Get read to fall in love with these characters. This romance was so cute! Harsha and Veer had the best chemistry. I instantly loved them from the first meeting.

Fake dating romances are my jam and Hegde executed this trope to perfection! Like I said before, the main characters chemistry really sells this romance from the start. They were just perfect together. I couldn't get enough of their scenes.

I think the author did a wonderful job of also displaying family dynamics and how complex they can be. I liked the glimpse at Indian culture as well.

A perfect romcom read!

Whats a girl to do when your family mistakenly assumes your barista is the perfect boyfriend you've been dating... and now you have to attend a family wedding and the only option is to pay said barista/aspiring actor to be your fake boyfriend... only you're beginning to fall for him and you can't tell if he's only in it for the money, if his feelings are real or if he's just that good of an actor.... and if you both could make it work despite being from two completely different worlds. Harsha Godbole has cut herself off from her family, her wealthy multi-million dollar family that has hug ties to the Bollywood world. Harsha just wants to make it as a photographer without her family's name attached to her life, but she finds herself in a rut: her boyfriends keep dumping her for someone else, she hasn't made it big or gotten a steady job, and she's developed a huge crush on her cute barista. When Harhsa's perfect cousin mistakes Harsha's barista for her boyfriend and Harsha goes with it she finds herself in a new problem... and the only person she can count on is her barista to help her. Veer Kannan has always done everything for his family ever since his father left them. Veer works to put his brother through school while helping his mom. Veer dreams about making it as an actor but he just has not had his big break yet and spends his days working at a coffee shop and crushing on a certain customer... but when she asks him to be her fake boyfriend and he needs money to pay for his brother's upcoming tuition bill they strike an agreement: Veer will pretend to be Harsha's perfect boyfriend for her family for the wedding weekend and Harsha will pay him the full amount to meet his brother's tuition. Harsha and Veer come from two different worlds but the more time they spend together the harder it becomes to see where the line between faking a relationship and being in a relationship is. Can they make it through the weekend without anyone catching onto them and will they finally give into the feelings they have for each other? This was a sweet read, it's very much a slow burn fake relationship read and it was an easy one to get through. I adored the author's previous book and this one was just a fine read for me. I'm a sucker for a fake relationship and though I wish there was a bit more in the relationship department for these two, it was overall a fun read.

Release Date:February 11, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing this ARC for my voluntary and honest review!

I was already a fan of this author’s previous work, Match Me If You Can, and I really enjoyed this one as well!

A photographer striving to forge her own path and a barista/aspiring actor engage in a mutually-beneficial fake relationship for an upcoming wedding. I loved the addition of the sitcom quotes at the beginning of each chapter (and the nod to the Ross and Rachel first kiss/Central Perk scene… *chef’s kiss*). Another really sweet and fun read by Swati Hegde!

This one was super cute! I loved the fake dating trope and both Harsha and Veer had such a cool character development. Sweet, no spice, no intense 3rd act break up. Instagram review posted 1/28/25.

5 stars!

Surprise surprise, I rated another fake dating romance highly. I loved this book so much. The instant crush between the two threatened by the fake relationship and untrue assumptions of the other was a fun take. I loved both characters desires to make it on their own while still knowing the inherent privileges they have. The care they took of each other was sweet while still attempting to maintain the "fake" boundary. Oh and the sitcom love quotes for each chapter? Absolutely loved that touch!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This is a charming read with everyone's beloved fake dating trope. Loved Harsha for trying to make a name for herself, as well as the banter between her and the love interest. The strong descriptions make it easy to fall into the story. However, there's a lack of balance between exposition and action; the story would have been stronger with more "show" than "tell," which can drag down the pacing.

4.5 stars rounded up. This was my first time reading a romance set in India and I absolutely adored this book. Swati Hegde created a story that was so rich and vibrant while tackling some very real issues that reach across cultures. Harsha was such a strong and vulnerable heroine, and I loved how goofy Veer was also loving, kind, and sensitive. The two of them together were perfection!

Thank you to Dell and Random House for providing this ARC for my honest review.

Faking dating— a tried and true premise, however familiar and overdone, Swati's ability to weave humor, relatable conflict, and sweet moments of romance makes the book a charming and enjoyable read. Contemporary romance with a cultural shift that makes it fresh!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & Dell and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a fun story. Loved the main characters. And once again, I am a sucker for fake boyfriend trope.

