2.5 stars. I'm rounding up just because I'm feeling generous.

When I read the blurb for this book, I got excited. I thought it was going to be a fun little rom-com. And I guess for some it will be....

If you are a hateful old bat like me you need to ask yourself some questions that go like this:


This book is very cheesey. It's one of those enemy then they are in lurrrrve books, but usually I like a bit more of enemy stuff. This one just didn't fill that need.

Next: I love that the story includes a multicultural relationship. BUT how many flipping times does the main man Tate have to have his skin discussed...we get that he is white. REPEATEDLY


But who cares because he is as boring as shit.

And then finally (because I'm totally going more ragey on this book than I should) is....does the character using slurp during sexy times make your head go into directions that it shouldn't?


or


Wait, I said this book wasn't that bad.


I really didn't hate it!

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

I adored everything about this story. What I expected to be a gradual enemies to lovers romance, ended up being something so much deeper and sweeter. I genuinely was interested in what the characters were saying and doing and laughed right along with them. I was constantly rooting for them and hoping they'd get their happily ever after. The plot twist and conflict was a genuine surprise, which I also really liked. I really hope Sarah Smith continues to write (even with side characters from this story!) because Faker was a stunning debut!

Emmie and Tate do not get along at work. In a male-dominated construction tools job, Emmie has to fake being tough, confident, and aloof with her co-workers. She does not have to fake these traits with Tate though, as he tends to bring out the worst in her. As there bickering turns to something more, Emmie discovers that maybe she isn't faking after all. Faker is a fun enemies-to-lovers romance that explores the idea that people might be more alike than not and that we do not always notice our best traits. The characters in this book grew throughout the story and left me wanting more.

I was not a fan of Faker. I wanted to like it so much - the premise sounded interesting and I love the enemies to lovers trope. But in the end...what was she faking? It starts off with her saying that she fakes her way through her job...but she's obviously good at it and you don't have to like your job to be good at it. The miscommunication between her and her love interest is so obvious I just became frustrated with them...one conversation would clear everything up. In the end, not for me, I couldn't even finish it. However, I loved Smith's attention to the heroine's cultural Filipina background, I loved the supporting cast. I'll definitely give Sarah Smith another go with her next novel.

I loved this book right from the beginning. Emmie was amusing; and I was really looking forward to her and Tate growing from enemy to friends.

I really loved the fact that both Tate and Emmie weren't extroverts, and even more so that at the end of the book they still were their own same introverted selves. Being introverted isn't a character flaw. It was really refreshing that Tate wasn't pushy - he was shy and uncertain at times. Tate and Emmie's relationship grew slowly but I wouldn't call it slow-burn.

I felt like the story dragged a bit in the middle. The story could have used a few more secondary characters (or the ones in the story to be fleshed out a bit more). I like stories with dual voices - this book is written only from Emmie's perspective. A lot of the story I was waiting to learn the reason for Tate's instant dislike of Emmie - and I was not expecting the reason.

This was an enjoyable read and this is a story that I will want to re-read.

I received an ARC through Netgalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

OMG here comes my FOUR what a swoony, sweet, heartwarming love/hate relationship at office story I’ve read, I’m smiling like an idiot for hours and don’t forget the irresistible, undeniable, pant-melting chemistry of the couple, amazing break for me after all the thrillers giving me nightmares I’ve read lately STARS!

Hating Games meets Beautiful Bastard meets Allure of Julian Lefray meets Tangled! It’s a great combination of frenemies at office novels. I was about to pass this book at first, because I thought I read too many similar examples about undeniable attraction of two colleagues who are acting immature, spoiled and they do everything to sabotage their relationship and they are so afraid of being sacked so they keep their relationship secret kind of romances.

BUT what makes this book different IS:

-The book is focused to Emmie( straightforward, smart, a little bossy but mostly sweet, nice, helpful, hardworker) and Tate’s( tough, annoying, reserved, antisocial but smart, problem-solver. Then we learn he’s also kind-hearted, caring, romantic, passionate man.) stories. As we flip the pages, we start to learn how their characters evolve, how their past experiences affected their judgments and how their relationship started to develop. So there is no carrier risk or rivalry, competition between them.

