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.

This book is, quite simply, too much. I didn't like the characters, the plot was too out of this world, and the humor didn't hit. There are plenty of great escapist rom-coms out there and this one doesn't add in the way of newness or fun to the stack, it's more of a head-scratcher.

Libby Lane is down on her luck. Her journalism career is a non-starter and she barely makes enough to pay rent for the squalid little apartment she shares with her best friend. She and her friends make up an affluent influencer called Love, Lillibet where they mock rich, out-of-touch influencers. It's all in good fun until a real influencer wants to collab and offers a chance at Libby's journalism dreams, then it's all hands on deck to try and convince the influencer and her handsome companion that everything is on the up and up.

I'm giving this one 3.5 stars because it's interesting and there are some great character moments, but I never managed to really get into the story. It's an insane premise that somehow works despite (or maybe because of) the ridiculous situations Libby and her friends find themselves in. Their being lost and desperate and finding a way to escape it through social media is relatable, but everything from the influencer falling for it to finding a millionaire to act as an accomplice in their ruse was a bit too much. I get it's fiction and usually love when things get over the top, yet how things are handled never got over the ridiculous hurdle and into fun.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the interesting read!

"Hate to Fake it to You" sounded like it would be a fun way to pass a few hours. Instead I ended up DNF'ing the book approximately 65% in, after Libby does something that could potentially (probably?) blow up her life just to spite her supposed best friend. I didn't like anyone in this book. Pretty much everyone was lying, and many of the lies weren't even that good. And Jean, the alleged best friend, was so incredibly toxic that I lost any tiny modicum of respect for Libby for putting up with Jean's cruel manipulations. At the time I stopped reading, everyone was still lying about at least one thing, and there had been nothing physical between Libby and Jefferson, the main couple. Not even a kiss. So yeah. Not for me.

One star. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the premise of having to fake who you are in real life due to an online persona. Beyond being relatable now with the age of social media, the absurdity of the story works so well for a romcom.

I loved the over the top storyline from it being a famous media heiress visiting Hildy, to the swoonworthy wildlife photographer Jefferson tagging along with the pair. Lines get blurred, Hildy gets a hint of having to come to terms with this entire situation.

Her situation of having to figure out how to live her life authentically becomes a main focus throughout this book as the characters get closer.

I loved this novel as a whole even if it was a hair predictable.

There were some moments I got a bit lost in the sheer amount of absurdity and had a little trouble keeping everything straight in my head, but overall I really enjoyed Hate to Fake it to You! I loved the idea of someone having to pretend to be the person she (and her friends) have made up online. Even though it was absolutely absurd, it felt grounded in a nice way, as well.

Libby has curated the opulent online persona of Lillibet to escape her mess of a life. But when famous media heiress Hildy comes to Hawaii to connect with Lillibet Libby must pull off her best impression yet. Hildy doesn’t come alone though, wildlife photographer Jefferson accompanies her and Libby doesn’t know how to act around him. As her farce slowly unravels, Libby has to come to terms with how she wants to authentically live her life.

The humor and characters kept me entertained but the story was a bit all over the place for me.