Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of The Faking Game.
I like how the story started. Fake dating tropes are mostly the same story with similar starting and ending. I liked how this one started after the fake dating had begun. It was something different and the author did it well. Both of them navigating the post breakup is hilarious. Prying into each other's life to find out if they have moved on, over thinking every interaction.

I already guessed Tally got Cara's gift, There was a point which confused me towards the end. Why did Millsy's "face fall" when Cara was opening the gift? He already knew what he bought so why was he bothered?

I got to know this book is a sequel from the Acknowledgement section at the end. So if anyone wants to read but is hesitant, Faking The Game can be read as a standalone. There were a couple points where I noticed grammatical errors. I conveyed the specific points to the publisher.

Overall, Faking The Game gets 3 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I liked the shenanigans of the main lead. The negative emotions were portrayed just as much as positive ones, making the characters more human. The aspect which could have turned out better was the character of Tally. She came suddenly out of nowhere and that's exactly the way she went. There was no personality to her character. Faking The Game is marketed as a romcom. The humourous moments were few and far in between. All I can think of to describe the "com" in this romcom is the meme, " not a chuckle, not a giggle, not even a hehe".

One of the best tropes in romance is embodied in this book which is second chance romance. This is the first time that I have encountered this author and I could not stop reading it. I love how relatable the characters are and they are such a vibe.

this book was very entertaining with its premises and I really loved it but I just wish I loved the male main character more.

I think "The Plus One Pact" must be the only book by Portia McIntosh that I haven't read and I've just discovered that "The Faking Game" is a kind of continuation of this story. Okaaaay...

In this book, neither the plot, nor the characters, were strong enough to carry this story. They were both weak and, sadly, nothing special. I still am not sure why they broke up at all (wait. Was this mentioned in "The Plus One Pact"? Not sure where this one ended). The lack of communication was childish and off - putting.

The writing style was light and engaging, as usual, the characters - well, in this case the background ones - were really good. But the whole story felt flat and forced for me, sadly, as if the author lost her joy in writing.

I've read all of Portia MacIntosh's back catalog and was delighted to be able to read her newest title. I really liked Cara and Millsy in The Plus One Pact and was glad to catch up with them. The book was good, the side characters (mainly Cara's family) were well written and I loved visiting Scotland again. The premise fell a little flat though as you never really understood why Millsy and Cara broke up.

Another very enjoyable book from Portia Macintosh, this time a sequel to a previous novel. I'm not sure that a sequel added too much, this author has enough quality and humour to stand by the strength of a standalone novel. As ever, put a smile on my face and so easy to read. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

"The Faking Game" by Portia Macintosh is the ultimate recipe for holiday hilarity and heartwarming chaos! Cara and her ex-boyfriend Millsy, in an attempt to preserve their families' festive cheer, are pretending to be a couple during the holidays. But Millsy's brought back an accent coach, Tally, from the US, who seems to be throwing a wrench into Cara's well-intentioned plan to rekindle their romance. With laugh-out-loud moments at every turn, this book takes the phrase "fake it 'til you make it" to a whole new level.

One of the book's standout features is the portrayal of those candidly insulting family members we all know too well. Cara's interactions with her somewhat hurtful aunt add a relatable layer of family dynamics that makes the story even more charming.
What sets "The Faking Game" apart is its refusal to stay in one dimension. With each turn of the page, you'll find yourself chuckling, cringing, and cheering for Cara as she navigates the minefield of fake romance. Portia Macintosh's storytelling is so engaging that it feels like you're having a cozy chat with a friend, sipping cocoa by the fire.

This book is a delightful rollercoaster of laughter, love, and unexpected twists. After reading it, you'll wish you could hit the reset button on your memory, just so you can experience the joy of "The Faking Game" all over again. So, cozy up, grab a cup of hot chocolate, and dive into this hilarious and heartwarming holiday adventure. You won't regret a single moment spent with Cara, Millsy, Tally, and the unforgettable cast of characters in this charming tale. Happy reading!

I liked the premise of the book and the first half made me laugh a lot and the author's writing is super fun to read.

I just wish the novel had been developed in a way that made me like Millsy... that didn't happen.

But, the book is fun.

One of the things I like most about Portia MacIntosh is how she can take an often used romcom concept and make it not feel like it's the same old story I've read (or seen) a million times. With 'The Faking Game' she uses the recently broken up couple pretending to be together for the sake of their families over Christmas idea. Given that this is Portia MacIntosh I wasn't completely sure if Cara and Millsy would end up back together or if she would meet and end up with someone else. I loved Cara and my heart broke for her a little each time she thought she was having a break-through moment with Millsy only for him to do something dumb. Honestly, how could a smart man be so obtuse about how his actions could be hurting Cara? When he seemed to be asking her out for a meal only to find out that he and Tally were going out but would bring her back something I so wanted to reach into the pages and smack him upside the head. It was moments like that that made you understand why Cara was unsure of what he wanted. And Tally was bitchy to her pretty much from the beginning. I loved the parts with Cara and Millsy finding themselves in chaos (whether or not it was of their own making). Cara's awful dates also offered some good comedic moments - I appreciated the commentary on dating apps, people who have never used them really don't understand how sparse the playing field is for normal guys. I also really liked that Cara and Charlie were truly only friends - the whole men and woman can't be friends idea has gotten so old. And a nice shout-out to George Ezra - love him! I don't want to give away anything for future readers, but the service station scene near the end was pretty much perfect from the moment Cara pulls in until the end of the chapter.

