After her wife Kate’s death, Shelby has a lot of trouble returning to her normal life. She already suffered from anxiety and was reluctant to leave her house, feeling that everyone was judging her for not bouncing back automatically from her heartbreak. Finally recognizing she had to make some changes, Shelby attends a grief support group and meets Cammie. Cammie, a bright and bouncy young woman with great energy, helps pull Shelby out of her pain, and Shelby is drawn to Cammie’s happy and energetic personality.

Gibson is going through an unexpected and painful breakup, and is emotionally cocooning at home. When he meets Cammie at a bar, he can’t believe his luck at finding the perfect woman, and the amazing sex is definitely a bonus. When Cammie finds herself without a place to stay, Gibson quickly steps in and “rescues” her from her horrible former boyfriend and saves her from being homeless. Soon enough, though, Gibson realizes that Cammie is not everything she seems to be.

Cammie is quite resourceful, but she’s also a con. I didn’t like the way she treated Shelby and Gibson, using their vulnerability and their kindness for her gain. I also didn’t like the way both Shelby and Gibson turned themselves inside out to please Cammie. This was a difficult book for me to stay engaged with, because I got so exasperated with the characters.

I was excited to pick this one up after seeing one of my favorite authors hype it up on Instagram. But I think I may have built it up too much in my head, because even though I think the book successfully achieves what it sets out to do, I’m surprisingly disappointed by it as a whole.

Simply put: If you’ve read the synopsis, you’ve basically read the whole book. Two people at their most vulnerable become enamored with a con artist, she takes them for a ride, and then they’re left to deal with the aftermath. Of course there’s a lot more detail to it than that, but essentially that’s it. That’s all that happens. I kept expecting an interesting twist, reveal, or at least some plot point that wasn’t mentioned in the synopsis to happen, but it never did. Maybe that’s my own fault. But unfortunately, because we know right from the jump that Cammie is a con artist, it gets to a point where there’s nothing that really keeps the reader gripped and drives the story forward.

I still think this book has merit though, as long as you manage your expectations. It is certainly an interesting character study on who cons versus who *gets* conned, and we get an uncomfortable inside look inside these characters minds while it all unfolds.

“Focusing on Cammie and her many problems is a way to ignore her own. But it feels too good to stop doing it.”

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Overall it was just an okay time for me but I recommend checking it out if it sounds relatively interesting to you. And if nothing else it’s set in Toronto so we love that <3

This story teaches you the lesson of not blindly trusting a stranger you just met. Well written and enthralling, this book will have you reading on the edge of your seat waiting for what happens next.

Honestly, I was just sort of "meh" with this book. None of the characters really grabbed me; I think there was an opportunity lost with the characters, and there wasn't any depth to any of them. I also felt like I was constantly shaking my head at the unbelievable fact that neither Shelby nor Gibson could see Cammie for what she really was. Now, I get that they were both in a vulnerable state, but it still seemed quite over the top and I struggled to find a lot of sympathy for either of them as the story progressed. I certainly had no sympathy for Cammie, and I found myself frustrated by how many people simply let her get away with the trauma she inflicted over and over again.

So ultimately this wasn't a horrible book, but it wasn't anything I would highly recommend either.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I only got about halfway through this book, so I'm not marking it as finished, but I do feel like I got a good idea of what's going on in this book. It all felt a bit disjointed. I could see how the pieces would come together, but I didn't feel particularly compelled to pick it up again. There's just something missing really, something to hook you in and keep you turning the pages.

I'd be interested to see Whittall's next work.

This book was a nice quick read. It had me hooked from the beginning and I just had to know what would happen. It tackled a very heavy subject (grief) with both tact and humour.

The Fake is the story of two people who are living half-lives of loneliness who are brought back to life by a larger-than-life woman they happen to meet. Shelby is a widow struggling with the sudden loss of her wife to an aneurysm. Gibson and his wife are recently separated and though he instigated the separation, he is feeling adrift and lonely, certain his wife is enjoying their break-up more than he is. Cammie bursts into their lives and insists they really live.

She drags the proto-agoraphobe Shelby out of her house. She gives Gibson the best sex of his life and a belief that he could be happy. And really, when they compare the problems that get them down, they are nothing compared to Cammie’s problems…and yet she is so full of life, a dynamo whose power lights up their lives for a time.

Until…



When Cammie’s stories start falling apart and suspicion grows, Shelby and Gibson come together with their conclusions that Cammie is a liar, but then we know that from the first chapter in Cammie’s voice. How much of a liar is the question and what are we to think of a con artist who make lie and cheat, but whose intervention in their lives heals some of their wounds.

I loved The Best Kind of People and The Spectacular, so I expected to love The Fake as well. Instead, I did like parts of it, but found it disappointing overall. Is that because I had unfairly high expectations? I don’t think so, but admit it may be possible. However, I think there is a sort of unreality in how Shelby and Gibson react to being conned. When a person is betrayed and deceived so deeply and intimately, who has the self-awareness and ability to step back and think, but she did me so much good? Not me.

