Cute fluffy YA light romance. I really liked Tinka and especially Sam. I enjoyed seeing their friendship grow while fake dating, turning into real dating without planning to :) This was a very enjoyable read.

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Such a sweet book! I loved every minute of it. The characters were perfect and adorable

What a sweet story! Tinka clearly had a lot of self-work to do, but she managed to be charming, and hard-working, and wound up being a pretty great friend too. Sam was totally geek-hot, and his family was adorable. Tinka's parents were a little nutty, allowing her to bring a friend home from school when they were in the middle of a remodel - that totally stressed me out. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the town, and hope to read more from Julie Hammerle.

I was so excited to visit North Pole again!! While this is the second book in this series, it can definitely be read as a standalone.

Tinka has just moved to North Pole with her family. She's completely out of her element, doesn't understand what is going on with her parents, and is trying to figure out how to keep away from a guy they keep trying to set her up with. Sam is Tinka's next door neighbor, always has a smile on his face, and rolls with everything that comes his way. He's the ultimate movie geek. Tinka is the ultimate baker. When they both need a relationship to ward off their families, they enter into a mutually beneficial fauxmance. But as their friendship grows so do their feelings.

I love this series. It's heartfelt, deals with real issues, and draws you in so you have no choice but to keep reading. There are so many fantastic characters in this series and I can't wait to see what's next for the residents of North Pole!

*This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*

(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley.)

“He shuddered with pleasure as she left a trail of kisses from his mouth to her ear, where she whispered, “We really are good at this fake kissing thing.””

This was a YA contemporary romance story featuring a fake boyfriend/girlfriend storyline.

Tinka and Sam were okay characters in this, although I struggled to really connect with them, I’m not sure why.

The storyline in this was about Tinka and Sam pretending to date to get away from other interested parties and their feelings for one another changing because of the fake relationship. There was a bit of drama, and Tinka’s parents were quite annoying, but Tinka and Sam were pretty cute together.

The ending to this was happy, with everybody getting what they wanted.
6.5 out of 10

Sam and Tinka were too lovable and adorable for a trope that is always being used in YA books nowadays.

The writing style made me fall in love with these two MCs even though the plot was cliche in all the ways possible. Their chemistry was just so undeniable. It was a very enjoyable Ya romance read and I really felt everything that each of the characters were going through. I felt it when they disliked each other, I felt it when they were slowly falling in love and I was getting the feels in every scene that I was suppose to. It was all just so on point!

If you asked me what went wrong, it's probably that I was just looking for more originality when it came to the plot. That's it. Everything else was just so sweet, cute, amusing, entertaining, and enjoyable. I couldn't really ask for more when it came to the writing style. The author did a wonderful job.

Tinka & Sam are neighbors with a common cause. They are sick of others trying to set them up with people completely unfit for them. They mean well, but really, who can choose but you for a significant other?

Sam is interested right away. Only he has virtually no experience with which to entice Tinka to be his. So he goes along with the scheme he unwittingly started out of desperation. Along the way, they start to feel more real. If only they could both be on the same page.....

This book was seriously what we call a slow burn. I was really turned off by how shallow and petty most of the characters were. I was about to put the book down - when, would you believe, it started back the other way. I felt every feel with this story and at the end was never so happy to get my HEA.


***This ARC copy was given in exchange for an honest review by Netgalley and its publishers.

Cute cute cute !!!

Artificial Sweethearts is the second in the North Pole, Minnesota series. And while Any Boy But You was the perfect winter holiday read, Artificial Sweethearts is the perfect summer vacation cute & fluffy. And that's where their similarities end. Well, that's not quite accurate: they both set in North Pole, Minnesota. They both cute & fluffies. And they have some of the same characters. But they both can be read independently and work as stand-alones.
I actually love this. While the story is written from two different characters, people we didn't actually get to know in the first book, there is a similar feel, the town's quirky-ness is the same. Some of the characters reappear as well, and they feel the same, even though they seen through different eyes and we see a different side to them because of it.

While the support felt a bit flat in the first book, I liked the character building this time around just fine. I love the support cast and adored the MCs. Well, I adore Sam. Sam is your nice guy. He isn't your usual usual male MC. No bad boy, he is not a player or a jock.. nope he is the nice guy next door. And I totally fell for him. His insecurities, his loyalty, his sweetness and his caring nature. Total winner. Also kind of refreshing to not reading about a reformed bad boy.
Tinka was a bit, well, selfish and self-absorbed in the beginning. But she does change over the course of the book and I grew to care for her. I love how the girls have real girl quarrels but I love the way they deal with it even more. While this is a swoony lighthearted kind of book, Hammerle add a rather heavy topic to the story. Yet it doesn't make it less lighthearted, it does however give it more depth.

