Fake it till you make it!

This was a short, fast enjoyable read about two people, Cara and Millsy, who are not quite feeling love anymore. They are a social pair, and their social calendar is booked. What to do???? How about putting on a show so that everyone thinks they are as madly in love as ever. Once they get through the holidays, then they can cope with the breakup. Simple right???

As I mentioned this was a fast read that had the tropes of fake dating, miscommunication, and second chance romance. As other reviewers have stated this is the sequel to The Plus One Pact which I have not read. I really wish that would have been made clear. I believe I would have enjoyed this book more had I read that book. I am sure knowing their backstory would have helped me have a better connection to them and their relationship.

For me this was well written and enjoyable. I just wanted a little more oomph and the ending felt rushed. I have read a lot of fake dating books and books that have a lot of miscommunications in them. I get frustrated by this as I want to tell both characters to grow up and talk already.

There are some fun moments and lots of holiday cheer.

The Faking Game is Portia MacIntosh’s latest romantic comedy featuring a couple who secretly broke up but don’t want to tell anyone until after the Christmas holidays are over.

32-year-old Escape-Room game designer Cara Brooks broke up with her boyfriend of three years right before he left for a job assignment in Hollywood. Cara was stressed from the demands of opening her own firm and creating an app with her business partner, Charlie. Cara lived with Joe “Millsy” Mills in a flat he owns in Leeds, England. Millsy bears a strong resemblance to Matthew McConnaughey which helps him get body-double roles in movies; he aspires to be an actor with speaking parts.

The story begins with Millsy arriving at Cara’s cousin’s baby shower with the entertainment after a six-week job in Hollywood. There’s lots of family drama, and the reader sees the love and affection between the happy couple as they are reunited after his trip Soon the reader learns that they broke up but are hiding it from their families until after the Christmas holidays. Both Cara and Millsy’s grandmas have planned a huge multi-family gathering at a family estate in Scotland, so Cara and Millsy don’t want to ruin things and make it awkward for everyone.

Millsy has gotten his first real acting role, playing an American country music star in a feature film. Unfortunately he hasn’t mastered the southern accent and sounds like a drunk Irishman. So he has hired a beautiful voice and dialect coach, Tally, who will be by his side until he returns to Hollywood. Cara is naturally upset by Tally’s presence and uses her business partner, Charlie, to try to make Millsy jealous. The antics between Cara, Millsy, and Tally are hilarious as they try to hide the true nature of their relationships from the families. The reader knows that Cara and Millsy will get back together; it’s just a matter of how long it wilk take for them to realize it.

The Faking Game is similar to the author’s earlier bestselling books, Better Off Wed and Your Place or Mine, except that it’s filled with colorful family members and takes place around the Christmas holidays. Both Cara and Millsy are likable characters so the reader can’t help but cheer them on as they repair their relationship. The family members and their dynamics add extra humor to the story. Everyone has an Auntie Mary or an Uncle Paddy. This story will definitely appeal to readers in both the United States and Europe.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Boldwood Books for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Perfect couple Cara and Millsy have quietly separated. To avoid ruining the holidays for their families, they pretend to be together until the end of the year. Caught up in the seasonal cheer, can they convincingly play their parts? Or will the truth about their relationship unravel amidst the celebrations?

I loved this audiobook. Cara is fun and relatable, kind-hearted with a hint of mischief. The plot was well-paced and kept me guessing until the end.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Fake dating after breaking up for the sake of spending the holidays and various celebrations with their families and friends. It was a fun read, very much had a will they get back together vibe.

-Rating; 2 stars
-Book is a continuation of The Plus One Pact
-A second chance romance, fake dating, one bed, love triangle, lovers to enemies, miscommunication trope

BLURB: Cara and Millsy have broken up... sort of. After years of being everyone's favorite couple, always up for a party and having fun wherever they go, things have fizzled out. But when they realize they have a whole calendar of events and celebrations with friends and family coming up, Cara and Millsy can't face letting them down. So they decide to make a pact: just convince everyone they're as madly in love as ever and get through the festivities without causing suspicion, and then deal with the break up in the new year. How hard can it be...? Swept up in the festive spirit, will Cara and Millsy fake it til they make it? Or will they realize they are meant to be after all...

