A pretty good fake marriage read.
If you are in the mood for a cringe worthy smutty read with plus size characters…..you may just love this book.

Loved this. Super fun romance. Solid plot. Strong character development. Could not put it down. A compulsive read.

Lots of editing still needed, but this has the makings of a great romance!
Currently, the sex overshadows the plot, making it almost erotica instead of romance. Again, editing can quickly fix this issue. I also needed much more at the beginning, introducing the MCs, and where’s my meet-cute!! I know Stein can deliver a good one!
Rating it 4 stars in anticipation of good edits, but I’d lower it if it’s published as is.

In a nutshell? Sweet and charming, spicy and realistic. I love a book with positive plus-size representation. Connie is confident, doesn’t spend the book obsessing over changing herself. Beck is awkward to the point of it being a literal plot point, but it's mostly endearing. My biggest gripe with the whole book is his dialogue 😩The slang he uses feels straight out of an oldie cartoon. Totally broke the immersion for me and bordered on off-putting at times. I soooo wanted to like him, so I found myself skimming his dialogue 😅

There was a bit of "neither of us will say what we want" and I wasn’t a huge fan of that—it did drag a little. But despite that, I really enjoyed their dynamic, their nerdiness, and how they sorta just fit together. I loved the writers' retreat type setting, too.

Aside from my complaint about the MMCs dialogue, I found Connie’s internal monologue could be a bit rambling. But tbh that's probably what my head sounds like, too. It felt realistic. I really liked the writing style, overall! I would read more from this author.

Overall, it’s a 4 star for me! If you enjoy nerdy, sweet rom-coms, the fake marriage trope, forced proximity trope, and can get over some awkward wording, I can definitely recommend this :)

This book surprised me a bit, the spice was definitely much better than I was expecting and there was a lot more of it than I anticipated based off of the beginning of the story.

The MMC was far from the usual character archetypes that I’m used to reading and that was a bit off-putting for a while but it wasn’t poorly done.

I loved the concept of really embracing your true nature and finding a partner that brings that out in you and celebrates that side of you. There were a few things that were just odd and didn’t seem necessary to the story though, like the Connie/Hazel thing.

It was a sweet concept, a step outside the box a bit, but didn’t “wow” me.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the arc!

I loved this book! I only gave it 4 stars because it was a little slow in the beginning and the MMC might have been a little top dorky for me. But once this book kicked in...it was fantastic! I was not expecting the spice to be so good and the mouth of that dorky cinnamon roll...wow!
I absolutely loved the way that Connie was with Beck in this book!
The theme/underlying meaning in this book really touched my heart. This is such a sweet story of fake marriage with a golden retriever and a woman afraid to love a man.
You definitely need to read this book!

My Big Fat Fake Marriage was my first Charlotte Stein book that I have read. It was a fun read with a lot of hot and spicy thrown in!  Connie and Beck were the last two people to think there could be something between them, but when you are in a fake marriage, anything is possible!

Before I begin my review, I would like to acknowledge that while I did not particularly enjoy this book, I could see how maybe people older than me would. It is important to note that I am not particularly fond of reading explicit content since most often than not it's written in ways I find extremely...unappealing. Unfortunately, this book predominantly centered around that theme, which contributed to my lack of enjoyment.

My actual review:

I thought it was so fresh how Connie, the main character, had so much experience and wasn't afraid to show that. I feel more often than not in books with plus size characters they're portrayed to be saints or too insecure about their bodies to ever even think they could lust for anyone when that is not true whatsoever. That being said, I really wish we had dug a little deeper into her insecurities because it felt like we just scratched the surface of it. Something that I feel should have not been the case when it felt like every page was talking about it. She is definitely not my favorite mc, but I can appreciate how real she felt and at times sympathize with her.

Beck...I don't even know where to start with him.
Our mmc is literally Ted Lasso. From the mustache to the way he acts towards everyone, I could not stop imagining Ted Lasso. A part of me wanted to be endeared but then another part of me was just a little annoyed. This whole idea that he is so naive yet so perfect and understanding is SO unrealistic it almost makes me mad. I think I would have enjoyed it more if everything he did hadn't already been mentioned by Connie as something she could never expect from a man. (At some point I thought this book might have turned out to be a thriller rather than the cute romance book I was expecting with just how perfect he was for her)

Overall, this book was not for me, but I would not discourage anyone from giving it a try if they are looking for a book full of spicy scenes. I was not.

Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange of my honest review!

Oh my gosh, this was a delight to read! Hazel and Beck were SUCH A GREAT FIT. I shipped them immediately and their journey to one another was so cute. I LOVED the representation with not only Hazel's character but Beck's as well. I had yet to read a book with a character like him and it was beyond refreshing. This was a great blend of silly/fun but also had such grounded and relatable moments. Teachable moments with relevent themes all throughout the book! The awareness Charlotte brought, especially with the power of words and how, if you're not mindful, your words have the power to hurt and shape someone's life. Ugh, I felt in in my soul. I am so happy to have read this and i'll definitely be checking out whatever Charlotte writes next!

3,75/5

What can I say about “Hazy” and Beck besides. . Obsessed!!! They are such a cute surprise couple!

The author does a great job at building up the character development between both of the main characters. Beck, the insanely nice (and large, burly, handsome) neighbor and Hazel, Connie, Hazy, (so many names!) the cautious, been burned too many times before, main character.

I love the continuation of the characters from the authors other book and was so happy to see we were getting more of Hazels story!

