4.5 stars - I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have received an advanced copy of Fake It Like You Mean It from the author, and Alcove Press! 🫶

Fake It Like You Mean It is story that I assumed was going to be a traditional rom-com book but it deals with such emotional depth that completely surprised me in the best way. This book made me cry and it also showed what the most important things out of life are so it truly was a beautiful read! 🫶

I really enjoyed this and was pleasantly surprised by some of the deeper themes presented in this book. Dealing with a family member with Alzheimers is unimaginable but Murphy did a great job of sharing the experience and acknowledging that it is hard while also being loving and reflective on the past and the good memories. It was a great balance between the fake dating, tension, humor, and relection. Elle and Adam were both so likeable and I was rooting for them the whole time. I look forward to more from Megan Murphy.

Heartfelt, hilarious, and unexpectedly tender 💛

“Fake It Like You Mean It” is a warm hug of a romcom that beautifully balances laugh-out-loud moments with genuine emotional depth. Elle’s return home to care for her beloved grandmother, Lovie, sets the stage for a chaotic but swoon-worthy fake dating situation with Adam, her grandmother’s annoyingly attractive live-in nurse.

The chemistry between Elle and Adam is undeniable from the start, and watching them go from reluctant roommates to something real—thanks to Lovie’s persistent matchmaking (intentional or not)—was both hilarious and heart-melting. Lovie, despite her Alzheimer’s, is the true heart of the story. Her love and memory lapses are handled with sensitivity, making the emotional moments hit even harder.

The banter is top-notch, the slow burn is delicious, and the emotional beats are surprisingly deep. I laughed, I swooned, and I definitely teared up a few times.

One star off because a couple of pacing moments felt a bit drawn out, but overall this was such a charming and heartfelt read. If you’re a fan of fake dating with real feels, this one absolutely delivers. 💘

What happens when your grandmother, who has Alzheimer's, is convinced that you and her hot-as-hell live-in nurse are madly in love? You fake date, of course!

This wasn’t the sweet, cozy, and emotionally crippling story I was expecting. Instead, it leaned more into the sad and realistic portrayal of what it feels like to slowly lose someone you love to a chronic illness—the loneliness, the fear, and the emotional exhaustion that comes with it.

That being said, I don’t think this book was marketed quite right. It’s not really enemies-to-lovers—it’s more about two people who got off on the wrong foot and are trying to navigate a very complicated situation, eventually falling for each other.

Elle is a deeply flawed character—relatable in a lot of ways, but she still managed to get on my nerves quite a few times, especially with how she treated Lovie. Like dude, if I was Lovie, I'd wanna hit you too. I liked Adam and appreciated how patient and kind he was with Lovie, but to be honest, his character didn’t leave a lasting impression.

The romance was heartwarming, but I found myself more invested in Lovie and her late husband’s love story than the main couple’s.

I feel like if you've read any fake dating, enemies to lovers book, you've read this. But it was fun and light and exciting for the whole read.

so the title is deceptive, this is not about a fake relationship at all but about losing an elder to memory loss and dealing with all that entials and a romance happens. I think maybe I would have liked it more had it not been marketed as a fake relatopnship. it's quite sad as well. I listened to the audiobook

Fake It Like You Mean It was a fun, but touching story about a woman's (Elle) journey to help care for her grandmother with Alzheimer's. While it's categorized as enemies-to-lovers, I would put it under a "misunderstanding" or "wariness"-to-lovers category. I really enjoyed the characters, and felt their pain as they cared for Lovie, the grandmother character, who was definitely deteriorating. The only issue I had with the book was my inability to suspend disbelief about the caregiving role that Adam had - as a healthcare worker myself, I could not fathom how a company would send a nurse to live in a home and provide nearly 24/7 care for a patient without breaks, etc. It's just not how it works, but it moved the plot along. If you can get past that part, then this is a great debut!

Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very sweet cute read with a little bit of everything, swoon-worthy romance, fun and heartwarming emotional parts.

An enjoyable read.

I don’t know what is going on with all the romance books this year having Alzheimer’s/dementia storylines but I am burnt out on it. Very important and relevant theme but it feels overdone.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

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.