This was absurdly horny while also being vulnerable—so overall, just loads of fun. Stein is a classic romance author unafraid to make big tropes her own.

This book was sweet, but a bit 'meh'. I liked Beck and Hazel. I wanted more description of place - their apartment building, their neighborhood, the location of the writers retreat. And this would have been a fun read if there were lots of eccentric or surprising supporting characters, but the only character described with detail is Beck's horrible coworker.

Not having the best romantic past Connie is cautious when it comes to men as in her experience, they have the side they show her and the side of who they really are. As a result, her neighbor Beck seems too good to be true however that does not mean she’ll say no when he needs a wife for an upcoming company function.

Beck finds himself in a difficult situation as everyone at his company believes that he is married since he had grown weary of the comments from his co-workers about being single. With the upcoming function he is not sure how things will unfold without a wife until Connie agrees to pretend to be his. The only problem is that the feelings are becoming very real.

Beck is delightful as he is so kind and considerate when it comes to Connie while Connie may be cautious when it comes to Beck but that does not mean she won’t support him. The circumstances they found themselves in were entertaining and their story was entertaining as two quirky characters find their perfect match.

Fun read. Light hearted. The characters are delightfully flawed. Enjoyed the role switching in the marriage of convenience trope.

Loved this book and the characters! While not quite as much as it's predecessor "When Grumpy Met Sunshine.," it captured the same ideas of helping and focusing on character emotions without overplaying it. Both characters in this book clearly were struggling, but with such different things that it made them perfect companions. Would definitely purchase tis book and would love to see these characters pop up again!

This book has great banter and laughs, and a lovely story. Beck - what can I say? Sweetheart. Connie's constant inner dialogue started to wear me out. I get it, you want the book to be realistic. We all have spiraling inner dialogues at times, but I don't want to read it ad nauseum in my rom-coms. Very cute overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the ride of My Big Fat Fake Marriage (publication day March 11, 2025) by Charlotte Stein, although there weren't any surprises. The banter, though, is superb!!

Set somewhere in England, Hazel, who goes by Connie as an adult, works for a marketing company and is somewhat jaded, although she is close to her two best female friends. She has had many bad dates and is wary of "nice guys." Mabel, one of those best friends, is a writer, and her editor is Henry Samuel Beckett, who goes by Beck. He's an American, a 6'5" mountain of a man who wears bow ties and suspenders. When Beck takes a permanent position at the publishing house, Mabel suggests a flat in Connie's building, because she is certain of Beck's trustworthiness as a good person.

Connie is still wary, but Beck bakes pies to leave on her doorstep, and when he perceives that he frightens her in the elevator one day, he bakes her an apology cake. But that leads Connie to finding out his secret . . . to deal with a terrible co-worker, Beck has invented a fake wife who is still in the States. And when Connie meets that terrible co-worker, her instinct is to protect Beck by introducing herself as his wife, Hazel.

But there's one thing she hasn't though of. She had planned to go on a 2-week writing retreat because she's considering starting to write something other than ad copy. And Beck is running the retreat, and they will have to stay in a cottage with terrible co-worker! So we have both fake relationship, and only one bed tropes!

I was delighted with the banter, and how Beck's nerdiness got Hazel to let down her guard about her own, and stop being so jaded. Their interactions were spicy and sweet. Beck is the ultimate nerdy nice guy who doesn't curse and says things like "golly" and "you bet your sweet bippy," which maybe seemed a little unrealistic, but it was nice to imagine someone like Beck exists.

I also loved that it was so fat-positive! The cover clearly shows two big people, but there's not much discussion about Hazel's size except for her recalling one date that gave her weight loss tips. She's fat, and Beck thinks she is just super-cool, awesome, and sexy. And she's very attracted to the fact that Beck is both tall and a large man.

If you want a fat-positive, hetero romantic comedy, I highly recommend it!

This book feels so much different than the usual romance! Not only does it NOT adhere to the usual buff, s3xy guy and rail-thin girl, but it is such a lovely, fluffy comedy!

Connie has been watching her shy neighbor, Beck, for awhile now. She doesn't really believe in nice guys, there's always some sort of secret they're harboring.

As for Beck? Well, she finds out in the worst way possible that he has been telling his work that he has a wife...that is not real. Well, at least he's not a murderer!

What else is Connie to do but do nice-guy Beck a favor and pretend to be his wife on a writing retreat?

It's so much fun, it's comfy, and just a delightful read!

This was such a cute read. I think Charlotte’s writing has come so far since her debut. The banter between MCs was easy and felt natural. The characters were the right balance of confident and vulnerable.

I am OBSESSED with Becks. He must be protected at all costs, that beautiful cinnamon roll, golden retriever of a man. Think Ted Lasso vibes, but if Ted could also throw down.

I also loved that both the MMC and FMC were plus. It was a great dynamic and I appreciated that Connie had some things to work through from her upbringing but was also confident.

I do really think the story could have benefitted from dual POV. There were so many times that as a reader it would have been beneficial to be inside his brain. I also didn’t love when Connie/Hazel was self deprecating about her sexual history, calling herself a slüt just because she’s had a few partners.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Charlotte Stein for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

I tried to enjoy this book, but the language of the American was so over the top, I couldn't finish. The storyline is great, but I couldn't finish.

I enjoyed this book a lot! I did feel like the main characters were a bit exhausting in their doubts about themselves and relationships

This was such a fast read! I found myself literally laughing out loud.

