I went into this book thinking that it was just going to be one of those normal average romantic comedies. However what I got was so much more than average and that was definitely thabks to the great character development. I thought that the love story was very natural and there were some great laugh out loud moments throughout. I enjoyed all the cheesy pick up lines.

This was such an unexpected read for me but I really enjoyed it. The characters were well thought out, the plot was great and I really loved every minute of it.

Four stars!

This was exactly the kind of golden retriever energy I needed. The Fake Out is a great story. Our heroine is delightfully sarcastic but hesitant. Mae and Chris's relationship was a joy to read. The book had me laughing out loud at times. The love of books and the cast of characters around them makes it even better.

Here's where I call myself out a bit. I read both closed door and more spicy novels. This book was so funny, paced well, and interesting that I got to the end of the book and didn't realize until later that it was closed door. I was just that into their story. So, if you are looking for a romcom I highly recommend this either way. It's worth the read.

Read this book if you love;
• Fake Dating/Engage
• Grumpy x Sunshine
• He Falls First
• Only One Bed
• Small Town

This is going to be one of my favorite romcom read this year!!
It’s funny, emotional and sweet, what more could you ask for ?

The writing style is easy to read and it flows smoothly as well.
I love all the pickup lines (even the cheeky ones) throughout the story especially the ones when a new chapter began!

I fell in love with the characters as well, they are loveable, well developed and feels very relatable with all their flaws.
There’s Mae - our FMC, I adore her character as an independent and strong woman with her sarcastic remarks and stubbornness. Despite all of that, she genuinely cares for her family and always kind to other people.
I also like seeing her strong friendship with Ali and Ali’s shenanigans always makes me laugh.

Chris is the perfect swoony love interest! I love his infectious smile and pickup lines which seems to rise Mae’s grumpiness sometimes.
He’s the perfect match for her and I’m rooting for them all the way through!

I love all the aspects here, there are sweet and enchanting moments but also the emotional and heart-breaking ones.
One of my most favorite part is discovering the meaning of ‘it suits you’ from this book because it hits me right in the feels!

Overall, this is a wholesome romance with great humor, such a fantastic read!
I feel satisfied with how everything got wrapped up in the end, I would highly recommend people (especially romcom lovers) to pick this one up ASAP!
I’m really looking forward to read more books from this author in the future!

I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

This book was 4.5 stars for me - rounded up to 5 stars. I took off half a star because I felt like the FMC took her need to be independent slightly too far, but other than that, I absolutely adored this book. I am a sucker for a good marriage of convenience trope - especially when one half is a billionaire/professional athlete - and this story did not let me down. The characters felt genuine and good-hearted, the story flowed easily, and the romance was so sweet without being spicy. The first real kiss between the two MC's had me swooning, for sure.

I do almost wish we had been able to read this book from a dual perspective, but I don't think the book suffered without it. Both of our main characters had me rooting for them from the beginning, and I was so happy with the way the story ended. This was my first Sharon Peterson book, but I can assure you that it won't be my last. Also - the terrible pickup lines at the beginning of each chapter? Chefs kiss!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Book boyfriend - check, cute funny moments - check, love story you wish would happen to you - check. Romantic comedy perfection - check check! Maebell (adorable name) and Chris are the couple you root for, swoon worthy plot.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is my first time reading this author. What a fun book! I truly enjoyed it. A lovable librarian-doing her best to keep the library going on a very small budget, finds a sleeping man in her library. And from there-it gets crazy. Chris is a pretty famous football player. The characters are interesting, and this story will make you chuckle. The families are interesting and lovable. This is a feel good book. 4.5 stars Well worth a read, I will be reading more by this author. I think most romance readers would enjoy.

This was a sweet romance. Both main characters were extremely loveable, but Chris was just adorable. Also really enjoyed the family drama element, as well as the community vibe in this.

What to expect:

- sports romance
- famous football player and librarian
- opposites attract
- fake dating
- grumpy x sunshine
- one bed
- closed door romance

First of all thankyou to the publisher for such a brilliant read .

I had never read any of Sharon work before so I thought let's see what her books are like I can say I wasn't disappointed, I very much enjoyed this book anytime I hear smalltown romance I'm there I love how it gives it bit more of a cozy vibe .

The plot well what can I say brilliant it kind of spoke for its self , the characters mea she works in a small library and Chris is a big time athlete,it's a great fake dating romance sometimes I'm like oh fake dating let's see how this goes I loved it it was not cheesy ,

Sharon writing is so well paced wasn't slow she kept you guessing what going to happen next just what I need .

