I found this book to be cute and enjoyable! I struggled a bit with the best friend Jean, as she didn’t feel as warm and friendly to me as she was supposed to. Hilda also felt a bit too naive for the situation she was in.

Overall, a fun and quirky book, but I struggled to suspend my belief in reality to get into the plot as much as I would have liked.

3/5 stars!

A fun and fresh book that made me feel like I was on vacation! I really enjoyed the characters and the romance! This was a fresh storyline and I enjoyed it.

Hate to Fake It to You by Amanda Sellet is a good fit for people who are in the mood for a lighthearted, romantic comedy with a modern twist on the classic "fake it until you make it" trope.

I really liked Libby and Jefferson. Although, I did feel like their interest in each other was a bit sudden. I liked Keoki and Hildy. For the majority of the book I couldn’t help but roll my eyes whenever Jean was on the page. I would definitely not want Jean as a friend and I think Libby just kind of let Jean run all over her. Hildy’s uncle and Mr. L give major creep vibes. Towards the middle of the book I started to warm up towards Libby’s and Jefferson “situationship” and was glad they figured it out at the end. I hated that Jean blamed everything about the downfall on Libby. I felt the storyline was a bit rushed.

I had a very hard time with this book. I had a difficult time connecting with the characters, I had to force myself to finish.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. This was a slow starter for me - I had a hard time wrapping my head around the characters at first - but the story eventually pulled me in. Lillibet/Libby was a good example of someone who isn’t reflecting their true self to the world (aka on social media) and finds themselves a bit lost. With a fun cast of quirky friends and a would-be romance that seems inevitable and impossible, this romance did its job of keeping me entertained.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

I tried to get into this one but I found it a bit confusing in the very beginning, so I just don't think I can get into it. unfortunately, i don't think this one is for me! but thank you very much for the arc!

A lighthearted and fun read.

I had so much fun reading this book. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Libby isn’t your average influencer, she’s a fraud. Her friends have her back and even help out on her blog, Love, Lillibet. But how long will the secret stay hidden when Libby comes face to face with someone who is willing to give her a real writing career? This book was full of humor, witty banter, close friendships, romance and uniquely unpredictable situations. I had a hard time putting this book down.

I really enjoyed this one. it was funny and sweet but I needed more from the caracthers and from the plot itself. Enjoyable but nothing special overall.

I wanted to love this. I keep picking it up over and over and had a hard time getting into it. The story was just meh. It was hard to keep my interest.

A often funny book with crazy occurrences and even nuttier characters. The hidden secrets could cause a traffic jam and just waiting for an accident. A tad dragging sometimes bogs the story down. Not too bad a read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

✨Catastroph!✨

This was just pure chaos. It was a strange mix of YA and adult, but mainly it felt disjointed. The only real reason I was able to follow along is because I absolutely love Christmas in Connecticut—which was the entire reason I read the book to begin with.

Do I think a lot of the demographic has seen the movie(s)? No…So I sense a lot of confusion in its wake and even less of the “I forgive the book “X, Y, Z” because I love Christmas in Connecticut”that I afforded it.

The romance was instalove with not much else. The heroine was a chaos demon, but not in the enjoyable Elizabeth Lane way. Chaos for the sake of chaos. The hero was bland. I did like Hildy though.

There was a distinct voice to the writing…just not one I particularly enjoyed. It was overly quirky and trying to be “real” and relatable (by just being overly descriptive and a bit juvenile). It was funny at times, but not enough to keep me engaged through the whole thing.

Oh and I absolutely didn’t read any of the weird Instagram captions at the beginning of chapters.


⭐️⭐️.5/5

I receive an eARC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.

2.25 ⭐️

When I read the description of this one, I was excited to get into it. It sounded like a silly and fun rom com that would be a light and easy read. Unfortunately, this one fell a bit flat for me.
It didn’t really pull me in like I hoped and I found myself picking up other books instead of continuing it. It ended up taking me two months to finish, which maybe explains my apathy.

While I did find aspects of the story funny, I mostly was suffering from secondhand embarrassment. The over the top charade to convince Hildy and Jefferson that Lillibet is a real person was just too much for me. The insta love on top of that just felt even more unbelievable. I did enjoy the second half much more than the first half and enjoyed the ending, but I just had a hard time connecting with the characters through all the chaos. While I think there is an audience that would enjoy this book, I prefer a story that’s a little more realistic.

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

Sadly, I had to DNF. I just can’t bring myself to read a book that is written in third person. This makes me really sad because I was so excited to read it.☹️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Very confusing, unlikeable characters, completely unrealistic, and I disliked the writing style.

While there are some truly laugh out loud parts in this book (primarily because they are so spectacularly outrageous), I could never really get into it. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, the farce Libby and her friends put on seemed a little too far fetched, and I didn’t really see the chemistry with Jefferson. This one would be a pass for me.

What a a perfect summer read ! I really enjoyed this book and easy to read.

laughed many times.

I will definitely re read and recommend to everyone that wants to hear me

While I was super excited to read this and I normally love this trope I truly feel that it was confusing and hard to follow at times because of this I wasn’t able to connect with the characters and truly get attached to this book.
I feel like this book has some promise and if it was altered to make it easier to follow I would be able to absolutely love this book. I feel that the author has a wonderful idea but that they might need to look at how they executed in some areas!
Thank you for the opportunity to review this book and I will look out for it when it comes out!

I was intrigued by the cute beach romance with goats promised by the book cover. However, it didn't appeal to me. I couldn't connect with the characters, and the plot was tedious. The influencer aspect was cringeworthy. While others found it funny, I felt it tried too hard. The only part I loved was when the goat ate her bikini top. Overall, it's not for me, but others might enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.
SLIGHT SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I'm going to be honest... I didn't finish this book. I DNF'd at 35% and it was a struggle to get to that point. The premise of the story sounded fun, a girl pretending to be an influencer but... the backstory of Hildy was confusing to me. I wasn't sure what she was an heiress of or why she wanted to partner with Lillibet (Libby) and what that partnership would even look like. What did Hildy think she was going to be doing with Libby? What did Libby and her friends REALLY think they would get out of this. I know Libby thought this might push her journalism dream forward but I didn't understand Jean's motivations other than money. It seemed like a very high risk ruse to take.

Everything also fell into place so easily for them? Somehow Jean was able to find a guy with a high-tech house who was willing to help them out, provide Libby with a wardrobe and pretend to be Libby's fake husband? It all seemed so far fetched that it would come together so seamlessly?

Jefferson and Hildy's fast friendship (which we don't get to witness) felt... weird? Not forced but it just happened so fast and we didn't get to watch them together. You don't read about their struggle in the snow together to get to the point where they were sharing everything with each other. We just went to his next chapter and he and Hildy had nicknames for each other (I don't remember Hildy's full name but she called him JJ), had told each other life secrets, and were suddenly taking a vacation together. Hildy and Jefferson both sounded like really cool characters and I liked their interactions but I would have liked to see HOW they became such good friends so fast.

Meanwhile Libby's first chapter felt so chaotic. There wasn't much happening but I felt like I was getting so much information from the characters about how they were living and I retained none of it. Libby and Jean sounded fun but I just don't think I liked the writing style of this novel very much. I'm not sure If I would have liked it more if I kept reading or not. When I got to the point where Libby's fake husband actually proposed marriage to her... the story lost me. I didn't think it'd get better past that.