Abbey and Ted are both recovering from finding out their respective partners have been cheating on them. They're both new to the apartment building (Abbey has spent her wedding fund on six months' rent, and Ted is living in his brothers currently-vacant penthouse). The two strike up a reluctant alliance when Abbey runs into her ex--and his new girlfriend, who happens to also live in the building. But they're both pretending to be someone they're not: Abbey is pretending to be an actress who can actually afford the rent long-term, and Ted is pretending to be his brother.

I loved the premise of this book, the plot, and the characters, but some of the prose lost me a little bit. Abbey makes comments about not wanting to be called "babe" because it's misogynistic... which really highlights how misogynistic some of Ted's thoughts are (like assuming all women who wear designer are shallow, or thinking his ex looks like a prostitute in her outfit). Abbey also has some pretty misogynistic thoughts at times, which is at odds with some of her other views. So that was pretty jarring.
This is much more minor, but Ted's POV chapters often use phrasing that's definitely not American, even though he is, and again that's fairly minor but it happened enough to pull me out of the story a couple of times.
Those issues aside, though, I did really like this book. I wish the tension/drama/reveal at the end had been drawn out a bit more, just because it was great and the book led up to it so well and I would have loved to get a little more angst at the end. But I loved how things resolved, and I definitely rooted for the characters the whole time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I DNF’d this book at 30%.

I did not like how the characters talked about each other, especially the male main character. Ted was giving off incel vibes - very much “I’m a nice guy why don’t girls like me why do they like douchebag bad guys wahhhhh” which is soooooo insufferable. I also did not love how he spoke about women either - Fleur is a model and it is her job to make money off of her body (an interesting complicated topic), which does not automatically make her an airhead AND THEN to assume all women who are influencers/models/actresses etc are dumb/materialistic/lack substance etc is just such a misogynist take that I thought we were all done with. I guess not. It then takes too long for him to come to the realization not all people are like that, but I’m sure he probably still thinks that considering Abbey is not in that sphere of influence anyways? And then they have bigger problems, like the fact they both are lying about who they are. I also HATE the name Ted. I did not like how Abbey talked about other women in the novel, which really just sealed the deal on DNF’ing (“smells expensive but looks cheap”… like girl you just got a clothing update and you think printed jungle pants are apart of a capsule wardrobe??? Or the cheap shots at her sister-in-law. Anyways…). I also did not love her dialogue and how she spoke - it was very Christian girl autumn, such as “IRL”, “what the fudge”, “Frecking”, etc.

It takes them until 40% of the novel to finally agree to their fake dating which just makes the book pace so slow and boring, another reason I DNF’d. There were 2 interesting juicy bits before that, but not enough to keep reading. I really was excited for the plot of this book, the execution is just poor. I really enjoyed their meet cute and thought it was funny, then everything else was kind of downhill from there. I wouldn’t call it a miscommunication trope book, because they never really talk to each other in the first place and just assume things about one another instead. If you want a fake dating book, this could be for you, but unfortunately it really rubbed me the wrong way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Laura Carter's "Fake It Til You Make It" offers a cute journey through unlikely romance but falls short in consistency and depth. The story follows Abbey and Ted, two characters navigating similar relationship woes but taking divergent paths—one wealthy, the other faking it. While their evolving relationship from contentious neighbors to faux lovers carries moments of sweetness and humor, the pacing of the book felt off. Setting the stage took far too long and I almost DNFed the book before 50% because I felt like nothing was happening. The ending was cute though mostly predictable. All in all a fun read with a few cons.

I finished this book in a couple of days. It was a nice quick and easy read.

The love story was interesting enough to keep me intrigued.

Abbey and Ted are having relationship and career issues and decide to 'fake it til they make it' but they end up falling for one another.

My problem was with Abbey not telling her family that her ex cheated on her, I don't understand why she was so against telling the truth with this. It felt silly and unnecessary. I don't understand why Ted and Mike couldn't be told apart. Are they twins?

