“The world is full of shitty humans and you, Abigail Mitchell, are not one of them.”

“We might be the most compatible fake boyfriend and girlfriend known to man.”

“And if the mountains are beautiful, the sense of calm that descends around Abbey, like an aura, an energy, is completely mesmerizing.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Pages: 354
Genre: romantic comedy
Tropes: fake dating and slow burn

🩷So, I’m gonna start by saying that this was a fun read where we have our two main characters, Abbey and Ted, who suddenly find out that their partners are having an affair with someone else, respectively. And, because of this, they start living in the same building in NY, and this is where they met for the first time.

🩷I loved both characters, with these ones I felt a really realistic personality, their romantic scenes were super cute and we could see the tension between them. I wish we had a little bit more scenes of them together, I was hoping to read a prologue, and there wasn’t one, which kind a broke my heart.

🩷I felt rush the last chapters, I needed more develop to the problems that were resolved and also, as I said early I NEEDED more scenes of Abbey and Ted as an official couple.

🩷The author dedicated this book “to every person who thought they had to be someone else to be loved” which is the message that I stay with, even though I didn’t quite like the lies that both characters tell to each other, I understand the purpose of this was to make us remember that no matter how weird we feel in a certain environment, there will always be people who love us for who we truly are.

⚠️TW: infidelity

Thanks to NetGalley, Bolwood Books and the author for this ARC in exchange of a honest review.

Pub date: 08 Apr 2024

The character felt super unrealistic to me. I get that Ted is a “nerd” but he is still very successful and rich but his character felt so insecure that he had to “adopt” a fake persona that was his brother? I really couldn’t get why he would have such a big identity crisis like i did with Abbey.
I spent a majority of this book wanting to yell at the main characters to just TALK TO EACH OTHER
Abbey once again relocating for a man also irked me.
I had high hopes for this book but it just really missed the mark for me :(

Overall 2⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Laura Carter for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this book based off of the blurb I read but now that excitement is gone. The book was an overall 2 star rating for me. I felt like there was a major lack in the character development for all characters (main and side). It feels like the book wasn't fleshed out enough. The dialogue and how the characters interacted wouldn't happen in real life. I know that fake dating books already aren't that realistic and I accept that and still like those books but this just felt so unrealistic and forced.

The book takes place over a few weeks after both main characters were cheated on by their significant others. Within those few weeks the characters fall madly in love with each other although they basically don't know anything about each other aside from trauma bonding and a handful of long 'dates.' Overall, I didn't hate this book but I feel as though it could have used a lot more time and work before getting into the hands of reviewers. I can see how good it could be if it was better fleshed out and some plot points were remedied.

But how is that going to be the ending? I needed an epilogue where we were introduced to Abby and Ted married, with kids and happy. Just like they planned.

There were so many unresolved issues: did Abby move to San Francisco; how was the reunion between Ted and Roman; my goodness, there were so many things left unresolved that there's material for another book!

When Abbey finds out her ex who cheated on her will be at the vow-renewal party of her parents, she needs a date. And fast. Luckily, the handsome guy living above her will do just fine. He agrees to be her fake boyfriend, but are the feelings she feels for him real, or also fake?

This was the slowburn to end all slowburns. The way I was waiting for them to kiss and it only happened 80% far in the book!

Also, it would be a major red flag for me when a guy pretends to be his brother. But GIRL, if nobody stops a major baseball player on the streets to ask for a signature, maybe he isn't a major baseball player. But just because he is written on paper, I will forgive him.

"Fake It 'til You Make It" drew me in initially with the promise of "chemistry you'll be thinking about long after turning the last page" and a fake dating plot. This was definitely not the case; I was WAITING for the last page because I felt absolutely no chemistry but rather boredom.

Abbey's character is super judgmental and pick me, while claiming to be a girl's girl and a feminist. A girl's girl wouldn't use heavily judgmental language to describe other women, for example, “smells expensive but looks cheap”. Also the line 'don't ever call me baby or babe,,,misogyny blah blah' felt so forced and performative. Came out of no where. She couldn't stand up to her brother or her ex, but gains the personality magically to stand up to Ted?

Ted was also very misogynistic which is very off-putting. The case of mixing up identities with his brother did not sit well with me.

Also, the fact that nothing was happening until almost halfway through the book didn't help.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At first this book drew me in. Both main characters, Abby and Ted go through some pretty crappy situations at the beginning. Abby loosing her boyfriend and dropping out of her job and Ted loosing his best friend and business partner to his ex fiancé. Talk about a stinking hot garbage pile of mess right there! Yet through all their mess they find each other but both are not who they say there are 🤐
I love a good fake dating romcom and friends to lovers situation, but sitting with Abby and Ted and seeing them constantly continue to pretend to be someone they’re not was so irritating. They both had chemistry as their true selves and I wish they just communicated, but it did keep me along for the ride. Though the ending did feel rushed and I would have loved an epilogue.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for letting me read this ARC!

🥸Mistaken identity
👀Dual POV
😘 Fake Dating
🤓 Nerds at Heart
🌶️ No Spice

Fake dating is a trope that I love to read and although the book has a very good premise, it seems to me that it was not fully developed, so I could not connect with the characters, plus the ending was not what I expected . However, it is a quick and entertaining read, but I didn't fall in love with it completely.

this was a cute little romcom, definitely very cheesy at times but still fun to read. it was a real escapist kind of romcom. it definitely wasn’t the most realistic of books but isn’t that why we read romance sometimes?

as much as i enjoyed it i did have a few issues that bought my rating down. there was quite a lot of stereotyping/judgement/comparisons happening from both main characters and although their inner monologues showed they were aware of this i still felt it would have been much better without it. the word ‘cheap’ was also used a few times to describe women who choose to present themselves in a certain way which i just felt was really outdated, its 2024 were girls supporting girls 🩷. there was also more lying than i felt necessary even though i understand how it was part of the plot.

still cute and would recommend for a cute fun read!

