The Fake Wedding Project takes place in a small town where it's Christmas all year round. The story doesn't take place during Christmas but since it's Christmas all year round, there are tons of Christmas stores, themes & ideas all throughout. The Andersons and The Silvers of Tinsel, Michigan have had a long standing feud for generations. At this point no one even knows why. When Amanda & Dane are both in town for their respective grandparents anniversary parties they decided to fake an engagement to see if they can end this silly feud once and for all.

This was a cute, lighthearted story that just follows the shenanigans of these two families and how much they don't like each other and are always trying to up one another. I don't feel like the romance was the focus of the book, it was more of the side plot. While the town is busy planning their wedding, Dane & Amanda slowly find themselves falling in love. Amanda was the queen of witty banter and Dane was the strong, quiet presence beside her. I did love how dedicated they were to standing up to each others families and protecting each other.

This audiobook was fantastic. CJ Bloom is fantastic at throwing out all the theatrics and emotions of this character. Connor Crais could read me the phone book and I would listen to him all day long. This was a great pairing for this story.

What to expect:
-Friends brother
-Christmas themed town
-Fake engagement
-Friends to lovers
-Cute, lazy dog named Chili
-Dual POV

Overall, I'd give this one a 3.5/5, but the audio a 5/5. This one comes out October 8. Thank you Pippa Grant, Hambright PR, Netgalley & Brilliance Audio for this ARC/ALC.

4 ⭐ 2 🌶️ 5 🎧

This was such a cute story! I loved this whole idea of rival families that have no clue how the rivalry started in a Christmas town that leads to a fake dating/engagement, it led to so many fun moments and was absolutely adorable.

I also loved that Dane had this unrequited crush on Amanda. He was all in just to help her and he was so sweet. Even when their plan went to crap (what felt like a few times) he was there by her side. I just loved him. Amanda was great too, I loved her friendship with Lorelei to pieces and how Chili took to her. Also, also, Chili gets a POV and it's amazing 😂

The audio book was so good. I loved listening to Connor Crais and CJ Bloom narrate this story. They are two of my favorites and together they made this such a fun listen.

The narrators did a fantastic job bringing Amanda and Dane to life, making it a fun and enjoyable read from start to finish! I’ve read and listened to this within a day.

This is a super cute romance between Dane Silver and Amanda Anderson. They both grew up in the small, unique town of Tinsel, Michigan, and are back in town at the same time. She uses him as an excuse to her grandmother to not take over the gingerbread bakery. Why? Because their families have disliked each other for as far as anyone can remember and she knew using Dane would mean instant disinheritance.

Together, the two decide that they have had enough of their families feud and decide to stay fake engaged in hopes of bringing their families together. There is a time limit, though.

This is very low on the spice level and very cute on the dog level-lazy Chili.

I listened to this as well as read along. The audio is definitely a plus. Connor Crais and CJ Bloom are wonderful.

Thank you to Montlake for the advanced readers copy. Thank you to Brilliance Publishing for the advanced listener copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

ALC Review ✨️

☆Dane & Amanda♡

This story was phenomenal! I loved the modern take on Romeo and Juilet. Dane and Amanda's families have a long history of a fued. Most of them don't even know why they don't like each other. They just follow in their families' footsteps. That's until one night when Amanda decides to say she's engaged to Dane. Now, she has to talk to Dane and get him on the fake engagement. Now it's up to their families to decide if Amanda and Danes happiness is worth them ending the fued. I couldn't get enough of these characters. Even the side characters were so loveable! I loved how the story unfolded and how the romance started. As far as the narration goes, the narrators did such a beautiful job bringing these characters to life! I loved how well their voices fit the part!

Thanks so much to the author, Netgalley, and Hambright Pr for the ALC!