I recommend this book if you don't need much of a plot or huge build up to the romance. I liked that they were friends first but I don't particularly feel like they had much chemistry.

Thankyou to netgalley for the ARC copy to review


3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley, Laura Carter, and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion

I typically l9ok for spice in my books.. that being said. I also love a good rom com.

Abby and Ted where fighting their own insecurities. And while this was a Rollercoaster and I feel like I had read this before I did really enjoy it.. it's like watching hallmark... I know the plot and what will happen but sitting through the story is calming and enjoyable.

3.5 stars. I will look for Laura's next books

Finally, the word “ratbag” gets used in a book. It should be used more often. As for the book overall, I have given it 3 stars. To me, giving a book the highest rating (in this case a 5 stars) would mean it contains an original idea that is compelling and well-written with excellent character development. Four stars is missing that mark in some way, and three is lacking even more. Perhaps, if I had recently started reading romance books, Fake It ‘til You Make It would rank higher, but given my experience in the genre, my standards are quite high.

This is a well-written book without question. Laura Carter has a gift for writing, and I believe the bones of this book are solid. Where I find flaws is in its originality and its capacity to be compelling. While I cannot say I have read this exact book before, I felt like I had because its plot and characters are not unique. In some ways, that does not hurt the novel because pulls from classics that we all love from romance (ex: the fake dating trope and the ending), but that also means it does not stick out among other works in the genre.

The other issue is with the story’s lack of a compelling nature. I think people often want to read romance because they desire to see a love that conquers all; it inspires them to hope for themselves and the world. This book made me smile, but it did not make me root for love in the way I wish it did. I am all for the fake dating trope because it usually serves a purpose to the story and gives the two characters a secret to bond them. This book adds another layer that means both characters lie about their identities to one another for the sake of their own insecurities. While the two are alike in that flaw, I did not find myself rooting for them to be together so much as for them to seek therapy. It seems unhealthy as well as unrelatable and unrealistic.

This was the first book I have read by Laura Carter, but I would be interested in reading another one of her books to see what else she has to offer.

Thank you NetGalley, Laura Carter, and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Two people, pretending to be someone else to work through failed relationships and work life soon discover pretending to be someone else is too much work. If you enjoyed reading The Hating Game, you will likely enjoy this book! I love how the characters really got to know each other in this book and how close they are with their families. Both characters learn some self love and discovery through their pretending charades.

By Laura Carter

I'm super excited to be given the chance to read this book.

So abbeys boyfriend Andrew asks abbey for dinner and breaks up with her.

Abbey is invited to her parents wedding renewal and her family invite her ex. Abbey has to quickly think up a plan so she isn't on her own and this is where the fake dating comes in with her new neighbour.

I loved the quirky characters and the idea of being invited to a wedding an ex is going to as well.
I love that abbey thinks sod it and goes to get a whole new wardrobe what better way to get over a break up and this is where ted comes in.
Red is smoking hot and I am super jealous (new book boyfriend alert) abbey and ted have smoking hot chemistry that left me wanting more after I finished the book

4 stars

Before I start, I want to extend my heartiest of gratitudes to NetGalley and Laura for this wonderful ARC. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Well, where to begin?

First of all, this book captured me. I fell so much in love with both Abbey and Ted and the absolute beautiful way their love story played out. They were so perfect, so wholesome and just bags of absolute laughter.

I sincerely loved how Abbey decided not to take shit from anyone and instead decided that she was better than that arse of an ex that she had. She got a whole wardrobe change, almost changed her entire career, changed her damn house and basically just woke up one day and decided to, well, slay.

And my oh my, Theodore, such a masterpiece. It's like Laura knew exactly what we needed in a book boyfriend and decided that she's going to give it to us, and give us she did, because Theodore, apart from being exuberantly perfect, was also flawed and I think that's the hottest part of him.

This book, despite having not one lick of smut, was so hot and damn the freaking intensity with which they loved, the damn tension between them was amazing and it really got me going ifykwim ;)

One thing, and quite literally the only thing I would say that kinda put me off about this book was that Abbey and Theodore were too similar. They were similar in a way that might not have worked, but Laura does a wonderful job of getting them together and making them stay that way.

