HATE TO FAKE IT TO YOU – Amanda Sellet
St. Martin Griffin
ISBN: 978-1250906243
July 16, 2024
Romantic Comedy

Hawaii – Present Day

Libby Lane, with the help of her best friend Jean, has created a fake persona on Instagram that has her showing others how to experience the communal aspects of life. But behind her fake life is plain and boring Libby. She is nothing like Lillibet, who has a wonderful husband, lives in a fabulous house, and knows how to do just about everything from cooking to creative displays. Unfortunately for Libby, she has attracted the attention of Hildy Johnson, a social media influencer and part of the famous reality show darlings, the Johnsons. Hildy decides to come to Hawaii with her current boyfriend, wildlife photographer Jefferson Jones, to meet and complete an interview on Lillibet for a magazine. To say that Libby is now in a panic is an understatement. She has to recreate her “perfect life” for Hildy or be branded a fake. What happens in the coming days in HATE TO FAKE IT TO YOU is fodder for a slapstick comedy. Nothing goes right…and Libby is finding herself attracted to Jefferson.

Readers will have to peg HATE TO FAKE IT TO YOU as a different kind of story and romance. Libby created this perfect woman with the help of her best friend Jean. Of course, they didn’t expect that they would have to show Lillibet to the world in a public display. They manage to find a local’s house to pretend to live there, but there’s a catch. The owner doesn’t just want to be her pretend husband—he wants to marry her. Libby accidentally met Jefferson before she realized he and Hildy had arrived and kind of let her hair down in front of him. That is when the attraction between them started, and it doesn’t abate in this tale. Oh, and Jefferson is not really Hildy’s boyfriend. It turns out he is a fake too. There is a lot of faking it until you shake out the truth in HATE TO FAKE IT TO YOU.

Hildy has the influence, but she is really a nice person, though a bit oblivious to the goings around her. Jefferson had to wonder about “Lillibet’s” marriage because the couple does not seem happy together, and in fact, appears to be a couple of swingers. Jean is supposed to be the housekeeper, but she acts like the lady of the Manor and orders others around. Meanwhile, Libby wonders what is going to happen if the truth comes out. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud scenes and snappy dialogue to keep the plot moving along. HATE TO FAKE IT TO YOU is a madcap comedy that has a bit of everything…go wrong. Probably the only complaint is that it takes a while for everything to get all sorted out. At the end of the book, will Libby be exposed, and will she get a chance with Jefferson? You’ll have to read it to find out.

A tale set on the beautiful island of Oahu in Hawaii that blends romance with comedy. Don’t miss the fun in HATE TO FAKE IT TO YOU.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Hate to Fake It to You by Amanda Sellet is full of characters pretending to be someone they’re not. Each has agreed to this in hopes of using one another’s “status” for personal gain. While the plot sounded promising, it ultimately fell a little flat for me.

The characters were all over the top and ended up being rather unlikable, in my opinion. Using one another for their own nefarious, selfish reasons wasn’t relatable or enjoyable for me.

I would rate this three stars as I’m sure a perhaps younger audience may enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley, Amanda Sellet, and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a candid review.

I thought I would enjoy this but the writing lacks focus on a topic. It’s all over the place. The dialogue, while I’m sure is intended to show the relationship between the characters, is actually just very confusing . It was also unclear the relationship between some of the characters and then, by time it was explained, I was already annoyed with the lack of information.

What a cute plot, and how much I enjoyed reading this one! I read it in a single sitting because I was having so much fun reading it! I quite liked it and definitely recommend to others - absolutely pick this one up if you’re looking for a fun time.

Very low angst but there’s drama because of the mistaken identity fiasco (Libby pretends to be a different person on her lifestyle IG influencer account, “Love, Lillibet”). A media mogul’s daughter, Hildy, has a life-changing experience and decides to go to Hawaii to seek out Lillibet, who she follows for life tips, with the man who saved her - wildlife photographer Jefferson. Libby and all of her community scramble to help Lillibet exist and to show Hildy a good time on the island, and some Lillibet activities and insider secrets. What no one counted on was Libby and Jefferson hitting it off… especially when Lillibet was supposedly married (she needed to have a huge, affluent house somehow).

Fun, flirty, and there are cute goats! Plus, it’s in Hawaii - hard to go wrong here. It’s a quick and easy and light read.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin), and this is my honest feedback.

