What a letdown. I should have quit at the beginning. This is a story of a scammer but there is no closure. Just a whirlwind of mess. Maybe this would be a shocking read to a young adult but as a cynical woman with too much (?) life experience, I've known way too many scammers, and just like Cammie, they somehow always get away with it and just move on to the next mark.

I definitely think that the actual base of this book was extremely intriguing, but ultimately it wound up falling pretty flat. I was hoping for things to get a bit more intense and for the resolution to be a bit more obvious.

Shelby is extremely depressed after the death of her wife, Shelby. Struggling to get through her days, she decides to take a chance on a grief support group. It is at that group that she meets Cammie, someone she is immediately drawn to and someone who offers her comfort in her grief.

Gibson recently went through a divorce and as a depressed, middle-aged man, he doesn't feel like going out to the bar, but wants to spend time with his friends. Enter Cammie, a young, attractive woman who instantly comes onto Gibson, who ends up taking her home. Enraptured from this attention, Gibson falls head first into lust with this woman he knows so little about. Gibson's friends are concerned with Cammie and think she might be a liar. Instantly defensive, Gibson tries to ignore the warning signs.

Shelby and Gibson's worlds crash together and they realize that all that glitters is not gold: Cammie is a pathological liar. It is that journey that heads them in the direction of revenge.

This was a pretty quick read. 4 out of 5 stars.

A story of con artist Cammie and her two “marks” - Gibson, an almost 40 recently separated man going through a divorce and Shelby, a recently widowed woman grieving the loss of her wife. I did enjoy the way the author set up the scenes visually with detail and reading the Shelby story as she was in mourning and how she handled her grief, was touching. I found Gibson unlikeable, especially in the first half, and his actions were surprising as an almost 40 year old man, so I couldn’t find myself feeling sorry for anything that was happening to him. Overall, the story felt incomplete, like it needed a little bit more character development for Shelby and Gibson and more background history on Cammie. I would round this review up to 3.25 stars.

Hypochondriac Shelby is frozen in mourning and depression following the sudden death of her wife, Kate. Friends and family don’t seem to understand her inertia, but then she meets the energetic Cammie at her grief therapy group, and there’s something about Cammie’s zest for life that snaps Shelby’s out of her depression.

Gibson, freshly divorced, has moved into a new apartment. Even though he initiated the divorce, it’s hard to break the cord. He’s not sure that he made the right choice, and even asked his ex, to consider rekindling the relationship. She wisely refused. Gibson’s ‘new’ life isn’t going well. He’s so depressed he can’t even muster the energy to unpack. Then one night, out at a bar with friends, he meets bar employee Cammie. She’s charismatic, gorgeous, and soon Gibson is having incredible, eye-popping sex.

Both Gibson and Shelby can’t believe Cammie’s courage in the face of her horrible life history. Yes, Shelby lost her wife, and Gibson is divorced, but those details pale in the light of Cammie’s horrible life history. Cammie has survived being kidnapped as a child, kidney cancer, the suicide of her dad, her death of her sister, the suicide of her best friend, and abusive ex boyfriends. And let’s throw in accusations of theft from her employer. Cammie also attends a grief support group. It’s her “home base.” When it comes to loss, Cammie can trump everyone, and yet she handles it so well. Almost nonchalantly. ..

Set in Toronto, Zoe Whittall’s novel The Fake explores grief, loss, vulnerability, and loyalty. Given the title, I’m not giving anything away when I say that Cammie’s various stories don’t add up. Her ‘bravery’ (and bragging) in the face of multiple tragedies is suspect to Gibson’s friends, but since his sex life is like something out of a porn film, he defends Cammie even when faced with evidence that she is a pathological liar.

Shelby too begins to question Cammie’s past, but then it’s hard to grasp what sort of person would make up a cancer diagnosis. Both Gibson and Shelby have never met anyone quite like Cammie, and soon they wish they hadn’t.

We shouldn’t be mad at ourselves for assuming the best about someone. You know, in all the articles experts say that liars pick people who seem sensitive and empathic because we’re easier to manipulate. I’m not going to be ashamed or being sensitive and caring about people.

