I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC! ( And sorry for taking so long )

99% Faking It was an easy read. I remembered picking it up and putting it down after six chapters, because I don't usually find myself interested in heterosexual contemporary romances, but here I am, all finished. I thought it was cute, I love dual perspective books and not riding along hundreds of pages from one person's POV, though on the flip side I would have enjoyed the story more if the author did less of "this happened in the last chapter but in three thousand words lets do a recap from the male perspective" way too many times.

I liked the dynamics between characters, friends and family members and how the romantic interests had different hobbies, that Matt was a character who didn't try too hard in life and knew it, while Lisa knew what she wanted to do but also wanted her best friend who didn't seem into her. I could deal with cliché, but I truly felt the unnecessary hypocrisy from Lisa was a little too much. How could she be mad at Matt for talking to an ex-crush, when she went out on a date with another guy when she knew Matt would be committed to her? It didn't help when Matt practically bought affection from her to win her favor, but they are heterosexuals.

This was cute. I was inspired to get it done today, which I did, because I knew it wouldn't take long. It centers around two high school best friends who lowkey like each other, who pretend to date to get the attention of someone else- because they're dumb, and y'know... happy ending. It was cute. It had interesting characters and surprising turns and emotional punches, such as Lisa's father showing up, and I liked that it gave her more depth. I enjoyed reading it at times, but at the end I couldn't even remember Lisa's name until I looked it up again.

I liked reading parts of it, I liked finishing it, but it's definitely not something I find myself obsessing over. I definitely don't want to read anything similar anytime soon. But it was good! I recommend this for young teens or just romance lovers in general!

3 stars
3 cute YA stars. I don't usually read YA. It is a little too young for my taste. Lisa and Matt were cute, fake relationship and all.

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

Lisa and Matt have been friends forever. Firmly in the friend zone, Lisa has a crush on Matt, but knows nothing will never happen there. She wants a boyfriend, and Matt has his eye on another girl in school. Well, like all good fanfiction, Lisa thinks that if they pretend to be together, then they will cause the people they have an eye on - not each other - to get jealous, and start to see them as someone they want to date. This backfires, obviously, when Matt realises he's been in love with her all along, and doesn't want to just pretend, he actually wants to be with her. However, Lisa, rather than falling at his feet, decides no, she isn't going to be his second choice, leaving Matt to have to fight for her and prove he is sincere.

I really enjoyed this book! It was such a quick read, and I was fully immersed until the last page. Yeah, there are a few cliches used in the book, but what contemporary these days doesn't employ tropes or cliches? Lisa was such a relatable character, someone who I enjoyed even in book 1, so was glad she was getting her own companion book. I seriously loved the fact that she made Matt work for her, and didn't just let him decide she was now worth it, so they may as well be together. Being in the friend zone had worked for her - it wasn't fun, but she could cope - and she wasn't going to let go of her morals or her self worth because Matt showed her more attention. I liked Matt too - he wasn't someone who felt like he was owed anything, and he really showed his true feelings in this book, rather than being insincere. All in all, this was an enjoyable contemporary read, and I look forward to more from Chris in future.

This is a fun series for teens. It is stand alone but I could tell I was missing some things from not reading the first novel in the series. Cute series and pretty innocent as far as the relationship went.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
3.5 Stars

As a big fan of Chris Cannon, and the young adult genre, I was super excited to get my hands on this novel. Perhaps it's my mood. I've been distracted, have a lot going on in life, and struggling to work. I wanted a nice, easy dose of escapism, but it just didn't work for me. I will chalk this up to my mood/reading mood/reader’s-block. I do believe young adults will swoon for 99% Faking It. As an adult who reads this genre, in the mindset I'm in, I wasn't as entertained as I could have been/hoped to be. This is no fault of the author or the story itself, and I'm sure young adults and those young at heart will swoon for the novel. There was an ethical, moral, and maturity issue I had a difficult time traversing as well.

The rating reflects the entertainment value and my enjoyment.

Lisa and Matt are considered good friends. Lisa has an unrequited crush on Matt, while he's infatuated with another girl. While I'm sucker for the premise of friends turned 'more than friends,' it didn't feel as if Lisa and Matt were friends at all. They were more acquaintances, as they didn't know much about one another and Matt had an almost antagonistic way of speaking to Lisa, which was not friendly at all.

