Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

There were so many things that worked about this story but considering that this was marketed as a romance? It just fell completely flat for me. The fake dating was not at all believable and their entire relationship and such just felt odd - and what on earth was up with the vibrator? That just got very cringe-inducing. The fake enemies - to - lovers thing also just was not it.

There were also some fairly big plot holes but all in all I really enjoy Megan's writing and think that this was a fantastic debut and can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

I loved the premise of this book. The FMC, Elle, goes back home to help care for her grandmother, Lovie, with Alzheimer’s. Lovie mistakes Elle and the live-in male nurse, Adam, who is hired to care for Lovie for her younger self and her late husband. They play along and pretend to be in love, until they get comfortable living together and lines blur.

Elle is a famous podcast host and starts a podcast about helping her grandmother through this time. I would’ve liked to have seen that progress a bit more, with some added depth to it.

The story is filled with sweet moments, but also heartbreaking ones that show the dark sides of Alzheimer’s that aren’t always discussed. I enjoyed this book a lot and appreciated the realness of it.

This was such a cute and fun book! I loved the ease of it all. The premise was sweet and a fast and easy read. Lightheaded but a bit more spice than I prefer. I’m all for a good forced proximity romance!

Fake It Like You Mean It by Megan Murphy is an enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn, spicy rom-com with an interesting premise centered on two people in forced proximity being caregivers to a patient with Alzheimer's. Elle, the female lead, is a successful podcaster in Chicago who returns home when her grandmother's Alzheimer's progresses and she needs 24 hour care. Adam is a home-care nurse assigned to care for Lovie, an Alzheimer's patient who believes he is the younger version of her deceased husband.

While I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and I greatly appreciated the delving into the life of a caregiver for a family member with dementia, the premise of a relationship between the two main characters is flawed at best, deeply unethical at worst. That being said, it didn't ruin the book for me; my mother has Alzheimer's and I appreciated that there was a lot of discussion of the nature of the disease, but felt that Lovie's symptoms and behavior were a little too scripted and cut and dry to be realistic. The reality is generally so much messier, but the narrative did point out multiple times that each case is unique and can change from day to day, hour to hour, even minute to minute.

Recommended Read-Alikes: Back After This by Linda Holmes (podcasting FMC) and Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine (family caregiver role).

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the chance to read and review this e-galley.

This was so cute and real! My own grandmother is dealing with Alzheimer’s and she doesn’t remember me anymore, this gave me so much more respect for my aunt who is her full time caregiver. I loved the forced proximity aspect of this one and that it wasn’t an instalove situation.

✨Enemies to lovers
✨Fake dating
✨Forced proximity
✨Alzheimer’s representation
✨Slow burn

This book was so good & I can’t even believe it was a debut for Megan.

This author creates the perfect combination of funny, swoon worthy, romantic, emotional and heartbreaking moments

The mental health representation of Alzheimer’s written through the experience of Elle, who returns to her childhood home to take care of her Grandmother Lovie. When Elle turns up at the home she meets Adam (very abruptly🤣😅) a nurse who is a home care nurse caring for Lovie. What I thought was going to be a sweet romcom turned out to be so much more.

I adored both Adam & Elle. The initial spark turns into such a sweet slow burn with silent understanding and a lasting bond. They had me laughing out loud one moment and swooning the next

The care that both her granddaughter and the agency provide is so special and described accurately. The delivery is delicate yet raw as the author gives a fresh light on the representation of Alzheimer’s and the care giver role. The author highlights the realistic and difficult transitions, tough decision, processing emotions, acceptance, burn out and supports needed during these difficult times

As a mental health nurse, this book hits close to home. It is such a difficult job to convey such a vulnerable point in people’s life but Megan does it beautifully

This was so much more than a simple romance story & I absolutely adored the deeper elements to the story.

This was something. I got all of the fake dating and why there were faking it and I just found it so boring. I wanted it to end too many times and it did not. I do not recommend this one at all.

This book was not for me and unfortunately went on my dnf pile. Plot sounded great but the story did not hold my interest

An adorable fake dating trope that had me from page one. The way Murphy wrote Adam and Elle was a balm. I loved the banter, the careful way they interacted, the slow burn - it all worked. Throwing in the stress and emotional rollercoaster of a close family member losing their memory was a delicate balance handled with care and delivered with perfection.

I loved this romcom from start to finish. Highly recommend. Can't wait to read more by Megan Murphy!

I received an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Fake It Like You Mean It was a wonderful read. Megan Murphy's debut novel was written so you feel right in the story with the characters.

Adam was so gentle with Elle. He didn't have any bad traits that I could tell. Elle had some growing to do but even didn't have any big turmoil.

I really appreciated all the care and research that went into making sure Alzheimer's is understood. Trying to reconcile that person you know with the new person in their place.


Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.

This one brought about so many emotions. I can’t imagine the hurt that Elle felt when Lovie treated her the way she did. She’s only ever known Lovie to be the loving grandmother that raised her, so what she’s experiencing now is heartbreaking.

Elle’s friends, Liss & Dakota, are the definition of true friendship. They read her like no one else and know what she’s feeling just by looking at her. Everything changes when he falls on top of nurse Adam in her childhood bed. Fake It Like You Mean It comes into play when Lovie believes Elle & Adam are madly in love. Instead of upsetting her they play into it.

