Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

First off, the cover is adorable! I thought the synopsis for The Love Con sounded so cute, but I just could not get into the plot. Sadly this was a DNF

This is a fun romantic comedy with a fat-positive, diverse cast of characters. While mostly a closed-door romance, the characters had great chemistry and I could really see them together as partners. My only critique was that there seemed to be little conflict, and when present, it wasn't presented in a way that really created a lot of tension.

Oh dear.
I really wanted to like this one…but it left me feeling…meh.
I loved the concept. Cosplay is one of my favorite hobbies. Friends to lovers? I’m here for it! Reality tv competition? Sign me up!
But the further I got into the book, the more questions I had and the more aggravated I got…both at the MCs but also on their behalf.

The friendship between the MCs was far too close to home warrant them not being able to discuss their feelings. They both were totally into each other, live in a HUGE apartment together, and share hobbies and friends so…I’m sorry, how are they unable to communicate?
Also the show…wtf? It’s a crafting competition? Why are they all in Kenya’s personal business? The show is about her putting together costumes but the show crew is trying to stir up drama like it’s 90 Day Fiancé! There was this weird thing like they were trying to catch Kenya and Cam out but like…why? Why this assumption that they’re hiding something? And we get no answers or closure on that.

And worst of all…Kenya’s parents. What the actual…? They are the worst. They act like Kenya’s is doing the Devil’s work by actually making money with her cosplay and then act totally different when Cam confronts them? No just no. That was ick. The type of behavior her parents displayed….my petty ass would have cut contact and told them to not bother coming to my wedding 🤣
Anyway….this was like a 2,5 for me. I wish it wasn’t.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and enjoy.

"The Love Con" by Seressia Glass is an engaging romantic comedy. I enjoyed the friendship of the characters as it develops and matures throughout the novel. In particular, the elaborate world and work of creative cosplay development made for a great story. The stakes are high, and Glass' story captures the reader in a way that feels similar to a fun reality TV show.

This was really fun! Kenya is a contestant on reality cosplay show, and for her final challenge is sent home to create a partner costume with a partner of her choosing. She insinuates that her roommate/best friend is her boyfriend, and thus starts a fake dating, friends to lovers adventure.

I didn’t totally vibe with either the narrator or some of the dialogue - I know Kenya and Cameron have been long time besties, but there was this mix of exposition-y dialogue and like - mind-reading levels of support that got a little old. Maybe I just wanted a little more drama between them? Very skimmable if you’re not listening to an audiobook.

The pining and romance part of the book was A+ though. Love some good pining and romance. I could have used even more! (Both pining and romance, I am a sucker for a slow burn.)

I’m totally obsessed with this book and mad at myself for not reading it sooner.

It reminds me a lot of Spoiler Alert, because there’s cosplay, nerdy fandom, parent trauma, and an adorable pining hero…but with a more confident fat heroine.

This book was more angsty than I expected, because even though the couple’s fake relationship turns into friends with benefits quickly, there’s still a lot messy feelings involved that takes most of the book to resolve. So it’s slow burn lite. I wanted these two to figure out they were in love SO bad.

It also made me think of the backstage dynamics of every Project Runway season where a Black woman is villainized (so…every one?) I loved watching Kenya handle microaggressions, it was very relatable.

I cannot believe that I didn't review this book until now. I really enjoyed this read. It was light on the spice, but high on the angst and pining - one of my favourite things to read. This was nerdy and wonderful. While heavy on times, I think that Seressia encapsulated what living in a fat body truly feels like most of the time.

I loved how Kenya and Cameron were already in love with each other when they decided to fake dating and their transition to real dating felt so smooth and natural. And seeing how they worked together so wonderfully as a team for the cosplay competition made me love them together even more. The way that they always had each other's backs was great.

Truly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read what's next from Seressia.

This book was so cute and sweet. Fake dating, friends to lovers, and adorableness. Overall, it's a feel good story that makes you feel warm and fuzzy.

I found this to be quite boring. The characters fell flat for me, and because of this so did the plot. I was absolutely there for all the fandom references, but I was constantly annoyed by the main characters, and because of that this book just wasn't for me.

This is a great fake relationship book with reality TV and cosplay mixed in! I enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more of Glass in the future.

Em The Love Con vamos conhecer Kenya Davenport, uma das finalistas do reality show Cosplay or No Way. Para a prova final, os finalistas terão de fazer cosplay de duplas ícones da cultura pop. Sem sombra de dúvida Kenya sabe que pode contar com a ajuda do seu melhor amigo Cameron Lassiter.

Porém ao se sentir pressionada pelo fato do seu concorrente contar com a ajuda do seu namorado, Kenya anuncia em rede nacional que ela e Cameron estão namorando. Eles propõem um trato que ao final da competição o “namoro” também irá acabar, mas a verdade é que Cameron vai usar essa chance para mostrar a Kenya que esse relacionamento de mentira pode vir a ser verdadeiro.

Eu adorei que o pano de fundo da história envolve cosplays. Tudo até parece fácil por apenas se fantasiar, mas existem regras e conceitos por trás que eu achei bem legal. Kenya sofre muito preconceito dos seus próprios pais por querer seguir nessa carreira, mas ela não se deixa abater. Ela encontra em Cameron todo apoio e ele está sempre disposto a ajuda-la.