I received an e-galley of The Fake from the publisher through Netgalley

The Fake at Ballantine Books | Penguin Random House
Zoe Whittall on Link Tree
The Spectacular
The Best Kind of People

This book was interesting and i pray that i never cross paths with a real Cammie. I felt so bad for Gibson and Shelly throughout the story. I like how the author wrote from different points of view.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Fake by Zoe Whittall was unfortunately a miss for me. I found it to be clunky and predictable. I was waitin for a big pay off but didn't find one. While this one wasn't for me I do think that many readers would enjoy it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for the ARC. The Fake is out now!

Published by Ballantine Books on March 21, 2023

The Fake is a novel about trust, its necessity and the consequences of its abuse. More importantly, it is a novel about emotional dependence and need.

Cammie is young, beautiful, sexy, and personable. She seems to be the perfect girlfriend until Gibson (older than Cammie and out of her league) realizes that she’s a nightmare. She’s the female version of George Santos (apart from running for office). Nearly every story she tells is an effortless lie. She’s also a thief and a con artist.

Cammie claims to be in remission from kidney cancer. She claims to be grieving for Morgan, a close friend who committed suicide. She claims her sister is dead. She claims she has been living with (and is leaving) an abusive boyfriend. She claims she sang on the recording of an Arcade Fire song. All lies, but that’s not the worst of Cammie.

Gibson lives in Toronto. He is in the process of getting a divorce from Veda. Before Cammie picked him up in a bar, Gibson was devastated by the divorce and wanted to reunite. Now Veda thinks that Gibson is handling the breakup better than she is. Gibson’s change of attitude is easily attributed to receiving Cammie’s nude selfies when they aren’t in bed together.

Shelby has always suffered from anxiety. Her wife Kate was the only person who knew how to make her feel better. Shelby has been in a deep depression since Kate’s death. Shelby resists contact with Kate’s homophobic family because they “cannot handle any emotional communication that isn’t positive, let alone admit the realities of life being a near-unending nightmare.” Shelby was extraordinarily dependent on Kate and is filled with self-pity because she has no other person to take care of her. She doesn’t seem equipped to take care of herself.

Shelby decides to attend a grief group. The star of the group introduces herself as “Camilla. Chatterbox, over-sharer, main character-syndrome-having Cammie.” Shelby falls for Cammie, but only as a friend who can help her cope with her anxiety. When Cammie claims to have been unjustly fired, Shelby persuades her friend Olive to interview Cammie for a production assistant position on a reality TV dating show. Cammie provides the link between Shelby’s story and Gibson’s.

Cammie differs from Shelby in that, by virtue of her manipulation, she always has someone to take care of her. Perhaps unintentionally, the novel raises questions about dependence: Cammie is dependent by choice (it’s easier than holding a job or staying in an honest relationship); Shelby is dependent because she needs a crutch against anxiety. There is an obvious moral difference between the two women, but is there a practical difference? Sure, people who need people are the luckiest people, but in both cases extreme dependence either destroys other people or becomes self-destructive.

The story follows Gibson and Shelby as they investigate Cammie’s lies and meet some of her (mostly former) friends and family. Their efforts lead to a well-intentioned intervention, but an addiction to lying is different from drug abuse, particularly when lying might be the product of a mental illness. Whether it is possible to change Cammie’s behavior is the question addressed in the story’s closing chapters.

Perhaps a more important question is whether interventions are meant to help the intervenors as much as the person who needs help. Gibson wants Cammie to change so he can keep sleeping with her. It may be that Gibson and Shelby, who suffer because they become dependent on Cammie, need self-interventions to learn how to move forward with their lives.

The Fake might be a good choice for book clubs whose members like to dissect characters and compare them to people they know. The novel’s interesting questions practically cry out for book club discussions. While the plot is a bit thin, characterization is solid. Readers might gain insight into dependent lives (and perhaps their own lives) by investing time in this short, well-written novel.

RECOMMENDED

Oh no this is so so very predictable. The book was clunky, the villain wasn't very fun, and this just didn't offer anything I haven't read before. Real-life scammers will always be more compelling to me than fictional ones, and I hope the publishing industry learns this haha.

DNF at 35%- This book was just a no for me. The plot never moved. Like literally never moved. I felt the synopsis of the book was the whole book. It was almost like seeing a movie trailer in which the whole movie is revealed-- all the good parts. That's what the synopsis was-- all the information I needed. After really liking Cover Story and digging the show Inventing Anna, I could have just been done with the whole con artist storyline.

This book, unfortunately, wasn't a good match for me. Centered around two people who get sucked into the orbit of a pathological liar, this book couldn't quite decide what it wanted to be. It opens with a thriller-esque suspense scene, which is wildly off the tone of the remainder of the book; the rest of the book reads like it wants to be a character-driven literary fiction story, but there's not really anything keeping you interested in the characters; the beginning of the book makes it very clear how the story plays out. I also found it difficult to get as invested as the characters in Cammie, the liar; if she had been more compelling, I think this story would have hit harder.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC!

Cammie.was.AWFUL! Talk about a horrible character.

But ... Gibson and Shelby are kind. And I think this allows them to be prime targets for Cammie.

