I enjoyed this one a lot! The dynamic between the main characters was amazing, and I loved how each of their strengths complemented each other’s weaknesses! I also LOVED Beck and his sweet, wholesome, huge self SO MUCH! He might be my favorite book boyfriend I’ve ever read!

Ultimately, as a reader who tends to skim or skip spice in books, this one had too much on-page intimacy for me. I loved the plot and would give the love story itself 5 stars, but it’s 4 stars for me because it felt imbalanced between a completely non-spicy beginning and a very spicy ending.


Thank you so much to Charlotte Stein, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the free ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was so cute and so funny. I love fake marriages and ate this one up!! I think it was the perfect pallet cleanser

I had so much fun reading this! Beck is such a breath of fresh air as an MMC, with serious Ted Lasso vibes. After the emotional whirlwind of Roy Kent's fanfic (When Grumpy Met Sunshine), this was the perfect light, feel-good read. The only thing I missed was getting a few chapters in Beck's POV—I would’ve loved to hear his thoughts directly.

I didn’t quite connect with Connie, but she was the perfect contrast to Beck. Their communication was so open and healthy, and I really appreciated how quickly they cleared up the misunderstanding at the end. It was a refreshing, drama-free resolution that tied everything together nicely.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the early copy of My Big Fat Fake Marriage! This quirky, heartwarming romance had me hooked from start to finish.

Connie and Beck are refreshingly unconventional—Connie’s tough, guarded nature perfectly balances Beck’s sweet, bow-tie-wearing charm. Their fake marriage setup is undeniably cheesy at times, but it’s the kind of cheesy that warms your heart and keeps you rooting for them. The slow-burn tension and their growing connection felt both awkwardly endearing and genuinely touching. If you’re in the mood for a fun, offbeat romance with unique characters, this one’s definitely worth checking out!

My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein is a contemporary romance that follows two neighbors, Connie and Beck through an unconventional “marriage” arrangement. Upon discovering that Beck needs a fake wife to accompany him on a work retreat, Connie agrees to the trip to help him out. Stein takes us on an entertaining and sentimental venture with the protagonists as they go from acquaintances to lovebirds.

It’s really difficult to not love Charlotte Stein’s characters. They are always strong and slightly quirky in their own way. In My Big Fat Fake Marriage, Connie and Beck are opposites in many ways; however, they bond over offbeat interests and a mutual respect for one another’s unique idiosyncrasies.

Beck is a genuine “cinnamon roll” character type. In the world of romance novels, this term refers to a main male character that is caring, considerate, and generally goodhearted. The type tends to have a strong moral compass, and is a supportive and attentive partner. Beck's character is so important because he highlights positive masculinity by practicing consent and respect throughout the book. It was very refreshing to see Beck and Connie always checking in with each other to make sure they were both on the same page.

Connie’s personality offers a lovely, balanced contrast to Beck. She is confident in the places he is shy, and she naturally adapts to spontaneity. We see a lot of growth in Connie when she realizes how she deserves to be treated through her interactions with Beck. As Connie and Beck learn to leave their past experiences behind, they both open themselves up to self-love and love from one another.

It is worth noting that Charlotte Stein writes and advocates for body diversity in her novels. She normalizes the fact that all bodies look different, and they all deserve the same Happily Ever After. We always need more inclusive representation in romance genres.

I’ve read two of Stein’s books now, and I’ve noticed she has a very distinct style and flow. The pace of her books tend to match the progression of the passion in the romantic relationships in her stories. Things start off slow and steady in the meet-cute stage, and by the time the characters have piqued in passion, the plot is moving fast. I love the way these two aspects mirror each other. I also really enjoy Stein’s ability to write relatable, witty banter between her characters. She mixes this dialogue with emotional, internal monologues from the main character’s point of view that makes the story feel more cerebral and personal.

