Oh those influencers. This one is a tough call- on one hand, it's spritely and chuckle worthy and, well, Hawaii. On the other hand, some of the dialogue is cringy, there's insta-love, and there's a lot of lying. The lying thing, though, sort of works because Libby/Lilibet is trying to make it as an influencer. She runs headlong into a problem though when Hildy and more importantly Jefferson turn up. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Think of this as the beach read you didn't know you needed.

Outrageously funny, romantic, and thought provoking about the extent to which social media influences perceptions of ourselves, others, and the world around us. HATE TO FAKE IT TO YOU is the perfect summer beach read set in sunny Oahu. Five Stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC.

Wasn't a hit with me. Didn't really feel anything for the characters to keep me entertained or related to them. Not my cup of tea.

This was a cute story. The only problem I had with it was the dishonesty between the main characters. But overall, I enjoyed it.

I don't think I've ever DNF'd a book at 10% before but here we are. Lilibet is the online persona of Libby, cooked up by her and her friends to show a glamorous lifestyle on Oahu, in which she certainly does not lead. Jefferson arrives along with his wealthy patron to interview Lillibet about her brand and romance apparently ensues.

Other reviewers have described this as a screwball comedy so as someone who is not a fan of immature, zany characters my patience with Libby and cast wore thin quick. It is cringey dialogue after cringey dialogue with terms like "pit sweat," "peecycling," or "hoohah in the first chapter alone. Then there was the comment about being emotionally stunted because they didn't have families and therefore could not be "healthy and normal."

Nope, absolutely not for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't a fan that there were secrets being kept from the main characters in this book. It left a bad taste in my mouth for their relationship and was hard to "respect" and root for the characters in their situation. Not really something I enjoyed reading about.

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.