📖🎧 Book Review 🎧📖 Could a fake engagement between Dane and Amanda end the long standing family feud in Tinsel, Michigan where every day brings the Christmas spirit? I have been waiting for my chance to dive into my first Pippa Grant book and I was not disappointed one bit! The Fake Wedding Project delves into the pull between the pressure of family expectations and personal goals in life of happiness and fulfillment that so many of us probably have experienced at one point in time. Grant rolls up all the best features- from Christmas to bakeries and dogs all up in a tidy bow for one adorable and festive holiday read! I had the chance to read both an ebook and have access to the audiobook and I enjoyed switching back and forth between the two for a fully immersive experience! Connor Crais and CJ Bloom did an absolutely brilliant job of breathing life into this novel and bringing the chemistry to the ears of listeners!

It's soooo good!!!

Y'all, I cannot tell you how much I loved Pippa Grant's The Fake Wedding Project narrated by Connor Crais - Romance Author & Narrator and CJ Bloom.

Ok, yes I can. I can totally tell you. It's fabulous. And I loved the frack out of it!

And yeah, it might have something to do with the main players being a dog walker and an engineer (IYKYK). But it's also the perfect amount of Pippa humor, a quirky small town, Romeo & Juliet vibes, stellar narrators, and a fun, swoony, plot!

What I love about it:

The audiobook narrators

The canoe scene

A quirky small town with even quirkier families

So much swoon

Chili (the dog, not the food)

A fun mystery to solve

Absolute hilarity that will turn giggles into snortlaughs and outright guffaws

Ch 21- the turning point

Grand gestures

An amazing romcom with wonderful depth and a strong message of what's truly important

The bonus epilogue!

Fake dating to end an old family feud?! That's exactly what we get here, and I loved every stinking minute of it! A Romeo and Juliet style family feud in a small town that celebrates Christmas all year round. Opposites attract, a lazy dog sidekick, and a mystery. Loved this!

Audio Review
When fake becomes real with lots and lots of fun in between.

The Andersons and the Silvers have long had a family feud that the younger generations don't know what started it or why it continues. When Amanda Anderson needs to tell her Grandmother she doesn't want to continue their family tradition of baking gingerbread, well she gets creative. She pulls Dane Silver into her plan and hopes that together they can stop this family feud and help the town.

Dane has had a secret crush on Amanda for years so he is all in on this fake engagement and pretend wedding just to be with her but along the way his feelings become more and more real and he doesn't want this to end.

Funny and sweet and secrets that have to come out. This is true Pippa and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Connor Crais and CJ Bloom did an amazing job narrating this book and I enjoyed listening to them both.

I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Fake Wedding Project by Pippa Grant
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 287 / Genre: Christmas Romance
Audiobook Narrator: Connor Crais and CJ Bloom
Duration: 7 hours 36 minutes
Release Date: October 8, 2024

Although this story doesn’t happen during Christmas, it happens in Tinsel, Michigan, where the whole town has holiday cheer all year long. It’s an idyllic setting where the only problem is the long-running feud between the Silvers and the Andersons. No one can even remember what the feud is about, but the hate continues generation after generation… until now. Amanda Anderson couldn’t care less about the feud. Her best friend is a Silver and she’s had a crush on her brother Dane since forever. So she and Dane tell everyone they’re engaged to try to put an end to the feud for good.

This spicy holiday romance has all the vibes—fake dating, friends to lovers, small town romance. This cute romcom was the perfect start to my holiday reads. And Connor Crais and CJ Bloom did a great job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you, @Pippa.Grant, @Hambright_PR, @BrilliancePublishing, and @NetGalley for my free copies.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁: A cute Romeo and Juliet vibe holiday story except no deaths just gingerbread & fruitcake. This is a fun read or listen, definitely the perfect light hearted romance we all need in our lives. Best part is the epilogue in the pup’s perspective - like OMG best thing ever! You have to listed to the AB just for that.

Amanda lives her life in NYC as a dog walker and play writer but she’s been called home to take over the family gingerbread business. The only problem is she doesn’t want it! But instead of telling her grandmother that she may have told her she’s engaged and not just to anyone but her best friend’s older brother. To make it worse he’s the grandson of the fruitcake family which is their nemesis.

