I received this ALC (Advanced Listener Copy) of this audiobook from NetGalley & Macmillan Audio.
🎧5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🎧

I enjoyed this audio so much that I listened to it twice. Imogen Wilde is spectacular in this performance. She brings out the character's wit and charm in ways I couldn’t get enough of.

Beck is awkwardly honest in all the best ways. He is charming without knowing it. We all need a Beck in our lives.
Hazel is WITTTTTY and so sharp. I adored this about her. She also sees what not many people see because she is a people watcher and a people-pleaser, almost to her detriment.

When they truly get to know each other, they help each other be more authentic. She helps him to open up by standing up for himself and guiding him through intimacy.

Charlotte Stein presents romance in a unique way compared to traditional, and formulaic approaches. This story is driven by the characters, rather than being centred around them. If that makes sense. I feel as though other readers and listeners may enjoy this fresh perspective in our romances.

I need more, please!

Book Review: My Big Fat Fake Marriage

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read (or rather, listen to) and review this ARC.

This rom-com is a cute, steamy, and slow-burn delight! Both main characters are in their 30s, with the FMC being a confident, curvy woman. While the story starts off a little slow, the playful banter keeps things engaging, and when the spice hits—trust me, it’s well worth the wait. 😉

Hazel (aka Connie) sees herself as a carefree, love-them-and-leave-them kind of person, while Beck is the ultimate golden retriever cinnamon-roll hero. His fake marriage, meant to fend off an aggressive co-worker, suddenly gets complicated when he moves in next door to Hazel—thanks to her meddling best friend, Mabel. What starts as a mutually beneficial arrangement soon turns into something much deeper… or is Hazel the only one catching real feelings?

This story is lighthearted, fun, and an easy listen—perfect for when you need a rom-com with just the right amount of steam. 🌶🌶🌶

4.75 absolutely loved it!! In my oh so not humble in any way opinion, the downside for this story is:
1) how short it is 😭 not nearly long enough for me to get my heart full up on these characters
2) because of its length, too rushed.
Now, that being said, I loved it. I fell head over heels for the absolute gem that was Beck. Love him, head to toe, top to bottom, all the way around. You sweet gigantic bear of a man 😍 Give me a big boy who is shy and has experienced terrible things, yet still happens to be sweet as sugar and with the kindest of hearts, and eager to please on top of it all?! Stop I’m melting! He was believably honest for me, because I have known people who behave in that way with their honesty. I just wanted more of him! More back story, more of who he is and what he loves. I feel like it still wouldn’t have been enough, but I wanted his POV, the greedy little thing that I am lol.
Connie was the big girl all big girls both want to be and hate being all at the same time. Shoe horned into a box built for and by someone else because of others expectations. Her self doubt and mistrust was me growing up, and it made me sad to see it in print. And I know people are going to read this and say things like “that’s not how a parent would act toward a child” or “no woman would mistrust this boldly” and all I can say is, don’t dismiss it just because you’ve had the fortune never to have experienced it.
I loved the story line, and the characters, I just wished I could have gotten more. I wanted more of Connie’s background and story, a little more of her friends, and who she is, as the contrast was pointed out multiple times of who she portrays vs who she actually is and wants to be. I wanted to know more about Beck, why he lives where he does, why he moved, his family, his history, etc. I wanted to know and really feel who they were. I’m likely one of the few readers who’s happy to go through a 15 hour long audiobook in order to get to know the characters more.
The spice was open door, but good lord I wanted more!! I loved it, and I am so happy with what there was, but don’t tease me with things like “I did something I didn’t think he was ready for, and he was absolutely delighted.” DID WHAT??!! I need to know!
I loved the narrator so much, and I would have been happy for her to narrate a dual pov in its entirety. Her voice is perfect for me. Her deadpan delivery of the jokes had me howling with laughter. Also? She made me cry a little. In a spicy romcom! Pretty sure that’s some sort of law broken lol.
All in all, i absolutely loved it.

