📖🎧 Book Review 🎧📖 Could a fake engagement between Dane and Amanda end the long standing family feud in Tinsel, Michigan where every day brings the Christmas spirit? I have been waiting for my chance to dive into my first Pippa Grant book and I was not disappointed one bit! The Fake Wedding Project delves into the pull between the pressure of family expectations and personal goals in life of happiness and fulfillment that so many of us probably have experienced at one point in time. Grant rolls up all the best features- from Christmas to bakeries and dogs all up in a tidy bow for one adorable and festive holiday read! I had the chance to read both an ebook and have access to the audiobook and I enjoyed switching back and forth between the two for a fully immersive experience! Connor Crais and CJ Bloom did an absolutely brilliant job of breathing life into this novel and bringing the chemistry to the ears of listeners!

It's soooo good!!!

Y'all, I cannot tell you how much I loved Pippa Grant's The Fake Wedding Project narrated by Connor Crais - Romance Author & Narrator and CJ Bloom.

Ok, yes I can. I can totally tell you. It's fabulous. And I loved the frack out of it!

And yeah, it might have something to do with the main players being a dog walker and an engineer (IYKYK). But it's also the perfect amount of Pippa humor, a quirky small town, Romeo & Juliet vibes, stellar narrators, and a fun, swoony, plot!

What I love about it:

The audiobook narrators

The canoe scene

A quirky small town with even quirkier families

So much swoon

Chili (the dog, not the food)

A fun mystery to solve

Absolute hilarity that will turn giggles into snortlaughs and outright guffaws

Ch 21- the turning point

Grand gestures

An amazing romcom with wonderful depth and a strong message of what's truly important

The bonus epilogue!

Fake dating to end an old family feud?! That's exactly what we get here, and I loved every stinking minute of it! A Romeo and Juliet style family feud in a small town that celebrates Christmas all year round. Opposites attract, a lazy dog sidekick, and a mystery. Loved this!

Audio Review
When fake becomes real with lots and lots of fun in between.

The Andersons and the Silvers have long had a family feud that the younger generations don't know what started it or why it continues. When Amanda Anderson needs to tell her Grandmother she doesn't want to continue their family tradition of baking gingerbread, well she gets creative. She pulls Dane Silver into her plan and hopes that together they can stop this family feud and help the town.

Dane has had a secret crush on Amanda for years so he is all in on this fake engagement and pretend wedding just to be with her but along the way his feelings become more and more real and he doesn't want this to end.

Funny and sweet and secrets that have to come out. This is true Pippa and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Connor Crais and CJ Bloom did an amazing job narrating this book and I enjoyed listening to them both.

I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Fake Wedding Project by Pippa Grant
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 287 / Genre: Christmas Romance
Audiobook Narrator: Connor Crais and CJ Bloom
Duration: 7 hours 36 minutes
Release Date: October 8, 2024

Although this story doesn’t happen during Christmas, it happens in Tinsel, Michigan, where the whole town has holiday cheer all year long. It’s an idyllic setting where the only problem is the long-running feud between the Silvers and the Andersons. No one can even remember what the feud is about, but the hate continues generation after generation… until now. Amanda Anderson couldn’t care less about the feud. Her best friend is a Silver and she’s had a crush on her brother Dane since forever. So she and Dane tell everyone they’re engaged to try to put an end to the feud for good.

This spicy holiday romance has all the vibes—fake dating, friends to lovers, small town romance. This cute romcom was the perfect start to my holiday reads. And Connor Crais and CJ Bloom did a great job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you, @Pippa.Grant, @Hambright_PR, @BrilliancePublishing, and @NetGalley for my free copies.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁: A cute Romeo and Juliet vibe holiday story except no deaths just gingerbread & fruitcake. This is a fun read or listen, definitely the perfect light hearted romance we all need in our lives. Best part is the epilogue in the pup’s perspective - like OMG best thing ever! You have to listed to the AB just for that.

Amanda lives her life in NYC as a dog walker and play writer but she’s been called home to take over the family gingerbread business. The only problem is she doesn’t want it! But instead of telling her grandmother that she may have told her she’s engaged and not just to anyone but her best friend’s older brother. To make it worse he’s the grandson of the fruitcake family which is their nemesis.

No one knows how these two families started their feud many generations ago but everyone in the small town of Tinsel have been apart of the chaos these rivals families stir up. However for the first time in an along time this engagement between a Gingerbread and a Fruitcake could be just the perfect reason to end the feud.

Dane lives in San Fransisco and has a lazy dog named Chili but he’s back home for the next few weeks. He is the grandson of the Fruitcake empire but he’s fed up with this ridiculous fight the families have going. So when his HS crush proposes they pretend to be engaged it’s a no brainer for him. He gets to spend time with her and work towards bringing peace to the town. Win- Win! If only it was that easy…

Check this one out when it 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 10/8/24.

