This book sounded really cute, a Hawaiian setting and a girl faking being an influencer, but it fell flat for me. I struggled to connect to the main characters and found the romance in the book lacked any depth and connection. I did enjoy all the Hawaiian food and culture references and the idea of the story though. If you are looking for a light quick beach read, this book might be for you. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Having written two YA romantic comedy books, Amanda has decided to give her writing chops a new target, dipping her toes into adult fiction by taking on her first classic romance (think Golden Age of Hollywood) and humorous fiction combo. Channeling the essence of "Christmas in Connecticut," Amanda ties in her love of Oahu and her appreciation of the cinematic masterpieces of the past for this laugh-out-loud, screwball comedy that begs the question: Just how far are you willing to go to make your dreams come true?

Libby Lane may not have what most covet in life—wealth, love, or a career that doesn’t leave her hating herself at the end of the night—but she does have the beauty of Oahu and wonderful friends. Friends with whom she conspired to create an online persona that was supposed to be a joke. The complete opposite of Libby in every way, "Lillibet" was her way to stick it to the rich resort guests she served, taking inspiration from overheard conversations and curating the most nauseating affirmations and the cheesiest introspective moments, all tied beautifully together with recipes from her friend Keoki and photos from her bestie Jean. It was just supposed to be an outlet, a harmless way to burn off some animosity. It wasn’t supposed to garner attention, especially from an influencer who, after a near-death experience, was determined to meet her “real-life inspiration” up close and personal. Along with Jefferson, the wildlife photographer who saved her life, Hildy declares that she needs to celebrate Me-mas with Lillibet to recover from her harrowing ordeal. Suddenly sucked into one of Jean’s brilliant ideas before she can realize what is happening, Libby finds herself in Lillibet’s home with a "husband", two goats, and one heck of a lie. Trying to keep up the farce while maintaining her sanity, Libby has to find a way to get the job of her dreams from her surprise guest without ruining it all by falling for a certain photographer who can somehow see the real her.

Lighthearted, delightfully humorous, and refreshingly clean, "Hate To Fake It To You" is a wonderful look at just how far someone is willing to go to get what they want out of life. The characters created by Amanda were either individuals you loved to hate (and yes, even then, Uncle Richard and Mr. L had their redeeming qualities) or hated to love (Hildy completely stole the attention in this book, and Jean, while harsh at times, had me cracking up!).

I will say, as much as I wanted to find the humor in the LoveLillibet posts, I have to admit some of them may actually resonate with readers. I felt in those moments, more of Libby slipped out than she intended. The one that comes to mind referred to finding the fun in what you do for work or turning something you love to do (like a hobby) into a business. I can see how, on a superficial level, some would think “easier said than done,” but for many who work to live instead of live to work, finding the fun would be a sunshine among storm clouds.

When I originally wrote this review, my biggest concern was the label “contemporary romance” that was being placed on it. Having taken a moment to download the Reading Guide (which contained an author letter) on Amanda’s website, my perspective has completely shifted. I now understand: 1) she essentially retold "Christmas in Connecticut," 2) her approach was more of the romantic comedy approach of the classics (and as a huge fan of Cary Grant, Jack Lemmon, and William Powell, I can appreciate that), and 3) taking that into consideration, her angle was more of the “screwball” romantic comedy of antics and anecdotes rather than the modern-day take on contemporary romances. All of this changed what would have been a three-star review to a four (potentially five, depending on how the subsequent books play out, but more on that below).

Hildy, Uncle Richard, and Mr. L took so much attention with their larger-than-life personalities that Jefferson, Libby, Jean, and Keoki became background characters to their own stories. While this may not be a bad thing, it did make it seem as if the connection between Libby and Jefferson was a B-story, almost an afterthought that was sprinkled throughout but wasn’t the primary focus until three-fourths of the way in. Again, now having read Amanda's letter, I understand the writer's approach was a homage to the classics, so it makes sense when you look at it from that perspective. My concern is that for those who aren’t aware of Amanda's author letter, their first impression will be the same as my initial one.

