I want to thank Netgalley for providing me a copy of Fake it Till You Make It in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. The tone was a bit off and the dialogue seemed forced at times. It was quite difficult to catch my attention. I ultimately decided to DNF this book, but I would like to try again.

Fake dating with some grump/sunshine mixed in? Yes, please!

Sloane has been writing a very private blog since she was seventeen but in a drunken haze she outed herself and her blog. Brady has a bar he loves, so mush so that it’s the reason his ex gave for breaking things off, but not enough customers. He also knows Sloane’s biggest secret and is willing to help for a price.

This one gave me some serious Never Been Kissed Vibes and I was so here for it! From the happy upbeat but emotionally vulnerable heroine to the often grumpy but completely charmed hero and the cast of small town characters, Fake it Till You Make it was a lovely, funny read that had just the right amount emotional balance to keep me invested and satisfied without overwhelming me in these interesting times.

I hope there’s more to come from Arbor Bay!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.

Fake it Till You Make It is a fake dating romantic comedy. It is set in a small town and that is almost another character in itself. The premise is not exactly original, but I did like that there was a lot of emphasis on social media and how it affects our lives.
The story is told from the perspective of both Brady and Sloane. This is something I am seeing a lot more in romance and I have to say I like it. It is nice getting “both sides” of the story. I loved both Brady and Sloan. Sloane was just a normal girl, and it was sort of refreshing. Brady, as mentioned several times in the book, is a grumpy bartender, but he really does have a heart of gold. Brady and Solane together were great! I loved how Sloane stuck up for Brady.
I liked that this book did such a good job of getting that small-town vibe. Everyone knowing everything. Being told to go talk to so and so about this or that. This book was so cute and I highly recommend it. It is for those of you who liked To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

This book started out great -- it captured my attention and made me laugh. I enjoyed some of the silly situations the heroine got herself in. However, the book became quite repetitive and dragged on and on. While the characters were in their mid-20's, they were very immature. The book was a quick read and had some funny moments, but overall, it could have been better.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is Anne Harper’s first book, an adorable romance book with a fake dating trope, and I loved every second of it. I think the book itself is much more exciting than the synopsis makes it sound. I kept journals all through middle school, high school, and college similar to the way Sloane wrote on her private blog. While nothing I wrote in it really affects my life today in any way, I would be mortified if it was posted on the internet, so I can understand her embarrassment over this.

I loved Brady and how sweet he was. I loved the two of them together and how quickly their relationship turned real. I also loved Sloane’s brother Callum and how supportive and protective he was of her. I also really liked how much of her parents’ relationship was incorporated into the book.

5 stars
I received this book for free in return for an honest review

This was exactly what I needed. I absolutely loved this book. It was funny and cute. I love a good fake dating trope and this one was done really well. I cannot count the number of times I laughed out loud while reading this. You can definitely tell there is chemistry between Brady and Sloane from that first moment they kissed.

It was a very well done book and I highly recommend if you are looking for something that is cute but that will also make you laugh, this is the perfect read.

* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

A very quick, cute romance read sure to cheer anyone up in these current times. Imagine living in such close proximity to your long-term unrequited love. Then imagine publishing all your thoughts on said unrequited love from teenage years to adult, to the entire world wide web. No wonder Sloane needs a plan, and quickly.

This was such a sweet story in the end, I was a little unsure with the first initial move, but everything came together so nicely. I adore when the secondary characters in a story have just as much impact as the H/h and Emma really related to that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a cute romance novel! I loved this little bit of levity in my week (which let's be real, I've definitely been needing recently)! It took me no time at all to read this book and man am I glad I did! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Entangled: Amara for letting me read and review this book early!

Fake it Till You Make it 5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads: Sloane De Carlo is going to have to move to Antarctica.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that she accidentally made her private blog very public, and all her innermost secrets and embarrassing moments are trending, now the entirety of the Internet is dying to know who her all-consuming, never-get-over-him crush “Guy” really is. She’s even got a literary agent dangling a book deal in front of her nose—but there’s a catch. She’ll have to get closure with “Guy” and give her story that pitch-perfect ending.
Too bad the real “Guy” is engaged to someone else. #Blessed
The only person in her teeny hometown of Arbor Bay who knows the truth is local bartender Brady Knox. And he’s not telling...for a price. He’ll pretend to be Sloane’s “Guy” if she’ll use her newfound Internet fame to bring more business to his struggling local bar. Brady’s always been a lone wolf, but there’s something about the pint-sized, supremely awkward, yet beautiful Sloane that charms him.
But keeping secrets in a small town like Arbor Bay isn’t easy. And Brady was never meant to be the guy for a pitch-perfect ending...