The slow burn of their fake marriage turned into white hot passion so fast towards the end of the book. Lots of open door scenes for those that enjoy them! Spicy 🌶️ x10000 after all of the longing for each other in the first half of the book.

While I dislike any miscommunication trope, this one doesn’t go too far and they resolve their feelings for each other quickly after not talking it through to start.

This book will make you smile, laugh, and most certainly blush!

I had high hopes for The Fake Wife, but unfortunately, it wasn’t quite my cup of tea. The premise intrigued me—an adorable, sunny guy like Henry Samuel Beckett tangled in a fake marriage ruse with the skeptical, no-nonsense Connie—yet the execution left me a bit underwhelmed. And overall I did not enjoy Becks character at all and he gave me an ick for a few different reasons.
While I can appreciate the charm of a lighthearted romance with moments of tension and growth, I found myself struggling to connect with the characters. Connie’s deep distrust of “nice guys” seemed a little too repetitive at times, and Henry felt almost too perfect to be real.
The writing retreat setting held potential for a lot of fun dynamics, but I felt that the humor and chemistry between the characters never quite hit the mark. I wasn’t as invested in the outcome as I’d hoped to be.
Overall, while The Fake Wife may appeal to fans of quirky romantic comedies, it wasn’t for me.

There is a sweet love story hidden in all the sexual writing in this story. I found the sexual descriptions became overbearing on the story at times but overall I still enjoyed the book.

Oh, boy. Where do I start?

My first and biggest issue with this book is the way Beck talks. As so many other readers before me have described, he sounds like Ned Flanders from “The Simpsons.” I realize Stein even tries to make the point through Hazel (Connie? I’ll get to that in a minute) how strange it is, but it didn’t help. The added point of making Beck American also felt insulting. Does Stein think Americans actually talk like that? It did NOT leave a good impression.

Secondly, the Connie/Hazel “fake name” thing: what was the point of that? It was ridiculous, unnecessary, and truly a throwaway plot point that didn’t even need to exist. There are so many other tidbits dropped that could’ve been - SHOULD’BE been - fleshed out and explored further; Hazel giving herself some random fake name was weird.

The cringe level of this book is extraordinary. You go from vanilla to five-alarm chili spice within the span of a chapter. I don’t mind spice, but this was such a hard pivot it truly made me uncomfortable. I found myself skipping the chapters containing sex scenes because I didn’t find either character interesting or likable enough to want to try picturing those activities.

Finally, close to the end of the book, a nail in my review’s coffin: “…like a really hot Jesus, who doesn’t understand he’s awesome.” WOW, WHAT? No. Absolutely no. That right there knocked an entire star off.

I should’ve listened to my instincts and DNF’d this book. This book is a hard pass, and I would warn any of my friends to stay away from it.

•𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 | 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.•

This book had such promise. The characters had no charisma. It turned into more sex than story. Can't recommend. Sorry , NetGalley. Not a good match for me.

You can't go wrong with a fake marriage romance. These two neighbours have been keeping secrets and tension it causes is super high. I love these romance lesions and trying to prove how in love they are while not catching feelings. An Adorable and swoony romance. If you love 'one bed' trope this book is for you. This is the top of the line of one bed. With not one but multiple one bed events that are fantastic. Worth staying up late to devour this tension. Throw in some fake marriage and secret attraction and this is a 5 star ⭐️ all the way. I'm definitely the biggest fan of this plus size read. Definitely add this to your TBR.

this was the cutest fake marriage rom com I've read in a while. Charolette knows how to write the cutest golden retriever in a male main character. in Beck and the need to rescue cute awkward Beck is what made me become a fan of Connie.
This was an enjoyable rom com with plus size representation and the wish that Beck was a real person. Add to that that Beck reminds me of a literary editor version of Ted Lasso with his mannerisms and vernacular.

Connie has always distrusted nice guys. In her experience, they’re just waiting to reveal some horrible secret. And then she meets big, adorable, Henry Samuel Beckett—editor extraordinaire, lover of bow ties, sweet and so cheery she struggles to believe he’s real.

Until Henry Samuel Beckett—or Beck, as he’s known to most—tells her the secret underneath his sunny surface: He’s been single all his life. But in a moment of panic, he’s told everyone at his publishing house that he’s married. And when Connie, an aspiring writer herself, can’t help defending him, she ends up being the fake wife he doesn’t actually have.

When they head off on a writing retreat, surrounded by people convinced this must be a ruse, both of them can't help but agree. Until they share their first kiss, their first touch, their first time in only one bed. Side by side, every night, as the simmering tension builds…Connie starts to wonder if this might be real after all.

Loved it. Will recommend to others

Agreeing to a fake marriage with your hot, burley neighbor while on a writing retreat when he told his crummy coworker he was married? Sign me up! Hazel and Beck compliment each other so well! I could really relate to Hazel’s struggle with dating and family issues. Beck is the ideal nerdy bookish boyfriend. While this is a slow burn, the spice is definitely there!

⭐️: 4/5
🌶️: 3/5

Not my favorite book but it was decent. It’s a cute romcom just not my cup of tea. This book would have been better if it was dual POV

This was a cute fake marriage/one bed/close proximity romance. I loved the way Beck treated Hazy, esp since it reminded me of my boyfriend minus the inexperience. The tension between the two was great, but steamy scenes left a little to be desired. Didn’t love the virginity arc, but it didn’t take too much away from the story. Just not my thing. This was still super cute and swoon worthy. I’d recommend to romance loving friends!