Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I'm a fan of Charlotte Stein's books thus far - she writes the cutest grumpy/sunshiney tropes, with very sweet MC. I loved her most recent werewolf book, for example (go pick that one up! Cozy spice!)
This book didn't go over as well for me, primarily due to the fact that I didn't love our FMC's voice or her character quite as much. I completely understood and deeply feel that grossness that I associate with the "nice guy" phenomenon. But the way she reiterated it over and over again at the start, it almost felt too repetitive and as if she wasn't writing for what I presume is her audience - that is, youngish women reading romance who implicitly understand the men that she is referring to. It came to a point where I felt like this FMC was beyond grumpy and was just thinking horrible things about most of the people she met. I kind of feel like you can be a misanthrope and incredibly distrusting without being off-putting in this way? It was minor for me, primarily in the first half of the book - I guess the feeling I would describe is like being around a Debbie Downer, or like sort of just an exhausting character to read the POV of? Ultimately, I think the book, thought it did take its time, came around and because a cute romance that was worth reading and passing the time with.

Charlotte Stein can do no wrong, in my opinion. I absolutely adored My Big Fat Fake Marriage - and I LOVED the MMC. I really appreciate the recognition that not all romance readers was six foot seven alphaholes with rippling abs and a jawline made for the cover of Men's Health. Just fabulous all around!

I was a big fan of Charlotte Stein's last book (WHEN GRUMPY MET SUNSHINE) and I think this one just wasn't the one for me, I'm afraid. I am not one to shy away from tropes, but the fake marriage in this one (especially combined with the FMC's absolute distrust of all men) just wasn't hitting for me. I also didn't believe the chemistry until we were close to the end. And the MMC was like a cinnamon roll on steroids - you truly cannot believe how kind/dorky/etc this man is. I can suspend my disbelief a lot in romance novels, but our Beck was a bridge too far.

2 stars. I think there is certainly an audience for this one, it just wasn't me. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC.

This is, very clear from the title, a story of not just fake dating, but fake marriage. There is a good reason for it, as there always is. Beck is a sweet cinnamon roll of a guy, wears bow ties, says things like shucks, loves science fiction. You know, the perfect sort of nerd. He is being harassed, at work by a macho man who doesn't believe he is married at all. (Well, he isn’t, but that's beside the point.)
When his neighbor, Connie, finds out that he is being harassed, she agrees to go to a writing retreat, which she was going to anyway, and pose as his wife, so he can stop being harassed.

Single bed, close quarters, the usual tropes, you know, but I clocked it, and they pine for each other until 75% into the novel. That is the longest I have seen a couple hold out. That is not to say there isn’t a lot of dirty thoughts along the way. It is a long slow burn.

If you like your love making behind closed doors, this is not the book for you. Not that this is super explicit, but it is explicit enough to get the idea, thank you. Through it all, though, Beck is the gentleman that we hope he would be.

Fun story, really. Good dialogue.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 11th of March 2025.

This was a light read. They really didn't think one liked the other when they actually did, so being in a fake marriage worked out for them in the end.

I had a hard time getting through this book. While the fake dating/fake marriage trope is overdone I was hoping for a fresh story. The plot itself did feel fresh but the two main characters were not the greatest. I didn't feel anything for either of them, or between them. There was a lot of potential here but the book fell flat.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

Sometimes you read a book and it just sort of hits you somewhere you didn't know existed, and that's what this book was for me. I read it, then immediately read it again. And again. Something about this story just gets me in all the right places, and even makes me want to write again. I loved it even more than When Grumpy Met Sunshine, and it's easily my favorite work from Stein thus far.

For sensitive readers, there are references to emotionally abusive parents, sexual assault, bullying, and trauma, and depictions of misogyny and graphic sexuality.

In My Big Fat Fake Marriage, Connie agrees to be her neighbor Beck's fake wife because he told his coworkers that he was married after being taunted by a bully at work. Connie and Beck then have to pretend to be married during a two week writers retreat. To make things worse, they are sharing a cabin with the bully and his wife so they really want to make their fake relationship as believable as possible.

I really wanted to love My Big Fat Fake Marriage especially since I enjoyed the previous book in this series so much. It has so many of of my favorite tropes in it: Fake relationship, only one bed and inexperienced male MC are just a few of them. The cinnamon roll hero Beck is too cute and Connie's arc is great as she learns her own worth. The sex scenes are hot too! But even with all this goodness, I still didn't enjoy this book as much as I'd hoped. I didn't really buy the relationship between Connie and Beck since it happened so quickly it was pretty close to instalove. It seemed like Connie and Beck fell in love because neither of them had ever been with anyone who treated them well rather than that they are really good together.

I'll definitely read more in this series but this one was not as good as I was hoping, probably because I enjoyed When Grumpy Met Sunshine so much.

I'm so sorry but I had to DNF this. I loved the concept but the main character got very jarring very quickly. As a woman attempting to date, I definitely understand being wary of men but this felt like it was taking it to concerning levels of paranoia that got pretty hard to read very quickly. Thank you for the early copy and I'm sorry this wasn't a good fit for me!

I didn’t really feel any chemistry between the two MC’s until the last 25% of the book, I really wanted to love this but even though it wasn’t for me I think many will love this book. I recommend checking it out if you like cinnamon roll boyfriends and the fake marriage trope.

I have NEVER loved a MMC so much in my whole entire 31 years of life. Beck Is the MOST cinnamon roll, golden retriever, precious human ever and I was IMMEDIATELY obsessed! I have REALLY liked Charlotte's writing in the last two books, however this one had me FERAL. The banter and humor is OUTSTANDING.. I read it in less than 24 hours while giggling and kicking my feet on an airplane, very much in public. I'm positive some people thought something was wrong with me, but I have no regrets! I also super love Hazel and can very much relate to her initial struggle with trusting that a guy is actually nice. Also, the way Beck and Hazel so perfectly compliment each other's personalities, make each other better, and help, protect, and encourage each other from the beginning is BEAUTIFUL! I think this book is absolutely a contender for my favorite of the year. My one and only issue is that Beck does not exist in real life. Ha.