Overall, I loved My Big Fat Fake Marriage. It’s funny and spicy, with a few big “awwww” moments. It is a great book to take on vacation with you or to the beach this summer. Charlotte Stein writes books that are reminiscent of 90’s movie rom-coms, and she is easily becoming one of my favorite contemporary romance authors out there.

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlotte Stein, and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book in advance.

2 ⭐️

This one was just not for me. The romance between Connie and Beck was hard to believe because 1) Connie was an annoying female main character and 2) Beck seemed very immature at times.

While this might not be for me, it could work for you! Thanks NetGalley and SMP for an ARC!

Connie aka Hazel (FMC) is an interesting character. It seems like every guy is the wrong guy. They start out nice and that never ends well. Enter the nicest man around (MMC) Henry Samuel Beckett. He is the best part about this book and an absolute fresh breath of air.

Honestly, if it wasn't for him, I would have ranked the book lower. Henry is everything and I just love his ability to banter and how seriously funny the author, Stein, made him. Stein does a great job with all of her MMCs in the humor and uniqueness department.

There are a lot of wonder tropes that we get to see in this book: fake marriage, "who did this to you?", one bed, virgins. LOL. It's quirky and fun.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC, all opinions are my own.

Whew! I didn't know I was the cinnamon-roll type, but I'm seriously re-evaluating after this read! The sexual tension was just *chef's kiss* perfect. The contrast between the two main characters was wonderfully done. I especially liked how they supported each other even before it turned to a real romance. The hokey way that the MMC was portrayed as speaking was annoying, but not so much that it interfered with the story. (but really - this was supposed to sound American somehow? I promise you NO ONE in America speaks like that, it's not the 1950's any more).

I received a copy of this for my honest review

This is the most cinnamon roll MMC I have ever read!

Our FMC doesn't really believe that nice guys exist. She's been fooled by 1 too many of them. But when she keeps getting notes and cakes from her nice guy neighbor she isn't sure what his angle is. When she goes to talk to our MMC....she finds some weird things in his apartment. He final explains that he lied to work about having a wife. So she thinks - I'll do it. But what she doesn't realize is that means that they will.be going to the retreat he set up (that she was already planning on going to) as many and wife...in one room, with one bed. She has to play the part - which gets more and more complicated as they spend time together.

This book was hard to get into and I’m so glad I stuck with it because it surprised me in the best ways.

Truthfully, I didn’t want to like our man Beck. He uses phrases like “good golly” unironically for crying out loud. But dammit, as soon as he starts singing along with none other than Sabrina Carpenter on his car radio I was hooked. He’s so wholesome and earnest and just GOOD in a way I was powerless to resist.

Hazel, the main female lead also surprised me. Her initial reactions to Beck aligned with mine and the way the story is written I felt like she and I were both discovering the truth about him at the same time. I appreciated the tenderness with which she handled Beck, even while she thought he was ridiculous. I think the second love story in this book is Hazel falling in love with herself and that was beautiful to see unfold.

Without saying anything that is too close to a spoiler I also really appreciated the reversal of some common romance tropes here, beyond just the standard grumoy/sunshine.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. Watching these two fall in love, and watching her learn to trust him (and herself), was so moving. Loved loved loved.

loved the story and the romance. lovable characters and great plot. it was a super fun story and i loved it so so much

Connie distrusts all men. Beck is walking sunshine in human form. To save him from a white lie, she does pretend to be his fake white at a writers retreat she was already going to.

This felt like Ted Lasso x Rebecca Welton fanfic in the best way.

I adored Hazel/Connie. I adored Beck. It was healing in a way but also just sort of accepted the way both main characters are.