Interesting story in a great setting. I enjoyed that the FMC & MMC were from Indian descent. The fake boyfriend trope is always fun. Good romcom with a slow build to chemistry.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I tried to like it, but it was very superficial and I didn't feel like there was a lot of character depth. The side characters felt flat to move the plot forward.

There were some cute moments and I did like the setting, but not much else.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dell Romance, and PRH Audio for the ARC/ALC.

I thought this book was a dazzling debut novel. I loved the chemistry between Harsha and Veer, and their fun banter. Furthermore I thought the audiobook narration by Mehr Dudeja was fabulous, and I would listen to more books narrated by her. I would also be interested in reading more books by Swati Hegde in the future as well.

Pretty cute rom com. Lots going on but it’s handled well. The author is good at descriptive text and it makes the reader feel transported to the book locations. An easy and satisfying read.

Super cute fast read where the fake dating can’t stay fake with how much chemistry they have. I absolutely adored this. The complex family made things a bit more difficult for them but I loved how it was portrayed

This was a really fun fake dating for hire romcom featuring two South Asian main characters living in India who make a deal where barista, Veer, will pose as aspiring photographer, Harsha's boyfriend for a number of family events. In exchange Harsha will pay Veer so he can help fun his younger brother's college tuition. Flirty and fun, with the perfect blend of family drama and romance. I also liked the chapter heading quotes from popular sitcoms and the LGBTQ+ side plot involving Veer's gay brother and his mother's slow acceptance of his sexuality. Good on audio narrated by Mehr Dudeja and perfect for fans of authors like Sajni Patel, Annika Sharma or Naina Kumar. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: closed door

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this book. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

In this book we meet Harsha and Veer who fake a relationship and go to her cousins wedding. Harsha comes from a rich family but doesn’t want anything from them and wants to make it on her own. Harsha gets Veer to agree to be her boyfriend to attend her cousins wedding. Harsha uses money from her secondary account to pay Veer who needs the money to pay his brother’s tuition. The more time they spend together the more they fall in love with each other. Then at the wedding Harsha’s father finds out the truth and freezes her assets on the secondary family account. Veer gets an acting job which takes off and Harsha and Veer finally get together and admit their feelings. A year later and Harsha and Veer are engaged and both of their careers are thriving.

LOVED her last book and i was so excited to receive an arc of this title!!! her books are always so deeply romantic and i love their development 🫶🏼 hedge is a romance writer for the ages and i recommend her to EVERYBODY

Swati is such a talented author, and her writing gives me such joy. I am definitely giving this as a birthday gift to many of my friends. :)

DNF at 25%. What initially pulled me out was the random epigraphs from other stories which I didn’t find related much to the story. Plus, the characters don’t feel substantial enough for me to care. And fake dating has become so ubiquitous, it takes a really promising one to draw my interest, and this wasn’t really doing much different.

Can’t Help Faking In Love
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“The bottom line is, in life, sometimes good things happen, sometimes bad things happen. But, honey, if you don’t take a chance, nothing happens.” ~ Dorothy, Golden Girls
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This is how you do a closed door romance 👏🏼😍 I was hooked right away, I absolutely loved these relatable characters. I felt the pull, the chemistry, and I didn’t miss the spice at all! There’s one spicy scene, but it’s pretty much a fade to black situation. It was funny, cute, dual POV, it’s a feel good romance in my opinion, but the characters still had a lot of depth and we explored some deeper topics like figuring ourselves out, our lives, jobs, passions, and relationships outside of our families expectations and how different that life may look once you prioritize yourself. I honestly could have read it in one sitting! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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I had a lot of fun exploring Bollywood music while I was reading and I was actually chatting with Swati and asked if she has a favorite song and this is the one she said reminds her most of Can’t Help Faking In Love and I absolutely love it 🥰 I also loved all the sitcom quotes at the beginning of each chapter. It allowed my mind to explore where that chapter may be going and I loved that!
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Thank you @swatihegdeauthor @dellromance and @netgalley for this e-arc, Can’t Help Faking In Love comes out February 11th!