- I loved the similarities of hero and heroine. They’re different from normal which made the people around them judge and call them names when they were so young. They’re both secluded, observant, sarcastic people who have hard times to open their hearts and start to trust the people. It’s so hard to love them. They’re so natural, realistic, honestly developed characters! Of course it’s so easy to root for them/

- Like Joshua and Lucy from Sally Thorne’s “Hating Game”, they got closer when the heroine gets sick and the hero takes care of her but Tate and Emmie’s connection was so intense, romantic, and more emotional. I don’t know how many times I sighed, smiled, made indefinable awkward happy voices! (My husband threw pillow at my way but he missed. Ha ha…Evil laugh) These parts of the book were better than Hating Games.

-There were so many hot scenes on this book. Don’t get me wrong! Till the end they slept together but they didn’t have sex. But Emmie’s bathing scene when only a shower curtain separated them was sweaty, heart throbbing, nasty!

- At first Tate mostly acted like a jerk but at the final part we understood his reasons. A part at his high school reunion a little irritated me. (Actually I pissed off. And it was a little hard to accept what he did to Emmie which made me cut one star. )

-Instead of Tate’s reasons for acting like douchebag around Emmie, I enjoyed this book too much and I didn’t want to put it down. I carried it like an accessory with me. I know I invented a strange trend to wear a book on my neck but this is so sweet, swoony, lovable book. I don’t want to let it go!

And the most important thing is as soon as I put the book down, I was feeling joyful, hopeful, happy and I had still awkward silly smile on my face( Maybe I could be doppelganger of Pennywise and wear my clown suit before Halloween if I keep smiling like that!) THIS BOOK MADE ME HAPPY!

I’m so glad to see there are too many debut novels released on this year and most of the books are really good, enjoyable, smartly-written ones. I’m volunteered to read upcoming books of Sarah Smith. It was pleasure to meet a new writer. Because when it comes to romance, my favorite authors mostly disappointed me.

Special thanks to Berkley and NetGalley to share this amazing ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review! I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book so much!

Faker is a bi-racial romance with my favorite enemies-to-lovers trope. Has it been done before? Yes. Was this still fun to read? I thought so.

I think Sarah Smith has a bright future ahead of her, especially if she can really hone in on her own voice.

Emmie Echavarre works in a male-dominated field and is, according to herself, a professional faker. The tough facade she puts on from nine to five Monday through Friday is a stark contrast to her otherwise easy-going self – but Emmie considers it a necessity to hold her own against the primarily male workforce at her power tool company. Her co-worker Tate and she don’t get along from the moment he enters the picture, despite her initial efforts to be friendly and establish some sort of professional relationship between the two. When they are thrown together for the company’s homebuilding charity project, and frequent interactions become inevitable, things take a drastic turn.

Faker is the debut novel of copywriter-turned-author Sarah Smith, who enters the stage with a colorful enemies to lovers rom-com.

To be honest, I wished I liked this one more than I did. I’m a sucker for a well-written enemies to lovers story and was excited about the opportunity to read it, but parts of it simply didn’t click with me.

During the initial chapters of the book, I tried to figure out their rather complicated relationship. I suspected that there was more to both, Tate and Emmie than meets the eye, but sometimes I wondered how the hell they would go from their intense hate relationship to lovers. And that’s saying something because you expect the characters not to like each other from the get-go.

Emmie’s overall switch from nemesis to more than friends then happened rather abruptly, and way too quickly for my taste, considering where we started. The fact that he has a Thor-like biceps and milky white skin is not enough for me. The shift from enemies to lovers simply didn’t have enough time to develop, and somehow, all their differences and previous fighting became irrelevant.

After the turning point somewhere around the first third of the book, things got slightly better. Their relationship started to develop at a bit more realistic pace, and slowly, the heat and the playful banter emerged. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the following chapters of the book, watching them dance around each other at work and other obstacles. There was a bit of drama in the last couple of chapters, which explains Tate’s initial hostility towards Emmie, but this conflict was also put aside rather quickly. I feel like it was meant to be the earth-shattering fight that we know from all kinds of love stories, but it ended up lasting less than an hour.

While it wasn’t one hundred percent my cup of tea, it is still a light and quick read. If the ‘enemies to lovers’ storyline is your thing, check it out maybe it works better for you than it did for me.

Damn I was in so much love with this book...I actually started getting excited because I thought finally after months of waiting and searching, I had finally found my next 5 star read. I loved how cute and sweet the romance was. I loved the characters, their banter, their personalities. Basically everything. But then that plot twist came around 75% into the book and...