I definitely recommend if you love Alii Hazelwood .

I'm rating this brilliant room 5 starts

read if you love:
•reverse grumpy x sunshine
•he falls first
•sports romance
•fake engagement
•bookish hero

this book was all things a perfect romcom should be — original meet cute, great banter and hilarious lol moments among so many other things i absolutely loved about this book.

MAE! oh my goodness, does this woman speak my language. she was the ultimate blend of sass and sarcasm and is easily my favorite grumpy heroine. her quick wit and sharp tongue was perfection and i love the way chris handled her. her prickly nature never got to him and his golden retriever personality balanced mae out in the most beautiful way.

i loved watching these two fall in love. it was easy to see chris’ feelings even though we only had mae’s pov. he truly SAW her, and the special way he told her “i love you” turned me into an absolute puddle.

this book was so much more than a romcom;
at its core is a heartwarming story. i loved mae’s relationship with her sister iris and all she was willing to do for her family. i loved mae and chris’ book club and them picking out books together. i love how much the town rallied to try to save the library. i loved chris’ nicknames for mae and his protective nature. ahhhh i loved this book and there is so much more, but you should just read it for yourself to enjoy this story of pure delight!!

thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy. my thoughts are my own.

"Oh, you beautiful, strong, rainbow-colored lady water buffalo."

"Halfway to brave is scared."

Sharon's debut book, "The Do Over", made me an instant fan of her rom-com stories. So when I was gifted her follow up novel "The Fake Out" I was innnnn!! Peterson's work gives readers:

〰️ closed door romance
〰️ laugh out loud banter
〰️ plus size representation
〰️ men who understand boundaries
〰️ bold family dynamics
〰️ supportive best friend (who is a bit unhinged, in the best possible way)
〰️ strong female leads with confident personalities

“The Do Over” is everything I love in my rom-com novels — packed full of love, laughter, growth, and learning with the most *chef’s kiss* HEA.

Oh this was so much fun and not at all what I expected! I went into this with hopes of having my normal average fun with a sweet rom-com but it felt so much more than this. There was some excellent character growth and progression, a sweet love blossoming, hilarious chapter openers with some cheesy pick-up lines, fun MC’s with huge families and the writing was delicious I ate it up!

My favourite part was honestly each chapter opening with a pick-up line, they were so funny and made the book so lighthearted and fun!
I loved all the characters, the reverse grumpy sunshine was definitely a treat and also fresh instead of it being a grumpy MMC! (Not that I ever complain about that, who would)
Maebell, firstly what a sweet name!? She was grumpy, moody, glass half empty. But she had so much character growth. She went from not believing in romance like in her novels to obviously falling for Chris!
And Chris was a sweetie! The perfect cinnamon roll boyfriend and I was HERE for that!
He also had such a big family and really cared for his sister, was a huge reader, and was 6”5? Do you need anything else in a man?! I think not.
Iris was also funny, Mae’s sister. She was witty and definitely had some character depth I did not expect either!
I enjoy their father being a part of the story to add some necessary family drama into the mix!
This has forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, fake-dating (fake engagement) and was such a sweet fun and hilarious rom-com. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

This book was so good!!!!! I’m obsessed with the fake dating trope so this was heaven!!!! Ugh I had so much fun reading it and I just didn’t want it to end💗🫶🏻

Small-town librarian Mae has a heart of gold. She is fiercely loyal and does what she can to look after her mum and sister. In her role as librarian at Two Harts Mae is used to clearing up mess. However, when football player Chris Sterns is found asleep in the library she isn’t prepared for what comes next.
Chris is taking some time out from being in the public eye, and his relentless charm and positivity is something Mae doesn’t know what to do with. From their snarky chats to their two-person book club, it’s clear these two are becoming friends.
It’s for this reason that when Chris asks Mae for help, she agrees. Their ‘engagement’ is meant to be a diversion…but what do you do when the feelings are real? A remarkably chaste and wholesome romance, with a nice line in feel good.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this.

I loved this! I enjoyed the author's debut novel, but it was missing something for me personally, but this book I absolutely loved! The romance was great, I enjoyed the characters, especially the tall, handsome NFL player, Chris ;)

Mae is a small-town librarian at Two Harts Public Library, she loves her job and helping everyone that she can though she does have a feisty side. When she comes across a sleeping giant in her library one day whilst closing she's not sure what to do. Chris is a sexy, caring NFL all-star, he's come to town to lay low and avoid the press whilst going through a scandal. The two begin an unlikely friendship and eventually agree on how best to save Chris’s reputation, a fake engagement!

