Fake dating takes a whole new spin with this one. Cute little coming of age story. The MC is super insecure but kind of relatable at times. Overall, it was a good read.

Wow. This book hit me right in the moment of suspension when you're touching someone's hand for the first time, or a literal breath away from a first kiss. You know what I'm talking about? How in that moment you have a jumble of adrenaline, anticipation, uncertainty, and desire. I mean, Cameron Lund expertly put me right back into those first steps you take at the beginning of a relationship and

I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT.

If you love the fake dating trope, GET THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY. I'm not joking get your hands to a keyboard and your favorite book-buying website or move you feet to your local bookstore and get Heartbreakers and Fakers. It was just an absolute pleasure and thrill throughout every page.

I also really appreciate Lund's acknowledgement at the end that discussed how hard it was to write a story like this during a global pandemic. I related to her words. But this also provided me a great escape during what still feels like a very anxious, stressful, and isolating time in the world.

In this story Penny wakes up in the front yard of her boyfriends house. Yikes, how did she end up there? Clearly her night didn't go as planned, especially since she was supposed to have spent the night with Jordan for the first time last night. She makes her way back into the house and is greeted rather oddly by her friends. They look horrified and confused to see her. And as she comes face to face with her boyfriend, Jordan, and her best friend, Olivia, she is brought up to speed on just what happened last night.

Last night, she kissed Kai. The guy she cannot stand. The guy who is her boyfriend's best friend. The guy who is her best friend's boyfriend. What was she thinking? Clearly she wasn't. This isn't at all anything she'd ever rationally do. And what a sticky mess she has herself in now.

Kai and Penny end up coming up with a plan to get their significant others back. They're going to fake date. People can't be mad at a love story, and maybe it will make Olivia and Jordan just jealous enough, they'll want them back. Seems like a bit of a stretch, but Penny is desperate enough to try anything right now.

What unfolds is YA romance perfection. It's firmly rooted in the reality of teenage life and it's just one you'll want to devour as quickly as you can.

• This reminded me of why I love YA so much 💖⁣
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• I loved Kai so much. He was so frustrating at first but by the end he won my heart 🥺⁣
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• Olivia was so jealous of Penny and she was a bad friend 🤷🏾‍♀️ #ISaidWhatISaid ⁣
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• Penny was so frustrating but her character development was amazing so I’ll hush.⁣
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• Cam Lund is the TROPE QUEEN 💃🏾 this one had enemies to lovers, fake dating, one bed, guy falls first and prob more but that’s all I can think of now. They were all done well by the way 👏🏾⁣
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• “𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦…” hits diff 🥺⁣
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• I never got the hype over Jordan 🤢⁣
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• Kais fav animal is a whale which automatically makes him my favorite bc my fav animal is a whale too 🐋⁣
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• I’m a Sarah stand. She was so badass and always kept it real. ⁣

• This one was so deep.
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• Pennys mom was pissing me off but again character development so 🤫⁣
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• Here I am talking about Kai again but so what when he cleaned Penelope up after she puked. Idc that’s love bc eww 🤢⁣
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• The emotion when she called him omg y’all I teared up 😅 ⁣
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• Any story that has Disneyland wins my heart 💓⁣
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• Friendships breakups hurt man 😭⁣
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Overall if you haven’t read this pick it up ASAP. It was such a cute story ❤️

I personally felt that this fell a bit flat. It felt a little average and stereotypical. However, if you are looking for that kind of romance book and need something quick to read you will enjoy this.

Thank you Penguin Young Readers Group for the eARC via Netgalley.

Penny Harris has just lost everything. When Penny awakes to the nightmare that is now her life she learns that everything has changed from a mistake made last night. With her relationship and friendships in ruin Penny is going to have to do something to try to get back to normal.

This book was okay overall. I think that Penny was a bit too forgiving at the end even though it was nice to see some maturity by her at the end. I think this book was kind mature for YA at times and is on the verge of new adult in some elements.

The plot was fine but it seemed a bit drawn out as well.

I really fell in love with the characters in this one. Penny in particular was just a fun character to follow as she navigated this really messy love square. I put this off for so long because I enjoyed Lund's debut so much, but even when I found myself not really rooting for the romance I was invested in the world of the characters she had crafted.

Such a good book! I loved the characters and story lines. Def worth the read, I would totally recommend to anyone.

Having a hard time deciding which of Cameron’s books I liked more.
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Heartbreakers and Fakers was the perfect summer quick read, a YA romance full of fake dating and real emotions that will transport you back to high school.

At first I did not think I would love this book because it started out with Penny cheating on her boyfriend with her boyfriend's best friend, and her best friend's boyfriend. Cheating is not something I love reading about, but I felt that Cameron wrote this sooo well, hitting on all of the different aspects and emotions that went into this situation, as well as from multiple perspectives of everyone involved.

I really liked the fact that it was also written in two different timelines, so you basically were reading two love stories.

I flew through this book in about 2 days, and definitely recommend for anyone who is a fan of Cameron's as well as looking for an enjoyable YA romance.

