"The Fake Out" by Sharon M. Peterson tells the story of a small-town librarian named Chris Sterns, who finds herself caught up in the whirlwind world of an all-star NFL player, Chris Sterns. Despite his charming demeanor and persistent attempts to engage her, Chris initially finds herself frustrated by his presence in her quiet hometown.

However, as they spend more time together and Chris ropes her into his two-person book club, she begins to warm up to his endless positivity and infectious charm. Yet, when a scandal threatens to tarnish Chris's reputation, Chris is forced to question whether his persona is genuine or merely an act.

Amidst the chaos, Chris is stunned when Chris unexpectedly proposes marriage to her. Although it's not the proposal she envisioned, Chris sees it as an opportunity to alleviate her mother's mounting medical bills and help Chris salvage his public image.

As they navigate the complexities of their fake engagement, both Chris and Chris begin to develop real feelings for each other. However, they must confront the possibility that their engagement may not be as fake as they originally intended, and they risk losing more than just their hearts in the process.

With humor, heart, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, "The Fake Out" is a charming friends-to-lovers romance that explores the unexpected connections that can arise when two people from different worlds collide.

This book was Ah-MAZING! I always like to go into a book blind. I don’t like knowing too much ahead of time so I didn’t even read the back. This book is definitely became one of my favorites. I couldn’t put it book down and completed it in a day and 1/2 . This sweet, and funny Rom-Com about a small town librarian and NFL star really grabs you and has you laughing and aweing your way through the book. THIS NEEDS TO BE a MOVIE!

A great rom-com with brilliant chemistry between the Characters. I found it a slow start, but then I rushed through it absolutely loving the banter, witty writing and general storyline. Great as a fun light heart read.

Truly a romcom in every sense of the word. Great romance and great comedy! I love the characters and their banter and their chemistry. So fun and enjoyable.

Such a fun and wholesome rom-com!! The banter had me laughing out loud and chemistry swooning!
I really enjoyed the cheesy pickup lines at the start of each chapter.
Sharon was a new author for me and so glad I got to read The Fake Out.

This book was fine but I didn’t love it. The pacing felt a bit off and not one I’d go back to in a hurry. It might have been more a me issue but I think it just wasn’t meaty enough for me to really enjoy

This book really is laugh out loud funny. It’s a brilliantly written tale about a small town librarian and the man she finds asleep in the library. It also has one of the funniest lines I’ve ever read in a book…’Then nothing. Not a sound. Just my best friend staring at me like I’d grown a second head and it was playing the flute.’ I’ve already recommended it to friends. If you need cheering up, get this book.

The Fake Out: An utterly hilarious and totally heart-warming romantic comedy by Sharon M. Peterson is a rom com that some readers may enjoy. The writing style in this book is definitely unique. The banter between characters was meant to be funny but I really had a hard time reading this book because of it. Some readers may enjoy this book. It is a good happily ever after trope. It is a good story overall. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This is the ideal read for casual romance book lovers who want a light, straightforward story to escape into. The plot is something out of a Hallmark movie (the far-fetched aspect is what makes it fun!) and I enjoyed it immensely. This cheeky friends-to-lovers story is full of all my favorite romcom tropes: fake dating, marriage of convenience, opposites attract, small town romance, sports romance, and a slow burn romance. Both of the MCs are lovable and you really root for them to end up happy.

I wasn’t sure about this book for the first couple of chapters but as it progressed it got more engaging. Great story of learning to trust your feelings - small time librarian meets (American) football star … obviously the romance themes are loud and clear - the annoying ex, the pretence of a relationship etc, but this is a warm and absorbing book. In fact I thought I had read other books by this author but it appears to be my first - would read others… 4*

Mae can’t lock up the library until the guy asleep at his desk leaves. The mystery man finally wakes up—just in time to hear a steamy scene from Mae’s audiobook. The man turns out to be annoyingly handsome all-star NFL player Chris Stern. He keeps returning to the library, and winding Mae up may be his new favorite sport. But when a photo of him stumbling out of a Las Vegas club with a woman in tow is leaked to the press, Chris needs to fix his public image fast. He proposes a deal to Mae: if she agrees to be his fake fiancé, he’ll pay her—enough to pay off her mom’s medical bills. Could a fake engagement be the perfect fake out for Mae and Chris? Or are they playing a game they can’t win?