No one knows how these two families started their feud many generations ago but everyone in the small town of Tinsel have been apart of the chaos these rivals families stir up. However for the first time in an along time this engagement between a Gingerbread and a Fruitcake could be just the perfect reason to end the feud.

Dane lives in San Fransisco and has a lazy dog named Chili but he’s back home for the next few weeks. He is the grandson of the Fruitcake empire but he’s fed up with this ridiculous fight the families have going. So when his HS crush proposes they pretend to be engaged it’s a no brainer for him. He gets to spend time with her and work towards bringing peace to the town. Win- Win! If only it was that easy…

Check this one out when it 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 10/8/24.

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Friends to Lovers
* Fruitcake vs Gingerbread Feud
* Fake Engagement
* High School Crush on Little Sister’s BF
* Romeo & Juliet Vibes
* Forced Proximity
* Lazy Bones Dog 🐾
* Christmas Loving Small Town
* Dual POV

🌲💍🩷🌲💍🩷🌲💍🩷🌲💍🩷🌲💍🩷🌲

I am feral about this audiobook! If you love romance where he is super into her and kind of along-for-the-ride then read this today! Both narrators did a fantastic job with Amanda's manic energy and Dave's calm-except-when-she-looks-at-me attitude. It moves very quickly so I couldn't believe that I was already at 20% when I checked. Perfect pace!

Based on the number of scenes I would say it's mild spicy. But based on the ATMOSPHERE (fanning myself now) it was delivering on that adult romance. We're talking dips in the lake, accidental shower run ins and sheltering in a small cabin during a thunderstorm.

He was giving me flashbacks to Kai from “Caught Up” and Bo from “Out on a Limb”. His self-confidence is a little shaken. She is bright and bubbly hurricane blowing through his life. Everybody has a fantastic time.

The family drama was serving Montagues & Capulets. If you think feuds like this are unrealistic, take it from a small town girlie — it’s not. But it is softened with the silliness of being a christmasy small town. His family makes fruit cake while hers makes gingerbread. I loved how everything worked out in the end. It’s a case of two people falling in love when they remove the superficial reasons not to.

My only criticism is that I did not like the bonus chapter from the dog’s perspective. And the narration made it even weirder.

The first line of the description of this book is SPOT ON: "Romeo and Juliet meets Hallmark Christmas movie."

This was so cute. I loved the characters and the town. It was fabulous that the tow adapted into a Christmas town all year long. The family feud between them, over two delicious Christmas treats was a great idea! The Andersons and Silvers sure know how to hold a grudge!

I was fortunate enough to listen to this in audio and I loved both of the narrators. They did a fabulous job bringing the characters and town to life for me.

Thank you for the copy, this is my honest opinion.

The Fake Wedding Project is the perfect amuse-bouche to get you ready for the holiday season.

The story centers around the impromptu fake engagement between the adult progeny of Christmas-themed town Tinsel, Michigan’s two feuding families: the fruitcake-baking Silvers and the gingerbread-making Andersons.

And it is delicious.

At a glance:
- Dual POV + a bonus epilogue from a third character
- Fake engagement + fake wedding planning
- Dueling families
- Best friend’s brother
- Teenage crush
- Opposites attract
- Small town (EVERYONE is invested in the outcome of this engagement)
- Holidays, holidays, holidays (It’s Christmas year-round in Tinsel.)
- A cute—but lazy—canine sidekick
- Chemistry 🔥

The dual audiobook narration by Connor Crais and C.J. Bloom is perfect for these characters. Crais’s voice for Dane is deep and yummy, and Bloom captures Amanda’s energy so well.

Eye-read or ear-read this one; you’re in for a treat either way.

I received advance copies of the ebook and audiobook from the author and Hambright PR. All review opinions are my own.

This book was so much fun! I loved the small town Christmas vibes, with a town called Tinsel what’s not to love! Dane and Amanda want to end the feud between their families (Romeo and Juliet style) so they fake an engagement to bring peace to the town. It was hysterical, charming and adorable mixed with a little spice! The narrators did a fabulous job bringing this story to life! This is a definite must read for the holiday season!

