Fake dating. Grumpy/Sunshine. Small town, Hallmark-like setting. These are some of my favorite tropes to see in a romantic comedy lately, and Faking It With the Grump has them all rolled into one fantastically swoon-worthy package!

I love a Hallmark love story. You know, a big city guy meets a small town girl... so on and so forth. This book very much had that same type of storyline, right down to the letter... and acknowledged that and even poked a little fun at that fact very early on in an inner dialogue with Christopher that certainly had me grinning as I read. While it's a story that may seem familiar in many ways in that sense, it was done wonderfully and felt unique in its delivery. There were several moments that had me laughing out loud, and I loved the chemistry between Christopher and Harper right from the start. While I loved the POVs of both characters, this might be one of the few that I've read that I found myself enjoying HIS more than hers. I think for me this was because Christopher seems a bit more socially awkward (even perhaps a bit socially anxious) than an actual grump as the title suggests, which is something I can very much relate to.

This is a closed-door romantic comedy--- loads of attraction and some chemistry-filled kissing moments, but nothing beyond that, There was no language.

The last chapter gave a small glimpse at what is to come next in this new series, and it certainly had me looking forward to that. I cannot wait for book two! If you enjoy fake dating and a small-town setting in your RomComs, this is certainly one to check out.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

This is a cutesy quick and easy read. It’s very hallmark with no spice and pretty predictable, not that that’s a bad thing. I do think the title is a bit misleading as Christopher isn’t a grump. He’s just serious and routine and goal oriented. I did like the small town charm and there are some great side characters. I especially loved Kelly even though we only get a small glimpse at her. There is a lot of repetition which made bits of the book feel slow but then Harper and Christopher seem to fall in love instantly which I’m not a huge fan of. It felt like a lot of the would be romance happened in the background and we didn’t get to actually see it. We’re just told about a lot of the fake dates and meetings and don’t get to experience it so it made the speed they fell in love feel unrealistic. It is still a cute love story and great if you’re looking for a short, fun read.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

What a frigging sweet book. If you're looking for the Hallmark movie, book equivalent, then look no further.
This is it. A little bit of heart break and finding themselves with some attraction at first sight and fake dating? Insta love is always great.
I only wish they got to know more about each other better so we could see a deeper connection but otherwise This is the perfect light hearted book you're looking for!

This grumpy/sunshine Rom-Com was absolutely amazing. I could not read it fast enough. Loved it!
I just reviewed Faking It With the Grump by Kate O’Keeffe. #FakingItWiththeGrump #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Is it cheesy to call a book the perfect Hallmark movie package, when they talk about Hallmark movies in the book? LOL

This was such a sweet story following Harper back to her hometown, after a big break up. Her small town Hunters Creek is so charming, and made me want to visit. Christopher, whose an outsider from NYC and very out of place in this small town shows up, and him and Harper strike up a deal to “fake date.” We all know how that usually turns out, but their story was so sweet. I love that we got to see them grow as individuals, and make tough decisions.

All in all, a sweet happily ever after, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was also so excited to find out there will be another book in the series, where we get to watch Harpers younger sister Ryn find love.

AAAAHHHHH it’s been a while since i’ve read a rom com quite this good

the tropes hit, the romance was swoon worthy, and it genuinely had me laughing out loud multiple times

although a bit insta-lovey, i can forgive it because it was a lot of fun and i can’t wait to continue the series!

3.5 stars: well written, nice characters but certain scenes were too melodramatic even for me.

Faking it with grump is the story of Harper and Christopher. A classic: big town white collar guy goes to small mountain town for a 2-month job, he meets cheerful flowery elementary school teacher Harper who happens to be in need of a fake boyfriend for just a little while to keep nosy town folks out of her way. The fake becomes reality but life is complicated.