The storyline is the faking it until you make it kind. And absolutely perfect cute & fluffiness.
Which brings me back to what I said right at the beginning: This is a summer vacation must read.

Artificial Sweethearts is a fun, sweet romantic read. I really enjoyed being swept away in this young adult romance novel all about a fake relationship. While I found that the plot line was somewhat predictable and lack luster, the overall story was really sweet. I do feel like the fake boyfriend/girlfriend story has been told before and there really is not much of a way to make it any different. Overall, I found this to be a fun read but a read that makes me feel like I have read it before and I know how it will end.

Tinka has lived in the shadow of her brother ever since he died many years ago. She does what her parents want to make keep them happy and doesn't tell them about her dreams. For example, she would love to be a baker but instead takes golf lessons to please her father. Sam is the youngest in his family and is stuck with planning the wedding of his older brother. When Sam and Tinka meet they agree to fake date to keep their families from planning their lives even further. It gets somewhat hard to relate to the characters as Tinka closes herself off so much.

Sam is getting ready to go to college and his family put him to take care of the preparations for his brother's wedding. Sam is a gentle, educated, extremely responsible young man who has low self-esteem, a true prince who does not realize his value. Because he does not think he's cute and thinks he's too nerd about his passion for movies, he has a hard time getting close to the girls. Extremely romantic does not want to succumb to the pressure of the family to get a girl to go with him to the wedding, but he sees no way out.
Tinka, after a situation of the past, assumes the responsibility of always making the parents happy following the rules and tastes imposed by them. She has a big surprise to see her parents on her summer vacation and is not understanding what happened to them. She returns to a house that he does not recognize, with roommate Jane who has a very different image of the friend in school, because when going to boarding school, Tinka decides to rebel a little and do things that always prohibited to do. Which ends up generating unexpected consequences for her.
With an addictive script, the writer arrested me with a well-constructed plot showing how important the dialogue is and not trying to please everyone besides using an improbable romance between a beautiful and strong girl and a dreamy and passionate boy.
I loved the young characters and Sam's family too much, but I got so angry with Tinka's family that it was selfish and ended up isolating the girl from the decisions of the family and the care and responsibilities of father and mother.
I loved Sam and his passion for movies. I loved Tinka and her passion for cooking. I loved the fake romance and the way the couple slowly get to know each other and open up with each other. I loved the point of conflict and the villains and almost villains of the book. I loved the cover and the title. I loved the outcome very much and how everything was resolved in the best way possible.
I did not know this writer and I became a fan of her, I already want all her books.
6/5 stars.
Kisses, Myl

I was kindly given an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks so much both to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley!

Ok, I have to admit, I am a major sucker for these types of novels. You know - fun and light, quite fluffy teen romances. And I've loved nearly all of Entangled's Crush imprint. And this one was no different. While it didn't instantly become one of my favourites in the imprint, it certainly was really enjoyable to read.

Artificial Sweethearts is cliché, yes, but it's also nice to see characters that aren't 'totally typical'. Whilst some aspects of them - with Tinka being the broken girl and Sam being that one guy who helps, they are refreshing too. Tinka's character is interesting, as it's not just the 'cute girl next door', as she does have some issues, which brings up a theme of there being more to each person than just the surface. I also enjoyed Sam's character, even though I didn't swoon as hard for him as I did for other characters I have read. I found him to be a really good match for Tinka.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel, even though it isn't one of my absolute favourites I've read. To the author - keep up the good work and congratulations on a great book.

I loved this fauxmance-romance, and I found it to be quite the quintessential summer read.

1. The book is set in the summer time.
This book begins with Tinka returning from boarding school to find out that her parents have moved to the country. She is already reeling from the multitude of bad choices she had made over the course of the past year, and she was really looking forward to being back in her familiar surroundings. Lucky for her, the new house comes with a sweet and handsome neighbor, Sam, who happens to be stressed out due to planning his brother's upcoming wedding as he dodges barbs regarding his non-existent love life. Instead of a summer romance, the two settle on a summer fauxmance to keep the families content and to avoid any undesirable suitors.
The overall tone of the book is light and breezy. This book is filled with a lot of humor and we get to tag along on some really fun outings. There is sledding at Jingle Falls, nights on the lake, rides on the pontoon boat, movie nights, a wedding, and even a Christmas in July festival. These type of outings scream summer time fun to me, and they provided the perfect backdrop for our hero and heroine to get to know each other better. I really enjoyed watching these two grow and change as their feelings for each other grew and changed. Tinka was known as an artful dodger type. When things got tough, she avoided it. All this dodging has left her with several tangled webs and some really damaged relationships. Through her friendship with Sam, she learned a lot about herself and what she wanted, and she made those attempts towards positive change to make it happen. Sam, who was just a sweet darling of a man, had some baggage too. By being with Tinka, he was able to gain some confidence, but also had her as a sounding board to share his feelings, as he thought he had to be the rock of the family and keep it all bottled up inside.

