I enjoyed the snappy dialogue (gave strong Gilmore Girls vibes) and the 'ope we're in love' vibes. This is the first book I've read by this author, but I will definitely be seeking out more.

I love love loved this book! I love all of charlotte stein’s book but this one was really amazing I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook when it comes out. I’ll have a more detailed review closer to the release date!

i have nothing but great things to say about this book and how it quite possibly knocked me out of my semi-book slump. the cover alone drew me in and by the look of these characters, i had to know more!

this book had me in my feels and i couldn’t help but want to shield both Hazel and Beck for the all mistreatment they’d ever had to or could possibly experience in the future of any kind. i really loved watched Hazel grow fiercely protective over Beck while at the same time Beck was teaching Hazel how to coexist with her truest self and love her the way she should be!

it was the perfect mix of emotional, silly, delightful, quirky, and so heartwarming i was bursting at the seams at every page. i will always love to see a gentle, soft, and loving character who’s heart is too painfully big for their body find their home in someone who has never known the word itself. Hazel and Beck were a match made in heaven! i highly recommend giving this a read!

thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and of course Charlotte Stein for this ARC! 𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑

First of all let me just say, I'm not a fan of smutty books. It's just not my thing, but I enjoy a good rom com. And this book is a big mix of both and I loved it! I didn't even know what a cinnamon roll trope was and now I want more.

The story is about Connie, a lovely lady that has given up on the idea of finding love because all the nice guys she's dated turned out to be not so nice. Ugh, I wish I didn't relate to her so much. Beck is the most nicest nice guy to have ever niced, who lives down the hall from her. They're friendly enough until she notices that he seems to be having a hard time. She learns he made up a fake wife to his coworkers and the guilt of the lie is upsetting him so badly he's actually physically sick from it. Because of course it would, he's the sweetest human being. Then she meets the coworker he made this lie up to and adds her own bit to it saying she is the made up wife! And there's a writing retreat Beck needs to go on, so it makes sense his wife would be there with him, in the same bedroom, in a house shared with the awful coworker. The chemistry is off the charts from the start, but it's all just a fake marriage...right?

I wanted to yell at both of them to stop pretending they don't like each other the entire book! The spicy scenes were pretty good and realistic. The back and forth they have through emails is absolutely wonderful! And yep, I cried during the last bits. The writing is average but not in a bad way, it doesn't need to be anything fancy. The other characters are barely fleshed out, couldn't even tell you how Connie met her best friends. Everyone else is just very sidelined and the focus is so heavy on this two main characters. I didn't mind that, sometimes there's just too many other people you have to keep track of and they don't add anything to the plot. Focusing on just the main two meant we learned everything about them, emotionally and deeply. I requested this galley because it sounded like a cute story and I crossed my fingers it would be light on the spice. It was a very cute story and was not at all light on the spice and I'm so happy I read it! I think it may have opened me up to a new little genre of nice guy spicy books.

Absolutely incredible. This neighbors to lovers story is everything I’ve ever wanted. This slow burn meets wholesome story meets super sexy and highly sensual moments is divine! This is absolutely positively the best book I’ve read all year! Highly highly recommend! Thank you net galley for the early copy!

Wow, it’s been awhile since a book made me cry but this one did. Hazel is a cynical, single woman who’s always been with uncaring, egocentric and clueless men. So, she believes that there are no nice men and she is much better off being on her own. Her writer friend Mabel (from When Grumpy Met Sunshine) has installed her book editor, Beck, into an apartment across the hall from Hazel and Hazel thinks he’s a murderer because she always thinks the worst of men. Even when Beck does something nice for Hazel, she is sure there is some ulterior motive. Beck is a sweet guy who doesn’t let the bully a work get to him (the bully is jealous that Beck got the big editorial job) but he does get flustered when the bully suggests that Beck won’t fit into the top boss’s idea of a good “family man” and blurts out that he does have a wife….but he really doesn’t. Through a series of unfortunate events, Beck and Hazel end up at a 2 week writer’s workshop where they have to convincingly pose as man and wife. Hazel has so many defensive walls up that it takes her a while to see that Beck is a perceptive, smart, romantically charming guy and he’s sincere. Beck’ is inexperienced because he believes himself to be a bookish “dork” who someone that Hazel would never be interesting in. This is a charming and surprising emotional novel that take the opposites attract trope in a sweet and interesting direction.

