TW: microaggressions, fatphobia

If you love fandom/cosplaying/fake dating, this is for you!

I was very excited about this one, and it’s a pretty cute story, but overall, the story fell a bit flat for me. I think that fake dating and friends to lovers are god-tier tropes, but the relationship between Kenya and Cam never really clicked for me.

Another note, I adore fandom and cosplaying, but the constant references began to strain my patience a bit.

Pros:
Plus-size WOC geeky MC
Body positive rep
Fake dating
Forced proximity
Fandom/nerdy things galore

Cons:
Love scenes are fade-to-black adjacent (just not for me)
Conflict was too close to miscommunication for my taste

I enjoyed this book, but sometimes I felt like I was reading a YA book. The characters were great. Kenya is an anime, gamer cosplayer who makes her own incredibly elaborate costumes. She’s plus size and knows how to dress to show off her curves. She describes her friend Cam as “Thor’s sexier twin”.

Her best friend since childhood, Cam, owns a fabrication company with digital printers etc. They’re roommates, and Kenya works for Cam and he supports her cosplaying. They’ve been secretly in love with each other for years, and they each have reasons why they’re afraid to take their relationship to the next level. Kenya is afraid of losing Cam’s friendship, and doesn’t believe that a guy that good looking could want her. Cam is afraid to be rejected by Kenya, he thinks she’s smart and gorgeous.

Kenya enters a competition called Cosplay or No Way and reaches the finals, when she learns the final required a pairs costume. She says no pressure, her partner Cam will help her. She’s worried about telling Cam he needs to be her fake boyfriend, but he hopes they’ll finally admit their feelings and start going out for real.
They’ll be filmed while they work on the costumes, and they can tell that the crew doesn’t believe their relationship is real. They’ll need to act their parts, complete with affectionate gestures etc. As the charade goes on their acting turns into real as they start sleeping together.

Can they convince their friends, co-workers, and her parents that they’re actually dating? And while they’re at it, can they convince themselves and move beyond friendship?

The characters were well developed, they feel very true to life. The story was fun and I loved learning how they built the elaborate costumes.
I think I didn’t relate to the book as much as I might have because I know next to nothing about the cosplay world, which is a big part of the book. I still liked it, and I recommend it. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my

This is a cute and nice that's kinda fake-dating-y book with subplots about microaggressions and cosplay and annoying families. If any of those five things (cute, nice, microaggressions, cosplay, being irritated by those whose blood is similar to yours) sounds up your alley, I recommend this book.

As is, I can only truly appreciate one and a half of them (give it your best guess) and I still thought this was a fun one.

Hurray for looking on the bright side for once!

Bottom line: When a book is good and not quite for you but still not NOT for you, what is there to really say?

The Love Con was a friends-to-lovers romance that never pulled me in.

After completing the semi-finalist stage of a cosplay competition reality show, Kenya felt pressured to announce her best friend and roommate as her boyfriend. When she arrived back in Georgia to complete the final stage of the competition, Kenya and her best friend Cam must acknowledge feelings that were always simmering below the surface.

The Love Con was a jarring read for me, mostly because the action happened early in the book. There was no build to Kenya’s journey on the competition reality show, nor did we get to see Cam and Kenya’s relationship before they had to assume the role of fake boyfriend and fake girlfriend. It was nice to see cosplay take the front stage and Glass included pop culture references that readers will enjoy, but this wasn’t the romance I anticipated.

The Love Con was a fun read, but the romance left a lot to be desired.

I was really excited for this book but it fell flat for me early on. For me, fake relationship works best when at least one of them is hesitant about the fake relationship. When one of them does not have active, conscious feelings for the other. The FMC and MMC are both really in to each other and could easily be in a 'real' relationship with a short conversation. I couldn't but the premise. DNF

Two nerdy best friends fake-date in order to win a cosplay reality show. With all eyes on them, two difficult costumes to make, and a ticking clock, there's stress abundant. But... at the same time, this has never felt more right or natural for them.

This book was adorable!! It has fake dating and parents in stem. Kenya and Cam are fake dating enemies to lovers.

In a fake dating, friends to lovers plot, The Love Con follows Kenya and Cam as they navigate the final round of a cosplay competition. I think that this was a really unique fake dating plot because the couple was already so close and it added some warmth and softness to the story because their relationship simply made sense. This was a fun book with plenty of pop culture references and a dramatic reality TV competition.

I thought that Kenya was a bold character with so much confidence and style, every time her clothing or cosplay was described I wished I could see it in real life! Cam was the definition of a golden retriever type character and his love for Kenya was heartwarming. I appreciated seeing how the two worked together and the way they stood together in order to uplift each other when things started to get difficult. Kenya had helped Cam go after his dream by opening up his own business and this was Cam's way of helping Kenya go after hers. Kenya's family isn't supportive of her creative endeavors and this was hard to read, especially knowing how she was being treated by the cosplay show too.