This book is such a gem. There were moments where I laughed out loud and other heartfelt scenes where I really related to trying to find your place in the world. Libby, along with her two best friends, create an online persona that is nothing like their real life. When media-darling Hildy notices the Love, Lillibet account, she wants to meet Lillibet and flies to Hawaii to do just that. They are forced to bring Lillibet to life and antics ensue.

This was such a fun rom-com that was over the top at times but delightful. I really enjoyed the characters, with the banter between Hildy and Jefferson being my favorite. There's a romance plot, but this is so much more. We have themes of found family, finding yourself in the world, community, a woman's ambition, friendship, plus goats! There's fake dating on multiple fronts, and on a personal note, I absolutely loved the backdrop of living in Hawaii. Roacheo! The bugs there are legit, by the way.

There is a third-act break-up that I know readers have feelings about, but in this book it just works! I won't give away the when/who/how but it felt necessary and it wasn't drawn out. I wanted a little more resolution to the Mr. L situation, and I wanted a little more of the dichotomy between tourism/non-resident property owners and residents.

Overall though, I found this book to be fun and light while also touching on some very real emotions. It would make a great vacation read!

Our fmc is Libby, whose carefully presented social media influencer persona "Lillibet" showcases a lifestyle that's more of an exercise in creative writing than actually resembling her real life in Hawaii. She wants to be a freelance journalist but her life has hit a few snags. OUr mmc is Jefferson, a wildlife photographer who happened to be in the right place at the right time to be a snowstorm hero in Wyoming. Their paths cross in Hawaii when the media socialite Jefferson rescued (Hildy) is a big fan of Libby's lifestyle counter-part Lillibet and comes to visit her. Libby and her friends scramble to keep up the facade to impress Hildy and maybe find a way out forward into the lives they want. Will they be successful or will the subterfuge derail everything? I have to say, the resulting trainwreck was a lot more amusing than I anticipated. With stories like these where willful deceit is such a big part of the plot it's easy to descend into cringe-worthy story lines, but I thought it was handled well here. The author has a nice comedic voice with a lovely touch of snark. There were enough genuinely funny scenes to keep things moving nicely, and several spots where I legitimately cackled out loud. Not a big fan of Libby's friend Jean but I *loved* Keoki and his family. This is a new-to-me author and it's her adult debut, I sincerely hope she continues with adult fiction because I would really love to read more from her!

Thank you to NetGalley for an Ebook ARC of this story, this is my objective review. Publishes July 16, 2024.

A really lovely, funny, and sweet adult romance debut! I loved the humor, the found family , and the absolute love and respect for the island. Highly recommend!

This book wasn’t really for me. I struggled a lot with the characters overall and the love felt very insta-lovey to me.

The best part of the book was really the Hawaiian setting. I wouldn’t say I would never read this author again, but I don’t think this is the book I would recommend.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book for my honest review.

I will tell you that I love rom-coms and books that are not too serious. But this book wasn't it for me. I struggled to connect with the characters and be drawn into the story. I honestly put this book down and eventually got back to it, but I just don't leave books unfinished. Other reviews loved this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Had some trouble connecting with this story, the characters were flawed but their romance wasn’t felt. The island descriptions were very nice, made me want to visit and see it for myself.

I had a hard time with this book. I struggled with the characters and the miscommunication. The romance lacked chemistry in my opinion. I did like Hawaii as the setting and I did find it funny at times.

Libby Lane works as a waitress but her alter ego is Lilibet who is a carefully cultivated influencer on instagram. She gives advice and shares snippets of a world that is perfect. She is helped in this by her best friend. Hildy Johnson, a media mogul, travels to Hawaii to meet Libby and offer her a job, believing in her brand. Now all of a sudden she needs a fake boyfriend which brings in wildlife photographer Jefferson Jones. This is zany, silly and a good comedy romance. Don’t read expecting character depth or a lot of personal growth from the characters. I did like that Libby is herself when she is with Jefferson so the love interest does seem real. But some of the shenanigans seem immature and unrealistic. I did love the setting in Hawaii and thought the cover with the goats was cute.

I had a hard time getting into this one. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters at all. I ended up DNFing at 35%. I’m sure others will love it but it just wasn’t for me.