The novel has a lot of energy and is a fun read. Gibson and Shelby would not normally cross paths. Gibson is in his business world with male buds and Shelby is a recluse living alone with her dog Coach Taylor Swift. This could have been a very dark novel, but instead the author uses a light touch and some gentle humour while exploring how Cammie fills a need for these two lonely people. Gibson and Shelby find themselves wondering about Cammie’s conscience; they have had no experience with psychopaths, and like many people who are plucked clean in various scams, they don’t want to believe that Cammie is bad news, beyond ‘help’ or that they were gullible. Finally, IMO, I’ve seen this many many times, belonging in a group, a grief group, a bird group, a whatever group, creates a false sense of safety. Somehow people have this impression that membership in that group, no matter how low the bar for entry, anoints fellow members with a badge of safety. As though they’ve been vetted. This makes an easy approach for scammers.

“I think that’s common, with psychopaths. They figure out what you want to hear and they say it.”

Review copy

Cammie is a scam artist and a user and now she's preying on Shelby whose wife just died, and Gibson, whose marriage has fallen apart. She plays each one of them- focusing on where she thinks their pain is centered. All three of them tell the story and while the reader can clearly see what's happening from the beginning, the players don't This is as much about learning about yourself and retaining your innate goodness as it is about the con. She's detestable, to be sure, but she's got to be to make this work. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good reminder to watch out for new acquaintances and a good read.

Going into this book I was expecting Cover Story or Inventing Anna or The Wolf of Wall Street and this just wasn't those. Which is a good thing!

Cammie was such a unique character. She was exactly who you needed her to be and even though you knew she was full of crap, she was hard to dislike. She was like a magnet and even as the reader, I found myself being drawn to her.

Gibson was a bit of a sad character. He was such a good guy. Humble, hardworking, just looking for some happiness. His instant connection with Cammie felt worrisome right off the bat and I was just chewing my nails waiting for the shoe to drop and his heart to smash in a little pieces with every turn of the page.

Shelby was such a likeable character. She was broken and she owned her brokenness. I felt like Shelby personified the phrase "I would rather loved and lost than never loved at all" and I loved her for it.

Even though you know Cammie is conning both of these people, it was hard to not to fall under her spell. It was also hard for me to understand Cammie's end goal in targeting Gibson and Shelby. It didn't really feel like money or power. It almost felt symbiotic.

This book was unique and I loved the characters, differing viewpoints, and hard topics it tackled. It's definitely one I would recommend!

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I found this book depressing ... But I couldn't stop reading. The whole plot of "the con" is sadly too true & I'm sure we've all met someone like Cammie but it's depressing especially in today's world where so much 💩 is happening that someone being nice .. too nice gets your guard up .
I read this book in under 24 hours but ultimately it left me sad ...

Thank you to Netgalley & publishers for the Arc.

Shelby has been drowning in her grief, ever since her wife died. She finally gets up the nerve to go to a grief support group, and at her first meeting, she meets the charismatic Cammie. Cammie makes her want to live again. Even though Cammie is recovering from cancer, and is going through several other calamities, she makes it her mission to get Shelby back into the real world again, and in return, Shelby invites Cammie to come stay with her. Gibson is newly divorced and is suffering from depression. When he meets Cammie, he falls head-over-heels for her. 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?
This book was so good. I really loved both Shelby and Gibson, and Cammie was someone that you both couln't stand and at the same time, her lies were so outrageous they were entertaining. This is a story about second chances in life, recovering from grief, acknowledging there is no "right" way to handle grief or depression, and so much more. I laughed so much and I even shed a tear or two with Shelby as she struggled. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

I felt a bit conned by this book. Cammie, as a con, made sense in the story with Shelby. It felt natural and believable. However, her con of Gibson did not make sense and felt incredibly forced. I found it hard to believe that a recent divorcee would confuse sex and lust with love to the extent that he did. I also wish there had been a few more pages once all three were brought together. I would have liked to see more tension and back and forth before things were uncovered. There was room there for more plot and character development that was missed. Overall, this was a quick little read that felt more like an initial draft or proposal versus a well thought out and complete book.