Aspiring writer Connie doesn’t trust nice men, and in general she’s been right. In fact, all the men she’s dealt with have turned out to be pretty expectedly terrible. So when sweet American editor Henry Samuel Beckett—named for the Quantum Leap character, not the playwright—moves into her building, she doesn’t quite know what to make of him. She discovers that he’s lied to a bully of a co-worker about being married (when he in fact has no experience with women), and then when she meets that bully of a co-worker, Connie is so outraged by his awfulness she claims to be Beck’s pretend wife. Which means they have to act like a married couple at a writer’s retreat they’re both scheduled to attend. As with any just-one-bed trope, sparks fly, but Connie can’t believe a man as nice as Beck would ever really want a woman like her.

The first half of this book had me laughing out loud. The characters are so delightfully over the top and their banter and notes to each other were hysterical. It was also very sweet to see the way the two characters took care of each other. Once the steam started, it didn’t stop. It’s most of the second half of the book, and while I don’t mind steam, the story started to feel more like a short story in terms of story arc.

Connie is friends with Mabel from Stein’s past release When Grumpy Met Sunshine and it was fun to see Connie turning to her friend for advice about having a fake relationship since it was also the premise in that book. Ultimately I enjoyed this one. There’s something about Charlotte Stein’s writing that just tickles me, but if her previous books have not been your thing, I don’t think this one will change your mind.

Imogen Wilde does a great job narrating. She had perfect delivery for both the bantery sections and the steamy sections and it’s always more fun to listen to a book set in England because the accent helps set you in the location immediately. I’d definitely recommend listening.

"For husband, whose kindness made my life."

"You’re not scared of commitment, Haze. You just haven’t had anything worth committing to..."

"I knew how loved you made me feel, even when it wasn’t supposed to be real."

Starting with the dedication to her husband about his kindness, renowned droll RomCom author, Charlotte Stein, sets the tone for her adorable, surprisingly steamy, out right hilarious romantic comedy, My Big Fat Fake Marriage.

Hazel mistakenly believes Beck has murdered his wife. He doesn't have a wife. Never did. But he lied to the bully at work that he did and now he needs one for his publishing firm's writing retreat. Feeling bad for her accusations about Beck, Hazel volunteers to be his fake wife. Let the insanity, misunderstandings, vulnerabilities and forced proximity sexy times begin.

Hazel doesn't let anyone see her nerdy side. The one that watches Star Wars movies and rereads Interview With The Vampire. Beck wears his nerdy side with pride. He uses his vast vocabulary not to show off but to communicate the exact words for his thoughts. He's a quiet man but when put to the test he will easily win the game.

Their roles are reversed in every way. Charlotte's the dirty talker with sex on the brain. Beck is the inexperienced, only been kissed once, pursued man. It's different and a lot of fun.

Voice actress Imogen Wilde perfectly portrays the sharp comedic Hazel as well as the cinnamon roll unobtrusive Beck. Told through Hazel's first person POV, we see through her eyes Beck's decency.

There's nothing fake about the laughter, steam or romance found in My Big Fat Fake Marriage. It also proves, sometimes, the nice guy finishes first.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the St. Martins Press and Macmillan Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. Opinions are my own.

A delightful and lighthearted book filled with love, passion and a sense of pure sincerity with a cinnamon roll of a man who is simply the best!

Connie is a woman who does not trust men. She has been burned one too many times. In the apartment across from her lives Beck who is seeking his perfect partner to share his life. Connie and Beck are definitely opposites yet they still connect with one another once they finally begin interacting with each other. Connie hates bullies and is bothered by the guy bullying Beck; it gets under her skin. Thus, when Connie learns of Beck’s situation, telling everyone he is married and has a wife, she offers to be his fake wife, in a fake marriage during their upcoming writing retreat.

Beck is sweet, honest and open with Connie even when it is hard. He speaks about everything in a matter of fact tone although he best expresses himself through his writing. He believes in fairness and enjoys hanging out with Connie and learning more about her. He is so thoughtful with Connie and the way he approaches life. Beck shows a very protective side when it comes to Connie; he does not like injustice especially if directed at her.