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Friends to Lovers
* Fruitcake vs Gingerbread Feud
* Fake Engagement
* High School Crush on Little Sister’s BF
* Romeo & Juliet Vibes
* Forced Proximity
* Lazy Bones Dog 🐾
* Christmas Loving Small Town
* Dual POV

🌲💍🩷🌲💍🩷🌲💍🩷🌲💍🩷🌲💍🩷🌲

I am feral about this audiobook! If you love romance where he is super into her and kind of along-for-the-ride then read this today! Both narrators did a fantastic job with Amanda's manic energy and Dave's calm-except-when-she-looks-at-me attitude. It moves very quickly so I couldn't believe that I was already at 20% when I checked. Perfect pace!

Based on the number of scenes I would say it's mild spicy. But based on the ATMOSPHERE (fanning myself now) it was delivering on that adult romance. We're talking dips in the lake, accidental shower run ins and sheltering in a small cabin during a thunderstorm.

He was giving me flashbacks to Kai from “Caught Up” and Bo from “Out on a Limb”. His self-confidence is a little shaken. She is bright and bubbly hurricane blowing through his life. Everybody has a fantastic time.

The family drama was serving Montagues & Capulets. If you think feuds like this are unrealistic, take it from a small town girlie — it’s not. But it is softened with the silliness of being a christmasy small town. His family makes fruit cake while hers makes gingerbread. I loved how everything worked out in the end. It’s a case of two people falling in love when they remove the superficial reasons not to.

My only criticism is that I did not like the bonus chapter from the dog’s perspective. And the narration made it even weirder.

The first line of the description of this book is SPOT ON: "Romeo and Juliet meets Hallmark Christmas movie."

This was so cute. I loved the characters and the town. It was fabulous that the tow adapted into a Christmas town all year long. The family feud between them, over two delicious Christmas treats was a great idea! The Andersons and Silvers sure know how to hold a grudge!

I was fortunate enough to listen to this in audio and I loved both of the narrators. They did a fabulous job bringing the characters and town to life for me.

Thank you for the copy, this is my honest opinion.

The Fake Wedding Project is the perfect amuse-bouche to get you ready for the holiday season.

The story centers around the impromptu fake engagement between the adult progeny of Christmas-themed town Tinsel, Michigan’s two feuding families: the fruitcake-baking Silvers and the gingerbread-making Andersons.

And it is delicious.

At a glance:
- Dual POV + a bonus epilogue from a third character
- Fake engagement + fake wedding planning
- Dueling families
- Best friend’s brother
- Teenage crush
- Opposites attract
- Small town (EVERYONE is invested in the outcome of this engagement)
- Holidays, holidays, holidays (It’s Christmas year-round in Tinsel.)
- A cute—but lazy—canine sidekick
- Chemistry 🔥

The dual audiobook narration by Connor Crais and C.J. Bloom is perfect for these characters. Crais’s voice for Dane is deep and yummy, and Bloom captures Amanda’s energy so well.

Eye-read or ear-read this one; you’re in for a treat either way.

I received advance copies of the ebook and audiobook from the author and Hambright PR. All review opinions are my own.

This book was so much fun! I loved the small town Christmas vibes, with a town called Tinsel what’s not to love! Dane and Amanda want to end the feud between their families (Romeo and Juliet style) so they fake an engagement to bring peace to the town. It was hysterical, charming and adorable mixed with a little spice! The narrators did a fabulous job bringing this story to life! This is a definite must read for the holiday season!

Read if you enjoy:
▫️fake engagement
▫️small town
▫️feuding families
▫️enemies to lovers
▫️holiday romance
▫️dual POV
▫️animal sidekick

This book was so much fun! Both narrators did an amazing job and I adore C.J. Bloom. The narrators were able to convey all the characters personalities and emotions in the story beautifully.

🎧 ALC/ARC Review 🎧
The Fake Wedding Project by Pippa Grant
Narrated by: CJ Bloom & Connor Crais

I am a huge Christmas lover, so when you add small town romance and best friend's older brother, it is a match made in hallmark-style romance heaven.

You get all of the quirkiness that you expect from a Pippa Grant book and wonderful development of the characters.

CJ and Connor are two of my favorite narrators. CJ has the ability to do the quirky voice mannerisms that are expected in these books, and Connor could recite the phone book and I would swoon.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
🌲 Small town
💍 Fake engagement
🌲 Feuding families - Romeo & Juliet vibes
💍 Christmas in July
🌲 Hallmark movie moments
💍 High school crush
🌲 Best friend's older brother
💍 Lazy dog named Chili

Thank you to Hambright PR, NetGalley, and Pippa Grant for the advance copy of the Audiobook and eBook.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Thank you to Pippa and her team at Brilliance Publishing, plus Hambright PR for the gifted ALC of this one. These are my honest thoughts.

