Ahhhhhhh! I loved My Big Fat Fake Marriage! It is so delightfully bonkers, and sweet, and filthy. Charlotte Stein has become an auto-buy author for me. Her books are so joyful while also digging into very relatable anxieties.

Connie has a lot of experience with the modern London Nice Guy, and she knows better than to trust a nice guy. Her neighbor, Beck, is just so nice. He says “howdy neighbor” and leaves her pies that he baked himself. Beck is so nice that Connie is pretty sure he’s a serial killer. That impression is not helped when she sees inside his apartment and there are cut outs of women’s heads everywhere and a notepad that says, “Where can I tell people my wife is?” As it turns out, Beck has lied about being married to shut up a bullying colleague and the situation is getting complicated. The situation gets more complicated when Connie claims to be Beck’s wife, again to get that bullying colleague to shut up, and then they have to be husband and wife for two weeks at a writing retreat. The united against a bully, forced proximity, and only one bed situation gives Charlotte Stein a wonderful canvas for Connie and Beck to be honest and vulnerable and for plenty of shenanigans.

It’s generally accepted wisdom that you have to love yourself before you can love someone else. Stein digs into this in interesting ways. At heart, Connie and Beck like themselves, where things get stickier is how they interact with the world at large. They’ve both learned that the wider world does not reward them for being their true selves. Beck is himself anyway, mostly. Connie has erected a thick shield between herself and the world and she has a hard time believing that Beck sees and loves her for her own true self. Connie and Beck are similar in some important ways, they are both delightfully nerdy, with overlapping nerd interests, and they are both going to stick up for someone else before they stand up for themselves.

I’ve seen some conversations about My Big Fat Fake Marriage as being Ted Lasso coded and, yes, that’s in the DNA, but Beck is not an alternate universe Ted Lasso. He’s a cinnamon roll with some Clark Kent (mild manners hiding strength) and a mustache – a man sure of his own masculinity with no need to prove it to others. Beck is kind, sweet, and genuine, which gets mistaken for weak and maybe not super smart, even by Connie on occasion. But Beck knows himself and has made thoughtful choices about how he is going to be in the world.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how rare and wonderful it is to find someone with whom you can truly be your weirdest self and they can be their weirdest self. I identified so much with Connie’s reluctance to let down her guard. As one should expect from a Charlotte Stein novel, these two are delightfully freaky and filthy. When Connie goes feral over Beck’s tiny shorts and his high potency sex drive, it’s both steamy and achingly sweet.

I read both an e-arc and an audio arc. Imogen Wilde’s narration was delightful, giving added depth to an excellent text. Imogen Wilde conveyed emotions and moments of humor that I hadn’t picked up on. I love it when I’m able to read a book and have it read to me.

I received this as an advance reader copy from St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

I can’t begin to explain how much I loved this book! And the audiobook - it was the cherry on top! It was so easy to become immersed in the story - into the complicated world of our main characters faking a marriage. Connie/Hazel and Beck had undeniable chemistry. Though our grumpy narrator Connie couldn’t believe that sunshine hunk Beck was real, we were taken on a journey through Connie’s own work of letting her walls down. Beck was funny, self-deprecating, kind, and absolutely adorable in his sweet bow tie. Connie was so relatable and her life was richly thought out. I found myself rooting for them to ACTUALLY get together. And after that kiss… maybe there actually IS something…
This funny, spicy, and sweet story of a woman understanding her worth and allowing love and vulnerability to was woven together beautifully. Charolette crafted such a gorgeous story of what it means to love and be loved and to be seen fully. This is a book you don’t want to miss out on.

Connie and Beck were sweet, but the MMC was hard to take seriously with how he talked. We had some 40 year old virgin vibes in this book, but add 50 scoops of Ned Flanders.

I love a good fake relationship and this was a fun concept for getting us there (lied to his co-workers about being married).

What to expect:
Slow Burn
Tangible Connection/Angst
Good Spice
Virgin MMC
Fake Marriage
One Bed
Cinnamon Roll MMC
Curvy FMC
Neighbors/Forced Proximity
Single 1st person POV

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

The characters were funny and sweet, but I found there was minimal plot and lots of smut.