O romance vai se desenvolvendo de forma gradativa. Os dois são amigos desde a escola, então é uma baita vida juntos. Apesar de com certeza terem os sentimentos correspondidos, tanto Kenya quanto Cameron têm medo de estragar a amizade ao tentarem algo mais.

A questão da competição também é bem legal de acompanhar. Ao longo da história vemos como Kenya tenta manter uma boa imagem na televisão, já que quase sempre mulheres negras são taxadas de vários estereótipos; isso foi um ponto legal que a autora soube trabalhar bem. Inclusive eu ficava bem bolada com a produção do programa armando situações entre Kenya e a ex de Cameron.

Eu acompanhei a história por audiobook e dessa vez eu senti que a narração deixou um pouco a desejar. Felizmente a história tem um bom ritmo e um final feliz, como sempre esperamos em romances.

This was an absolute delight. Cameron's constant puppy dog eyes and blatant devotion to Kenya warmed my cold heart and I just adored everything about this. It was SO well written and swoony and fat positive and I enjoyed every second spent in between these pages. This was my first time reading something from Seressia Glass but it absolutely will not be my last. THIS WAS SO LOVELY YOU ALL JUST NEED TO READ IT OKAY? OKAY

CW: death of a parent, child neglect (in the past), alcoholism

Language: R (52+ swears, 6+ "f"); Mature Content: PG13+; Violence: G+
While the premise was fun and the execution of a cosplay-central plot resulted in nerd references that I enjoyed, the frequency of innuendos as well as mentions of erections and sex that I encountered in the first third of the book suggested more to come. I did not want to read more sexual content, so I stopped reading, though I'm still interested to know how the rest of the fake-boyfriend scheme plays out -- whether Glass writes it the way I like or the way that makes me cringe. The mature content rating is for alcohol use as well as the sexual content.

The highlight of this story was the main characters. The relationship and friendship between the two of them really made the story what it was. The cosplay aspect was super cool too!

3.5 Stars

Cosplay competition meets fake dating and friends-to-lovers; all the elements of a good story.

Kenya dreams of really building up her cosplay costume-design capabilities into a full-time job. But her parents want her to get a job using her engineering degree. After a chance of a lifetime, Kenya ends up as a finalist on the Cosplay or No Way reality competition show. But for the final challenge, the judges want the contestants to make iconic pairs costumes, ideally with their significant others. Kenya ends up announcing that her best friend Cam is her partner on national television, so thank goodness he agrees to be her fake boyfriend for the show. But what happens when they start pretending together all the time?

First off, this story has so many of my favorite elements. I love fake dating stories, especially when it also involves friends-to-lovers. The show puts Kenya and Cam in a position to have moments of touching and kissing for the cameras and discovering they might actually like having those moments off camera too (with lots of pining, some of which is mutual). I liked the forced proximity of making sure to spend all their time together and seem like a serious couple for the show’s producers. I also enjoyed the cosplay creative aspect and seeing how Kenya thought through approaching challenges for the show and for Cam’s store. The book also gave readers a snapshot of the microaggressions Black women, especially when they’re also plus-size, face when put into competition environments or in the public eye (or probably really anywhere, unfortunately).

Now for the things I didn’t love as much. The conflicts in this book were super annoying. It was really frustrating to watch supposed long-time best friends refuse to communicate with each other. Some of the other people in Kenya and Cam’s lives who should have been supportive also weren’t (trigger warning: parental criticism). I want to see the couple work through challenges that aren’t made by aggressive disappointment and the self-doubt it creates. At least seeing them handle terrible show fans and judges provided a bit of that.

Overall, I think this is a pretty fun read that gives a new take on the fake dating, friends-to-lovers trope. I don’t know much about cosplay, but it was fun to get a glimpse of that world through this book. If you like either the tropes or cosplay, then I definitely think you should check this story out!

I am constantly seeking out Plus Sized MC as a plus sized woman myself, and this book did not disappoint! 😍 Seressia Glass is 109% a new voice to watch out for in the romance world and I can’t wait to see what comes next for her! Not only was this a sweet friends to lovers and fake dating combination love story, but it was set to the backdrop of fandom! As a person who also loves to cosplay, it was so fun seeing the cosplay world on the page as a central theme to the plot. All in all, I absolute loved this book and would definitely reccomend it to anyone!

The Love Con was such a cute love story! I am always a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope and even more so when it involves couples with different racial, religious, or other backgrounds because I don't think we see those enough! I also loved the fact that the story revolved around cosplay and a cosplay competition. I don't think I have ever read a contemporary romance book that involves that subject, and it very much reminded me of the reality show "Face Off" that used to be on television. I loved it! Kenya and Cameron are best friends and have been since they were in high school. But what Kenya doesn't know is that Cam has been in love with her almost from the beginning. When Kenya has to choose a partner for the finale of the cosplay competition, of course she chose Cam. On national tv. Surprising him, herself, and everyone they know. I read this book in one day! I loved the characters and the story. I felt connected to all of it. And I loved the dynamic between Kenya and Cam.

This is a romance that's incredibly needed. A plus size Black and nerdy heroine getting the story she deserves.

This book is quirky and absolutely cute, the type of book you read when you need a quick little pick me up!

It also deals with some pretty heavy and important topics (microagressions) but in a great way that never felt like it took away from the romance.