Can't Help Faking in Love fell a little flat for me. It read more like a YA book and I was looking for more in-depth characterization. It was still a great read and I loved learning more about the culture of India.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This delightful fake dating romance is filled with humor and clever characters that keep you engaged from start to finish. The author skillfully develops the storyline and the chemistry between Harsha and Veer, making it impossible not to root for them throughout their journey. I found myself particularly invested in their relationship, while having less than favorable thoughts about Harsha's parents. The plot is well-crafted, with plenty of witty banter and relatable moments that add depth to the characters. Overall, it’s an enjoyable and heartwarming read that you definitely shouldn’t overlook!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of the publishing date. This book was a bit different from other books I have read because the female lead was financially independent and it was the male lead who was struggling with money. I really enjoyed her ability to be the heroine! Sometimes, you have every intention of pacifying family and their demands. However, when it comes to love, sometimes chemistry is where you least expect it.

This is a true romcom. There are funny moments as they practice touching each other and run through getting to know you questionnaires.This was such a cute read!

Overall an OK read. FMC is a rich could-be socialite who decided to branch out on her own without her family's money. MMC is a barista looking to get a break into the film industry, but has familial obligation. They come upon an agreement and so begins the fake boy/girlfriend to lovers trope. The cover is beautiful and I was looking forward to reading this. However, it felt flat for me. I didn't feel for any of the characters, and it felt very superficial. When they inevitably ended up together, I didn't fell a sense of relief or accomplishment or joy. The "conflict" in the story wasn't a big deal at all, so it didn't pull any emotions from me, nor did I feel that characters had to work for anything. This read more like a YA novel than an adult romance.

Thanks to netgalley for a digital copy.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

This was such a fun concept for a romance novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the Bollywood element to this. The characters worked well with the story and was engaged with the romance that was happening. I thought it worked well as a romance and loved that he was hired as a bodyguard. I can’t wait to read more from Swati Hegde as this was wonderfully done.

This is a sweet romance, with some great chemistry and some fun secondary characters. I believed the romance between Harsha and Veer and was rooting for them the whole time!

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of character development that happens off page, which made it hard for me to engage as much as I wanted. And some of the writing felt more like YA, which was off putting considering the character ages.

Three stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Yet another wonderful read from Swati Hegde. I was slightly wary at the beginning because I'm not the biggest fan of fake dating for money, but I thought the plot actually came together quite well and I enjoyed all of the twists and turns!! I also really enjoyed reading a romance that doesnt take place in the US - I now want to travel to Bangalore!! This is a great read, especially for fans of fake dating!

This is a Bollywood worthy love story. It's a gender flipped riff on Pretty Woman that's set in the vibrant cities of Bangalore and Mumbai.

Harsha needs a date for a series of upcoming family events. When her judgmental cousin sees her with her favorite barista, Harsha invents a fake boyfriend. After his father's abandonment, Veer is responsible for his family. With his brother's school tuition due, he really needs money. The pair negotiate an agreement - Harsha will pay Veer to act the adoring boyfriend and accompany her to the parties.

At first, it seems like there's an insurmountable gap between this pair. Harsha is the daughter of a millionaire and Veer is a broke coffee shop employee. But, as they get to know each other, they have more in common than either expects. Harsha is trying to make it on her own as a photographer. Veer wants to break into acting. Both are emotionally damaged - Harsha by her strict and unloving upbringing and Veer by his father's absence.

This is a true romcom. There are funny moments as they practice touching each other and run through getting to know you questionnaires. It's rewarding to watch Harsha and Veer experience their cities, shop for clothes, and sample different Indian specialties together.

Told from alternating perspectives.

Is it weird I got Pretty Woman vibes from this book? Harsha, a freelance photographer and daughter of a wealthy family, is essentially paying Veer her local barista to pretend to be her boyfriend to attend events. Every chapter opens with quotes from feel good television series: Derry Girls, Abbot Elementary, and Schitts Creek (which make this Canadian very proud). A highlight for me had to be when Harsha and Veer go shopping for her lengha and it inspires the stunning cover art. This is also a very quick read.

But I’m going to give this 3 stars. I found some plot holes, areas that needed some more depth. For example, Harsha and Veer both have tenuous familial relationships and the issues are never truly resolved. In addition, Veer’s brother comes out to him and his mother. But we’re kind of left wondering with the story. Bandaid solutions that felt kind of superficial?

Another thing, really late into the book Harsha’s cousin asks her to be a photagapher at her upcoming wedding. I wish this was the main storyline from the beginning! Photographing massive Indian weddings/engagements, that alone would generate such a great romance novel while also incorporating the ‘fake boyfriend’ romance trope.

While reading, I just felt the book was flat and can’t put it into words. I think for me Can’t Help Faking in Love reads more like a YA novel than romance for me.

