I really wanted to like Faking It. The premise was so fun, but the pacing was just so slow for me. I felt like Hannah was a hard character to like and really struggled staying engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early review copy of Rebecca Smith's newest novel, Faking It, coming out on August 7th!




I did NOT know that this was second in a series and I am so mad that I missed out on the first book! However, I was 75% through with the book when I realized and I was able to read this as a stand alone.

All I can say is this book is HILARIOUS! I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book and was entertained the entire time. There was not a single moment where I was not laughing or enjoying myself reading this. It is a typical British comedy, that deals with the taboo topic of sexuality and sexual intercourse. I was literally LOL'ing from the first page to the very last, and that is impressive.

Faking It follows our 44-year-old, mother of three, Hannah. By day, Hannah is a teacher for Year Ten three days as week and a mother to a 10, 17, and 18-year-old. By night, she is Twinky Malone, author of Erotic Fiction and talking about sex makes her quite uncomfortable.

I loved reading about Hannah's growth in regards to owning her sexuality and identity. She goes from being very timid to being very open about talking about life, sex, and her own experiences. I felt like she truly flourished as a character throughout the entirety of this novel. I think that the message that Hannah and this book represents is that women should feel empowered when they talk about their sexuality, and not be ashamed to speak about sexual fumbling they may encounter or the daily run of their "boring" life. Women should be able to have open conversations about how to spice things up in both the bedroom and their parenting and life. You see her go through a lot of missteps as she is working on her journey to self-discovery and being able to have an identity outside of being a mom, that her life is not over or boring because she is a mom. I'm not a mom myself, but I am sure that is a lesson all moms need to be reminded of sometimes, it makes us human.

There is one part of the book where she has a sex-toy (Pure Romance) party, and it is absolutely hilarious and fun. I think that was the point in the book where we see Hannah start to turn a little and embrace herself and her sexuality instead of shying away from it. This is the part where we see her really take off in her writing of the sequel to her Erotic novel that husband charmingly refers to as porn (despite Hannah's protests that it is not porn and is just Erotica with humor and a dash of romance).

There were also parts of the novel where we get to read Hannah's novel in process and parts of it that she has written so far. I thought that was a nice touch because it would connect with what she was experiencing and gave you a look into what her character does for a living. It was fun to read her writings because it was not steamy, and quite funny, much like Hannah's personality and the overall vibe of this book.

And Hannah's 10-year-old Benji was the funniest character ever! The things that he would say and do were just hilarious and the way that Hannah would react was priceless. It was funny but also realistic of a 10-year-old's thinking.

The writing in this book was easy to follow and the chapters were pretty short, which is always a plus.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am so glad that I read it. With Chick-Lit, sometimes it can be a hit or miss but this one was definitely a hit. I was hitting a bit of a reading slump so this was a nice pick-me-up to get me back in the reading mood. There was not much of a climax but with a book like this, that made sense and read well.

Overall Rating: 4 stars

Even if I found some parts quite funny the story didn't keep my attention and fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was a great book to read. It was well written, had a great plot line and was a pleasure to read

Faking It, a story about a middle-aged mom (or mum, seeing as it's set in England) who leads a second life as a semi-successful author or erotic fiction, has a few laugh out loud moments. Along with making a some great points about modern sex and what feminism really means, these moments are probably the life saver in terms of getting through the story. Unfortunately, Faking It has a little bit of a stilted tone and the plot is all over the place. I could see the potential here, but ultimately I don't think this story is for me: there was a lot of focus on how it feels to be a mom of teens, and how to navigate that part of life, which doesn't really connect with me on any level. Also, I thought this would be more of a romance and it wasn't.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for a free E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of my thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book was a very fun, laugh-out-loud book! This book is about a middle-aged woman, who is trying to write her second book, while still trying the maintain the image as a mom, teacher, and wife. Hannah is struggling with her desires to feel more than just a mother, teacher, and wife. She feels the real need to spicy up her marriage as she wants to write a successful second book full of steamy scenes! This book may have many funny situations that happen as Hannah explores different ways to reinvent herself and her intimacy with her husband, but the story demonstrates the really issues some woman might go through as their role shift throughout life, especially as the children start to grow up and leave for their next journey. I loved the friendships Hannah had with the other women around her. Their support was so heartwarming and lighthearted, especially the lengths they went to in order the help Hannah with her research for her book. The pacing was good and kept my attention up until the very end! I would have loved to see Hannah having more adventures for her book research. Also would have liked to see Hannah's husband getting more involved and on board with Hannah. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend this book to people who like funny, lighthearted books! I can't wait to read more books by this author!