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I was SO frustrated with where the author took their romance. It was so unnecessary and just so STUPID. It took away from their romance and everything that the entire book was leading up to. It made me not believe in their connection, it turned me off from their love story. UGH I'm just so frustrated and upset I really and truly do not understand why the author took their story in that direction when their story was perfectly fine without this stupid drama. Up until that moment I was thinking this book was a 4.5 star rating but then after that horrible chapter my rating shot right down to a 3. I want to talk about it in more depth but I will refrain from spoilers.

I don't feel like I can say anything else at this moment because I'm too disappointed with the stupid plot twist and sad that this book wasn't a 5 star read for me. I think many people will love this and probably not think the plot twist is that big of a deal as it was for me. But unfortunately for me, it ruined the story for me. That being said, I do like the author's writing style so I could see myself trying another book of hers in the future.

What a cute and entertaining read! This was such a fun and easy book to pick up and I really enjoyed it. The characters were interesting and I felt like the story was actually realistic. There were a couple of times where it got pretty cheesy, but I think that's just part of a romance novel. This is the perfect light weekend read that I was looking for and I enjoyed it from start to finish. I would recommend this novel if you enjoy rom/com novels. Thank you to NetGalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Emmie Echavarre puts on face for work, faking her way through so she can make it through the day in a predominantly male environment. She doesn’t, however, hide her feelings about her coworker Tate. From their first meeting, it was clear he didn’t like her, and so began a relationship filled with animosity.

Things change when Tate and Emmie begin to work on a project together, Emmie begins to see that there is more to Tate, reigniting the attraction she felt when she first met him. Tate keeps coming to her aid and sees through the face she puts on.

I thought this was an okay read. There wasn’t any chemistry between the characters and the dialogue left a lot to be desired. The change from enemies to romance did not feel organic. The cause of the animosity was what appeared to be a misunderstandings between the two characters.

Overall, this was okay and I do recommend it for someone looking for something light to read.

I received an ARC from Berkley Romance in exchange for a honest review. 

I was really excited to read this book because of the cover like most people on the internet. I didn't know what to expect from this one because like a lot of romance books I pick up, I don't actually read the synopsis. From what I grasped of the story, Emmie is a strong woman who needs to put up an act in front of her colleagues because majority of them are male and they treat her like she's clueless and useless if she doesn't stand tall and strong. Fair enough, I agree with Emmie's shield she puts up. 

Sarah Smith didn't make Emmie to be an overly strong woman that could grate my nerves like many other authors so I appreciated it. Emmie and her colleague, Tate, absolutely can't stand each other. The hate is real and you can sense they have some tension between the pages. When the company goes through a construction project for publicity and Emmie gets injured on the site, Tate comes to the rescue and takes care of her. Cute but also...OK. Why? Because I felt like that was majority of the plot. It was Emmie constantly coming in and out of surgeries and I guess them learning more about each other. 

WHICH IS FINE because it was cute and the intimacy levels was a MAJOR high but at the same time I'm like what's the conflict now that they love each other? MMMMM. There are some other issues I want to point out. I'm pretty sure a bunch of reviewers have already left comments on how Sarah seems to be fascinated by white milky skin to the point that she made Emmie constantly talk about Tate's white skin. This is something I'm believing to be an Asian thing because Asians think pale skin is beautiful and since, Emmie is Filipino then yeah????? I guess???? So there's that. 

The ending was a mess and I was shocked at how things wrapped up so quickly. Misunderstandings were so quick to be forgiven that I wished my life was as sorted as well as this book. 

MY RECOMMENDATION 

Maybe I'm too harsh but I don't think this one is worth your time.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this novel. Regardless of the way I acquired the novel, the thoughts, opinions, and views stated in this review are completely unbiased and one hundred percent my own.

This review might start off sounding negative, but I promise it turns itself around. Hang in there with me.

I could not get into the beginning of this novel. The writing style kept throwing me out of the story, I didn’t feel actual tension between our two main characters, even though I was told repeatedly that it was there (and as a marketed hate turned to lovers novel that was a pretty solid issue for me). I really struggled for about 60% of the novel, and then I either go acclimated to the tone of the voice/writing style, or I got too swept up in the story to care.

