This is the second fake romance while competing on a reality TV show that I've read. I grabbed it because of the diversity, and because I have only watched about a minute and a half of a reality show before I turned it off. What is it that others enjoy that just seems like super noisy fakeness to me?

Well, the book answered the question (a sense of competition, obvs!)in giving us a couple of cos-playing best friends who design and make costumes. That I find tres cool. The twist (not a spoiler as you learn it early on) is they have to pretend to be lovers for purposes of the show, when they've been tight friends. So: friends to lovers, which can be a tougher sell than enemies to lovers.

Glass makes it work by surrounding Kenya and Cameron with terrific characters (especially Kenya's family) and by throwing a ton of plot at the reader around the romance, so to speak. We get covert racism, trolls, the naked ambition that really does exist in Hollywood, where you do find people who actively relish stepping on someone else to get to the top (which is one of the main reasons I got out of that world, much as I adored the creativity). This aspect of the story is really absorbing, almost overwhelming the romance.

I had to stop and think about why, when Glass gives us plenty of description of how hot they find one another. I began to believe in the evolution of their romance once I hit the back end of the story, when Glass lets us in on flashbacks. In that first half, the narrative voice keeps telling us about their relationship, which creates a distance romance-wise, while steadily building the plot tension around the TV show. I could wish those flashbacks had been up front, but really, the payoff makes it all worth it.

I loved the couple, I loved reading about their designs and how they went about accomplishing them. I adored the end. The voice is also fun--salty, for those who watch for language, with exuberant appreciation for each other's hotness. Altogether a fun read--I intend to watch out for this author.

Fake-dating? Yes!
Cosplay? Yes!
Characters realising they have feelings for each other? HECK YES!
Seressia Glass is the absolute best for writing a book with characters that the reader can actually relate to. Subplots such as family relations were super important to this story so you can understand both protagonists' backgrounds.
Cam and Kenya are amazing characters and deserve all the hype! As does the author!

A quick, fun friends-to-lovers about Kenya Davenport and Cameron Lassiter. Kenya is a cosplayer who makes it to the final round of a reality show competition and is challenged to make a couples costume. Since she is single, she fibs and claims Cameron as her partner on national TV. He willingly accepts the role as her fake boyfriend to help her win. This story is filled with so much chemistry and cute scenes between our main characters. While there are some spots that I believed need more development, I was overall satisfied with the way the love story was handled in this book

I loved this book! The author seamlessly takes us through Kenya’s emotions as she handles trolls, her family, and a new relationship that she’s been building with Cam for most of their lives. There were several very inspiring passages about his Kenya looks inward and rises about be shamed, berated, and treated poorly. Well done!! Truly enjoyed reading.

If you are anything like me, and love all things comic book, anime, gaming, and cosplay related; then you are going to adore this book! This romance touched my geeky little heart like no other!

Kenya is one of the two finalists on the brand new 'Cosplay or No Way' reality tv show, and the last challenge between her and a win is a doozy. She needs to choose a partner to help to make an iconic duo cosplay. Her choice for a partner is easy. Her best friend, Cam, has been her cosplay partner for years. When she refers to him on television as her romantic partner, things get a little more complicated.

This was an amazing friends to lovers/fake dating romance, with all sorts of amazing bits thrown in. Not only do we get to immerse ourselves in cosplay, but we get to see all sorts of important issues tackled as well. Kenya struggles with her parents' not supporting her desire to get into cosplay as a career, with the show's attempts to stereotype her as the angry black woman, and with a terrible judge (think Simon Cowell in female form) who belittles her because of her weight at every chance she gets.

I absolutely loved this book! Kenya is an amazing and strong woman who isn't ashamed of anything about herself. She and Cam's friendship is so solid, and their romantic relationship is a joy to watch develop. I read through the entire thing in one sitting. I can't say enough good things about this book. This was the first book I've read by Seressia Glass, but The Love Con has put her on my auto buy author list! I can't wait to see what she does next!

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group for giving me an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

This was a very cute and fun romantic comedy. I really liked the premise of following a contestant on a cosplay competition who is the underdog. I loved the main character Kenya and found her voice to be fresh and engaging. Kenya has always been a nerd and her dram is to make costumes which disturbs her parents who want her to get a real job. For the finale of the show she needs to create two costumes for her and for her partner, her best friend Cam. Cam has his own plan: help Kenya win the competition and win her heart. The atypical chaos and drama of a romantic comedy ensue and it was fun.