3.5 Star Review Faking It by Rebecca Smith
Rebecca Smith is a new author to me. Hannah Thompson is a wife,mother, teacher and an author of erotic fiction. She is also suffering from writer’s block and struggling to complete the book she is supposed to be promoting. Hannah decides to take a leap out of her comfort zone in an effort to get the words flowing.
As her children are older, Hannah hides the fact that she is an author, particularly because her book is erotic and this frustrated me a little as it give the impression she is ashamed of what she has achieved.
There were times throughout this book that I found myself laughing out loud, however there were times that I also struggled. I would have liked to see a less “perfect” balance between the mother and the author and perhaps it could have been played up more,but then that is just my opinion.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

This was a fun light read. A good read for someone who doesn’t want all the angst and tension in a romance. It was very entertaining. I enjoyed the characters and the story line.

*I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest and voluntary review. All thoughts and opinions are those of my own*

I JUST COULDN'T LIKE IT

Not the theme, not the pace, not the characters, not the fluff and not the plot.

👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎

Theme: The middle aged mother who finds herself and her sexuality while still being the perfect mother... Yawn. Haven't we seen that trope before?

Pace: The beginning was dreadfully slow. I was tempted to DNF it multiple times because it just didn't pick up.

Characters: There were hardly any memorable characters except for the main character, Hannah. And she only sticks out for the wrong reasons. I really disliked her inability to see herself as a sexual being as well as a mother. To me that notion is horrible outdated and needs to be dispelled, not elaborated upon.

Fluff: There were just too many unnecessary fluff scenes that didn't move along the story or the plot. If you cut all of those, you would end up with a book half as long.

Plot: I would have liked this story so much more, if all of the Mother-Hannah had been cut away and the sole focus had been on Hannah becoming her alter-ego, Twinky.

Twinky: Now that we're on the subject - I hated the pseudonym Twinky. I simply couldn't take it seriously. It was so obviously a pseudonym.

Let me start by saying I wanted to love this book! The premise sounded so fun and humorous! There were parts that were in fact humorous however they were sparse. Now that is not to say I did not not like the book. I did in fact like the book I just didn’t love it the way I thought I would!

What worked for me:
How her quest to become a “sex goddess” turned out to be much more than she bargained for and she found that happiness and fulfillment she was missing! I am a sucker for a happy ending!

Where the book lacked for me:
Some of the parts that were intended for funny felt forced and more on the lines of awkward than humorous. I will say this could just be a difference in type of humor.

Overall the book was a light read and it was for the most part a quick read. These are just my opinions and if the synopsis sounds appealing to you I definitely think you should check it out! It might turn out to be your 5 star!


NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter provided me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I reeeeallly wanted to love it, the premise of the story sounded so fun! A middle-aged mom of three and part time teacher is secretly an author of erotic books on the side. Let the hilarity ensue, right? Instead, it left me feeling very meh at the end.

What worked for me:
Again, I think that the concept was really entertaining. I did also enjoy the overall message that she discovered through her journey of trying to become a "Sex Goddess", about how to talk about the ugly, real, and sometimes awkward truth about sex rather than perpetuating the "perfect picture" that is so often portrayed in movies, books, and the media in general.

What did not work for me:
I wanted more laughable moments, rather than awkward moments. And by awkward I mean things that just didn't fit, silly miscommunications, or interactions that were unnecessary, etc. And the excerpts that we were shown from her erotic novel that she was writing were super cringey.
I feel like there were some problematic moments in the book as well. The distrust in the marriage seemed strange, the stigma around her role as an author, and the daughter constantly used platforms and stances on different environmental and human rights topics for her own agenda (aka when it benefits her in an argument with her parents). Also, the daughter was just awful, even for a teenager. I hated every interaction there was with her in it. She was whiney, entitled, and SO unneccesarily disrespectful.

This was just my opinion, and I encourage you to try it for yourself if the premise seems interesting to you.

NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter provided me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for giving me an e-ARC in return for an honest review.

I'm not going to lie you guys, for me this book did not live up to its blurb. I don't even remember what I expected going in (probably a book that reads somewhat like The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary) but I got something that was a little less well executed.

The writing, let's start there, was comfortable. It wasn't as engaging as I would've liked. I wasn't enticed enough to keep me glued to my e-reader. I think it was more my determination to finish the book more than my love for it. Yes there are funny moments and you get to read what Hannah writes in her second book, but for me there were more moments where I felt bored or discouraged to keep reading than fun moments.

I didn't really click with Hannah, and that's something that I very much enjoy when I'm reading. If I don't click with the main character, I often don't like the story. Now it could be because I'm 20 and I don't have kids and Hannah is 44 and has three kids, but just her whole outlook on life and her motivation felt off for me. In chapter 1, for example, her daughter bitches at her and I feel like Hannah could've dealt with that a little better than she did.

There's definitely some steamy scenes, and I actually quite enjoyed the ladies night that was put together with the random band of ladies screaming about vibrators and crotch-less underwear, but I think that was the one and only highlight for me.

What I do want to put out there though, is that this book may not have been my jam, but you on the other hand might really enjoy it.

The description sounded funny but I'm not vibing with this book for some reason. I think it may be because I did not realise the main character would be so much older than me. I might pick this book up later though.

I loved this book and would love to read Hannahs novel too!