Another @netgalley ARC! 😅 Fall is the perfect time to read a sports romance, and I love a good fake dating story! Mae’s character was cute, quirky, funny, and string, making her a great protagonist. Chris really balanced her out well and I love how he was able to recognized that she needed someone to look out for her when she was so busy taking care of others. One thing I didn’t particularly care for was that Mae was oblivious to Chris’s feelings, and failed to give voice to her own, for the majority of the novel. But the story was cute and funny with a fast and engaging plot, so I was able to get past this. The Fake Out is out now, and it’s available on Kindle Unlimited!

The Fake Out is one of my favorite genres- famous guy, small town girl, fake relationship and then throw in a library! I really liked this one and fell in love with Chris Sterns along with Mae. I identified with Mae and her struggles to make ends meet, to take care of her family and deal with family issues; she was strong and lovable. I loved her friend Ali also and would love to learn more about her too. The complications were real and at times frustrating but not too bad, and of course a wonderful ending.

If you’ve been combing the internet for the football romance of your dreams, but would not like to read about football. Ding Ding Ding! I’ve got you. The Fake Out is about an NFL star that moves to a small town for a while to get away from buzz and then meets the town librarian in the cutest little meet cute and I’m not going to tell you even a word more because I just want you to read it.

Sharon M Peterson IS one of the best romance girlies in the game and she is out here writing top tier romance that not enough people are talking about. I am a Sharon M Peterson Stan. The story is always so organic and while my favorite tropes are present they are never forced or clunky or written just to be written. Not to mention, I care about every single supporting characters she writes. She has a gift.

This book was written for you if:
1. You are swept away in the romance of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
2. You want great writing and great romance
3. You would like to stay up all night tonight with this absolute page-turner

This is your traditional rom-com–one that screams Hallmark Channel movie–but don’t let that deter you from reading it. Mae, the lovable, single librarian, finds herself equal parts annoyed and attracted to Chris, the professional football player who has taken up residence in Mae’s hometown. Both find themselves in situations where they could help each other out by having a fake relationship, however Mae is quite a bit more hesitant to accept the help than Chris is (typical strong female character who thinks she can do everything on her own). Their fake romance is full of hilarious situations, and those along with the pick up lines that begin each chapter, add to the overall joy of this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. This a hilarious romantic comedy, it's full of interesting and hilarious characters. I loved her best friend Ali, we all need a friend like her. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

*Thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review, all opinions are my own*

I did not imagine I would love this book so much but I am so glad I did, I needed do read a 5 star book.
This book has everything you want in a romance!
I fell in love with our main male character and his attitudes.
I like how this book use all of the cliches well and developed a beautiful love story.
I highly recommend this book if you want a good, sweet and quick romance book!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was a really fun small-town romance filled with humorous banter, fake dating and an extremely handsome celebrity. I found myself giggling at the pages constantly, it was a really lovely read that I would highly recommend.

In a small town library in Two Harts, Mae finds herself entangled with Chris Sterns, a charming NFL player seeking refuge from his fans. Despite her initial annoyance, she warms to his positivity and joins his unexpected two person book club. However, when a scandal threatens to tarnish Chris's image, he stuns her with a surprising proposal, setting the stage for high-stakes engagement that could either save them both or become a losing game.

Sharon M Peterson sold me as a writer with her debut - The Do-Over so when The Fake Out came out in July I had to jump at the opportunity. Her writing style complete with her humor "suits me" IYKYK!

This is such an entertaining rom-com with the best humor and characters. Friends to lovers, reverse grumpy/sunshine tropes with tension, chemistry and love...I LOVED IT!

The cheesy pick up lines at the beginning of each chapter was such an added bonus.

Read if you like:
Small town
sports/celebrity
fake dating
humorous banter
cheesy pick up lines
sexy forearms