A few of my favourite tropes present in this one!! One bed, fake dating/marriage and lots of forced proximity. Also the book / publishing industry connection which is a cherry on top.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read BUT upon reflection it’s not super plot heavy and there’s a place for that especially in this genre. I really enjoyed the relationship at the centre of this story and its evolution, however brief.

Light, fun and an enjoyable read. A happy stand alone companion to the first by this author.

Wow. I was not ready for the pacing of this book. It is really 0-60 in 30 seconds, both for the humor and the heat.


Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

Beck is utterly wacky. He’s a huge dude that wears bowties and avoids crass words, even in private. He writes notes to himself and bakes. He is American (probably Southern of some variety based on his vocab), working in England as an editor. And the whole book is from Connie’s perspective as she processes everything culture and upbringing have taught her about nice guys.


The action moves quite quickly in this book. From their first real conversation to leaving for the writing retreat, the time is short. And at the retreat, their relationship moves fast as they negotiate being adults in this shared lie and room.


I liked their relationship and the nerd culture scattered throughout. I was not offput by their speed, but it is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. And the heat, the steaminess is quite high here, fair warning. It was also really funny, at least to me. Some dialogue ended up being laugh worthy and situations were trope-y.


I enjoyed this quick read romance featuring a huge cinnamon roll and recovering grumpy cat. It was hard to take breaks from reading this as it was quite funny.

I had the privilege of an advance copy of this book. Had a bit of trouble getting started but the premise intrigued me so I kept reading. The interaction between Hazel and Beck was different and I struggled with a man being so naive in today's world is kind of hard to accept. In all it was a cute romance between two broken people who fit together. I was surprised when the steamy finally happened but it helped me enjoy the book.
This is my first book by this author and I will try to read another before commenting too much on the style.
I see this as a beach read where you don't have to think a whole lot and just relax

Charlotte Stein writes amazing banter.

Connie (aka Hazel) lives across the hall from Beck (aka Henry). She mistakenly believes he might be a serial killer. Come to find out, the situation is way sillier - he pretended he was married to his coworkers. Hazel jumps in to save him from his own undoing. Hence, the fake marriage scheme.

“He’s just incredibly burly. Bearish, almost. Like some big wholesome dork in the body of a lumberjack.”

I loved these two - Beck is a giant cinnamon roll, and Hazel has been hurt before, so she’s a little leery of such a nice guy. Fake marriage turn to real love?

This book was adorable and I liked it. It was spicy, it had amazing tropes: one bed, cinnamon roll MMC, and a black cat FMC.

The MMC was a timid, burly, nerdy man but when him and the FMC were finally together, you forgot all about his timidness when he opened his FILTHY mouth! <3

Thank you so much though to NetGally, Charlotte Stein, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I was so here for this 40 year old virgin inspired romcom!! Set in the same universe as When grumpy met sunshine, this book features Mabel's friend Connie who unexpectedly finds herself volunteering to pose as her nerdy, awkward neighbor, Henry's fake wife on a writing retreat he's organized. I loved the honest, open communication between Connie and Henry. They bond over a shared love of Star Wars and old tv shows like Quantum Leap. It was also swoony watching Connie get angry on Henry's behalf when he's too nervous to stand up against bullies. Steamy and heartfelt and just pure fun. This was great on audio narrated by Imogen Wilde and perfect for fans of authors like Kayla Grosse. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Want to read a story where you have a nerdy cinnamon roll who is actually isn't when he finds his person?
Turns out that Connie...was looking in all the wrong places yet he knew all along...who she was meant to be.

Connie and Beck are just two nerds, finding their way, to each other.
This story was wholesome, spicy, and full of witty banter.

Not only does My Big Fat Fake Marriage having fake dating, you also have the single bed trope, which we know never fails the readers.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage
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Ugh I really wanted to love this one, there were so many things I enjoyed! I loved their honesty together, it was a judgement free zone and there was so much encouragement and communication along the way, and fake dating is one of my favorites! It also perfectly shows us how we don’t have to change for other people, we don’t have to dim our light to make someone like us. You’ll find your people who will love you for you and only want you to be your true self, I loved the authenticity. Now…Beck is THE cinnamon roll of the cinnamon rolls and I love me some cinnamon rolls, the writing threw me off though 🫣 He used words like ‘jeepers’, ‘sweet lady friend’, and ‘by golly’ just to name a few…it almost felt overly cutesy at times, like a joke maybe, but wasn’t meant to be joke (almost what you expect when reading a magical realism romance in the hallmark town in the 50s lol). The MMC is also very inexperienced and again love it, totally fine, but there moments that felt a bit childish to me, I don’t know, just not my cup of tea, but it could be yours!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you NetGalley, Charlotte Stein, and St. Martin’s Griffin for this e-arc, it comes out March 11th!
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Ali Hazelwood did a great job in Love Hypothesis (I think that’s the one I’m thinking about) where Olive was inexperienced and their moments together were filled with a lot conversation, fumbling, etc but it still was hot. Why is that awkward to say, I need to grow up 😂 that’s just an example of when it worked for me

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. I loved the premise. I loved the plus sized main characters. But I just did not connect.

A fake dating trope between two neighbors. Connie is a hard outer shell character that has a soft heart. Beck is a nerdy, wholesome man. And they pretend to be married while at a writers conference to avoid too many questions from Beck’s co-workers.

The story itself was cute and a little fluffy. But I struggled with the dialog. I found it hard to follow, particularly when Connie was talking to her best friend.

This one was not for me. 3 Stars.

Connie has no intention of settling down. She's used to men using her. She doesn't trust men and doesn't believe there is a nice guy or marriage in her future.