My thanks to Penguin Random House and Dell Romance for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of Can’t Help Faking in Love.

I thought this book had a very cute and fun twist on the fake dating trope. I liked both Harsha and Veer as main characters. I wish more of their personalities had been involved as I feel like the book came off a little surface level.

I would recommend for anyone looking for a light romance fix

I honestly found this one to just be kind of boring and just like every other fake dating romance I've read. Their chemistry was just fine and I didn't really feel compelled to care about any of the characters very much. I didn't really sympathize with Harsha because she was a nepo baby and kept being like "I don't have money, my parents do" and then Veer needed to communicate when he left how he felt, because it caused an unecessary break up that just annoyed me.

Swati, babe. You are IT for me!

Match Me If You Can was a 5 star read for me, and Can't Help Faking in Love DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I adored these characters, their complicated families, and beautiful friendships. When I read a Swati Hedge book it's basically like traveling. I close the book having fallen in love with a place I've never been to, and I genuinely feel like I can appreciate the culture and food and sights of it all. (Searching for flights to Bangalore asap)

And all of the sweet pop culture quotes at the start of each chapter almost made me emotional! They were so perfect and really drummed up all of the emotions you feel watching the best part of your favorite show.

Basically, if you like love and joy and fake dating at all - you need to RUN to get this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

This was such a cute read! Harsha and Veer had the best chemistry since page 1! I love a fake dating romance baddd and this one was perfect. I loved how it also displayed complex family dynamics in the Indian culture. This was a quick read too which will be perfect as a plane or beach read!

Thank you Swati Hedge, Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

I enjoyed this frothy romance a lot! It had such cute banter and a fun premise especially with the Bollywood element. I love a good fake dating story and especially as here where we see that interact with complex family dynamics.

4.25 stars rounded up!

I absolutely ate this book up! Can't Help Faking in Love is a fantastic desi romance that centers on Harsha, a woman with Bollywood roots who has never felt love from her family but has always been surrounded by their wealth. She returns to Bangalore from America with the determination to live independently of their money, but she is failing - and worse, single. Harsha decides to use her trust fund to hire her favorite barista Veer to be her fake boyfriend for a family wedding. Unbeknownst to her, Veer has always dreamed of becoming a Bollywood star, but has had to work as a barista to support his family. Now, he's in need of a large sum of money to help his brother, and he can't say no to Harsha's trust fund - or her Bollywood connections.

Swati Hegde crafts two layered, real, relatable, and sympathetic characters in Harsha and Veer. Harsha struggles with forging an independent life for herself, while Veer struggles between his obligations to family and his Bollywood dreams. You can't help but root for them throughout the story, and their banter kept me totally entertained. Swati Hegde also succeeds in taking a well-loved trope (fake dating), putting her own unique spin on it, and adding true emotional depth to it. She balances romance with family tensions and cultural specificity SO well. The wedding scenes and the cultural moments are painted with vividness, humor, and heart that creates a perfect backdrop for Harsha and Veer's romance.

I highly, highly recommend this excellent romcom!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Ballantine, and Swati Hegde for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

✨Fake Dating
✨Complicated Family Dynamics
✨Strong Friendships

Such a cute and bingeable, fake dating romance!

I picked this book up and didn't set it back down until I'd finished reading it. The storyline is packed with complicated family dynamics, tension, chemistry, strong friendships and plenty of drama.

I really enjoyed watching Harsha and Veer's relationship develop, I think both characters showed good character growth throughout the course of this book.

I'd definitely recommend adding this one to your TBR.

Thank you Swati Hedge, Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for providing me with an ARC of this book.

title: Can't Help Faking in Love

author: Swati Hedge

publisher: Dell

publication date: February 11, 2025

pages: 272

peppers: 2 (on this scale)

warnings: none

summary: Harsha's annoying, competitive cousin is getting married and when she sees Harsha talking with a man at a bar, she assumes the man is Harsha's boyfriend. Unfortunately, Harsha's family-approved-type boyfriend has just dumped her, and she's talking with her favorite barista, Veer. To avoid the embarrassment of explaining, Harsha pretends Veer is the boyfriend and ends up paying him to play along for the next six weeks. Veer needs money to pay for his brother's tuition, so he has incentive to make this lie believable.

tropes:

fake dating
competitive cousins
rich girl trying to make it on her own
poor boy helping his family
mean relatives
sweet auntie, best friend, work buddies

what I liked:

both main characters
believable timeline
family event scenes
clothes shopping
sparks without flames (closed-door sweetness)

what I didn’t like: n/a

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

I’d say that, honestly, the 4th star is simply to acknowledge the amount I learned about Indian culture and language and such from reading this book. I liked the setting quite a lot, having never really heard about Bangalore or Nandi Hills. And I just really like Veer. I could take or leave Harsha, but Veer, I love. 💜📚