Kenya had to deal with a fair amount of microaggressions as well as fatphobia throughout the plot and I liked reading about how she dealt with all of this. And the added support from Cam was heartwarming because it was so obvious that he supported and loved her no matter what. This book was cheesy and dramatic at times but it was overall very cute. The progression of the relationship made a lot of sense and it was a unique and fun nerdy plot.

4.5 stars.

It's been awhile since I read a Seressia Glass book and she did not disappoint. This book was everything a friends to lover story should be. Karen and Cameron really cared for and respected each other.

Kenya Davenport has been trying to make it a cosplay designer and her parents were not supportive of her dreams. Luckily her best friend Cameron Lassiter had her back and agreed to pretend to be her boyfriend on a tv reality show that required a duo cosplay costume. Their "relationship" became part of the storyline on the show so the two friends had to sell it. But at some point, they realized it wasn't pretend anymore and they really felt more than friendship for each other.

What made this book really great for me was the communication. Cameron and Kenya talked about the small and big stuff regardless of how hard it was. That was the key to the relationship being believable. They also had chemistry in spades so you couldn't help but root for them as a couple and to win the reality show.

This story was one of my favorites this year and I highly recommend this author.

4 Stars

Kenya is a finalist on a Cosplaying reality show, and needs to pair up with her best friend to finish her last project. The problem? She told the world that they were a couple! Cam willingly agrees to play along, but will this friendship finally turn into something more?

What I liked:
Interracial relationship
Kenya’s drive to succeed
Kenya and Cam’s friendship and support of one another

Read if you like:
Friends to lovers
Fake dating
Cosplaying
Superheros

I really enjoyed this book! Thank you Berkley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A fun read if you love comics, cosplay, reality tv, plus size heroines and friends to lovers romances!
The main character was a a beautiful strong black woman with a best friend who loves her for exactly who she is. It was a lovely journey watching two friends realize just how perfect for each other they are.
I probably would have enjoyed it a little bit more if I was more into cosplay so if you love it than pick this up!

I enjoyed the concept of The Love Con but to be honest I got incredibly bored. I didn't connect with the MMC I thought he was rather bland for the FMC and I didn't enjoy the friends to lovers concept. However, fake dating always go down well with me.

I took a break from reading my holiday stories to sneak in a story of reality TV, cosplay, fake relationships and friends-to-lovers. Quite the break from holiday romance! This was my first cosplay story, and I was curious to to see where it would go.

I am a sucker for "I'm on a reality TV show" stories. The Charm Offensive was one of the best reality TV rom-coms I read this year! While reading the portions of the story that were either taking place on the show, or were being filmed for it, I was riveted. The parts where the producers would try to stir up drama had me turning pages as well. What can I say - I am a Housewives fan and can't help myself.

The parts where Kenya and Cam would be in their apartment and we would be knee deep in their thoughts became a little repetitive and boring for me. There are only so many times I can read that Kenya owes Cam, or how Cam owes Kenya. There's also only so many times I could read their assumptions about how each other felt. It's so frustrating to read parts of the story that can be resolved with a simple 2 minute conversation.

All in all, I give this read 3 out of 5 stars! This book is out now.

When Kenya needs a partner for the final round fo reality competition Cosplay or No Way, her best friend and roommate Cameron agrees to be her fake boyfriend.

Listen, I’ll read any book that @berkleyromance publishes even romances about cosplay. I don’t understand cosplay, but I definitely understood the chemistry between Kenya and Cam. I’m not normally a fan of friends-to-lovers, but I loved this fake romance. You should definitely read this!

Thanks to @NetGalley and Berkley for my ARC!

A combination between “All The Feels” by Olivia Dade and “If The Shoe Fits” by Julie Murphy, “The Love Con” by Seressia Glass manages to incorporate reality TV, a love for cosplay, and a friends-to-lovers / fake-dating romance into one beautiful story.

I loved Kenya Davenport. She was strong, powerful, and refused to take crap from anyone. But more than this, I love how Glass portrayed Kenya internally – how readers can see her build up her walls so as to avoid the stereotypes people place on Black women and people of the global majority. Simultaneously, I loved Cam Lassiter and how glass portrayed him as a man with a heartbreaking past who has not only overcome it but is also not afraid of being emotional.

These two characters were so wholesome. I loved their friends and coworkers, but their exes and family members were hard to deal with. That being said, Kenya and Cam’s individual insecurities were constantly introduced throughout the book to further challenge them, and boy did they. They faced obstacles regularly, and what they soon realized is that they are far better at tackling those obstacles together rather than separately.

