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.

The side characters reminded me of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding, with limited faith, more modern characters and romance. The romance was cute and felt authentic. The pacing, plot, writing was definitely wordier than I would have liked but it was evenly paced. The setting was in a romance reader's dream.

Perfect if you like:
Fake Situationship
Slowburn
Close Proximity
Cinnaroll level sweetness
BOW TIES!

Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this arc!

Umm hello romance!! I absolutely fell in love with this story and the characters. I loooooove a good romance and this just hit the spot for me!!

Thank you for the opportunity to review Charlotte Stein's latest novel, My Big Fat Fake Marriage. I, unfortunately, had some difficulty connecting with the characters and the story of the book. I found the story hard to follow and the narrative was a little all over the place. I did read the author's previous book and enjoyed the reference to the characters, but half way into the story, I found it was progressing slowly.

Adorable and sweet, but kinky. A forefront to the "cozy kink" genre. You will fall in love with Charlotte Stein's writing while reading her work with her earnest characters and steamy language.

This slow burn, forced proximity, fake marriage romance was a lot of fun to read!

Loves:
-the slow burn
-the banter
-the MMC, Beck, has major golden retriever energy (picture Ted Lasso but more burly and tall)
-bookish setting
-the forced proximity, fake marriage romance

Dislikes:
-some plot holes and parts that did not make sense
-Beck, the MMC, was sexually inexperienced but did not seem that way at all
-the ending felt a little rushed
-Connie/Hazels inner monologue was hard to follow at times and felt like rambling
-the title of the book

Overall, if you are looking for a spicy yet sweet fake marriage romance, you’ll enjoy My Big Fat Fake Marriage

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

👨🏻BOOK REVIEW👨🏻
My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein (OUT 3/11!!!)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Man oh man I devoured this book!!! Picture if Ted Lasso was 6’ 5” and burly, and that’ll give you Henry Samuel Beckett. With how this book opens, I was not sure what to think of our MMC, but lordy did I fall in love with him quick!

I equally loved Hazel and how much I could relate to her. She hides her true self and her quirks and the bits of her that she thinks are unlovable, because she’s always been told that that’s the reality. Throughout the book, she learns that this isn’t the case and that someone CAN fully love her, the real her! I related to this so much. We also see a similar journey with Beck, and I loved seeing them grow side by side!

This is my second read from this author, and her writing style is so unique and truly one of my favorites. You really feel like you’re reading/hearing the inner workings of the characters’ brains and because of this, they really come alive. Her books are always so hilarious and this was no exception!

And trust me, it delivered in the spice department too. Mannnn, did it. When reading the first half of the book or so, you really don’t expect it to go the way it does. And I won’t spoil anything here but while our MMC may be inexperienced, he knows how to make a lady blush. 😮‍💨

✨TROPES✨
💍Fake marriage
🛌One bed
👨🏻Burly mustached MMC
⏳Plus size FMC
📝Writing retreat
👰‍♀️”My wife”
😮‍💨Inexperienced wholesome MMC

My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein is a fun and a little bit silly romance novel about an American book editor and a want-to-be English writer who happens to live down the hall from one another.

Beck is a big man and an even bigger nerd; from being teased and bullied his whole life, he still very much sees the good in people and wants to be kind and courteous to everyone. Connie, on the other hand, has a distrust in people who are nice since no one has ever truly been nice and meant it. While I had a good time reading, I found myself being uninterested in the characters and storyline. I usually eat a fake dating slow-burn romance up, but this one just didn't hit. How both of them just refused to communicate effectively. Like I said, I had a good time, but this isn't a book I am reaching for again. I think it definitely could be someone's cup of tea more than mine.

Tropes:
📖 Fake marriage
🔥 Slow-burn tension
💖 Inexperienced but secretly confident MMC
✍️ A bookish setting
🛌 Only One Bed

Thank you, NetGalley & St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, for the copy for an honest review!

This is my second attempt at reading something from this author, and again, I could just not connect. It's frustrating because both blurbs drew me in, but I could not connect with the writing and the characters.

