"They loved it, hated it, criticized it, shared it. It left no time for hobbies... It left no time for friedships that weren't based on reciprocal likes." -From The Sweetest Charade

3 ish stars

I should have loved this book, but something felt off. I did like Delysia; she has more depth than you might assume an influencer would. She made me want to keep reading. Some of her choices seemed random, but it wasn't a huge deal. Alexander is a bit different than the blurb makes it out to be; he has a bit of family status that wouldn't matter, but he comes off as so condesscending he started to be completely unlikeable for me. The boat scene was so cringey.<spoiler> "I'm surprised you haven't made the connection"- to her favorite movie? Yea, she probably got it. Who wouldn't realized a scene from their favorite movie was being recreated? </spoiler>. It took me longer to get through it than I would have thought. It only picked up for me once she was in Dubai.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just like the title described. It was an incredibly sweet story. One that made me a little jealous, tbqh LOL. I loved the development of the characters, how the little things you liked about the characters became the reasons you loved them in the end. This is a Black romance story that makes your heart feel warm, and it has nothing to do anything happening in The UAE. Now, the story does heat up a little, don't get me wrong, but it was just so sweet. There was tenderness in the love scenes, and honestly, this book feels like it was written with love, I don't get that feeling from a lot of books. I can't wait to read more from this author. #TheSweetestCharade #NetGalley

This was a fun and quick read. I read it in an afternoon. There were a couple moments that gave me anxiety, but there are trigger warnings at the beginning, which is great. I wish all books came with trigger warnings. The characters really were the best part of this story. They were so realistic and amazing, and yes, their romance was beautiful, but the highlight really was their friendship and the moments they spent together. The whole plot with the train was also pretty unique. On another note I don't think this cover was the best choice, because it doesn’t really illustrate the story very well. Overall, I really liked this book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance.

⭐⭐⭐

A sweet story of two very different people coming together and bonding over luxury and historical trains, while documenting their relationship for social media.

I loved the descriptions of places (Dubai, New York, etc). The characters felt well rounded without being over explained (aka real) and their slow rolling relationship fit well with story. It's a closed door romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Carina Press for the ARC of this book. Opinions are my own.

#TheSweetestCharade#NetGalley

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Carina Press for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book tells the story of .Delysia Daniels of a gorgeous social media influencer that mistakenly tags a grumpy professor in a viral post. Imagine tagging a grumpty uptight professor in a racy photo and only for him to discover that he is popular not because of his teachings but because of their photo. So they agree to fake date and sparks fly because that's what happens when two beautiful people get together. I absolutely loved this book, I cracked up and totally adored the characters in the book. The book was well written and if you don't end up loving the grumpy sunshine romance trope after this then I don't know what will chnage your mind

What happens when you tag someone by mistake . He is a professor and she is an influencer . They fake dating for their own reasons . I loved his hobby with vintage trains . A sweet love story .
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.