I am a sucker for mutual pining and fake dating so I knew I had to read this one. The angst between these two characters is so perfect and plays out so perfectly throughout the book. The cosplay theme was great, she did a really good job of discussing technical aspects but not bogging down the story with too much detail. I also really like the flow of the plot, we had a month left in the competition but it wasn't slowed down by a day by day account.
This is a really great story of representation. It shows microaggressions and fatphobia and how the smallest thing can throw you off. It really helps you think which I enjoy a healthy dose of in my romance books.
The one thing I didn't quite understand was the ultimatum from her parents. Kenya put such emphasis on having to listen to them, which I get you want your parents to love and respect you, but she's also a full grown independent adult. She didn't live with them on depend on them for money. It sounded like the shop was pretty stable, so I was confused on the plot point she had to give it up just because they said so. Also the ending of the book was very abrupt for all the build up to it.
Overall I loved the characters and the setting so I still loved this book a lot, there was so much suspense with the realty show that I really enjoyed.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I’ve wanted to read something from Seressia Glass for a while, and The Love Con looked so adorable. And fortunately, it lived up to my expectations. It’s sweet and fun and full of heart.

I really liked Kenya, and how she is following her dreams of trying to turn her love of cosplay and anime into her job. The conflict that creates with her STEM parents is depicted compassionately, with their concern for her being apparent, but their unconditional love as well. I also appreciated the subtle ways her character experienced the racial microaggressions and fatphobic bullying from within fandom, without it dominating the story.

Cam is just the sweetest, and I love that he was willing to do almost anything for Kenya. I loved watching them navigate that tension of faking their relationship and it turning into something real, especially with all the history between them.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and would love to try more books from Seressia Glass in the future. If you’re looking for a fun romcom, especially if you also happen to be into fandom/cosplay culture, I recommend picking this up!

3.5 stars. As someone with zero interest in cosplaying, I wasn't sure how I'd like this one, but it was a fun read that also tackles serious issues. Kenya and Cameron both want more out of their friendship, but are afraid to act on it until the opportunity arises to fake date during the cosplay competition's final round. We get charming moments with the couple as they support one another's passions and careers, but you also see the nitty gritty of filming a reality TV show as Serena faces microaggressions and producers try to paint her as the angry Black woman.

I liked this one and there were a lot of elements I enjoyed (curvy heroine, friends to lovers), but it wasn't a favorite overall. Sometimes the drama felt repetitive, I wanted more chemistry with the romance, and the ending was abrupt.

Thanks Berkley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, this is mostly and adorable story about 2 individuals who want to progress their relationship. They have been friends and cosplay partners for a very long time, but don't know how to become more with one another. Their journey connected to a cosplay competition was fun, and I do love to see a curvy girl cosplaying. You will be dealing with some racism, as well as fatphobia in this book, so please be aware of that.
I did end up enjoying this one, and now want to explore more by this author.

Fans of fake-dating, friends-to-lovers, mutual pining and the sharing a bed trope, have I got the book for you! Bonus points if you’re a nerd and into cosplaying!

The Love Con follows Kenya Davenport, a lover of gaming, anime, and cosplay. Though she’s got a degree in engineering, Kenya is trying to make her hobby her dream career—by joining the reality show cosplay competition Cosplay or No Way. Making it all the way to the final challenge, there is only one problem: Kenya has to create a cosplay for iconic pairs and she needs someone—a significant other—to participate. Who better than her long-time best friend Cameron Lassiter, who is all too happy to help his best friend out—and pretend to be her boyfriend in the process? Roleplaying a couple for the cameras leads to some conflicted feelings as both Kenya and Cameron realise that this could finally be the push they need to confess their feelings for each other—but are they both in the same boat feelings-wise or might this just sink their (friend)ship?

