This was such a fun and exciting g summer read. The characters were relatable and well developed. It was light. It was fun.

DNF @ 30%. I ended up listening to this on audio after release date. But I couldn't get into it at all.

I was really not a fan of this one. The characters being fake about being influencers was kinda annoying but it did lead to some funny parts. I did not really feel like there was much romance in the overall story, just a little thrown in here and there. I know some people that have really liked this story so I am wondering if I just read it at the wrong time.

Did Not Finish. So sorry to do this but this book was so silly and off-putting to me. Lillibet comes across as a twit. In addition, in light of the late Queen Elizabeth's nickname of Lillibet, I just felt this was inappropriate.

2.5 stars - I had to sit on this one for a couple days before writing the review to figure out what my thoughts actually were.

I had high hopes for this one, but it was so all over the place. There was so much and nothing happening at the same time. I thought I could get on board with it being a little on the unrealistic and chaotic side of things, but then the FMC's best friend was probably the worst best friend of all time?

I found that most of my attention and concern was not focused on the romance and entirely on how terrible the friendship was between the FMC and her bff.

The romance was also strange to me. I can more often than not get on board with an insta-lust/love romance if the connection is easy to determine. These characters had an immediate connection, but when the FMC was playing the role of someone else, that person was entirely different from who she was and the complete opposite of the MMC's type. She it was hard to believe he saw the real her through the persona she was playing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda Sellet and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

I really liked this! I loved the characters and the setting, who wouldnt want a book set in Hawaii! The adventures and situations they find themselves in.. I loved it. I give this 5 stars.

Libby meets Jefferson when she is pretending to be an Instagram persona. Both are supposedly with other people but there is a connection between them so what will happen next? I liked how it was told from both points of view.

This was cute and I loved the side characters. Overall it was ok for me. It was missing something, maybe more background for the main character? The pacing also felt uneven. 3.5 rounded to 4

Hate to Fake It to You is the third book by author Amanda Sellet. Part character study, part farce, and all heart this is a fun read about first chances, second chances, and seeking one’s own place in the universe.

As a lark, Libby Lane, encouraged by her avant-garde best friend Jean, begins her online presence as Love, Lillibet portraying the wealthy, pampered, woman with a wealthy husband and an unrealistic lifestyle raising goats, making goat cheese, and being the perfect hostess all while giving pearls of wisdom. Socialite Hildegarde “Hildy” Johnson is a rabid follower unbeknownst to Libby and Jean until after her great salvation when wildlife photographer Jefferson Jones saved Hildy from avalanche and certain winter doom. Once back to civilization, Hildy contacts the online site and Jean makes all the arrangements in a well orchestrated sham.

Before Libby, aspiring writer, knows it’s been arranged, Jean is ushering her to a new life in a lavish home with a make believe husband that is an international plumbing magnate in search of a green card, a best friend acting as an Irish housekeeper, a cousin with a pregnant wife who wants to open a restaurant serving as the personal chef, and a pair of rambunctious, naughty goats for good measure.

Taken aback, once installed in her fake life Libby takes a walk on the beach just as Hildy’s hired car lets Jefferson Jones, who is her supposed significant other, out to walk the beach, setting up the first meeting of Libby and Jefferson where there is an instant connection. And then the story unfolds with such a fun and haunting tale to be told.

This is such an interesting book, humorously told yet with heart and compassion. The characters are quirky and flawed. The North Coast of Oahu makes for a beautiful setting, and the story lends itself to a fun sequel. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it.

Oof another one that just wasn’t for me. From the start the writing here was messy and hard to read. Leading me to not give a hoot about any of the characters. It would be hard to anyway with their attitudes towards normal everyday life things. Just not for me as I said. I’m sure these types of characters work well for others.

This was the perfect beach read for summer!! I absolutely fell in love with Libby and found the entire book to be a lighthearted, hilarious journey of romantic fun. For fans of Emily Henry or Annabel Monaghan, this book was an absolute joy to experience. I am so glad I got to fall in love with Amanda Sellet's writing and cannot wait to see more of her work in the future!

Okay, the overall GR rating for this book make no sense to me because I freakin' LOVED this book.

Amanda Sellet is a fantastic writer and this book was HILARIOUS. It had me cackling from start to finish. Seriously, she *nailed* the comedy in this book, and I haven't laughed out loud at a book like this in a while.

I loved the pacific island setting of this story, and the rich, well-rounded characters. Even the fake husband (and his bathroom appliances) were enjoyable!

The premise: a fake influencer and wannabe writer must put on a show when a media mogul (and her hunky saved-her-life companion) visit her Hawaiian home. But the more Libby and Jefferson get to know each other, the more Libby's true self draws the studly Wyoming wildlife photographer to her. The romance is dreamy and I loved each of these characters. Sure, it's a silly premise, but I bought their growth arcs and I was invested in the story as a whole. I could imagine this book as a lush movie and I WANT IT!

