So fun and breezy! A very worthy dive into being inspired by an Instagram influencer, and then trying your hand at it. What's real and what's fake takes a center turn, and we get to experience everything as we see the worth in realism vs. a painted reality. I loved it, and I now want to read everything by Kristin Rockaway. So engaging! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

REVIEW | She’s Faking It

Bree is down on her luck, having just lost her job, in debt, and aimless in life. But when she gets inspired by an Instagram life guru, she begins to manifest a new, more instagrammable life for herself (including free things and even a hot surfer love interest next door).

Things I liked:
💗The real portrayal of social media. Rockaway does a great job of overtly abs sometimes subtly transmitting the message that what you see online is rarely as shiny in real life. So relevant!
💗The voice / writing style was super accessible, vulnerable, fun, honest and witty. Further, Bree as a character was so relatable
💗San Diego location 😍
💗Relationship dynamic btw Bree and her sister


Massive thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin/Graydon House, and Kristin Rockaway for access to this ARC 💓

Bree Bozeman is adrift. She is a college dropout, works for a food delivery service, barely makes rent, and hasn't found her passion in life. We follow her in this book through several dips to rock bottom. She decides to follow in Instagram "self-help guru" recommended by her hyper organized sister Natasha and starts an Instagram account to manifest her dreams. It's a very timely story and very current - focusing on the reality and non-reality of the Instagram community. Bree learns all about the ways influencers can have positive and negative effects on others, including the horrible way social media affected her new boyfriend Trey. It's not the most sophisticated writing, but the story does flow and you do find yourself rooting for Bree as well as the other characters. It's an interesting commentary on how social media affects our society today. 2.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of this book - all opinions are my own.

I loved it. The main character Bree was a little bit of a hot mess at times, but she was very likeable and relatable. There was so much character development in this book. The relationship between Bree and her sister Natasha was so touching and had me choked up in parts. The romantic element, while not too prominent, was very satisfy. Lots of conflict, depth, character development, and witty dialogue made She's Faking It a winner for me.

I appreciated how fun, fast-moving, and often hilarious this book was. I've been looking for escapist reads right now and this romance totally fit the bill. Would recommend to those looking for a book that will make them laugh and deeply relate with the main character (especially if they're disillusioned with the gig life offered by delivery/driving services).

This is my second title by Kristin Rockaway, my first being How to Hack a Heartbreak. I'm a big fan of Kristin's style. Kristin has the unique ability to use technology in her books just as seamlessly as we use it in our lives. The reader can easily empathize with the women of her books, because they are regular, modern women trying to figure out how to live in our fast paced world.

In She's Faking It, Bree Bozeman is all of us at one point. Feeling aimless, wandering around looking for what will make us happy. This is a narrator who doesn't know what she wants or how to get there. She's been delivering food via an app for years, and until the universe intervenes, she has no plans to stop. She's comfortable in her unhappiness, not even realizing until she's basically slapped in the face with reality, that she's grown accustomed to her own misery.

And honestly, who hasn't been there?

You're living life, just trying to survive day to day, not even recognizing that you've stopped trying to enjoy yourself. You're too busy trying to live until the end of the day that you miss trying to live today.

She's Faking It is a good story because it's contemporary romance, but the romance doesn't over shadow the entire story. As romance often is in real, it's a part of our lives . but not the whole of our lives. Bree's relationship with Trey grows throughout the book, but the focus is on Bree growing throughout the book.

The use of instagram is a pretty genius tool. Instagram shows the fakeness most of us aspire to without actually showing any of our aspirations. I say this while meanwhile loving instagram because it inspires me, shows me things of beauty that i can quickly access. The problem is when people start believing instagram is real and comparing their own lives to it.

Set in the ideal coastal town of Pacific Beach, She's Faking It is a beachy read full of seashells of wisdom about finding truth and purpose in an Instagram world.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Bree is obsessed with social media, which does not endear me to her, yet I found her journey somewhat real.

I received She's Faking It by Kristin Rockaway for free in exchange for an honest review. The main character is a bit superficial, but the read was enjoyable.

There is something about Kristin Rockaway's books that I truly enjoy. While I was reading How to Hack a Heartbreak, which was about a girl coder creating a website, I was in the midst of creating this website to commit to my book reviews. I could relate and loved seeing how a super successful site could be. While reading She's Faking It, here I am trying to navigate social media while Bree is working to become Instagram famous. Timing truly is everything!

I found Bree to be very endearing. She's in her 20's, and doesn't have life all figured out. Who did at that age? She lives in a beach town, but her ex-boyfriend just moved out to "find himself." She gets by with working for a food delivery app, but just barely. She prides herself on her stellar app rating, but if you asked her what her passion is, she draws a blank. When I was in my 20's, if someone asked me what my passion was, I sounded a lot like Bree. I didn't have anything I was passionate about, and I had no idea how to figure it out. I went to college, not because I wanted to, but because that's what you did. I could relate to her struggles.

Bree, like many of us, would look at social media, and wonder how her life would be if it was anything like the hashtags she views. Bree gets a peek of that influencer lifestyle when her sister, Natasha, lends her a book by lifestyle guru Instagram famous Demi DiPalma that is truly inspiring to her to change her life! It's so inspiring, it actually had me making a visionboard at 11pm last night after the kids went to sleep. No joke.

Bree decides to make her visionboard on Instagram, and begins to build a following and gains collaborations. Oh to be an influencer! Sure, there's no money, but look at the swag! And the likes! And the envy of others! And by following the advice of the book, she also begins to date the boy next door, who just happens to be a pro-surfer. It's working! Fake it 'til you make it!

Reality isn't as fun and easy as it is to take a picture and throw on a cool filter. And when Bree gets a chance to truly see the inner workings of a famous Instagram influencer, things don't turn out exactly as planned.

