DNF at 29%

Maybe it's what is happening in the world right now, or the characters, or the way this book was developed...but I just didn't believe it. There were plot holes and things that make me side eye my Kindle way too often for me to be willing to continue past the 29% mark where I gave up.

Fake It Till You Make It (FITYMI) is a very quick and easy read.
The Characters are dramatic, quirky and simply delightful. Brady is such a great multi-dimensional well-developed character. He is completely a likeable good guy. Sloane is funny and quirky. Again, a well thought out character. I really enjoyed both characters. The supporting characters are also wonderful in this book. You have Sloane’s brother Callum and best friend Emma; they really help round out the story. (Side note: I sure hope they get their own book!)
The starts with an overly dramatic Sloane sharing with Emma about her drunken mistake of publicizing her online journal, and it goes viral overnight! The one post on her blog that seems to have everyone’s attention is her blog about “Guy”. "Guy" is the guy Sloane had a massive crush on since high school. The one she has secretly pined away for. Sloane hasn’t event shared her love of “Guy” with her best friend, Emma read about it like everyone else on the viral Blog post! There is only person in the whole world who happens to know her secret is the town bartender Brady. One night a little over a year before she drunkenly spilled her guts to a year ago. Everyone in her small town, on the internet and a literary agent all want to know who guy is. Sloane, finding herself in a difficult situation, Brady--who just found out his ex is newly engaged to Sloane's "guy" offers to help Sloane by pretending to be "Guy" and fake a relationship.
The trope of the novel is Fake relationship, but with its own twist! It was an enjoyable read. There is plenty of chemistry in this book. It isn’t overtly sexual, but it absolutely delivers on the romance end of the story. Several LOL moments along with a few snickers here and there.
For a debut offering Anne Harper has an amazing pose and sense of character. I was shocked to learn this was her first novel. It was so well written and thought out. I can’t wait to see what other books from Ms. Harper.
I really enjoyed reading FITYMI. As a big fan of Rom-Com and the Nora Ephron effect on romance this book is that plus a little extra. This was a 4.5/5 read for me. It should be added to your TBR list for this spring/summer of 2020.

While I do love the fake dating trope (which is what drew me to this book), I didn’t find this enjoyable.

The characters were a bit one dimensional and I often felt myself skimming over full pages. It’s almost like the story was trying too hard to be funny, and it wasn’t achieved.

One of my favorite romance tropes is fake relationship and Fake It Till You Make It by Anne Harper does it wonderfully.

In this story Sloane De Carlo made the mistake of posting the equivalent to her online diary to the public. Now the world wants to know who her secret crush is and the only one who really knows is the bartender of her hometown. Since said crush is currently engaged she doesn't want the truth out. Enter the secret knowing bartender Brady Knox whose bar needs publicity before it goes down the drain. Becoming Sloane's 'crush' would solve both their problems. Like most fake relationships feelings grow, and the sexual tension can't be denied, and all of a sudden the relationship doesn't feel so fake anymore.


Sloane is awkward and quirky with the habit of rambling when she's uncomfortable. She doesn't feel like she belongs and struggles with her self-confidence. I enjoyed watching her grow and step out of her comfort zone. Brady was your typical grumpy attractive bartender. He enjoyed making Sloane blush and was caring when he needed to be. I loved the situations they found themselves in and was routing for them from the start. Even though I was able to foresee how the ending was going to play out it didn't take away from how sweet it was when it happened.


Fake It Till You Make It is the debut novel for author Anne Harper. This fake relationship trope romance does not in any way feel like a debut novel. The characters are well-developed and the story line never once lost my attention. I will be keeping my eyes out for all of Anne Harper's future books.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.
Sloane De Carlo’s life is turned upside down when she makes her blog of unrequited love for “Guy” public. It has now gone viral, and everyone wants to know who “Guy” is. The only person who knows who the mystery man is, is bartender Brady Knox, after Sloane got drunk and spilled the beans. When mean girl Carol starts interrogating her, Brady steps up and pretends to be her mystery man. This sets up a small town, fake romance. I had a difficult time getting through this book. I didn’t really connect with the characters. The author’s character development of Brady was to continually say he was grumpy and that he smirked (seriously, I think both of these words were used every page). Sloane was neurotic, constantly blushing and fairly immature. For a RomCom, it was seriously light on the Com.

I admittedly took a chance on this book. I was drawn to the cute cover, and the even cuter premise. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. I think it is in part, a victim of timing. This is just not the style or the trope I'm in the mood for during these trying times. It failed to capture my attention and I found myself skimming within the first 15%.