As the story moves on, Connie and Beck discover more of who they really are as people and together. Connie finds herself fiercely defending Beck. She also discovers that a man can be caring, sweet and thoughtful. Together Connie and Beck discover some extremely hot levels of steaminess but also a slower sense of intimacy as well.

While Imogene Wilde is a solid narrator for the book, I did not connect with her portrayal of Beck. She was able to clearly voice his vulnerability and his matter of fact personality. However, her narration of a male character still came off more feminie. This being the case, the extremely spicy scenes just did not give off the right vibe. Otherwise, her narration of Connie and the book was great.

I still enjoyed the audiobook very much. It is a quick listen and entertaining. Make sure to give it a listen!

This just wasn't the romance for me. It felt like a man clearly written by a woman, meaning he was just too perfect. The main conflict is that he could love you too much. I just like my men to have more character and depth.

I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Macmillan Audio!

Connie has been wary of her overly nice neighbor Beck but when she finds out he lied about being married, she offers to pretend to be his wife for a work retreat.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage is a stand-alone, contemporary romance. This book does contain open-door content.

If you love a sweet “golden retriever” MMC, then this is absolutely the book for you. Beck is willing to do just about anything for Connie’s attention as long as he's not inconveniencing her. Connie is a bit of a self-sabotager but she does get it worked by the end.

The audiobook for My Big Fat Fake Marriage is delightful. It is narrated by Imogen Wilde. I was previously familiar with any of her work but her performance for this book is excellent. She really nails the voice to go with Beck’s sweet, cinnamon roll personality.

This is only the second book that I have read from author Charlotte Stein but I enjoy her style. While this book isn't necessarily a romcom, her sense of humor really shines through in the dialogue.I look forward to reading much more of her work in the future.

Ahhhhhhh! I loved My Big Fat Fake Marriage! It is so delightfully bonkers, and sweet, and filthy. Charlotte Stein has become an auto-buy author for me. Her books are so joyful while also digging into very relatable anxieties.

Connie has a lot of experience with the modern London Nice Guy, and she knows better than to trust a nice guy. Her neighbor, Beck, is just so nice. He says “howdy neighbor” and leaves her pies that he baked himself. Beck is so nice that Connie is pretty sure he’s a serial killer. That impression is not helped when she sees inside his apartment and there are cut outs of women’s heads everywhere and a notepad that says, “Where can I tell people my wife is?” As it turns out, Beck has lied about being married to shut up a bullying colleague and the situation is getting complicated. The situation gets more complicated when Connie claims to be Beck’s wife, again to get that bullying colleague to shut up, and then they have to be husband and wife for two weeks at a writing retreat. The united against a bully, forced proximity, and only one bed situation gives Charlotte Stein a wonderful canvas for Connie and Beck to be honest and vulnerable and for plenty of shenanigans.

It’s generally accepted wisdom that you have to love yourself before you can love someone else. Stein digs into this in interesting ways. At heart, Connie and Beck like themselves, where things get stickier is how they interact with the world at large. They’ve both learned that the wider world does not reward them for being their true selves. Beck is himself anyway, mostly. Connie has erected a thick shield between herself and the world and she has a hard time believing that Beck sees and loves her for her own true self. Connie and Beck are similar in some important ways, they are both delightfully nerdy, with overlapping nerd interests, and they are both going to stick up for someone else before they stand up for themselves.

I’ve seen some conversations about My Big Fat Fake Marriage as being Ted Lasso coded and, yes, that’s in the DNA, but Beck is not an alternate universe Ted Lasso. He’s a cinnamon roll with some Clark Kent (mild manners hiding strength) and a mustache – a man sure of his own masculinity with no need to prove it to others. Beck is kind, sweet, and genuine, which gets mistaken for weak and maybe not super smart, even by Connie on occasion. But Beck knows himself and has made thoughtful choices about how he is going to be in the world.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how rare and wonderful it is to find someone with whom you can truly be your weirdest self and they can be their weirdest self. I identified so much with Connie’s reluctance to let down her guard. As one should expect from a Charlotte Stein novel, these two are delightfully freaky and filthy. When Connie goes feral over Beck’s tiny shorts and his high potency sex drive, it’s both steamy and achingly sweet.

