Now I may be biased because Charlotte Stein is one of my top favorite authors, but this is an easy 5 stars. It was so easy to speed through and so hard to put down I finished it at 2am.
The characters are so realistic and consistent that you can connect with them so easily. It’s impossible to not be invested. On the flip side, the situations they find themselves in are so ridiculous and fine that I routinely had to stifle out-loud-laughs (because, again, I stayed up till early morning binging this book). And as always, the communication is too tier here. The characters are allowed to feel their emotions for a couple hours, and then have responsible, honest conversations and everything works out.
The plot never left me bored despite it being 100% character driven. Nothing was too heavy in this book. It was just spicy fun written by an expert world builder.
I cannot wait for it to come out so I can have this cutesy cover in my library and force all my friends to read it.

Connie and Beck are neighbors, and very wary of each other. Connie because past experience has taught her that 'nice guys' are usually hiding a dark secret. Beck, because he has come to believe that he is just too much; too tall, too burly, and too clumsy. However as they begin talking in the building's hallway, they also begin to let down their guard. Which is good since Beck needs a fake wife to come with him on a writing retreat. What follows is excellent banter, and heartwarming. growth as our couple comes to see their worth reflected in the other's eyes. The high level of spice and dirty talk was not what I was looking for in a rom-com, but might work for another reader.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC ! OK, I will admit that I did not really think I was going to like this book at the beginning. The book reads like the inner monologue of someone who has ADHD mildly and who get stuck in their own head as life is happening around them.

Meet Connie/Hazel, who has SWORN off nice guys and believes they are all deep down terrible people, and her neighbor, Henry Beckett, who is burly, soft, gentle giant and a genuinely good and kind human. They find themselves in a fake marriage and stuck in a writing retreat for two weeks together sharing one bed. This book had so many of my favorite tropes: cinnamon roll mmc, forced proximity, one bed, fake marriage, slow burn, and a hint of grumpyxsunshine. But a lot of it just fell really flat for me. I think had it not been written via Connie/Hazel’s inner monologue, I might’ve liked it a lot more. There are parts of like the first 50% that I was like Connie is insufferable. I do like Hazel a little bit more. I feel like the last 30% really made me rate this book differently.

I will say that it feels kinda bittersweet that probably the best written smutty scenes were in here, because it takes so damn long to get to them! Like trudging thru the dark, muddy, abyss of Connie’s/Hazel’s inner monologue to finally see the light of the smut. Now, Miss Charlotte, you definitely can write some spicy scenes. And I think having the book read as Hazel’s in her monologue really worked here.

I would say this book is a book for vibes not as much logic. There are things that Connie/Hazel does that straight up don’t make any sense (see the idea of Hazel using the name, Connie to like avoid who she is/was). Overall, it’s OK! You might like it, you might not. I will say that the spice in this book makes it 100% worth the read!

So parts of this book really made me laugh, especially in the beginning. But here's the thing: I spent this entire book reading Beck's dialogue in my head with the voice of Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso. It was very very obvious from the cover and the description that was a real love letter to the character of Ted Lasso and a particular basketball game in the book calls to mind a particular dart game in the show. I liked the overall message of be who you are and like what you like and don't yuck other people's harmless yum but my problem with books that borrow so obviously from a well known media source is that it actually takes me out of the book and I kept trying to identify the other characters in the show and their counterpart in the book. Like is the heroine supposed to be Rebecca? Like asshole Doug is obviously Rupert especially in light of that basketball game. The hero in her last book who along with his love interest made an appearance in this book is Roy Kent. I think it's ok to be inspired by characters from other mediums (tv, movie, etc.) but I do think you need to differentiate enough bc I really could not get Ted Lasso's slightly twangy voice out of my head when reading this book.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein had many of my favorite romcom elements — a plus size, badass heroine & a dorky, inexperienced hero — but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. Our narrator Hazel is justifiably closed-off and distrusting of men after a rough upbringing and dating history. Yet she admits from the onset that this distrust is just a protective front to keep her romantic heart safe. Despite this stunning self awareness from the jump, it takes her hundreds of pages to admit her connection with Beck is real. And as that connection grows, Hazel and Beck just seem more and more like caricatures of themselves — what man, however experienced, says “Gosh, I love doing myself” in bed?! Countless dialogues like these took me out of otherwise delicious spicy scenes. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me — 3*.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing this e-arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this eARC. I didn’t quite know what to expect when I started this book. I really loved Connie/Hazel character, she was very believable. It took me a while to appreciate Beck’s character he seemed more like a caricature of a cinnamon roll MMC. I had a hard time believing that someone was that over the top wholesome, his character reminded me of a 1950s sitcom dad. Overall it was a cute fluffy read. And I would recommend but be warned he is sweetly sick in the way he talks.

