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

Hilarious and heartwarming, I couldn’t help but swoon over Sharon M Peterson’s fabulous romantic comedy, The Fake Out.

The small town of Two Harts is hardly a thriving metropolis – which is why librarian Mae cannot believe that handsome NFL player Chris Sterns is 1) in town and 2) hiding out in her library from his many adoring fans who follow his every move and don’t give him a moment’s peace. Embarrassingly, Chris has already discovered her addiction to racy blush-inducing audiobooks, however, little does Mae realize that things are going to get a whole lot more complicated for her thanks to the drop dead gorgeous football player.

When the press get a hold of an incriminating photo of him in Las Vegas, Chris finds himself in desperate need of cleaning up his image – and a small-town librarian is just the ticket to help him reassure his managers and fans that he’s one of the good guys. Proposing to Mae and asking her to be his wife should be the answer to all of his prayers – not the beginning of a whole plethora of problems.

Even die-hard romantic Mae never expected to be proposed to by a handsome celebrity. Although love does not enter into the equation, this fake engagement would give Mae financial stability and an opportunity to pay her mother’s mounting medical bills. However, what neither Mae nor Chris had counted on was falling head over heels in love with one another!

This fake engagement has suddenly got real! Will Mae and Chris act on their feelings for one another? Or is it all going to end in tears?

Fans of Emily Henry are going to lap The Fake Out up! Sharon M. Peterson has written a fun, flirty and feel-good romantic comedy that will give readers all the feels as they find themselves falling hard for Mae and Chris.

A top-notch romantic comedy that has irresistible written all over it, Sharon M. Peterson strikes gold with The Fake Out.

Absolutely loved this book and finished it in one sitting. A really cute and humorous story and I loved the main characters and all the side characters. Will definitely be reading more from this author

"I can't lock up the library until the guy asleep at his desk leaves. Thank the universe for audiobooks because I could be here all night. But I see his mouth twitch at the exact moment a steamy kiss takes place. My face burns when I realize my headphones are plugged in and my phone is at full volume."
Oh, come on, that had to get your attention!! The Fake Out is a delightful story that checks all the rom-com boxes! A librarian and a jock in a predicament that maybe a fake relationship can fix. This was such an enjoyable read. Mae could be a little frustrating, as is any character that is so set that there is no such thing as a happy ever after and all relationships are doomed. But she's also a delight and kind and trying her best. Chris is just wonderful and swoony and yeah..... This book is a feel good, make you smile with entertaining dialogue and quirky side characters.
Don't skip over the cheesy pick-up lines at the beginning of each chapter! They are fun and cute and very cringe worthy!

Pure, sweet and wholesome romantic comedy!

Congrats to the author because The Fake Out is smashing all the boxes!
The story is fantastic. The characters are golden, especially Chris. I love this golden retriever hero!

It's very engaging, hard to put down, and most importantly, it's very well written! In my opinion, this story is much better than the first book, more things make sense.

I recommend it with all my heart!

Really love this book!!!!


"Thank you so much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

This book took a bit for me to get into but when I did I deeply enjoyed it! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this. I am excited to read more by Peterson

This is my first time reading anything by this author. This was such a cute rom com book!
The cheesy pick up lines were just the right amount without annoying me! The characters were relatable and I found myself eager to see where things would end up. I would definitely recommend this books to friends and family.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC!

I don’t normally do chick lit - not enough serial killers or crazy murdering husbands/wives, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I can see why some of the reviewers struggled with Mae and her incessant pessimism, but after the first few chapters she certainly becomes a bit less cynical! Although the story line is not so original - it was written in such a way that I was almost transported there! I can imagine this being made into a little Netflix series. For once, it was nice to have some fluffy, sunny, lightness instead of my usual dark reads! An absolute must for anyone wanting a bit of light hearted escapism.

I have decided that Sharon M. Peterson is an auto=read author for me. I loved her first novel and this second one was equally fantastic. I love this take on fake dating. I appreciated that both main characters were respectful of each other and were characters in and of themselves. I just love Peterson's writing and story development. Can't wait to see what is next!

this was my go to book for a weekend away, it was a fun easy read but i did struggle to get on with the mae as she was so down about life but i persisted and it was a sweet love story with some laugh out loud moments

This was a cute romance book, but I found the main character to be obnoxious. Glad I read it though!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Of course, the cover art and the synopsis of the book itself made me want to dive right in. Who wouldn't want to when the story itself is about a small-town, a librarian and a very popular NFL player. Mix in some grumpy/sunshine vibes with a fake dating/engagement trope?! Sign me up!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to completely finish this book. I ended up putting it down about halfway through. I found myself unable to enjoy the main character's POV as it felt a little too irritable, too sarcastic and too pessimistic. For the first half of the book, I felt that it was moving maybe a little slower than preferable and Mae's attitude felt pretty redundant in certain cases. While I completely respect and understand the author's choice for doing so, it made it hard for me to be able to truly connect to the story.

