Want a sweet book! I was on my knees saying go ahead and kiss the girl!!
If you like faking being someone else, forced nearness, and drama at a family function, park yourself for a good book.
I loved it when Abby helped Ted out in huge way. I,loved that Ted fell first.
I loved the family drama because finally some well deserved truths were being told.
I made fast work reading this book!

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

I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was a very fun book!

So I discovered Laura Carter's books last year and she quickly became an auto-buy author so there was no way I wasn't getting and loving this book when it came out.
As with all her books, I was instantly drawn into the situation Abbey was in and followed it with her til the end, mostly without coming up for air because her books are so hard to put down once you've started one. Our two MCs Abbey and Ted are just so easy to love, you really feel for their situations and you're just waiting for that moment when the Fake dating becomes real, sort of egging them for the sidelines.
Of course, we have plenty of miscommunication that ends up turning into downright lies, on both sides but you sit there tutting at them and telling them to just tell the other the truth because you've gotten so invested in their story. This is the beauty of Laura Carter's writing style, she makes you care for the characters like they are your friends and like you would for friends you just want them to have that fairytale happy ending(admittedly we know that's going to happen but still you get invested as if it might not) and equally she writes people you're going to dislike, such as Andrew.
In short, I loved this book from beginning to end and I'm probably going to reread it again before the year finishes.

This was a cute, clean rom-com.
It was a fast read, but I loved every minute of it! I really liked how the FMC was from Canada, and part of the book was based there!
A big part of the book was based on miscommunication, which is a trope I hate 😂. So I couldn't wait for the characters to figure it out in the end, lol.
This was your basic, fake relationship, which turns real, but the story was really cute.
I loved how both characters ended up finding a backbone.
I definitely recommend this! It's a cute summer read or beach read!
Can confirm as I read this on the beach! (Well, by the pool next to the beach🤣)

I have just finished this deliciously cute book! It came at a time when I wanted to read something very cute! Although, I did chuckle a lot at the male narrator's voice when he was doing the female voices... they kept me entertained.

It was a very cute story of misdirection and mistaken identity. Abbey was just adorable, albeit naive FMC and she was someone I wanted to wrap up and cuddle. Although she was pretty badass when she needed to be! Ted / Mike, I just loved him. It was nice to see a man struggle with who he wanted to be and what he should be like! All the while, trying to navigate through heartache and betrayal.

Laura's writing sucks you in and takes you on such a fun adventure. It's my first with this author, but I know I will be back for more. The book she has written here, feels so realistic, like something that could happen. It had so many feels to it. I love that romance was a slow burn, but the attraction was instant. It wasn't an insta-love but it was a nice build-up. Life threw everything at Abbey but she still faked it and got through despite it all. To be honest, as much as a sports guy is hot, who doesn't love a numbers man?

I would love a spin to see how Dee or Shernette are getting up to as well as Abbey. These characters are loveable and I have enjoyed every minute of my time with them!

This was fine, though a mostly standard fake dating story. There were some cute moments, but the central conflict going into the third act conflict just seemed so minor in the grand scheme of things and the reactions seemed disproportionate. While I'm not really a big fan of lying and miscommunication in romance stories, when done well, the lying and miscommunication can be believable and / or humorous, but in this case, I felt like, given the fake dating situation, the main characters should have simultaneously 1.) understood why the other was "lying" about their careers and, 2.) had zero hesitation in sharing the truth when the fake dating turned real.

well that was fun 😊


I truly had a great time here - but i am a SUCKER for a fake dating trope and this was textbook fake
dating! The entire book i was EEEEEEKing waiting for the third act breakup since both of the MCs were lying to each other - and while it all did come out it wasn’t a super dramatic breakup that lasted on and on and on. It was handled maturely between the two of them and i felt like that made me love the MCs even more.

Andrew is AWFUL. IYKYK.

i loved that her parents got the redemption that they needed to make you end up liking them. I’d love a book about her sister and her pregnancy journey and finding her man!

Super enjoyed and would absolutely read more by this author!

I've never picked up a read by Carter before now, so was pleasantly surprised and found it to be an enjoyable few hours spent in Abbey and Ted's company.

It's an easy, lighthearted romance that's hot on the fake dating and meet cute tropes. There's bitching, banter and it's fun.

The characters could be real, I loved the dialogue between them and you kinda knew that their fake dating wasn't going to be a thing for long, the feelings were kicking in...

I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author in the future, and would love a follow on from this book to see how their future shapes out.

This is a lovely, funny charming story about Abby and Ted. They are so to say in the same "pot" both being cheated on, and in front of making big changes in their lives. So when they meet one lie turns into another until the truth comes out in unwanted circumstances. For me a very funny read and I enjoyed reading it. This is a story about finding yourself, a story about family, and a story about finding love.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgalley

A fun little fake dating story, featuring jerk exes, a family vow-renewal, and a very hot neighbour! Did however feel like it was missing a little bit of the spark that makes me love a story, like it didn't go quite deep enough into the characters or the story.

Fake it ‘til you make it is an easy going, lighthearted read with great and relatable main characters.