3.5 stars rounded up.

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. Gibson is almost forty, fresh from a divorce and deeply depressed. Then he meets and falls in love with Cammie. This book is about a con-artist. You know that she is a con-artist, but the new people in her life don't. This book reads more as a character study, rather than than a straight-forward, plot-based novel. The character of Cammie is fascinating and the fact that we knew that Shelby and Gibson are being duped was heartbreaking. This book explores Cammie and her victims - how they are drawn into Cammie's orbit and how can they manage to break that spell and claw themselves out.

This book was a short read but I think I was expecting something else when I picked it up. I think I needed more tension and story progression.

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! It keeps me entertained and I didn’t want to stop reading! I can’t wait to see what’s next!

The Fake should have been called The Obvious Fake. There is no ambiguity. This book shouldn’t have been as dull as it was. But it was like reading a version of a con artist story written by the person who writes the manuals for using your new oven. It just went through step by step what was happening. There was no depth to any of the characters. There was no intrigue. There was nothing to make you feel anything.

When you are presented with two versions of the same story told by two different people, whose version do you choose: one giving you a bit incredulous back story where everything happens to this person or one appears to be a person next door with a sad story? I think you would go with the latter, because how many sad, horrendous, incredible things might happen to a single person in a such period of time. Especially, when you can keep poking holes in that story...

We got a note from this interesting character, telling us all that happened to her were real even before we start the story. But you cannot make yourself believe. The woman next door and the dude just separated from his life partner are more credible sources over her. But whatever you do, the question was lingering in your mind: what if she was telling the truth?

It was a short story that managed to keep me engaged by making me ask when she was going to be caught and what would happen then. Weird thing was nothing happened! She was so oblivious that none of things people said or do phased her. I found it that more interesting than my original question at the end. So was she pro liar or was she the right one?

Shelby is grieving after her wife unexpectedly passes away. Gibson is struggling to find meaning after his divorce. When con artist Cammie comes into both their lives, they find hope again… until she takes advantage.

I loved this story because even though it is about a con artist, it’s more of a true life literary fiction than a thriller. Once you start reading, it’s hard to look away even though you know it’s going to get worse. You really feel for the two main characters and don’t want them to get taken advantage of. It does a great job of showing how some manipulators get ahead in life.

“When it’s real, you know it. Later a therapist will call this a red flag.”

The Fake comes out 3/21.

The Fake drew me in with its pop-art cover, but what's behind that cover is a much more introspective, melancholy story than I expected.

At the beginning of the book we meet Cammie, a pathological liar who is defending herself against accusations that she conned the book's protagonists, Shelby and Gibson, throughout her deliberately manufactured relationships with them.

Shelby is reeling from the sudden death of her wife, and when she meets Cammie in grief group, she clicks with her immediately. Cammie, having lost her sister, seems to truly understand the grief Shelby is feeling. When Cammie confesses that she is in treatment for kidney cancer and then loses her job, Shelby devotes herself completely to aiding in Cammie's recovery.

Gibson is deeply depressed after his divorce, until he meets Cammie while at a bar one night with his friends. Their connection is electric and immediate, and the sex they have when they return to his apartment is mind-blowing. Soon they're engaged in the most passionate relationship Gibson has ever experienced, and even though parts of Cammie's stories don't add up, he's too blissed out to care...at least at first.

What follows is Zoe Whittall's perceptive, sensitive exploration of the methods scammers use to prey on the vulnerable, and it's just as engrossing as it is heartbreaking. Whittall's portrayal of this type of situation felt so authentic and true to life (although thankfully I don't have my own experiences to back that up). Whittall has so much love for Shelby and Gibson, and it shows on the page; both of her protagonists have so much depth and humanity. Cammie is an endlessly fascinating character who infuriated me, but who had so much texture that I also understood her, and maybe even felt a bit sorry for her. There's a human behavior element to The Fake that is just riveting, with Whittall exploring the psychology behind how Cammie is able to draw Shelby and Gibson into her web of lies, and why she feels this treatment is justified based on her own life experiences.