Though the premise sounded like perfection, the execution left something to be desired. One of the tricky elements when it comes to long-time friends-to-lovers romances is that of the show don’t tell dynamic. The Love Con suffered of too much telling and not enough showing in the first half of the book. As Kenya and Cam’s long-time friendship is established for the reader, we get to read a lot about their dynamic and how they approach struggles in their friendships (e.g. Kenya’s parents making things more difficult or girlfriends coming into the mix), but we don’t really see these moments and are just told about them. This definitely improved around the second third of the novel where Glass incorporated flashbacks to circumvent this issue and that’s where I really got a feel for Kenya’s and Cam’s strong bond. It’s worth sticking out that telling face to get to the show parts where Cam becomes the knight in shining armour. But speaking of Kenya and Cam…

As weird as it sounds, Kenya and Cam acted out of character so often that I wondered whether I was reading about four characters instead of two. Their introspective thoughts were at odds with how they acted toward each other. Now, granted, this is a totally normal thing—I often think very differently from how I talk. But in The Love Con, it was an altogether jarring experience to have this super deep, introspective discussion of Kenya’s feelings toward Cam and the entire competition only to be then met with her spouting lines like “I want to ride you like a pogo stick” five seconds later. Nevertheless, this is a very subjective opinion and thus shouldn’t deter you from picking this book up.

What I loved in this book, however, was the concept of the story! Having a woman like Kenya who wants to turn her creative hobby into a career despite her STEM-loving parents who think she’s wasting her talent was so relatable—I think a lot of the time cosplaying is seen as something fun or frivolous when there is actually so much time and effort put into the costumes and the fan events that goes completely unappreciated. I also loved that despite having an engineering degree, Kenya fought for her dreams even if they weren’t what everyone expected of her because now more than ever, it’s important to hold on to your dreams and ambitions and not just go with the flow to please others. Glass really drives home that message about going for what you want in life and that alone was fantastic.

There are also microaggressions Kenya faces during the filming of the show and though I wish that Kenya would have been able to fight more against them—or for certain people to get what’s coming to them—I still liked that this was included and not just brushed off.

Also, if you’re a fan of mutual pining, I know that this will feel like going to an all-you-can-eat-buffet with a free pass. Both Kenya and Cam are so head over heels for each other and it’s just all kinds of fun to have them wondering whether the other is just playing at pretend dating or if they want it to be a reality. There are a lot of awkward moments, delicious tension and will-they-won’t-they vibes that for sure are going to keep readers invested until the very end!

Altogether, if you’re looking for a multifaceted, mutual-pining friends-to-lovers romance with a nice heap of fandom culture and cosplaying thrown into the mix, The Love Con is perfect for you!

Charming, sexy, and fun. The FMC is a black plus sized woman comfortable in her own skin and she is completely adored by the MMC. I love the nerdy/geeky references! I wish the cosplay show that Kenya competes on were real!

I am not usually a fan of the romantic comedy books, but when I started The Love Con, I couldn't put it down. It was so much fun and appealed to my love of fandoms and it was written in a way where I could see and feel the story play out.

Kenya has made it to the final round of the reality show Cosplay or No Way despite the odds and an unfriendly judge. However, there is one problem. For the finale, Kenya must design a costume for an iconic duo with a partner. The first person Kenya thinks of is Cam -- her roommate and best friend. On national tv, Kenya implies that Cam is her boyfriend. Luckily, Cam is willing to fake date to help Kenya, his secret crush. Can these best friends/fake couple find real love while competing on a reality TV show?

Being unfamiliar with cosplay, I would not normally pick a book like The Love Con. I was instantly intrigued by Kenya's mash up cosplay of Dora the Explorer and Dora Milaje. The idea was so different from what I thought cosplay was. After I read the conversation with the judges in which the final two contestants were selected, this book found a home in my reality show loving heart!

I'm Team KenCam! Kenya is confident, comfortable taking risks, and has a strong sense of self. Cam is a genuinely nice guy with a kind heart. I enjoyed seeing the romantic side of their relationship develop. Kenya and Cam are not only best friends but also each other's most vocal cheerleaders, who just want the best for the other person. They are passionate about achieving their dreams, living their lives as they choose, and finding happiness.

The Love Con also deals with some serious issues such as the microaggressions that Kenya endured as a reality show contestant, Kenya's meddling parents, and Cam's absentee father. The book strikes a nice balance between lightheartedness and seriousness.