Matt and Lisa concoct a scheme to get Matt his girl. Lisa is hesitant at first, obviously fearing their friendship won't survive...

This is actually a PSA for the younger crowd reading the novel, maybe the adults too: the fake dating to gain the attention of your crush isn't one of my favorites. Simply because at my advanced age of 40, I have an opposing view on making someone jealous. Personally, I see it as the one trying to make someone else jealous is using the other person, while hammering home to his crush, "if you don't like me, someone else will," which I find abusive to be honest. Manipulative. If your crush did like you back, saw you with another girl, she'd assume you didn't want her and move on. She'd be hurt, not driven to gain your attention. If she were a moral person, she wouldn't want to butt into another's relationship (the fake one). If anything, it makes the person pitting two others against each other seem like he's a prize – he's not. No one is. Man-up and tell this person you like them, don't manipulate. So I don't understand this facet of the mating dance at all. It's unhealthy, but everyone seems to do it, no matter their age.

Don't get me started on the friend-zone. The friend-zone doesn't exist. You're either her friend, or you're in the friend-zone, pretending to be her friend. Which is also manipulative and skeevy. Either be her friend, or tell her you like her, and if she doesn't like you that way back, either remain her friend, or cut ties because you can't handle your own feelings.

As you can see, between the fake dating to make someone jealous, and how dare I be in the friend-zone construct, I had a difficult time enjoying a novel by an author, whose writing style is always a big hit with me. Mostly because if they are behaving like this as teenagers, I can't buy the romance angle or the longevity, because it's setting up the future of a string of broken relationships through life with this unhealthy mindset.

I apologize for the PSA, not truly reviewing the book. I just had to voice why I struggled. Yes, I took this too seriously. Again, it's the mood I'm in. I'm positive someone who is in a light and fun mood will find the novel evokes similar light moods. I'm positive young adults will eat this novel up with a spoon. But my jaded adult mind saw things from a different perspective – a parental one – and this took the enjoyment away from me, and that's on me, not a dig against the author or the novel itself.

Young Adult age-range: 12+ there is adult language.

Faking it looked super cutsy and I just really wanted to read it, And so i did, the premesis sounded fun i love fake relationships and watching them unfold. Its sweet and it just makes me happy.

The thing is I wasnt in love with the execution of it. Sadly to me it felt forced and juvenile. I understand that they are teens, I remember being a teenager I was a mess. But these two kinda out did me. The hormones were really out of control. Lisa was probably my least favorite character not that i cared for any of them really. Her tantrums when things didnt exactly go her way bothered me. But Matt's mistakes he acknowledges constantly in his head were equally annoying.

All that to say i basically read this in one sitting because i just had to watch it all blow up in their faces and then watch them fall madly in love.

Couldve totally went without the constant use off the term "nerd-girl" too. II just seemed redundant and useless.

This book was an easy read. I read it in one day. But it was predictable and a bit silly. Lisa is a self-described "nerd" and Matt is her good friend. She has had an on-again off-again crush on him. A new guy starts their senior year and she has eyes for him. Matt gets jealous and suggests they "pretend date." They eventually fall in love.

Her nerdiness is so stereotypical. She's into Harry Potter and Dr. Who and books. But she starts to wear a little more makeup and dress a little sexier.

I am an absolute sucker for these light fluffy reads! They are my bread and butter!

Sometimes after a long hard day at work I just need something easy that is going to make me smile and this is exactly what 99% Faking It did for me!

Yes, it is a bit cliche/predictable but if you are a fan of this genre, that's what you are looking for. Sometimes we need predictability in our lives - I need to know that I'm going into something that will leave me happy and Chris Cannon delivered!!

A really great little read that is exactly what the doctor ordered for a cosy night in😊

I received a copy of 99% FAKING IT on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity.

FIVE STARS! And here’s why:

Chris Cannon captured my interest from the get-go. The writing was fresh, the story realistic, and the characters were engaging. If you like stories with a friends to lovers theme, then this book is for you. I really enjoyed it! Highly recommend.

I received an arc from Net Galley from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Wow! I really liked this book! The plot and characters were both amazing. I really felt the emotions the characters felt.

The characters were all very fun. Lisa was such a relatable character. It was nice to have a nerdy character that wasn’t super nerdy or not nerdy enough. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that they would mention her nerdiness every sentence. Matt was also a great character. I loved his struggle and his character in general.

