I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It got better as it went, though and I ended up enjoying it!

I have enjoyed other Charlotte Stein books, especially her novellas, but this one didn’t do it for me. She’s good at a lot of things, but writing Americans isn’t one of them. Beck says things like “golly” and “hey there, neighbor” without a trace of irony. Between that and the lustrous mustache, I agree with other reviewers who said it’s like she’s fake dating Ned Flanders.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 31%
I really wanted to like this book but I was just struggling so hard with it. For me the biggest issue is that I felt constantly confused by the back and forth between back and Connie-Hazel. I guess my brain just doesn't work that way because it was so chaotic to me and I could not follow anything that was going on or stay focused on it. Is this a love letter to all the ADHD kids?

The characterizations of Beck seemed a little over the top and unrealistic which I probably could have gone over because I love a nerdy bowtie wearing cinnamon roll but given how confusing everything was I really just could not connect to the characters.

Also my poor elder millennial feelings were a little "personally attacked" if you will... 😂. I think some of the references to the '90s were supposed to be fun and endearing but they just came off as weird. I even wrote down in my notes "Is this a normal thing, for Gen Z to be weirded out by knowing mid-90s movies? Because I never felt weird knowing 70s movies and now I can't stop thinking about this LOL"

It wasn't all bad, here are some things I liked:
1. Quantum Leap reference because that was also one of my favorite shows as a kid
2. Swapping stereotypical gender roles
3. Passing notes in the hallway

Idk, maybe the target audience is all the quirky, brilliant, book kids growing up in the 90s who felt like they didn't fit in? I mean I'm sort of on the edge of that but ultimately I was struggling to finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Charlotte Stein for the ARC of My Big Fat Fake Marriage!

One chapter into this, I remembered that I had gripes with the author's previous book, When Grumpy Met Sunshine. In simple, these gripes were: miscommunication and lengthy, lengthy dialogue scenes. I found similar gripes here, with additional frustration with the amount of internal monologuing, and cheesy chapter endings. Despite these frustrations, I preferred the MMC, Beck, in My Big Fat Fake Marriage, and ultimately because of Beck alone, I like this second book more. He feels really unique amongst MMCs in contemporary romance, and I appreciated his various character quirks (incapable of lying, bow ties, silly word choices, and perpetually single). He felt quite complex, whereas Hazel/Connie fell flat for me in this regard. Nevertheless, this was a worthwhile, sweet romance to speed through at the end of this month.

Sweet and heartwarming rom-com with a bit of spice.

Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Well I definitely judged this book by its cover but unfortunately the story inside just didn't work out for me.

This cover art is adorable, colorful, and an attention getter, but the story itself was not. It was lacking character development making it hard to connect with the characters and I needed a stronger story line, there wasn't much going on outside of the two main characters. Not to mention the eye rolling, awkward spice/dirty talk that was beyond ridiculous for 2 grown adults. I felt like he was too perfect and she was trying too hard to be a "bad girl". I get that opposites attract but this was a little too far fetched for me. I did appreciate the plus size representation and a couple of unhinged silly scenes but unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I had expected.

Thank you St. Martins Press for the gifted ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Charlotte Stein has quickly become an autobuy author for me. I love the sass and banter between the characters, and Beck is someone I didn't know I needed in my life until this moment. The perfect nerdy cinnamon roll combo that had me wanting to wrap him in a hug and slug anyone who treated him poorly.
This is fun, fast-paced, and the chemistry between Beck and Connie practically sizzled off the page! I was invested in their relationship from the first time we saw them together and rooted for them throughout the entire book.

We all know how it will go but as long as there is witty banter and some sweet emotions, I am here for it. And My Big Fat Fake Marriage was just that. Of course it followed the standard playbook but I loved Beck so much, the fake husband. He was dorky and awkward and so lovable that it made this one not so run of the mill. This one was very spicy so heads up. Out today .

Rating: 4.5/5
I received the eARC for my honest opinion.

If you love reading books that have fake dating/fate marriage, slow burn, forced proximity, one bed, spicy scenes and an overall really cute read you need to pick up this book. I love a good romcom and I found this book to have been fun and a charming read. The plot is fun, and I loved that we didn’t just get 1 location that they had to act like they were married but 2 locations in the book. The pace of the book was perfect for me, and when reading a romcom, I did find myself putting the book down because I didn’t want to end their cute and chemistry filled tension. You will find the MMC to be nerdy, 1 huge teddy bear but a freak in the sheets, and a MFC is nerdy, curvy, sweet and she hates when people are treated badly for no reason.