I breezed through the book in about a day. I could not put it down. It was very much like candy in the best way.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for a review.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage is about two neighbors, Connie/Hazel and Beck, who begin fake dating for a writing retreat. After reading previous works by the author I was excited to pick this one up. I love a grumpy/sunshine when the fmc is the grump, however this mmc felt a little too sunshine and a little too perfect at times. He seemed unrealistic but I can see how some people would want him as a book boyfriend. If I had to critique I would have wanted less spicy scenes, instead a chapter or two rounding out the writing retreat and more depth from side characters that were introduced at the retreat and wrapping up those story lines. Perfect for fans of fake dating, one bed, spicy reads, and stories about writers. I enjoyed it and look forward to other stories by the author.

I wanted some body positive and likeable characters and found none of what I was looking for here. This may be a case of expectations not matching what's in front of me but the whole thing felt forced from the first page

Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC!
This was absolutely a fun, easy, and spicy read! I think for the reader that is seeking that kind of book, it is a solid choice (sometimes that is me, even).
For me, the book lacked a bit of substance a some of the character framing was a little on the far-fetched side. That being said, I enjoyed my time reading this one. It was absolutely an entertaining read that I appreciated between thrillers.
3 stars

I didn’t know I could love this book as much as I do. I could not put it down! It was a fast read at that me giggling and kicking my feet, laughing out loud, and blushing all at once. The story of two characters, Connie and Beck, who are amazing in their own ways but not having the self confidence to see it themselves is relateable to everyone in my opinion. Connie and Beck both had to deal with situations and environments that diminished their self esteem and made them into good people who had trouble finding the good in themselves. I loved how even though they had a warped view of themselves they were able to clearly see the honest good and bad qualities in each other and fall in love with the real people they saw. With the help of forced proximity and a fake marriage. This book also made wholesome hot as heck! Beck was the perfect gentleman that girls could only dream existed to the point it seems silly at times but in a way that pulls on your heart strings. And when it got to the spicy scenes they did lot disappoint. Over all this book was such a fun read and I would highly recommend it!

thank you to netgalley and st martin's for the opportunity to read this ARC!

i really really really wanted to like this book more, i think it has a great premise, and i am always down for the fake dating trope. i really only started getting into the book around 40-50% of the way through, so while the second half was pretty food, the first half dragged, hence the 3 star rating. the main male character, beck, really felt like a caricature at first. it felt like the author was trying so hard to make him a golden retriever/cinnamon roll MMC, and it was over the top. he says things like 'oh good golly', and wears his prom tux to a fancy event (he is 37 years old) and cannot figure out roundabouts. i did end up liking beck, but that was because as the book went on, he stopped being so dumbed down in order to seem sweet. the FMC absolutely has some trauma and internalized misogyny to work through, but it felt like it was barely touched on. parts of the book felt extremely unrealistic, which i get, it is a romance novel, but at parts it was over the top. a lot of the dialogue felt stilted at first, like it was meant to be banter but just felt awkward.

“My Big Fat Fake Marriage” follows Connie and Beck as they pretend to be married at a writer's retreat. In response to Beck's snooty co-worker's endless needling, Beck claims he's married in a desperate attempt to avoid further teasing. This lie comes to a head once Connie declares herself to be Beck's wife, not liking how Beck is being treated. Despite not believing that a man can be honest and kind, Connie decides to play the part of Beck's wife throughout the entire retreat, leading to self-revelations and building romantic tension that the two of them can no longer ignore.

I absolutely adore how the dynamic was written between Connie and Beck. Specifically, I felt that Beck's character was very unique and refreshing compared to many other romance tropes and the way they interacted had me laughing out loud at many times throughout the story! The book also had a great mix of fluff and spice, with many cute moments between the characters, resulting in an excellent build of tension that led to a rewarding payoff near the novel's end. Overall, I think this book was an incredibly entertaining read due to the fun and extremely lovable characterization of Connie and Beck.

Told completely from one perspective (Hazel’s), this is a funny, spicy story of Hazel and Beck. He is a nerdy, to a himself kind of guy and is so polite. Hazel is off men because they are all animals. Then, she commits to being Beck’s fake wife and it is a crazy, spicy take off from there. They learn so much from each other and it is life altering.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.