I really enjoyed this one! Rockaway created a character who's world was interesting to be in. I've read books before where I could not tolerate the main character. Some had no growth. Some had the "whoa is me my life isn't my fault I'm so unlucky" vibe that would grate on my nerves. I never experienced any of that with Bree. She felt more like someone I could relate to when I was in my 20's. How my friendships would have been if I was born during the social media era. I enjoyed going on this ride with Bree, and am adding Kristin Rockaway on my favorite authors list!

Some people would tell you that it's impossible to manifest success by pretending to be successful. This book has no room for that sort of negativity. :-)

Seriously, though, I loved it. Bree is relatable and interesting. Her desire to have more from life is pretty much universal. The book has moments of utter hilarity and brilliance. Another winner from Rockaway.

Review based on an ARC

Bree's life hasn't exactly panned out the way she wanted it to.
She's working as a food delivery driver, her car is falling apart, she hasn't really moved on since her relationship ended seven months ago, and she's fairly sure that the apartment she rents is being let illegally. When she stumbles upon the beautiful feed of Instagram Super Influencer Demi DiPalma, Bree wonders if she too could manifest her dreams to become an insta-worthy reality.

I LOVED this. It was set in a beach community in San Diego and I could almost feel the sun on my face while I read it. I adore a book with a sister relationship in it, and I thought the dynamic between Bree and her sister Natasha was really well written. I enjoyed all the supporting characters very much, from the outspoken YouTube comic Mari to the former Pro Surfer Trey.

It looks at the reality behind the glossy Insta filters, and discusses things like wellness trends, influencers flogging retreats, sponcon and buying followers in a smart, engaging fun way.

I loved this.

Full review to appear on behindgreeneyes.com as part of the blog tour closer to the publication date, with thanks to the publisher.

I really loved this book, and I felt like it was relatable as well! I finished it within a few days due to not being able to put it down. This book encompassed a few different feelings which I loved: romance, friendship, and a tight sister bond. This book provided a good storyline, great characters, and a relatable relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

This was an enjoyable read although the wishy washiness of the heroine, while perhaps true to her character, was annoying. It was great to read a book where the heroine's growth wasn't dependent on the male lead.

Oh my goodness, I loved this book so much! I felt like this book truly hit home, and was so relatable! I finished this book in two day’s, I truly did not want to put it down!

Bree seems to be living the best life. She’s living in Pacific a Beach, San Diego. She lives right down the road from the beach, has great friends, and a wonderful sister. In reality, Bree is a hot mess. She’s struggling with working low skill jobs, has a dumpy apartment above a garage, and doesn’t know where her life is going.

Bree has an amazing sister who is trying to help her figure out her life. So she gives her a self help book that will help change her life completely. Which turns into Bree making an Instagram account to use as her vision board. After this she slowly starts to see things changing in her life, and truly thinks the self help book is the reason!

This book was so good, I loved that there was sisterhood, friendship and romance in it! I love the positive approaches to life, and how to be brave and take risks in your life. Also, Bree is hilarious, and will make you want to be friends with her! I highly suggest this book, it was super funny and a quick easy read!

I like when characters are relatable, and that's the case with Bree. She's a hot mess--someone many women will be able to identify with at some point in time. The author weaves in a lot of things that will make this book one younger adults, in particular, will enjoy, from Instagram to vision boards. I wasn't necessarily keen on the romance angle with Trey, but this is a bit of a "fluffy beach read," so I wasn't surprised by it. His character isn't as developed as Bree's, so that didn't help either. The pace does stall at times, but if you're looking for a quick read that isn't too deep, this may be a book for you to check out.

There is much to enjoy in this book. Great story, dynamic characters, relaxing setting by the sea, and important relationships as issues of death, break-ups, and family abound. Bree is trying to find herself. Her boyfriend left her, she does not make enough money to pay her debts, and she is tired of her sister bailing her out. Her sister encourages her to get in touch with her true self using an online guru, Demi DiPalma. Bree decides to become somebody through Instagram. Trey, the pro surfer who lives next door, is desperate to get out of the limelight and just be one with the ocean. This book is great! The relationship Bree has with her sister is beautifully developed as they support each other, Bree’s love interests are realistic and tender, and her true friends see her as an extra ordinary person.

This was a fun, beachy read. Not meaningful or deep in the slightest, but I think that's the point. Relates to the current generation of "content creators.

I enjoyed Kristin Rockaway's She's Faking It. She totally nailed influencer culture and did such a nuanced job bringing it into her story. Social media plot lines are super trendy nowadays, but unfortunately many books are way too heavy-handed in their approaches. Rockaway borrowed from different internet tropes but also made them her own, and several sections (mocking everything from Goop to the Fyre Festival) were really funny.

The only thing I can't rave about is the characterization of the main protagonist Bree. There was a lot of time spent saying how brilliant and amazing and interesting she was and not a lot of actual storytelling to show it. Bree grew on me a little bit over time, but I think this novel could've benefitted from more about what made her so one-of-a-kind. Or, if she was just a very ordinary person with very ordinary problems, that could've been okay too; it was just the mix of trying to do both that made her difficult to root for.

What a cute read! Diverting tale about a would-be influencer and the online cult of personality, with a fun romance and family angst mixed in. Southern California feels.

I loved EVERYTHING about this book! Kristin Rockaway has never let me down yet, and she continues to pull me in to her lovely contemporary worlds. I was hooked with How to Hack a Heartbreak, and I was hooked on this one too. I can't wait to read what she puts out next! Which may not be for a couple of years... Please excuse me while I cry.

I loved the characters, the story, the pacing, the writing, literally everything. Kristin is just my soul-author, I guess. I highly recommend this book and I will sing it's praises for the rest of my life.