CHARLOTTE STEIN has quickly become one of my absolute favorite authors of thick queen contemporary romance alongside Olivia Dade. I love the dynamic between her characters and My Big Fat Fake Marriage was no exception. This one was so cute, so sexy, and 100% awesome. Deserves the all the delicious buzzwords like 'unputdownable' and 'beautifully smutty'. Our mustachioed main man was all green flags and our thick queen was properly ravished and had excellent character development.

Love this author's stuff and CANNOT WAIT for what she has next!

I thought it was a cute, fluffy, fake-dating/marriage story. I liked the characters, even though the fmc seemed a little pessimistic in the beginning, I began to like her. Then you have Beck, who was just so sweet and loving all the time. He was so nerdy and thoughtful. It had some funny moments, but still good.

Thank you NetGally for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute book and I loved the plus sized representation! I don't see that often in books so it was nice to read it here! Overall such an enjoyable read!

From the very start the Beck is every fictional gay best friend + a mustache. She even refers to him as “bearish” in chapter 4. I thought perhaps this story would have LGBTQ representation, but it ultimately seems more like queerbaiting than anything. I found it more and more off-putting as the story progressed. I would have LOVED to see a bisexual male romantic interest that was unapologetic in both his queerness and his attraction to this woman. Unfortunately, in its current state, I am just not able to connect with the story or the characters. Beck reads like the side character gay best friend watched too much Ted Lasso and told the guy bullying him that he definitely has a wife.

This was such an entertaining read. The main characters were so fun to read about and their banter was so fun!

Cute read! Loved the writing style and the FMC was adorable and made me laugh several times. The MMC was adorable as well and overall I liked the story.

Rating: 3/5 stars

I enjoy Charlotte Stein books normally, so I was very excited to get an ARC of this one.

The premise of the book is a good one with a lot of potential that I think a lot of readers will enjoy. Beck, the male character is very sweet. And he has obvious chemistry with Hazel.

I personally felt Beck and Hazel were both sort of caricatures of their respective types and tropes. The characters just felt underdeveloped and forced. Ultimately, I just felt like I didn't connect with this book. However, I would still recommend it to fans of Stein's, or who find the premise of the book intriguing because it is not a terrible book, it just wasn't for me. Give this book a try!

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

If you’re someone who needs a change from the “dark brooding alpha-hole” hero, this one is for you!

🏕️Summer camp/woodland retreat
🏕️Hero who encourages you to act like your dorky self 🏕️Possibly the most sunshine hero ever
🏕️ Black cat heroine who starts the fake relationship
🏕️ Size difference
🏕️ HAWT

BLURB: Something has to give... Could it be her heart?

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.

🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️

This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and one of the things I love is her commitment to diversifying the hero’s! She gives the dimension and makes the more than the grumpy alpha. This book is basically a love letter to your inner dork. It’s a romance novel that celebrates someone loving every aspect of you unabashedly. Honestly, sweet, cozy, while still HAWT.

Thank you @charlotte.stein for the ARC :)
Release Date: March 11, 2025

I truly appreciate the opportunity to read this book- but I've realized that a cinnamon roll mmc is NOT for me.....at least not this particular style? I know he was supposed to be endearing and sweet, but it gave me both serial killer and incel vibes.
I think this just didn't hit me the right way and for others, that may not be the case!
I would love to read others by this author and see how those take me

Thanks so much to Charlotte Stein and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC of this book. I love a good fake marriage/ forced proximity trope. Quick cute fun read. I loved it. Definitely recommend it!

3.5 stars.

Hazel helps out her neighbor with a fake marriage in this cute, forced proximity read. Agreeing to attend a writing retreat posing as the wife to her neighbor who is a book editor. A ver cute cinnamon roll love story.

I really like how the author writes. The story moves fast, even if the premise for it is a bit much. The start was rough, but quickly builds. As a friend says, “it’ll make you feel things.” It was a quick, fun read. I’d definitely read others from this author.

