Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this book. I think that this was a sweet, funny fake dating story that kept me on a rollercoaster of emotions. This was a great read.

Jadesola James's The Sweetest Charade is a lovely debut about two closed off people learning to open up to each other and make something real out of their fake relationship.

Delysia, a social media influencer, accidentally tags Professor Alexander Abbot-Hill. in a suggestive Instagram photo that gets the attention of students and staff alike at his school. When he threatens to sue her, Delysia's agent suggests a fake dating situation that has the potential to yield big rewards for each of them, which they agree to.

Delysia and Alexander are two people who isolate from others in their own way. Delysia who of course has an online persona that is nothing like who she is in real life, and Alexander, whose academic interests and attachment to his family's past keeping him stagnant. A slow burn, so it the relationship takes it's time to develop but it is a sweet journey as these two slowly find a way to be open to each other.

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore this book! <3

Dr. Alexander Abbott-Hill is a professor at the university, teaching a class, that no one has much interest in and is not all that popular with students. That all changes the day he was accidentally tagged in a steamy photo by the popular influencer.

Delysia Daniels dropped out of medical school to pursue influencing full time. Online she has this happy bubbly persona, but in reality, she is vulnerable and just a little bit broken. She is not doing it just for herself. Her mother back home is sick and she needs money to pay for treatments.

Soon after they meet, they both get an opportunity of a lifetime, only if they can keep up with fake dating long enough.

The sparks are flying from the start and soon the fake turn into real.

It's just the sweetest love story. It's only cute, but the writing is awesome, the characters are very well fleshed out and developed and there is just something to it. :) I read it in one sitting and smiled all the way through. :)

Highly recommend it!

Well, this was a delightful read with some seriously strong writing. Jadesola James' debut novel was a hit for me and I'm so happy I've found a new author whose writing just instantly clicks for me. The Sweetest Charade is a fresh take on the fake-dating trope between a reserved history professor and a vibrant social media influencer.

When Delysia accidentally tags Alexander in a racy photo that nearly wreaks havoc in his professional life, the two enter the most unlikely of fake relationship, but one that will help both of their aspirations. They are both determined to keep things professional between them but we all know how that always ends in a fake dating romance. ;)

I loved both Alexander and Delysia. Delysia has this glamorous life as a social media influencer but manages to be humble and kind towards others. Though she is a social butterfly, she is actually quite reserved. I think most of us have this negative perspective of social media influencers being shallow and lazy, so I liked how the author sheds those stereotypes in The Sweetest Charade. Alexander is one of the few people to really see all that's underneath the layers of Delysia. He came from a long line of wealthy folks, but he was quite humble about it. He was really just a cute old-fashioned little geeky professor who nerded out over trains and history!

Lucky for Alexander, much of the romance between the two develops over a press tour for a luxury train journey across the Northeastern US. I didn't think I'd enjoy how much focus there is on the trains in this book, but I did! It's clear the author did her research and I never thought I'd be a train person, but apparently, I just need a uber luxurious train experience. I loved the maturity that they showcased in their relationship. The forced proximity as they are on this journey also brought them emotionally close to each other. There were so many sweet moments in this book. Alexander, especially, is a sweetheart to Delysia, and he's such a goner for her. I may or may not have made the heart-eyes emoji as I read this book!

All in all, this was a strong debut romance for me. I loved the author's writing and can't wait to read more from her!

Content notes: surgery of a parent (kidney transplant), some elitist/classist comments made towards the heroine

This book was such a treat! Delysia and Alex were a delightful pair and the tension between them was really well done. I also appreciated the long-distance aspect of their relationship, which is something I'd love to see more of in romance. Between this and Redeemed by His New York Cinderella, I'm officially a Jadesola James fan for life -- and I'm making sure my library acquires both books. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I received an ARC of this book and am giving a fair review about it. I was quite intrigued by the premises and a bit doubtful but I quickly got sold on the 2 leads and the great writing. I enjoyed Delysia and Alexander story very much. Del's background was quite unusual as was her professional occupation that I had a bit of a bad opinion of, admittedly. My first impression was not very good of her. I rolled my eyes a bit at all the 'glitter and luxurious' lifestyle but, and cringed at the intrusiveness of social media work. But she quickly grew on me and I ended up admiring her quite much. She was very good and determined at what she did, and I respected that. The reasons why she took on that job was a bit on the cliché side but I went along with it cause the story was otherwise quite good. I also liked that she was from Erytrea. I liked Alexander and he was a great lead. Loved how honest and simple he was, even with his boring academic side, without any over the top alphaness. They made a very nice couple and I rooted for them to make it work. So, that was a very enjoyable read that I wholeheartedly recommend.