The plot was fun, I enjoyed that we got to know the characters a little bit before the retreat happens, but I really loved all the tension that their chemistry is causing the characters. I liked that this all started out because Connie finds out her neighbor has created a fake wife to his co-workers and after seeing how one of his co-workers treat him in person Connie decides she is going to pretend to be his fake wife but what she didn’t know was that there would a writing retreat and of course her fake husband is in charge of it and she has to go… but what always happens when there is one bed in romance books.

The characters are what really made this book shine for me. I loved that Connie was a strong FC, but she was also sweet, caring, and quirky. You have Beck the MC who is nerdy, sweet, tender and at the same time can I say a champ in the sheets. I enjoyed getting to see their growth as a fake/real couple and getting to see their own personal growth in the book as well. I loved that both characters were encouraging each other, to follow their dreams or to be themselves. I found their story of fake kisses to real meaningful kisses at the end to have been chefs kiss and to be able to see their HEA was wonderful.

I cannot wait to see what Stein will bring us in the next book, but I do hope that it's soon.

I want to thank NetGalley and SMP for the opportunity to review this book.

Rom com like romance. Easy to read, funny to follow. She is suspicious of the nice guy. He is *a man that actually listens and is observant* (is that really a thing??)

As they enter a fake marriage, coworkers and inexperience threaten to expose them. 4 ⭐️

4 stars! THIS WAS SO CUTESY. As a reader and a huge fan of fake marriages with close proximity, I ate this TF up. There was a lot of fan banter, a ONE bed and tub trope - which was so deliciously spicy!!

I really enjoyed how kind and honest Beck was with Connie. Being a bookish reader myself, the retreat was the cherry on top. If you want a low-stakes fun read, I would encourage you to pick this up.

Thank you SO much St. Martin's Publishing Group and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 ⭐️ this was cute!! Tbh, it was a little slow through many parts of this book and thus, hard to keep up with. I felt like besides the two MCs, there was nothing else really going on? Like I would’ve liked to hear from the other people on the retreat or her best friend, Mabel, more.

Still, the romance definitely was there — at about 60% in. Definitelyyyyyy a slow burn. Samuel Henry Beckett is def a cinnamon roll and I loved that!! He was so sweet and so romantic …. But those spicy scenes!! Okayyyyy. 🥰 Anyway, I also liked the FMC, Connie! She came from a lot of mistrust and mistreatment and homegirl just wanted to be loved — but she had a hard time letting her guards down. Until samuel came in!!

There was a lot of miscommunication in this book which doesn’t typically annoy me but in this one it did. Like just say you love each other already!!!!

Overall, I liked it!! The story was kinda slow at parts and I struggled to get through it sometimes. But it was a cute romance and I’m always down for plus size rep in books!!

Thanks netgalley and st. martin’s for my copy!

Thank you to SMP and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Charlotte never misses. I’m convinced. If Charlotte writes it, I’m going to read it. But adding in fake dating? Beyond sold. I’m obsessed. It’s so good! I loved every single word of this book. I was eating it up.

From character development, to pacing, to the relationship- i loved every single thing. This was just another fantastic novel from Charlotte and I can’t recommend
Her books enough!

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ebook.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Book Review: My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein

My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein kicks off with a fun and strong start, especially for Connie (who goes by Hazel for much of the story) and Beckett. The humor and witty banter between them were a delightful way to pull me in right from the beginning. One standout moment comes in Chapter 2, where Hazel (mistakenly) believes Beckett is a murderer who has killed his wife. The scene was wonderfully absurd, and I couldn’t help but laugh at how unhinged and hilarious it all was—it set such a unique tone for the story.

However, as the story progressed, I found myself growing less engaged. While Beckett is undeniably a nice guy, his overly "cinnamon roll" personality—sweet, goofy, and a little too perfect—started to feel a bit too much at times. There was something about him that didn’t quite click for me, especially as the romantic moments between him and Hazel escalated quickly. Though spicy, these scenes often felt a bit cringe-y, leaving me distracted to the point where I had to go back and re-read parts just to stay focused.