However, I do wish I could've pushed myself to continue through the second half of the book as I feel that the author would have definitely tied everything well together. Not to mention the romance of it all... it was built up very strong in the first half. I believe that others would definitely find this an enjoyable and worthwhile read!

It’s not often that a librarian will get a proposal she can’t refuse; When Mae first sees someone sleeping in the library she does not realise it is the all-star NFL player Chris Sterns. But when he needs a scandal to go away and she needs money, the only solution is to have a fake engagement. But soon they will be questioning just how fake it really is.

This was a feel-good read with two protagonists I was excited to see get together, these main characters were very much opposites but compliment each other throughout the novel.

Peterson writes a fun and easy read with great side characters and a town I hope to visit again.

I am a fan of the fake dating trope, and that might weigh into what I thought about this book since I cannot tell how much of it influenced my final thoughts about it all.
Our lead protagonist is a librarian struggling to ensure her local library stays funded. Her ex pulls those financial strings at the city level, and their past relationship does not help matters much. On the other end, we have a famous, athletic and good-looking sportsman trying to lie low for a while. He ends up in Mae's path one too many times before he decides that they can help each other out.
Mae is a typically responsible head of the family. She has been 'taking care' of things at home without her sister or mother getting to know the extent to which she has had to struggle to keep a roof over their heads. Her commentary on life in general around her as she goes about her life definitely helps. Chris is not very different when things are examined at the base level. He has just had more going for him, and with his skills, he is ahead in the 'taking care' department.
Both the protagonists are portrayed in a way that makes it very easy to want them to get together for their happily ever after. It was a breeze to read, and it was one of those books that I kept reading till i realised I had finished it. The book is more about the tug of war in Mae's head than any actual getting together on their part.
I would recommend this to fans of this genre. I would also definitely pick up another of the author's works if I get the chance.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Thank you netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book. This book was so sweet and just a happy read for me. I know the main character had struggles but I loved the small town vibes and Chris was just the most lovable character! I loved chris’s sisters and really everyone that lived in the town of Two harts. I really hope we get another book that takes place in Two harts because I just can’t wait to revisit this beautiful town with all of these amazing characters! I felt like this book had the perfect mix of everything in it!

Ms Peterson is a new-to-me author, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up. The cover is cute, and drew my attention and when I read the blurb, I definitely became interested in reading it. I was not disappointed! The story was cute, fun, and flirty with just the right amount of spice. When an NFL star, Chris Sterns, comes to the small town of Two Harts, and librarian Mae sees him napping in the non-fiction section, one thing leads to another and they end up with a fake engagement. Both will benefit from this faux arrangement. Chris is in town to hide out from a PR nightmare. The fake engagement is an attempt to fix his tarnished reputation, and Mae will receive some much-needed money. What could go wrong when it's just all fake?
Oh these two were so adorable together! Her grumpy, snarkiness and Chris' sweet, full of sunshine attitude, made for some really fun and witty banter. The chemistry really sizzled between them, and even with this closed door romance the spice was definitely strong!
Chris and Mae's dynamic was great and I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom. This was an enjoyable read and I hope to read more by this author in the future.
I received a complimentary copy from Bookouture and Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Fake dating
Librarian meets jock
Grumpy sunshine
THE PICK UP LINESs!!!
Mae had the weight of the world on her shoulders and Chris was the perfect salve to lift her spirits and help her see that she isn't weak for accepting help.
This is a sweet romance (line drawn at kissing) but the story really is about Mae's journey of self discovery and saving her beloved library.
Thans Net galley for the ARC

I adored this book. I could not put it down.

I have never really been into insta love books but I think because this book is written from the female characters POV it didn't bother me that the male main character was an insta love.

I loved the characters, the flow of the story and how it all worked well together. Made me laugh, smile, giggle and blush.

Would definitely recommend!

Sharon is one of those rare authors who writes books that are laugh-out-loud funny while also being relatable, emotional, and real.

Mae is a small-town librarian with a huge weight on her shoulders. Her mother is recovering from a health scare, her teenaged sister is testing her boundaries, and her grifter father is nowhere to be found. So, Mae does what she always does.

She takes charge and takes care of everyone... Until Chris comes along, that is.

Chris is the perfect romcom hero. Funny, goofy, (tall and muscular--hello, professional football player!) with a huge heart. He offers Mae a mutually-beneficial fake engagement that will help relieve her financial burden, but along the way, he becomes the first person to notice that Mae could use a little care, too. (Friends, I swooned when he snuck in and fixed her dishwasher while she took a nap 😍)

This book has everything you'd want in a romcom: hilarious banter, a charming cast of friends and townspeople, a "theres only one bed" situation, lots of pining forced-proximity moments, and grumpy/sunshine characters you will root for all the way.

Sharon's first book, The Do Over set a high bar, and this one more than met expectations!