardrobe too. However, her upstairs neighbour, Mike, is an injured MLB player, whose noise keeps her up at night. But not all is as it seems. Instead of it being Mike upstairs, it's his younger brother Ted, who has just discovered his fiancee and business partner/best friend have been having an affair. Fleeing San Francisco for his brother's New York apartment, he wants nothing to do with actress Abbey. But first impressions are never quite right, and soon both decide to help each other out with fake dating, especially when Abbey's parents announce they will be hosting a vow renewal, and her cheating ex will be there. Secrets always have a way of coming out, and both have kept more than enough from each other.

When I saw this book on NetGalley, and learnt there was a blog tour coming up for the book, I knew it was one for me. I love the fake dating trope, and both Abbey and Ted deserved to find their happiness after being cheated on by their respective partners. First impressions worked against them though, with Ted thinking Abbey was just an airhead actress, who liked spending money on clothes, and didn't do much else, and Abbey thinking Ted was actually his brother, Mike, a MLB player, with no other focus. I did hate how long Ted kept up the Mike persona, and wish he told Abbey the truth much earlier, but even though he didn't tell her his true name, he did show her his true self, and the moments they spent together, being real with one another, was perfect. I wish Abbey had had a bit more of a backbone when it came to her ex, but I understood her wanting to keep the peace when she was only home for a week or so. The ending was a bit abrupt, and I wish we could've seen more from Abbey and Ted, and more about Abbey's sister, who was the best sister she could ever ask for - maybe in future there'll be a companion book? All in all though, a great fake romance story!

I wanted this to last for 2 more chapters!!! I thought it was a wonderful story with an abrupt ending. I wanted just a little more resolution or else I would have given it 5 stars!

4 Stars -

This is the first book I have read from this author and....Wow!!!.

After reading the first few chapters I knew I was going to Love this book. I love a book with the fake dating trope and it was done so well which made me enjoy the book more. It was so entertaining and such an easy read which made me see the chemistry between Abbey and Ted from the moment they met. The only thing is that I wish we had seen more of them together at the end. Other than that the book made me smile and laugh out loud.

I highly recommend if you love the fake dating trope or need something to make you laugh out loud.


Ill definitely be looking out for more books by this Author !

*Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me this Arc in return for an honest review*

I really liked the dynamic between the two main characters. However, i felt the pace of the book was very slow and hard to follow at times.

This is a cute little rom-com that has taken lying to new levels. When fake dating, I'm accustomed to some lying obviously, but as I read this, I just couldn't stop thinking about how lying this much even in a fake relationship would doom it in real life. Ironically, both main characters were also plagued with intense self-doubt, which only pushed the lying further.

But I really enjoyed the book, and if you're looking for a quick romance to read, look no further than Fake It Til You Make It.

I do wish there had been more at the end. It just felt over so quickly and I wanted more from them.