Hate to Fake It to You by Amanda Sellet ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Utterly ridiculous and nonsensical. Laugh out loud funny. Escapism. This book’s description promised screwball comedy and it delivered. It didn’t take itself too seriously at all (I mean, there were poop jokes!)

This was a fun read that leaned just a bit too nonsensical to me. Everything was exaggerated to a large degree, and it didn’t feel grounded in any portion. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters nor did I buy into any part of the plot.

With that being said, it was a great escapist read. The Hawaii setting was so well done. At times, I felt I was there too. Once I let myself just read and not try to connect the plot dots, I was able to just enjoy the silliness (and I did laugh out loud a few times).

Fans of light reads, silly reads, and reads that focus on the absurdity of everyday life will enjoy this one.

I was so excited to read a book set in North Shore on Oahu since I grew up on the island. The author's note that her mom grew up there, I had high expectations in regards to accuracy of the island. Sellet did a good job describing the north side of the island and the local foods. What disappointed me was that none of the characters spoke pidgin English which is such a big part of the culture.

The story for me was just a little slow and I wasn't vested in Libby and Jefferson's love story. I think all the lies that the story was built on just turned me off.

Thank you @smpromance @netgalley for a copy of this book.

I hard core judged a book by its cover here, it was so cute and I was expecting a fun romcom.

Then I see the author describes this as an homage to the Hollywood screwball comedy. And you know what, it was all that and a bag of chips.

With characters that the reader couldn't connect to, humor that wasn't funny, and a relationship that didn't give much for the reader to root for, not even the goats could save the plot. For those that are stuck in their melissa mcarthy bridesmaids comedy era, you may enjoy it, but this was not the light hearted rom com I prefer to read.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Well written and so many hilarious moments!

I had an amazing time meeting and getting to know Libby and Jefferson.

These scenes were so fun to experience!

I can honestly say I haven’t laughed so much while reading in ages!

Definitely a must read!! Highly recommended!!

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc. thanks, but definitely respectfully no thanks. overall, i think this is my last romance where the characters don't communicate or hold secrets from someone. the "romance" in this was simply instalove and awful. also hated the influencer aspect.

Well, this book won't go in my "would recommend" pile, unfortunately. I really wanted to like it but that just didn't happen.

I did enjoy the last 5% of the book, but the rest of it wasn't for me.

The story seemed immature, and ridiculous. Yes, I know it's fiction, but unless you're reading fantasy I feel like it should at least feel like the story could be true. Or at the very least feasible. So much of the story was just absurd.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The characters feel a bit flighty but the story was cute. The humor is good and the banter between all the characters was fun. I enjoyed the story and how the Libby seemed to find a way to be true to herself. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about Hate to Fake It to You by Amanda Sellet. I'm rounding up to 3 stars. Overall, I thought it was fine, but not something I enjoyed reading very much. I didn’t like the characters or the storyline. The madcap antics were so over the top, but compared with the rest of the story, I think they ended up being some of the stronger parts. I did like the setting, and the locations seemed like they were described well.

This was a DNF for me, unfortunately. Romcoms are my favorite genre and St Martin's generally publishes many of my favorites each year, but I could not get past how stupid the influencer personality was. I refrained from sharing these thoughts on Goodreads or my Booksta account, as I mostly try to support authors not bash.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I ended up putting it down halfway through, I just wasn't as invested as I would have liked to be. There is a chance I will pick it back up at a later time to try again, it may have just not been the right time for me.

Thank you, Netgalley for my copy to review.

Ooof. I tried. I really freaking tried. I picked this up and put it back down several times over the course of a few weeks hoping something would finally spark my interest but nothing ever did.

This was…choppy. Sloppy. Confusing. I could see where there was humor attempted but it came off as more slapstick and deranged/manic. Everything was based on lies which didn’t lend for a very cute beginning or end for JJ and Libby.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book for review.

An enjoyable read from this author. A full review of this arc to follow and to be posted on publication date.

Hate to Fake It to You
A Novel
by Amanda Sellet
"Hate to Fake It to You" by Amanda Sellet is an entertaining read, but it didn't leave a lasting impression on me. The story follows Libby Lane, a waitress pretending to be an influencer, and Jefferson Jones, a wildlife photographer. Their paths cross in Hawaii, leading to a series of comedic misadventures involving a fake marriage, borrowed goats, and a made-up holiday.
While the premise is fun and zany, the book didn't keep me too invested. The fake marriage and slow burn romance were predictable, with typical miscommunications and ups and downs. Although it's a light-hearted and enjoyable read that many will like, it wasn't particularly memorable for me. The characters and plot felt somewhat formulaic, and I found myself not thinking much about it after finishing. Overall, it's a decent book for a casual read, but it didn't stand out in a significant way.

Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own

OK, so I 100% chose this book because of the adorable goats on the cover. Unfortunately, in the end, I really wanted more goats in the story. Hate to Fake It to You is a rom-com set in beautiful Hawaii, and I definitely felt the tropical presence. I just didn't feel the romance between the FMC Libby and the MMC Jefferson. She was an immature new adult would-be influencer. He was an established 30-somthing wildlife photographer. I just don't see how he would be all that into her. Except, well, guys often are into the not so smart hot messes it seems. That's probably why I'm still single2, lol. I guess I just like my FMC to be smarter and more together.

2.5 starts rounded up because a goat ate her bikini top.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Screwball comedy romance!

Libby Lane has lived her life just making do after being raised by her single mother but now she and her roommate Jean need to fake living an influencer’s life as Lillibet at a borrowed house to hopefully sell the idea to media mogul heir. But nobody can keep their plans straight when everything goes off the rails.

Libby is faking living her best life as Lillibet at her fake husband’s house with her best friend playing the housekeeper playing host to media heir Hildy Johnson and her rescuer and boyfriend Jefferson Jones nobody is real.

If you like your romance mixed with a little bit of old fashioned screwball comedy with everybody a fake version of themselves.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5⭐️

I enjoyed the setting of this story, but unfortunately over all this was a bit of let down. I didn't really ever connect with the characters or enjoy my time with them. Its unfortunate as I did really look forward to this book :(.

This was a super cute modern day romance. Trying to find yourself in the chaos of fake news and the overwhelming stress of being perfect online. Trying to pretend to be that perfect person and how far you can fall. Very enjoyable read. Thank you.

I really enjoyed this book! I’ve never read something set in Hawaii before, so I was super excited to read about the culture and scenery. The banter between everyone was so cute and I felt myself laughing along at times.

Jefferson and Libby felt drawn to each other and liked the other, but were in situations that were preventing them from acting or expressing those feelings right away. I usually am not a fan of miscommunication, however, I’m not sure this can be classified as such since they had actual reasons and not just a “feeling the other didn’t feel the same way”.

I will say, I was not the biggest fan of Jean. It irked me a bit that she seemed more concerned about financials then Libby’s feelings. She made it seem like their future, housing and even Keoki’s restaurant was riding solely on Lilibet. While I understand, it didn’t seem fair to Libby.

I would totally recommend this to friends, it’s the perfect summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced e-copy of this book.

I'm not sure exactly what didn't work for me. I liked the premise of the fake influencer but I feel like this plot point wasn't used to its full potential. Also the persona was quite annoying. I thought the romance was fine.

Stick with this book! It’s slow in the beginning and even a little confusing but it gets better. Worth the read! Don’t give up!