THOUGHTS: First let me start off by saying I didn't care to much for this book. I just don't think it was for me. You may love this book, but the moment the miscommunication trope came out it wasn't for me. Let me say I was really excited to read this book as it is based around Christmas. I have very high hopes for books surrounding Christmas, especially a romance with a second chance, fake dating, and a love triangle. I love to read romance Christmas books. But once the book went on I got annoyed me as the characters just couldn't really communicate with each other. I feel like most of this book wouldn't have happened if they would have just sat down and listened to what each other had to say. I also feel like the author could have made the reason for them fake dating better. Like why would you fake date because your family would be upset? Shouldn't a family care more about your happiness. Also the starting build up to a spicy scene and passing over it wasn't really for me.

Thanks to NetGally and Boldwood Books, and Portia MacIntosh I received an e-arc copy of this book exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I loved the title of this book and hoped it would as good as it sounded. In fact, it was amazing. A lovely, cosy read for those autumn nights. Thank you for the ARC.

A second chance, fake relationship I had high expectations!

It was a fun twist on the trope, in the aspect they were already together and pretended to be just for the holidays. I thought that was a cute spin on a trope I enjoy. However the miscommunication was painfulllll….

Maybe I would have been more invested if I knew it was book two, and had read book one. I did enjoy the funny witty banter, and the relationship with the fmc and her mom/brother. Plus the holiday vibes. 2.5 rounded up

Portia MacIntosh has become an ‘instant buy’ for me! I love her writing style. She weaves magic into those pages, I swear. I did not realize that this book was a follow up to The Plus One, which I have not read yet. However, it took nothing away from this chapter of their story. As soon as I thought I had everything figured out, there would be a twist. Then, I thought I knew again, and I was wrong again. For a bit of time, I thought maybe our tech guy Charlie was behind “the website” and had orchestrated the whole meet up. (Trying to be as spoiler free as possible…) The miscommunication troupe gives me anxiety, but Portia MacIntosh balanced it so well with antics and witty banter. My only complaint is that it needed an epilogue. What can I say? I can never get enough of her books, I want them to keep going and going.

This book? Oh, it's everything! 🌟 Imagine a wild ride through laughter and tears, where fake relationships turn into heartfelt connections. I couldn't stop laughing and crying – seriously, my emotions were all over the place!

From the get-go, I was hooked! The characters felt like friends, and their crazy situations? Hilarious, not eye-roll-worthy at all! It's rare to find a book that can make you laugh and cry so genuinely. And oh, the screaming moments? I had those too!

Every sentence? Pure gold! The author nailed it, capturing the essence of human emotions in the most relatable way. Reading this felt like a rollercoaster I never wanted to get off – and trust me, you won't want to either.

In short, if you want a book that's the whole package – fun, serious, and heartwarmingly real – this is it. Grab it, read it, and get ready for a journey that will leave you smiling, crying, and screaming in delight!

This book would have been great with some tightening up. Cara and Millsy have broken up, but their families are planning on spending the holidays together. So they decide to spend the Christmas season faking their relationship for the sake of their loved ones. The only problem is the book never explains why Cara and Millsy broke up in the first place. Their chemistry and love for each other is obvious, so it's hard to understand why their relationship went south. If the details of their relationship's demise were added to the book, this would have been a much better read.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I want to start this review off by saying that I'm a big fan of Portia MacIntosh books, so I was really excited to dive into this one. I love the fake dating trope but unfortunately I didn't love how this played out. I was a little confused as to why Cara and Millsy even broke up in the fist place since it was never really talked about. I guess they just grew apart but I found it weird. The lack of chemistry between the two of them made it hard to believe that they ever were a solid couple to begin with. The miscommunication was so painful as well! Overall I liked the idea of this book more than the actual book itself.