I read both an e-arc and an audio arc. Imogen Wilde’s narration was delightful, giving added depth to an excellent text. Imogen Wilde conveyed emotions and moments of humor that I hadn’t picked up on. I love it when I’m able to read a book and have it read to me.

I received this as an advance reader copy from St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

I can’t begin to explain how much I loved this book! And the audiobook - it was the cherry on top! It was so easy to become immersed in the story - into the complicated world of our main characters faking a marriage. Connie/Hazel and Beck had undeniable chemistry. Though our grumpy narrator Connie couldn’t believe that sunshine hunk Beck was real, we were taken on a journey through Connie’s own work of letting her walls down. Beck was funny, self-deprecating, kind, and absolutely adorable in his sweet bow tie. Connie was so relatable and her life was richly thought out. I found myself rooting for them to ACTUALLY get together. And after that kiss… maybe there actually IS something…
This funny, spicy, and sweet story of a woman understanding her worth and allowing love and vulnerability to was woven together beautifully. Charolette crafted such a gorgeous story of what it means to love and be loved and to be seen fully. This is a book you don’t want to miss out on.

Connie and Beck were sweet, but the MMC was hard to take seriously with how he talked. We had some 40 year old virgin vibes in this book, but add 50 scoops of Ned Flanders.

I love a good fake relationship and this was a fun concept for getting us there (lied to his co-workers about being married).

What to expect:
Slow Burn
Tangible Connection/Angst
Good Spice
Virgin MMC
Fake Marriage
One Bed
Cinnamon Roll MMC
Curvy FMC
Neighbors/Forced Proximity
Single 1st person POV

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

The characters were funny and sweet, but I found there was minimal plot and lots of smut.

Longer Review (some spoilers may be present) -

Positives to start: I loved both the main characters and their opposite personalities, as well as the plus size representation. Beck was very charming in a nerdy way!
My niche negatives: The plot was not fleshed out at all; the characters instantly fell into a fake marriage situation, and I wish the writing retreat was explained more. I don't know if I just missed it, but I didn't even realize the fmc was into writing! Safe to say I was confused when they were freaking out over being together at this writing retreat. Lastly, I felt once the main characters started getting physical, it never ended. The last 25% of the book was just one long smut scene imo.

This audiobook was slightly hard for me personally to get through and the biggest reason for that would have to be the narrator's accent (personal issue, did not impact rating).

I did a combination of the e.book and the audio narrated by Imogene Wilde. The narration was very good.
The story was a bit different. The MMC, Sam, was kind of a dork. He was very inexperienced in romance. It all just made him that more likable. He was just so sweet in his dealings with Connie. She ends up being his fake wife when his co-worker starts harassing him. They end up sharing a room and a bed at his work conference, and things really heat up. I'll be honest and say I didn't see all the heat coming in this story.

It really was a cute story. Both characters were very likable, and their caring for each other was adorable.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the copies. All thoughts are mine.

Did Charlotte Stein just become my new fav contemporary romance author?? 😍

🤍HAPPY RELEASE DAY 🤍
My Big Fat Fake Marriage is NOW AVAILABLE in all formats 🎧📖📱

Our FMC Hazel said it best 👇👇👇
“I don’t even know if I’ve ever watched a movie this fun and fucking satisfying“

⭐️BOOK REVIEW⭐️

My Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice - 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This romcom was so incredibly giggle worthy! This fast paced novel was a perfect romcom read - the banter was sooo good and our main characters were so incredibly lovable 🥹

This was a book written for us book girlies! A writing retreat! Ice Planet Barbarian jokes! 😅 I was dying!!!

