Honestly I loved reading this book! This was my first time reading anything by Amanda Gambill and I found this book brought back 2000 romcom vibes. Plus the banter between the Rach and Pres chef kiss 10/10!
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audio version of this book.

I'm totally impressed with Amanda Gambill's Honestly, I'm Totally Faking It. A unique and very unusual tale about a girl who is down on her luck and just trying to make her way through.

There's a complex plot in the story, including romance (of course), family drama, and a lovely coming of age tale for Rach, the main character.

I was blown away by the fantastic narration of Dahlia Summers in the audio version of Honestly, I'm Totally Faking It. The emotion she infuses into Rach's character is wonderful, but best of all is her marvelous performance of Pres.

I quite liked this one! I thought it was extremely fun and a nice take on the love interest in politics trope. the main characters were vibrant and full of life and in general, extremely entertaining. overall this was a solid read and i’d definitely read other books from this author. thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hi, yes, I'm still over here reading romances with adorable covers during spooky season! And let me tell you: Honestly, I'm Totally Faking It by Amanda Gambill did. not. disappoint!!!

Rach is so fun and cute and quirky and I loved her bubbly personality!

Pres is black and white, wound tightly and was the absolute perfect contrast!

Their meet-cute was adorable and that slight matchbook hint before the Pres reveal was so well done! (And then cleverly brought up again to let us reminisce about all those butterflies!)

All the Cinderella and Pretty Woman vibes!

There was banter, chemistry and tension in spades, but of a sly variety I'd not yet experienced... and I adored it!

For a book that was cute as pie and used euphemisms for everything (up until it didn't), the level of spiciness was an extremely satisfying surprise! (Although, it wasn't a complete surprise as I had heard rumours, but... it was still a delicious turn!)

The audiobook? Dahlia Summers nailed Rach's personality so perfectly! No notes!

Did you count the number of times I used the word cute? Because it's just the most perfect word for Rach and this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary audio copy to read and review.

I’ve never run faster to than I did when @byamandagambill said this book was on audio and available for request from NetGalley! It’s one of my absolute favorite grumpy x sunshine books and Dahlia Summers was the perfect Rach! If you want a spicy and sweet rom-com, this is the one to download!

Taking a job no one else wants, Rach, ever the optimist, becomes an assistant to one of the pickiest clients her company has ever seen, Pres! The perk, he’s almost never home, and she won’t have to deal with him face-to-face…until he’s there and so is she…in a towel, on national television! When he turns around, it’s not the first time Rach has seen his handsome face but, it’s DEFINITELY the first time he’s seen her boobs!

Following the infamous #boobgate, Pres, an aspiring politician, is forced into a fake relationship with Rach to save face and avoid scandal. Unfortunately, Rach has a hidden past that could unravel Pres’s bid for office & Pres’s single minded vision of being better than his dad could keep him from missing out on the one person who’s learned to adore him for who he authentically is!

This grumpy x sunshine story is one of my favorites! I love how Rach’s unwavering commitment to being the best for Pres evolves from a place of insecurity & people pleasing to a place a of pride and confidence. Her quirky personality is the perfect balance to his strait-laced demeanor, bringing a levity & humor to life, showing him there is more to life than politics. As for Pres, his love for the details and analytics leads him to discover all of Rach’s best qualities as he becomes her biggest encourager. Plus, we all know what happens when an uptight man finally loses control, it's fire ! Would HIGHLY recommend this read if you like a quirky, slightly-messy heroine with a heart of gold & an uptight, grumpy hero with a soft center! Great banter & full of chemistry and steam!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance copy! This book felt a little long but I am not complaining because it was so good. I loved the dynamic between the characters, and the tension was palpable. The MMC was logical and grumpy yet kindhearted. The FMC was relatable and I loved when she would stand up for herself and others. I highly recommend this book that gave me all the feels with some delicious spice. This is definitely worth the read!!

Loved every second of this audiobook! I had never read this book before and I’m bummed that I’m only now discovering it, but happy that I finally did!
Loved how Pres slowly opened up to Rach, being more open to letting her into his life. The slow burn was so satisfying!
Absolutely loved the narrator and will add her to my list of favorite narrators! Perfect inflections, emotion, and various voices. Makes it even easier to love the characters!

Thank you NetGalley and dreamscape media!

I quite like the narrator. The story is eventful, interesting and quirky. It's quite cringe worthy at times and I did find myself doubting the main character's life choices.

Overall, it was entertaining and enjoyable.

Wow! The ending is the absolute best part of this novel. There's so much character development and growth.

I would be keen to read / listen to more novels from the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the published for the ARC.

This premise was so wild and fun and I can’t resist a grumpy sunshine story. I really liked getting to know Rachel, but goodness, my heart ached every time she allowed the other characters to steamroll over her and I raged when she continued to let them silence her voice and belittled her. Ahhh, I wanted better for Rachel.

I love a grumpy sunshine trope, BUT I felt like this was a situation where Pres wasn’t grumpy but just rude and condescending, which left Rachel with all the emotional labor of getting to know him and kickstart their relationship. I didn’t understand how Rachel who is so optimistic could feel a connection with someone so cold and distant.

What I did love - the migraine rep! As someone who has suffered with migraines for decades, I am so overwhelming grateful when I see migraines and the excruciating pain they inflict represented accurately on page. And! I did appreciate Amanda through Pres, reiterated to readers that headaches are not the same as migraines.

The narration was fine, but I did feel like the narrator’s choices for Rachel occasionally made her seem juvenile.

Overall, this had some cute moments but I needed Pres’s character to be warmer and I wanted to see more growth from Rachel.

