3.5⭐️

Audiobook: 5⭐️ for Imogen Wilde’s Narration
My Personal Enjoyment: 3⭐️
Objective Rating: 4⭐️ for its writing, editing and potential enjoyment of others

Ok so… I have mixed feelings on this book. On the one hand I am tasked with reviewing the Audiobook and for that alone it was wonderful! Imogen Wilde did a fantastic job with the narration. She has now been added to my very short list of narrators that I love.
Ms Wilde was just as adept with the British dialect she chose as well as her American accent. She did such a good job that I have to look up where she was from as so couldn’t let what her natural starting point was. What was even more refreshing was that the 1x recorded speed was at a typical speaking pace which didn’t require any manipulation to enjoy it.

I feel that I enjoyed the book much more as an audiobook than I would have had I read the digital ARC.

As far as the prose itself… it was very well written and the characters were well plotted and felt natural to me. That being said I did find the story a bit more unrealistic and the issues face could have been easily rectified. But I did enjoy the representation of the FMC, Connie, a strong, intelligent woman who embraced her body and didn’t let it stand in her way. I also liked our MMC, Beck who was sweet and acted I’m my option how a man show act and embrace another human being.

However, what I did not enjoy was the all the spice. To ME, it seems jarring in how it went from 0-60 from one chapter to the next. The other part was the language used. This I know is a very American viewpoint as certain words to me are offensive and gross while in England they are common place and not that way at all. I am not going to repeat the word that bothered me the most but it starts with a C. This made me completely disconnect from the story and tune out during those spice scenes as they were off putting. BUT I know that is because of myself so others may not have the same reaction at all and absolutely love the scenes, particularly if you’re a British reader and not offended by certain words.

I am thankful to have gotten the audio ALC for free from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Let me start by saying this book is so different than any other fake marriage book I have read. I think it’s largely because this was such a different kind of story with such unique characters that it took me a minute to get into the book, but once I did, I absolutely loved this book. More specifically, I absolutely loved these characters! The premise of this story is actually very simple and takes a backseat to the characters and their growth. It was so refreshing (and honestly a little jarring at the beginning) to get a MMC who was not an over the top alpha male. That prototype for male characters is so pervasive that it is a breath of fresh air to get a character like Beck. He is the ultimate golden retriever and sees and understands Hazel so well. And Hazel’s growth into herself can’t be overlooked. Her journey to overcome the ideas her parents raised her with about herself is so beautifully done. The cameos from When Grumpy Met Sunshine are a wonderful addition too!

I was so here for this 40 year old virgin inspired romcom!! Set in the same universe as When grumpy met sunshine, this book features Mabel's friend Connie who unexpectedly finds herself volunteering to pose as her nerdy, awkward neighbor, Henry's fake wife on a writing retreat he's organized. I loved the honest, open communication between Connie and Henry. They bond over a shared love of Star Wars and old tv shows like Quantum Leap. It was also swoony watching Connie get angry on Henry's behalf when he's too nervous to stand up against bullies. Steamy and heartfelt and just pure fun. This was great on audio narrated by Imogen Wilde and perfect for fans of authors like Kayla Grosse. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Eeeek I feel bad but I jumped ship at 70% 🫣

I liked When Grumpy Met Sunshine so I was excited to receive an ALC of My Bit Fat Fake Marriage. Unfortunately, this just was really cringey to listen to.

I've read a lot of reviews that the MMC is meant to be inspired by Ted Lasso, but this just takes it a bridge too far. The quirks and dialogue were so over the top and unlike how any real person would act -- like, golly and gee wiz paired with the super awkward sexual talk did not work whatsoever.

I also think the narrator's male voice did not do any favors for the depiction I was creating of Beck in my head. It was actually kind of painful.

**audiobook review**

Oh my gosh! I knew this one sounded interesting.

At first I was t sure how it was going to go and almost DNFd but I stuck with it and I am so glad I did.
Single narration but she did so good.

This story follows a want to be author and an editor who are neighbors. He is very friendly which makes her suspicious because guys who are nice just want something at least in her experience.

She is sure he’s up to no good but she ends up talking to him ALOT and finds out he’s this massive man who is a nerd at heart. He’s been treated terrible by women and has almost zero experience.

