This book is pure rom-com chaos in the best way! Fake marriage? Forced proximity? A cinnamon-roll book editor who actually says “oh fudge”? Yeah, this one leans all the way into the tropes, and I had a blast with it.

Beck is the ultimate sweet, nerdy love interest, but I still can’t wrap my head around how he made it to 30 without even a kiss. Connie, meanwhile, has serious trust issues, which makes their dynamic equal parts adorable and frustrating. The pacing dragged a bit, and Connie’s inner monologue went hard, but the banter and chemistry kept me hooked. A fun, lighthearted read. Just don’t overthink it!

3.25 ⭐️

I have pretty mixed feelings about this one! I’m a SUCKER for a fake marriage / forced proximity book, but this one was a bit far fetched / awkward for me?

I liked the premise of the book, and the FMC was relatable. I enjoyed the overall writing style. it was bingable and was an easy read.

I didn’t vibe with the MMC. I felt like his character wasn’t believable. He’s in his mid 30s and he’s never even had a kiss before? I don’t know… it felt…. far fetched. I felt the spice was REALLY awkward. I know it’s supposed to have that aspect about it, but it just felt very cringey and while i respect it, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

The inner monologues were a bit much for me as well… i didn’t feel like there was much of any character growth and there was only sexual tension imo, and no emotional tense or angst grown.

Lastly, i read this via digital AND audio, and as a major audiobook consumer i hated this audio. I don’t feel like the narration was sold at all, and maybe with a different reader it would have been better, but there was no emotionality in the narration at all.

Overall… It wasn’t bad, but i feel like i will forget it rather quickly. It wasn’t great, but wasn’t bad. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yep, a fake marriage/forced proximity rom com that's,,,,,sweet. Connie impulsively identifies as Beck's wife to help him out but as it turns out, they find real feelings for one another, Yep, it's a little predictable but the characters are people we don't often see in this genre-they're both big in size and in personality (once you get to know them)-and they're cool. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
While I adored my first experience with Charlotte Stein, some of my initial doubts were restored with the premise of her second book, which had visceral depictions of bullying (even more than I anticipated based on the CWs), which resulted in me DNFing. However, my faith was restored with the pure fun of My Big Fat Fake Marriage.
I was particularly won over by its charming lead characters. Connie is incredibly relatable, with all her failed dating experiences with Nice Guys who use their “Niceness” to manipulate her. I also loved the focus more on a more body neutral-to-positive stance to fat rep, with it not being the central focus of the narrative, although it is a facet of her identity. She’s a tough cookie, but beneath all that, she’s vulnerable due to all the hurt she’s been through.
And Beck? He’s an absolute golden-retriever cinnamon roll, and while I did feel like the book suffered a bit from not having his POV, I liked seeing him coming into his own, as he’d previously been rather awkward and had to put up a front to hide it. And as she helps him, he also helps her tear down her walls and learn to trust in the goodness of others.
I did have some additional reservations going in, given how tepid I’ve been feeling about fake dating and related tropes lately. But while I did feel like the setup did get a little old as the book went on, the romantic tension was strong enough that I wasn’t bothered too much about the iffy nature of the stakes, and I was able to stop picking at the “structure” of it all and root for them to figure things out.
This was such a fun read, and I’d recommend it to readers in search of a sweet, steamy romance centering plus-size/fat people.

There is something about a golden retriever MMC that just does it for me every time and this was no different with Beck. We have Beck, who is for lack of better words, inexperienced, and Connie, who does not trust the nice guy anymore. They end up in a fake marriage at a writing retreat surrounded by their peers and they must act the parts of a married couple. What could go wrong, right? The chemistry is strong and they cannot seem to keep their attraction at bay, not when they have to share a bed every night. This book was cute, sexy, and funny. This book had me laughing out loud multiple times. This borders on just the right amount of unhinged in my opinion. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the complimentary eARC. All opinions are my own.

Instagram post will be live 06Mar25.

So... I absolutely love Charlotte Stein and was elated when approved for this ARC on NetGalley... This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. It's hard to find romance books with positive plus sized main characters, and this book delivered! It had me giggling and kicking my feet the entire time- I never wanted it to end. The ending was everything I wanted it to be and more- although I was *slightly* concerned at around 90%. The book is just a fantastic and quick read.

This book features a MMC with cinnamon roll and golden retriever energy..... times ten. Normally this would annoy me, but Beck is so obviously sincere right from the beginning that I couldn't deny how adorable he is. The FMC is a cinnamon roll acting as a black cat. She's very in her head about a lot of things and carries a lot of romantic doubt, but is quick to defend Beck. In fact, Hazel defends him too well and ends up being his fake wife for a work retreat with his sworn work bully. I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved this book. Fake marriage, friends to lovers, plus size characters- it has it all!

I really tried.

I thought that the change to First person narration would help me like this book more than When Grumpy Met Sunshine.

It did not.

I think it actually made it worse.

This book helped solidify the thought that this author is just not for me.

Thank you to the publisher for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this story.

The beginning was extremely slow and I almost gave up but I pushed through because of the reviews. I normally do not like romance novels but wanted to still give this one a try because it sounded fun. It wasn't my favorite but I know other readers will enjoy this. I am curious to read others by this author because I enjoyed her writing style.

This one is definitely a slow burn. A little over the top and far-fetched at times but it had good banter. I didn't like the characters that much but I was able to finish the book. I think sometimes the story just got on my nerves.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

Very funny, full of quick banter. Stein knows how to set up two characters who were meant for each other, and she does it well here. It took a little longer than I wanted for them to figure it out, but ratcheting up the tension made the payoff better. I laughed out loud and really loved the characters.