Again, and I can’t emphasize this enough, the author letter is what saved this review. Initially, I didn’t care for the way the book ended. This was a slow-burn romance that focused more on the antics between the three friends and secondary characters than it did on the female and male protagonists. Now, having read the letter, I understand this will be a three-book series. With this knowledge, it may explain why there were so many loose ends. I guess we will have to wait for Book Two to find out as I can’t find anything on it outside of what she references in her letter.

As her debut adult novel, "Hate to Fake It To You" was a lot of fun to read, even if it had its peaks and valleys which may cause the attention of the reader to ebb and flow. Showing true admiration for the beaches and beauty of Oahu, even if the overall story didn’t captivate its audience, the breathtaking description of the surroundings, the mouth-watering cuisines shared, and the general atmosphere provided demonstrates just how talented Sellet is in bringing a place to life.

Hate to Fake It to You is not your typical romcom, and I think that made it even better.

I will say I did struggle initially to get into the swing of this book, but the promising premise and the immediately endearing characters kept me in until things really got going.
This book was so funny and silly in a refreshing way. I laughed out loud many times while reading this. I enjoyed the little bit of fun it poked at social media influencers. The found family aspect was very sweet and heartwarming.
The romance was unexpected and the fake dating trope x2 was really fun, especially considering Libby’s fake husband was such a character. The ending was a cute HEA I really thought came together well for everyone.

I thought this was a fun, chaotic and non traditional romcom and I had a great time reading it. The author also has a couple of other works I’m interested in checking out!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 7/16/24

3-3.5 stars, but I may end up coming back and rounding up.

My feelings are decidedly mixed on this one, and I once again find myself wishing Goodreads and NetGalley both allowed for fractions of stars. This book was a rollercoaster full of ups and downs for me in terms of what I was enjoying and what I wasn’t.

The good: there were parts early on that genuinely made me laugh out loud. Jean in particular had some hilarious moments while masquerading as Libby’s ‘housekeeper’ that I was thoroughly entertained by. I also liked that even though Libby was pretending to live a different life, it felt like she tried her best to show Jefferson her true self in the moments they got alone. I appreciated the ultimate message that authenticity is going to form more real connections with people more than a carefully curated highlight reel.

As for the parts I struggled more with, it felt like at times there was SO much going on. While the situations were funny at times, I was ready for something real at other times when it seemed as if the circus act was being dragged out. Mr. L side shenanigans felt mostly pointless to me. I also feel like there was a whole side story of Jean having a secret teased that had zero payoff. I don’t know if this is intended to be a series—it didn’t read that way to me—so I felt left hanging there.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I recommend it Hate to Fake It to You for fans of rom-coms with lots of heart and banter.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC !

I love a good romance, and the premise for this one really spoke to me.

Unfortunately, Hate to Fake It To You was not for me. I couldn't get into it, and it just felt like too much was going, I also struggled to get invested in these characters.

This is a fun summer read and I could tell it was very much a tribute to Hawaii. Overall, I didn’t think the book had great characters, and their chemistry was a bit lagging. There were several sections that were slow and dragging for me. The banter was great, and the setting was fun, but this one wasn’t for me.

Unfortunately this one was not for me. It was too any and over the top. The way the main characters spoke was really off putting to me right from the outset and didn’t improve.

I enjoyed Hate to Fake It to You more than many others did, apparently, though there were some significant flaws.

Lillibet is a lifestyle influencer who catches the attention of socialite and wannabe media mogul Hildy. The only problem? Lillibet doesn’t actually exist: She’s a character invented by underemployed Libby and her friends, Jean and Keoki. But Hildy, fresh off her dramatic rescue from a snowstorm, is headed to “Lillibet”’s Hawaiian beach house, where Libby hopes she’ll agree to hire her as a lifestyle writer. But when Hildy arrives with her hot rescuer, Jefferson, in tow, Libby’s fake lifestyle (and fake husband) feels like an impossible facade to uphold.

Libby and Jefferson, as a romantic pairing, are fine, though Jefferson could have been a carbon copy of any number of MMC from outdoor-ish romances. It was helpful that even though Libby was lying about being Lillibet, her personality with Jefferson was clearly always herself (so we know he falls for the real her). The side characters, however, were a serious detraction. I loathed Jean, didn’t understand “Lillibet”’s “husband” Mr. L or any of his motivations, and Hildy’s Uncle Richard was a collection of annoying stereotypes. However, this story tiptoes up to the line on one of my pet peeves: Portraying journalists as having a flexible relationship with the truth. Libby wants to be a features writer – great! – and there’s nothing inherently wrong with creating a character online (certainly, plenty of influencers do it). But where the lines blurred, I get uncomfortable.