The Faking Game is a sweet second-chance/fake-dating romance novel centering around Cara and Millsy pretending to be together for the Christmas holidays for the sake of their big families. They get into some sticky situations along the way as they celebrate all the festivities and begin questioning why they broke up in the first place. Throw in a dialect coach, a charming business partner and a disastrous dating app and you’ll find yourself laughing along as you cheer on Millsy and Cara to get their act together in the name of love.

Thank you to Portia MacIntosh, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the advance e-book for an honest review.

An interesting rom-com style read, where the characters must fake it, but do they make it? A quick read but a fun read nonetheless. Thank you to NetGalley and the author and publisher for this eARC

GENERAL INFO: The Faking Game//

Year Pub/Re Pub: 10/5/23, read 10/3/23//

Format: e-ARC//

Source: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Boldwood Books for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.//

Page Count: 275//

Setting: England and Scotland//

Genre: Adult Fiction, Rom-Com, Women's Fiction//

Tropes: love triangle, 1 bed, fake dating, Christmas, family drama//

Standalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: Read as a standalone, but is the sequel to The Plus One Pact//

HEA/HFN ending: HEA//

Epilogue Included: no//

Character(s)POV Spoken: Cara, the heroine//

BOOK DESCRIPTION//
Synopsis/Plot Summary: Cara and Millsy broke up six weeks ago, but their families planned to spend the holidays together. They agree to pretend they are still together. There are bad dates, jealousy, and plenty of hijinks as they fight their decision to break up.//

M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F//

Contains Cheating: no//

Contains Children: Flora's 3 kids make an appearance or two//

Flashbacks: a little in talking about the family feuds (Aunt Mary vs. everyone and Jay vs. Millsy), how they started//

Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h : yes, both Cara and Millsy make each other jealous with Cara going on dates and Millsy with his dialect coach.//

Amount of Sex In The Book: kissing and 1 scene w/H/h OFF PAGE//

Overall Smex Rating: 1//

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION//

Hero: Joe "Millsy"//

Hero Description: 30s, body double turned actor. Went to LA to start a new role in a biopic.//

Hero Likability Rating: 4//

Heroine: Cara//

Heroine Description: 32, designs escape rooms via phone app.//

Heroine Likability Rating: 4//

Secondary characters: Tally-Millsy voice dialect coach shadowing him to help w/ his accent for Billy Gill movie// Annie and Ted Brooks-Cara's parents// Oliver-Cara's younger brother, a PHD student// Aunt Mary-Annie's adopted sister, very negative and critical of everyone// Flora-Mary's daughter, has husband Tommy(Cara doesn't like him)+3 kids// Mhairi-Millsy's step mother w/ his father Rod, and stepbrother Jay(Cara doesn't like him)// Charlie-nerdy tech guy who helped Cara w/ the app; Iona-Millsy's grandmother.//

H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO//
Endearments: n/a//

OW/OM/Exes: Cara goes out on a few dates from the Matched dating app, but they end badly. Millsy hasn't been w/ anyone since the breakup.//

Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: Cara and Charlie fake date to make Millsy jealous but are just friends.//


CONTENT WARNINGS/TRIGGERS: unwanted touching, kissing//


AUTHOR OVERVIEW: Portia MacIntosh//


New or read before & any favorites: new author to me//

PERSONAL OVERVIEW//

Overall Rating: 4//

Do You Recommend This Book: yes//

Will You Re-read This Book: yes//

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes//

COMMENTS/NOTES: I loved the drama Cara and Millsy got themselves into. They brought games for Flora's baby shower after getting the wrong thing. They became Santa and an elf for Flora's son b-day after assaulting Santa and putting him in the hospital. The wine spill with nonalcoholic wine replaced with the real thing was hilarious. They were a great team together, but the lack of communication kept them from a HEA. I didn't like them lying for their families' sake when some of them only cared about themselves and what Cara and Millsy could do for them. Overall, a cozy rom com for the holidays!//

I really liked this book. I'll be honest and say the author actually had me wondering if this book was going to go where it did in the end.

