This book was so weird! Gibson is a middle aged divorcee who meets a beautiful young woman named Cammie and instantly falls for her. Shelby is a woman grieving the loss of her wife, and she also meets Cammie at a grief support group.

The story is told from alternating chapters between Gibson and Shelby, bookended by notes from Cammie. The whole story was bizarre, with Cammie being a pathological liar and manipulator.

At the end it seems like she learned that from her family, and she continued to lie and manipulate her way through life, leaving a path of devastation behind her.

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

two words: TWEE and TRITE. i rolled my eyes constantly. there's nothing new or interesting or even fun to read here - the book felt empty, almost like this was just an outline instead of a fully-realized story. no real character development and no real insights. writing wasn't great - very rupi-kaur-esque, where you're attempting to be "deep" but you just sound lame.

unless you're an avid consumer of those modern romcoms (you know the ones...), you should read something else.

thanks to random house publishing group for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly, I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. It most definitely was a compelling and interesting read. I just felt like there wasn't much of a plot other than a girl scamming two people at once. There was no real story arc. The characters were interesting, the premise was also, but nothing really happens. It was just ok.

While I enjoyed having two characters worth rooting for and an interesting dynamic around personal responsibility and mental illness, "The Fake" really fell flat for me. The reader is aware from the back cover synopsis of "The Fake" that Cammie is a liar, and there isn't much else revealed about her character or the other characters to keep you motivated to read. There is no big "event". There are many literary fiction books I've loved that someone might describe as - "nothing happened" - but in that case, there is always beautiful poetic writing with insights about life and love that stick with you or there is wonderful character development - it's certainly a balance that is hard to strike. And unfortunately, this book didn't have those other elements to supplement a slow plotline.

An interesting take on a tale as old as time.

Cammie is a well seasoned con artist. This time she chooses two marks: the recently divorced and depressed Gibson, and the grieving anxiety prone widow Shelby.

I stuck through this one because I have an unending desire to see con’s meet their match. I was also somewhat charmed and disarmed by Cammie. Her initial remarks in the first section of the story sets up a journey of doubt for the reader. But as the tale enfolds it’s clear how easy manipulation is for Cammie. Gibson and Shelby are eaten up by guilt and rage as they battle their emotions over this person they’ve come to know as a friend or lover.

A quick read on how sorrow is powerful, debilitating, and necessary.

I am a sucker for stories about sociopaths and friendships, so The Fake was right up my alley, as it is about Cammie, a charismatic con artist, and the people who are invited into her life and ultimately victimized by her. This short novel kept me interested and engaged with the characters, even if it didn't really contain any "OMG" moments. I would definitely recommend.

"The Fake” by Zoe Whittall follows Shelby, a woman struggling with the death of her wife, and Gibson, a new divorcee living with depression. Both characters are drawn into the orbit of Cammie, a charismatic cancer survivor whose life is (perhaps too) peppered with tragedy. This is a fascinating character study which packs a lot of plot. Definitely worth a read.

Shelby and Gibson both meet Cammie and almost immediately feel extremely bonded to her. But the story of the life she's told them doesn't add up and once Cammie has introduced them to each other, they begin to put the pieces together.
I think this is an ok read. A story with lots of potential but it just came up slightly flat. It was a quick read tho and the writing itself was good.

Cammy is an enigmatic character. She’s the perfect lover for Gibson, who’s stunned she even noticed him. She’s a fantastic friend and partner for Shelby, who is slowly recuperating from the loss of her wife.
The interesting aspect is how Cammy floats from one personality to another. Also, she doesn’t seem to need basic life necessities: food, bath, sleep, and a solid place to call home. And she’s cried wolf so many times it’s hard to believe her even if she’s speaking the truth. No one really knows what the honest and bare truth is. This is a well-written and entertaining look at the pathological liar and con artist, and the painful effects she can have on those who love her.
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is March 14, 2023.

Novel about a conwoman who manages to con both a women friend and a man. Eventually her lies begin to catch up with her, especially when her friend and boyfriend eventually seek each other out.

