I give it 3.5 stars.
This book described in one word, would be cute. With a bit of sense of humor and a lot of hallmark movie feels. I don't think it's about Harper and Christopher being complete opposites. More like them showing each other the potential and different persona they have hidden inside. She is very spirited. He needs to loosen up. And while he is very matter of fact, she still understands him. They both have good hearts, and you can't go wrong with that.

Enjoyed this book.! It was quick and lighthearted with hallmark vibes. Some parts really grasped my attention while others failed to. Regardless, this is still a good read!

Firstly, thank you so much for the ARC! I knew when I requested this book was going to be a cute fluff story, and that's exactly what I got. It's a cute, feel good fast read. By reading the summary, you know exactly how the story is going to go. It's a small town romance. A teacher from a small town, and a businessman that comes from NYC. When Harper moves back to her small town after a really public breakup, and is tired of people feeling pity for her, and trying to set her up with random guys. Then she crosses paths with the new guy in town, Chris. She decides to tell people that he's her boyfriend, before even speaking to him. What starts out as faking, turns into the real thing. Chris, dreads going to the small town in Washington state initially, but the longer he stays there, the more he falls in love with the quaint city life, with it's people, and most importantly Harper. I felt like Chris' character was really awkwardly written. At least initially. He's written in a really robotic way, and all you wonder is who actually speaks like that? Once he starts to loosen up, he comes across as a real person. Harper on the other hand steals the show. I really enjoy her character. The idea of following a significant other to a new city to help them follow their dreams, really hit home for me. And so I really enjoyed her dreaming of wanting to be a teacher at the small town she grew up in. Not only that, but also not wanting to follow Christopher back to New York. I feel like far too often, the female is the one who's expected to give up their dreams to follow their male counterpart. And while there's nothing wrong with that, I found it refreshing, that she didn't want to follow him to NYC. Overall, it was a cute sweet read. 3 Stars.

This was a fun and light read. The characters were good and I connected to them easily.

It was quite Hallmark movie but an easy read all the same!

I didn’t like this and I won’t be reading any more from this author.

There’s no spice. Not even some sexual tension. That wouldn’t bother me if this had plot, there was not plot. Besides the romance that wasn’t even romance. Fake dating for all of like 3 days. Plus this was SO repetitive. Ridiculously so. It was infuriating. I almost DNFed at 60% and I should have.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Wild Lime Books publishing for this digital ARC.

This book was charming and a very feel good read. It has everything you'd expect from the small town, grumpy sunshine, and fake dating tropes. It was overall very engaging and felt like a Hallmark movie. If you're looking for something light hearted and fun, I definitely recommend this!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions below are honest.

I just couldn't get into this one unfortunately. It was a Hallmark movie style of book with potential:
- small town romance
- fake dating
- dramas
I just found it moved a bit slow for my liking.

Thank you NetGalley and Kate O’Keeffe for this ARC!

I am surprised I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.

This book is such an easy and enjoyable read. I really liked the characters in this book. I recommend reading this book if you’re looking for an easy and cute read!!

This book was such a feel-good book with lots of wit and banter, which is my absolute favorite in a romance novel! Set in the cozy atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest, you get all the vibes of comfort with this one, especially with the Second Chance Cafe! I really enjoyed seeing Harper & Christopher's characters develop throughout the book to become more independent, confident and open to love. While some of the dialogue felt cheesy at times, I enjoyed it! I know "cheese" isn't for everyone, but I thought it added to the story and the sweet kind of love these two have!

If you're enjoy the grumpy/sunshine trope and are looking for a cozy, comfort read, this should be at the top of your list! I would definitely recommend!

I love the books that when he is a man so pathetically in love with her that he doesn't behave normally. AND THIS BOOK HAS IT.

HE IS GRUMPY BUT WHEN SHE IS CLOSE HIS MIND IS CHEF KISS. I LOVED IT

Loved the cover but that's about it.

I'm not sure if the author manages to redeem Christopher/Kit at some point during the book because I'm bowing out at 35% but after the following internal dialogue from the MMC in regards to the FMC:
"... showing off her slim waist and womanly figure. And yeah, I notice. I am a guy"
and
"Beautiful and funny? Can that be called a double threat? If she's smart too, I'm a dead man"

No, thank you.

I also felt uncomfy with the nodding / Japan comment.

Throw in a gerbil named Lady Scrunchy von Rodentsworth and I just don't have time for this.

