I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Why is it okay when Tate verbally harasses her but not anyone else on the job? Is this the kind of guy we're falling for?

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Emmie Echavarre and Tate Rasmussen are sworn office enemies who are forced to work together on a charity project. Things get heated in ways Emmie never would have expected. She's just not sure if she can trust Tate based on their past. This was a fine read and I would recommend it to fans of Helena Hunting. I love the enemies-to-lovers trope but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me.

After reading other reviews and trying a few chapters, I just don't think this book is for me. I will look for other works from this author in the future.

I was really excited for how this book was going to go. Unfortunately, It had a lot of potential, but they romance just wasn't for me. I wanted the heroine to be stronger. I generally love enemies to lovers but this one fell a bit flat for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this title. Unfortunately, it is not for me. Since I didn't finish it, I will not post a review on Goodreads. Thanks again and best of luck!

Wow- I loved the uncommon workplace romance setting in this book. Such a great slow burn romance between Emmie & Tate. The way he nursed her back to health had my heart melting! Thank you for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm pretty sure this is a case of "it's not you, it's me" but it was also kinda nice to see I'm not the only reader who struggled with this one. I loved the idea of this book and I am a sucker for a well-done enemies-to-lovers romance. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me in the first few chapters and I ultimately decided not to continue reading it. It wasn't just one thing that led me to DNF, but the emphasis on just how pale Tate was in the early chapters — no clue if it continues throughout the book — was one of the big reasons. I found myself skimming some of the internal dialogue and that's a pretty good indication it's time for me to move on.

This is Sarah Smith's debut novel. Emmie works at a male dominated company. She feels like she must project a bossy-bitch attitude in order to protect herself. She is immediately thrown off by her newest coworker, Tate. They consistently snap at one another, but a new housing project forces Emmie and Tate to work directly with one another. By doing so, they begin to address the sexual tension between each other and what really started their animosity in the beginning.

Emmie has been faking it. As one of the few female employees in a power drill company she needs to put up a tough, no-nonsense facade for her co-workers. But, that’s all it is a facade. The one thing she doesn’t have to fake? Her dislike for her co-worker Tate. He’s been a dick to her since the day he started, rudely rebuffing all her overtures of friendship. Only now, they have to work together on a project and she starts to see she isn’t the only one who is faking.

I’m going to say it straight. I didn’t like this book. It managed to hit all the wrong notes and left me feeling a little cold. There are two main reasons I didn’t like this book:

Number one: It perpetrates the notion that if someone is mean to you it means that they must like you. Something I’ve never really understood, especially when you’re applying it to adults. If a person consistently bullies and puts you down at work, that doesn’t mean they secretly like you. And, if they do and that’s how they think they should handle those feelings…you can do better. If Tate was average, or bad looking instead of looking like Thor god of thunder then this would have been a very different book and that thought makes me uncomfortable. Someone being mean spirited and petty isn’t okay just because the person doing it is hot.

Number two: The kissing and the sex scenes were so strange and kind of gross. For example, just after they kiss for the first time:

“The wetness of his breath is like water. I could drink it forever.”

I honestly found the whole scene full of really weird and slightly off putting descriptions. It wasn’t sexy. Another issue that came out that I found really strange is the way the heroine was constantly commenting on the whiteness of the heroes skin. He was pale. I get it. But, it made me think. If the hero was black and the heroine was constantly commenting on the blackness of his skin, would that have been okay? It was just another way the language Smith used made me feel vaguely uncomfortable.

This was Smith’s debut novel, however, it really fell short for me. It wasn’t a book I enjoyed and I am not sure if I would read another one of her books.

The cover of Sarah Smith’s debut novel, FAKER, had me saying “yes, please” even before I read the synopsis. I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope and I knew this would hit the nail right on the head…and did it ever.

From the delightful and snarky banter between our hero and heroine, to sexy scenes that melting the screen of my kindle, it was an overall fun read. If you’re looking for a spitfire gal and a gruff-exterior-with-a-tender-heart hero, this is a book for you.