Connie doesn't trust nice guys. At any moment, they could reveal some horrible secret. Her neighbor, Henry Samuel Beckett, is no exception. He's sweet and cheery, and he loves bow ties.

He finally reveals his secret. He's been single his whole life. In a moment of panic, he told everyone at work that he is married. Connie decides to play his fake wife while they attend a writing retreat. They need to convince the people around them that their marriage is real.

As the tension builds Connie begins to wonder if this relationship might be real after all.

Thanks so much to the author, St Martin's and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

I could not get into this book. I found Connie too whiny and Bennet far too self-deprecating. Not my cup of tea; I will not be reviewing elsewhere.

I thought the idea of the book sounded wonderful, but the execution was just not great. I honestly didn't like Connie from the get go. She was annoying, loud, and nosey. She never really grew in my opinion the entire book. I thought that Henry was just blah and nothing special. He was also very fumbly. I think the author went wrong in trying to put every thought she thought her characters would have on paper. I think another edit was definitely needed.

Connie Evans has encountered too many men who present themselves as a "nice guy." They end up have a bad side that they eventually reveal. So when she meet the man across the hall, Henry Samuel Beckett, he is everything she avoids. He is nice, attentive, thoughtful. But she is somehow drawn to him in a way she can't avoid. A chance encounter with one of Beckett's coworkers leads to Evans and Beckett portraying a fake marriage. Stein is adept at the slow build and keeping it spicy. A good fun read!

I was very much bored through this book. Like all the time. I thought I was going to like it more and it be some kind of silly fake marriage situation but I was bored.

Boy, this started off with so much promise and then once they were actually together there was just no more growth or storyline outside of the bedroom. I wanted more of the spark and of the story in general.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, St. Martins Griffin and Netgalley for access to an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Endearing characters, laugh-out-loud moments, and a plot that keeps readers engaged from start to finish, this novel is a perfect escape into the world of love and misadventure.

All in all, this book was really fun, cute, and quirky read.

The protagonist, Connie, was a total breath of fresh air. She was so spunky and confident that I couldn't help but fall in love with her! I think she complimented Beck's more subdued, gentle personality very well. They were almost a bit like yin and yang in that way. Speaking of Beck, I loved him. I liked how his character was quirky, but not in an obnoxious way. Beck was just such a sweetheart and I really grew to sympathize with and relate to his character.

Even though I liked this book for the most part, I think the romance could've been done a bit better. Towards the beginning, the romance between Connie and Beck was very sweet and good, but sped up way too much around the middle– especially when you consider how inexperienced Beck is. Then, towards the end of the book the sex/sexually charged scenes happen so often that it was a bit nerve-wracking to read and, in all honesty, I did have to skim over most of these scenes for my own sanity.

If you are able to suspend disbelief about the premise of the book, it is a cute and enjoyable read. The FMC's insecurities about her body do get tiresome over the course of the story, and her tendency to "just know" what the MMC is thinking is quite irritating because she is usually wrong and moreso because it makes her not communicate with the MMC clearly.

Pros:
-Ted Lasso vibes
Plus-sized representation
Love a forced proximity/fake dating or marriage trope
Reappearances of Alfie and Mabel from When Grumpy Met Sunshine

Cons:
The majority of the book was just Connie/Hazel in her head. Is Beck a murderer? How is he this nice? I think I like him? Do I like him? Does he like me? No, guys like him never like girls like me? It just felt like the story was mostly Connie's thoughts about everything and the very little actual happenings were when they were hooking up. I've seen lots of people love it, and it's not bad, but it just felt less like there wasn't much of a storyline and development.

Where the first one was witty and grumpy (maybe Roy Kent vibes), this one felt far too soft and Hallmarky. The first part was just slow and a bit awkward until they arrived at the writing camp (I'll admit it did pick up quite a bit from that point forward) but overall it just felt like it missed the mark. There was far too much telling instead of showing when it came to their connection and how they really 'understood each other.' The Hazel character often pre-explained something Beck was going to do which while cute once or twice felt far too much in her head instead of in the story. I also did not understand the point of mentioning the camp founder in so many odd ways. I honestly thought Beck was going to be him secretly except he physically seems so bad at keeping secrets.