I felt like everything moved really quickly and I might have liked more smart banter. It seemed like characters constantly reacted to their environment (or - most notably - "queen bee") and I had a hard time connecting with that. In the end, while I can see how it could be charming, it was a DNF for me.

Sloan and Brady fake being in love until they actually fall in love!

Sloane De Carlo returned to her hometown of Arbor Bay to get away from all the interest about her blog that she accidently made public by mistake. Sloan wrote about being in the love with a guy and never telling him but she needed to tell the guy so her agent could sell the finished story. Sloan was at the local bar with friends when she was rescued by Brady Knox who ran the family bar who claimed he was the guy that she never told and that she had finally confessed but it was someone else she did want to tell. Brady told Sloan he would help her out while she helped to bring back the customers to the local bar before she left town again.

Fake It Till You Make It makes the reader understand how the something that you want to have private can grow out of control. The reader will laugh at the getting ready for the local festival that makes living in a small town fun for families.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fake dating tropes can be an iffy concept for me, but I definitely enjoyed this one. Of course, it helped that it featured a pairing of a grumpy hero and a little miss sunshine heroine. There something about transforming a gruff and taciturn guy that keeps me entertained.
Brady and Sloane were a lot of fun with a wee bit of frustration thrown into the mix. There was an undercurrent of high school drama, with mean girl Carol, but all the other secondary characters added a great flavor to the storyline. I’m not sure if there’s a series intended, but I’d love to read Callum’s story.
I really like Anne Harper’s writing style, and her dialogue is fantastic...just what you’d overhear if you were eavesdropping on conversations. Great job for a debut book, I can’t wait to read more from his author!

I loved this book.

Sloane accidentally changes her settings on her blog from private to public. Now, that wouldn't have been too much of a problem if Sloane wrote every day stuff like what she ate or what she watched yesterday. Nope Sloane wrote about her feelings. Her forbidden feelings towards an engaged guy. "Her guy", that now the world wants to know who he is. Problem is he doesn't know he is guy either. Only one person knows who "guy" is. The grumpy bartender whom Sloane drunkenly told her secrets too. He see's an opportunity that he believes will benefit them both. He will pretend to be "guy", she will avoid humiliation and get "her guy" while he gets exposure for his bar. Win win right.

This book is so charming and sweet. It is a really easy read that you will devour. Sloane and Brady are complete opposites or so they thought. Their "fake" relationship is build on real chemistry and trust! Sounds like a real relationship to me, only it takes awhile for these two characters to catch on. I loved the fact this book has a dual POV I love to read about the two sides and their thoughts.

I recommend this book to someone who is looking for an easy light read that you know will end up with a happily ever after, and sure through in a giggle there too.

This was fun, a standard fake dating scenario. One thing I love about romance is how it follows a pretty regular pattern and I can count on it - this did just that. I liked the couple, thought the plot was cute, and enjoyed how it all wrapped up. I would recommend for adult fans of To All the Boys I Loved Before, sub letters for a blog, and add some sexy time.

Clearly this was not the book for me. I will say I did like the plot line but beyond that it was a struggle to even finish. I hate to DNF but came so close multiple times.
I really had a rough time discerning how old these characters were, they were supposed to be adults but it read too much like high school. Writing was choppy in places and the h went from down home made up food related phrases to full out cussing- again making me wonder the age.
I won't digress, in short it wasn't for me.

arc from Entangled via NetGalley for an honest review

Fake It Till You Make It is a very fun and light read. Perfect beach read in my opinion!

Let me start off by saying, this novel is a big 'fake-dating trope', so if you don't like that, then this is me warning you. Personally, I really enjoy this trope, and I had a blast reading this book.

The novel was a very quick read, and I found the characters to be enjoyable. Brady was the star of this novel to me. I thought his character was very well-developed and you couldn't help but love him. Sloane was also done well, and relatable. A few of the side characters were super interesting to me, and I hope that they make an appearance in other books. Sloane's brother Callum, and best friend Emma were very intriguing and i'd love to see their stories.

The premise was also super fun--Our MC Sloane, has drunkenly publicized her online journal, and it goes viral overnight. In her blog, Sloane has talked a lot about "Guy"-- the guy she has had a massive crush on since high school-- and everyone wants to know who "Guy" is. The only person in town who happens to know her secret is the town bartender Brady, who she had once again drunkenly spilled her guts to a year ago. Finding herself in a difficult situation, Brady--who just found out his ex is newly engaged to Sloane's "guy"--offers to help Sloane by pretending to be "Guy" and faking a relationship.

