This book was nerdy and hot as hell. A super fun combination.

Not only is Kenya competing in a cosplay reality TV competition, she's also cosplaying as lovers with her BFF and super hot roommate, Cameron. Faking relationship until it's real is one of my fave tropes and this one hit the spot.

Add in some timely discussion about race, gate-keeping, and mixed-race relationships and you have a winner.

I really loved the majority of this book! I thought the whole cosplay competition was so cool and such a fun angle and I wish the show were a real thing because I would totally watch it. I loved Kenya and Cam's relationship. It hit on so many of my favorite tropes from fake dating to friends to lovers. I thought they were so sweet together and I really enjoyed watching them find their feelings for one another. The only thing I didn't love was the crazy ex-girlfriend angle. That's one that's just not for me so it kept me from fully enjoying the second half of the book. But I was so here for all the nerd references!

I liked this one, but didn’t love it.

I am not sure what it was, but it just didn’t completely work. There were elements that I enjoyed - the fake relationship to more was cute and there were some really sweet moments; the work Kenya put into her dreams and the support she received from Cam.

I think I wanted more to happen instead of so much just occurring in the character’s heads. There was a lot of thinning happening. I did appreciate that the couple talks through their challenges instead of the typical drama you see in romances.

Overall, a fun read.

I Just finished this book . I loved the cosplay aspect of it. I loved that they were friends to lovers. I loved that they both supported each other. I enjoyed that she didn't want to ruin the friendship. The judges were interesting and loved this couple coming together and solving their problems. I loved that she loved gummy worms.

This one left me wanting. Like there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with it but maybe it just wasn’t my cup of tea? I was a bit bored throughout, the conflict wasn’t really a conflict? I’m just rambling now.

Thanks to Berkley Romance for the e-ARC!

I really liked getting to see characters be passionate about something I know nothing about, so Kenya's drive, charm, and dedication made this a really enjoyable read. And her fake relationship (that quickly spurs some real feelings) with her best friend, Cam was beyond adorable. The mutual love and pining was everything I wanted.

Do you love any of the following:
_ fake dating
_ friends to lovers romance
_ cosplay
_ reality TV
_ multiracial relationships
_ plus-size representation

Then this book is 100% for YOU. I was lucky enough to receive an advance reader's copy of this title to review for The Girly Book Club thanks to Berkley Books, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story from beginning to end. From the friendship to tough topics, the character arcs kept me interested and engaged with terrific pacing from a new to me author and incredible attention to detail, I rated it 4.75 stars.

What an awesome, heart-warming book! I knew I would like this as soon as I saw the words "cosplay competition." A fun blend of Project Runway and nerd-dom. Kenya Davenport has been on the show for weeks and is now a finalist. She has to announce her partner for the final costume build, and without an actual partner, she blurts out the name of her best friend, Cameron Lassiter, whom she also lives with. Kenya and Cameron have been lusting after each other secretly for years, but they've never managed to make it work. They start a fake-dating relationship, and the show draws them closer, but will their arrangement last through the end of the competition? I loved the conflict here (I always love when a romance conflict is unique) and I loved the relationship between Kenya and Cameron. Glass's portrayal of both characters is realistic and sweet. I can't wait to read more by this author.

In this book we meet Kenya as she is on stage being judged for her cosplay costume in a Project Runway-esque show. She is named as one of the finalists and she is headed home to do the last build at home, only problem is on the stage she may have picked her best friend to be her partner in the final… and also implied they were more than friends. It is a wonderful premise that gives you a great fake dating and best friends to lovers all in one. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the elements of the competition and cosplay, it just made my nerdy heart so happy. But I also really enjoyed the romance too, Kenya and Cameron are easy to cheer for. The love and respect they have for eachother shines through always. I am a sucker for sexy consent and relationships where they are each other’s and that’s just what you get here.

A huge thank you to Penguin Random House, Berkley, NetGalley and Seressia Glass for my e-ARC in exchange for the honest review.

Kenya was so strong even though her parents keeps pressuring her. I can relate whenever her parents want her to get a job with her own degree, and also looks down on her like “what if you failed?” Her parents don’t trust her ability that she can do it. Why some parents can’t just support their kids? Kenya’s parents always cares about what Cam’s doing, if he’s okay. They don’t even ask their daughter if she’s okay.

I like Cam, he’s so sweet, kind and gentle to Kenya. He’s willing to help her to be a fake boyfriend until the show ends. They’re also best friend and he see Her more than just a friend but then he just keeps it to himself. I love how mad he is when Rebecca talking shit about Kenya, he wants to say something to her but Kenya was so strong and she just not minding what people says to her. Rebecca is one of the annoying character in this book. She maybe a judge in this competition but she’s no right judging people’s body. She’s also doing everything just to kick Kenya out of the competition.

Overall, I love the story. I love Kenya’s character, she’s so strong when people looking down on her especially her parents. I love how Seressia build these characters, everyone did a great job in this story. I’ll highly recommend this book. Y’all should read this.