I had a hard time with the beginning of the book. The events are chaotic and you don't really understand why she doesn't trust the MMC like that when she's someone that her best friend knows.
There were events that made me laugh and the romance was cute but I really loved Grumpy meets Sunshine, her previous book, better.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange of an honest review. ♡

I have so many thoughts and feelings on this book. The first 15% was slow, but not super hard to get into. Beck is a very self conscious being, which was the main reason I was so thrown off in the beginning.

As the story goes on, you can see why Beck is like this, and the growing love Hazel feels for him.

The spice was great! Right when I thought the book was going to take a boring turn, SMUT!

I definitely recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a wholesome, yet spicy read. 3.5/5

This book was a ride. A weird, sweet, spicy ( so much speed reading for me), hokey ride. And I mean that in both the best and most bewildering way.

Let’s start with Beck. This man is a cinnamon roll of the highest order—soft, earnest, and so devoted it almost hurts. He’s also a little hokey and a little corny, but in a way that makes you want to roll your eyes fondly. Like, of course this man is saying the most ridiculous things with absolute sincerity. Of course, he is. Meanwhile, Hazel is refreshingly confident in her body (a win!) but deeply mistrusting of anything that resembles real feelings. Watching her grapple with that while basking in Beck’s unwavering adoration? A great contrast.

And speaking of contrasts, this book is wholesome and spicy at the same time, which is no small feat. It flips romance tropes and gender roles in a way that feels fresh and engaging—she’s the guarded one, he’s the emotionally available dreamboat, and somehow it all works. The dynamic is fun, the chemistry is there, and the writing is charmingly quirky.

So why only three stars? I don’t even know. I liked it, but I didn’t love it the way I expected it to. Maybe it was the over-the-topness of Beck’s gooey devotion, or maybe Hazel’s walls were a bit too high for a bit too long. Either way, I walked away feeling like it was nice—fun, different, full of heart—but not entirely for me. Still, if you love an unconventional romance with big feelings, flipped tropes, and an almost aggressively sweet hero, you might just adore this one!

Thank you to St-Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

This was a slightly ridiculous but oh-so-fun read, and it was very smutty and h*rny and nerdy and I loved it. Beck is a cinnamon roll of a man hiding a h*rny beast inside that he lets loose with Hazel, and while there was a loose plot in there somewhere, it was mostly smut. Hot, nerdy smut.

Don't expect life-changing literature here, and you'll enjoy it. Light and fun!

I tried so hard to love this book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. The writing was incredibly too flowery and I felt like I was reading 147 adjectives per sentence. To me, it took away from the overall plot. I was spending too much time trying to figure out why in the world we had to be this descriptive. I think that the characters had good intentions but they were just too quirky for me. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get in to them. I'm sure that this book will find it's right niche but sadly it's not for me.

Such a fun and funny rom com! Characters that will work their way into your heart and make you laugh and cry!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This was my first book by Charolette but it will not be my last!

The way that I loved this book! Charlotte Stein is so great at showing us the relationship and the connection by just telling us. We know why Hazel looks at Beck with confusion and love because honestly wouldn't. We know why Beck loves and trusts Hazel because again...who wouldn't? We get to see Mable and Alfie in there funny and caring relationship.

Charlotte writes like we are friends and she is telling us the best story ever and I really enjoy her ability to drop into the story. Her humor is my humor and I can't wait for the next banter, joke or internal musing. I'm not sure if or who the next book is, but I can't wait!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Charlotte Stein for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was really an enjoyable fake marriage rom com. I've read that if some people call the prior book Roy Kent Fanfic- then this is Ted Lasso-- and that translates well!

Beck is sooooo charming. And while he may come off as hokie/corny, this man- he is such a cinnamon roll. This burly man. He's an editor. That reads romance. Our sweet baby may be inexperienced but he's read enough to figure it all out. And the years long mess he's found himself in without a real wife? Ope!

And Hazel- she's confident in her body and knows how to take what she needs. She had a loooong way to go in the trust department but Beck gets her there.

I wonder what ever happened with Tammy and Mandy..

Charlotte Stein is a God, and all her books are drugs I wish I could inject into my veins.

Right from the top she hooks me in and doesn’t let go.

Also omg Beck 😍😍😍 I MEAN BECK!!!😍😍😍


How can a book be so wholesome and spicy at the SAME TIME?! No one knows except the wonderful, amazing, Charlotte Stein.

I could write an entire essay on this story and Charlotte Stein’s genius. Alas, I cannot because I’d get into spoilers and I believe in a spoiler free read. So I will leave you with my unsolicited non spoiler analysis…

1st of all, my favorite part…….but it wasn’t actually my favorite part because ……which was so much better, you would think until you came to this part….and then realize that they’re all equally as good and therefore all parts of this book are my favorite part. How could it now when Beck….and Hazel….and then Hazel really….which then made Beck….which then made me almost pass out.

I love the tropes in this book, there was humor that I liked so much. Beck and his situation and his fake “wife” thing is wild, especially when Connie see’s something she was not supposed to really see. I found Beck to be a little childish and a little too nerdy, and Connie is a little too immature for what I like to read in a FMC. And we all know I hate a slow burn, and being that Beck is severely Vanilla and Connie was doing too much, made it even harder to read. This book was not for me and that’s ok.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.