A waitress masquerading as an influencer and a wildlife photographer are on a collision course with romance–and chaos―in Hate to Fake It to You , a zany modern twist on a screwball comedy classic about figuring out what you really want – by pretending to be someone you’re not.

Everyone gets a glow-up on social media, but Libby Lane's online persona is the fakest of fakes. Cooked up as a joke by Libby and her best friends, Lillibet is the affluent, healthier-than-thou opposite of her glam-free life on the side of Oahu most tourists never see. The phony fronting is all in good fun, until a real influencer stumbles onto the Love, Lillibet Instagram feed and starts making waves.

When Hildy Johnson, the ambitious junior member of a media dynasty, travels to Hawaii to talk to Lillibet about parlaying her lifestyle brand into a job, Libby and her friends scramble to take the make-believe to a new level. Complicating the charade even further is Hildy’s handsome companion, a wildlife photographer named Jefferson Jones, whose keen eye sees more than he lets on.

Between the pretend husband, borrowed goats, a made-up holiday, and Libby’s very real attraction to Jefferson, it’s anyone’s guess which lie will blow their cover first … especially since Lillibet isn’t the only one with something to hide.

This story is fun and cute, but it lacks connection. I didn't really enjoy the plot all that much as it seemed a little far fetched.

Thanks to NetGalley and Griffin for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 15%.

I just couldn't get into the story, the beginning really didn't grab my attention.

Simply not the book for me.

Libby is down on her luck when she and her friends decide to create a fake Instagram account Love, Lillibet in order to pretend to be an obnoxious rich influencer. The account attracts followers and when media scion Hildy decides to visit Hawaii and meet Lillibet to encourage her to write for her, chaos ensues. Libby and her friends need to obtain a mansion by the beach, a fake husband for Lillibet and some goats? This would all be well and good but Hildy brings wildlife photographer Jefferson James with her and Libby is immediately smitten.
I'm not a huge fan of books where the characters are so dishonest with each other right off the bat but the writing was good and the story kept moving.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Thank you St Martin's for the review copy. I wanted to like this one more than I did, it is a like for me because I enjoyed the setting and the themes but the execution didn't quite land for me. I think this is due to the range of ideas that Sellet presented in the book and since Lillibet was not real, and was a fake social media account, the development of that character when Libby had to try to make herself into Lillibet was flat (this might have been part of the point but it wasn't all that fun to read those sections). I liked the idea of this book, being caught in your social media influence lie and perhaps the comedy aspects were a little too heavy handed, the social media life so fake that it was too silly to really believe, and this lead the book to fall short of expectations for me.

A fast-paced romantic riot.

There were times when the only image I could see was Noises Off. If anyone is unfamiliar it’s a hilarious laugh-out-loud farce with things so ridiculous it feels fantastical and yet rooted in characters who feel like they’re right in front of me.

The romantic moments felt like an oasis. These moments were a breath before the combined chaos that was a comedic merry-go-round that felt like I might fall off at any moment.

Yet it was an unforgettable ride.

I must mention again that it was a hilarious time, like a literal award-winning farce.

I hate giving bad reviews! It makes me so sad. I’m sure the author is proud of this book and I’m sure a lot of people will like it. It just really was not for me.

It was just okay. I think my main complaint is that she tried to fit too much information in, with not much background, so multiple things ended up feeling incomplete, sometimes confusing, or just overall superfluous. We don’t get much background on Libby’s jobs, career, or post-college. We don’t really understand how Mr. L fits into the picture, why he needs a green card, or why he wants to invest in Keoki’s potential restaurant when he works in plumbing design? There are so many other examples I could provide.

I can’t stand the “character” of Lillibet. Also I’m sure this was mostly on purpose, but no one would believe the act Libby and Jean put on. I was also annoyed by Hildy until perhaps the last few chapters; I thought there was too much juxtaposition between her wanting to be a mature adult who wants to be taken seriously, but acting completely immature most of the time. Not to mention constantly commenting on Jefferson’s age (when it seems he wasn’t that much older than her?) which was annoying in itself. And don’t even get me started on Mr. L.

I really wanted to like this more. It is set in Hawaii, so if that’s something that interests you, it has that. There were also a few humorous moments, and it’s a lighthearted read.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have found the writing for this to be rather juvenile, and I think the author has tried too hard to make this more comedy than romance. It felt overly cheesy in so many ways, and it made it hard to read.