This book is fun and a bit funny, but it really lacked depth for me. Harper and Christopher felt like decent enough characters, though I wished they'd each gotten a bit more development. The majority of the supporting cast of side characters felt one dimensional, except for some of Harper's family. The plot was...it just didn't do it for me. There was an element of insta-love to this story that didn't work for me. The passage of time also felt odd? Christopher would mention that he only has a few months in town, but then he and Harper would talk about being afraid to mess up the balance they've had "for so long" in their fake relationship. It was confusing.

Sometimes those things are fine if there are other perks, but there wasn't any spice either. Harper and Christopher lacked chemistry in my opinion. There was banter and jokes, but nothing that felt like sparks.

And, on a very personal note, I could not stand that Harper called Christopher "Topher" in a not-just-joking way.

Faking it with the Grump is the first book in the Second Chance Café series by Kate O'Keeffe. This one plays out just like a Hallmark movie (something our hero doesn’t think is possible) and I enjoyed every second of it! This book also encompasses quite a few tropes: fake dating, fish out of water, small town, opposites attract and of course, grumpy/sunshine, and has an incredible setting that I personally wouldn’t mind settling down in. I adored it! Admittedly, I wanted to read a copy because the cover initially caught my eye, but I’m excited to share that the story itself was so worth it! I’m already excited to read the next one which will feature a friends-to-lovers trope between Ryn (Harper’s sister) and her lumberjack best friend!

If you’re in the mood for a sweet (kissing only) small town romance and enjoy any of the tropes I mentioned above then I recommend this one! It’s a quick read (one I was able to read in less than a day) and has both humor and an emotional backstory to round out the characters, and an amazing “redeeming” moment at the end!

Just love these covers!
Love a book that starts with an awkward incident which is the reason Harper has to move back to her home town and she happens to run into the only person in the country who hasn't seen her viral video with said incident. He's also kind of uptight and a little grumpy. But she doesn't know that when she tells all the matchmaking teachers that he's her (fake) boyfriend.
I like how they are opposites and her carefree optimism smooths his rough edges. They are also in a very small town with Christopher in town on business and everyone all up in everyone's business.
Everything gets very tricky when her ex comes back to town and Christopher's work is done in town. Harper doesn't want her ex back but there are so many difficult decisions to make. It might all work out though.
As much as career is important, living your life and making sacrifices to be with who you love is also important.

Thank you xpressotours and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

My first read from this prevalent trope, and I loved it! As the title indicates, this cute fake dating love story which will make your heart melt.

Christopher and Harper are beautiful MCs, the kind of lovely that you would love to know in real life. O'Keefe has crafted them with brilliance. The backstories and motivations peel away in an intriguing fashion that keeps you hooked. Though slightly predictable at times, the story was penned extremely well. Harper & Christopher's sizzling Chemistry had me rooting for them from the very start.

The is setting is gorgeous, a place the author familiar and comfortable with. I am genuinely excited for the sequel in the series following Ryn- Harper's sister. I'm happy for this world to expand into something bigger that may just be one of my favorite contemporary series. The dual POV is quite enjoyable to read. I'd say this is an easy, light-hearted read- the one-sitting type.

If you love small town romances and fake dating trope. this is the book for you. this was such an easy read and a great one too. i loved the relationship we see progress between the two main characters.

forever in my small town romance era!

I finished reading this so long ago I didn't even remember I hadn't reviewed it, which is...bad. But I guess, in a way, my (now short) review will be thought out a bit more.
I want to start off by saying that I didn't hate this book at all - actually, I really liked it, as a small dose of entertainment everyday before going to work or during my lunches alone. The thing is: this is what happens when books are reduced to tropes, people. They don't offer you more, especially if more than a month has passed and you're trying to remember what happened.
So, here's what I can say and definitely remember thinking about this book:
it was short and sweet, in a way;
I liked the outlines of the characters, and I liked the outline of the plot, but I didn't think I was given much aside from outlines. It felt like the books I write just to pass the time and take the idea out of my head, no pressure whatsoever. And I totally respect and approve of doing that because, again, it's something I also do. But I think, as authors, we need to know what to publish. And, in my opinion, if we want something published, we need to write it in a different way than something to get off our heads.
Again, I give this book three stars because, in my life and view, it fulfilled its purpose. It was entertaining, it didn't make me think a lot, and everything happened fast enough. But, again again, these are also the problems with it if I have to review it.

It has been a long while and, honestly, I haven't read as much as I wanted to, so reading this felt like an oasis of sorts. It was a book that I COULD read in short doses without too much effort and I liked it - it came at a right time in my life. But, if I have to be critical, I wouldn't read it again because I know I wouldn't gain anything more out of it.

I really liked this book! One of my favorite tropes is the fake boyfriend one and the small town romance is always a bonus! Also loved Harper and Christopher's relationship! It was a fun and easy read!

FMC: Harper- not only is she being dumped by her high-school-sweetheart-turned-tv-star boyfriend, but it’s being filmed, posted online, and seen by everyone. She moves back to her small hometown to take on a new teaching opportunity and leave the big city life behind her. With everyone trying to set her up with their brother, cousin, son, etc she finds the only out-of-towner and springs a fake relationship agreement into his lap… here’s to hoping for the best!
MMC: Christopher- desperate for the promotion to junior partner at his law firm, he accepts an assignment in some small town in the middle of nowhere. He’s hardworking, intent on keeping his khead down, running his numbers, and leaving at the end of his assignment without a second thought. All his plans suddenly come to a halt when Harper inserts herself into his life asking him to pretend to be her boyfriend.
POV: 1st person, dual POV
HEA: yes
spice: no spice, there are some slightly steamy kissing scenes, but this is a clean romance
TWs: cheating, public humiliation/dumping, death of a parent
standalone: this is the first book in the series Second Chance Café- book 2 will be out mid-2023 and this book did a cute job of telling you who it will be about and what tropes to expect
final thoughts: this book was super cute and had a Hallmark movie feel to it. It was super sweet and I loved the dual POV

read this book if you love
🥰 nicknames
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 opposites attract
💞 fake dating
🏫 small town
😇 clean romance
😠 grumpy/sunshine