Gosh, this book really was goofy and fun and so enjoyable and I hope more people take a chance on it, because I loved it! The people who get it, get it!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Hate to Fake it to You by Amanda Sellet
Contemporary romance, romantic comedy.
Libby Lane’s online persona does not match reality. For the blog, Lillibet is affluent, glamorous, and lives a healthy life while sprouting positive and pretty advice. It’s all in good fun for Libby and her friends Jean and Keoki as they struggle to pay bills and scrape funds to feed themselves and family. Oahu is beautiful and encourages tourists dollars but for local residents prices are almost unmanageable. When an influencer from a major magazine wants to meet Lillibet for a potential lifestyle job, the friends scrabble to set up a charade to support their supposed lifestyle. A borrowed house, a pretend husband, a housekeeper with an obviously fake accent and more should set them up nicely, but things fall apart when computerized water commands aren’t known and Libby has to cook. Jefferson Jones is a photographer for the magazine and falls for Libby when he first meets her but it’s Hildie for the magazine they have to convince.

A comedy of errors as the fancy house and their roles prove to be too much pretense. Libby especially wants Jefferson to know she’s not married. They just need a break and hope the magazine could be their lucky break.
Slow burn, low heat romance with plenty of laughs as the friends figure out how to successfully manage life.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

I thought this was a super cute romance! I loved the setting, and while I wasn't as big a fan of" Lilibet", I LOVED Libby. When she was able to be herself I thought she was funny and just.. real. I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud. Her relationship with Jameson was adorable, and I was rooting for them from their first meeting.

Everyone is hiding their identity and keeping secrets in this mostly comedic romance. Libby is an underworked underpaid waitress and wannabe journalist who is a very successful fake influencer Lillibet who writes the cheesiest posts paired with what seems like stock photography. And it’ll probably all come crashing down when she has to fake it all in real life with her trusty friends and a fake husband and a fancy house she definitely doesn’t live in when media heiress Hildy comes for a visit. Hildy wants to start her own magazine and needs a collaborator, so she thinks Lillibet would be a great fit. Meanwhile, she’s got her own ruse going with her fake boyfriend, Jefferson, who is a wildlife photography who saved her from a snowstorm. It’s a set up for absolute chaos when everyone is staying at this fancy house with the fanciest plumbing available, and Libby’s friend is pretending to be an Irish housekeeper who has a terrible accent. Oh, and Libby and Jefferson maybe kinda sorta have an instant connection. The romance here is slow moving and a little fraught, since they’re all lying about so many things, but most of the book is quite entertaining. Heads up, that this one is fade to black when our couple does finally get together.

I love reading a good romcom between other heavy books and genres. This was a fun, cute and silly book that gave me out loud giggles. Refreshing! I would read more from this author!

This book had a great setting! Libby Lane’s presence online is fake; there she is “Lillibet,” put together, fabulous, creative, and just has the perfect life. In reality, she’s a waitress living in a rundown apartment with her best friend Jean. Hildy Johnson had her life saved by Jefferson. She’s part of a media dynasty and loves Lillibet. So she travels with Hawaii to speak with her about a job opportunity. Now, Libby has to scramble to make it seem like her online persona is real. How long can she keep this charade up? Fake marriages, fake houses, fake life… but real feelings for Jefferson.

I really wanted to love this book. Alas, this book was not for me. I’ll explain why, but first let me get into the aspects I really liked. First, the setting – what better place than Hawaii? And I’m not just talking about touristy Hawaii, I’m talking about the real Hawaii where the natives live. I wish we had a bit more of their stories, but I did love Keiko and Tutu. Second, I also really liked the end. I mean we know we’re going to get a HEA, but it was sweet.

I just didn’t connect with any characters, I didn’t believe the love story between Libby and Jefferson until the end, I’m not a huge fan of instalove and that’s what it felt like. I was bored while reading it. I really tried to like it. I don’t give up on books hoping that they get better and I’m glad I didn’t give up because I did enjoy the end and I did enjoy seeing things work out for Keiko.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Ok I know I’m apparently in the minority with this review but here it goes.

I couldn’t get into this book! From the very first page I was so incredibly confused. I felt like important details were left out that could’ve helped the reader know what was going on instead on just throwing them head first into the deep end. Second, I didn’t find this humorous at all…it felt like she was trying too hard. I couldn’t connect with the FMC at all and actually ended up despising her best friend. Also, I just felt like this book was all over the place and I couldn’t keep up!

I was so disappointed with this book because the plot sounded so good and the cover is adorable but this book fell flat for me.

I’m giving this 2/5 stars just because the cover is cute and it had so much potential.

This was a cute and silly and completely over the top romcom perfect for a summer afternoon. The author really brought the setting to life in this book. I could perfectly picture the Hawaiian setting. It didn’t take me a little bit to get to know the characters because of how we were just thrown in to the story and I felt like there could’ve been a bit more exposition introducing them. But once I grasped the gist of the story, it was easy to follow. Overall, it was cute and I’d read this author again.

This one is a zany, suspend belief romcom with some truly ridiculous antics. A fake influencer scrambling to try and make her opulent online life real to impress someone is chaos waiting to happen.

Unfortunately, this one did not work for me. I had trouble suspending disbelief, did not enjoy the miscommunication, and could not connect with the main characters. I hope this works for others!