My Big Fat Fake Marriage was a charming read with a cinnamon roll of a main male character (MMC). It was sweet, a tad far-fetched, and had a few over-the-top moments. I had a bit of trouble connecting with the MMC; he used phrases like "Oh gosh" and other cheesy expressions over and over. This wasn't my favorite read, but it was definitely light and fluffy.

This one was tough for me to get into and continue to read. the MMC was yes, a cinnamon roll, but geez it was a little much for me. There were so many weird things said throughout this book, that more made it feel like it was too cheesy and not believable. this one was not for me.

What a cute story! Connie has a lot of experience with not so good men, and then she meets Henry Samuel Beckett—-Beck for short—-and he tells her his great secret, that he’s been single his whole life. But everyone at his publishing house thinks he has a wife. So Connie ends up being his fake wife at a writing retreat, and they start getting to know each other!

The twists and turns of their fake? romance are such good entertainment! It’s a really enjoyable tale.

Four sparkly stars!

I received a copy of the digital ARC via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein is a standalone contemporary romance and is a really fun, interesting, and love inducing fake to real relationship. Mid level spice, not too bad, definitely could’ve been more, but that may have been a whole different kind of story hehe.

I really love the idea of having a writer who purposely lives in a place because she knows a guy who works at a publisher lives there too. Also the fact that they don’t really know each other yet fall into this weird relationship of pretending to be married is hilarious.

The guy barely knows her name yet goes along with her being his wifey, thinking it’ll be a one off thing until he finds out she’s going to the writer’s retreat too. Them having to try and explain that away is great. There’s a cute dynamic between the two, her being super guarded and him being super awkward yet direct. Also, I liked the level of misunderstandings throughout. As a whole, this is a fun book.

There’s definitely moments that are a little confusing and kind of rushed, but it's all good. It doesn't hurt the story too much and everything that happens afterwards, keeps things going smoothly.

If you love a good friends to lovers, chick lit, close proximity, neighbors, book industry type story, this is for you!

*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of My Big Fat Fake Marriage from Charlotte Stein via NetGalley

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the arc!

Such a cute, funny, lighthearted romance that also has so much depth and heart to our mcs! Connie/Hazel is a distrustful pessimist due to her own negative experiences with past men (especially "nice" men) and also her own childhood with her mother who very much wanted her to keep up appearances. Beck is a giant golden retriever of a man who's reminds me a lot of Ted Lasso (iykyk). When Hazel finds out that Beck lied about having a wife, to his co-workers, she steps in as his fake spouse on the writing retreat they're both attending. Stein's writing style was so much fun and I enjoyed the story through Connie/Hazel's inner monologues. As someone who's also not the most optimistic when it comes to romance or men in general, I related so much to her own feelings and saw some of myself in her. I also enjoyed the couples own interactions wit each other from their friendship to how they fell in love. I also enjoyed the more intimate scenes, quite spicy! Only thing I wish this book had more of was to have more interactions with the secondary characters, especially a bit more from Alfie and Mabel from When Grumpy Met Sunshine. Also, I wish that Beck cussed at least once lol, but that's just me. Again, if you're looking for a fun read with fake marriage, reverse grumpy x sunshine, witty banter and heart this is your book!

This one was almost a DNF for me. I'm glad I stuck with it because I ended up enjoying it in the end. I'm still not totally convinced that I really loved it as much as I rated it.

I adored this one from Charlotte Stein. Literally my favorite part about romcoms, it's full of witty quips and so much humor that I found myself randomly laughing out loud while listening. It's a classic trope of fake marriage and relationship of convenience, but she made it so entertaining that you will not want to stop reading! An American MMC, who is an awkward nerdy gentleman, and a feisty British FMC who lacks some self-esteem, is also secretly a nerd, and always goes after the wrong men. They start out as neighbors but soon find themselves as "husband and wife" at a writing retreat. This one was super endearing, lighthearted with a bit of spice, and a great read for the summer. Thank you so much to Charlotte Stein, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-ARC!

This was so cute! Beck is very Ted Lasso-coded, which I absolutely loved. Hazel is not looking for love, but when Beck needs someone to pretend to be his wife, so obliges. Forced proximity and getting to know each other soon turns into much more than they both had bargained for

My Big Fat Fake Marriage from Charlotte Stein was a fun rom-com. In it we follow Henry and Constance two complete opposites. Henry being sunshine and Constance being the grump but honestly she's just being realistic. After learning about Henry's mean co-worker Constance's offers to be his fake-wife at a writing retreat. But sooner rather than later feelings start to become real but will they last once the retreat ends?

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Free e-book, review is my own.

Way over the top in the best way. Every girls fantasy. If you go in expecting that its a great read.

Just not a fan of this one sadly. I love plus size rep but I just didn’t connect to either character, the sex scenes were cringy and I just genuinely wanted it to end. I could’ve ended but I stuck through. I love fake dating but I don’t think it was done very well sadly.

Okay, for real... this is funny! I love how clueless Sam can be. Cute rom-com with close proximity trope. It was fast read, fun and entertaining. I enjoyed the characters. They are likeable to me. The dialogues are not too cheesy and has the right amount of banter and emotion. Perfect for the season specially that the weather is warming up this is a must read for the summer!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/ St. Martin's Griffen/ Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. I truly do appreciate it a lot.