I am not a fan of the fake relationship thrope, but I really liked the blurb and had to give it a shot.
And it didn’t disappoint on many levels: Harper and Christopher were lovely characters (though I couldn’t seem to picture their faces, except for Harper’s blue eyes, a case of "death by cover?"), I loved the small town setting and all the side characters.
The story is told from the point of view of both main characters, and I thought the writing style was well defined for each of them. Very well depicted, with their own characteristic prose. I could really picture them talking to the reader.

The story was the right amount of predictable, until... it wasn’t. I think I can deal with some cheesy melodrama, but the story was unfolding so well that it really didn't need the usual stratagems added to the mix. Harper and Christopher felt mature enough to not having to indulge in the theatrical classic ("I am upset, but then I am not." "It's impossible, but then it's not." The townhall meeting was my undoing).
Last note, just my taste, I am not enthusiastic about the title: the Grump makes me think of one of the seven dwarves, but Christopher seemed to me to be more super-serious, very focused and a bit stiff, but not really grumpy.

I really enjoyed Kate O'Keeffe writing style, her pages flow smoothly and her characters are truly charming. I will certainly read her other books, as I have a feeling I will enjoy even more other thropes.

Very cute and light hearted romance. The entire book I was rooting for Christopher and Harper to find a way to make the relationship work. I like the way things came together and I am excited to see what the next book in the series brings.

I was so looking forward to reading this. I love a grumpy sunshine story and small town settings are a favorite. Sadly, I’m giving this 2.5 stars.

Christopher was to focused on status and money and Harper was a doormat. This went from fake dating to love so fast I couldn’t find it believable. I also thought that Christopher was a bit presumptuous assuming that Harper would just give up her life and dreams to go with him to New York.

4 ⭐️

This is probably my favourite ARC of the year so far. Harper and Christopher are a classic grumpy sunshine, fake dating, adorable couple. I loved every second of their story.

Harper gets dumped by her long term childhood sweetheart and ends up moving back to her hometown. Problem is, her ex is also from this town so everyone keeps looking at her with pity. To avoid the pity and the set up attempts, she pretends to date new to torn corporate lawyer Christopher. As with any fake dating rom-com, cute and funny scenes lead to both characters eventually realizing their feelings are more than pretend.

Although at times the dialogue felt a little forced, the chemistry and relatability of Harper and Christopher was natural and enjoyable. I love a small town romance and Faking It With the Grump checks all the boxes: cute town, funny secondary character, emotional monologues, and feel good romance.

I can’t wait for the next book in the series, which will focus on Harper’s little sister and her best friend in a friends to lovers story I’m sure I’ll love!

Thanks to Wild Lime Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This happy sappy romance follows Harper as she is wildly in love with her high school sweetheart and up and coming heart throb actor, Dex. However, he’s not in the same page anymore and while she thinks he’s proposing, instead he dumps her. She moves back home to her small hometown to recover and takes a job as a fill in second grade teacher. She had always hoped to move back and stay teaching there so this works out perfectly for her until everyone won’t stop trying to set her up since she’s the new single lady in town. She almost runs into Christopher who is there in a job from a lawyer firm. She lies about being in a relationship with her in order to calm the single storm. He agrees and instead of faking it, they fall for each other.

I thought this was quite a cute and cheesy rom com. I love the profile of the straight laced career grump whose actually a big teddy bear. The storyline was cute and building with the upturning of happiness before we got to the happy ending.

Thank you to Wild Lime Books and Net Galley for allowing me early access to this book.

I grabbed this book because I LOVE a grumpy sunshine trope. I was sorely disappointed. I am giving 2 ⭐️ generously.

The grump was not grumpy. He had social anxiety, maybe a little neurodivergence, and professional demeanor. That doesn’t make you a grump.

The sunshine was not a sunshine. She wore florals and let people take advantage of her.

The author started the majority of each chapter recapping what you literally just read in the last chapter.

There was a moment where the the author mocked the “me too” movement. She also made a few racist jokes that were not at all appropriate. Not to mention saying that the MMC nodding his head in acknowledgment made the FMC wonder if he was raised in Japan. Wtf?

