Dnfing at 10% or 4 chapters in. I cannot stand the writing. I'm assuming we are going for quirky characters here but the conversation just to figure out that he made up his wife is so unnecessarily long. I think if one character is quirky, fine but both character being so socially inept made me want to pull my hair out. The FMC is also incredibly annoying imo. I don't think her theory on nice guys is exactly wrong, but I just did not enjoy the way she explained it or how long it took.
In all, I'm sure someone will enjoy this, sadly it is not me.

Thank you to all involved for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one. The pacing was a little too slow for me, and I struggled to stay engaged. I also realized that I personally don’t enjoy male main characters using cheesy lines—it comes across as almost cringe-worthy and really pulls me out of the story.

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is something I want to read and couldn’t finish but has good reviews and seems interesting. It is on my to read list so I can continue it later on.

Imagine a romance involving Ted Lasso and a woman who looks and acts like your best friend. This story was everything. It was spicy spicy spicy. It was so easy to love them. You wanted to give the characters hugs at so many points. I loved so much about it. The narration was amazing and I cannot tell you how much I loved them. I need more stories from Charlotte Stein ASAP!!!

Just love this author and this story! Give me all the plus sized girly romances please! This was such a joy to read! I loved the characters and the build up between them! The spice was perfect too!! I also loved the the MMC was plus size too!! Just a joy!! Can’t wait for more from Charlotte!

This is quintessential Charlotte Stein: brooding, burly, repressed man meets misunderstood woman and they become mutually desperately horny. Stein writes with humor and intense, building heat, but her characters and the beats of her plot always feel familiar across her novels. This isn't a complaint; her books work for me on a deep level, and I love knowing that I will enjoy whatever she puts out next. It's comfort food in romance form, with lots of spice.

Beck was a perfect cinnamon roll of a man, and finding out that he was inspired by Ted Lasso made perfect sense. I loved him.

I just wish that Connie wasn't such an idiot. Beck likes her. They bang. But...he clearly doesn't like her despite literally everything he does to show that he wants her? Least favorite trope by far.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and author for an advanced copy of My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein.
Unfortunately I didn't realize this is the 2nd in a series or at least it's connected to a previous book. I'm going to go back and read the 1st immediately because I enjoyed this one so much.
This book was a breath of fresh air. It was so sweet and much spicier than I expected. I adored both the main characters. They were both lovable b it insecure and brought out the best in one another. I loved that there was no major drama or 3rd act breakup. Just a sweet slow burn between two people that deserved love and each other.
3.75⭐️

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable reading experience.

Fake Marriage? Count me in..
Fluffy Cinnamon Roll MMC? Yup

This was a light read that was easy to pick up and ingest. Full of tropes people love like fake marriage, forced proximity, cinnamon roll hero, and grumpy.sunshine

Hazel and Beck are delightful together. I found this book to be a lot of fun and a very beachy read. I loved that Beck was such a sweet cinnamon roll guy. I wish we could have had this as a dual POV though as I would have liked his perspective too.

This was such a fun book to read. Hazel and Beck made such a good couple, even if Beck’s wholesomeness was a little much. The way Hazel stuck up for Beck was great and I did really start liking Beck more and more throughout the story. There were several scenes that made me laugh out loud. The heat in this book was really spicy. Fake relationships/marriage is my favorite romance trope and this one did not disappoint. I will definitely read more books by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

The heroine is funny, self-aware, and refreshingly chaotic in a way that feels intentional rather than clumsy. The hero, while more grounded, is far from the typical brooding alpha; instead, he offers a quiet intensity that plays well against the heroine’s dramatic flair. Their chemistry is undeniable, and Stein does a good job making their emotional arc believable despite the absurd setup.

This has been an overdue review for awhile, but I finally sat down and read it.

And I enjoyed it! It was an easy read and I practically finished most of it in one sitting. I absolutely adored Henry (or Beck). He was the sweetest man to ever exist. And Connie was so relatable. I was chuckling along watching her imagination run wild.

I think I would have loved this book more (or the rating would have been higher) if I got to be in Beck's POV a little bit. Even if it was for a chapter or two. I rarely read single POVs because it can be hard to feel like the story is progressing (for me of course), but I think Charlotte Stein did a pretty great job keeping me entertained.

Overall, this was a decent read.

OMG, I freaking loved this one!

Did the lack of real communication make me a little nuts at times? Sure. But did Stein make me believe in the end that both Beck and Hazel really did have such low opinions of themselves that it made sense? Absolutely.

Beck's not for everyone--heck, he's absolutely not for me--but do I believe that he is absolutely the one for Hazel? Yes. Yes, I do.

Once again Ms Stein had me both LOLing and squirming uncomfortably in my seat on the same page more than once. I honestly don't know how she does it, but oh boy does she ever.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This romance novel was so sweet! I adored Beck and Hazel! These two were the greatest and I loved how their fake marriage turned into real love. They were so perfect together and this book was full of such funny and tender moments. I really enjoyed this reading experience.

When sweet, sunshiney editor Henry Samuel Beckett (yes, he goes by all three names) lies about being married to avoid workplace scrutiny, the last person he expects to save him is Connie, the guarded, no-nonsense aspiring author who doesn’t trust “nice guys.” But one impulsive defence spirals into a full-on fake marriage, and suddenly the two are off to a writing retreat where everyone believes they’re newlyweds. Sharing beds, kisses, and long glances neither of them can quite ignore, fake becomes something dangerously close to real. But can Connie let her guard down long enough to believe in love?

Tropes
* Fake marriage
* Grumpy x sunshine
* Forced proximity
* Only one bed
* Cinnamon roll hero
* Writer/Publishing industry romance
* He falls first (and hardest)
* Soft boy energy meets guarded girl feels

Charlotte Stein brings charm, heart, and just the right amount of heat to this utterly adorable fake marriage rom-com. My Big Fat Fake Marriage is both laugh-out-loud funny and quietly moving, filled with authentic moments of vulnerability. Beck is everything a soft romance hero should be: kind, open-hearted, and disarmingly earnest. Connie’s emotional armour, her scepticism, and her slow transformation all feel grounded and real. Their chemistry is undeniable, and their story has all the swoon and sweetness of a rom-com, balanced with deeper reflections on trust, fear, and the courage to be loved.

A sizzling blend of slow burning chemistry and laugh out loud awkward moments. Emotions chaos unravels after pretending at a fake marriage, but there is just the right mix of charm and steam.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. I was a little unsure at the very beginning, but after a bit I was really loving it and didn't want to put it down. It was sweet and funny and different than most books I've read. I'll have to read this author again!

My Big Fat Fake Marriage delivers exactly what the title promises—a delightfully chaotic fake marriage with sizzling chemistry and a whole lot of heart. Charlotte Stein blends humor and heat perfectly, and the banter between the leads had me grinning from start to finish.

The characters are messy in a relatable way, and watching their fake relationship slowly turn real was both entertaining and emotionally satisfying. There were a few over-the-top moments and some pacing dips, but honestly? I was too busy enjoying the ride to mind much.

If you love a spicy rom-com with sharp dialogue, offbeat charm, and a swoony slow-burn payoff, this one’s a great pick