"Good Guy."
"Very good guy."
Tinka smiled. "You're kind of a Lloyd Dobbler, aren't you Sam?"

2. Summer is about spending quality time with family and friends.
There is a LOT of page time dedicated to the many interactions between Sam and his family, and Tinka and her family/friends. I really loved the dynamic over at Sam's house. The bond between the Andersen siblings was so obvious, and I was pretty jealous of it. Their home abounded with household and I attribute a lot of it to the great characters Hammerle created. Tinka's house was a little more complicated. This family was still working through their issues, but they were trying, and I was cheering them on with every small accomplishment.
Example of an adorable conversation between Sam and his brother's fiancee, Hakeem:

"who I definitely saw looking at you like you were her favorite member of One Direction -"
"Oh, Hakeem, get new references." Sam could't help smiling a tiny bit.
"A girl who looked at you like you were the hottest member of 98 Degrees -" Now Sam actually did burst out laughing.

3. "Summer loving had me a blast!"
I was shipping these two from their first glimpse across the yard. I was in love with Sam immediately, and I was worried about Tinka. I wanted her to find a fine young man, such as Sam, to treat her well and help her through the things she was experiencing. These two really complimented each other, and they talked, like really talked to each other. It was such a great give and take friendship, and there were so many sweet, adorable, and swoony moments.

4. Summer is about enjoying your free time.
And for me, what better way to enjoy it then with friends, family, and lots of baked goods. You see, Tinka loved to bake, and she did so often in the book. I wished at times that the book was scratch and sniff, because some of her creations sounded amazing.

I devoured this book. Sweet romance with light drama, and an Epilogue! This was really a great one too, as it tied up so many things quite nicely. Between the humor and great movie references, as well as the sweet perfection that was Sam, I wore a pretty big grin across my face from beginning to end of this book.

the second book in julie hammerle's north pole series introduces us to tinka foster, who quite frankly is kind of an emotional mess. her entire childhood has been overshadowed by her brother's accidental death when she was an infant. and she's spent all her time avoiding confrontation because she can't handle people being unhappy with her.

the problem with this approach is that people are still unhappy and this makes tinka even more unhappy. home for the summer after a year away from her parents, everything feels wrong. especially when her parents surprise her with a new hometown, her old best friend who she isn't currently speaking to, and a golf instructor/potential love interest that she isn't interested in. ever since she went away to boarding school she's felt out of control, and all these changes make that sensation feel worse. she expected to come home and settle back into the routine of making her parents happy. but now they seem capable of doing that for themselves.

the foster family is totally the poster family for what happens when you avoid conflict and talking things out in the open. tinka's parents have made strides to heal themselves and their relationship, but they have completely forgotten about tinka. and so even when tinka's behavior comes off as self-absorbed or selfish you kind of get it, she has no idea how to approach problems with emotional honesty. everything in her life has been about hiding her true feelings, and at some point all that bottling up with lead to an explosion.

sam anderson really gets it. the emotional avoidance. the bottling up of feelings. the making everyone else happy at your own expense thing. all of those things tinka does, he does too. the main difference is that sam is inherently selfless, so he does all these things at his own expense. while tinka is more into self-preservation. but this understanding is what draws them together.

sure there's also the whole fake relationship thing. but that's just an excuse. because the reality is that they are both totally into each other. it's just that emotional honesty isn't something they are used to, confronting things head on, not their thing. so you see how they are meant to be.

even though this is the second book in a series, it stands alone. we do still see some of the small town quirkiness and characters we loved in any boy but you, but if you haven't read the first book, you will still enjoy the second. one of the things i really enjoy about these books is that the characters aren't perfect. they are flawed, and things blow up in their face even when they have the best of intentions. but this also lets us see how they grow. and also how letting people into your life can change you for the better.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Entangled: Crush for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute, fun, coming of age romance. I have to say that even though the female main character makes a ton of mistakes in this book, she learns from them and her character develops nicely. Sam is such a sweetheart with very low confidence in himself and I like the fact that he starts to see his value and builds his confidence in this book. Well done!!

This story is full of teenage drama, from friends, parents, future choices to of course their “fake” romance turning into the real thing.

I love the fact that this is something I would let my teen daughter read. That is always a plus in my book. It contained just a little kissing but other wise a clean read. Great summer, coming of age teen read!!