Beck, her neighbor across the hall, seems a bit strange but somehow Connie finds herself feeling a protective of him, leading to a massive blunder where she tells a coworker of his that she is Beck's wife, which means they have to fake this relationship in front of said co-worker at a long work retreat.

I had a hard time getting into the book until about halfway through, and had difficulty connecting with the characters at times. There was very little angst or yearning, the MMC almost too mellow. I did appreciate the characters attempts at building each other's confidence. Overall it was a perfectly pleasant story. It's one I'd recommend to some of my friends, but not one I'd see myself reading a second time.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for providing an eARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. I loved it so much. It was funny and cute and everything I was hoping it would be. So happy I got to read this, there were so many moments where I was laughing out loud.

Let me start with the ding against this book - Hazel and Beck don't have an honest conversation about things until the end. They both just keep assuming, which is infuriating as a reader.

HOWEVER, literally everything else is utterly delightful. There's spice, great dialogue, excellent scenarios, a truly deplorable villain, the only thing missing is a furry friend. Haha. Hazel and Beck are better at communicating through emails (which I can appreciate) so we do get glimpses of real feelings there, but Hazel's prior trauma from her mother and exes gets in the way of everything and Beck's lack of experience gets in the way. They finally do have a great conversation that pays off at the end and I was so thrilled.

I have read everything from Charlotte Stein and will continue to do so. I love the men she creates and the worlds she builds.

He's the most lovable man ever. And she’s the most cynical person ever, especially when it comes to good men. To her, they’re only fictitious. The situation he’s gotten himself into is easy to understand. It’s also easy to understand why she stands up for him.

He’s just absolutely adorable. While he’s so easily lovable. She gets annoyed with how much she finds everything about him unbelievable. While she’s very quickly liking him, she holds on so tight to her cynicism. It was a hard thing for me to move forward from.

I loved this romcom follow-up to WHEN GRUMPY MET SUNSHINE! I enjoyed that the male MC was the more emotionally connected of the pair, and the conceit as to why they fell into the fake dating trope felt real and believable in the context of the story. Plus, the sex scenes were super hot! Can't wait to read my next Charlotte Stein novel!

This book is CRAZY sexy and horny, but also so romantic and sweet. A quick, light, spicy read. Highly recommend!

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Connie definitely has a chip on her shoulder; she's been burned time and time again by <I>nice</I> guys, and her cynicism runs deep at this point. So when she meets her neighbor (the one who's been gifting her with homemade pies), she can't believe that he's real. Samuel Henry Beckett, or Beck, is the kindest, most genuine, seriously naive man Connie has ever met-- and she finds herself oddly drawn to his sincerity and bow-ties. And when his workplace bully picks a fight in front of her, she makes a huge mistake and claims to be Beck's (fake) wife. Suddenly, they're on a writer's retreat and Connie has to pretend to be the loving spouse to a man she hardly knows; and worst of all? She's not sure she hates it.

I wanted to love this book, it has so much going for it: fake marriage, cinnamon roll MMC, plus-size FMC, there-was-just-one-bed... just to name a few. However, it just wasn't for me this time.

Connie does not trust nice guys, her experience with men has been rather unpleasant, with expectations of favors for each nicety. Add to that the fact that her mother made her feel that she could not have nerdy interests, she is left feeling unsure. When her extremely nice neighbor, who she does not trust is revealed to be hiding a lie, she joins in on the lie, pretending to be his wife while on a writing retreat. However, one bed and a truly nice guy makes it impossible for them to keep their hands off of each other, especially when she discovers that Beck is unexperienced but eager.

There were so many things to love about this book. Initially, I was not into Beck and was expecting to discover that he was a Mormon or something. However, as the book went on I really enjoyed it.

I have to say that this book is extremely sexy. The spice is engaging in a way that is not often achieved. I was blushing while listening and my husband kept cracking up at me.

I enjoyed it so much that I checked out the first book about her friend Mabel. The difference between the two books is huge. The writing is so much more compelling in this one! I loved this one! I really hope that there will be another one with characters I love this much!

Thank you to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the DRC. All opinions are my own!

This was a cute romance book. I loved the plus-size character representation in a romance book. Beck was so fun, I loved how he interacted with Connie. The little notes they sent back and forth were my favorite part of this book. Overall, a good romance with some slow plot points.

Charlotte Stein is a wonderful author and this book was cute, spicy, made me smile.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a chance to read this ARC early.

I adored Beck and Connie. Adored. Connie is super smart and nerdy. But she’s been trained by everyone around her to hide her true self and act normal. She dates the kind of men who don’t like it when she talks too much or acts too smart. And she’s become wary of “nice guys” who think their niceness entitles them to take advantage. So when she meets Beck, her neighbor across the hall, she’s convinced his niceness is an act. But he’s the real deal. The cinnamoniest of cinnamon rolls. His picture belongs next to this trope in the dictionary!

I need to gush about Beck for a minute. He’s the kind of guy who notices the little things that everyone around him likes. He ignores slights to himself but defends his friends. He can’t conceive of anyone mistreating someone because he would never. He self-depreciates, and works behind the scenes to make everyone happy. Seems too good to be true? Maybe. But guys like that exist. I know because I married one. I think that was why I loved this book so much. Finally a genuinely nice guy is getting center stage. I just wanted to wrap my arms around Beck and hug him tight.

The plot was pretty straightforward. Beck needs a fake wife to get his coworker off his back. So Connie jumps in to defend him and introduces herself as his wife. They get stuck pretending during a week-long work retreat. There’s plenty of one bed spicy scenes. Beck may be nice, but he’s dirty beneath the sheets! And Connie loves it!

This is very obviously the second book in an interconnected standalone series. Having not read the first one, it took me a bit to figure out who everyone was. But it did not hamper my enjoyment.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @stmartinspress for the chance to review this ARC.