*I received this as an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Cute, flirty rom com!
Harper is living with her high school boyfriend who is an up and coming actor who finally gets a part in a vampire TV show. And promptly dumps her for the costar of the show. And after she's supported him for years! How dare he!
So she moves back home. Disgraced.
But she's also always wanted to be a school teacher at the elementary school where she grew up. And she loves her home town. She just hates that people also remember Dax and that he grew up here too.
Until Christopher moves in. And he's gorgeous. Kinda stuffy in his suit, but that kiss when they first meet! And they decide to fake date for reasons that benefit each of them for their own reasons.
And she discovers he's not quite as stuffy as he appears.
She's gorgeous and beautiful and exactly what he wants but can't have.

Read it and find out if she can reach through to the grumpy guy and if he can determine that he deserves the girl.

This was a fun, grumpy-sunshine trope story. Harper has just been dumped by her high school sweetheart Dex in a very public way. She thought she was going to Santa Monica Pier to get proposed to, but instead, she gets dumped by Dex for his co-star on a popular vampire show. Shocked, she dumps her soda on Dex, and the video goes viral. With that, she decides to move back home to Hunter's Creek, where she meets Christopher, a lawyer from New York City who secretly works to acquire the town's mill. He is quiet and serious, not outwardly appearing to be fun. When he sees Harper, he thinks she's beautiful but has always been goal-driven and decides it wouldn't be wise to pursue anything. In a twist of fate, though, he ends up fake dating Harper but their feelings quickly become real. It's a fun, quirky Hallmark movie in novel form.

3.5 ⭐️ (rounded to 4 on goodreads)!!!

this was a sweet romance (no spice just to let you know) but I wasn’t necessarily looking for that. the combination of sweet & nosy small town vibes was perfection, it gave me all the gilmore girl vibes just as kate said it would!!

I will say that the character development in this book was what I loved most. Harper finding herself & choosing herself first for once after years of people pleasing & saying yes to everyone who asked things of her, but she finds her voice in heartbreak. & Christopher, oh grumpy Christopher. I loved him. he thought he had to keep achieving to be happy all to find complete happiness is the complete opposite place he was looking.

I think what I didn’t enjoy was the timeline of events. certain things just felt too quick or unrealistic. I didn’t love that considering it was a normal sized book it was insta love in some ways. i’m not usually an insta-love person unless it’s novellas.

but overall generally, I enjoyed the book & will definitely be read another of Kate’s books!

4 ⭐️ / 5

thank you so much to Xpresso Book Tours for an ARC of Faking It With The Grump ~ Kate O’Keeffe ( I received an ARC via NetGalley)

i absolutely adore small town and grump x sunshine romances and this combo did not disappoint me one bit! Hunter’s Creek is such the perfect setting for this book!

i instantly fell in love with both Harper and Christopher, and i think their connection is adorable! watching both characters grow and develop made this such a fun read for me!

the book definitely contains a few too many commonly included tropes (fake dating, love at first sight, small town, grumpy x sunshine) and feels like a bit of a movie, but I really enjoyed this combination!

i did not get bored of the book, and read it so quickly!!!

i definitely recommend if you’re looking for a light-hearted small town romance to lift your mood! this is my first Kate O'Keeffe book and I have definitely been missing out!

3.5⭐️ this book was such an easy and enjoyable read. I really liked the characters in this book and would read the rest of the series when they’re published. Topher wasn’t that grumpy in my opinion. I do like the sunshine x grumpy books and this book kinda worked for that genre but not entirely. I would recommend reading this book if your looking for a easy and enjoyable read!!

this is what ive been wanting for! grump/sunshine and a whole lot of spice. I couldn't put it down I absolutely devoured this book.

First of all, the way the book starts will have you hooked so quickly into the plot. I started this one night and then when i couldn't get back to sleep at 3 a.m. I decided I'd read some- well at about 7 or 8 that morning I finished it when the sun was coming up!

This story reminded me of a small town version of The Spanish Love Deception (one of my favorites). I love Harper and her sense of style- she like the PNW's version of Rory Gilmore within her town. Christopher totally falls first and you can feel it from the first moment they (kinda) meet.

Towards the end I thought some of the drama could have totally been avoided but i also recognize then there wouldn't be a book without it.

I was pretty excited for this book as I love fake dating and the sunshine grump trope, but ultimately I do think this book fell short. I was very into it in the beginning and it picked up fast but then it fell off and I struggled to finish it as I think it was a bit lackluster. I think it came down to a lack of chemistry. I still thought this was a cute read but just didn't hit the mark entirely.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review ◡̈