This book had some really cute moments! I a really enjoyed the two main characters in the story and their quirky personalities. However, there was a lot of moments that just felt clunky and awkward, but not in a cute way. The characters also felt really cliche in a lot of moments and it just kind of turned me off as reader. There wasn’t anything in those story that I absolutely hated but there’s wasn’t a whole lot I absolutely loved either.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage was an absolute delight. The nerdiness, fake relationship, one bed trope made my heart soar. I’m not one to usually highlight texts in books but I did for the ice planet barbarians reference. I literally jumped for joy! The spice was spicing and I loved the realness of their love and attraction.

"nothing else matters but being who I want to be. And who I want to be is someone like him." HELLO?!

i'm not a big romance fan especially when it's a cute fluffy one like this. i either read it dark or none at all. but this book had my heart! this story was so adorable.

it has been a while since i read a book that made me laugh so damn hard and was blushing throughout the whole time with the characters interaction lol Beck was my type of man and boy did i eat him up. some of the things he did i will level super cringe but it actually suits his character haha

5 stars!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Nice guys get the girl plus reverse grumpy sunshine and fake marriage, are at the heart of this book. Add to that a goofy loveable cinnamon bun MMC and you are gifted with a fluffy quick read that won't set the world on fire but will make you smile.

Ok I inhaled this book. I was not expecting to read a book in essentially 24 hours. I loved the FMC and the MMC was just a cinnamon roll as people are known to call them. I also have a BFF who is exactly like the MMC so this was crazy on point including the ability to talk better in text versus in person. I didn't realize this was a second book in a series. I cannot wait to read more! Also one cannot forget the spice in this book, it was on fire!

I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.

Hazel and Beck are the ultimate fake-relationship duo. Their banter is hilarious and their chemistry is off the charts. I was constantly laughing out loud and swooning over their interactions. I loved how their fake marriage slowly turned into something real. It was so sweet and heartwarming. The plot twists and turns kept me hooked from start to finish. I never knew what was going to happen next, and I was always on the edge of my seat. I also loved the secondary characters, especially Hazel's best friend, Chloe. She was so funny and supportive. If you're looking for a fun, flirty, and feel-good romance, My Big Fat Fake Marriage is the perfect book for you.

I'd like to extend a sincere thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I loved it and it left me with that indescribable “wow” feeling. Would read again.

Review:
tap, tap, tap Is this thing on? I feel like I need to shout: THIS BOOK HAS FOUND ITS AUDIENCE. I am obsessed. I love a cinnamon roll hero, and Beck is a cinnamon roll to the absolute extreme. I can totally understand how his extreme niceness and use of goofy phrases can be off putting to some (maybe many), but I found Beck so completely over-the-top adorkable. Beck is HOT. He totally did it for me.

I wish more MFCs were like Hazel. She is self-aware and willing to seek advice and guidance from her loved ones. She is open to change. She embraces her sexuality, and she is considerate of Beck’s inexperience. I adored her.

I must confess. The fake-dating/fake-marriage trope is my least favorite in the romance genre. Because of that, I was reluctant to give this book a shot. But I love a softie romance hero more than I dislike the trope, so I let Beck’s description persuade me into reading this. I’m so glad I did. I couldn’t put it down.

This was my first read by Charlotte Stein, and it will not be the last. I have already downloaded some of her backlist. I hope there will be an audiobook of this one in the future. I would love to listen to it.

The Cover: Adorable! It captures the story so perfectly.

My Favorite Things:
• Hazel’s quote— “Nothing else matters but being who I want to be. And who I want to be is someone like him.”
• The Marvel references.
• Beck singing to Sabrina Carpenter.
• The emails!
• That second kiss (aka their first practice kiss). HOT.
• In case it hasn’t gotten through yet—Beck. Just Beck. Everything about him.
• All of it. Seriously. All of it.

Samuel Henry Beckett has now entered a very exclusive list of top tier book boyfriends. The author took me on a wild ride of being somewhat skeptical of his good guy nature to screaming his praises. I ran a gambit of emotions for this one and was thoroughly surprised by this book. Connie was a character I struggled to connect with in the first few chapters, but quickly became a mirror for some of my deepest feelings. She became so likeable that I was rooting for her and Beck to work it out, regardless of their arrangement. I will be recommending this book to anyone who will listen, It was a wild ride from start to finish!