Having read one other work by Charlotte Stein that I absolutely loved, I was hoping for the same energy here, but this ARC didn’t quite deliver. It felt more like a rough draft rather than a finished product, and I do hope the final version is polished further. The pacing between Hazel and Beckett’s relationship seemed rushed, almost leaning toward "insta-love" territory, and I found myself wishing for more gradual development and backstory. The lack of depth to their connection made it difficult to stay invested in their romance as the book wore on.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the first 30% of the book, but as the story progressed, I felt myself losing interest. The humor that initially captivated me seemed to fade, and I couldn’t help but feel disconnected from the narrative. There’s potential here, but it didn’t fully reach its mark for me.

Hoo boy where do I begin with this book?

Well to start, it was kind of boring. Like the chemistry between these characters felt very… splendia like. Like you know how spelndia tastes sweet but he’s all these chemicals that make it taste weird? That’s what the romance in this book felt like. Sweet but artificial. Like it was trying to emulate sweetness but failing.

Also the character elements outside of the romance weren’t explored very well. Like at all. All we get is like bits and pieces of the characters pasts and motivations and arcs so they feel very hollow. Not very fleshed out. Probably another reason I couldn’t vibe with the romance.

Honestly all of that was fine and I was gonna give a three but then the smut happened and babe- it was bad. Like so bad. I felt like I was reading two teenagers figuring out boning for the first time during prom night. Expect these weren’t teenagers they were adults in their 30s with full fledged careers. I like smut, I read it regularly but god the smut in this book? Everytime they boinked I was begging for it to stop because it was just- so awkward. So yea, if it weren’t for the cringe inducing smut, this book would’ve gotten a three but I’m gonna have to doc it half a star for that.

Overall, 2.5 stars. I wanted to vibe with this, really I did, but man I just couldn’t. I really couldn’t. The ending was kinda sweet though and the cover arts great. That’s it though. Sorry

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

After When Grumpy Met Sunshine, I had some really high expectations for this next read from Charlotte Stein. I love the representation that this author gives to plus size characters and how they feel in their own bodies. The quirkiness of these characters was loveable and brought a new kind of romance that I haven't really seen before in romance novels. It was nerdy and anxious in way that was endearing and sweet, while still having a good amount of spice too.

My only "but" for this book what that sometimes the spicy scenes were a bit cringey. I know that these characters were overcoming a barrier of anxiety and awkwardness, but there were a couple times when reading but I couldn't help but cringe and almost feel awkward myself for reading it. I do appreciate the reality of her writing, but it did take me out of the story a couple times.

Overall, this is a funny, spicy, and quirky read that I still finished in one sitting and definitely enjoyed reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this book with an advanced reader copy.

My Review of My Big Fat Fake Marriage Book

My Big Fat Fake Marriage book is a book that will make you laugh. It will also remind you that some good guys are still left.

As someone who struggles with significant trust issues, which can create problems in my marriage, I found it refreshing to read a book where the woman ultimately discovers that she can trust the man.

This storyline is not overly realistic, but that is part of the reason I liked reading it. It was nice to escape reality and experience some humor and romance.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. This was such a fun follow up to When Grumpy Met Sunshine! Although it was more vibes than plot, I still had a great time reading it! This hero was the biggest cinnamon roll and I loved the way that Stein. wrote about both mcs bodies. I think she does such a great job blending sweet and spicy and I can't wait to see what she does next!

I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it either. I previously tried a book by Charlotte Stein and really disliked it, but I was intrigued by the premise of this one, so decided to give her another shot. I do feel better about her writing with this one, but I am not sure she is an author for me.
Some things I liked:
- This was fake dating/marriage done well. There was a legitimate reason for needing a "wife" and even for how she would benefit from the arrangement too.
- The FMC and MMC did a pretty good job of communicating with each other almost throughout.
- Good narration on audio and goes down super easy, like finish in a sitting easy.
Unbelievably sweet MMC (just dreamy, almost)
Some things I didn't:
- Unbelievably sweet MMC. He was too wholesome most of the time. To the point of pulling me out of the story. He IS dreamy, but I would be so incredibly suspicious of him in real life.
- Dual narration would have been ideal here and may have helped the believability of the MMC.

Overall, good brain candy, but nothing I will return to in the future.

I love everything Charlotte Stein writes! I enjoyed how weird both protagonists are, it's one of my favorite things about her books. I did find the premise a bit contrived and the whole fake marriage of it all didn't seem all that concrete, but I did love the romance. I guess it just needed more time to cook, it felt like it wasn't totally done.