I haven’t read anything by Julie Hammerle previously but I have always adored Entangled Crush books. Ms. Hammerle did not disappoint in the very least. I think this book was well written and really sucked the reader into this small town in Minnesota. I was almost tempted to bring out some Christmas stuff, after all it is July!

We meet Tinka who is back from boarding school and who has moved to a new town without even knowing it. Her parents just uprooted and did all this without her knowledge, as if that wasn’t shock enough she was going through her own things with her roommate who just happened to come along for the summer break. This book definitely had a lot of complicated realistic situations that happen to people all the time. It was hard to read but worth the read. Tinka is a strong girl, but instead of facing her issues head on she tends to run away. You see her grown throughout the book and finally realize what she’s been doing to herself and others around her. Of course she has help learning this not only from old friends but from Sam, her neighbor.

Sam also has his own family issues to deal with, he never really stands up for himself and let people know what’s going on. Sometimes it’s hard keeping up a façade like that. But together he and Tinka learn to grown as people with new emotions growing between the two of them.

I really can’t say enough good things about this book. It was a quick read, very sweet and endearing. I had my heart strings pulled more than once throughout the book, I really felt invested in the characters and what they were going through. I just hope you get a chance to read it and remember how important family and friends are in your life, and how important it is to always talk to them truthfully. Letting things go will not only make yourself feel better but will make those around you understand and feel better as well.

The relationship between Sam and Tinka was cute, should I or shouldn’t I, is this real or is this pretend struggle between the two. It was sweet, and I was rooting for them the entire time. Loved this book, definitely need to go read the first book in this series just to see how it all began in this small town in Minnesota.

Thank you netgalley!
"Artificial Sweethearts" was a cute YA read with fun, emotion, romance and realistic relationship issues between family and friends. This story takes place in North Pole, Minnesota and is the 2nd book set here though it can be read as a standalone. I was happy to see that Sam was the focus of this book and I just adored his character from the start. Tinka on the other hand wasn't so easy to fall in line with and support. Arriving home from her boarding school where she plays golf and has spent most of the year partying, along with her roommate Jane, Tinka is shocked to find her parents have sold her childhood home and relocated to North Pole. She finds herself being set up by her parents and Sam finds himself avoiding the mean bakery girl, Dottie, so they decided to fake their relationship. Both of the characters and their relationship grew on me and I really enjoyed the story. It was a super quick read and it was nice to see characters from the first novel. The story deals with how people deal with loss in different ways and the pressures parents put on their kids (sometimes without even realizing). I definitely want to read more stories set in this town and am glad that I got to read this one!

I am a huge fan of the fake bf/gf plot line, so I was pretty excited for this one.

Tinka is an okay MC. Her weird situation with her parents has sort of forced her into being selfish and making rash decisions when things are up to her. Sam is straight up adorable and he's the main reason I kept reading. Both of them do a lot of things they don't want to because their families are oblivious.

Plot wise, it was a lot of push and pull, some lying, and some sweet moments. I wish it could have been a bit less drama filled, but with the amount of backstory it was probably impossible.

Overall, I was intrigued to see how it was all going to end and Sam and his dimple kept me charmed.

**Huge thanks to Entangled Publishing for providing the arc free of charge**

Tinka Foster headed off to boarding school and decided that she would re-invent herself and so she became Tinka Foster - Party girl. However, during the last day of the school year at a party, Tinka ended up hooking up with her best friend Jane's ex-boyfriend Colin. Regretting it, Tinka tries to get Colin to keep quiet especially since Jane is coming home to spend Summer break with Tinka and her family. When Tinka's parents pick her up at the airport, though they are not the same people she said goodbye to and then to her surprise her family has moved to a small town called the North Pole in Minnesota. Here Tinka meets Sam and as they are both trying to get away from matchmakers the two end up in a fake relationship. Since it's summer, this should be easy since they are both off back to school after the break. However as the book goes on and as us readers know, a fake relationship can never stay fake as sooner or later along the way they will start to feel "real" feelings. What will happen though when Sam and the rest of Tinka's old and new friends find out about Colin and her's kiss? Will they be able to forgive her and move on or will they see this as Tinka's true colors? Find out in Book #2 of the North Pole, Minnesota series by Julie Hammerle. The other good thing about this series is that they can be read as stand-alone stories.

The fake relationship is always a great book - there is so much you can do with it and Ms. Hammerle doesn't disappoint. I had a hard time putting this book down to do much of anything else! Sam and Tinka both have a lot to overcome, and it's fabulous that they found each other along the way. Kudos to Entangled: Crush for publishing another great story! LOVED IT. Highly recommend!