*3.5 Stars*

Connie believes that she has all nice guys figured out and her neighbor is the worst of them. He is always polite, wears bowties and super cheery. Connie is sure he is hiding something under that facade. When Connie finds that his secret is a fake wife, she ends up playing the part at the upcoming writer's retreat. What starts out as a fake marriage, may turn into something real.

I really enjoyed this book. Beck is the best "cinnamon roll" character I have read in a while. Although his character seemed a little outrageous with his language and his overall demeanor, he was a fun MMC and enjoyed his interactions with Connie. Their relationship was a slow burn, but this book does have some spice. Overall, another great read by Charlotte Stein.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage is out March 11th.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review My Big Fat Fake Marriage. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book has a lot of potential, but I just wasn't able to believe Beck as a character. He felt too much like a unicorn. I understand that this is a work of fiction, but I still want to feel like there is a possibility that the characters could exist. He was too unreal. The concept of a big cinnamon roll/teddy bear of a man is one I'm fond of, but Beck was too extreme. I mean, he was a super-hot, super-nerdy, super-nice, super-naive, super-polite guy in his late 30s and a virgin? Nope. I think if his character was a bit more realistic (while still a dream guy) I might've enjoyed this more. The naivete and cluelessness were probably what felt the most unreasonable.

My other complaint is that Charlotte Stein's prose could get really rambly and hard to read. I don't know if that was a trait of the characters or if that's just how her writing was, but I often found myself getting lost in paragraph or reading a sentence over and over because it was so confusing. I think she's a good storyteller, so I'm going to try one of her audiobooks and see if that goes any better. Reading her writing just took a lot of effort for me, and I want reading to be relaxing and fun.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

What a delightful read! A blend of humor, heart, and sizzling chemistry. From the first page, the story sweeps you into a whirlwind of fake relationships, unexpected feelings, and endearing characters that are impossible not to root for.

The protagonist’s wit shines throughout, making her incredibly relatable and fun, while the romantic lead is the perfect mix of charm and vulnerability. Their interactions sparkle with sharp banter, heartfelt moments, and genuine emotional depth that makes their dynamic both entertaining and swoon-worthy.

What sets this book apart is how it balances humor with tender moments, creating a story that’s as sweet as it is funny. The fake marriage trope is executed with a fresh twist, keeping the reader engaged and eagerly turning pages to see how the inevitable unraveling of feelings unfolds.

If you’re a fan of lighthearted romance with authentic characters, clever dialogue, and plenty of heart, My Big Fat Fake Marriage is a must-read.

Charlotte Stein has done it again! This was so fun and silly and sweet! Beck is just a cinnamon roll and I love him! And the spice in this book is perfect and hot!! I had such a good time reading this book, I couldn't put it done and I finished it so quickly! I can't wait for her next book!! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

Connie (or hazel? I don’t get it) lives next to to Beck who is her nerdy neighbor. He’s being bullied a work by some tool and she’s like oh I’m his wife and they do the whole fake marriage thing at a writing retreat.

I want to like this story line but the writing just seemed, to me, to ramble and the considering this takes places in the UK and Beck is American it’s kinda insulting how he’s sort of portrayed as a kind of rain man who communicates from a 1950’s American tv show with “golly gee”, “oh shucks”, & “darn”. He’s basically a 30 year old virgin and when he communicates in such a simplistic way, it’s a little cringey, especially come the more “spicy” scenes. It just sort of seems wrong like in a Forrest Gump/Jenny way.

I do WHOLLY love how his character is named for Quantum Leap, which the FMC is into as well but it it’s mentioned like three times but no fun quirkiness attached. This could have been a cute thing in the novel.

I was excited for this book because I love all of the tropes, but overall it was rather...disappointing. I had to read the first few chapters a few times because I didn't connect with either of the MC's that much. If I hadn't received this has an ARC, especially from NetGalley, I would have likely DNF'd it. It was just an ok read--nothing new, exciting or anything that stood out from the other books I have read recently. I read this during a slump so it's possible that was why I didn't enjoy it and it's totally possible that someone else could love this!