Psychologically nuanced and compelling, The Fake is character-driven contemporary fiction at its best. It's such an original story that I think not every reader will appreciate, but it really worked for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advance reading opportunity.

My goodness. This book is an absolute RIDE. I devoured the entire thing cover to cover on an airplane… it’s obviously a quick read but it’s also a page-turner. Cammie and Gibson and Shelby are such distinct and believable characters. The human pain in this book was so real, and the endorphin high of meeting someone new after a loss and the following crash when it fell apart was relatable even though I hope most of us have never been through anything so dramatic. The author included a tantalizing line in her acknowledgments that made me think this may have been inspired by a true story. I simultaneously wish I knew that story and am afraid to wonder.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shelby recently lost her wife to a brain aneurysm. She has always suffered from anxiety but this loss has exacerbated her symptoms. Thankfully she has her rescue pug, Captain Taylor, who loves to kiss her tears away.

Then she meets Cammie at a grief counseling meeting her friend, Olive, insists she attends. Cammie is there for having lost her sister. Shelby is in awe of Cammie's lust for life. How she can command a room and light it up like fireworks. She's everything Shelby wishes she could be. They become best of friends. When Cammie loses her job she takes her in and takes care of her. Cammie would do the same if the roles were reversed.

Gibson is lonely. He's 39 years old and recently divorced. He's been in a state of depression since. Sure, he goes out with the guys for beers but more often than not he'd rather just be at home, alone, and miserable.

Then he meets Cammie while he's out with his best friend at the bar. She's vivacious and fun and she stirs feeling in him he has long thought he'd never feel again. She goes home with him and the sex is incredible. He's never felt so alive. She thinks it's kismet that they met. He has to agree. Cammie admits to him that she has recently gone in remission for kidney cancer so Gibson is always handling her mentally and physically with gentle hands. When she loses her job he let's her move in until she can get back on her feet. She would do the same for him if the roles were reversed.

A sad story of two lost and lonely souls that are taken in by a pathological liar. I became so upset and frustrated for both Shelby and Gibson. These are two of the kindest people that get taken advantage of in their moment of weakness. Of course as a reader we can see what's happening and I kept waiting for our characters to have their AHA moment when they realized they were being scammed by a professional grifter. Cammie plays the perfect devil in disguise. I teetered between loathing her and feeling sorry for her.

The final denouement did bring a smile to my face.

A compelling yet quiet story that is impeccably written. I'm definitely going to check out Whittall's backlist in the near future. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my complimentary copy.

Gibson is newly divorced after sleeping (figuratively) his way through his 30s. Shelby is depressed and barely functioning after the death of her wife, Kate. Both of them have their lives changed by Cammie — beautiful, upbeat, young and spontaneous. She’s also a total fake and user. She moves in, manipulates and tears lives apart. But in her own way, she actually helps them both get out of their own ways.

There have been a lot of con woman stories in the past year or so — Cover Story, Lies I tell, throw in My Friend Anna. Zoe Whittall give us a fresh story with great characters who each have a very distinct voice. I would have loved to hear more from Cammie, though. This book is short with chrisp writing

Huge Question for Zoe Whittall — What truth did you discover in 2007? Yes, I read the acknowledgments! Someone, please ask this in an interview.

The Fake isn't a meaty story but it held my interest from start to finish. I read The Best Kind of People written by this author a few years ago and both books are similar in that they are a study of people rather than a plot driven story. Or at least that's my interpretation and why I'm drawn to her writing.

Shelby is struggling after the death of her wife but then she meets Cammie. Gibson and his wife split up and he's depressed. But then he meets Cammie. So who is Cammie? Well, that's a loaded question.

The Fake is a niche read in that I doubt it will be appreciated by every reader but that's okay because we all look for different things when we pick up a book. The basics of the story are nothing new but the author went in a less traveled direction. Again, the psychology of it all is really what sustained my interest.