Boob Gate?! I’m here for it. I really enjoyed this one. It was witty and funny and kept me wanting more. I loved the characters and how they came together. I typically don’t like smokers but something about him smoking felt so right. All the little pieces of this one came together beautifully for a wonderful read. Would definitely recommend it to a friend.

This was not for me. I found Rach to be incredibly annoying and she made terrible decisions and narration didn’t help. I didn’t make it very far into this book before giving up and I’m okay with that.

Also, why did the Hero have to be a smoker? That’s just gross.

This is not going to sound like a good review but honestly it totally is!

I listen to audiobooks to fall asleep but my one caveat is that I’ve had to read the book prior. Dahlia summers does an excellent job of narrating super peppy Rach!

Honestly, I'm Totally Faking It
by Amanda Gambill

5 stars

-fake dating
-employer/employee
-grumpy/sunshine

Rach's life has been tough lately - her career is on a downward trajectory, and she's currently crashing on her ex-boyfriend's couch. All of a sudden, she gets a new assistant job, and ends up accidentally going viral in the background of her new politician boss's LIVE zoom - topless. When his PR team suggests they embrace the accident and call her his new girlfriend, Pres and Rach start a fake-dating relationship, in a mutually beneficial arrangement.

I absolutely loved this book. It feels like a cozy, nostalgic 2000's romcom - in absolutely the best way. It has to be one of the most laugh-out-loud romcoms I've read in a long time. Rach is such an interesting and entertaining FMC. I would highly recommend picking this up for a fun, entertaining read.

I think this might be one of my favourite grumpy-sunshine books. Pres was grumpy in a good way, not in an asshole way. Their opposite characters worked so well together. This is a cute Rom-com with many great jokes. It made me laugh soooo much. The narrator did a great job with The voices, it made knowing which charachter was speaking very easy.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
4 stars

This book is just so fun??? I can't say anything to its accuracy as I have 0 political campaign knowledge, but I just came in for a fun time, and a very fun time I had. Rach and Pres are a very fun grumpy x sunshine pairing, and their romance was just really cute and fun. There was definitely some exaggerated thing (I'm looking at you, Ethan), but hey. It's a feels-good rom-com. It nailed what it was looking to be, and it had a decent message of not letting your parents define you.

There's spice, but it's skippable if that's not your thing (like me), though there are steamier bits and naughty talk that pops up. So yeah, as a heads up since I know some of my friends aren't a fan of that type of stuff xD But hey, for those of you that are, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it!

Overall, it was a great time and I really enjoyed it. All the recommendations for those who enjoy rom-com type books!

This book was really enjoyable. The dynamic between the couple just worked and it felt nice having characters understand each other's quirks without it being a huge plot point.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Honestly, I’m Totally Faking It
Author: Amanda Gambill
Romance

Thank you so much Netgalley and Dreamscape media for this ALC! I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Rach is a personal assistant and she is going through a rough time and living on her ex boyfriend’s couch. She ends up getting a new job with a politician and their meeting becomes a wardrobe mishap labeled “boob gate” that is broadcast on television. This turns into a cute fake dating, office romance! The narrator did a great job. The storyline was super funny and sweet. It was an easy read that still makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. I will definitely be checking out more from the author!

📚 Honestly, I’m Totally Faking It by Amanda Gambill
🎧 Format: Audiobook
🎙️ Narrated by: Dahlia Summers
📕 Genre: Contemporary Romance
📖 Read: September 2024
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘐𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘐𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘖𝘳, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘚𝘰 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 ... 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

‧₊˚✧ 𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑷𝑬𝑺 ✧˚₊‧
ꕥ Fake Dating
ꕥ Grumpy/Sunshine
ꕥ Forced Proximity

Honestly, I totally loved it!!

For a book I requested on NetCalley simply because of the title and cover, I cannot believe how good it was. This book gave me all the feels from the very beginning to the very end.

I loved Rach's strength and vulnerability. With as much doubt others projected onto her, she always seemed to put a positive spin on it. I really loved the relationship she built with Pres and how she was able to dig into his perfectly composed layers. On the outside, they were completely opposite, but at heart they were exactly the same.

This book was so much fun and it had me laughing out loud plenty of times, but the inevitable breakup just gutted me. There was so much emotion and heartache poured into those scenes, I couldn’t help but feel sad for them. I will say, because of this, the ending is incredibly adorable!

I really enjoyed the audio. It's a single perspective, so Dahlia Summers is the only narrator. I'm not familiar with her, but l liked her voice. She did a fantastic job bringing the story to life.

Overall, a lovely story that I would 100% recommend!!

𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴: 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥.𝘢𝘯𝘥.𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨/

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Amanda Gambill for giving me the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book had me hooked from the beginning! There was something so captivating by the dynamic and differences between the two leads that I loved! This book has everything you look for in a well done fake dating romance! It truly had five star potential. There were a few things I couldn’t get passed which brought it down to 4 stars, but overall, it’s a fun read!

just finished Honestly, I’m Totally Faking It, and I can’t stop laughing! This book is a delightful romp filled with relatable moments and hilarious mishaps that had me giggling from start to finish. Rach is such a lovable character—her happy-go-lucky attitude shines through, even when her life feels a bit like a hot mess. I found myself rooting for her as she navigates her last hope job, and crashing on her ex’s couch.

Then there’s Pres—oh, Pres! The aspiring politician with a bit of an unlikable streak (and who knows it!). The chemistry between Rach and Pres is absolutely electric, adding just the right amount of spice to their romance. Their dynamic is both awkward and endearing, especially as they get caught up in the ridiculousness of “Boobgate.”

If you’re looking for a fun, laugh-out-loud read that also captures the ups and downs of modern life and romance, Honestly, I’m Totally Faking It is an absolute gem. I highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book. The Dual narration was well done and added to this book.