I think I'll instantly love anything Connor Crais reads, but this book had me laughing the whole time. This story is an emotional journey about two families who have been feuding for generations in the small town of Tinsel. I adored this town, as it reminded me of Leavenworth, WA a little bit with the Christmas spirit. Amanda and Dane are the Romeo & Juliet of Tinsel. Amanda is secretly besties with Dane's younger sister, and Dane's secretly had a crush on Amanda forever. When they're both in town for anniversary celebrations for their grandparents/grandma, a stressful situation makes Amanda blurt out that she's engaged to Dane in a panic. Dane, taking his chance, decides he's okay with being fake engaged to Amanda, his former high school crush. When both families find out, there is anger and also so much desire to control the situation so that the "better" family can come out on top, the two take their opportunity to end the feud once and for all. And it's awesome.

Things I loved:
- Fruitcake and gingerbread and eggnog lattes and hot chocolate
- Chili, the most precious dog in the Pippa-verse to date! (plus the bonus epilogue was EVERYTHING *IYKYK*)
- Dane's crush - he'll do anything for this girl
- Amanda's growing feelings - and how she makes everything fun for Dane
- The chemistry between the characters was full of sparks and SO FUN. I don't want to call it banter, because that wasn't really it, but it's like they could finish each other's sentences in the best way!
- When they have to stand up for each other, which causes ~feelings~
- Siblings and uncles and parents and nieces and grandparents... they meddle
- The community of Tinsel and how they help move the feud-settling along and support Dane and Amanda's fake wedding project (though they think it's real)
- The reminder that your dreams can be your dreams no matter what they are!

Five stars. This audio was amazing. I was hooked from the very first scene, and I was sad when it was over. Both Connor Crais and CJ Bloom were amazing as Dane and Amanda. And Chili. :)

4.25/5

Thank you to Netgalley, Hambright PR, and Pippa Grant for providing me with an audiobook in exchange for a review.

This was a cute and fun Christmas x Romeo and Juliet story.

I really enjoyed reading this. I loved that it felt like a Hallmark movie. It was funny and sweet.

Both narrators did a great job.

I do recommend this for a Holiday read!

I’m a huge fan of how Pippa Grant writes! The banter and inner monologue is really lovely and easy to enjoy! I loved the Christmas smalltown vibes and the ode to Romeo & Juliet (but with a happy ending maybe?!)!!! This story has a little bit of everything in it, but is a romcom at its core! If you’re looking for an enjoyable holiday read, I’d suggest this!

𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
Connor Crais & CJ Bloom
Brilliance Audio

♥︎𝐅𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
♥︎𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬
♥︎𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧

What a hilarious story this was! Fed up with their families constantly bickering, Amanda Anderson and Dane Silvers decide to fake their engagement to put an end to the feud once and for all. Little did they know that this ruse would spiral into chaos as their families now compete to plan their wedding. In the midst of the madness, Amanda and Dane find themselves falling for each other as they spend more time together.

Dane harbored a secret crush on Amanda since their high school days, but their families' rivalry kept them apart. Their chemistry was undeniable, and there was a magnetic attraction between them. I adored Dane's cool and collected demeanor, which contrasted perfectly with Amanda's outgoing personality.

The dual narration by CJ Bloom and Connor Crais was simply fantastic. I was utterly impressed by their storytelling. And the epilogue narrated by Connor had me in stitches!

Overall, if you're a fan of a modern twist on the Romeo and Juliet concept, complete with humor and heartwarming moments, then this charming story is a must-listen.

First of all, Chili the dog's epilogue was perfect finishing touch! Calling them his pets had me cracking up!

This story takes place in a Christmas town but during summertime. It still gave me that fun, hallmark Christmas vibe and I really enjoyed that aspect. Dane and Amanda have known each other since high school but could never have anything to do with each other because their family has been feuding for decades. No one knows why, but now that they are both in town they team up in a fake engagement to bring the families together.

Pippa Grant always brings so much fun to her stories and this one was no different. I definitely got a Hallmark Christmas in July vibe. The instant chemistry between Dane and Amanda was so heartwarming. They start out just wanting to help each other and realize just how meant for each other they are. Both of the families had me giggling with their quips at each other. Chili the laziest dog was the perfect addition and I love how he accepted Amanda as his new pet. This story was full of heartfelt moments, family drama, and lots of laughs!