This book had an excellent meet-cute and gives so much character depth with just a misunderstanding between neighbors--it's actually a masterclass in show don't tell. Connie sees something that leads her to believe Henry is a murderer when in fact he's a run of the mill editor who has backed himself into a corner at work by making up a wife. This is a romance novel so you know what comes next -- Connie decides to agree to pretend to be said wife on a writing retreat. I really enjoyed the premise and the beginning of the book, but somewhere along the line Henry turned a bit too cartoonish for me. He's written as a Ted Lasso type from mustache to golly gees and it became a bit too much for me. I wasn't able to see him as an object of lust and it kind of took me out of the love scenes. As a follow-up to When Grumpy Met Sunshine, this missed the mark, although I would give it 3 stars for writing, banter, and pacing. I just didn't connect with the couple like I hoped.

Beck is the cinnamon roll I never knew I needed. Big and sweet and unabashedly himself, nerdy and thoughtful and I want to wrap him in cotton and tell him he's doing a really good job. And Hazel is so wonderful, even if she is a bit cynical and hides herself and doesn't know how to trust. Watching these two find their way to each other was BEAUTIFUL. I was crying by the end. Also, lots of heat....like, so hot. Also, I literally laughed out loud throughout the whole thing. I was getting looks, y'all, and I just didn't care, it is so funny!

Charlotte Stein is quickly becoming a new favorite of mine for romance. I am absolutely loving the banter, wit, characterization, and representation. The characters spend so much time together in the best way, and I would honestly follow them through whatever if the author ever wanted to write a sequel.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!

I don’t normally read this genre, but that’s all about to change!

I absolutely loved this book, I’ll definitely check out more from this author!!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Charlotte Stein for sending me this arc!! I was so excited to get it! After reading three of her books now, Charlotte is one of my favorite authors because she always seems to write characters that are so inherently good. I’m usually such an enemies to lovers girl, a grumpy/sunshine girl, but Charlotte can sell me on a golden retriever like no other. I will fall for her characters and their big mushy hearts every single time! And LAUGH!! Gosh, her books bring me so much joy. So this book was no exception, it was a delight to read.

Cute cover!

I thought the setting was pretty fun with the writing retreat. Beck was so sweet in [book:When Grumpy Met Sunshine|127281421], but his characterization took a turn in this one. I do not personally want to have sex with a Ned Flanders/Ted Lasso hybrid man, but I do not want to yuck anyone's yum... Still, I wanted more from the heroine, our Connie turned Hazel. I got that she had mommy issues, but some of her choices were extremely wild. Including when she cared even slightly about Beck's macho coworker's opinion and thus the reason for this fake marriage. We kept getting scenes where they <i>had</i> to act married for this random, powerless guy when they could have just said, "Go away, you meanie!" The conflict wasn't there for me, I fear. I really loved Charlotte Stein's other book, so I do look forward to more of her work!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC. This book comes out March 11, 2025.

Thank you so much to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this early release of My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein

This comes out March 11, 2025, so put it on your list of TBR. Spicy, love story!

Hazel is going to a writer's retreat and ends up in a fake marriage with her neighbor Sam Beckett, aka Beck. Beck has a nemesis at work and to avoid the pressures of explaining his home life, he creates a fake wife. Craziness ensues that allow Hazel to step into the role. Only one problem at the retreat, one bed, shared cabin with the nemesis and thin walls. I was laughing so hard in spots! Spicy book, but I loved it. These two unlikely individuals end up falling in love for real. Will they both recognize it? Or will the nemesis sniff out the ruse?
#crazybooknerd
#NetGalley
#MyBigFatFakeMarriage
#CharlotteStein

DNF at 34% unfortunately that was the same time I dnf'd this authors last novel as well. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, just not for me

more men with mustaches in contemp rom coms please!

5/5 stars, Charlotte Stein is crushing it these days and everyone should grab this one!