This is a very heart melting swoon worthy book. I couldn't put it down. I would watch this as a movie on repeat!! Loved this!!
I just reviewed The Fake Out by Sharon M. Peterson. #TheFakeOut #NetGalley
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To Sprinkles and Elmie…🏈📖

They are so cute! I think I’m all over the place with my reading because this book was so nice. My thriller era was keeping me up at night and I needed this cute cozy read to calm me down. I think this is the perfect book to read on a sunny day. Comes out July 5th, just in time for your vacation!

Funny, fierce, fabulous, for real. THE FAKE OUT is a great friends to lovers, grumpy/sunshine romance. (She’s the grump. He’s the sunshine.)

When a famous football player falls asleep in Mae Sampson’s library, he quickly insinuates his way into the small town of Two Harts where Mae is holding the library, her salary, and her family together by the skin of her teeth. When a gossip site attempts to smear Chris with a sketchy story, his PR team proposes a fake fiancé. Chris proposes Mae. It’s all just a fake out. But then she starts falling for real.

Loved this second romcom from Sharon M. Peterson!
5 stars!
Heat level: just kissing

I love Sharon Peterson stories and RAN to request this ARC. I just adore everything she puts out but this title was so special! It was the perfect depiction of a reverse grumpy sunshine. There was banter, tension, chemistry and love. I just had the best time and cant recommend this title enough!

This was such a cute book! Grumpy/sunshine trope with back and forth banter between main characters that I loved and had me laughing out loud. Definitely one I'll recommend to those who want a fun, lighthearted romance!

I absolutely adored this book. I read it in one day, it was just so addictingly adorable and funny.

The pick up lines at every chapter opening were my favourite part... but I really enjoyed Mae and Chris, and the cast of characters around this. I wanted to spend more time with Chris' sisters, and Iris, and Ali... everyone was just so much fun.

It is all very predictable in the best way possible - it would definitely be a great comfort read to pick up time and time again. There is great chemistry and classic antics and it just read like a big cozy hug.

10/10 would fully recommend and will definitely want to read again.

The Fake Out - what should I say?
I totally enjoyed reading this book.
It‘s hilarious and so emotional. I really liked it!

Def can recommend this amazing story

The Fake Out was a cute rom-com between Mae, the librarian, and Chris, the footballer. It was a small-town romance with a zany cast of characters. Chris was a really good rom-com boyfriend. I think I would've enjoyed Mae being more honest about her feelings and talking over her fears as it was obvious Chris was very into her. I enjoyed that we saw a lot of more of Mae's career as a librarian than Chris's career and that they still got to be close to her family. I really enjoyed the scenes with Chris's family.

The book was well-written and kept me entertained throughout. I just wish Mae had been more receptive to Chris. I think the fact that the very PG action takes place pretty far into the book contributes to this fact because although they are reading romances they aren't really acting it out like I would expect!

THE PICKUP LINES!!!! Please if you read this for nothing else, just read it for the pickup lines. I'm telling you, I CACKLED!

I adore Sharon Peterson's books. They are wholesome, feel-good romances that are right on par with Sarah Adams. But what distinguishes Sharon from others is her wit. It cracks like a wip and will leave you breathless from laughter when you least expect it.

The Fake Out had me grinning from ear to ear from the time Maebell found Chris in her library all the way until epiligue.

Read if you love:
🤍Grumpy x Sunshine
🤍Fake dating / engagement
🤍Opposites attract
🤍Banter

I love Sharon M. Peterson’s romcoms! Her books are always so cute, with several laugh out loud moments, plus the pick up lines in this book are the perfect extra touch! I really like Mae as a character, she is very strong, sometimes to her own detriment, but it all comes from a good place. Chris’ optimism is unbelievable and he is definitely the sunshine character in this couple and the perfect match to Mae’s grump. If you are looking for a pick me up story this is a great choice, and you will be smiling before you know it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was definitely intrigued with the sneak peek blurb about the sleeping football player waking up to a romance audio book. Chris is a perfect golden retriever book boyfriend.
This book would be the most perfect Hallmark movie. It has all the tropes!! Small-town romance, fake engagement, engagement of convenience, reverse grumpy sunshine, golden retriever hero!!
The writing style let me insert myself right into their world & immerse myself into it.
Mae was not my favorite. She had more conflicts in this book than anyone I've ever seen [which I guess I shouldn't hold against her character]. That was a little excessive at times. She was also very immature. She's supposed to be late 20s I think and gets panicked over a forehead kiss. I get being inexperienced, but it was noted that she had been in a 2 year relationship previously. Her personality and actions would have been more believable if she was just getting out of high school....not a whole grown woman.

4.3 / 5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me access to the book for an honest review.

“It suits you” 💖

The Fake Out is about a small-town librarian Mae who meets an NFL all-star player Chris. Mae is working at the library shelving back books when she notices a sleeping Chris. They develop a great friendship which eventually leads to a fake engagement. The offer of the engagement is beneficial for both parties.