I loved, loved, loved this book! Like I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did! This book gave me very minor Hart of Dixie vibes, and I loved season 1 of that show (which was the only season I actually watched...) so that was an amazing added bonus. I really liked our main characters and all of our supporting characters- they really drove the story along and made it fun to read. I also am a sucker for the fake dating trope, so that definitely helped. I know it's the first in the series but I don't recognize the names of the characters for book two, so I'm definitely all for getting spin offs about some of my other favorite characters- maybe Dixon or Emma or even Carol. Fake it Till You Make it comes out on April 20th, so I'd definitely suggest grabbing a copy then!

„I’m going to have to move to Antarctica.”
Sloane De Carlo was staring at her computer screen, trying to run the numbers on how fast she could buy a plane ticket, back a bag, and disappear into the icy tundra.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that Sloan drunkenly changed the privacy settings on her very personal blog to public, she also accidentally went viral with said blog and the whole Internet is dying to know who “Guy” is.

I just adored this story. It was funny, heartfelt and sweet with relatable and dynamic characters.

I loved the different relationships between the characters in this book. I especially enjoyed the childhood friendship between Sloane and her best friend Emma. Emma was just such a funny, grounded and sarcastic (which I loved) character – someone you’d love to have as a best friend.

The fake dating trope is one of my favorites. I really loved that both sides benefitted from the fake relationship and had something to lose. It was a fun and sweet read with great characters.

ARC received from

DNF @ 35%

I hate DNF-ing books, especially ARCs, but I just don’t want to complete a book I am struggling through, not when I have so much other books to read.

This book had a really funny concept that I got tired of after the beginning. We’re told Sloane has a long-time crush on Mr. Popular who never even looked twice at her. She writes about it online, while keeping his identity a secret, and lands herself a book deal, so as long as she tells the guy about her feelings, to give an ending to the book. Is that even a thing? Give an ending to the book, sure, but forcing someone to come out to the other person? Seems a bit unethical from a professional publisher.

She goes to her hometown for a few weeks and is debating doing it. The town’s Queen Bee is her crush’s brother and someone who has been nagging her forever. The only person to know the truth is Brady, a bartender who she told a year ago when drunk. So when he sees this all playing out, he uses it as an opportunity to get publicity for the bar. She gets her ending, he gets business, and both go through a fake relationship and then a fake breakup.

I made it as far as the “getting out in public” aspect. I’m sure it would have gotten cuter. And of course, I assume they fall for each other and that’s how this ends.

My issue with this book is how it’s all playing out. They seem to use their relationship and appease Ms. Queen Bee. Why? This is not high school; they are adults. So what if she’s nosy and being a bi**h?! Ignore her, walk away, and continue your game. Instead, they attend lunch with these people. We’re talking, Queen Bee, Queen Bee’s brother/Sloane’s crush, and his fiancee, who also happens to be Brady’s ex. Quite a cluster there. And then agree to be in a parade and make a float. Then she seems to be always where they are because she’s looking for gaps in the story. Again, she’s a mean girl but this is adulthood. I just highly disliked how the characters were handling this whole scenario.

It all seemed too forced and I wasn’t enjoying the book. It started strong, but didn’t remain so.

DNF. Ahhhh this one was superrrr difficult to get half way through. It was sort of confusing but I didn’t like the point of view of the characters. I want to be in their heads!! Just my personal preference.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Fake It Till You Make It

Author Anne Harper

Description from Amazon

Sloane De Carlo is going to have to move to Antarctica.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that she accidentally made her private blog very public, and all her innermost secrets and embarrassing moments are trending, now the entirety of the Internet is dying to know who her all-consuming, never-get-over-him crush “Guy” really is. She’s even got a literary agent dangling a book deal in front of her nose—but there’s a catch. She’ll have to get closure with “Guy” and give her story that pitch-perfect ending.

Too bad the real “Guy” is engaged to someone else. #Blessed

The only person in her teeny hometown of Arbor Bay who knows the truth is local bartender Brady Knox. And he’s not telling…for a price. He’ll pretend to be Sloane’s “Guy” if she’ll use her newfound Internet fame to bring more business to his struggling local bar. Brady’s always been a lone wolf, but there’s something about the pint-sized, supremely awkward, yet beautiful Sloane that charms him.

But keeping secrets in a small town like Arbor Bay isn’t easy. And Brady was never meant to be the guy for a pitch-perfect ending…

Release Date April 20, 2020

Initial Thoughts

I was excited to read this one. I really liked the idea of a protagonist who felt like she held back and was too shy to admit her feelings. I was hoping that this book would be a story of growth for Sloane’s character.

Some Things I Liked

Sloane and Brady. I really liked their characters. For a shorter standalone, I thought we got to see a ton of development in their characters. Each had problems and we got to see them tackle those issues very clearly.
Sloane as a blogger. I loved that Sloane wrote all of her feelings in her blog. As a blogger myself, I thought that was a fun connection to share with the main character.
Fake dating trope. This is one of my favorites. I thought it was well done here and both characters had something to prove. Often, this trope is used when the situation only really benefits one character so I liked that both Brady and Sloane had something to gain from this.

