This book was.... definitely something. I had high hopes for this one but sadly it just fell short for me. I am a huge HEA girl so the end of this book was just not it for me.

I am not sure how I feel about this book. I went into it with expectations that it would be a lighthearted fake dating romance. That isn't the story that I got. While I don't necessarily find the main character likeable, the story itself did take a turn that I enjoyed. It's more of a self discovery, fall in love with yourself story.
I enjoyed it overall.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

This was a light fun read for a weekend vacation. If comedic romance is your thing, check this one out!

Sophie has been single for awhile despite her best efforts on the dating apps. From ghosting to men that only want to see her when it is convenient for them, Sophie can't seem to catch a break when it comes to falling in love. Things take a turn however when she lies about having a plus one for her sisters upcoming wedding. Her solution is to find herself a fake boyfriend. That is where Harry comes into play. They strike a deal, Harry will help Sophie save face with her family and in return she will make him look good in front of his friends after his marriages recent implosion. The attraction is pulpable but if they are both using this bargain to hide from very real problems, do they even stand a chance?

*Thank you to Wattpad books & Beth Reekles for providing me an ARC copy of this book. Greatly appreciated as always! All opinions are my own.

When I read the synopsis for this book, it immediately caught my interest. With the topic of dating, there is so much that goes into it from, meeting new people, navigating the first few stages in a relationship to just figuring things out for yourself. In this story, Sophie had to deal with a number of things ranging from the slight judgement of being single, whereas her other friends were off getting engaged, married, buying homes, etc. I found myself relating to certain things that Sophie talked about which was why I really liked the premise of this book. For those of you wanting to read a story about dating, being in your twenties and figuring out your life from your career to finding love, and more, then I think you’ll enjoy this book too.

Now, I’ve never watched the movie, “The Diary of Bridget Jones”, only in parts, but I could see the little inspiration that Beth included in her book. Sophie was a columnist writer for a company, and wrote an anonymous columns on dating and everything in between. Sophie was use to the ups and downs of dating from getting ghosted to trying to give it another go. What I found most relatable about Sophie was how she felt like her friends (at times) joked around about her single status. As a single women myself, I found myself feeling a similar way to Sophie from dealing with the onslaught questions of, “why don’t you have a boyfriend?” Or “how long have you been single?”. Sophie had her own way of dealing with these kinds of things, but it didn’t make it any easier when she felt like her friends were off living their own “perfect” lives with their significant others whereas she still felt behind on those kind of milestones.

When in doubt, just fake date someone! As much as Sophie tried finding a plus one to her stepsister’s wedding, and showing her family she wasn’t completely alone, in the end she restored to finding a fake boyfriend via the dating app she used often. Some of the men that Sophie had met or gone on dates with were alright, but from the moment she met and spoke with Harry, I instantly felt like there was potential for more between them. Even when Sophie’s stepsister’s wedding finally happened, she was beginning to find herself more and more attracted to Harry. Despite the agreement of fake dating between them, Harry and Sophie had a lighthearted, easygoing relationship.

Just when I thought Sophie was in need of a fake boyfriend, turned out that Harry also needed a fake girlfriend. With Harry being newly single and wanting to show his ex-wife, friends, and family he was in a new relationship, in came Sophie playing the role! It worked out perfectly for Sophie and Harry, they each helped each other with appearances and showing others they were happily together. Fake dating on both parts seemed like a haired brain scheme, but hey it worked didn’t it?

In the beginning, I had such high hopes for this book, but somewhere along the way it changed. At some point, I felt like the story was dragging on, and other times I started to get annoyed and frustrated with Sophie. For instance, the inconsistency of Sophie telling her friends that Harry was Jaxon, but obviously not, and then introducing her family to Harry as himself. The reason I bring this up is because, later in the story it was confusing to me why Sophie would tell her friends all about Jaxon, making it seem like Harry was him (when he fully wasn’t). I feel like when I was reading, it just came across as inconsistent and confusing.

I went into this book with high hopes, and unfortunately it didn’t work out for me. While I did still like the idea behind Sophie navigating dating, and later coming to the realization what she TRULY wanted out of her life, there were some things I had issues with. By the halfway point, I lost interest, I kept holding out that maybe it would get better or there would be a major event that would reignite my interest, but it really didn’t. While I can appreciate the thought that went behind in creating this story, in the end it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I found myself even thinking about DNF-ing, but again I held onto the hope there was more in Sophie’s story. Towards the end, I was mostly skimming the paragraphs, was a bit bummed out what ended up happening in terms of the romance, but I can understand why that needed to happen in Sophie’s journey. So while this book wasn’t for me, maybe it might be for you.