I really enjoyed the look into Hannah's world and understanding her point of view. There were times I wanted to yell at her to stop over anaylsing/interfering and there were times I wanted to gentle break it to her that your open mindedness was perhaps not as open as she like to hope but this to me shows that I was involved with the character and her story.

Hannah's end speech at the convention really made me want to appear her and the extracts from her novel were really amusing (lol kind of funny) and honest, the amount of times Ive read a romance novel where the lovebirds are perfect in bed without effort or moved around each other in ways that don't seem physically possible has niggled at me in the passed so Dax's 'lessons' where welcome.

All in all, i enjoyed the book and have already recommended it to a friend.

Another instance where it wasn't a bad book, it was honestly just kinda boring. Hannah writes erotica novels and is trying to draft her second book. I thought seeing her find a balance in her hectic life could have been something more - but it really was just a lot of stuff I've seen before. It wasn't bad, but there honestly wasn't much to keep me turning the pages besides the fact that this was very easy to read. Though her friendly gathering turned sex party was a highlight and I loved the honest discussions about sex and femininity, the book will unfortunately not be a standout for me.

Cute and funny but I felt like I couldn't really connect with the characters. It was a lighthearted read (and fast read) but I don't feel like anything from this book will be memorable. I did enjoy her writing though.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Funny and light hearted. If you are looking for a fun book about a mom trying to find herself, this book is for you.

This is what would happen if Erma Bombeck wrote a novel for Boomers and the older end of Generation X.

After her first book meets with mild success, Hannah is shocked to discover that her publisher considered it quite tame, actually, and wasn’t sure it really even counted as erotica, and now they want a sequel that is more hardcore. Alas! The tame bit of porn she managed to squeak out was the sexiest, most X-rated stuff she could imagine! What’s a poor teacher/wife/mother/author to do? Much of the book is about Hannah confronting her discomfort with anything even tangentially related to sex and sensuality. It is honestly a wonder her first book got published, considering the topics that make her squirm with discomfort (i.e. using the word “sex” when writing about sex).

As you may have guessed, if I had read the synopsis more closely I would not have requested this book, nor read it if I found it in a waiting room. It is a beach read for harried moms who feel Nora Ephron is a kindred spirit. Even so, Smith has a good grasp of how to balance serious plot points with humor. Case in point: although this book is really not my cup of tea, there was a passage early on that I genuinely enjoyed and which I put in spoilers because it may yet be changed prior to publication:(view spoiler)
Incidentally, this is the second book in a series, which begins with More than Just Mum. I have not read the first book (nor will I), but this book stood perfectly well on its own.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for my arc.

3.5 Stars

Hannah Thompson is your typical mom and wife who acts proper and doesn’t want to cause embarrassment to her family, but underneath all that is an author of an erotic series. Well, that is her goal, at least. She wants her book to be sexy only to be thought funny by her editor, who also is pressuring her to write the sequel. To achieve her goal, she must transform into her writing alter ego (the sex goddess, as I like to call it) and hope that she can write a solid erotic, sexy story.

Well, this story is a quick read. Hannah is relatable and funny. Her emotions and thoughts as a mother are spot-on, her kids are written just like any other kids, they can sometimes be annoying, but you love them just the same. Her relationship with her husband is also not dramatic, but it is interesting primarily when she pushes him to a few situations just because she thought it is okay. The story is relatable, especially for moms. I mean, it is not easy to feel sexy and channel your inner sex goddess when you spent so long running around like crazy to take care of your kids. We all went through that at one point. The middle part of the book felt slightly slow and repetitive, but overall, it is an easy read. It is not as laugh out loud funny, but it is amusing.

(I received a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

A writer (Rebecca Smith) writing about a writer (Hannah Thompson) who's struggling with writer's block while trying to write a sequel to an erotica novel? That was all it took to get me interested in "Faking It"! (I actually didn't realize this was a sequel to "More Than Just Mom" until I started writing this review... so I wonder if reading that first would have changed my rating in any way?)

Hannah Thompson is a wife, mother, teacher, and secret erotica author. The "secret" aspect of her identity led to quite a few laughs throughout the novel, as she certainly doesn't want her children or co-workers to find out what she's doing on the side! I think my favorite moment in the book was when Hannah and several of her female co-workers got together at her house for a very, uh, "adult" presentation (you'll understand if you read the book - I don't want to spoil anything!).

I appreciated the sex-positive and body-positive messages the author wanted to convey in her novel. Was it a bit clunky at times? Absolutely... but isn't that how real-life works? We don't have all the answers, and figuring out what works for us (and our romantic partners) can be messy!

Unfortunately, the poor pacing and tedious dialogue led to a lower rating on my part. I kept hoping to see more details of Hannah's adventures (or rather, misadventures) toward the middle of the book; however, what I received were drawn-out, boring scenes with forced conversations between Hannah, her daughter, and her mother. The ending was also a huge letdown.

I liked the premise, but the story didn't come together as well as it could have. Honestly, I think Hannah's two erotica novels would have been much more exciting that "Faking It" ultimately turned out to be! I gave this book a 3/5 star rating.