This was such a fun reading experience. The nonlinear timeline really helped the reader see what is to come but also how the past was shaped. This was a great way to go about this story.

The fake dating trope is not new by any means but this sure was a great read.

An incredibly cute summer YA. I think this author does such a good job of creating a realistic look at teen romance.

Another fantastic YA romance from the one and only, Cameron Lund! After reading this author's previous release, Best Laid Plans, she became an instant auto-buy author for me. I think I may have loved Heartbreakers and Fakers even more than BLP. It was so cute and simply a delight to read!

Cameron Lund wrote fake-dating in such an amazing way!!! The story itself was so intriguing, and I believe that every person who loves rom-coms should read this!! This was my first novel from Cameron, and I absolutely LOVED it!!! 5/5 stars!!!!

I LOVED Best Laid Plans, one of my favorite YA romances I read in 2020. I was really looking forward to Lund's second book, but I don't think I was in the right mood for Heartbreakers and Fakers. I made it 53% of the way in before I decided to DNF. I will try it again later and hope that I enjoy it as much as I did her first book.

I unfortunately wasn’t able to read this in time, but I heard great things about it, and I loved the first book from this author!

I think I'm a little burnt out on the YA genre, so please take this with a grain of salt. Loved the premise but it just didn't hit home for me like I was excited about.

Heartbreakers and Fakers took me by complete surprise and has quickly become one of my favorite YA Contemporary books
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A couple months ago I spent a miserable night completely unable to sleep, and halfway through that night (around 3am) I decided to read. I grabbed my kindle, loaded this book up, and fell in love. I adored the characters, the atmosphere, and, of course, the romance. I was hooked and addicted to finishing the story; I couldn't put it down! I loved Lund's take on the fake dating trope and the complicated relationships that she crafted between the four main characters. It was intricate, realistic, and dramatic enough to be entertaining. I particularly loved Penelope and Kai, who I both think had excellent character development..

Overall, this was such a funny and swoony read that is perfect for the Summer! Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC. Opinions are all my own.

“Everyone forgives a good love story.”

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes included in this review are from an unfinished copy of the book.

Content Warnings: absent parent, vomiting, underage drinking

Overall Rating: 3 / 5
Characters: 3 / 5
Setting: 3.5 / 5
Plot: 3 / 5
Writing: 4 / 5

Penny Harris has been dating the boy of her dreams and was looking forward to a fun summer with her friends. But everything changes after coming to the realization that she drunkenly made out with her best friend’s boyfriend the previous evening. Shunned, Penny is convinced her life is over- until a fake dating plot emerges. She and Kai, the boy she cheated with, resolve to pretend to be in love. Instantly, everyone is sympathetic towards them. But as the summer goes on, Penny questions how much of it she’s really faking when she’s around Kai.

Heartbreakers and Fakers is a story about summer, toxic relationships, self growth, and second chances.
Penny and her issues were messy, and I appreciated the realistic aspect it gave the story. Her insecurities were relatable- especially wanting to be liked by those around her. While I didn’t vibe with the “mean girl clique” or some of the decisions Penny made, I was happy with her self growth by the end of the story.

Rep: Japanese American love interest, bisexual side character, lesbian side character
Tropes & Themes: coming of age, rivals to lovers, fake dating, one bed, friendship, family, toxic relationships, second chances, self growth, summer, high school

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Teen and @PRHAudio for the complimentary ebook and audiobook. I love YA reads, so I am so happy to be a #PenguinTeenPartner !

If you like YA books with a ton of drama, absolutely check this one out. Penny wakes up one morning in her boyfriend’s yard, alone, hungover and not able to remember the night before. A night that was supposed to be really special between her and her boyfriend, until she has a glimpse into her blackout night and realizes she kissed her enemy, who just so happens to also be her best friend’s boyfriend.

A fake relationship and a lot of mean girl drama ensues.

This story is told in Then & Now alternating perspectives as you get the whole story of what happened and what lead up to it. I thought it was a little longer than necessary, kind of dragging a bit in places, but overall a very good YA drama-filled story!

Thank you to @penguinteen for the gifted egalley!

I finished this one in one day and I think overall it was an okay read. I liked Lund’s first book much better. While I’m a young adult lover, this one had too much teenage angst for me.

Topics discussed: friend betrayals, single parent woes, coming of age, toxic relationships and friendships!

Drama, fake dating, mean girls vibes galore!

Still recommend as a good summer read!

Cameron Lund is one of my FAVORITE Ya Contemporary writers. This book DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I feel like screaming about it. This book was so full of tropes but done in the best way, especially fake dating, and hate to date! Penny drunkenly kisses her boyfriends best friend, whom which she hates, Kai, which is also her best friend Olivia's boyfriend. Can we say MESSY!?

Penny decides to fake date Kai to try and win back her ex and actually enjoy her summer. There is so much drama and I loved every second of it. It truly reads like what high school kids sound like. There is so much teenage angst, emotions, self reflection, growth, all in one book. I think that this is such a fun and exciting YA read that most people will enjoy! And that ending... LOVED IT!