I like that Adam was always there to catch Elle and how deeply he cares for Lovie, as if she is his own family. His character was written so well. He’s a great man and is truly so selfless, especially his situation with his family.

Lovie’s Hard Love Rules are great and I love them as an added touch throughout the book. My favorite “calories don’t count unless you count them”. The ending brought literal tears to my eyes 😭

Thank you to Megan Murphy, Alcove Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of Fake It Like You Mean It!

This one was bitter sweet rom com. Elle ends up fake dating her grandma's nurse Adam because her grandmother who's in late stage Alzheimer's thinks they are dating. If it wasn't for the fact that it was the heroine's grandma who had Alzheimer's I would have loved this one. It was still a good book and romance. However as someone who only has one grandparent left and it's my grandma and the the last link besides my sister to my deceased mom I had a hard time finishing this one because I kept picturing my grandma as Lovie so it was hard.

I went through alllll the emotions with this one. Did I laugh out loud? Yup. Did I sob while listening on my way to work? Sure did. Did I make a swoony noise when there was only one bed? Uh-huh. (Seriously why does that trope have such a hold on me?) The characters were likeable and the banter was strong. The relationships between Elle and Adam felt authentic and realistic - it is a bit of a slow burn with individual character growth. Murphy did a great job dealing with heavy issues and bringing awareness to an awful disease.

Fake It Like You Mean It what a fun, spicy, and heartbreaking read!!

Elle.... she is messy and full of life and all over the place. She is so relatable with her journey of grieving and finding herself. The last sentence of the book was so perfect! Of course ya girl over here got a tad emotional :).

I really enjoyed Murphy's writing style!! Reading this just felt like such a comfort hug and the perfect love story to cozy up to <3.

Ahem... I'm obsessed with a few side characters that I would love to read!!!

Def can't wait to see more from Murphy!! Thank you so much to Alcove Press for my copy.

4/5 stars

Forced proximity enemies-to-lovers romance between a home healthcare nurse and a grandaughter caring for a grandmother suffering from Alzheimer's disease. A big undertaking with two storylines that didn't always fit well together.

I found the single point-of-view boring - there wasn't enough depth to make up for the limited setting and action. The story is sad, and the Alzheimer's representation seems very well done. I think this element of the story overwhelmed the romance, making Elle & Adam's relationship feel forced.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

This book will both break your heart and mend it. Elle returns to her hometown to care for her ailing grandmother unexpectedly. She's in for quite the shock when her grandmother has a live-in nurse who is around all the time. Elle and Adam, said nurse, must pretend to be madly in love to not confuse her grandmother who has Alzheimer's. Whenever a book makes me cry, it leaves quite the impression. There are sensitive topics in this book that sheds light on Alzheimer's and caretaking, which I thought was beautifully written with care. The fake dating starts to feel a little too real with all the chemistry, banter, and of course, one bed, to result in the slowest of burns. Adam has my whole heart with his big heart for his patients, his family, and Elle. Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted eARC. All opinions are my own.

I had high hopes for this romance but there were a few things that proved too difficult to overcome.

First, the FMC Elle. She gives off manic pixie dream girl vibes but with nothing to back it up. I struggled to connect with her because I didn’t feel like the reader was given any insight into her quirks. Her personality was confusing and it made it hard to follow where she was headed.

Second, the MMC Adam. Not every MMC needs to be a swoon-worthy dreamboat but he was so vanilla! I didn’t feel that there was anything particularly compelling about him other than he was kind to Lovie.

Third, the romance. Where is the chemistry? Why does Elle hate Adam so much? I did not understand the drive behind the enemies to lovers trope (which, when done right, is my absolute favorite). I suppose she hates him on principle because she is used to taking care of Lovie but it wasn’t deep enough for me to have that trope resonate.

All things considered, this book is fine. It’s not up there with the greats for me, but it was cute in some parts. If you’re looking for a fiery passionate romance, you’ll need to keep looking. But if you’re looking for a borderline cozy, low stakes romance, this is for you.

I also think it’s important to point out that if you are caring for or love someone who is affected by dementia or Alzheimer’s, this may be a difficult read. That should be apparent from the synopsis but there are some plot points that I could see packing an emotional punch for those readers who may identify with Elle in those situations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a lovely novel, but I’m not the target audience. It’s more serious and sincere than I’m looking for in a rom-com. I want a light tone and lots of snark, and that’s not this book. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

70/100 or 3.5 stars

This was a fun surprise! I was not expecting to enjoy the way Murphy handled the Alzheimer's representation in the novel, but it was so realistic and thoughtful. My Grandma has Alzheimer's, and has for almost a decade, and so much of the interactions and behaviors that Lovie shows is really how people with Alzheimer's can behave and act. It was a cute romance outside of that, and it read quickly. I would be interested in checking out future releases from Murphy to see what they write next!

Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for the E-ARC. Uggg the way I loved this book. This dealt with a really heavy subject. Because even if you have never experienced you know that Alzheimer's is not something light. But the way the author wrote it and the way Elle (MFC) navigated it with her grandmother Lovie and just took some stuff ugg im even crying right now. I also want to talk about Adam (MMC) I want him as my health care provider because just the way he cares and loves it is sooo good. You will laugh and you will most definitely cry/sob in the middle of your work day lol. But it will all be worth it because this book was that good.