Come for a send-up of influencer culture and escapist Hawaiian luxury.
Endure lots of over-the-top hijinks and weird characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh those influencers. This one is a tough call- on one hand, it's spritely and chuckle worthy and, well, Hawaii. On the other hand, some of the dialogue is cringy, there's insta-love, and there's a lot of lying. The lying thing, though, sort of works because Libby/Lilibet is trying to make it as an influencer. She runs headlong into a problem though when Hildy and more importantly Jefferson turn up. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Think of this as the beach read you didn't know you needed.

Outrageously funny, romantic, and thought provoking about the extent to which social media influences perceptions of ourselves, others, and the world around us. HATE TO FAKE IT TO YOU is the perfect summer beach read set in sunny Oahu. Five Stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC.

Wasn't a hit with me. Didn't really feel anything for the characters to keep me entertained or related to them. Not my cup of tea.

This was a cute story. The only problem I had with it was the dishonesty between the main characters. But overall, I enjoyed it.

I don't think I've ever DNF'd a book at 10% before but here we are. Lilibet is the online persona of Libby, cooked up by her and her friends to show a glamorous lifestyle on Oahu, in which she certainly does not lead. Jefferson arrives along with his wealthy patron to interview Lillibet about her brand and romance apparently ensues.

Other reviewers have described this as a screwball comedy so as someone who is not a fan of immature, zany characters my patience with Libby and cast wore thin quick. It is cringey dialogue after cringey dialogue with terms like "pit sweat," "peecycling," or "hoohah in the first chapter alone. Then there was the comment about being emotionally stunted because they didn't have families and therefore could not be "healthy and normal."

Nope, absolutely not for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't a fan that there were secrets being kept from the main characters in this book. It left a bad taste in my mouth for their relationship and was hard to "respect" and root for the characters in their situation. Not really something I enjoyed reading about.

This book never hooked me. I kept hoping for something that I liked but I just couldn't. This wasn't my cup of tea. I tried but I didn't like it. I didn't like the characters but I did enjoy the location.

This cover is one of the cutest of all time, I picked this out based solely on the cover. Yes, it's true, I judge books by the cover. This was a fun rom-com with the best setting. I want to book a trip to Hawaii after reading this. If you're looking for a light summer beach read, this is the perfect book to get lost in!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St Martins Press & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you’re looking for a quick, fun, and fluffy romance this summer, this is it. Also must enjoy cameos from cutie goats, and be a fan of instalove!

3.5 🌟 rounded down

The beginning was quite confusing for me, and I couldn’t really grasp the relationships of any of the characters or the situations they were in. The middle got a little easier to read and Libby and Jefferson were cute together, but so much lying put them in a bad position honestly.

Spoiler below:
After Libby came clean about lying, it seems like Jefferson and Hildy forgave her way too quickly. Then the relationship happened extremely quickly at the end.
Also, Jean gaslighting Libby and making it seem like she was entirely at fault, when Jean is the one who forced Libby to play along in the first place was an interesting shift in personality.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to Amanda Sellet, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sigh. Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t a hit for me. Starting with a cast entirely made of manic pixie dream girls (except Keoki and Jefferson, who are fine), weird and unnecessary Irish stereotyping, using the phrase “a domestic” to describe a housekeeper (in 2024?????), and finally an absolutely terrible “best friend” who gets you into awful situations and then blames you for not wanting to participate, this book was really just all over the place. I thought I could at least enjoy it as a 3.5-4ish star read, but between the chaos mentioned above, and the romance that truly showed up out of nowhere, I really couldn’t give it the benefit of the doubt.

POV: dual third person

You can expect: fake persona, wildlife photographer MMC, fake dating and fake marriage, imposter Instagram influencer.

Spice: 1/5 (closed door, nothing more than kissing)

CW: cheating ex girlfriend (past), neglectful parent (past)