Seressia Glass delivers all the heart warming, friends to lovers, fake relationship in this rom com The Love Con. Through a reality tv competition, the fake dating begins with Kenya and Cameron even though they have been secretly wanting each other for years, but never managed to make it work. The conflict, the realness, and finally love formed between them makes this a wonderful quick read! I'm looking forward to more from Seressia Glass!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Best friends Kenya Davenport and Cameron Lassiter have cheered each other through life and supported each other through challenges. Now Kenya is a contestant in a life-changing reality television show cosplay competition. When she becomes a finalist, Kenya finds out she has to compete with her significant other, and the problem is she doesn’t have one. But she has a Cam and claims him as her partner-in-love. Cam is thrilled, because he’s wanted to make their relationship real for a long time. Can their friendship weather the competition and make the transition to love, and is Kenya willing to take the risk?

The Love Con is a refreshing romance that will appeal to fans of friends to lovers romance. References to geeky fandom are really fun, giving so much popular cultural relevance Fast-paced, humorous dialogue, dramatic tension, and well-written description draws the reader into the story, along with standout leads. Kenya and Cam are beautifully developed and thoroughly likable. Kenya’s personality as a black cosplayer is a wonderful example of representation in fiction, shouting out to geeky readers of color. Their racial differences are handled organically, as well as Kenya being plus sized. It’s no doubt that Cam loves all of her very much. Kenya’s struggles with gaining her straight-laced parents acceptance of her dreams strikes a poignant note. Kenya and Cam’s relationship is so effortless and authentic, their true feelings for really obvious, although it takes Kenya a long time to acknowledge them because of inner fears and inadequacies. Kenya and Cam have excellent tension, although the love scenes lacked that desirable steam. Readers will root for Kenya and Cam’s happy ever after in love and career aspirations. The Love Con is strongly recommended.

I love a good friends to lovers fake dating story, and this one delivered. Kenya and Cam were so sweet, and their connection felt authentic. I was also interested to get into Kenya’s head while navigating the politics of being a Black woman on a reality show, and working to avoid being trapped into a stereotype. I loved seeing a Black nerd being unapologetically herself and standing up for herself.

Super quick and fun read. I finished it in two nights. It's your typical friends -> lovers/ fake relationship rom com, told from the point of view of two best friends. I loved each character individually. Kenya was fierce. The author did a great job of making her a well rounded character. As a reader you got a sense of who Kenya is and what it can be like for not only black women, but curvy black women in today's world. Adding in a setting like cosplay, where I would imagine is heavily white populated, Kenya tackles microaggressions and judgment with grace and a bit of sass and I love it. Cam was a great supportive friend, I loved how committed he was to helping Kenya and having her back at all times. I do think the author made him a bit too perfect though.. I mean had no flaws, lol. I had small issues at times with their chemistry as lovers. I absolutely believed their friendship and that bond, just transitioning into lovers at times it felt forced. And part of that could be you spend a lot of time in each of their heads dissecting their feelings for each other. The cosplay angle was not for me but only because it's not an interest of mine. For those that are interested in cosplay and like rom coms this book is definitely for you! I think it would also make a good book club read, lots to discuss... Overall this was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to netgalley and Berkley for an e-galley to honestly review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Kenya Davenport is a contestant on a reality TV show, Cosplay or No Way. When the final challenge is to create two cosplay costumes with her partner, she tells the world that her best friend Cam is her boyfriend. Now, she must create the perfect couples costumes all while pretending to date her best friend, fending off micro-aggressions from one of the judges, and disapproval of her career choices by her parents.

The Love Con is easy to read and enjoyable. It follows the “fake boyfriend” trope with the expected misunderstandings and problems along with a few unexpected twists. If you are looking for a fun and quick read, I recommend The Love Con.

What an adorable yet fierce romance!
The Love Con has all the cosplay extravaganza that was so fun to read. Kenya is an engineering graduate that has a passion for all things cosplay, with the help of her best friend Cameron she auditions for a reality show all about cosplay. She makes it to the final round and has to team up with him and all this repressed attraction between them gets turned up full blown levels.
Kenya faces a lot of back lash for being plus size and the small back handed comments that are derived from racism are so frustrating but she is the epitome of grace as she rises above it, she def has some comments to say back and lets her skill do a lot of the talking as well.
I think I had some lulls, with the expansive crafting talks, but I know that is just because of me. For people that love all the details of crafting, and the costume making business I think they will LOVE the descriptions.
I also could have used more detailed steamy scenes, the set up for it was so perfect and these two have the best chemistry.
But 4 stars because I LOVE Kenya's journey and Cam's journey as well. They def made my heart flutter!

Thank you to both Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group!

Kenya is competing in a cosplay competition game show on television when she makes it to the final despite what feels like one judge's outright disdain for her. The final episode will be a duo cosplay and she will be allowed some help from someone in her life. Her decision creates the perfect storm for a fake dating scheme with her best friend.