I also really liked the plot. It was a twist to have the nerd get the guy she thought she wanted and the popular guy didn’t. I also liked how a family member from the past showed up. It really added to the story!

Overall this book was really good. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who like young adult and contemporary books!

I enjoyed this book for an afternoon of light reading but I can't say it's memorable. It's formulaic, girl wants boy, boy doesn't want girl, girl suggests they do an activity together - in this case, fake date, boy now wants girl, girl now doesn't want boy, boy now must prove himself to girl. It's a good book for a light read but I wouldn't reach for it again.

This was a book where the concept turned out to be better than the execution.

When I went into this book, you've gotta understand that I had SUCH high hopes. And okay, maybe that part was on me. But isn't the point of wanting to read a book that it's a book that you're highly anticipating?

Anyways, I'm off-track. Back to the book!

First, we have Lisa, who in addition to being a total overachiever, is also a proud bookworm. Obviously, I found that I could relate to her to a certain extent (what with the whole book-lover thing and all). Personally speaking, I preferred her bookish friend, Nina, to her, but I think that was more of a me thing than anything against the author.

Also, I really liked the concept of a wedding ring phenomenon! For one, I fully agree that if you're already taken, you will easily gather more attention. Furthermore, the execution wasn't all that bad.

And, umm, I think I'm gonna end with the positives there, because there are a couple of other things I'd like to address:

1) I won't say who, but there were scenes in which a boy/man would threaten to harm another boy/man who is bothering another girl. Coming from the perspective of someone who has actually had this offer made to her by another guy, I was a little annoyed that this just got casually brushed off. This is TOXIC masculinity and is NOT! OKAY! Not only could the whole scenario be a misunderstanding, but it can also result in lasting damage that cannot be undone!

2) There were also numerous times when I found Lisa and Matt's to be highly irritating. Throughout the book, their relationship kept going back and forth from I Love You But Too Chicken To Admit It to I'm Dating Someone Else Even Though I'm In Love With You to I Am Madly in Love With You And Need to Prove It To You to I Can't Ever Be With You Because I Would Be Your Second Choiceto Fine, Let's Be Together and THIS ANNOYED ME SO VERY MUCH!

Also, MAJOR spoiler - I hated how it wrapped up. All Matt had to do to get her to date him was BRIBE HER with Harry Potter merch. Like seriously, I know Lisa is a book-lover, but you don't just date someone because they give you bookish merch!]

3) And finally, while I won't mention what the spoilers are, I will say that there are definitely, 100% spoilers in this book for book 1, The Dating Debate. Unfortunately, that one has been on my TBR for a while, and I should have seen that coming, but I feel like it would have been nice if the author included a note in the synopsis that if you don't want spoilers for

Overall, while I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would, I guess I still would recommend it to certain fans of YA romance. Looking forward to going back and reading book 1!

This is the first book I have read by Chris Cannon, but I absolutely adored it. The banter had me laughing. I was definitely hooked on the story as well. I thought it was sweet and fun and I will definitely be going back to read more from this author.

Every now and then, I love to read a good young adult romance. A romance that is young, and innocent. So, I was browsing through Netgalley and saw this one, and fell in love with the synopsis and the cover (I mean, seriously. How adorable is that cover? I can just feel the hug he's giving her!). I grabbed it up. I'm super glad I did, too, because I have a new author to read more work by, and characters that have stolen my heart for the long haul.

I loved the way Chris Cannon chiseled these characters. They are true-to-life and came alive within the story. I felt more like I was watching a movie on the big screen than I was reading a book. Lisa and Matt reminded me a lot of some of the kids I used to know in high school. Lisa had a crush on a guy who just wanted to be friends.....or so she thought. Friend zone happened a lot back in my day at school!

Watching Lisa and Matt together in this read was super fun. They were witty and so cute. I loved watching them realize their feelings for each other, and their banter with each other was fun. The sparks flew but nothing was over the top, and Lisa and Matt would be great characters for any young adult (or adult!) to read.