But do not let this sassy curvy girl & cinnamon roll of a man fool you! The spice was SPICY 🌶️

If you love the fake dating trope like I do, MY BIG FAT FAKE MARRIAGE done by Charolette Stein needs to be on your TBR 💍

🫶 TROPES:
🎀 Curvy Girl
❤️ One Bed
🎀 Writing Retreat
❤️ MCs in their 30s!
🎀 “My Wife”

Oooh this book. After each being told that their roommate is not available for a relationship, Connie and Beck finally have a moment of real conversation and accidentally end up in a situation that she is pretending to be his wife at a weeklong writer retreat. The rest ends how you expect it to end up but the personalities of Connie and Beck make the book so much fun and so wildly unexpected in certain ways. It was hilarious and hot and a great journey.

#arc
#netgalley
#mybigfatfakemarriage

Connie is used to dating Nice Guys (TM) - men who only treat women well in exchange for getting what they want, when they want it - and it’s been bad enough to make her swear off men… almost. Enter: Henry Samuel “Beck” Beckett, Connie’s neighbor across the hall, who bakes her pies “just because” and always greets her with a jaunty grin. Sure, he’s pretending to be married so he can get his jerk of a coworker off his back, but the deception tears him up inside. Before Connie realizes what she’s done, she volunteers to stand in as his fake wife. As they set off for a two-week writing retreat as husband and wife, Connie can’t help but wonder, could Beck be a real nice guy after all?

This novel had a cute premise but remained surface-level for the bulk of the story. The reader gets a lot of exposition in the beginning, with a full 8% of the story dedicated to the characters’ first full conversation in their apartment hallway. The fake marriage facade - at least, the part where they pretend to be married when observable by other people - comprised at most 15% of the total book. The main events of the novel take place over three weeks, which did not feel like enough time to give our protagonists room to grow. To get there, the story needed to let the characters make more active choices. For example, so much of Connie’s cynicism was shaped by her upbringing with shallow, closed-minded parents, but because they’re not actually in the story (Connie just reflects on how they would react instead), it falls flat. The more active choice would have been to have a scene where Connie has a phone call or meets up with her folks and either resists or internalizes their shaming about who she really is.

Speaking of characters who aren’t actually part of the story, I went back and counted - there are only nine speaking characters in the entire novel and a handful of locations, making the whole thing feel very small in scope. Other characters are mentioned (Connie’s parents and her other friend, as well as other members of the writing workshop), but conversations and memories are summarized as part of Connie’s internal monologue rather than written directly as part of the text.

That’s not to say that there wasn’t anything I liked here. Connie is hilarious. She can’t help but fall for adorkable Beck (even at his most pitiful), and her frustration at that fact is enjoyable to read. I also like that Connie sees being Beck’s pretend-wife as an escape hatch - “a way out of myself”, she says. Beck’s best moments come as he pushes back against Connie’s expectations of how she “should” behave - the clothes/shoes she thinks she should wear, or the interests she denies having. There are moments where he uses how “cool” she is to neg himself, which I don’t particularly enjoy, especially because he compliments changeable things about her appearance (hair, makeup, clothes) rather than things that indicate how much he likes her as a person. These moments of self-criticism make it difficult to envision a future where Beck will ever be able to advocate for himself, so when those moments do occur, it is satisfying to read. I just wish there were more of those moments throughout the book.

I experienced this novel in both ebook and audiobook form. Imogen Wilde, the narrator, has a lovely, sweet timbre that makes Connie endearing and relatable. The exasperation Connie feels as she develops a crush on Beck is palpable. I find no fault in any way the audio was done; I just think that any female narrator would find some of Beck’s lines challenging to read. For a modern ear, phrases like “oh, good golly” and “you bet your sweet bippy” and “you just wait a gosh darn minute” come across as, at minimum, corny. Imogen Wilde does her best, even if those lines made me cringe while listening.

