I struggled to get through this novel. I didn’t read the first book but I did find the author did a good job of not making it required. The characters were quite boring. Hannah was not very realistic as a character and unpleasant. The book did get better in the second half.

Cute read! Loved the family dynamics and the overall concept. Bit slow to start, some good laugh out loud moments kept me interested.

Faking it follows the story of Hannah, schoolteacher, wife and mum of three, who has secretly written and had published an erotic fiction book, More Than Sex. Following the first in the series (which I haven’t read) Hannah is attempting to write her second book.

Written as a funny, light-hearted summer story the book flows well. the characters are well developed and feel very real but unfortunately, I just found Hannah to be a bit moany! Her concerns over being outed as a “porn” novelist feel real and well expressed, she is very keen to express to those in the know that she hasn’t written porn but an erotic fiction. I felt it didn’t really make for the most relaxing read, especially when sat on a beach trying to forget the real world!

There are some funny moment, the “sexy con” (like comic con but sexy!) was probably the best part but it would have been great to see more of that and less of the everyday hiding from the kids and trying to find her inner sex goddess. It was nice that it dealt with the everyday pressures of life with children, especially teenagers and that felt quite realistic but a little too much at times.

Hannah’s confessions at sexy con were great, she didn’t buy into the hype of the others on the panel and really spoke about how things really are. I also really enjoyed the girl’s night in with her friends and the fun they had. I didn’t feel that the snippets from her writing attempts added to the story and didn’t really enjoy hearing about Bella and Dax.

Overall, this was a nice, light-hearted read.

This is one of the most hilarious books I've read recently! I absolutely loved it!!

Hannah, 44, is a lot of things: by day, she is a wife, an English teacher, the mother of two teenagers and a 10 year old... and by night she is an erotica writer. Can she combine her two lifes without collapsing?

I adored Hannah from the beginning, as she is both funny and relatable. I couldn't stop laughing out loud at some points of the book (ok, I laughed out loud through the entire book; people stared). I can't wait to read Rebecca's other book, "more than just mum".

** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. **

I have just finished reading faking it and it was ok, was an easy read over a couple of days sat in the sunshine.
However I found I kept waiting for more, for the story to build and it just didn't.
The main characters are all really likeable and the family life described is very relatable.
If your looking for a quick easy read to escape the everyday then this is a good option.

So, Hannah is married with children at home, has written a published erotica novel titled More Than Sex under the pseudonym of Twinky Malone, and teaches part-time. Surely we can all agree that competing priorities and imposter syndrome can get in the way of success, right?

I found Hannah's predicament very relatable. She's got heart and struggles to juggle those priorities. Hannah figures out whose opinions matter the most to her and definitely has a story arc of change from the beginning to the end.

Some readers have found this laugh out loud funny but not me. I found some of the situations and descriptions to be humorous. Overall, this was a sweet, funny book.

http://www.amberstults.com/?p=5020

Hannah Thompson is a mother, wife, teacher, and secret erotica author who goes by the nom de plume "Twinky Malone." As she juggles her home life and her writing career, she struggles to keep her writing a secret from her children while simultaneously realizing that her writing isn't as scandalous as she thought it to be. When her publisher requires her to present at Sex Con, Hannah spirals into an existential crisis as she attempts to navigate her self-professed calling as a "sex goddess" and a mother of 3 very high-spirited children.

...Had I known that her pen name was "Twinky Malone," I probably wouldn't have picked up this book at all, so kudos to HarperCollins UK for burying that lede. As for Hannah's book within the book, let's just say, she's no Chuck Tingle, but has all the same hallmarks of borderline disturbingly factual prose that veers quickly into completely unintentional hilarity in its earnestness.

I almost didn't finish this book because Hannah was so hard to get to know as a character. Though her journey from neurotic middle-aged mum (and 40 is NOT MIDDLE-AGED, so there really wasn't that much of a need to lean so hard into the "she's past her prime" angle of the character development) to slightly less neurotic erotica author was once I thought I'd be able to relate to, her deep seated shame about her chosen profession and her long-suffering attempts to at once distance her writing from "pornography" while simultaneously going to sex shops to try out dominatrix garb as if a leather bustier would somehow transform her into a femme fatale really made me cringe.

In the midst of all this, the primary drivers of the "plot," as it were, are slice-of-life confrontations with her children about their growing up -- one heading off to university, one constantly pushing boundaries and mouthing off, and the third losing teeth, swallowing them, and trying to recover the tooth with Hannah's new IKEA sieve -- with her husband about his pending job contract that may or may not solve their financial woes, and the general chaos that emanates from her well-meaning but flighty mother giving bad advice from online classes she takes in her spare time.

There was honestly too much going on to be able to really hone in on the author's dry sense of humor -- which at times felt like a blend of Sophie Kinsella and Helen Fielding. It was only after I finished the book and after I did a little recon on the author that I found out that this is actually the SECOND BOOK IN A SERIES, which would have been very good information to have before reading it for the first time.

All in all, Faking It had me faking it all the way through the end, just because I wanted to see if it would end with a bang. It did not. I also would very much not classify this as a romance -- this is more along the lines of women's fiction, especially given that the "erotica" barely passes the threshold of a PG rating. I've definitely read how to manuals that were more explicit.

I ended up reading the book a second and a third time to see if I felt any differently about it and while it's genuinely not my cup of tea, it's a book that grows on you. By the third go-round, I found myself chuckling under my breath and beginning to appreciate the foibles of what is honestly just an average Jane trying her best and failing miserably most of the time.

