My Big Fat Fake Marriage serves up an entertaining cocktail of fake marriage and forced-proximity tropes, with a side of bow ties and literary angst. Beck, our cinnamon roll hero, is adorably too nice—bordering on cartoonishly sweet, complete with “oh fudge” exclamations. Enter Connie, a woman with trust issues and a wit as sharp as her skepticism about Beck’s niceness. Cue their fake “marriage” at a writing retreat to ward off his annoying coworkers, and you’ve got the perfect setup for rom-com gold.

The chemistry between Connie and Beck takes its time, giving us a slow burn that holds out until 75% of the book—a feat in the world of fake relationships! However, the pacing sometimes drags, with long internal monologues that could use a trim. And while the steamy scenes are well-executed, the romantic payoff feels a tad forced. Beck’s character, while endearing, risks feeling overly saccharine, and Connie’s mistrust of men is familiar but slightly overplayed here.

All in all, if you’re in the mood for quirky characters, a charmingly awkward hero, and some witty banter, My Big Fat Fake Marriage will satisfy

Thanks so much to Charlotte Stein and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC of this book.
FAKE DATING
FORCED PROXIMITY
GRUMPY VS SUNSHINE
BOOK NERDS
THE CONFLICT WAS A LITTLE BIT OFF
I love the dynamic between her characters. Author can really write great banter. I felt the author rushed the story near the end. Also, MMC did not hit the mark for me. I guess I like my men a little dark. I am going to look for other books by the other. I loved her writing style.

I think I would have liked this story more if it was dual POV. I would have liked to have understood the MMC a little more.

Being confined only to the FMC’s thoughts was frustrating to me. I knew she was an unreliable narrator so I could guess when she was interpreting situations wrong, but having to do that was very tiring. And her thoughts lingered on some things too long, but didn’t give enough about other things that could have added to the story. This could be just me, but I got this feeling of progressing through large chunks of the story in a hazy cloud when I wanted to see more. The days at the retreat were mostly sped through when I would have expected there to have been more opportunities for them to get to interact, instead of just rushing to the bedroom scenes.

I think the emotional notes of the story could have been explored a little more. And I think a lot more could have been done with the fake dating/marriage plot.

Overall, this was a nice story, but it wasn’t quite the story I was expecting.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me access to an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, I loved this book! Beck was absolutely adorable. I want more LIs in romance novels like him!! And i love the plus-size rep with Hazel. This is one of my favorite contemporary romances I have ever read, it's definitely a new favorite for me. Overall I would highly recommend reading it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I absolutely loved Connie & Beck’s story! I loved watching Connie & Beck’s love story unfold. A great story with humor and heart.

I was not sure what I expected with my first Charlotte Stein book, but I loved it.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

My Big Fat Fake Wedding is about Connie and Beck. They are neighbors and Connie has always thought that men are never what they seem and you can’t trust any of them. Beck has never had a relationship and spends his time working. Connie writes for fun and Beck works at a publishing house. There is a workplace bully and Beck has been telling him and his coworkers he is married. There’s a retreat and he needs to bring his wife- enter Connie. While there they both start to catch feelings and do lots of spicy things, while trying to prove their story true to the bully and all Beck’s coworkers. Personally, I didn’t love the book, I thought the story line really lacked and it was pure smut. I wish that there could have been more to happen.

Honestly, I think maybe my expectations were too high after reading the last book from the same author. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Good story overall, just didn't feel believable to me

Stars: 4
Spice: R

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Charlotte Stein loves her some Ted Lasso and she is giving us her very own spin on some of those shows characters. In When Grump Met Sunshine it was Roy Kent and in this book it is Ted himself. Except he is not a football coach but rather an editor but he still has the ‘stache and the aww-shucks attitude. But, this is Charlotte Stein so there is also LOTS of spiciness that happens. All of which I am here for, anytime, all the time.

Connie doesn’t believe that men are, on the whole, generally trustworthy. Time and time again she has been proven out when the “nice” guy she is dating turns out to be a total ass. So she is very suspicious of her best friend’s boss, Henry Samuel Beckett, who happens to live across the hall, and who seems like the sweetest man alive but is probably a serial killer. Still, when Beck finds himself in a bit of a sticky situation, Connie can’t help but step in to assist him. Even if it means playing his wife.