I think managing expectations will better gauge how you will feel about this one. If you are going into this expecting a feel-good, fake dating romance HEA, this isn’t the read for you. However, if you are looking for a read about someone finding themselves, and learning to be independent of her relationship status, then you might. I personally found the characters a little unlikable, but based on circumstances, it may be because its cultural norms I don’t typically surround myself with. I found the main character annoying, except in the third act, though I understand that was needed for her personal growth. There were some laugh out loud moments in the book, but I think I just didn’t connect with the main character. Yes, I have definitely been there with the struggles of dating, but I feel my mindset was different. More what’s wrong with me (though Sophie does experience that), and less dating because it’s what my family and everyone else expects me to.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy! All thoughts are my own.

This isn't your typical romance, but I don't want to give anything anyway. Each chapter played out like an episode of a TV show. It's kind of long but worth it. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book got off to a very slow start, but it got better from there.

I'm giving this book a 3 because I thought it would be a love story, but it wasn't. I wanted a romantic ending, but it turned out to be more about a woman embracing being single. That part was well written, but it wasn't what I expected. The main character, Sophie, was very likable, but the story felt slow. It didn't fit what I think of as a contemporary romance.

I was confused because I thought it was a romance with fake dating, but it ended up being more about loving yourself and being happy alone. That's okay, but it wasn't what I wanted. If you know it's about self-acceptance, it could be a good read. But if you think it's a romance with fake dating, you might be disappointed.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

To start with what I loved, I loved that this book doesn't hang its hat on the fact that the FMC needs love to be complete. Sophie does not and she knows it! Sophie was also my biggest difficulty with the book, though. She was just genuinely very hard for me to like. Alternatively, Harry was very easy for me to like. When Sophie turned Harry down, it was kind of my final straw in how much I felt I could tolerate her. She just felt very self absorbed and like she lacked empathy? It was hard to connect with that sort of personality in a love story. Harry was charming and wonderful, though!

Fairly predictable rom com but it was still a good read that I enjoyed it. It was also a quick read.

This book is meant to be about finding yourself as a single person and that its okay to be doing just that. Maybe I just have a different experience with friends but I have never been singled out or talked down to because I'm usually single. I just found Sophie's friends to be rude and not real friends. Part of the issue was the way Sophie was but it was still off putting. I would have liked to see more of Harry but he was introduced pretty late. I knew they probably weren't going to end up together but I really liked his character maybe more than Sophie. I feel like the characters were full of themselves at times and making their relationship status their whole personality. Still an entertaining read but it was tightly wrapped as a maybe romance so I can see some people not liking the outcome.

i have mixed feelings about this book … i was expecting a happy ending romance based on the description and it’s not really what i got. the actual story was refreshing and i didn’t mind the being single and happy message as an ending, but it felt like a bait and switch.

there were some great comedic moments that i loved and the character development was great, but it was pretty slow and ultimately fell flat for me. i don’t think the writing style was for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad Books for this ARC.

I admired the end to Sophie’s journey, but wasn’t a fan of the style of narrative. It felt long winded, and for a book about fake dating, it seemed to only make up a small portion of the plot. The majority of the book was a constant repetitive and extremely vain inner monologue about a depressive single life.

I didn’t find any of the characters believable or exceptionally likeable. Some of Sophie’s antics were entertaining, but it was a big push to even complete this novel.

One star for Sophie’s absurd antics and horrific social cues, and one for the unconventional ending.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Wattpad books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

There were aspects of this story that I liked, and others that disappointed.

I laughed out loud at some things, and others, well, I was left rolling my eyes.

I liked Sophie at times, and other times I found her intolerable.

I liked Sophie and Harry together, and that was what I was expecting. There is a birthday scenario that had me laughing out loug

However, in the end what I got was more an Eat, Pray, Love Sophie finding herself story more than a romance. Which is OK, but it was not what I thought I was getting.

I loved the Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles and wanted to read this one too. I really enjoyed the book, loved it so much. Can't wait to read more books by Beth. I highly recommend this!

Faking It by Beth Reekles is an incredible contemporary romance.
I absolutely adore Beth Reekles' writing. She has not let me down yet and her newest title did not disappoint.
This book was utterly adorable! The banter between the two characters was witty and fresh.
The romance between Sophie and Harry was great.
This was such a cute read. A light, fun-loving and feeI good romance with great characters, a catchy storyline, and a great setting.

Thank You NetGalley and Wattpad Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was a really cute fake dating romance perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary or Katy Birchall. Funny and full of heart, I enjoyed reading it and discovering a new romance author to add to my favorites. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I love books written by Beth Reekles and this was no exception!

Faking It

Sophie is a girl in her 20s and is struggling with the societal pressure of having to find someone. All her friends and family members were buying homes, getting married and having children, and she was still single. But one day she has enough of the questions and decides to get a fake boyfriend, Harry. Harry is going through a divorce and just wants to be single again. Their connection grows and I love how each character develops!

The ending was unexpected and I loved it despite wanting it to end in a different way!

Thank you as always to Netgalley for the ARC!