He has fabricated a lie to get people off his back for being single. His coworker is giving him trouble so she decides to help him. They go on a work retreat and things get steamy…

Such a fabulously cute story with no third act break up and a HEA!!

My Big Fat Fake Marriage Honest ARC Review:

Honestly, this starts out like a train wreck that is hilariously unfortunate and yet it becomes beautifully romantic.

For fans of Bridget Jones, this novel is a joy to listen to. Filled with inner dialogue, reflection and witty banter, this is really an enjoyable story. From the start, the FMC and MMC open up with one another and feel supportive of each other. In an attempt to bring justice to a situation where the MMC is being bullied by a coworker, the two concoct a plan for Fake Marriage.

I was dying of laughter at some points, especially with the one bed scenario. The characters are complex, have been pushed down emotionally by others and have growth throughout the story.

Delightfully funny and romantic, this is definitely one to add to your TBR!

⭐️Fake Marriage
⭐️Underdog Main Character
⭐️One Bed Trope
⭐️Cinnamon Roll

Thank you so much for sharing this ARC with me. I loved it!

I want to start off by saying that I absolutely loved Charlotte Stein’s previous book, “When Grumpy Met Sunshine.” I was also a fan of Ted Lasso and thought that it was so charming that Alfie was so like Roy Kent.

However, it was glaringly obvious that Beck is a carbon copy of Ted Lasso himself, which felt so weird. He’s an American who speaks the exact same way that Ted Lasso speaks, wears a backpack with both straps, his first name is Henry (Ted Lasso’s son’s name), and has a mustache. Like, come on now, really?? It was so distracting at the beginning and got a little better towards the end, but not that much.

The thing that’s the most frustrating is that I really enjoyed the story, but there were so many bizarre things like that (what was up with her name being Hazel but she wanted to go by Connie?? Huh????) that it was really hard to focus on other aspects of the story. It had so much potential but seemed so rushed along with all of the other weird moments that happened, that I didn’t really buy it. I wanted to love this so much. I’ve been looking forward to it for months, and ultimately, I was a little let down. Like I said, there were definitely parts I really enjoyed, but it was hard to get past the parts I didn’t like.

Connie does not trust nice guys, her experience with men has been rather unpleasant, with expectations of favors for each nicety. Add to that the fact that her mother made her feel that she could not have nerdy interests, she is left feeling unsure. When her extremely nice neighbor, who she does not trust is revealed to be hiding a lie, she joins in on the lie, pretending to be his wife while on a writing retreat. However, one bed and a truly nice guy makes it impossible for them to keep their hands off of each other, especially when she discovers that Beck is unexperienced but eager.

There were so many things to love about this book. Initially, I was not into the narrator's voice for Beck and was expecting to discover that he was a Mormon or something. However, as the book went on I really enjoyed it. The narration is excellent!

I have to say that this book is extremely sexy. The spice is engaging in a way that is not often achieved. I was blushing while listening and my husband kept cracking up at me.

I enjoyed it so much that I checked out the first book about her friend Mabel. The difference between the two books is huge. The writing is so much more compelling in this one! I loved this one! I really hope that there will be another one with characters I love this much!

Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillan Audio for the DLC. All opinions are my own!

Holy tension Batman. The forced proximity/one bed tension was off the charts in this one. Great humor and characters. I really loved it.

If you want to have a hearts-in-your-eyes moment from mere words on a page, this is the book for you. Charlotte Stein sure knows how to make a reader work for it, but once she gets you to that moment she hits it out of the park. The spice was something a girl can only dream about (you will get that little Easter egg when you read the book.) I wasn't sure if I would like the FMC or the MMC, but I think that was what made their character arc work. The FMC came off as a man hater and the MMC came across as a hopeless 40-year old virgin type. Once the FMC and MMC get together it is straight up the most chaste while being filthy masterpiece. Their e-mails made me laugh and swoon. I could have read an entire book of just their letters to each other . Spice 3/5

Update: I was given the privilege of listening to the audio of this book 6 months later. I'm so glad I was able to revisit this adorable couple. I primarily listen to books, so I was thrilled to get to experience their story in this way. I seldom re-read a book, but I'm so happy that I did. Their story was just as fun the second time as it was the first. As my primary love is audio, I think I enjoyed that method a little more. Either way you dive into this book, you won't be disappointed.

Review copy and audio provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.