Look we all know how a fake marriage goes and this romance is no exception. And though I am getting a bit tired of this troupe (it is 2024, just say you are single) Stein writes it in a very fun and thoughtful way. And honestly, the one bed scenario is always good for ratcheting up the tension. And there is pining, and I love me some serious male pining which is made all the better when it is told from the heroine’s POV and she seems oblivious.

I also love me some Charlotte Stein, but I also know that when I pick up her books, it is going to be a bit of a roller coaster. Her characters read as real people, with real flaws. They are going to need to do work to make their romance happen. I am good with that. And also, we get to see Mabel and Alfie again! I’m just curious who is next in this series - I have some thoughts!

This was a very quick read but truthfully, I was not a fan of the writing style. I loved Beck and his cinnamon rollness but that was the highlight for me.

To be completely honest I stopped reading after a few chapters and considered DNFing. However, I loved charlotte steins last book in the series so much that I gave this another chance. While I enjoyed the book, it took a while to get there mostly because I had so much trouble with finding the cinnamon role believable. It felt that the author believed that such a nice guy had so be a gullible doormat. As the book progressed, he became a little more three dimensional. As usual Stein slam-dunks the spicy scenes, giving the characters spicinwss that moves the character development.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for the ARC.

Another great book from Charlotte Stein! A fun and steamy read if you like fake marriage stories.

I enjoyed When Grumpy Met Sunshine, so I was excited to pick up My Big Fat Fake Marriage, but this one just wasn’t a match for me. The fake marriage trope here didn’t pull me in, partly because I just didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters. Henry “Beck” is adorable, but he’s almost too sweet. He’s also very “Ned Flanders” coded, which doesn’t hit the mark for me.

While I didn’t connect with this book, I think if you love the super sweet, cinnamon roll MMC who’s quirky and ultra kind, then you’ll enjoy Beck’s character. He’s definitely unique, and the retreat setting adds some fun to the story. For me, though, it didn’t capture the charm I loved in Stein’s last book, but I’ll still check out her future work.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for sending this eARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

If you are looking for a fun, fluffy, bookish, fake-marriage romance set in England look no further. Stein wrote Grumpy meets Sunshine as some Roy Kent fantasy tribute and she has done it again here- all hail to the Rob Delany mustacioed fan-fic! I mean, could Beck have been anymore like Rob with his mustache, size, and gentleness? So hot!

I enjoy this book and Beck and Hazel were interesting characters who I was rooting for. I love how Beck understood Hazel so quickly and accepted her. I wish we got a bit more of a backstory about Hazel's childhood and her parents. I could have used more depth here. But, gosh? Could she have dated any more losers who wrecked her self esteem? Ugh.

When this slow burn romance hit it was a sexy explosion. 🌶🌶🌶 This book was set in the same universe as GMS but was a stand alone. It was nice to see Mabel and Alfie still going strong. I guess Berinder's book is next. I'm giving this 4 stars cause I just enjoyed it. This may not be the world's best writing, but I love how Hazel's weight was not an issue. I loved Beck and how sweet and caring he was... but how tough he got for Hazel- loved the basketball scene. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for gifting me an ARC of her book in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed Charlotte Stein’s When Grumpy Met Sunshine, so I was so excited to receive an ARC of story in the same universe!

This book hurt my teeth it was so sweet - it was fun to see Connie/Hazel and Beck develop their relationship, but it didn’t feel fully there for me.

The tropes in this book (fake dating/marriage trope, only one bed, forced proximity, inexperienced MMC) are all ones I am usually feral for, but Beck was simply TOO nice for me to get into the sexier aspects of this book. I needed to see more of him cracking his Ned Flander’s-esque shell before getting to the spicy scenes.

I recommend this read if you like:
📚 Fake marriage
📚 Experienced FMC x inexperienced MMC
📚 Forced proximity
📚 Only one bed
📚 Writer x editor

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!