If you want to have a hearts-in-your-eyes moment from mere words on a page, this is the book for you. Charlotte Stein sure knows how to make a reader work for it, but once she gets you to that moment she hits it out of the park. The spice was something a girl can only dream about (you will get that little Easter egg when you read the book.) I wasn't sure if I would like the FMC or the MMC, but I think that was what made their character arc work. The FMC came off as a man hater and the MMC came across as a hopeless 40-year old virgin type. Once the FMC and MMC get together it is straight up the most chaste while being filthy masterpiece. Their e-mails made me laugh and swoon. I could have read an entire book of just their letters to each other . Spice 3/5

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5

Thank you for the ARC.

Charlotte Stein writes beautifully complex characters however this one seemed not at all fleshed out. I didn’t feel that we touched on the background of Hazel beyond her own inner musings, let alone in a way that would be productive to their relationship. Beck being described as a “cinnamon roll” is really more just a straight cup of sugar - too sweet. This may seem cynical and it’s hard to put into words but this man says things like “good golly” and “oh fudge” and other words said by a pretend nice family in a horror movie where they are the killers (look you either get it or you don’t). The latter half of the book was pretty steamy and written very well in my opinion - even with Beck’s character arc of acting like a “real boy”.

The writing can be very confusing at times so I look forward to reading the final published version to see if Stein’s long descriptions and the inner musings of Hazel are cleaned up. I found myself skipping paragraphs at times because I would read and reread them and still not understand the point of the paragraph.

This could be controversial but Hazel’s whole thing about every guy being a bad guy is just so overdone and exhausted at this point. Every man she has encountered or been with in any capacity has always been bad or lazy or whatever? I’m not a fan of victim mentality and this read like that (perhaps unintentionally but what it the point of reviewing an arc if not to address these before publishing?). Further, the entire book was just “no he can’t like me because my mommy said I’m gross/boring/too much” - like that’s it.

I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to include in an ARC review but there is one quote in particular I’m thinking of and can’t wait for publishing to update this review because it sums up the entire story.

Overall, I found the characters to be fun to read from (annoying at times with the immature back and forth - he loves me , he doesn’t , he loves me…) but the romance and setting were cute. I felt that they were friends more than lovers until the point they got physical. Even during love declarations, it felt very much like:

Hazel: “you’re not mean to me”
Beck: “you’re not mean to me”
Hazel & Beck: “let’s get married”


Like that’s the point the “romance” got to. This book was enjoyable but not something, at this state, I’ll be reaching for again

My Big Fat Fake Marriage-
Love the cover showcasing Beck and Connie/Hazel
Connie/Hazel and Beck are two wonderful main characters.
Connie or later known as Hazel is slowly finding herself through this book with the help from her friend Mabel and her very friendly next door neighbor Beck.
Beck -whose fault is that he is way too friendly got himself into a pickle at work that he desperately is trying to keep up with.
Beck and Hazel to help each other in more ways than one and throughout a writing retreat t’s laughable, enjoyable and enough spice.
There were sections of the book that I went back to re-read because I didn’t quite grasp it the first time and thought I missed something that connected a thought together. Other sections I went back to re -read because they were perfection.

I loved When Grumpy Met Sunshine but my GOD was this book adorable. EPIC levels of adorableness. Just fantastic.

Connie (or Hazel) + Beck 🫶🏻

This story was sooooo cute. I was smiling the entire time I was reading this book. Even when Hazel didn’t know Beck, she had this overwhelming sense to protect him because he is the most sincere and genuine man ever. Beck is literally a walking green flag. He can’t even lie without THROWING UP!!!! Beck helps Hazel find the confidence to truly be herself and to pursue her passion in writing.

If you’re looking for a sweet, fake marriage story with a one bed trope, this one is for you!

A really cute lighthearted read, I enjoy the innocent marshmallow mmc being corrupted by the experienced fmc trope, so this was exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t know this was the second book in a series, but I didn’t have trouble understanding the characters and it actually works as a standalone. Would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a cute fake-marriage, forced proximity romance!

Cute and funny. A nice, easy, lighthearted read. The romance between the two main characters is sweet and spicy but I do wish there had been more balance between the plot and the romance.

Beck has told everyone at his publishing house he is married, but he isn't. connie agrees to be his fake wife at a writing retreat for his company. cute story.

This is my first book I’ve read from Charlotte Stein and it did not dissapoint!!

My Big Fat Fake Wedding is a sweet and funny story that’s full of heart, humor, and lovable characters. Hazel is easy to relate to, and her relationship with Beck is so beautiful. The way she supports him in being his true self is heartwarming, and Beck, in return, helps her believe in the goodness of people and slowly earns her trust. Their journey together is fun and emotional, making you root for them the whole way.

That said, Hazel’s belief that all men are “bad guys” felt a little too much. Every guy she’s been with seems to be demanding or a letdown, it felt a bit tiring after a while. But Beck slowly breaking down her walls makes it all worthwhile.

There were some miscommunication moments that made me want to yell, “Just talk already!” but when they finally do everything comes together perfectly in the end!!

The fake relationship trope is always one of my favorites, and this book did it so well. Hazel and Beck’s chemistry is so fun, and their flirty banter had me smiling throughout. With real emotions mixed in, it’s the perfect feel-good story that will leave you grinning from ear to ear.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martins for allowing me to read and enjoy this book ahead of time!!