Fake-ish is the first book that I have read by Winter Renshaw but it definitely will not be the last! I absolutely loved this book – and especially liked how it alternated between past and present viewpoints of the main characters. Highly recommend this one! #Fakeish #NetGalley

This book was soo good. I love how WR creates worlds and the way she pulls different emotions out of her characters. These two met when the timing wasn’t right, they make a sorta pact and years pass, and they see each other when they least expect it, and what a complicated journey it is!

Winter Renshaw always is a go to for me. Any new book I gravitate towards and know it’s a new story I will fall in love with. The character and story development is always top tier with a cozy story to devour.

It was a nice story about two people who met each other twice in life. It change between past and present and are from both of there view’s. She was a great character, nice, real and never wanted to marry. He was a manager for a famous band, kind of grumpy and never wanted to marry. They met again under strange, extrem circumstances and that wenn the story took off. All in all it was a good read and I loved both characters.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars

Briar and Dorian meet at a mutual friend's wedding and hit it off. They were left at several bars during the bar crawl, so they went alone. The more time they spent alone, the more they had in common. They didn't want to say goodbye in the end and didn't want to have a long-distance relationship, so they decided to wait two years and start a relationship.

It is now a year later, and Briar is pretending to be in love with a man, who turns out to be Dorian's brother, and it feels like she is betraying Dorian. She can't explain why she is with his brother so he would understand, and Dorian doesn't seem to care.

This story started out fun and flirty. But turns into a drama filled with pain, family, and greed. Will Briar and Dorian make their way back to each other or is the damage too far gone? This author has a way of making me laugh and cry at almost the same time. She can pull you into a story from the very first page and you are glued until the end. I loved Briar and Dorian and I hope you do too.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars of fake...ish

I really enjoyed the start of the book – still confused how Briar could afford to attend her cousin's event, when later she was clearly not well off, but still, it was a fun adventure in the Caribbean to start the story. The 'wait two years' thing is strangely liberating I think, and I had no problem with the fake engagement as it filled a gap, however, the way Burke treated her would have made me break the deal!

The island holiday set up was clever, and I found the dynamics engaging but in a harsh, thank goodness that is not my life way – definitely a clear nod to money not being a true source of happiness! It made it difficult to care about them, when it was far more to do with getting an inheritance, and not family time.

I was glad that the book resolved a number of issues in a believable way, with siblings staying in character, but it was slightly depressing to have to acknowledge such flawed selfish people do exist! Briar was consistently the naive one in the story, and thankfully she did end up with the right, loving outcome, but it was a mind-bending journey!


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Romance

This is a second chance story, but I'm not 100% that I would consider this a romance. It's more of a second chance friendship – maybe in another book, turned romance.

The actual story here is a little farfetched and not something that I would normally read. The couple meets and then they don't see each other for several years. By that time, she, (Briar) has signed an NDA with Dorian's brother, Burke – who is a seemingly greedy guy, in my opinion. Burke won't let her out of the contract, so in order to get the money Burke promised, Briar has to stay quiet, despite knowing that it's effectively ending any chance she might have had with Dorian.

Overall, this was a somewhat convoluted story with more young adult dialogue and feelings than what I would have expected.

Raw, steamy, and full of smart banter. A smart romance that you can easily get lost in. The characters have a good connection and are sure to make you root for them

A pesar de que me gusta esta escritora, no sé qué ha hecho en este libro. Definitivamente lo que ha hecho no me ha gustado. Una historia de amor que es más una historia de desencuentros y malentendidos, en la que el 90% del tiempo que pasan juntos los personajes es para estar incómodos, pues muy novela romántica no la veo yo.
Los protagonistas se conocieron y gustaron hace un año y ese en encuentro nos lo van fraccionando para que lo vayamos leyendo de modo alterno con el presente. Por mucho que significara para ellos, no tiene tanta chicha como para sostener ni su amor ni mi atención. La parte del presente, además, es bastante tontucia, un quiero y no puedo que no termina de cuajar por ningún lado.
Una pena

This is a fake-dating romance story.... but with a twist!
Briar meets Dorian on a joint bachelor/bachelorette trip in the Dominican Republic. The two have more in common than they think especially being anti-marriage. But it is just not the right time for Dorian to be in a relationship due to his career, so the two make a promise to wait 2 years for one another. The next summer, Briar takes on a fake-engagement role with her boss. She agrees to spend 8 weeks on his families private island in order to earn 1 million dollars. But when she gets there and meets the family... she realizes her boss's brother is the man she fell in love with last summer.....Dorian.
I loved the dual point of view between Briar and Dorian since I was able to understand how each of them were feeling about one another and the situation. I appreciated not having to guess or be blindsided later on in the story. Renshaw had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see Dorian and Briar's fate. I also love the fake-dating twist and it is so much different then other fake-dating stories out there!
For fans of Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover, Lucy Score, and Ali Hazelwood!

A wonderful story about two people who meet at a wedding, and have a great connection but decide that they want to accomplish things first in their life. Agreeing to meet in two years. Biar is offered through her boss as part of her deal to be his fake fiance for this will make his father happy but will also help him towards his inheritance. Dorian could care less about money and is happy working with different bands just being happy in life does not feel like you need a piece of paper to show how much you love someone. When the weekend arrives low and behold Dorian and Biar are at the same house seeing the same people the difference is she is engaged to Dorian's older brother. After some tense moments, he finally tells her I would have been there waiting for you. She knows that that is where she wants to be as well but everything is out of wack now. See what happens with this wonderful story with good characters.