I’m already looking forward to see what this freshman author has in store for us next!

Swoony enemies to lovers office relationship. A bit annoying with the contradictory main character but overall a good enough read.

This book was a tad bit too cheesy for my reading tastes. and I didn't love the characters. That combined with a pacing that was off, this book wasn't really for me. Wonderful concept and I will be recommending this to all my friends who love the enemies to lovers trope.

FULL REVIEW ON FRESH FICTION
FAKER by Sarah Smith is a fast-moving, easy to read, enemies-to-lovers romance. Emmie’s workplace dilemmas are frustrating in a relatable way, and her self-motivation to come across as confident in a male-dominated workplace understandable. That being said, Emmie’s love interest Tate is somewhat bland. He and Emmie spend the first few chapters of the book being incredibly cruel to each other, taking the childish tendencies to be mean to the person you have a crush on to the extreme. Both of their changes of heart are abrupt and seemingly out of nowhere. Once they do decide they actually like each other and Emmie is injured, this added a slow burn aspect to their romance and was a genuine way for the hero to show he cared for her. However, because they admit to liking one another early on, their mutual pining and relatively chaste make out sessions drag on and on. Additionally, Tate’s motivations for hating Emmie at the beginning of the novel aren’t fully revealed until the very end and didn’t ring true to the rest of the novel. Emmie is a relatable heroine, the slow burn romance is nice, but the hero and side plots pale in comparison.

Faker is a contemporary romance with an enemy to lover vibe. Emmie, who is mixed race and is a copy editor for a tool company thinks her coworker across the hall hates her. Tate, has a hot body and pale skin and hair, is the social media person for the company doesn't hate Emmie. Tate is an introvert who rock climbs, and plays rugby comes up with a way to work with Emmie in a project to get to know her better. Emmie falls off a ladder at the work site and Tate takes care of her at the hospital. As they get to know one another, they realize they are in love. A cute contemporary romance that I would recommend.

This book is a huge disappointment and I don't even bother to sugarcoat my distaste for the entire story. As promising as the synopsis sounds, I find the protagonists extremely RACIST and STEREOTYPICAL. The overemphasis on white people and their superiority from the female main character is unbelievably disgusting and I also don't appreciate the steamy sex scenes throughout the book. In fact, I literally gag when reading those parts and call me a prude, since when does Penguin Random House start selling books with graphic sex scenes? All in all, I hate this book and I probably won't read anything written by this author in the foreseeable future. #sorrynotsorry

Ok, this is probably just me but I think this author might just not be for me. So sad but I did love the premise and while the voice felt familiar in a sea of adult contemp. Heroines, I’m sure there will be other readers who enjoy this book!

I really enjoyed this book! I was 50 pages in and cracking. I loved Emmie so much. As someone who has worked in a male dominated environment I so felt for her. The male protagonist was so broody and just gave so many steamy vibes. I did find the ex gf part a little odd and wish that issue would have lasted longer cause what’s better than angry steamy scenes?! Lol I really enjoyed how the author highlighted Emmie’s culture throughout the book. My favorite part of this book was the emphasis on female pleasure because I feel like we don’t see that enough in romances!

Oh no. Such a good concept but not executed to my liking. One of the issues I had was the weird way that Emmie compared her skin or spoke about Tate's (the love interests) skin. It sounded really weird. I actually have compared my skin color with my father since he is tanner than I am. So you would think I wouldn't have a problem with that but it was weird to me. Maybe because this romance is specifically marketed as multicultural. It kind of feels forced. Another bigger problem I had was Emmie herself. I didn't connect with her as a character. She didn't have likable qualities. She seemed to be in a battle with this Tate most of the time but when she started liking him she stuck with someone else. This person who she didn't seem to feel anything substantial for. Rivals or the hate to love trope can be done really well. Pride and Prejudice comes to mind. There needs to be good banter and something extra to their romance. If there was one character who was less... irritable towards the other then maybe I would have enjoyed this more. Right now, I am just disappointed.

This is a cute enemies to lovers story. I liked the authors writing style and the characters make you fall in love with them.