Romance and cosplay fans will enjoy this wonderful friends-to-lovers story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a digital copy of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This book snuck up on me, and I really enjoyed it! The Love Con is a great and fun romantic comedy that also confronts serious issues thoughtfully and with grace. Kenya is a black, plus-sized woman competing in a cosplay reality show competition. For the finals, she ropes in her best friend Cameron, to be her partner and fake-boyfriend, not knowing that Cameron has been secretly in love with her for years. This book contains detailed descriptions of making cosplay costumes for the competition, which was interesting for me, someone that doesn't know much about this fandom. This book struck a nice balance between the serious issue of BIPOC women being mistreated, bullied, portrayed as angry by colleagues and the media, as well experiencing a variety of racial microaggressions - while also being a sweet and charming friends-to-lovers romance. I recommend this book for anyone who likes interracial romance, cosplay, friends-to-lovers, and Atlanta.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

The Love Con was an absolute delight to read! Although romance isn't my typical genre, I was attracted to the book since I'm a cosplayer. I thought Glass did a great job nailing the romance while showing off the hard work cosplay can be, especially on a time crunch. The whole book reminded me of the SyFy show FaceOff, which I was a huge fan of growing up. Seeing the new fabrications each week was always a delight for the show, and I had the same positive feelings watching Kenya and Cam put together their cosplays for the final round.

Overall, I'd recommend this book even to people who aren't typical romance readers like myself. It's a fun ride and I loved seeing Kenya persevere despite the challenges thrown at her.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly December New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

The Love Con is a fun, funny, and tender contemporary romance that takes on geek culture, con culture, and gives us a fun best-friends-pretend-dating-to-really-dating romance.  It’s delightful and warm-hearted.

Kenya – KeKe - Davenport is a geek ne plus ultra.  She loves anime, fan conventions, cosplay and wants making a living  designing costumes.  That’s a disappointment to her STEM-loving parents, who thought Kenya would continue in engineering after getting her college degree.  Determined to prove herself, KeKe decides to compete on the hit reality competition Cosplay or No Way, but finds she must have a romantic partner to compete in the final round, which is structured around “dynamic duos”.  Since she’s single, worry sets in.

Enter Cam Lassiter, KeKe’s roommate, best friend for life and fellow geek, who agrees to pretend to be her boyfriend so she won’t get kicked off the show.  Weeks of couples costumes and lives lived around cameras ensue. KeKe’s worries start to get the best of her as people make micro-aggressive comments about her race and size – and she and Cam get ever closer, their repressed romantic feelings coming to the surface.  But her parents react to her defiance by demanding she go back to her engineering career if she loses.  Will she defy their expectations?

Seressia Glass has a bright and modern, bubbly tone to her writing, which helps bolster The Love Con as it goes along.  I really loved KeKe, who is up against such high odds, and I really enjoyed Cam, who’s sweet and dependable. They are both messy people, kind people, wonderful people.  There’s nothing I like more than a friends-to-lovers romance, and their relationship is a delight to sink into. Step-by-step and bit-by-bit, they become the sort of people they always wanted to be.  Cam’s habit of stress-eating gummy worms amused me in particular.

The book is honest about the microaggressions Black cosplayers face.  KeKe is plus-sized as well, and people are rude about her weight.  What she has to defeat to get there makes her eventual rewards all the sweeter., and on top of all that, the book catches a lot of great little nuances about what it’s like to film a reality show.

There are a lot of wonderful things to be beheld in The Love Con, and I hope readers give it a try.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: alcoholic parent (past), death of a parent (past), gaslighting, bullying, toxic relationship with parents, racism, fatshaming

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f childhood best friends to idiots to lovers
-rooommance
-only one bed
-fake dating
-so much pining
-appreciation for Marvel movies
-cosplaying competition
-close proximity

I loved the first half of this book. The cosplaying competition. Kenya and Cam were such great friends and supportive of the other. And the pining, Cam was gone on Kenya from the beginning and such a cinnamon roll and soft for her in the best ways. The sexual tension all while they're sharing a bed and fake dating. Ughhh my catnip.

The pay off unfortunately wasn't there in terms of the steam. I enjoyed this read and it had so many wonderful aspects. The fat heroine rep, Kenya was so sure of herself despite the people around her rooting against her. The sexual tension and chemistry between the MCs was plabpable and I was rooting for them so hard. A fun low steam read, I definitely overall enjoyed this one.

Steam: 3 (one slightly open door scene that was mostly vague terms otherwise entirely closed door)

3.5. I wanted to love this one, and I did appreciate the premise, the fake dating/friends-to-lovers trope, and the diversity. The way Kenya and Cam take the high road when faced with drama and conflict within filming is also great and feels realistic. Unfortunately, the pacing of the romance and the way other issues are resolved felt rushed or glossed over. Overall, though, it's a fun #ownvoices romance if you're looking for something heart-warming to pick up and read.