This book started off very promising. While the set-up and motivation for the fake dating were quite unbelievable, I was happily willing to put that aside because let's be honest, fake dating is like catnip, and I was very much enjoying this book in the beginning. But then after a quarter or so I started quickly losing interest. I can't pinpoint exactly why except that this just wasn't my kind of book with the focus on luxury and excess. I wanted a little more emotional depth out of it and by the time that came into play, I had already zoned out of the story, it just took too long to come on.

Reviewer: Brenda Larnell
Rating: A

Debut author, Jadesola James hits a home run with THE SWEETEST CHARADE. I love the way she handles the tried-and-true romance tropes of opposites attract and the fake relationship. Starring in this engaging story are Professor Alexander Abbott-Hill, a staid University professor and a scion of a well-established old-money family, and Delysia Daniels, popular social media influencer, as the unlikely couple who hook up to promote their individual interests.

Delysia’s agent, Faye, is responsible for the ruse that brings the hero and heroine together. The Professor’s love of luxury trains is one of the most unique subplots that I have had the pleasure to read about. His family’s family train, reduced to two cars, is the catalyst for his obsession for restoring the family cars. When Delysia mistakenly tags him in one of her sexy photo-blogs, the professor leaps from an obscure academia lifestyle to a social icon with four thousand followers and rapidly climbing. What a predicament! I like how the author brings these two unlikely people together as they pose as lovers and take their show on the rails with a luxurious travel venue. Delysia’s backstory is quite intriguing and connects well to the storyline when you discover she is not the social butterfly she seems to be. You’ll get that when you read the story.

The side characters are major players who contribute to the intrigue of the story and the development of the hero and heroine. I like the savvy of Delysia’s agent, Faye, and the bond between Delysia and her mother. A Boo-Hiss joint award goes to Nicky Kim and his sister, Eden. You’ll understand when you read the book. Kudos to the author for her excellent research on luxury trains and flawlessly incorporating it in the story. The HEA is delightful!

THE SWEETEST CHARADE is an excellent introduction to the talented Jadesola James. I’m looking forward to reading more of her stories. In the meantime, I recommend THE SWEETEST CHARADE for your reading pleasure.

At one point, I wanted to punch both Alexander and Delysia. Because she was acting like a spoiled brat and he was acting like an emotionless prick who didn't care about anything in this world. And he didn't defend her when his cousin was practically talking about her like she's a slut in front of him. It's like the small spark or chemistry they had that died for not exploring their relationship properly. And they're the most unreasonable characters I've ever read. Both of them. I didn't care about them whatsoever. Both were irritating AF!
So, yeah. I didn't like it. I forced myself to finish it for some reason. The writing style was alright. But the plot became boring for not executing it properly. It could've been a really interesting book. And there was no character development or chemistry between the lead characters. Skimmed a lot and didn't enjoy the book.

I am a SUCKER for a good fake relationship trope and this did not disappoint! Add the social butterfly x academic loner element and you've got this book.

Delysia and Alex start off with a very closed off, rules and all, professional relationship that you just know is going to lead to the best breakdown you can ask for in these types of situations. We got to see the build up where they try their hardest to fight their attraction. Their chemistry was obvious from the first interaction, even though there were so many tense and awkward moments where Alex tries to adjust to his newfound fame, so that the moment that the finally give in to each other you breathe a sigh of relief. We are all Faye in this situation (once you've read this, you'll get my reference).

It's steamy, and it's full of heart.

Delysia has more to her than initially meets the eye, and watching as she finally unravels the tight hold that she has on herself is a beautiful thing to behold.

Very cute overall.

I really enjoyed this! It was a cute opposites attract romance. I really love in romance books when one of the MCs is just nerding out about their job and the other MC has no clue what they're talking about but still finds them cute??? This is Alexander and Delysia. She's an influencer and he's a professor. Things get a bit wild for Alexander after she accidentally tagged him in a racy photo.

I loved that set up for a fake relationship. These two do not walk in the same circles but as they go on this journey together, a literal journey on a train, they learn alot from each other and get closer!

Their chemistry and the tension between them was just delicious! There were also a lot of really sweet moments that had me turining into the puppy eyes emoji for real. I diiiid want to shake them both at different times but while they both had their issues to deal with, they figured it out in the end :)

Looking forward to reading more from this author!

These characters gave me "don't judge a book by its cover" vibes from the beginning and I loved it. The progression of their relationship was a joy to read. Predictable in ways, but enjoyable nonetheless. Their meeting was super random though lol I couldn't leave that part out.