Read if you enjoy:
▫️fake engagement
▫️small town
▫️feuding families
▫️enemies to lovers
▫️holiday romance
▫️dual POV
▫️animal sidekick

This book was so much fun! Both narrators did an amazing job and I adore C.J. Bloom. The narrators were able to convey all the characters personalities and emotions in the story beautifully.

🎧 ALC/ARC Review 🎧
The Fake Wedding Project by Pippa Grant
Narrated by: CJ Bloom & Connor Crais

I am a huge Christmas lover, so when you add small town romance and best friend's older brother, it is a match made in hallmark-style romance heaven.

You get all of the quirkiness that you expect from a Pippa Grant book and wonderful development of the characters.

CJ and Connor are two of my favorite narrators. CJ has the ability to do the quirky voice mannerisms that are expected in these books, and Connor could recite the phone book and I would swoon.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
🌲 Small town
💍 Fake engagement
🌲 Feuding families - Romeo & Juliet vibes
💍 Christmas in July
🌲 Hallmark movie moments
💍 High school crush
🌲 Best friend's older brother
💍 Lazy dog named Chili

Thank you to Hambright PR, NetGalley, and Pippa Grant for the advance copy of the Audiobook and eBook.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Thank you to Pippa and her team at Brilliance Publishing, plus Hambright PR for the gifted ALC of this one. These are my honest thoughts.

I think I'll instantly love anything Connor Crais reads, but this book had me laughing the whole time. This story is an emotional journey about two families who have been feuding for generations in the small town of Tinsel. I adored this town, as it reminded me of Leavenworth, WA a little bit with the Christmas spirit. Amanda and Dane are the Romeo & Juliet of Tinsel. Amanda is secretly besties with Dane's younger sister, and Dane's secretly had a crush on Amanda forever. When they're both in town for anniversary celebrations for their grandparents/grandma, a stressful situation makes Amanda blurt out that she's engaged to Dane in a panic. Dane, taking his chance, decides he's okay with being fake engaged to Amanda, his former high school crush. When both families find out, there is anger and also so much desire to control the situation so that the "better" family can come out on top, the two take their opportunity to end the feud once and for all. And it's awesome.

Things I loved:
- Fruitcake and gingerbread and eggnog lattes and hot chocolate
- Chili, the most precious dog in the Pippa-verse to date! (plus the bonus epilogue was EVERYTHING *IYKYK*)
- Dane's crush - he'll do anything for this girl
- Amanda's growing feelings - and how she makes everything fun for Dane
- The chemistry between the characters was full of sparks and SO FUN. I don't want to call it banter, because that wasn't really it, but it's like they could finish each other's sentences in the best way!
- When they have to stand up for each other, which causes ~feelings~
- Siblings and uncles and parents and nieces and grandparents... they meddle
- The community of Tinsel and how they help move the feud-settling along and support Dane and Amanda's fake wedding project (though they think it's real)
- The reminder that your dreams can be your dreams no matter what they are!

Five stars. This audio was amazing. I was hooked from the very first scene, and I was sad when it was over. Both Connor Crais and CJ Bloom were amazing as Dane and Amanda. And Chili. :)

4.25/5

Thank you to Netgalley, Hambright PR, and Pippa Grant for providing me with an audiobook in exchange for a review.

This was a cute and fun Christmas x Romeo and Juliet story.

I really enjoyed reading this. I loved that it felt like a Hallmark movie. It was funny and sweet.

Both narrators did a great job.

I do recommend this for a Holiday read!

I’m a huge fan of how Pippa Grant writes! The banter and inner monologue is really lovely and easy to enjoy! I loved the Christmas smalltown vibes and the ode to Romeo & Juliet (but with a happy ending maybe?!)!!! This story has a little bit of everything in it, but is a romcom at its core! If you’re looking for an enjoyable holiday read, I’d suggest this!