I requested an arc of Zoe Whitall's "The Fake" because although I had never read anything by the author before, the cover art was really intriguing and the title made me want to dive in and see what kind of mess I was getting myself into.

Our main character, Cammie, has a larger-than-life personality and seems like the type of person that ANYONE would want to be friends with. (HINT/RED FLAG ALERT: This is never a good sign!) in books or real life!

As the reader, we follow Cammie's interactions with multiple people so we are privy to the very clearly "Something aint right here" vibes. Something feels definitely OFF. After we know for sure that something isn’t right, we know sh*t is gonna hit the fan sooner than later and we just have to wait for that next shoe to drop. Cue anxiety!

I don't want to give any more specifics away and would highly recommend that you go into this as blind as possible. This is a very strange and unique book and definitely worthy of a re-read!


4;25/5 stars!

A captivating read, propelled by an enigmatic, charming lead. Get ready to fall under Camilla’s spell as you watch her dazzle everyone around her.

Gibson is just getting over a separation from his longtime love, Veda. Shelby is trying to cope with the sudden death of her wife. Enter Camilla, who is about to change all of their lives forever…

The writing is sharp and compelling and I did not want to put the book down. It is a relatively short and thoroughly entertaining read. I recommend it to anyone intrigued by scammers and how they manage to do what they do. There are many recent examples of fictional scammers and the Zoe Whittall provides us with a smart, nuanced portrayal of one.

Many thanks to Random House Ballantine for the opportunity to read an ARC on NetGalley.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Riviting, enticing, hard to put down.

I received a copy of The Fake via NetGalley to read and review.


Cammie has a larger than life personality and seems like someone anyone would want to be friends with. As the reader we see her interactions with multiple people so we get the feeling early on that something doesn’t sit right. Then we know something isn’t right and have to wait for the other shoe to drop.

For me there were two parts that were lost on me. The beginning author’s note- I thought this was a note from the author but was confused why that was what was chosen to be in the note. Later I realized it made perfect sense. The end note from Cammie also was lost on me. I’m not sure if this is something readers are meant to debate or I am just not understanding correctly.