Shelby, who already had some mental health issues, really struggles when her wife dies. Her family and friends aer concerned. She keeps it together enough to care for their dog. Shelby finally joins a bereavement group. She mights Cammie there, who helps life her spirits. Shelby ends up loading Cammie money and allowing her to stay with her.

Gibson is divorced, very recently, and living in an apartment that is definitely bachelor pad style.
He meets Cammie in a bar and they end up having sex, which is amazing! He is also loaning Cammie money and allowing her to stay with him from time to time.

Gibson and Shelby start to realize that Cammie has lied to them about almost everything. Yet, they still continue to help and be kind to her.

I didn't love the ending, and this book just made me kinda sad seeing Gibson and Shelby being so taken advantage of. 3.5 rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars. A novel about a con artist who takes advantage of two nice people at low points in their lives. Cammie is the charming con artist, weaving tales of woe. Shelly recently lost her wife, and has severe anxiety. Gibson just went through a divorce. Gibson falls in love with Cammie, and Shelly nurtures her. Both seesaw between anger and wanting to "help" Cammie. There's no big ending, just the realization that some people are awful and never change.

"A con artist can make you feel like the luckiest person on earth just to be in their presence. But when the jig is up, they ghost, and you’re left wondering if you ever mattered

After the death of her wife, Shelby feels more alone than ever—until she meets Cammie, a charismatic woman unafraid of what anyone else thinks and whose own history of trauma draws Shelby close. When Cammie is fired from her job and admits she is in treatment for kidney cancer, Shelby devotes all her time to helping Cammie thrive. But Shelby’s intuition tells her there are things about Cammie’s past that don’t add up. Could the realest thing about Cammie be that she’s actually a scammer?

Gibson is almost forty, fresh from a divorce and deeply depressed. Then he meets and falls in love with Cammie. Suddenly, he’s having the best sex of his life with a woman so attractive he’s stunned she even glanced his way, and for the first time ever he feels truly known. This is the kind of desire and passion that musicians have been writing love songs about for centuries. But Gibson’s friends are wary of Cammie, and eventually he too has to admit that Cammie’s dramatic life can feel a bit over the top.

When Shelby and Gibson find out Cammie is a pathological liar, they struggle to understand what they really want from her—sometimes they want to help her heal from whatever causes her to invent reality, and sometimes they want revenge. But the biggest question of all is: how honest can Shelby and Gibson be about their own characters?"

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

The Fake...

Do you want to know what I loved about this book?

Everything!

From the title, to the cover and then the synopsis!!! I was so excited before I even hit chapter one.

Boy oh Boy did Zoe Whittall, deliver!!!!!!

This book was everything I needed it to be and just so much more. It doesn't matter what your preferred genre is, this is a book that will be loved by all.

Teaser :

A scammer as alluring as she is elusive irrevocably upends the lives of two strangers in this gripping novel from the acclaimed author of The Best Kind of People.

After the death of her wife, Shelby is suffering from prolonged grief. She’s increasingly isolated, irritated by her family’s stoicism and her friends’ reliance on the toxic positivity of self-help culture. Then, in a grief support group, she meets Cammie, who gives her permission to express her most hopeless, hideous feelings. Cammie is charismatic and unlike anyone Shelby has ever met. She’s also recovering from cancer and going through several other calamities. Shelby puts all her energy into helping Cammie thrive—until her intuition tells her that something isn’t right.

Gibson is fresh from divorce, almost forty, and deeply depressed. Then he falls in love with Cammie. Not only is he having the best sex of his life with a woman so attractive he’s stunned she even glanced his way, but he feels truly known for the first time in his life. But Gibson’s friends are wary of Cammie, and eventually he, too, has to admit that all the drama in Cammie’s life can feel a bit over the top.

When Gibson and Shelby meet, they realize Cammie’s stories don’t always add up. In fact, they’re far from the truth. But what kind of a person would lie about having cancer? And what does it say about Shelby and Gibson that they fell for it? From the author of The Best Kind of People and The Spectacular comes a sharp, emotional novel about lies, liars, and the people who love them.

Two people - a divorced straight man and a lesbian widow - both meet a person who makes them feel better about themselves. Unfortunately, they met the same person, who just happens to be a pathological liar.

The first 1/3 and last chapter of the book were only okay. The rest of it, though, kept my attention. Trying to figure out what was actually real was a trip, but I did know that Cammie just kept lying.

Three very different people whose lives crash into each other’s to create a very entertaining read! Loved this!

Who doesn't love a good scammer story? We're all reading about Anna Delvey or watching the docs about Fyre Festival, so obviously a fictional scammer story was going to be right up my alley. Unfortunately, this didn't hit for me. Having not read Zoe's previous work, I can't compare, but in this case, I think I just wanted a better (different?) ending. Obviously, knowing that Cammie is a scammer, we can assume that things will go awry right from the beginning, but even while watching it unravel I was feeling pretty meh. A fine read, and quick, but probably not one I'd recommend.

This was definitely a unique read and I am grateful I took the time to read this even if it's by no means the best book I've ever read.