Books centering around fake relationships are, as a whole, fun to read (if they weren’t, Christina Lauren would not have a career). I want to support size-inclusive romances whenever I can, especially when the main characters’ insecurity about their size is not the sole focus of the narrative. My Big Fat Fake Marriage was a quick read with an abundance of steamy scenes, but unfortunately, I think character development took a backseat in favor of the romance plot, which is not my preferred way to experience this genre.

**Thank you to St. Martin’s Press (St. Martin’s Griffin Imprint), Macmillan Audio, and Charlotte Stein for providing this ebook and audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

I don’t know what to say….i just was not a fan. I was turned off by Hazel in the beginning. She was whiny. Her constant picking out all the strange things beck did honestly bothered me. While I think it was necessaryfor character development. I just felt like the way Hazel discussed it was off. Once we got into “the awful thing he did”(like this book is just so dramatic) the story picked up for me and I started liking them both a lot more. The banter was good and I will never not be a fan of fake dating/marriage trope.

Sadly, I couldn’t get into this. The characters felt fake and I couldn’t connect with them, as if the author was trying to create caricatures of real people and it was off-putting. The premise itself was cute and I continued along, hoping it would get better but was often distracted by the awkward dialogue and the strange way in which Beck talks. This will appeal to fans of fake marriages and quirky characters but this just wasn’t for me.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein
Contemporary romance. Fake relationship troupe.
Connie has had some unfortunate and forgettable relationships in her life and she’s leery of her big, friendly American neighbor. Her experience says there must be something horrible about him, but he’s super nice to her and apologizes with cake. Turns out he does have a secret. He’s told everyone at work that he’s married. Connie ends defending him to his coworkers and now they have to spend time at a retreat together, pretending to be married. And sleeping in the same bed. Henry supplied the pillows to keep them separated on the bed but ….the more time they spend together, the more they are drawn to each other. Pretty soon those kisses aren’t fake anymore and they will have to figure out how they move forward.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and audiobook, often reading together. The narration is performed by Imogen Wilde who does a fantastic job with the story and Connie’s emotional ride. The accent is British and enabled me to totally see the characters and follow the funny and slightly inappropriate language of the story.
The audiobook held me enthralled and laughing.
I did sped it up to my usual 1.5 to match reading and conversation speed.
I loved the audiobook version and would highly recommend as long as aware it is a non U.S. accent.

My impressions:
Huge gentle giant
Super sexy
Surprisingly sweet
Cinnamon roll hero that you can’t help falling in love with.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

This was my first Charlotte Stein novel, and I am so glad I had a chance to listen to it! There is so much to love in this book. Connie and Beck were multifaceted characters, each with backstories that were given just the right amount of attention. I enjoyed how much this book subverted stereotypes. Beck is a giant of a man, but he is gentle and passive and a completely lovable nerd. He is also the inexperienced, "pure" one of the couple, and I loved that role reversal.

The best part of the book, however, was Beck's genuine, natural kindness and Connie's journey to realizing that kindness in a man might just be the most attractive trait. Stein presents Beck as the man every woman deserves: a man that listens and cares deeply about his partner's happiness and well-being.

The title gave me the impression that Connie's weight would play a much bigger role in the story. While Stein does bring Connie's weight into play in how past men have treated her in relation to how Beck treats her, it is not central to Connie's hangups or her development, and I loved that! It was simply a love story between two people.

There were a few things I struggled with in this book. The first was the pacing. The first half of the book is focused solely on the two characters getting to know each other and falling in love emotionally without realizing it. There is no spice and only a few physical interactions period. Then the second half of the book switches completely to focus on the physical relationship and spice so much so that I kind of forgot about all the non-physical reasons why they liked each other. I also struggled a bit with the narrator. Her voice for Beck did not match the descriptions, and her tone did not always match the mood or context of the scene. It drew me out of the story a bit.

Overall, I definitely recommend the book, especially for fans of the fake dating/fake marriage trope, though I might suggest reading rather than listening. I can safely say I will be reading more from Charlotte Stein!