This is an easy read and one I enjoyed cosying up with in an evening. Abbey’s life is imploding and she’s decided to fake it ‘til she makes it, and in a completely bold move that I admire she rents the apartment she always wanted, and splashes the cash on the outfits that make her feel successful and in control, in the hopes that everything will work out for her in the end. Abbey has the ex we all love to hate, a bit of an a-hole brother, and an interesting (hot) new neighbour who might just be able to help her out as her fake date. There were a lot of secrets and lies between Abbey and her neighbour, and I completely sympathise with their feelings even if they did make some bad decisions along the way. All in all this was entertaining, despite being frustrated at the characters at times, and I’ll always say yes to a fake dating trope!

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

I have fallen in love with this book and these characters! Abbey thought her boyfriend was going to propose – but instead, he told her he met someone else. On top of that, she lost her job. She was down in the dumps. So she decided to take the money she saved for a wedding and get a high end apartment. Her parents’ vow renewal is coming up and she needs a date, stat! While the tenant upstairs from her is super annoying making a ton of noise, she uses him as her date. But is a fake date as far as this will go?

This book had me smiling from ear to ear. It is SO sweet, and so cute. Carter does a great job of establishing the chemistry between Abbey and her neighbor, Mike/Ted. She takes her time with them, giving them small moments of sweetness together. I fell in love with him as Abbey was falling for him.

He is a cinnamon roll guy. He’s sweet, and smart, very thoughtful, and just a bit insecure that it’s not annoying. What was annoying was Fleur! But that was done on purpose. After getting a feel for his personality, I couldn’t imagine him with someone like that at all!

I really felt like I got to know these characters well. I really enjoyed the closeness of Abbey’s family, even if she thought her mother was tough on her. The book definitely shows the way that a child perceives their mother versus the perception of the mother in regards to what she is doing. It was nice to read that misunderstanding, and how they came together.

This is one of my favorite romance books. I will be reading more from this author.

this book was so sweet and such an easy read! i couldnt put it down! i loved these characters so much and didnt want the story to end! I loved their dynamic and they way they were together was so so sweet! I AM OBSESSED WITH TED. this man was so sweet - i loved how we had an insecure mmc, he was so real and relatable! i do wish we got more of them together as a couple but the epilogue was very cute!

Really enjoyed this book, I've seen this authors work around for a while but just never picked one up before. I will definitely be reading her previous work. It was a fun and easy to read. I did get a little bored of the repetitive language but I still very much enjoyed the book as a whole.

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

Okay, so the blurb of this book was what drew me in and it was a lighthearted and funny read. Some scenes were humours but I did not feel connected with the characters. In the middle, the plot felt like it was dragging and the confusion that both Abbey & Ted created by introducing themselves by pretending to be someone they're not was so irritating tbh. Also the ending was so abrupt and some questions that I had about the ex bestfriend Rome were left unanswered. So while some parts of this book were fun, the characters and the plot felt superficial. Maybe if the execution was better, I would've liked this book a bit more tbh.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

It's been a while since I've read a book by Laura Carter and Fake It 'til You Make It is a gentle reintroduction to her writing.

The story of Abbey and Ted is filled with a fake relationship and half truths. The sometimes witty banter between characters keeps the story moving along and is beautifully supported by a cast of secondary characters.

Abbey's relationship with her now ex boyfriend, and Ted's relationship with a well known influencer, drives the white lies and half truths to become 'the elephant in the room'.

Fairly predictably though, things don't quite go as planned when both Ted and Abbey want their truths to be told.

This is a real slow burn novel that despite that, will keep you invested right until the last page has been turned.

i felt like this book was super similar to the Spanish love deception. I know that it’s hard to make ‘original’ tropes but this book felt eye to similar to catalina and aaron (from tsld)

however, although i felt that this way almost identical, a carbon copy perhaps, i did enjoy this at some parts.

my only critique is that this book did not stick with me at all. Personally, a good book for me is something that will stick with me for days or even weeks, however the characters in this book were extremely forgettable and felt flat with no spark.

im not saying this book is ‘bad’ however i think there is definitely room for improvement

2.75 stars

This book started well, but then the characters were super contradictory (with each other and with themselves), while I read I loved some things and then they did something that left me only stared at the wall, they got out of a relationship where they were both cheated on (I really disliked the exes) and they go and get to know each other and lie to each other, there is a lot of miscommunication and the fake dating was even confusing, seriously, I tell you that I finished reading it to see how everything was revealed and I was disappointed with that ending. I requested this book because it has everything to make me like it. The premise was really good but it wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book at it was so cute! I loved the banter and the nerdy sides coming out, albeit under the guise of a whole lot of fake dating and false identities. Abbey is quirky and fun, madly loyal and super smart. Ted aka fake Mike is also fiercely smart and loyal but also has the biggest heart and super sexy. I love all the dynamics between these two, their friends, their family, and even their exes—because without them they wouldn’t have met each other or found themselves at the end of the day. It was a great read filled with love and laughter and while it had its lies, it led to a fantastic ending!

Fake it til you make it (arc) review

Rating: 2/5

🤍mistaken identity
🤍fake dating
🤍dual pov

the fake dating aspect took ages to come in and the interactions between Abbey and Ted just felt awkward at times. the mistaken identity thing was a disaster from the start, the miscommunication and the lies just grew from there and turned into a massive train wreck! the romance was okay, same as the the storyline but there were a few plot holes! I just could not really care the storyline by the end, it felt very slow at the beginning then super rushed at the end

I received an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.