The Fake

Cammie is a con artist who has honed her craft well. She knows essentially who is an easy mark for her to con and she puts herself in the right places to meet them. She has a somewhat complicated past of her own which has sharpened her survival skills and made her able to justify her actions. Some people just truly believe they should have whatever they desire and other people are simply a means to obtain those things.

I truly liked reading something a little different. Everyone here is flawed to different degrees. Gibson is recently divorced and lonely. Shelby recently lost her wife and is also lonely. They are both unfortunately vulnerable to a con like Cammie. This is an interesting character driven story and wraps up like it probably would in real life. The beginning of the story leads the reader to believe the story is going a slightly different direction than it does. The genre here is fiction and NOT a thriller, so I’d say it’s definitely labeled appropriately.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousepublishinggroupballantine for an early copy of The Fake.

I read this book in one night. Did not want to put it down, did not want to stop reading.

The Fake tells the story of Cammie, a compulsive liar and con artist, and the two (kind, lovely, sad) people she messes with and cons.

It was so fun reading a story set in Toronto where I used to live, especially in my old neighbourhood. This novel was hard to read at times because the scammed, particularly Shelby, are good people in extremely vulnerable positions who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.


Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the arc.

I read an early review of this book and immediately looked for a way to review it myself. I went into it with pretty high expectations, but thankfully it did not disappoint! The Fake follows Cammie, a scammer, who plays on the emotions of Shelby and Gibson. There were parts of that were hard to read, of course, but it was fascinating to see how Cammie went about things. The writing was great and really drew me; I found myself almost inhaling sections of this book trying to find out what was going to happen. Whittall did a fantastic job with this premise. I'll be looking forward to more books by this author!

This book was so entertaining! We all know someone like this and most have been taken advantage of. This was a beautiful way to look at these type of people.

The Fake by Zoe Whittall is a fun book about a gifted con artist and two people who fall (and keep falling) for her pathological lies. I kind of wanted to throw my kindle across the room several times, but in a good way. The Fake is the perfect book to take on vacation and devour while sitting poolside and day drinking. Definitely enjoyed!!

This is kind of a hard book to read because Shelby and Gibson are nice people, and it’s their niceness that has them being taken in by the con artist Cammie.

Shelby had already been struggling with mental issues like hypochondria and occasional bouts of agoraphobia when her wife abruptly dies. Now her friends and family (who continue to call Kate Shelby’s “friend”—as in, “why can’t she get over the death of her friend?”) are ready for Shelby to go back to work and return to normal. The only reason Shelby is keeping it together even a little is to take care of their dog. Finally, she takes the advice of friends and goes to a bereavement group where she meets the effervescent Cammie, who finally pulls her out of her rut. Shelby doesn’t mind helping Cammie out with money and the occasional place to stay.

Gibson is recently divorced and living in an apartment decorated only with the boxes he can’t seem to unpack when he meets Cammie in a bar. Having unbelievable sex after such a long dry spell brings him back to the land of the living. He doesn’t mind helping Cammie out with money and the occasional place to stay.

They finally figure out that very little of what Cammie says has any bearing on the truth. For me, the ending was not satisfying. Niceness is great, but there comes a point when standing up against yourself against emotional abuse is more admirable. They start to stand up for themselves, but they really outdo themselves trying to continue to help her.

NetGalley provided an advance reader copy of this novel.

Another scammer grifter novel with some fun new twists. An easy and quick read that opens and closes with Cammie's POV (the reader can ultimately decide if she's worth believing), this is a solid if somewhat predictable novel that is sure to find an engaged audience

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’m kind of half in half about this book. The writing is really good, the characters fully developed. It took me awhile to get into the story and then it was over. An inside look into how a scammer operates and the destruction they wreak on their victims. I guess I expected more from the story.

Fascinating! Cammie is an expert con artist and manipulator. She easily spots her “marks” and preys on their vulnerabilities. Gibson is still hurting after his divorce and Shelby is still reeling after the death of her wife. Gibson meets Cammie in a bar and she makes him feel like he never felt before. Shelby meets Cammie in a brief support group and is drawn to her. But both Gibson and Shelby realize that parts of Cammie’s story do not add up. But when they confront her, she always has a good explanation. I found it amazing that even though they knew Cammie was lying, they still wanted to try and help her overcome all the lying.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.