There were a few distinct things that bothered me at first. I had a hard time keeping up with the setting or seeing what was around our characters. I didn’t get the distinction when they moved between rooms, or where they were spatially in scenes, and would oftentimes get thrown out of the story and surprised when they either ended up much closer than anticipated or farther away.

I also found some of the writing or scenarios to be a little more immature than I would have thought for a book of this genre. Sure, most romance novels have some suspended sense of immaturity, and I can accept that for the genre as a whole. But this one explained that our MC’s had had previous relationships, and it still felt like they had never dated before? It was a weird dichotomy of two people being well versed in sex, but who still talked and acted like they were in high school. Which might be okay for some, and if that’s your cup of tea, boom! This book is perfect for you!

Despite everything I just said, I did really enjoy myself while reading the latter half of this book. There were a few things in here that had me going, “Hey, I’ve had this fantasy before!” and it reconnected me to our characters. I also adored that they were stark contrasts physically. The representation in this novel is so wonderfully done, and the culture of both characters is appropriately appreciated. The author also dealt with how our main character handles being a woman in a male dominated industry, and how being a girl boss is crucial to her success, and OKAY! I loved these themes throughout, and thought it added some much needed depth to our female MC. Our male MC was deliciously swoon worthy, and it was nice to watch him come out of his shell.

Overall, I’d probably end up recommending this book to someone looking for a cute, steamy office romance. It’s not the best I’ve ever read, but it’s also no where near the worst. Seeing as this is a debut novel, I’ll definitely be keeping the author on my radar. I’m excited to see what she comes out with next, and to see if any of the things I took issue with in this novel sort themselves out in the next.

Emmie Echavarre best friend has started a family, her younger sister is exploring the world and she is stuck working in a power tool company. Her closest coworker, with a cubicle within spitting distance hates her. Tate Rasmussen communicates with scowls and growls.

Why I started this book: Look at this charming cover... so fun.

Why I finished it: Oh how I struggled with this book. It felt to autobiographical... and real life awkward not romance cute awkward. The dialogue was jumpy and I couldn't get behind the characters. I wanted to like Emmie more than I actually did. I ended up skimming most of it.

4.5 STARS!

A debut novel by Sarah Smith, Faker was a real treat and so much fun to read! The cover and then the blurb drew me in instantly, making me want to read this novel. Off the bat, I can see how and why people may get The Hating Game vibes but honestly, there really is no comparison. This story is so very different, diverse, and special in its very own way and right.

The story begins with Emmie our heroine, she's of Filipino and Hawaiian descent. Working in a mostly male dominated career, she doesn't let anyone step all over her. She's a boss and proud of it! But, she's stuck having to see and hear Tate, her enemy, whose office is right across from hers. Constantly bickering back and forth (its rather cute), these two are very hostile towards one another. Now, Tate is a bit of a loner at heart. Reserved, brooding with an introvert personality. He's got that mean look to him but its hard to not see how handsome he is. He'll do whatever he can to get Emmie's attention... even if that means being a complete a-hole.


“A couple months ago, you couldn’t stand the sight of me.”

“And you were starting arguments with me constantly.”


Their relationship builds slowly with time. We learn so much about these two and how alike they are. The chemistry is off-the-charts. Told mostly through Emmie's POV we get to see her guarded side. She's someone that doesn't let just anyone in. With Tate being so private, he doesn't open up to just anyone, and it's refreshing to see him let his walls down, showing this sweet and kind side. I fell head over heels for this brooding man!!

Overall, this was a great debut! I definitely would have liked more' especially from Tate's POV; however, I'm not disappointed. After reading Sarah's words, we've only hit the tip of the iceberg. This author is full of potential and this is me stating this not knowing what else Sarah has in store for us! So, kudos to Sarah, what an amazing job well done!


*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

❣️GUYS❣️I have no words. This debut author has blown my mind. I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but it turned out to be exactly what I needed and more. If you loved The Hating Game or Unhoneymooners, add this to your TBR!
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In a nutshell: Emmie works in a male dominant environment where she needs to “fake” a tough/boss bitch persona in order to be taken seriously as an attractive, young woman (seriously relatable). She thinks her colleague, Tate (described as a Scandinavian Thor-like God) hates her. When they work on a special project together, Emmie begins to wonder if his antagonistic feelings for her are more than meets the eye.
I love enemies to lovers tropes. This one is one of the best I’ve read recently in terms of writing style. The style flows so seamlessly and I am so drawn to Emmie’s internal dialogue. There is so much clever wit and honest, relatable humour woven throughout.