This book is also steamy you guys. Definitely not closed door, and had a couple of detailed scenes--not erotica level detail, but details all the same. I would give it a 3/4 on the heat scale.

I found this to be highly enjoyable, and super fun to read. The outcome of these books are pretty typical and predictable, which is why I rated it at a 4 (liked it a lot, but probably won't re-read). Like I said. It would be the perfect quick beach read, and I think a lot of romance and romcom fans will love this one!

I really enjoyed this book! At first I had some difficulty getting into it, but after 3 chapters it was on!

Sloane has written a blog ever since she was a teenager after the death of her parents. It has always been private, but one night when she is a bit drunk she decides to change the settings to public. After that, her blog goes viral with the public focusing on one thing: why Sloane never told the unnamed 'guy' in her blog how she feels about him. Upset and humiliated Sloane returns to her home town, to the place her brother still lives in their parents' home. She has an offer from a publisher with the condition she tells 'guy' the truth, but that is hard for her. And fortunately she is saved from further humiliation by Brady, bartender, who claims HE is 'guy'. Brady has his own reasons, but sending time with Sloane makes him (and her) realize there is something more between them than just a temporary fake relationship.

I won't go any further into the storyline as it is lovely to read for yourself. The budding romance between Sloane and Brady is so organic and sweet. I loved them as a couple. I also liked the growth Sloane and Brady show and their realizations about where they want to be in life and how they feel about each other.

Great book and I look forward to a next book by this author!

When Sloan drunkenly changes the privacy settings on her blog and her deepest secrets go viral, she considers moving to Antarctica until Brady Knox has a better suggestion. He pretends to be the great love of her life if Sloane, in turn, leverages her notoriety to bring in more customers to Brady's struggling small-town bar.

Fake dating is one of my favorite romance novel tropes, and Anne Harper does a great job with Fake It Till You Make It! The characters are super likable and this book sets up a future series well (please can we get a Callum book? Or Dixon??) The one thing I didn't understand was the whole element of the book deal/literary agent. Nothing in Sloane's description makes you think she's a particularly good writer or that writing a book has long been a dream of hers. I wish those dots would have been connected a little better, but other than that I enjoyed this book.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was fun and had just the right amount of angst. It was the perfect read for this time in our lives. I loved Sloane and found her authentic and silly. Brady was a great book boyfriend and such a typical man. The plot kept moving and I kept turning pages. I really enjoyed my time with these two and the crazy situations they found themselves in.

I've been excited about this book since I first heard about it, and it did not disappoint. The characters sucked you into the story and the story kept you turning pages as fast as you could. I devoured it in a day. I loved it.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me a copy of Fake it Till You Make It in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. The tone was a bit off and the dialogue seemed forced at times. It was quite difficult to catch my attention. I ultimately decided to DNF this book, but I would like to try again.

Fake dating with some grump/sunshine mixed in? Yes, please!

Sloane has been writing a very private blog since she was seventeen but in a drunken haze she outed herself and her blog. Brady has a bar he loves, so mush so that it’s the reason his ex gave for breaking things off, but not enough customers. He also knows Sloane’s biggest secret and is willing to help for a price.

This one gave me some serious Never Been Kissed Vibes and I was so here for it! From the happy upbeat but emotionally vulnerable heroine to the often grumpy but completely charmed hero and the cast of small town characters, Fake it Till You Make it was a lovely, funny read that had just the right amount emotional balance to keep me invested and satisfied without overwhelming me in these interesting times.

I hope there’s more to come from Arbor Bay!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.

Fake it Till You Make It is a fake dating romantic comedy. It is set in a small town and that is almost another character in itself. The premise is not exactly original, but I did like that there was a lot of emphasis on social media and how it affects our lives.
The story is told from the perspective of both Brady and Sloane. This is something I am seeing a lot more in romance and I have to say I like it. It is nice getting “both sides” of the story. I loved both Brady and Sloan. Sloane was just a normal girl, and it was sort of refreshing. Brady, as mentioned several times in the book, is a grumpy bartender, but he really does have a heart of gold. Brady and Solane together were great! I loved how Sloane stuck up for Brady.
I liked that this book did such a good job of getting that small-town vibe. Everyone knowing everything. Being told to go talk to so and so about this or that. This book was so cute and I highly recommend it. It is for those of you who liked To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

This book started out great -- it captured my attention and made me laugh. I enjoyed some of the silly situations the heroine got herself in. However, the book became quite repetitive and dragged on and on. While the characters were in their mid-20's, they were very immature. The book was a quick read and had some funny moments, but overall, it could have been better.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.