Chris Cannon has a beautiful talent. The way she weaves the story together, even though it is the second in her Dating Dilemmas series, I wasn't overly confused by the happenings surrounding Lisa and Matt's story. I felt a part of these young people's lives and had so much fun reading it! I definitely recommend this book with 4 stars and am looking forward to reading book 1 and other books by this author.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, Entangled Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

Cover: 🌟🌟🌟 (I think this cover looks sweet and romantic. It makes me think of a summer beach read for some reason.)
Summary/Tagline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 ("She's nobody's second choice." This makes Lisa sound like a confident, strong female right off the bat, which I like. And after reading the blurb it makes you want to read on.)
Characters: 🌟🌟🌟 🌟 (Even though I haven't read the first standalone in this series I absolutely loved Nina and Lisa but I could have warmed up to Matt a little more. What can I say? I tend to have it out for male characters that use a female friend to try to snag another girl. There's a lot of banter and fandom in between the characters, which I loved... I just wish Matt were a little more developed.)
Worldbuilding: 🌟🌟🌟 (I thought Lisa and Matt's world was well rounded and you definitely get a clear picture of their lives.)
Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (This is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance, which is one of my favorite tropes and I enjoyed it a lot! This one will make you laugh and share your love for books, especially Harry Potter, you'll root for Matt and Lisa and get frustrated when they just can't seem to get it together. The characters in this book are quirky and you quickly find yourself unable to put it down. Overall, if you're looking for a contemporary romance, I definitely recommend this one!)
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟 3.6 of 5 Stars!

This was a fun, quick read with likeable characters and just a slight bit of angst and drama to keep things interesting. Lisa is Matt’s best friend, a geeky, smart, and sassy girl who just so happens to have…had…has a crush on him. Yup, she may deny it but Lisa still has it bad for her sexy, sweet bestie. Problem is that he’s put her square in the friend category. Or so he likes to believe. You see where I’m going here, don’t you?!? These two are trying to avoid the inevitable. But, thanks to a plan hatched by Lisa to catch the attention of someone else, they decide to pretend to be together. And that’s when the real trouble begins. You see, their fake relationship is way more complicated than they could ever imagine.

I liked both Lisa and Matt. He was your typical high school hunk who, truthfully, was clueless about girls and relationships. She was the cutest Harry-Potter-sock-wearing girl ever. And together they were great. It just took them some time and angst to figure it out. They had such great banter and I loved being inside both of their heads since we were treated to a dual POV throughout the story. Of course, there are some twists and turns not only in their “fake” relationship but also in Lisa’s life and, it’s thanks to these, that Matt and Lisa figure out some of their truths.

I loved seeing Nina, West, and the others again. We met these characters in the previous book and I enjoyed seeing their friendships grow. I also liked Lisa’s relationship with her Mom. It was great to see a positive parental character. Overall, this was a light read that will have you smiling throughout…especially if you love nerdy pop culture and romance! Another great read from Chris Cannon!

Adorable!

Lisa and Matt were both very sympathetic characters--what book-reading girl can't identify with a nerdy book-loving heroine who sometimes feels a bit less-than when confronted with confident, bubbly blonde maybe-rivals? Both Matt and Lisa weren't 100% sure at all times who was the right one for them--though it might be a bit unusual for a romance novel, IRL it's realistic at any age, especially when you're in high school and still figuring things out. They managed to find their way to a satisfying HEA (Matt's book for Lisa was fantastic) and though they made annoying mistakes along the way, they weren't over the top unbelievable or ones that they couldn't realistically come back from. There were many LOL moments along the way to their happy for now and hopeful for the future ending, which more than overshadowed any facepalm ones :)

99% Faking It is the second book in Ms. Canon's Dating Dilemmas series, but it worked just fine as a standalone. Nina (Lisa's BFF) and West were totally cute here, though, and I'm looking forward to going back and giving their book a read too--and crossing my fingers for more in the future!

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I found this to be quite slow, and the language used repetitive. I enjoyed the the story though and the characters are likeable.

A romance where a Harry Potter loving book nerd gets the guy! This was a relatively quick read, but packed quite a punch as far as YA best friend romances go.

The story is kind of predictable and checks all the boxes of the trope: she’s in love with her best friend, he doesn’t really see her as a datable girl, but when he pretends to date Lisa in order to catch the eye of the girl he really likes, Matt starts to see Lisa in a different light. But when Lisa doesn’t want to be anyone’s second choice, can Matt convince her that they belong together? Despite the predictability, this story was full of heart and humor. And Harry Potter! Loved that!

99% Faking It is the first book I’ve read by Chris Cannon. It’s a standalone in a series, and while the characters are interconnected, Matt and Lisa’s story does stand on it’s own.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.