Beck and Hazel were SO cute. They were so smitten with each other and I found myself smiling every time Beck mentioned how much he adored Hazel.

Beck is the cutest cinnamon roll with no mean bone in his body. And Hazel literally deserves the world!

This book was so cute. First of all, I was so happy to get to revisit Mabel and Alfie, because they are just adorable. This book focused on Mabel’s best friend, Connie, and her neighbor, Beck. I could relate with Connie because I’m also not a size 0. It’s refreshing to read books about bigger women finding love and men that see more than just size. Beck is the type of guy we all wish we could have. He ends up telling a little fib at work, and before they know it, they’re in a fake marriage. It was good. I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the early copy. All of these opinions are my own.

This was a riot—equal parts hilarious, steamy, and unexpectedly sweet. The fake marriage setup is pure gold, with sharp banter, off-the-charts chemistry, and just the right amount of chaos. Stein nails that perfect mix of laugh-out-loud moments and gut-punch feelings, making you root for these two even as they fumble their way through the most ridiculous situation. If you love fake dating with extra spice and heart, this one’s a total win.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the opportunity to provide my honest opinion.

I felt almost exactly about this book as I did When Grumpy Met Sunshine. It started off slow and the "quirkiness" of the hero and the cadence of the heroine's inner dialogue almost had me doubting that I could get through this book. However, when this story picked up, boy did it pick up!!

I absolutely fell in love with Hazel and Henry as people AND as a couple. Henry was quite inexperienced and awkward but he was never afraid of being exactly who he is despite years of people telling him that there was something wrong with him. Connie has spent years being treated poorly by men and doesn't trust "nice" men. After listening to her mother tell her exactly how to act and dress etc. for so long she doesn't even know who she really is. She even goes by the name Connie instead of her real name, Hazel. Henry and Hazel are neighbors and is very suspicious of his "nice guy" act despite her friend, Mabel, vouching for him repeatedly.

When Hazel stumbles across Henry's secret and learns, from him, the lie he's told his co-workers and why, she immediately feels drawn to Henry and decides to help him by playing his fake wife at a writing retreat they are both attending. She especially wants to stick it to his sports bro co-worker who is giving him a hard time. This quickly turns in to the two of them really getting to know each other and, OF COURSE, involves them sharing one double bed. Hazel quickly learns that there is more to Henry than that awkward, inexperienced guy and takes it upon herself to give him some experience. This is when the book really took a turn for me and I just couldn't put it down!!

I loved how Henry showed Hazel that it was okay for her to be herself without her even realizing it. I enjoyed seeing their chemistry come to life. Hazel was kind of forward with her dirty talk and advances but in the best of ways that really allowed Henry to open up. Overall, I just really enjoyed them together and now I'm kind of sad that their story is over.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

Connie doesn't trust men-at all. That's why she wonders why her neighbor Beck is always cheery and giving her unsolicited baked goods that he's made for her. She waits for the other shoe to drop. After a comedy of errors, she ends up going to a writing retreat as Beck's fake wife. There she is forced to realize that maybe some things are true and real and good. Beck is a real "cinnamon roll"-a lovely, intelligent, nerdy man wrapped in a large package (no pun meant here!).
This story was a little more explicit than I like to read but overall a sweet story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Full disclosure I hated when grumpy meant sunshine but wanted to give this author another try so jumped into her latest with a fairly open mind. I mean, fake marriage/close proximity/one bed, what could go wrong. And when, in the beginning, Beck calls M&S marge and stencil 🤣? I was sold just for a minute.

The minute was swiftly over due to the choppy style of writing, characters that really didn't have any chemistry, not fully being clear on the FMCs name, and spicy scenes that felt more clinical and took up the entire last half of the book. No issues with spice here but there was no plot that went along with it.

I wanted to like this one, I did but ultimately don't think this author is for me.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!

This book was so cute! And a lil spicy! I really enjoyed Beck’s character and that he was “innocent” but not not unbelievably so for a 37 year old man. Kinda need him bad 😭 but I also liked Hazel’s character arc too, it was very relatable and I feel for her. I enjoyed the relationship building in this book and I thought the premise was helpful in advancing the relationship as it developed rather than it just being a way to set up the beginning. Like, it felt purposeful.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC! I really enjoyed this read!

My Big Fat Fake Marriage is a delightful, body-positive romcom that delivers plenty of heart, humor, and sizzling chemistry. The story follows Connie, an aspiring writer who’s wary of her neighbor Henry Beckett, a seemingly perfect “nice guy” with a quirky mustache and slightly disheveled hair.

The premise is simple yet fun—fake marriage, forced proximity, and plenty of tension. When Connie steps in to help, claiming to be Henry’s wife at an event where his bully is. What starts as a ruse quickly turns into something more as Henry shows Connie nothing but respect and care, making her feel seen and valued in ways she’s never experienced before.

Overall, this was a book filled with lovable characters, steamy moments, and a feel-good romance!

Charlotte Stein does it again!
My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein was such a fun and relatable five-star read!
This book was such a delight to read, featuring a well-rounded cast of characters who are impossible not to fall for.
The characters felt so real and I couldn't stop myself from loving them!
Connie and Beck had the absolute best banter. I was hanging onto their every word.
This warm, witty, laugh-out-loud rom-com was everything I was hoping for.
Overall: perfect chemistry, so smart, so humorous, so entertaining, so heartfelt!