This book was a fast-paced rom-com. This is the first rom-com I have read and I was not disappointed. The book had me happy, laughing, sad and hopeful.

Each chapter begins with a cheesy pickup line, the book is filled with tension, chemistry, and funny banter.

The book has several different tropes:
Friends to lovers
Reverse grumpy / sunshine
Fake engagement of convenience

Overall, this book was well-written and a quick read with a beautiful love story!

The Fake Out is a RomCom book with a VERY slow burn. If you like that type of book, you will really like the Fake Out. I tend to like a book with more steam, but I still really liked this book-even though there was no steam. It is also told in a single point of view instead of dual, again, not my favorite, but Ms. Peterson was able to keep me invested in the story to the end! You don't know me, so you don't know that that speaks volumes, but it does. This book is good, yes a bit predictable, but still really good. I enjoyed it from start to finish. Very well done. 5 stars! Thank you NetGalley and Sharon Peterson for an advanced copy.

Just like the Do over this romcom had me hooked from the very start. Although it’s predictable it’s still a good time. I would definitely recommend to anyone who needs a pick me up or is in a reading slump.

Almost every page had us laughing! Hilarious banter between all the characters throughout the entire story made our smiling cheeks hurt. As if it wasn't entertaining enough (which it truly is), this story will have your heart swooning at the journey Mae and Chris travel together. If you like punny pickup lines, you'll LOVE Chris and, even more, Mae's T-shirts. Such a wonderful blend of humor and love makes this book definitely Worth The Read.

-Worth The Read Podcast

🌟🌟🌟🌟
4/5 stars
Small town romance
Famous football player and the librarian.

From the very first line, which made me snort by the way, I was hooked.
It all beyond in a library, it's closing time and the librarian is listening to an audio book whilst hoping the last straggler, whom seems to be fast asleep, will wake and leave soon. In hilarious fashion however, it seems the audio book is playing out loud and is at an especially steamy part and of course this is when we realise the stragglers is awake!
Not only was this a strong start, it helps that the book continued to serve in this fashion. With wit, humour and sass.
Lover the characters, main and side. Great storytelling and worldbuilding. Thoroughly enjoyed and will be looking at the authors other books too.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a cute rom com with some of my favourite tropes, and all of the characters were so easy to love! Some characters did have flaws that annoyed me, but that is a sign of good writing if it made me feel that way!

“You suit me just fine.” 🩷🩷🩷

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I loved Sharon’s first book The Do-Over and I was delighted that this book was just as good. Her family dynamics and witty dialogue are on par with the likes of Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez.

Mae is the grump in this grumpy/sunshine duo. She’s trying to make ends meet for her family in a small town in Texas while fighting to keep her local library (and place of employment) from succumbing to town budget cuts.

Chris is the optimistic football player that is facing some bad publicity. He’s an activist for heart health in children and he’s at risk of losing his partnership with an important charity if he can’t change the narrative in the press.

Enter the fake engagement. Is it a little predictable? Yes. But it doesn’t take away from the entertainment in this story. Each chapter starts with a corny pick up line so you’re already smiling as you continue with the story. Chris’s sisters are hilarious and sweet in their adoration for their only brother. And Ali’s pettiness is a level I can only dream of. Who doesn’t wish they could inconvenience the living daylights out of their best friend’s creep ex-boyfriend?

This book hits all the feel good tropes: grumpy/sunshine, small town romance, fake relationship, only one bed. I hope it gets the love it deserves. 4.5⭐️

4.5 stars rounded down ! :)
Ohmygod this was so cute and fluffy!!! Absolutely loved it, had the time of my life.
Kinda wished it was duel POV because that my preference especially when it comes to fake dating, but I still loved it as it was.
I also LOVED that it was grumpy/sunshine but SHE WAS GRUMPY AND IT WAS DONE WELL OHMYGOD.
And the fmc's little sisters side romance was super cute as well, family vibes were immaculate (except for fmc's dad we hate him), and tech genius slightly illegal hobby best friend was so funny and awesome.
Just everything was great really.
Third act break up broke MY heart, but I will recover.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this story! I was a little skeptical at first since single POV is not my favorite mode of story telling but I was sucked in from the first chapter. Mae’s character was so relateable; her trials with living in a small town, dating, trying to be everything for her family to her own detriment. I enjoyed her sarcastic wit and her scepticism. While the reader does not get Chris’s POV (until the very end), his gestures and thoughtful comments give a pretty good indication of his feelings. I even loved all the secondary characters such as Ali, Mae’s BBF and Ivy, Mae’s sister. This was a clean romance which I did not mind nor did it seem out of character for the story. (I hate when the characters have lustful thoughts but then the sexy times are either closed door or chaste). I am definitely looking for more books by this author!