Fake-ish is a fake relationship book. This book is about Dorian and Briar and is told from both of their points of view.

Briar and Dorian meet when Brian is at her cousin's bachelorette getaway. They promise to wait for each other for two years.

Now Briar is fake engaged to her boss thinking it's to make his father happy. However, she realizes his brother is Dorian whom she's still in love with. Dorian takes it hard that she's engaged to his brother.

There are a ton of secrets and twists and turns in this book. Will Dorian and Briar get their happy ending?

Ooohhh fake dating trope st it's finest here loved every word of this book. I really enjoyed this and want to keep this book do I can reread it.
I just reviewed Fake-ish by Winter Renshaw. #Fakeish #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Ahhh...I love an angsty romance filled with longing and sparks of hot chemistry. Dorian and Briar. Are they meant to be? Burke. Is he as bad as he seems? The route taken to get to the answers was fraught with secrets and misunderstandings, but very entertaining and I enjoyed every moment. It felt like a fresh approach to the fake-ish relationship trope, and add in that they're brothers and you have a unique love story that you'll want to read in one sitting.

Readers, bring your appetite because I inhaled this delicious book.

I didn't even know what Liquid Cocaine was and had to look it up to understand what cocktail this author infused Fake-ish with that made this such a compulsive read. Admittedly, I am a billionaire, fake girlfriend, forced proximity trope kind of gal. Renshaw clearly knew my catnip and proceeded to deliver an enjoyable read to start my 2024.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

I loved the premise of this book. Unfortunately for me the execution of it didn't really work.

I wanted more with them as a couple, but 95% of their story was in flashbacks and the ending felt a little rushed and quickly resolved.

I did finish this as I wanted to see if the relationship in the present was developed, but it really wasn't.

I'm unable to recommend this title.

Oh my goodness! I absolutely LOVED this book from start to finish. Briar and Dorian connect easily, and I loved that we are shown the past and the present with them. They agree to reconnect at a later date but there are ups and downs that squeeze at the heart. The story flowed well and I was completely pulled in to their world!

Told in alternating views of past and present we follow Briar and Dorian who met at a bachelor/bachelorette party and fell for each other. However Dorian has things he wants to take care of so he asks Briar to wait for him. Cue the present time. Briar's boss must be engaged or married to receive his inheritance when his father passes. Since his father is unwell, he hires Briar as his fake fiance for the summer. Only when Briar arrives to meet the family does she realize Dorian is her boss's brother.

Quick and easy read. Fun plot. I recommend.

Dorian and Briar meet unexpectedly at a bachelor/bachelorette party. They bond over their dislike of those type of events and continue talking and realizing just how much they enjoy one another's company. They both are adamant that they don't want to marry but they don't rule out being in a long-term exclusive relationship. The kicker for them is that Dorian has a job commitment that will keep him traveling for roughly the next two years. So, instead of trying to do long distance, they opt to "wait" for each other. But what neither of them count on is meeting up again one day in the near future when Briar is now engaged to Dorian's brother and they are stuck spending the summer with the entire family on an island. Dorian is disgusted by Briar's change of heart and she is heartbroken that she can't tell him what's really going on. Because at the end of the day, they both love one another but now they can never be together.

But things happen and truths come out. Yet, will it be enough for Dorian and Briar to find their way back to one another or is it simply too far gone to salvage?

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review and the opinions contained within are my own.

Boy did I really get into this story! The initial meeting between Dorian and Briar was so perfectly swoony. I enjoy when characters first connect on a friendly level and it felt kismet. Even when things sort of took a turn and the circumstances were firmly working against them, they were still drawn to each other. The magnetic draw between them was everything I want in a romance and this book was good!

Hi, Winter Renshaw! You have a new fan!

My contemporary romance tastes haven’t been truly explored this year due to wanting to feel out new genres. So this was very much a nice breather in between all my Thrillers and Fantasy. It also blew my mind on how much I LOVED this story that I put it in my Amazon Cart so I could have a physical copy next time I buy a round of books.

The one thing I’ve found difficult to find in some Contemporary romance books is the way that this current time, the way we are right with the popular trends, the TikTok Culture, the newest phrases and lingos, don’t really portray well on paper if the author isn’t engaged in that way of life. That’s you end up with awkward phrases and cheesy sitcom-like writing. But this book had no trouble with that immersion and it felt current and now.

What I loved most (or one of the things I loved most) was how I felt like I was “along for the ride” for this romance story. I felt like a friend sitting along side the MCs witnessing this epic love blossom before my eyes. The transition between the flashback and the present was very well done and smooth. The chemistry was fire on paper which made the spice absolutely beautiful. You rooted for these two so much!

And Dorian…that amazing man 😍 I’m making a whole new Book Boyfriend list because of this man (and another one that I’ll mention in my next review). I’m having a thing for these understanding, cinnamon roll MMC and they are becoming my preferred male trope. The love he felt for Briar and the love Briar has for Dorian, you felt that! It was so all encompassing, a fateful kind of love. I DEVOURED it!

So again, hi Ms. Winter Renshaw! I am now a huge fan. You are Autobuy for me ❤️

This Book was Good. 💓 it I just couldn't put it down. It his book has Wonderful couple and Wonderful characters. Can't Wait, to read another book, by this author.