All in all a wonderful read, and a highly HIGHLY recommended one if you're looking for something to just relax and blush and giggle like a schoolgirl with.

Rating:
Spice: 3/5
Story: 4/5
Grammar and Punctuations(because I have a problem clearly): 4.5/5

I really enjoyed this story and the character development! Abbey quickly became one of my favorite characters! I absolutely loved the dual POV and the chemistry between the two characters. I’m always a sucked for the fake dating trope and this was no exception! In some stories the endings feel very rushed, but this one ended perfectly!

I loved Abbey and Ted! Both of the main characters were relatable and lovable and I was so happy with how everything played out in the end!
It was one of those cute rom-coms that you don’t want to put down and stay up too late to finish reading!
I do with is had an epilogue that answered some questions we all still had at the end. Other than that I enjoyed it!

3.5/5 stars from me, thank you for the opportunity to review this book! It was a very easy rom com to read and I liked the chemistry between Abbey and Ted. Some parts just felt slightly unbelievable to me, like Ted not coming clean about who he actually was much sooner. The book also ended very abruptly and I would’ve liked to see an epilogue chapter to carry on the story a little more! Overall though a cute rom com which was easy to read.

This book was so much fun! I loved reading about Abbey's story and it was the perfect romcom! I laughed and was very emotional throughout the whole book. The chemistry between the characters was great, especially for people who look for a book that isn't on the spicy side!

As someone who loves a rom com i found fake it till you make it a really enjoyable easy read, however I did fine some parts a little cringey.
I found the characters loveable yet very relatable, I loved Abbey.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

I wasn’t crazy about this book. The main characters both suffered major break ups and work issues that made them doubt themselves. These issues started from childhood, the feelings of being the awkward nerd that didn’t fit in. They never found self esteem by thirty when they both have thrived, With Ted being a handsome millionaire and Abbey feeling she did well enough at her job to receive a promotion? I just didn’t care for their feelings of unworthiness that spilled over into this relationship that prolonged their truths to one another. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

Unfortunately, I didn't like this book. It was hard to read and the premise wasn't promising. The chemistry between Ted and Abbey wasn't great.

Abbey and Ted both had messy endings to their long term relationships and end up living in the same building. Their initial impressions of each other leave them wanting nothing to do with each other…at first. This book contains the fake dating trope and forced proximity, so you can figure out where the plot is going, but the ride to get there is cute and easy to read. I read this in one sitting. Both Ted and Abbey are likable and easy to root for. Abbey’s sister Dee, and her best friend Shernette, are fun additions to the story. I would totally read a book centered around Dee and her storyline. I wish the author would have added an epilogue. The story just ends, and I was left wondering about parts of the plot that didn’t get answers. Overall, I would give this a 3.5. Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC in return for my honest review.

This was a very cute book! I enjoyed both main characters. It's not your typical 'fake relationship' story. I found myself smiling while reading it! There was one part of the story that missed an obvious error, but other than that, I loved the whole thing!!

Fake It 'til You Make It by Laura Carter ⚾
Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐
Release Date: April 8, 2024

I thought this was a fun and cute read! I enjoyed it and found the readability pretty high as the story seemed to move at a pretty decent pace.

I really enjoyed the dual perspective on this one. I felt they were written equally well and even though some things felt a bit repetitive, I felt I understood both characters' motivations and thoughts.

As an Alberta girl I was both surprised and happy when the book mentions this as her hometown. It was fun finally having a story that is set (at least partially) in some places I actually know!

Fake It til You Make It is an absolute gem of a book. More substantial than the name or the cover would suggest, this is an engaging and witty story centering on Abbey and Ted. Both have recently had traumatic breakups and agree to fake a relationship to save face with their exes. However neither of them have been honest with the other, and when sparks start to fly, it's only a matter of time before trouble follows. My only complaint about this book is that I wish there had been an epilogue, I can't wait to read more by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the review copy.