I wish Ted was real, I wouldn’t mind him being my date even if it was fake! 😂

I think this book is a great example of not judging someone by their supposed job/how they dress etc.

Andrew was a character I really wanted to strangle all the way through…read this and tell me you don’t feel the same!

🌟 2/5

I wasn't the biggest fan of all the lying going on. Between both the FMC and the MMC, the "truth" of their relationship felt fake and half-hearted.

Not that smut is necessary, but when it's teased enough throughout the book, and not shown, it feels a little tacky.

Lastly, bringing politics into a book is kinda trashy. While I didn't necessarily disagree with the statements being used, I felt like it was unnecessary. I read books to escape from the drama of the world we live in, and I definitely don't want it brought up in a fictional romance book.

The cover is cute. However, the title becomes tiresome after a while, as it’s been used in many fake dating romances.
The story is adorable. The characters are lovable and have great chemistry together, but the ending feels rushed. It comes out of nowhere. There’s no epilogue or anything. The characters end up together (obviously) and that’s it. I was expecting more and better.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for this eARC! This slow-to-start story allows you to imagine what life might be like if you lived a little differently than you daily routine. It's a story of courage and consequence, heartbreak and healing. Ted and Abbey were likeable leads, and I found myself hoping for the best for them even as they made poor choices. The style is a little repetitive, and I've never read "whilst" quite so much as in this book. It's a cute, simple read!

This was...just not it.

I love fake dating romances, but this one was so cookie cutter, basic, run of the mill...

One of the other mayor tropes in this book is miscommunication. I hate that trope. I despise it with a burning passion. JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER ALREADY. I'm a way too honest person for all the lying in this book.

Nope, nope, nope. It was not the book for me.

Ammmmmm……… this was not good…….. but not good at all
I ended up skipping a lot of pages that so boring and had horrible dialogue 🤠🤠
Came for the cover left because of the writing



But many thanks to Netgalley for the arc 🫶🏻🫶🏻

DNF @ 11% - This was just not good. The writing was strange and stilted. The characters didn’t seem like real people at all. I maybe would have kept going, but this book is set in the U.S., (with a Canadian main character), but it’s so obvious the author is British, it’s annoying. There was no work done by author or editors to make sure things like measurements, slang, etc. made sense for the setting. The premise sounded fun, but the book was just bad.

I just finished Fake it ‘til you make it by Laura Carter and here is my review.

Abbey and Andrew have been together for years… He wants to go to dinner at the restaurant where they had their first date and she hears wedding bells in her head. What she didn’t expect was to be told it was over and he was leaving her for someone else.

At least she had her job to focus on… Until that ends too. Needing to shake up her life, she moves into a new building, one she loves, gets herself a new wardrobe and works on herself.

Bumping into her new neighbor ignites a flare of something she has never felt before and when he pretends to be her boyfriend in front of Andrew, the idea of faking dating the hunk from upstairs is too good an opportunity to miss.


I had zero idea what this book was about as I went in blind and within 8 pages I knew this book was going to be perfect for me. I love Abbey. She is this perfect, feisty nerd who didn’t fall down and weep when her life broke. She made a change and did what she wanted to do.
Ted, aweee Ted! He is my kind of man. Sexy and smart… Hiding out after his relationship imploded. It was great watching the 2 of them fake dates and Ted pretending to be his brother… I wish he had told her sooner. I understood why he didn’t but it was a real shame. I feel like she wouldn’t have cared but he was hiding from what had happened and having people know where he was… It made sense why he kept the facade going and then found it harder and harder to admit the truth.
It was cute and funny with some great dialogue. Bonus that some of it is set not far from where I live in Canada and that was a thrill.
Definitely not a complicated book and the romance will tickle you pink.


4 stars


Thank you @theboldbookclub and @netgalley for my gifted copy

I absolutely loved this book. How the main characters who found fault in themselves due to cheaters is relatable. The fake dating and forced proximity was like icing on the cake. I absolutely loved it so much. I can’t wait to get the paperback copy! The author did amazing flushing out these characters making them real. Well done.

This book was a sweet addition to the many on my radar. The added touch of hidden identity is what really drew me in!

The story was lighthearted and easy to get into from chapter one. Abbey decided to go after what she wanted despite facing hardships, and I thought that was so courageous of her. The girl gang aspect with her friend and sister was so cute, I love that they supported her and helped her realize what she deserves in life.

Ted was a sweetheart and totally didn’t deserve the betrayal he got! I love his nerdy personality and was low key sad he had to pretend to be an arrogant player for most of the book. Him and Abbey being nerdy together was so cute and I loved their friendship turned romance.

One thing that prevented me from giving it a higher rating was the word choice at times. It just felt weird, almost juvenile and basic. Having someone say “lol” or “feck”multiple times in a verbal conversation just doesn’t sound realistic. The insta-love aspect also didn’t sit right with me. The ending was so rushed and the resolution happened late in the book.

It was a cute fake dating story and certainly a sweet, fluffy read for those times you want a comfort romance where you know it’ll all work out in the end!