This book never hooked me. I kept hoping for something that I liked but I just couldn't. This wasn't my cup of tea. I tried but I didn't like it. I didn't like the characters but I did enjoy the location.

This cover is one of the cutest of all time, I picked this out based solely on the cover. Yes, it's true, I judge books by the cover. This was a fun rom-com with the best setting. I want to book a trip to Hawaii after reading this. If you're looking for a light summer beach read, this is the perfect book to get lost in!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St Martins Press & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you’re looking for a quick, fun, and fluffy romance this summer, this is it. Also must enjoy cameos from cutie goats, and be a fan of instalove!

3.5 🌟 rounded down

The beginning was quite confusing for me, and I couldn’t really grasp the relationships of any of the characters or the situations they were in. The middle got a little easier to read and Libby and Jefferson were cute together, but so much lying put them in a bad position honestly.

Spoiler below:
After Libby came clean about lying, it seems like Jefferson and Hildy forgave her way too quickly. Then the relationship happened extremely quickly at the end.
Also, Jean gaslighting Libby and making it seem like she was entirely at fault, when Jean is the one who forced Libby to play along in the first place was an interesting shift in personality.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to Amanda Sellet, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sigh. Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t a hit for me. Starting with a cast entirely made of manic pixie dream girls (except Keoki and Jefferson, who are fine), weird and unnecessary Irish stereotyping, using the phrase “a domestic” to describe a housekeeper (in 2024?????), and finally an absolutely terrible “best friend” who gets you into awful situations and then blames you for not wanting to participate, this book was really just all over the place. I thought I could at least enjoy it as a 3.5-4ish star read, but between the chaos mentioned above, and the romance that truly showed up out of nowhere, I really couldn’t give it the benefit of the doubt.

POV: dual third person

You can expect: fake persona, wildlife photographer MMC, fake dating and fake marriage, imposter Instagram influencer.

Spice: 1/5 (closed door, nothing more than kissing)

CW: cheating ex girlfriend (past), neglectful parent (past)

DNF at 20% in. Honestly, it was a struggle to make it that far. There was just a lot going on and nothing all at once. There was a lot of lying going on. I didn’t love any of the characters and found most annoying. It just fell really flat for me.

The catchy title and cute cover got me, but the writing couldn't keep my interest. This book has one of the lowest pre-publication ratings I've ever seen on Goodreads, so I know I'm not alone in saying that the story just didn't work for me. I'll keep it short and sweet - it was a DNF for me.

This was such an unrealistic rom-com but was a fun journey.

This is the perfect escapism story to get lost in when you just need a break from the realism of life.

Despite being a retelling of a christmas movie this was a fun summer read.

This was a fun premise and an entertaining read. It was.a bit silly at times but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Love the setting of this book. It makes me want to go back to Hawaii. I probably shouldn't have accepted this ARC based on the description because I do not like tropes that involve lying and that is pretty much this whole book. The shenanigans were unrealistic but kind of funny if you like slapstick humor. Overall this was just okay for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

This romcom is all about the antics. The blurb calls it a “screwball comedy” and that’s pretty spot-on. Lillibet & her friends (who at times are kinda awful to her tbh), are basically faking her entire life in an attempt to keep up with her online persona. Very early 2000s romcom set-up imo. The lies keep stacking up, and the plot gets a little carried away. The romance aspect wasn’t a hit for me. I think if you’re going to have your characters basically fall in love at first sight, it needs to be explosive with tension and banter and chemistry. Insta-love is a tough one to achieve. Jefferson didn’t bring the heat. There’s a lot of cheesy, fluffy, cute moments, and the book would be pretty easy for a beach/pool read, but don’t go in expecting depth. It’s a gag reel. 2.75 ⭐️

P.S. the Hawaii setting though?! 👏🏻 Go Bows 🌈

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I loved the cover of this book and was so excited to read it. I love Hawaii so was excited to learn that’s where it took place. However the story fell a bit flat for me. But I am a mood reader and maybe I just wasn’t in the right place when I read it. The lying to everyone was hard for me to get over. I hope to pick it up and read again at another time to see if it was just my timing.