I enjoyed the romance a lot! Usually, I'm not a fan of fade-to-black/clean romance but Chris was just such a sweetie that I enjoyed it nonetheless! I loved his fascination with Romance books and his and Mae’s smutty book club was such a fun time! I enjoy the Grumpy x Sunshine trope in romance and I especially love when the male main character is the happy, smiley character with labrador vibes while the female character is the grumpy, guarded character with black cat energy.

Overall this was a really enjoyable read! Will definitely be reading more of the author's work as it comes out. I really recommend this book for romance lovers in need of a small-town romance this summer!

If the fake fiancee trope is one you enjoy this book is a must. It was wonderfully written and I could not put it down. I love a feisty Bookish main character and devoured this book in one day!

One of my favourite tropes is fake dating/marriage of convenience and this book lived up to my expectations. Chris was a bubbly sunshine, while Mae was a more serious grump and their constant bickering left me with a smile on my face as I read. Why do I love it so much when a guy knows exactly how to get on your nerves?‽! If that’s not enough tropes for you there’s also the fact that he’s a NFL star (though you wouldn’t really know it cause he hardly plays it during the story), and we also have a “one bed” moment.

There was the right amount of heart, humour and chemistry to have me devouring this book in a day. There wasn’t any spice but you didn’t really need it in this book, it was cute and with enough longing in it that you hardly even noticed. I will definitely be looking for other books by this author. Please tell me Ali is getting her own book?

Thanks to #NetGallery and the publisher. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
POV: Single
Spice: 0/5
Age suggestion: 16+

Chris was such a cutie hero. I loved how much he enjoyed riling Mae up and how he was never faced with her grumpiness, in fact he was charmed by it. He was not only a adorable hero but a damn good brother too.

Mae was dealt with so many bad hands that she was kinda a pessimist. But a pessimist with huge heart. I love how responsible she was and how much she loved her family. She never once lost her cool. I loved her friendship with Ali they were so much fun with their pranks. Can’t wait to read her book.

I especially love a book when there are a bunch of colourful and eccentric secondary characters. They were such a lovely bunch from Chris’ 4 sisters to Mae’s library assistant. I couldn’t get enough of their antics.

Also the pick up lines in the beginning of each chapter…. Too good! I highlighted almost all of them.
Overall a very enjoyable and must read.
Standalone, KU.

—small town romance, fake relationship.
—reverse grumpy x sunshine.
—hilarious moments.
—athlete x librarian
—clean romance.

This was a very enjoyable read for me. I love the little pick up lines at the start of each chapter sent in by fans. They are so funny and add something special to the book. Mae was a take charge and in control woman who had so much weight to carry and a lot of responsibility that she took on. Chris was a golden retriever of a man and I loved his personality and how you could tell he fell for Mae. They worked so well together no matter how hard they (mainly Mae) fought against it. His family was amazing and so enjoyable! I also love how the Author included side characters with more serious health issues. I thought she handled them very well while also informing the reader about the condition along with the effects they had on loved ones. There were so many cute moments that had me smiling! I loved that the FMC was plus size without having the plot revolve around that or have her be constantly insecure about it. It was just how she was and Chris never treated her any differently because of it. The ending was really good, although I wish Peter had a little more payback come his way. I’m excited to read her other book “The Do-Over” after reading an excerpt of it!

If there's anything to take away from “The Fake Out”, it’s that it will suit you just fine.

“A frown tugged at his mouth, ‘Well, I like to read and I like you.’”

Welcome to Two Harts, where the latest small-town romance is the talk of the town. Local Librarian Maebell Sampson meets football star, Chris Sterns and a lot happens in a short amount of time that flips Mae’s life upside down. There's a book club (that consists of just the two), a house full of bunny memorabilia, an ex who just so happens to be the town's mayor, and a fake marriage agreement. Not to mention each chapter starts with a cute pick-up line or anecdote.

But by far my favorite thing? Although I loved seeing multiple stories unfold of everyone else around her, I also love Maebell’s character. It’s no secret that I love when a book specifically mentions if a character is plus-sized so I was super happy to see that Mae was confident in her own skin before Chris came along. She works hard and she is an example of how eldest daughters take on the burden of taking care of the family. If she helps others, then who is there to help her? *cough* Chris? *cough*

He definitely fell first but I’d say she fell harder and I was glad to be along for the ride. I’ll definitely add this to the books I will always reread.