The only part of this book that wasn’t perfect was the steam-level, which seems weird to say. Throughout the entire book, Kenya and Cam has SO much tension between them – it was clear they wanted each other. But their kisses were more heated than their intimate scenes. These scenes were glossed over and nearly skipped. Not sure why, but it didn’t feel like it fit the story nearly as much as it could if it was written out more.

I truly enjoyed this one and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for multicultural, nerdy (said endearingly) representation.

I was excited to read this. The description of this talks about cosplay, nerds, and comic con events so I was super hyped to check this story out and while it was good, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
It's a good read about Kenya and Cameron, who are best friends that are also roommates in business together that have been there for each other and supported each other for a long time since they were younger. Then Kenya enters a cosplay contest to get her designs and work noticed by others and also in hopes of winning to help with what she wants to do with her career and cosplay/cosplay designs. After Kenya gets into the final round they want her to be with someone to help her to do her work so to pass and hopefully win Kenya decides to name Cameron as her partner to help her to win and have her dreams come true. Cameron gladly agrees to play the part with Kenya for the contest and this story is about their romance and figuring things out and seeing what there is besides their friendship if anything.
This was a fun, cute romance with the nerds/nerdiness aspect and cosplay and all, but there were a few things in here that bothered me and personally, I didn't see a need for them in the storyline. My only thing is that I wish they wouldn't have put in some or any of the steamy bedroom scenes. I tend to try to find clean reads so I didn't like some of the language or the steaminess, but other than that it was a fun and good read. If you like cosplay, gaming, nerds, the tropes with the best friends that are roommates, and childhood friends with fake dating then you'll likely enjoy this one. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for letting me read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is so gooooooooooood! It's funny, it's sweet, it's steamy (so, so steamy). I love fake dating, so I knew I was in for a blast. I also am truly obsessed with reality tv shows so I had such a fun time imagining this show. Some of the characters in this book made me so incredibly angry, and some are perfection. This book tackles fandom, race, family dynamics, strong friendships and more in a package that had me smiling the whole time.

As if competing in a cosplay competition wasn't enough, Kenya has to deal with a prejudiced judge and her negative commentary. For her last challenge, she needs a partner and the only person who comes to mind is her best friend and secret crush Cam.

The representation was excellent in the Love Con and I appreciated the bluntness of the stigmatism associated with racial discrimination towards the black community. Lots of authors try to be politically correct but the way it was penned was realistic and informative.

The Love Con covers a ton of relevant tropes- plus-sized, interracial relationships, fake relationship tropes, friends to lovers tropes, and enemies trysts. I relished the chemistry between Cam and Kenya and their slow burn towards full-blown relationship status.

There is an overall sense of standing up for who you are and what you believe in that spoke to me. The Love con was such a fun, relatable rom-com about taking chances and believing in yourself.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was very cute! I appreciated a contemporary romcom that gave both characters POVs. While the friends-to-lovers plot doesn't generate a ton of tension/conflict, I was OK with it. The book has more of a journey for Kenya than Cam, but I was also okay with that. Kenya's path as a fat, Black, nerdy cosplayer is tricky for her to navigate because of other people's biases, and I appreciated her struggles to believe in herself. Cam was not a messy character, but he was her rock, and that was lovely to see. I think people who care a lot about fandom and especially Marvel will find even more to appreciate.

Kenya is in the finals for a chance to win $100,000 and work for a major motion picture with her cosplay designs. She surprises herself and everyone else when she announces on live TV that her best friend Cameron is not only going to be her cosplay partner for the final round, but that he’s also her boyfriend. Now Kenya and Cam have only four weeks to turn out two impressive costumes while convincing everyone they are in love.

I love love love fake relationship stories, and The Love Con is a wonderful one! Cam and Kenya have always been close, knowing one another for half of their lives, living together, always being there for each other. Transitioning to a fake couple is easy, especially since Cam has wanted a real relationship with Kenya for as long as he can remember. The pair is so adorable as they explore what it means to be more than friends. I love how they work so well together and how incredibly encouraging they are for each other. I love the little acts of love and support each provides the other. I love that neither belittles the other’s fears and concerns. Regardless of the fake start, they are a genuine couple right from the start because of their history. They both want more, and I love that they talk things through at each step.

Another thing I really appreciate is the author’s attentiveness and honesty of how the general population (primarily white people) treat Black women. I’ve heard accounts of the micro-aggressions and backhanded criticism disguised as concerns that Black women deal with on a daily basis, but reading this story really brought it home. The story isn’t a cautionary tale but a realistic view of life for a creative, genuine Black woman. The author so throughly puts us into Kenya’s headspace, we experience each fear, each triumph, and all the love.

In the end, I adored Kenya and Cameron. Their romance is uplifting and rewarding. Even though I was worried for Kenya as she worked towards the finish line, I loved seeing her both take the high road and also break down when she was in a safe place. The author gives so much to her characters, and I adored watching them get though this challenge.

My Rating: A-