Jadesola is a debut author and I will most definitely keep Jadesola James on my radar and will be looking for her next book. This is an awesome read, wonderful characters, great word building, great chemistry, easy to read, fast paced, page turner all the making of a book that you can not put down; great from beginning to the end. Fake relationships are one of my favorite reading tropes.

Delysia is big on social media and she accidentally tags Dr. Alexander Abbott-Hill in one of her media post. Alexander wants Delysia to retract the post. Delysia agent has something in mind and wants the two too met up. Alexander is suddenly getting a lot attention from the post and decides to meet up with Delysia as her agent had requested and agrees to a fake relationship. Delysia is nothing what Alexander had in mind; but all what he is looking for in a relationship. They both click and the relationship goes from fake to the real thing.

I received an ARC via Netgalley and I’m voluntarily leaving my review. Thank you Netgalley and Carina Press.

The Sweetest Charade by Jadesola James was a great read. I featured it as Book of the Day on all my social media platforms, and I’ll include it in my monthly roundup of news releases for my Black Fiction Addiction blog. I also interviewed the author.

The Sweetest Charade rewards persistence. I wasn’t very engaged at first and wasn’t sure I was going to have much to say about it, but in the end, Jadesola James pulls off a lovely debut romance.

Delysia, a social media influencer, accidentally tags Professor Alexander Abbot-Hill, of the Long Island Abbot-Hills. in a slightly racy Instagram photo. He asks for a retraction and her agent asks for them to meet because she’s got an idea that could serve them both. Alexander is surprised at the attention he is getting because of the photo and sees value in agreeing to fake a romance with Delysia. It’s a romance, so of course the feelings become real.

Delysia and Alexander are each in their own way, closed off and isolated. Delysia keeps up a façade for protection, and Alexander is living like a relict of his family’s past. Their forced proximity and partnership open them up to parts of life they had shut down. The real romance doesn’t get going until fairly late in the book and not until after they have started to become comfortable with the real people they discovered under their shells. Their individual growth and growth as a couple were lovely and sweet.

One sour note: I wish that she hadn’t chosen to make the only antagonists also the only Korean/Korean American characters. I don’t think this book needed antagonists.

Other content warnings: mild drug use, misogyny directed at the main character, mild drug use, emotional manipulation during a sexual situation, past parental death, parental illness.

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books where interest is caught on page one and the reader finds it difficult to put down. Delysia and Alexander met by accident and definitely are an "opposites attract" sort of couple but for all the planned moments and fake faces found in her world as an influencer, their developing relationship felt real. The chemistry between these two was evident to anybody who watched them near one another in the same room/space. Not going to say more about these two because I don't want to spoil things for others. A friend suggested this book and I'm rather glad she did! Looking forward to reading more by this author.

I loved the fake dating, opposites attract, close proximity trope in this story. A historian professor and an Instagram influencer couldn't be more different. The author had both Delysia, the influencer, and Alexander, the professor, teaching each other different things. Delysia's character starts off being late to a meeting with him which makes you think she's a typical rich influencer but we learn that she's more than that. Alexander is a recluse who loves history and trains, he's a humble, down to earth billionaire who is not entitled nor treats others as lesser than. He learns from Delysia and starts to enjoy the followers he's getting from their fake relationship. I enjoyed how this took place mostly on a train and then parties showing how out of place Alexander is and how Delysia puts on a fake personal for her job.
Triggers: sick parent, loss of parents, drug use

Review also posted on my goodreads (Lovelynovellas)

THE SWEETEST CHARADE follows social media influencer Delysia Daniels and history professor Dr. Alexander Abbott-Hill. The pair decide to fake date to further their careers after Delysia accidentally tags Alexander in a racy photo on Instagram.
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Didn’t mean to start this book, I just wanted to read the first chapter to see if this was the book I felt like picking up next. It was so easy to fall into and before I knew it I was already 30% in. Reading it felt smooth and effortless; it was a nice and sweet, tender read. I liked the voice and the writing, the characters are lovely. I love a fake dating plot, and the description really had my interest.. I’m glad I found this story!
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3.5 stars, THE SWEETEST CHARADE by Jadesola James is available June 22, 2021!
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Thank you to Netgalley and Carina Press for sending me an eARC to review.

This is such a sweet and adorable love story. I can't recall the last book that kept me up reading after midnight, but this one did. The plot was original. The way they met was a bit random, but it made sense for the story. I liked both Alexander and Delysia. I was hooked from page one. Such a wonderful debut. I'm looking forward to see what other books this author has got in store for us.

Opposites attract in this book by Jadesola James. It really struck me by how Alexander and Delysia matched each other despite being from vastly different backgrounds. I like Delysia was a smart and cunning social media influencer, despite the connotation of being vapid. It was a slow burn. And I never thought I'd find trains sexy, but I did.