My Big Fat Fake Marriage was a read by Charlotte Stein. It was probably not my cup of tea as it was primarily constructed around spice. This book is plenty spicy, but definitely lacking in plot. Read this if your crush is Ted Lasso. Mine is not, so this was not for me. In theory I wanted to LOVE this book, but it was just not what I was hoping for. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was really fun! Cute and steamy. I enjoyed her WHEN GRUMPY MET SUNSHINE more, but found this romcom to also be adorable. Very high spice. I think some of the interiority could be trimmed, but otherwise a great read. 4.5 stars.

I love a cinnamon roll MMC but Beck’s dialogue and lack of inexperience really didn’t work for me.

The writing retreat setting was nice but I don’t feel like we got enough of it or scenes of the couple trying to prove that their relationship was real.

This was such a cute book and I loved the representation within it. Such a sweet and heartwarming story and I really loved the characters.

Realistically I would give this book 2.5 stars. It’s close to 3 but this authors writing style just doesn’t work for me.
Everyone is always ‘slick’ and moaning and it just becomes too much.
The story, is often silly and the phrases the grown adults say are just so “gosh darn” distracting.
If you want a lighthearted read with a lot of weird smut scenes you may enjoy this more than I was able to.

DNF @ 17%. I am not vibing with the writing, the character or anything. Not interested. 🤷‍♀️ I think Charlotte Stein's writing is not for me because this is the 2nd book I haven't liked from her.

Cute book but didn't grab my attention the way I was hoping it would.
I didn't connect with the characters and that kept me from enjoying the book fully

If you enjoy fake marriage, slow-burn tension, and some spice then this is the book for you. I wasn't a big fan of this book and I cant really put my finger on why. I think it was a little unrelatable and unbelievable at times. I wasn't a huge fan of the inner monologues and felt that they went on and on when it wasn't really necessary.

I loved this book, it was body positive with a cinnamon roll in a bow tie. This book provided so much joy and laughter, it was perfect. I love seeing body positive stories about not perfect humans and supportive partners.

The ending was great. The writing was horrible. I almost dnf at 60% but I wanted to see how it ended. They acted like kids most of the time.

I feel like the advice I’d give this author is that sometimes less is more. I feel like this book was too wordy and redundant and yes, I’m going to say it, too much sex. It felt like more a stream of consciousness, thoughts and an internal monologue, with no real events happening, only her thoughts on the events happening.

Fake dating yes, but fake marriage? How can you fake a marriage?
Also, a MMC who is over 30 and practically inexperienced? But super cute, perfect, practically a catch?
She is so perfect that it seems almost too fake. A little too sci-fi for my romance reading.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC!

I love good fake anything in romance because it always leads to such a fun and hard earned HEA. Fake marriage is the faux du jour in Charlotte Stein’s “My Big Fat Fake Marriage.” Not only was this book sweet, it was funny in a way that surprised me. The levity might be my favorite part which is a feat in contemporary romance.

3.75 ✨️ This was a sweet and cute story. I love reading books about plus sized characters. Also, characters who don't always have the most sexual experience, especially when its a man. In a lot of books, it's always the other way around. Although the timid and unsure guy isn't usually the type of mmc I usually read about, I did enjoy this story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc.

I loved when grumpy met sunshine so i was excited for this one!

i appreciated the low-angst and the doorstep pies. i liked the bow ties and suspenders. the notes and emails were super cute.

but..

it just didnt quite get there for me. i wanted it to span a longer time frame. i wanted more "my wife" moments. i wanted more of them post-retreat. i wanted to punch Doug in the throat most of all.

thank you to netgalley and st martins for an ARC of this book.

would still read another by same author.

When Connie sees her nice neighbor being bullied about talking to her ("a real woman"), she throws caution to the wind and announces herself as his wife. Now, Connie must accompany him to a writer's retreat he is hosting and pretend to be his wife.

Pros:
- Likeable and believable FMC
- Funny banter
- Angst
- Spicy Scenes

Cons:
- MMC was too innocent and naive


If you like:
- Single POV
- Fake Marriage
- Golden Retriever MMC
- Neighbors
- Forced Proximity
- He Falls First
- One Bed
- Opposites Attract
- Plus Size MMC & FMC
- Slow Burn

A nice bit of fluffy romance, but I didn't really connect with either of the main characters. The male MC felt a bit too much like a caricature, and while the female MC's personal growth was great, the romance never landed for me.

I have read another arc from this author and had a good time. So i accepted this one thinking i would have JUST as good of a time if not better. Im not sure if it was just me not really being in the mood for this one? I found the main character insufferable. As well as the way the love interest talked like he was an elderly man and so insecure. I can get down with a cinnamon roll man, but this dude was just pathetic.

I would have loved if there was more communication throughtout the book between the characters instead of them just putting thoughts and words into each others heads without ever stopping to ask how the other REALLY feels.

Clearly, romance is not my main genre lol I was really looking for a breezy couple of day read but it took me two months to read this one.

Also, heads up. About 65-85% seemed like one long sex scene and it got really tiresome.

I'm a big fan of Charlotte Stein's work, so I was looking forward to My Big Fat Fake Marriage. The premise was intriguing, but I struggled to connect with the characters. Henry's naivety felt a bit overdone, and Connie's internal monologue, while meant to be humorous, often just felt exhausting. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, and while there were moments of genuine charm, the overall experience left me feeling a little…disappointed. The character's inner thoughts and actions did not sit well with me.

Loved the representation and the story itself. This is what romance is supposed to be. Just a sweet story that I want to read again.