In 2020, that couldn't be more relatable content, so eh. It'll do.

Faking It by Rebecca Smith

Hannah is caught up in the world of being Mom (does not feel appropriated), Wife (feels like the marriage is slightly flat),
Teacher (feels like she is under the thumb of her boss and has to do everything as and when she says).

All of this leads to a lack of confidence, self worth and happiness in herself.

However!

Hannah comes up with an idea to write an ‘erotic book’.
Which gets published.
She thinks it is very racy and is surprised when people think it’s humorous too!

Hannah is asked to write a second book and goes around looking for inspiration for her new ‘erotic’ book. Which she is asked to make it more ‘sexy’.

Read the funny ways in which Hannah tries to find inspiration. What happens to Hannah’s confidence through it all and what she learns about herself.
Like the title says: From M&S cardies to S&M Parties.

Funny, lighthearted read.

I tried a few times but could not get in to this book. I will try again but it's gone to the bottom of my list. I found the premise of it to be not believable and had a hard time with it.

Hannah Thompson is your typical middle class woman. A wife, mother, daughter, and part time English teacher, drowning in the mundane. House repairs, an older son off to college and a difficult teenager daughter. She also harbors another identity- author. Balancing both careers and motherhood keeps Hannah on her toes, as does her editor as she looks for a sequel to her moderately successful first book. Hannah writes humorous erotic fiction, under the pseudonym Twinky Malone. How does Hannah keep her side gig a secret? Can she she ever get out of the vanilla housewife she's become? Hannah's journey to embrace the unknown and write book 2 lead you on a laugh out loud adventure! If you're in the market for a fun, easy read with relatable characters, this is your book!

Books can be a bit hit or miss, and unfortunately this one fell flatly in the miss-category for me. The narration seemed to try to be funnier than it actually was, the plot just didn't do it for me, and the characters - the main character especially - I just couldn't connect with them at all...

Hannah a seemingly devoted mother and teacher is an erotic writer by night. A hard sell in the best of times, but here it’s harder still. It’s not often I find reading tedious but here I did. It is light reading. It does have comedic moments just not enough to keep you satisfied.

Did not finish at 60%
When I first clicked to review this book from NetGalley, the synopsis made it sound like it would be a flirty, fun and sexy book however after 30% I became bored of the main characters lack of fun and excitement towards her own book! I can completely understand the idea for the plot and how the main character is meant to be "exploring" a world she doesnt understand, however I really don't belive she did this. As I mentioned earlier I became bored but pushed through the story thinking that it may improve or something major would happen. For me this didnt happen before 60% and I gave up.

I loved this book! I found it very relatable as a married mother. It was so honest and real. I laughed out loud throughout the book, It was just what i needed to read and escape the world with the way it is right now!

Hannah Thompson is fed up of being "boring-middle-aged-mum-teacher". In a bid to pass some time she somehow writes a book that is funny, sellable and steamy! In finding her new talent, she has to embark upon a pursuit to reconnect with her inner self a.k.a inner sexual goddess, whatever that looks like...She truly thinks she is out of her depth!
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This book was fabulous! I laughed out loud and loved how real this book was. It was an honest approach to the development/ reality of family, marriage and working life struggles, whilst also airing the taboo of discussing sex openly. I would say the cover is a tad deceptive in as much that S and M isn't particularly a focal point, at all, and it is far from a steamy novel, but I appreciate and understand the wordplay.

This was such a fun, laugh-out-loud story about a mother of three. It was full of important topics, and I loved the depiction of a loving marriage.

I am very, very sad. This review copy was highly anticipated and I am use to typos and format errors with digital copies. Unfortunately, this one was so bad, I could not read this copy. I will be buying a copy because I am very interested in the concept. I am unable to leave a review without mentioning this is of no fault of the authors.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this but it did not disappoint. Exceeded my expectations & I’d recommend to anyone who wants a refreshing change.

Not worth the read, I actually read about 20% then skimmed to the end.

Hannah is a teacher, a mother and a secret erotic fiction writer. In the midst of the release of her book, Hannah must write a second, while teaching and being a mom. She has a hard time managing everything and an even harder time finding inspiration for the book, leading her on a quest to try and find her sexy.

This book was quite boring and one dimensional. None of the characters were interesting, in fact Hannah’s mother and daughter were especially horrible. The plot was lacking, going between this book writing and parenting. Both of which Hannah failed at. The story just lacked everything and missed the mark. I didn’t find it funny and I didn’t want to read about Hannah parenting. She complained a ton and it was just cringey and embarrassing.

This is a sequel to More Than Just Mum. Hannah has just published her first book of humorous erotica. Now she has to do write a sequel, because readers want more. But nobody must know about her writing erotica, except her husband Nick, her mother and her best friend Cassie.
Hannah is a lovely person. Her life is so busy that I feel queasy just reading about it. She sends her son Dylan to uni and misses him and wonders if he'll manage without his mum. Her daughter Scarlet is quite a handful. And ten year old Benji is just adorable, but a handful too, in his own way. And Nick has his own hands full with Betty the Land Rover. On top of all that Hannah is writing a novel and trying to find her inner sex goddess.
At first I had a hard time getting in the book. But all of a sudden everything just clicked. This is a funny story and I giggled while reading. It could have been a little bit shorter though. Hannah's inner thoughts take over a big portion of the book. But I must admit her thoughts are funny. This book is about being a mum, wife, teacher and writer. It portrays life in its fullest. The author has a knack of writing about funny moments in a life.
Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for a copy of this book.