C.J Bloom is one of my top favorite narrators and she did so good on bringing Amanda's character to life. I could truly feel her emotions as I listened. Connor Crais was a great edition to this story as well and he did great at portraying Adam's character. They both blended so well together on this audio!

Thank you HambrightPR and Netgalley for the ALC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This fake engagement, forced proximity, feuding families story is so dang sweet. It’s the kind of story you need when you need a break from heaviness or darker themed stories - it’s all just sweet and fun.

Amanda and Dane pretend to be madly in love in order to break the family feud and uncover the mystery as to why they are fueding in the first place. The small town collective support the two in their engagement as they want the fueding to be over too.

Narrated by Connor Crais and CJ Bloom, the Mattie’s bring the story to life with the fun and lightness needed for the characters.

It was truly an engaging and entertaining listen.

✨ALC Review✨

I absolutely loved this book. And as much as I loved it, that bonus epilogue alone made the entire book for me!

From start to finish, I couldn't stop giggling. I absolutely loved the humor in this.

I've read many holiday/Christmas themed books but this might just be my new favorite one. Because not only was it not overly cheesy but it was well written and was really so cute.

This is marketed as Romeo & Juliet meets Hallmark Christmas movie and it honestly couldn't be more accurate. Truly, I ate this up. And shoutout to the narrators for doing such an amazing job. Especially Connor Crais playing Dane. I could listen to that man's voice for a hot minute. Anyways...

Two families are in a centuries long feud. Why? No one knows but they make sure to stay in their lanes. Amanda and Dane are frankly quite sick of this feud; especially since Amanda and Lorelai, Dane's sister, have been secret best friends for years. When Amanda comes home to visit and hears she will be inheriting the family shop she doesn't want, she lies and tells everyone she's engaged to enemy number one - Dane Silver.

Is this a predictable plot? Yes. But was it still absolutely entertaining and so much fun to see unfold? Absolutely!

Amanda is honestly such a cute and relatable character. She had dreams of being an actor but instead is a New York dog walker. She want to make her family happy but she's tired of the drama. She's tired of hiding her friendship and she wants everyone to move on. I just really loved her personality. Seeing her start to open up to possibilities with Dane was fun and I loved seeing her character development.

Dane is a dream. He's had a crush on Amanda since high school and didn't hesitate to jump on board when she announces they're engaged. It was cute honestly. I really loved getting to see his dreams come true here. He's hilarious too and I was kind of swooning for him.

Watching these two...or really listening to these two form a friendship and start to develop feelings was amazing. I was really rooting for them. They had such cute moments and some awkward, funny moments. I loved them pretending but I loved it even more when they weren't. I really loved their chemistry and thought they made such a perfect pairing. These two just made sense in being together. And we even get some great spice!!

The real star of the show is Chili, Dane's doggo. What a little lazy mush but so damn cute. The fact...THE FACT we get a POV from him was everything I could want and more. I've never laughed so hard during a bonus epilogue...I don't think I've ever loved a bonus epilogue as much.

We get answers to the feud and we get family drama...a lot of family drama. Was it absolutely ridiculous? For sure! Cheesy as it may be, it was enjoyable. I was entertained though!!

If you couldn't tell, I loved this. I was entertained. I laughed, I blushed, and I found myself really picturing this as a Hallmark movie. I couldn't stop listening to it as it was such a smooth and easy listen. Definitely going to need a physical copy for my trophy shelf!!

If you love anything Hallmark, a cute dog, families who feud with other families...you will love this!

Thank you so much for Hambright PR & Pippa Grant, & NetGalley for the ALC copy!

Move over Montagues and Capulets. The Andersons and Silvers have a feud just as venomous, but this time the young “lovers” are determined that it won’t end in tragedy.

It’s a tale as old as time - Gingerbread vs. Fruitcake - and the entire town of Tinsel, Michigan is swept up in the long standing anger between the families though no one knows what grievance lies at the center of the animosity. Amanda returns to Tinsel at the behest of her tyrannical grandmother to take over the family gingerbread business - a job she does not want. Dane Silver is visiting his hometown when he runs into Amanda and discovers that she and his sister are secretly BFFs sneaking around to hide their friendship. Together they cook up a plan to get Amanda disowned so she doesn’t have to face a future of molasses and cookie cutouts, and end the feud in the process.

What follows is a farcical,holiday-ish, fake dating rom-com that had me laughing and smiling from start to finish. The audio version of the book is expertly narrated by Connor Crais and CJ Bloom. Each brings the perfect amount of fun to their characters and makes this a book I hated to pause. The bonus epilogue in particular is award worthy. I’ve added Pippa Grant to my list of authors I want to read more from.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hambright PR, and Brilliance Publishing, and Montlake for for the advance copies in exchange for my honest review.