Connie has always distrusted nice guys. In her mind, they always are always waiting to reveal some horrible secret. Then she meets this adorable big guy Henry Samuel Beckett. He's a book editor, he loves his bow ties, and he's also sweet and cheery, she almost assumes he's not real. That is until Henry Samuel Beckett or Beck, tells her his secret underneath his sunny surface. He has been single all his life, but in a moment of panic, he's told everyone at his publishing house that he's married. When Connie who is an aspiring writer herself, she can't help but defend him, she ends up being the fake wife he doesn't actually have.

When they both go to a writing retreat, surrounded by people that assume that this is fake, both can't help but agree that is until they share their first kiss, first touch, and first time sharing one bed together. Laying side by side every single night on this retreat. She starts to wonder if this might be real after all.

This man was just tooo soft in my opinion. Going into this book I did not know that he would be a cinnamon roll type of character. I just did not like him or his personality. I also didn't like her personality. Also the way he talked made it sound like she was dating a 80 year old man or Ned Flanders from the Simpsons, I hated the way he talked so much. Also do we even know her actual name it's either Connie or Hazel or something else, she just had to many names and it was a bit annoying. The way there relationship was felt kind of like a college romance. I had to use the audiobook for this because I could not read this on my own I needed some help from the audiobook.

I picked this up because of the cover and when I read the little blurb it sounded so good, but honestly it just fell flat. I also think that cinnamon roll men are for me, they are just to nice and to too sweet. I felt like the characters had no connection with each other, almost like they didn't like each other and she was just doing this too help him to not be caught in his own lie that he made up. While reading this book I just didn't connect with characters or anyone in this book for that matter, not even the side characters, which usually their are some good side characters but there was absolutely no one.

Happy Reading!!! Hopefully there are better cinnamon roll characters out there. I just don't think that I will ever be a cinnamon roll girly.

Honestly, this book is a testament to the fact that you can come back and love a book. I tried to pick this book up in February and I couldn't get into it. I wasn't in the best head space at that moment, so I decided to hold off and come back to this book. Well, this time when I picked it up, I fell head over heels. I'm obsessed with the couple in this book Connie's cynical side softening by Henry's absolute cinnamon roll sweetness was just what the doctor ordered. This man needs to be protected at all costs. He was just so sweet, and I loved how obsessed he was with Connie. Their entire relationship, while incredibly horny was also just so heartwarming. I loved how they both went to bat for each other and how they cared for each other in their own ways. Also, when Connie called his summer camp shorts "Hot little murder shorts" I snorted and nearly died.

All in all, I'm obsessed.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for my e-arc!

Connie is an aspiring writer who is attracted to all the wrong men. Beck is a bear of a man who's never had a girlfriend. The problem is, he's told his work colleagues about his fake wife. Somehow, Connie ends up stepping in as Beck's fake wife at the writer's retreat she was supposed to be attending (and that he was coordinating). But as each reflect on all the reasons why a real relationship between them couldn't work, they also start to be drawn more and more into each other's dearest fantasies.

The question is, can they take a fake relationship and make it real, or would it be the biggest mistake of their lives?

I really enjoyed the development of these characters and their relationship, but felt it relied much too heavily on the open-door, physical connection. I don't need to be in the room with them as they're experiencing each otehr. Honestly, it feels awkward. So, while I would have loved to have given this a higher rating because I did enjoy these characters and this relationship and I appreciated having plus-size MCs, I was too distracted by the significant number of steamy scenes.

Thank you to Charlotte Stein, the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein was one of my favorite reads so far this year!

A little bit about the characters and story: Connie is an aspiring writer and Beck is an editor. Beck is the adorable, kind of awkward, cinnamon roll guy in this story while Connie is well skeptical due to past experiences. Connie and Beck, aka Henry Samuel Beckett, are two people who have to fake being married after Beck let slip to everyone at his publishing house that he is married. Connie swoops in to defend him and well their story begins.

I loved Connie and Beck's story. I want to say it took me a day and a half to read it, only because of well life and other responsibilities getting in the way. I enjoyed their interactions as they got to know one another under the guise of a fake marriage and Beck, whew, he brought the heat during the spicy scenes.

This was one slow burn romance that was well worth the read!

Beck, the MMC, is an adorably awkward “cinnamon roll” type that readers likely would not expect to steam up the pages. But you wait. My Big Fat Fake Marriage is a slow burn but worth it. You see, Beck fibs to everyone and tells them he’s married when, in fact, he’s very single and never even kissed anyone. Connie, the FMC, covers for him and says she’s his wife. Of course, they have to make things believable. The more time they spend with each other, Connie realizes she’s been dating the wrong type of guys.

Beck is such a sweetheart, and the awkwardness between him and Connie getting to know each other and faking their marriage was funny. My Big Fat Fake Marriage was a sweet story. I still need coffee, though.

I wanted to like this, I really did. Inexperience can be hot but not Ned Flanders hot and with the way Beck talked that’s all I imagined. I get both Hazel and Beck just wanted to find someone that accepted them fully as they are and I was rooting for them but god was it hard. I almost DNF’d a handful of times. The story was boring and didn’t hold my interest for long.

18+

The plot sounds great but the execution …. Didn’t hit for me.

As others mentioned, the way Beck speaks is different and I wasn’t a fan.

But basically the book just ended up being sex scene after sex scene. We went from somewhat of a plot to super spicy!

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I may have to give up on Charlotte Stein's books... her newest titles just don't seem to work for me. I didn't click with the characters or the story

Thank you for the title to review early.