Longer Review (some spoilers may be present) -

Positives to start: I loved both the main characters and their opposite personalities, as well as the plus size representation. Beck was very charming in a nerdy way!
My niche negatives: The plot was not fleshed out at all; the characters instantly fell into a fake marriage situation, and I wish the writing retreat was explained more. I don't know if I just missed it, but I didn't even realize the fmc was into writing! Safe to say I was confused when they were freaking out over being together at this writing retreat. Lastly, I felt once the main characters started getting physical, it never ended. The last 25% of the book was just one long smut scene imo.

This audiobook was slightly hard for me personally to get through and the biggest reason for that would have to be the narrator's accent (personal issue, did not impact rating).

I did a combination of the e.book and the audio narrated by Imogene Wilde. The narration was very good.
The story was a bit different. The MMC, Sam, was kind of a dork. He was very inexperienced in romance. It all just made him that more likable. He was just so sweet in his dealings with Connie. She ends up being his fake wife when his co-worker starts harassing him. They end up sharing a room and a bed at his work conference, and things really heat up. I'll be honest and say I didn't see all the heat coming in this story.

It really was a cute story. Both characters were very likable, and their caring for each other was adorable.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the copies. All thoughts are mine.

Did Charlotte Stein just become my new fav contemporary romance author?? 😍

🤍HAPPY RELEASE DAY 🤍
My Big Fat Fake Marriage is NOW AVAILABLE in all formats 🎧📖📱

Our FMC Hazel said it best 👇👇👇
“I don’t even know if I’ve ever watched a movie this fun and fucking satisfying“

⭐️BOOK REVIEW⭐️

My Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice - 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This romcom was so incredibly giggle worthy! This fast paced novel was a perfect romcom read - the banter was sooo good and our main characters were so incredibly lovable 🥹

This was a book written for us book girlies! A writing retreat! Ice Planet Barbarian jokes! 😅 I was dying!!!

But do not let this sassy curvy girl & cinnamon roll of a man fool you! The spice was SPICY 🌶️

If you love the fake dating trope like I do, MY BIG FAT FAKE MARRIAGE done by Charolette Stein needs to be on your TBR 💍

🫶 TROPES:
🎀 Curvy Girl
❤️ One Bed
🎀 Writing Retreat
❤️ MCs in their 30s!
🎀 “My Wife”

Oooh this book. After each being told that their roommate is not available for a relationship, Connie and Beck finally have a moment of real conversation and accidentally end up in a situation that she is pretending to be his wife at a weeklong writer retreat. The rest ends how you expect it to end up but the personalities of Connie and Beck make the book so much fun and so wildly unexpected in certain ways. It was hilarious and hot and a great journey.

#arc
#netgalley
#mybigfatfakemarriage

Connie is used to dating Nice Guys (TM) - men who only treat women well in exchange for getting what they want, when they want it - and it’s been bad enough to make her swear off men… almost. Enter: Henry Samuel “Beck” Beckett, Connie’s neighbor across the hall, who bakes her pies “just because” and always greets her with a jaunty grin. Sure, he’s pretending to be married so he can get his jerk of a coworker off his back, but the deception tears him up inside. Before Connie realizes what she’s done, she volunteers to stand in as his fake wife. As they set off for a two-week writing retreat as husband and wife, Connie can’t help but wonder, could Beck be a real nice guy after all?

This novel had a cute premise but remained surface-level for the bulk of the story. The reader gets a lot of exposition in the beginning, with a full 8% of the story dedicated to the characters’ first full conversation in their apartment hallway. The fake marriage facade - at least, the part where they pretend to be married when observable by other people - comprised at most 15% of the total book. The main events of the novel take place over three weeks, which did not feel like enough time to give our protagonists room to grow. To get there, the story needed to let the characters make more active choices. For example, so much of Connie’s cynicism was shaped by her upbringing with shallow, closed-minded parents, but because they’re not actually in the story (Connie just reflects on how they would react instead), it falls flat. The more active choice would have been to have a scene where Connie has a phone call or meets up with her folks and either resists or internalizes their shaming about who she really is.