Faking it with the grump unfortunately falls flat from the characters and typical story line that has been overused but if done right can be a cute story. Only this time it doesn't come across as the author had hoped. The one liners of humor fell flat many times leaving these reader struggling to finish the book.
Thank you to Netgally for a copy of Faking it With the Grump.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wild Lime Books for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had hopes that this would be a cutesy romance that I would enjoy, but unfortunately this book didn't deliver for me.
It was a short read but I feel like both the characters and storyline could've been delved into a little deeper. The book felt a two dimensional and seemed to be missing something the whole way through.

I found that it was slow paced, but then went super fast towards the end. They went from a fake relationship to suddenly declaring their love within a couple of weeks.

I also have seen a few comments from other reviewers about this, but there was some slight racism and also making jokes of the #MeToo Movement. I definitely disengaged after this.

After being dumped by her actor boyfriend Dex, Harper moves back to her hometown of Hunter's Creek, and now that she is back in town everyone she knows wants to set her up on dates or gives her pity looks. When a co-worker tries to convince her to go on a date, she pretends that she is already in a relationship with the new guy in town Christopher. Christoper is a lawyer from New York working in the mergers and acquisitions department, he is tasked to assess the lumber mill in town for his company to buy it, when a pretty girl asks him to be her fake boyfriend he agrees as being attached to a local might make the townsfolk less suspicious of him.

The chemistry in this book wasn't believable - they hardly went on any dates, hardly knew much of the other person but somehow they instantly fall in love. The setting of the book was fine and it felt really felt like what you would expect from a small-town community.

This book was okay. I had a fun time and I loved the small town aesthetic. I just couldn't relate to the characters as much as I would've wanted but I did enjoy reading. If there's another book, I will definitely pick it up because i love the townspeople and the town itself!

This was a such a sweet book! I loved every second of the story 🤩
I think it was a wonderful small town romance read, and I loved getting to know Harper and Christopher.The two of them are perfect together.
The story had plenty of humor and swoon 💋
Tropes:
➡️ Grumpy/ sunshine
➡️ Small town
➡️ Slow burn
If you like sweet small town romances the you should read this book ASAP!
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Faking it with the Grump by Kate O'Keeffe was a really great book. The story was well written and enjoyable, the characters likeable and engaging, everything was realistic and funny. The setting was whimsical and adorable. I was rooting for Harper and Christopher throughout! My only complaint would be that I would have liked it to be a bit longer!

This book was sweet and charming with a hallmarky feel.

Harper Cole was just dumped by her long time boyfriend, and decides to move back home to Hunters creek where everyone is set to play matchmaker for her. Christopher Young is a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in town to decide if the towns Mill is a good fit for his company to purchase. Harper sees him in a bar one night and gives him an earth shattering kiss and proposes they fake date. Obviously fake feelings turn real vin this sweet small town romance.

While the book was sweet and I liked the characters, it was predictable and got a little repetitive. I’d still be curious to check out more in the series in the future tho! 3.5/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Wild Lime books for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

I give it 3.5 stars.
This book described in one word, would be cute. With a bit of sense of humor and a lot of hallmark movie feels. I don't think it's about Harper and Christopher being complete opposites. More like them showing each other the potential and different persona they have hidden inside. She is very spirited. He needs to loosen up. And while he is very matter of fact, she still understands him. They both have good hearts, and you can't go wrong with that.

Enjoyed this book.! It was quick and lighthearted with hallmark vibes. Some parts really grasped my attention while others failed to. Regardless, this is still a good read!

Firstly, thank you so much for the ARC! I knew when I requested this book was going to be a cute fluff story, and that's exactly what I got. It's a cute, feel good fast read. By reading the summary, you know exactly how the story is going to go. It's a small town romance. A teacher from a small town, and a businessman that comes from NYC. When Harper moves back to her small town after a really public breakup, and is tired of people feeling pity for her, and trying to set her up with random guys. Then she crosses paths with the new guy in town, Chris. She decides to tell people that he's her boyfriend, before even speaking to him. What starts out as faking, turns into the real thing. Chris, dreads going to the small town in Washington state initially, but the longer he stays there, the more he falls in love with the quaint city life, with it's people, and most importantly Harper. I felt like Chris' character was really awkwardly written. At least initially. He's written in a really robotic way, and all you wonder is who actually speaks like that? Once he starts to loosen up, he comes across as a real person. Harper on the other hand steals the show. I really enjoy her character. The idea of following a significant other to a new city to help them follow their dreams, really hit home for me. And so I really enjoyed her dreaming of wanting to be a teacher at the small town she grew up in. Not only that, but also not wanting to follow Christopher back to New York. I feel like far too often, the female is the one who's expected to give up their dreams to follow their male counterpart. And while there's nothing wrong with that, I found it refreshing, that she didn't want to follow him to NYC. Overall, it was a cute sweet read. 3 Stars.

This was a fun and light read. The characters were good and I connected to them easily.

It was quite Hallmark movie but an easy read all the same!

I didn’t like this and I won’t be reading any more from this author.

There’s no spice. Not even some sexual tension. That wouldn’t bother me if this had plot, there was not plot. Besides the romance that wasn’t even romance. Fake dating for all of like 3 days. Plus this was SO repetitive. Ridiculously so. It was infuriating. I almost DNFed at 60% and I should have.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Wild Lime Books publishing for this digital ARC.