All in all, I will say that I enjoyed this book. I really resonated with the topic of micro aggressions and the toll it takes on your mental state. I LOVED the body positivity and how it wasn't at all a main personality point. It was interesting to watch the couple stand strong through many trials throughout the story. I did feel as though the ending was a little rushed but I was pleased nonetheless.

I would recommend this book to someone looking for a fun, friends to lovers romance story with a dash of depth.

This book was such a delight! It checked a multitude of boxes for me, and I had a fabulous time cheering Kenya on as she reached for her dream.

A FANTASTIC COUPLE

KEN + CAM FOREVER! I was shouting that from the beginning until the end of this fun and charming romance. I just loved this couple so much, and my whole heart was invested in seeing them win the competition and get their HEA.

My love for Kenya was immediate. She made me laugh, and I loved how passionate she was about her craft. We all know how cutthroat the cosplay world can be, and Kenya had been a target for multiple reasons. She didn’t let it dampen the thrill of the fandoms or cosplay for her though, and I admired that.

Cam, Cam, Cam, my beautiful unicorn man. What I adored most about Cam was his determination to get out of the friend zone. He pined away for Kenya for years, and now, he had a plan. Nothing like a man with a plan to win my heart.

Together though, Ken and Cam were something special. They shared a long and solid friendship which was filled with a multitude of memories. There was already so much love between them, but watching it cross the line to more was fantastic! These two were white hot together. I was dying for Glass to let them act on those touches and glances, and let’s just say, I was not disappointed when it finally happened.

COSPLAY

I have never done any cosplaying, but it’s a world that fascinates me. I am so impressed with what some cosplayers can create, and I enjoyed reading about Kenya and Cameron’s project. Glass did such an incredible job showing me the ins and outs, as well as incorporating the reality show into the story. All that nerdy goodness spoke to my heart.

THE TROPES

As if the hero and heroine weren’t enough to win my adoration, this book included two of my favorite tropes – fake dating and friends-to-lovers. I had already mention that Kenya and Cam had so much history. Kenya gave Cam a home when he needed it most and nurtured Cam’s love of cosplay which led to his career. Cameron encouraged Kenya to pursue her cosplay dreams. He gave her a job at his shop, helped her audition for the show, and now, he was willing to pretend to be her boyfriend. The best part about the fauxmance to romance here was that these two were already in love. They just needed a little push to see beyond the “best friends” label, and it was a joy to watch it all unfold.

Overall: I loved so many things about this book and will definitely read more from this author. The friendship, the pining, the cosplay — it was all wonderful! I will admit, there was a bit too much drama at this one point, but it still couldn’t spoil how much I loved Ken+Cam. And that ending was happy tear worthy.

When I saw the cover and synopsis of The Love Con I knew I wanted to read this book. It just looked so fun, and overall, it really was a fun read. If you love cosplay and reading about the technical parts of costume making I think you would love this book!

Kenya is a finalist in a reality show called Cosplay or No Way and she's up against one other guy. The last challenge they have is a Cosplay duo... and they only have 4 weeks to make these costumes. She recruits her best friend, Cam to be her partner for this final challenge. And she might have accidently told the entire world he was not only her best friend, but her boyfriend as well.

Cam and Kenya have been best friends since high school, so over half their lives. They know each other well and truly do love each other. But Cam's feelings have been more than friendship for a while now. And now is the time to show Kenya what it could be like if they were truly together.

This is my first book by this author and I liked it a lot. It was a friends to lovers/fake dating troupe, which is always fun. I'm not sure that I loved the conflict and I felt like it was resolved really fast and in a strange way. Also, it ended really abruptly which is something I don't love in books. Still, I had a blast reading this one and I liked it more than not!

Kenya is an accomplished cosplayer who, at the start of the book, learns that she's a finalist for a reality TV competition show called Cosplay or No Way. She has to name a partner and she blurts out the name of her BFF and roommate Cam, but implies they're something more because of the snotty remarks of one of the judges. Kenya identifies as a fat Black woman and the microaggressions (and macroaggressions) she deals with throughout this book are unreal. I mean, they're too real - I imagine this is just scratching the surface of what actual fat Black women deal with daily. Cam agrees to fake date her for the final stage of the show, but the truth is that he's been wanting to actually date her for years. Their friendship grows to more, but all the haters in their lives and the disappointment of Kenya's parents (who hate that she isn't using her engineering degree) and the stress of the competition all accumulate into a lot of stress on them. I really liked this plot and these characters - their easy friendship that turns into more felt authentic. I also really enjoyed learning more about cosplay. I also really appreciated that the author was able to portray the exhaustion that Kenya feels as a fat Black woman, particularly one in the public eye. She is constantly trying to check her emotions so she doesn't get further stereotyped, and while she's an extremely strong person, she can't always bear the weight of that. A great contemporary romance with the right amount of character depth.