Two people who have recently broken up, but are still living in the same apartment and still acting as if they are together so that they don't blow up Christmas for their families had all sorts of potential, and I believe Ms. MacIntosh pulled it off very well. A lot of readers are put off by the lack of honest communication between Cara and Millsy, but the situation was very awkward and I think the lack of truth between them just added to it.

I would definitely read something else written by this author.

Thanks to Boldwood Books for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Millsy and Cara had been together for three years. This year they were supposed to spend Christmas with their families for the first time. But they’re not a couple anymore. How can they fake their relationship and not fall for each other again?

What I found interesting about this book is that the things I liked I really liked and the things I didn't like I absolutely hated, so I guess it makes sense it averages out to a three.

To start with the likes: MacIntosh has a very strong sense of voice in this book and it makes the character likable. The plot moves quickly, it's generally enjoyable, and it's nice and short so there aren't any dead pages.

But the bad is bad. We have no idea why the couple even broke up in the first place. Nowhere do we see cute moments that remind them why they want to get back together. The MMC doesn't seem sad at all about the breakup. There is a poorly concealed women hating women subplot.

And, worst of all, every chapter is about half a chapter. No one thread can be finished. We go on a trip. We board the train. We have a conversation. We're excited for what lays ahead. NEXT CHAPTER. It feels like MacIntosh couldn't figure out how to write the end of anhy scene, so instead just cut to the next. This ultimately makes the book fly by, but it certainly robs the reader of any emotional closure or connection with the characters.

If MacIntosh was able to add in about 50 extra pages (essentially the back half of even just a few chapters) I think this book would have been much better. It was enjoyable, but in a I will immediately forget I read this by next week kind of way.

Cara and Millsy broke up a few weeks ago. Millsy has been away on a six-week shoot, but knowing that the Christmas holidays are coming and a lot is going to happen, Cara and Millsy choose to pretend to stay together and break up after the holidays; but things aren't as smooth as they hope when you have to fake it in front of both your families.

Macintosh writes a funny and enjoyable read with two great characters that I loved every minute of. This novel is actually a sequel to The Plus One Pact which I have not read, I didn’t feel I had missed out on anything but it would have been nice to read this book first.

First of all let me state upfront that I love Porsha McIntyre‘s books I was so excited to get the faking game when I started reading it and realizing what the book was about I felt as if the plot was not believable what two grown people in the 30s decide to stay together for the sake of their families… I know authors deal in hyperboles to add more drama to the story I mean if the people in your family are going to be that upset over your break up they really should get a hobby. I just wasn’t buying this plot and although I am not giving up all the authors books whatsoever I just was not feeling this one also I wish when a book is part of a collection of the same characters they would put it in the series because these two characters are part of a book called the plus one packed I loved but this one not so much. I want to thank Boldwood books and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

The Faking Game is a continuation of The Plus One Pact. A couple years later Millsy and Cara have broken up due to work stressors. Millsy has been living in LA for 6 weeks to shoot his first big film and now he's back for the Christmas holidays. Except he's brought a gorgeous voice coach with him named Talley, who Cara is rightfully suspicious of. The book follows them as they pretend to still be together to not ruin their first big Christmas with both of their families together under one roof. The big wrench is that Cara doesn't want to be broken up, she is still very much in love with Millsy.

The Faking Game was hilarious. This is the Portia MacIntosh writing that made me fall in love with her bibliography. Certainly if you've read The Plus One Pact, you absolutely have to read this follow up novel. If you fell in love with Cara and how chaos seems to follow her, you're in store for more of those antics. But, more importantly I think you can pick this book up even if you didn't read TPOP! When I started reading it I actually didn't know I had read TPOP, it was a while ago and I had forgotten. In the beginning I didn't struggle to get into it at all, so really this book works as a stand alone. Plus it's all about Christmas and the run up to Christmas so it's super cozy. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a Christmas book that has really funny moments rather than the emotional ones. I would compare this book to Sophie Kinsela's Confessions of a Christmas Shopaholic. It had the same level of hilarity and working things out, but the added wrinkle of fake dating. I really love Cara as a character and I loved that the story continued with The Faking Game. You'll just have to read it so see how she gets herself out of her latest big mess!