This is my first book I read from this author, but I learned that it’s a follow up book for another one of her works, The Plus One Pact. This book wasn’t promoted as an official sequel in any way though so I went ahead and just read this without any knowledge from The Plus One Act. I guess this book can be read as a stand-alone but maybe because I didn’t read the other book was why I never felt fully invested in the characters and felt a lack of any plot development.
The first half of the book didn’t really feel like Cara and Millsy had any pre-existing chemistry even though this was a second-chance from a break up book. The only time I felt the tension was all the jealousy scenes, which I did enjoy.
It’s definitely a cute rom-com for all the quirky situations Cara and Millsy gets into though and was easy to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC!

Cute concept and mostly good story. I wish there was an epilogue to see what happens to the two main characters.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Boldwood Books.

I just found out this was the follow-up to The Plus One Pact by the author where Cara and Millsy first meet. I wish it was mentioned in the beginning of the book so I could've read it first.

This was a wonderfully written second chance romance book but it honestly could have been better. The lack of communication between Cara and Millsy was kind of off-putting. The book would've been half its length if they'd just sat down and had a proper conversation like mature adults.

Other than that, it was an alright book.

I’ve really enjoyed this author’s previous books, so I was looking forward to this.

As usual, it features solid characters, and is well written - but it wasn’t, for me, quite the same quality - it lacked that thing that makes you pick up a read over and over again. It seemed to read better in the final third, but at times was a bit of a slog unfortunately.

This book was not my favorite of MacIntosh's. I wasn't sure that I liked the leading man, Millsy, throughout the book. In fact, I kinda wanted Cara to end up with Charlie until about 95% of the way through the book when I realized she was not going to... Fun characters, very strange plot point to have a dialect coach as a 3rd wheel. Overall a sweet ending, but not super satisfying as a romance.

I thought this was a quick and easy fun romantic read. I hadn’t read the previous book so the characters were all new to me but I didn’t find this a problem. After three years together Cara and boyfriend Millsy decide to break up but also decide that they’d pretend to still be together as they’ve got lots of events coming up. They really don’t want to upset their families over the festive period. The question is whether they are meant to be together or not. This is full of hilarious moments with them getting into some tricky situations! I liked how this was written from Cara’s viewpoint and that I couldn’t be sure how it was going to end. This had some really likeable characters and some not so! Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC

I absolutely loved this book! It’s hilarious. Cara and Millsy have recently broken up but pretend to still be together as they didn’t want to ruin their families’ Christmas. They try to keep this secret but proves to be more difficult than they thought, thanks to family disputes and having a dialect coach follow Millsy’s every move.

Thank you for the ARC! Highly recommend

This book is full of charm! Set during the holiday season, Cara and Millsy have opted to create a facade that they are still together despite the fact that they parted ways due to distance. However they tried, their attraction to each other both physically and emotionally could not be denied. Cara may build escape rooms via an app for a living , but thus is one situation she didn't want to walk away from. Millsy with his determination to be a character actor as being helped by Tally, didn't want to play the part of them not being together. Life is too short not to be with the one who makes you whole and happy and the book ended as such. A lovely read.

Thank you @netgalley and @Boldwoodbooks for giving me an eARC of this lovely book to read and write an honest review about it

To say the least, I loved this book and I enjoyed each page, This book showed that love will always be tested but true love will always prevail

You know how, sometimes we let our pride be our judge ?
That’s exactly what happened to Millsy and Cara and they .. broke up

I loved their relationship way too much, their interactions, conversations ( which was a rarity in the book) and their clumsiness
~> they’d actually win a Guinness record for world’s most chaotic couple (if they were real 😂😂)

I enjoyed the other family member’s personalities with their annoyingness .. (I’m actually thinking of adopting Uncle Paddy’s strategy in my life - should make it rather interesting)

The highlight of the story though was definitely the dates … they were the best things 🤣🤣🤣
Made me laugh by myself throughout the day, replaying the scenes in my head

What I didn’t like though;-
Cara would refer to herself as a nerd and sometimes refer to herself as not smart .. ( to me was a bore, I was like pick a side! woman)

Apart from that, all was good and I give this a 4 huge brilliant stars ⭐️

I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to get a good laugh.

"The Faking Game" by Portia MacIntosh is a delightful romantic comedy filled with humour, misunderstandings, and heart-warming moments. Cara and Millsy's fake relationship creates plenty of laughs as they navigate the challenges of pretending to be a couple during various festive events. With a love triangle, witty banter, and unexpected twists, this book is a fun and light-hearted read that will leave you smiling. MacIntosh's writing is engaging, making it easy to get lost in this entertaining story of love and second chances. Perfect for fans of fake dating tropes and holiday romances.

Every time I think that I have found my favorite Portia MacIntosh book, I come across another. I absolutely loved this book. Reading Cara and Millsy's story, I found myself completely engrossed in this book. The characters were so easy to picture in my mind and I felt almost as though I was watching a movie. I laughed quite a few times as I read about the pickles that Cara and Millsy found themselves in. I just can't wait for the next book, all of Portia MacIntosh's books are such fun reads.