I did not really like the writing of this book..it made me not like the characters
Connie adn Henry must fake being married because he told everyone he was married instead of single for his whole life.

I discovered Charlotte Stein when I read When Grumpy Met Sunshine and I LOVED it! Charlotte's books are unlike any other romances I have read in the best possible way. The main male character in When Grumpy Met Sunshine tries to hide behind a plant unsucessfully and the MMC in My Big Fat Fake Marriage says things like "golly", "gosh" and "oh my stars". He's described as burly and hairy. He is the biggest nerd and I adored him. Not only that, but Charlotte's sense of humor is so, so good. I can't even begin to explain it, but she is so funny. I was reading this book in a waiting room and I think people must have thought I was crazy because I was laughing out loud and grinning and I just couldn't stop.

The story starts with Hazel first thinking that her neighbor Beck's "goodness" is all an act. Then she is convinced that he is a murderer. Soon she comes back to the position that he is really sweet and she finds herself wanting to protect him which leads her to introduce herself to his bully as his wife. As a result, she ends up sharing a room with him at a conference.

We all know how this trope works. Soon Hazel realizes that Beck is unlike any man she has ever dates and she is really drawn to him. She also is convinced that Beck would never really want her as his wife, but she really wishes he did.

The book is spicy and funny and just such a great story. Read it. You won't regret it.

2.5 stars

Ugh this was a DNF at 67% for me. And that’s a shame because fake marriage is my kryptonite! It’s hard for me to feel like you’ve gone wrong with that trope, but this one did not deliver. I think I just didn’t believe it enough, and that really took me out of the story.

I am always down for som plus size representation. Fake marriage, Connie and Beck hit it off. Maybe what Connie is feeling is real after all!

I was excited to read what I thought was going to be a cute RomCom type of book. The premise was cute and sounded fun. Unfortunately, this book did not do it for me. I couldn't get into it and it just dragged on and on. After trying to read this for over 3 months and only getting 40% of the way through the book, I ended up DNFing this book. I wish I had the reading experience that others have had with book and really liked it, but sadly this just didn't happen for me. Thank you NetGalley and St, Martin's Press for a digital arc of this title.

Connie has been deceived by the "nice guy" before, and Beck is one that fits the description to the tee. Beck was a true loverboy. He was super sweet, kind, and overall a gem of a character. I love Stein's character development throughout the story, and embodied one of my favorite tropes so well. Highly recommend!

Charlotte Stein, you have my heart. As a real life plus size FMC, I love how the author makes you feel. She's funny and writes toe-curling stories. I just love her writing.

I don’t think this author is for me.

Another bundle of tropes that I love (fake marriage, forced proximity), but the execution did not work for me. These characters don’t feel genuine, they feel like caricatures of archetypes. Beck is a cinnamon roll/golden retriever on steroids, to the point of ridiculousness. I could not take anything he said seriously, and the lack of character development just made that harder. Connie is wary of nice guys because she’s been burned in the past - that is pretty much her only personality trait. Overall, this was too sticky sweet, with characters that were not developed enough.

This was a fun, sweet, enjoyable read. Beck, the male MC, was almost too "good" to be true.

But as for tropes I LOVE a forced proximity, and a fake marriage.

Great palate cleanser of a read, but nothing groundbreaking.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage is set in the same world as Charlotte Stein’s When Grumpy Met Sunshine and it’s as much of a delight.

I adored Beck, the cinnamonest roll (cinnamon rollest?) of all cinnamon rolls. He is an absolutely perfect mix of quirky and endearing, and I don’t think I’ve ever read anything with a similar MC before. He’s big and hairy, with love handles the FMC just wants to bite. Beck has never been kissed before and Charlotte Stein handles everything surrounding that so beautifully (and hot, obviously).

The conflict is mainly centred around neither of them believing the other could actually be in love with them. It’s so obvious that Beck is head over heels with Hazel, and while Hazel’s background sort of explains why, I found it hard to suspend my disbelief. I also thought the resolution for the villain was a little unexpected and rushed. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This is such a sweet romance. Beck is a cinnamon roll hero who is such a sweetheart. And Hazel burned one to many times is a skeptic. Reading Beck slowly win her over with is kindness and caring was a breath of fresh air. In a world of cozy romances, this one is a standout. I cannot wait for the next book by Charlotte Stein.

Loved this book!!! It was such a fun read, and I loved how I can relate to the main character!! This is one book I had to run to preorder it was so good!! It is definitely a must read!!!

Connie doesn't trust nice guys and then she meets Henry. She struggles to believe he is real. Then he tells her his secret. he is single but he ells everyone at the publishing firms where he works that he is married. Connie and struggling writer ends up being his fake wife so they can head off to a writing retreat. Being together Connie wonders if this could be the real thing for her.

It's a feel good pallette cleanser from reading dark fantasy. It's fast paced and a heart warming story.