I assumed this was a debut novel but I looked up the author’s backlist and it most definitely is not.

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

This book had a lot of potential, I was sold on the concept and the first couple of chapters had me excited to find out more.

Sadly, it was downhill from there for me.
There was far too much telling and now showing in this book for me. Don’t tell me it’s like a hallmark movie, show me it’s like one. Don’t tell me what the characters are feeling, show me!

The title also feels really misleading because neither of the main characters were what I would class as grumpy. Again, it comes back to telling instead of showing. Telling me a character is grumpy and calling them a grump does not make them grumpy.

The scene between the two characters where Harper told Christopher she needed them to fake date felt so forced and inauthentic, and I didn’t feel any chemistry between them, again this was just something we’re told about instead of shown.

For me, this just felt very underdeveloped, very surface level. I didn’t feel like we went deep enough into the characters to fully understand. There was also a lot repetition that could’ve been cut out to give the characters a more believable, more exciting arc. I feel like we are just told the same things over and over again which is one of my pet peeves in books.

This was a cute and sweet fake dating, grumpxsunshine, small town romance. I really enjoyed it. I loved all of the charming and funny characters, and seeing Harper and Topher develop as a couple and as people. Dex, however, annoyed me to no end (but of course, I think this was the intention)! Full review on my Instagram, booknerdysam.

Faking with the Grump was a cute, clean romantic comedy set in a small town. This book has the usual plot lines of a small town/city lawyer set up and while those parts ran smoothly, it was the small things that made this book adorable and worth 5 stars. The banter between Harper and Christopher was top tier and had me laughing in multiple ways as how Harper would tease Christopher. The famous ex storyline and the town showing were interesting and added a new element that kept me on my toes especially when the ex shows up back home.

Harper is a strong woman who goes for what she wants and doesn’t hold back, but she picks the worst time to put her foot down, and while I love her for it, it is obviously how the conflict starts between her and Christopher.

I loved Christopher from the beginning, he is a wonderful big city lawyer who doesn’t think about much else beyond achieving his career dreams. Those dreams came at the expense of a lot of people and he has to work his way though how he feels about that throughout the book.

I just loved this book, it’s easy to read and addicting!

*thank you netgalley for allowing me an arc of this wonderful book!!*

4.5 stars. after scrolling through netgalley to find something to read, i came across this and i knew it would serve. the title in itself sold me right away. but as i read it, it found a way into my heart nice and deep and these characters will stay with me for awhile. .

it was sweet, cute, it had me laughing out loud at some points too and i know it is an added bonus but the cover of the book is so beautiful too and I'm definitely going to invest in a physical copy if i can when the release date comes. i loved the dual pov and i just thought it was very well written for a romance book.

Rating a 4.5 stars. I loved this book so much. Perfect and refreshing. Christopher is such a sweetie throughout most of the book and I just love him. Also I love the character development of both characters, they both grew so much from the beginning of the book and I just love them so so much.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I recently finished Faking It With the Grump by Kate O'Keeffe and I found it to be a very cute and lighthearted book. I enjoyed Harper and (Chris)Topher quite a bit! Their personalities were enjoyable and I liked that they explored both the positive and somewhat negative aspects of their personalities. It made the characters more rounded and eventually that helped lead their decisions. I really enjoyed the supporting characters as well - specifically Ryn and Gabe (which if I read correctly will get their own book soon!). The plot was very Hallmark movie-ish (a fact that the characters even admitted) but who doesn't love a good Hallmark?? Overall I was left entertained, happy and wanting more from the Hunter's Creek crew.
I am grateful to Netgalley, Xpresso Book Tours, and Kate O'Keeffe for the advanced copy!

I do love a small town romance and I really enjoyed this one.
The blurb was so accurate to the story and I felt the characters were fun.

This book was super cute and such an enjoyable read! You can never go wrong with a small town grumpy sunshine! Can’t wait to read the next in the series