There is depth to Emmie and Tate, making you feel for them and how their pasts shaped who they are today. First, Emmie is half Asian and her experiences growing up in an all white community are touched on (something I SO relate to). You might think Tate is your typical brooding, grumpy, alpha hero, but he is so much more and I honestly so relate to his character (a self proclaimed introvert). Excuse me while I pencil him into my list of book boyfriends. He brings the heat and the sweetness (in the form of literal fruit and other favours).

Last but certainly not least, the STEAM is real, refreshing, and beautifully written. There is slow burn for sure, and it is so worth it. It isn’t cringey and over the top and is written with their emotional connection at the forefront. It is certainly not fade to black. And I am here for it 🔥🙌🏼

My only critique would be that I wish the final conflict had a little more depth or punch. I found it was certainly one of those situations that could have been solved with communication/honesty up front. But I did love that they resolved things right away. However, it makes for a perfectly fun, romantic, and adorable read.

Thank you Berkeley publishing, netgalley, and debut author Sarah smith for kindly allowing me access to this ARC. Smith is an author to watch for. I will be reading her next book, 100%. 💕
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HOT HOT HOT! This love story has us curling our toes and our hearts beating out of our chests. Faker is full of humor, wit and HEAT. I found myself laughing out loud and falling in love with every character I met.

If you like lighthearted steamy romances this is a good one. Fans of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne will like this but may feel a little disappointed. There were a lot of similarities between the books. For example:
- hero is broody and mean, but really he's just shy
- heroine gets sick on the job and is taken care of by the hero
- hero and heroine sit facing each other at work
- an almost romance between the heroine and a side character
- heroine feeling homesick

And as much as I thought Emmie and Tate were cute together, they didn't have as much chemistry between Lucy and Joshua. I think what I liked about Lucy and Joshua's working relationship was that they were essentially in the same position and competing against each other. That added a whole other layer of "enemy" to the enemy-to-lovers trope.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy Faker. I did. I thought the romance could have used more time in the "enemy" area. They didn't really bicker all that much and I felt like the two got together pretty early on. But I also loved Emmie as the main character. She was sweet, hardworking, but tough. She works in a heavily male-dominated industry and has to deal with a lot of overtly sexist behavior as well as sexist microaggressions because she is a woman. I wish the whole idea of being a faker and having imposter syndrome could have been explored more but I thought the parts that were there were handled okay. And honestly, I just felt like Emmie could have been a friend. She comes off so real and down-to-earth.

I think the weakest character was Tate. Emmie opens up a lot more to him, so we see a lot of her vulnerabilities. Not the case with Tate. He's nice and caring, but you never really get to know him. One of his self-proclaimed flaws is that he's too private and reserved. And yeah, even to the readers. I didn't really understand his likes and dislikes. What makes him tick. All I got was that he's athletic, has a pretty strong moral compass, and really likes Emmie.

This does contain smut. The sex scenes do not fade to black but the scenes were well written and were pretty hot. Except for this one part where it says, "I slurp." Please let's not use the word "slurp" when describing sexy times.

I think this could have been a solid 4 stars if not for the misunderstanding that happens at the high school reunion. It just creeped me out! I had an inkling that this was the reason why Tate was "mean" to Emmie in the beginning and I was right. No spoilers, but just no. Also, the author writes repeatedly about how pale Tate is. Like Emmie cannot stop mentioning how fair and pale Tate is. She's looking at him and even thinks that he's like a Norse God of Thunder who's been dipped in milk. What? I don't know, it got into weird creep levels just how many times this is mentioned.

Overall, I liked it. I liked it more than the parts I didn't like. I just didn't love it. There were too many similarities with The Hating Game. But as someone who loves both an enemies-to-lovers trope and workplace romance, it was a fun read and a great debut. I will definitely look forward to reading more by Sarah Smith.

In general, I can't get enough of the enemies-to-lovers trope. Here, though, there are no enemies. There's simply Emmie almost bullheadedly misinterpreting environmental cues and all the signs screaming that her hot coworker Tate is interested, not disdainful. The cover is great, the concept is good: the execution was a little thin.

If you loved The Hating Game by Sally Thorne you will enjoy this one. I love an enemies to lover trope and I couldn't put this one down!