Series Value

This felt like a standalone. However, I would read more if Anne Harper wanted to do a spin-off about Sloane’s brother.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and it had one of my favorite tropes in romance novels. I would definitely recommend it and I would continue to read if this became a series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras – if you liked the fake dating trope as well as the family drama, try this April release.
Not That Kind of Guy by Andie J. Christopher – again, if you liked the fake dating idea, give this one a shot.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Sloane accidentally makes her blog public, all everyone wants to know is who her mystery crush is, the problem is her actual crush is engaged to someone. That's where Brady comes into the picture with his own motives and offers to help Sloane. That's how they start fake dating

The book was well written. It was a quick and fun read.

One thing I had a problem with was the characters are supposed to be 26 but they acted like they were younger.

One thing is for sure this novel was absolutely captivating. The idea behind fake dating someone has always been a great idea in my book. Through reading Sloan and Brady tell so much more than just a story. I was laughing at both of them. I enjoyed every second of reading this book and I am so glad I was able to read it before it came out. So happy that this book exists. I recommend reading this book to all of my friends when it comes out.
Anne Haper did an amazing job at writing this book and telling the story of these two. I was able to learn about the characters and feel as if I knew them personally. This novel will go places and I cannot wait to see!

This was such a charming and funny rom-com, with plenty of relevence to the social media driven world we live in. I loved the small town friendships and quirky but adorable relationship between Sloane and Brady.
After Sloane's blog goes viral she finds herself fake dating bartender Brady. The two are an awesome pair from the start with instant chemistry that they try to deny but never really do a good job of avoiding.
I enjoyed the authors writing style and thought this book flowed well. I could absolutely see this being a cute rom com movie. There are plenty of funny moments, some awkward moments and some tender, heartwarming parts as well, making this a relateable read. I love the fake dating trope and feel that the author pulled this off very well with wonderful characters and a charming story.

Fake It Till You Make It was sweet,heartwarming and funny story that I loved and entirely enjoyed.
Sloane’s super-secret and very personal blog went viral and one thing that everyone wants to know is who the Guy is. Brady,grumpy bartender,is the only person other than Sloane that knows her secret so they decide to make a deal that can benefit both of them.
Even though relationship between Sloane and Brady started as fake chemistry between them was anything but it. Nothing between them was forced or rushed. Their friendship and later relationship was beyond adorable.
Sloane is funny,kind,sometimes very awkward and I adored her. I loved how grumpy,antisocial but at the same time so funny and protective Brady is. They were both so sweet and I enjoyed every moment I spent reading about them.
Fake It Till You Make It is one of those books that makes you happy and keeps you entertained the whole time you are reading them and It’s filled with amazing characters that you can’t help but love.

Fake It Till You Make It by Anne Harper a five-star read you wont need to fake your joy over reading. I adored this story, it was funny and made me chuckle and smile a lot more than I thought it would the fake dating troupe isn’t always done well, sometimes its just as fake and unrealistic as the relationship they are trying to fake, but this one does it right, it just makes all the awkward, embarrassing moments that make you cringe, will also make you smile. Sloane and Brady are great characters and they tell their story in a way that just sucks you in and makes you feel part of the parade, but it’s also the secondary characters that will pull you in and make you care about them, make you want to hear their story, that’s what makes this such a compelling and fun read. I couldn’t put it down once I picked it up, I had to know what happened next. Do not miss this great story and do not miss this amazing author.

I loved this book! It was hilarious, heartwarming, and so sweet with just the right touch of heat. Every single character was done well and added so much to the story, and whoa did I love Brady! Holy hotness overload. He squeezed my heartstrings with his broody, surly, yet funny and very protective nature. Sloane was wonderful; her awkwardness and affinity for blushing at everything was super sweet, and I loved her slight sassy nature that came out at the best times. I loved this book from the first page to the last. The ending was *chef’s kiss* perfection.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of the book to read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled publishing for letting me read this book.
With a few quirky characters, the author has managed to make this small-town book, cute, fun and believable. The main characters are well suited to each other, and have undeniable chemistry. They also have a lovely friendship which is equally important.
The plot is well developed and a lot happens so it's easy to read. One thing I felt though, were that the characters seemed younger than twenty six? Or maybe it was because Sloane's occupation took a back seat while she was home, it felt like she was on college break.
3.5 stars

This is a fun book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Sloane's very personal blog has suddenly gone viral, with everyone wanting to know who Guy is. Brady knows who Guy is, but steps in to rescue Sloane. Before long, they're together everywhere and, apparently, in love. Too bad it's all an act..... But what happens when an act starts to feel real?

I loved the characters in this book and loved their back stories. Sloane's is both sweet and poignant, yet she maintains her happy disposition, even when life has life has not been kind. Brady is also likeable and fun, even though he is a bit insecure.

If you enjoy the genre you will love this book. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.