A waitress pretending to be an influencer and a wildlife photographer meet and…just about everything that can go wrong does.

This book was just too silly for me. And I don’t like lying in a book. I’m just waiting for the secret to come out and it just takes me out of the story itself.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t land with me. There were aspects of it I liked a lot. The writing was good, I liked the way Instagram and Instagram posts were incorporated into the beginning of most of the chapters, and I loved how the author’s love for Hawaii shone through throughout the story. Parts of the book really felt like a local’s love story to the island. And parts of it were funny! I can see where the kind of slapstick humor could work well. But the premise was not well executed, and I found it incredibly hard to believe the ease with which the ruse came together. Also the pacing was slow so I had a hard time staying engaged. The biggest thing for me though was I didn’t care for most of the characters so I didn’t feel invested in what happened to them. But I would like to read more from this author, especially if she wrote a book about the family stories from the island - now THAT I would love to read!

This was a cute read, funny and light. I liked the idea of the fake influencer and there were a lot of screwball antics. Unfortunately I didn't really care too much about the characters and I was hoping for more focus on the rom than the com. That doesn't mean someone else won't love it though!

This was very frustrating. While I appreciate "show, don't tell", it felt like we jumped into the story without any of the necessary background - just right into two fast talking main characters who seemed to be in an odd circumstance, but it wasn't explained. I read through the first third of this book and it was just getting more and more confusing, rather than having a narrative shaping up, so finally decided to DNF.

This was cute and quirky with a hint of comedy. It was an easy read but didn’t love any of the characters and didn’t love it in the end overall.

Sadly this wasn't my cup of tea. I thought it sounded funny, but ultimate it just felt too convoluted. The only character I remotely liked was Jefferson. The rest of them were absolutely ridiculous. I honestly only finished it because I received the arc from Net Galley.

I would willing to try something else from Amanda Sellet, but this book was not for me.

There is a silly quality to this story that once I buckled up for the ride, felt like I could see past some of the ridiculousness of the storyline. I felt this author has a great writing style that grabbed me and I feel she has a magnificent way of giving sarcastic vibes without making any one of her characters over snarky. I don't know if the love connection was a bit too "manufactured" for the story and therefor felt "forced" at times. I also didn't quite understand Jefferson's motivations as well to go along with Hildy's plans. Overall, this has a very campy vibe and I really liked Libby and even the side characters provided some comic relief.
There might have just been one too many off-shoots of the main story to keep me gripped to the storyline and at times I really just wanted the story to "get to it".
Over al, I liked it but didn't love it.

This really didn’t work for me. I tried to get into it many times but I was just bored. The comedic aspects didn’t hit for me. I didn’t care about the characters. I didn’t care for the writing style. Note to self, quit impulse downloading read now romance arcs just because they have pretty covers.

This novel had potential but the execution fell a bit flat. The humor was a bit lackluster, and it was difficult to root for the main characters. Lots of banter but not much in the way of tension or chemistry.

This book wasn't for me. It was hard for me to read and get into. I felt bored while reading. I think its because of the comedy aspect of it isn't the scene of books I normally read. The author's writing style also isn't for me as well.

3.5 stars

Hate to Fake It to You was overall a quirky and fun read, but something about it just didn't quite hit the mark for me. That being said it was still really cute and kept me laughing throughout!

A quirky and delightful rom com that takes a playful spin on social media and identity, and the impacts of our digital lives. Some plot points fell a little predictable but overall a good read.
Many thanks to St.. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I tried t read this a good many times, but it never really engaged me. I wish I was able to read it further and enjoy it, but it failed to interest me and it's a DNF.

I love a chaotic rom com then you add in goats.. say less. This book gave some good laughs, romance and defiantly summer vibes. The social media aspect was something I think most everyone can relate to. I do wish there had been a bit more in the way of building chemistry with the love interest but other than that I would recommend this to friends.

Overall this book was a light rom-com with plenty of back and forth commentary. I like having the two points of view, from Libby and Jefferson. Three friends make up a social media guru, Lillibet. Libby is the writer, Jean the artist and Keoki the chef with each one having their personal touch. Hildy, an influencer, and Jefferson, wildlife photographer, fly to Hawaii to meet Lillibet and everything spirals from there.
Had a hard time getting into the book at first but picked up after the first couple of chapters. Would love to see this book with actual pictures that go with Lillibet’s posts as it would bring a nice aesthetic to the book to see the picture and caption instead of just reading it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

This book had me actually LOLing!! i loved the banter between the characters. if you are a lover of RomComs, then i would recommend this book!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this romcom. Unfortunately it wasn’t the book for me. I could tell the author tried hard to be funny, but it really wasn’t funny. And it wasn’t romantic. I spent most of the book cringing at all the lying and stupidness of the girls. Libby was all personality, but Jefferson was a dud. We don’t get to know him and feel his attraction to Libby. Maybe I’m too old for this kind of story, but it wasn’t for me.

I enjoyed this as just a quick-read rom com! There were parts that were laugh out loud funny, and a few that were a little too cringey. Some of the side characters were to obnoxious, but the main characters were so compelling and made up for the ones I didn't like. It would probably be a fun read for someone who has been to Hawaii!

ARC Review: Hate to Fake It to You
Releases on July 16, 2024

I enjoyed the banter and there were laughable moments but I couldn’t connect with the characters or the plot. It felt forced.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda Sellet and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #HateToFakeItToYou