DNF @ 70%. I tried to hold on until the end, I really did, but the writing was just a little bit too zany and quirky for me and very quickly got annoying. The web of lies that is in the story is way too unbelievable to the point where it’s not enjoyable for me to read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

2.5 stars

Lillibet is a waitress in big trouble! She’s gotten the attention of a media darling, who is trying to take Lillibet’s career as an influencer to the next level. Unfortunately, Lillibet isn’t anything like the screen presence she’s created. So Lillibet and her friends attempt to fake it. The one thing Lillibet never counted on, however, was falling for the photographer tasked with cataloging her career. Can Jefferson and Lillibet make it work, when they BOTH have secrets that could ruin everything?

I loved the setting of this book! I needed a tropical book this summer! It’s great to be able to visit Hawaii in a book when you can’t do it in real life. Amanda Sellet shares in her author’s note that much of this book is basically a love letter to her homeland, which I can absolutely feel in the pages.

Her sense of humor makes this a story full of shenanigans. It’s the perfect read if you want to read something light and fluffy. Because so much of this book hinges on humor, however, you’re most likely to enjoy it if you and the author have similar senses of humor.

I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

First off, thanks to #NetGalley, St Martins, and Ms. Sellet who provided the #ARC. I have a confession to make because I did something that readers really shouldn’t do: I sped read to the ending so I could see how it would end (and so I could finally go to sleep) and then tried to go back to where I was engaged absorbing every detail. And I couldn’t. It’s my shameful secret; sometimes I can’t wait to find out how it ends because it’s that good.

If you love Hawaii, that alone will make you want to read the book. I thought the FMC and MMC were well matched and I liked seeing how their relationship unfolded in the book. I thought the plot -social media influencer who acts like Gwyneth Paltrow meets Martha Stewart online is actually three down on their luck friends/family faking it until they make it, each contributing their own personal talent to the persona of “Lilibet”, get caught in a crazy scheme where they have to fake it in person to a huge fan- was unique and something Lucy Ricardo might have tried to pull off. And if you like cringe comedy of the Curb Your Enthusiasm or The Office type, you will definitely enjoy this book, as there were many many of those moments, plus a couple cringe (but in a good way) supporting characters thrown in (oh my god, the disappearing accent of the “housekeeper!”).

Great beach read, fun, and light. Highly recommend.

This novel was laugh out loud funny, but also very tender. I really enjoyed that it wasn’t just a romance, it also centered around friendship. The characters were flawed and colorful, a little zany at times, but with plenty of depth. I can definitely see classic movies as the inspiration for this novel, as the author notes in her acknowledgements. Overall, I really enjoyed this read.

How fun is this cover for How to Fake it to You?! Libby’s life is not where she wants it to be, at least in reality. On Instagram though, she’s Love, Lillibet—glamorous and put together—but when her two identities are forced to clash when media heiress Hildy Johnson shows up in her small town in Hawaii, along with her companion Jefferson Jones, Libby is forced to take a new look at her life and try to make her dream a reality. In all honesty, this book didn’t work for me. There’s too much good on, the romantic conflict could’ve been resolved with one quick conversation (I mean so quick, but instead it’s a multiple month long break up, and not even a breakup because we barely get to see Jefferson and Libby be a couple). I loved the lead up of Jefferson and Libby though, they had great banter and chemistry and just a really natural feel together that I wish got explored. But Libby is also pretending to be married to a guy most of the books—because Lillibet is married—and Hildy is fake dating Jefferson. And I thought Libby’s friend Jean put so much pressure on her, I liked how they talk things out later but I wasn’t a fan of that friendship at all. Also, Lillibet is so pretentious, it was just a lot. I will say too though the setting was a huge standout and you could feel the love the author had for it and it made me want to go to Hawaii, and I did like Libby. She grows a lot and she’s just a very real character who is down on her luck and just trying her best. It’s a fun romcom, I just wish there was less going on.

This was a fun read! Quick, once I actually started reading it (took me awhile to want to read it, honestly), funny, goofy and heartwarming.

I think this would be the perfect get out of a reading slump book!!

Definitely will allow you to escape reality.

This book was fine, and it was definitely a me issue, not a book issue. It was just a bit too zany for me, and I don't have enough experience with classic films to appreciate the inspiration for the book. The writing is solid though, so if you're looking for a romp of a book with lots of antics set in a beautiful location, check this out.

Majorrrr flop. I couldn’t get through this. The Lillibet persona was so stupid and this felt like bad fanfiction about social media influencers. Nothing felt serious, the characters were so basic and had no personality other than IRRITATING!

I would not recommend this book…