Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Hate to Fake It to You by Amanda Sellet!

Thanks, St. Martin's Griffin, for the arc!

I tried. Twice. DNFs both times.

Once with the arc, then I waited for it to be published to listen to the audiobook. This book was a hot mess. I love goofy romcoms, but this book tried too hard, becoming too confusing and not funny.

The only good part was the goats in the book and on the cover.

I really wanted to love this one. The faux-influencer, playing a part, but potentially getting to live out her dream as a writer if things go well, meets the quiet, gruff wildlife photographer who prefers being out in nature than surrounded by wealth. They have more in common than he realizes, but Libby can't let down her guard in fear of losing the opportunity she may have within Hildy's company.
First of all, Libby's best friend was kind of an asshole. I get tough love, but she was harsh, a lot of the time. And is the one who made Libby go along with this plan to pretend to be Lillibet in person when she didn't want to.
Also, there were repeated references to Libby's childhood and strained mother-daughter relationship, but it just stayed as references. To bring it up that many times, I felt like it needed to be explored a bit more and how that all impacted her as an adult (because clearly it did).
Someone told me it helped to read not as a romance, but as a quirky comedy, with all this ridiculousness happening. Framing it that way did help a bit.
I will say, I loved the relationships between Jefferson and Hildy. Hildy herself was a very funny and strong female character, and the rapport she and Jefferson had was so cute, like a begrudging older brother/exasperating younger sister dynamic but full of love. That was probably my favorite relationship in the book.

Hate to Fake It to You by Amanda Sellet is an uproarious and heartwarming romantic comedy that delivers on both humor and heart. Libby Lane, a waitress living a low-key life on Oahu, embarks on a wild, fake-it-till-you-make-it journey when she and her friends create an entirely fictional, influencer persona named Lillibet. Lillibet’s health-conscious, glamorous lifestyle is a far cry from Libby’s real, laid-back existence. What starts as a harmless joke spirals out of control when a real influencer catches wind of the fake feed, and suddenly, Libby’s whimsical masquerade becomes something much more complicated.

When Hildy Johnson, a media mogul’s ambitious daughter, arrives in Hawaii to take the Lillibet brand to the next level, Libby and her friends are forced to up the ante, pretending everything from a husband to a fake holiday to keep the ruse alive. But things get messy—and hilarious—when Jefferson Jones, a wildlife photographer who sees through the charade, enters the picture. What ensues is a delightful mix of mistaken identities, romantic tension, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

Sellet masterfully captures the chaotic energy of a screwball comedy while offering a deeper exploration of identity, self-worth, and the pressure of living up to an online persona. Libby is a relatable and lovable character, navigating the absurdities of her situation with wit and charm. Her chemistry with Jefferson is electric, and their evolving relationship adds a sweet layer to the comedy.

With a quirky plot, lovable characters, and a fast-paced narrative, Hate to Fake It to You is the perfect pick for fans of feel-good rom-coms. It’s a fun and refreshing twist on the influencer culture and a reminder of the importance of being true to oneself—no matter how many goats or fake holidays are involved. If you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud, feel-good read, this book delivers in spades.

I did not feel super connected to the characters in this one - it's also sometimes hard for me to like books that include social media because I work in the field. They felt too chaotic and it wasn't what I expected going into it.

Unfortunately I DNF'd early on because I did not like the dialogue. The characters felt immature, making it hard for me to connect.

So it was cute and funny for the most part, I just didn’t loved the characters they were one dimensional and the fake dating fell flat, it felt more and in my opinion read more as cheating. Which no thanks.

First, I wanted to say that I appreciate NetGalley and Amanda Sellet for this arc in exchange review. I really wanted to enjoy this book but I just don’t think it was for me. I was intrigued by the premise of the fake influencer meeting a real influencer - very 2010s romcom. However, I feel like the book needed a stronger plot line. Some scenes I understand were supposed to be comical, but from my perspective, they were just hard to understand. And I found some of the comedic aspects to be a bit more cringe. The relationship between Libby and Jefferson also lacked that umf or spark. While the basic foundation of the book was there, I feel more editing could’ve been helpful.

I really wanted to love this book, but as it went on I just grew more and more annoyed with the characters and couldn’t really get past it.

This was an entertaining romance book. Although it was not a favorite but I did like the chemistry between the main characters. Would recommend it. Also the cover is pretty!

DNF @ 25%

Hate to Fake It To You had potential and a cute premise, cheekily making fun of influencer culture, but I don’t really love a plot predicated on deception/catfishing, and the comedy was a little too slap-stick for me to stick with it.

This was more a me thing, rather than a book thing. I just wasn’t in the mood for something quite this zany or bonkers.

This book has such an interesting plot that drew me in due to how unique it was. I really enjoyed how lighthearted and silly this book was with so many outrageously unbelievable things thrown together. If you’re looking for something to escape reality or break up some heavier books, this may be perfect for you.

This one was okay but the amount of fake was almost TOO much. I wanted to like it more than I did, but just couldn't get into it as much as I had hoped. Thanks so much for the gifted copy of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This wasn't necessarily my favorite, but I still enjoyed it. I think my biggest issues was I wasn't able to connect with the main character. The storyline was still nice but overall it just didn't do it for me. I wouldn't rule out another romance from Sellet if I were to come across one but this one wasn't for me.

DNF @ 10%

The best way I can describe the portion of this book that I read would be “chaotic”. I was finding it hard to get into, and I could tell straight away that I was going to have a very time falling in love with the characters. For that reason, I decided to DNF.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Totally not a book I'd pick up on the regular, the characters were so... out there. Definitely a light read with some silly characters who have no idea what they're doing when they get trapped into being a catfish of sorts... but then again, it happens in real life! Good comments were made about real life vs. online life (something that a LOT of us need to review especially as we continue to take deep dives into social media) as well as the importance of real life relationships and how they impact us as humans. Overall, a very lighthearted and silly read... not something I'd say I'd recommend, but I also WOULDN'T NOT recommend it either... totally a personal choice. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

This was an okay read. It definitely wasn’t one of my favorite romance books but it still had some elements to it that I enjoyed! I struggled to connect with the characters and their romance! I really loved the humor in this book and got a good laugh out of some of the story!

Loved the premise, didn’t love the characters. It made it hard to connect to Libby and Jefferson throughout the whole book

I really struggled to not only get into this book, but finish it as well. I just couldn’t get into the story.

This was funny, at times. But I really didn’t like any of the characters — neither the main characters nor the side characters.

This wasn’t a bad book, but it just wasn’t for me.

This was a clever storyline. It wasn't necessarily my favorite but it was still quite enjoyable. I felt a little "slapstick" to me which is probably why it took me a while to gel with the story. There's a great deal of ironic coincidence and just pure confusion blended into this one. But along with that is a sweet story about two people who find they are attracted to one another even though they both believe the other person is in a relationship.; To complicate things further, there are other people depending on them to keep their pretend relationship status intact for at least a while.

This was a sweet story about two well-intentioned people who get caught up in other's needs and expectations. When they finally decide to prioritize themselves a bit more, they can make a real relationship work.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early copy.