Speaking of characters who aren’t actually part of the story, I went back and counted - there are only nine speaking characters in the entire novel and a handful of locations, making the whole thing feel very small in scope. Other characters are mentioned (Connie’s parents and her other friend, as well as other members of the writing workshop), but conversations and memories are summarized as part of Connie’s internal monologue rather than written directly as part of the text.

That’s not to say that there wasn’t anything I liked here. Connie is hilarious. She can’t help but fall for adorkable Beck (even at his most pitiful), and her frustration at that fact is enjoyable to read. I also like that Connie sees being Beck’s pretend-wife as an escape hatch - “a way out of myself”, she says. Beck’s best moments come as he pushes back against Connie’s expectations of how she “should” behave - the clothes/shoes she thinks she should wear, or the interests she denies having. There are moments where he uses how “cool” she is to neg himself, which I don’t particularly enjoy, especially because he compliments changeable things about her appearance (hair, makeup, clothes) rather than things that indicate how much he likes her as a person. These moments of self-criticism make it difficult to envision a future where Beck will ever be able to advocate for himself, so when those moments do occur, it is satisfying to read. I just wish there were more of those moments throughout the book.

I experienced this novel in both ebook and audiobook form. Imogen Wilde, the narrator, has a lovely, sweet timbre that makes Connie endearing and relatable. The exasperation Connie feels as she develops a crush on Beck is palpable. I find no fault in any way the audio was done; I just think that any female narrator would find some of Beck’s lines challenging to read. For a modern ear, phrases like “oh, good golly” and “you bet your sweet bippy” and “you just wait a gosh darn minute” come across as, at minimum, corny. Imogen Wilde does her best, even if those lines made me cringe while listening.

Books centering around fake relationships are, as a whole, fun to read (if they weren’t, Christina Lauren would not have a career). I want to support size-inclusive romances whenever I can, especially when the main characters’ insecurity about their size is not the sole focus of the narrative. My Big Fat Fake Marriage was a quick read with an abundance of steamy scenes, but unfortunately, I think character development took a backseat in favor of the romance plot, which is not my preferred way to experience this genre.

**Thank you to St. Martin’s Press (St. Martin’s Griffin Imprint), Macmillan Audio, and Charlotte Stein for providing this ebook and audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

I don’t know what to say….i just was not a fan. I was turned off by Hazel in the beginning. She was whiny. Her constant picking out all the strange things beck did honestly bothered me. While I think it was necessaryfor character development. I just felt like the way Hazel discussed it was off. Once we got into “the awful thing he did”(like this book is just so dramatic) the story picked up for me and I started liking them both a lot more. The banter was good and I will never not be a fan of fake dating/marriage trope.

Sadly, I couldn’t get into this. The characters felt fake and I couldn’t connect with them, as if the author was trying to create caricatures of real people and it was off-putting. The premise itself was cute and I continued along, hoping it would get better but was often distracted by the awkward dialogue and the strange way in which Beck talks. This will appeal to fans of fake marriages and quirky characters but this just wasn’t for me.

My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein
Contemporary romance. Fake relationship troupe.
Connie has had some unfortunate and forgettable relationships in her life and she’s leery of her big, friendly American neighbor. Her experience says there must be something horrible about him, but he’s super nice to her and apologizes with cake. Turns out he does have a secret. He’s told everyone at work that he’s married. Connie ends defending him to his coworkers and now they have to spend time at a retreat together, pretending to be married. And sleeping in the same bed. Henry supplied the pillows to keep them separated on the bed but ….the more time they spend together, the more they are drawn to each other. Pretty soon those kisses aren’t fake anymore and they will have to figure out how they move forward.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and audiobook, often reading together. The narration is performed by Imogen Wilde who does a fantastic job with the story and Connie’s emotional ride. The accent is British and enabled me to totally see the characters and follow the funny and slightly inappropriate language of the story.
The audiobook held me enthralled and laughing.
I did sped it up to my usual 1.5 to match reading and conversation speed.
I loved the audiobook version and would highly recommend as long as aware it is a non U.S. accent.

My impressions:
Huge gentle giant
Super sexy
Surprisingly sweet
Cinnamon roll hero that you can’t help falling in love with.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

This was my first Charlotte Stein novel, and I am so glad I had a chance to listen to it! There is so much to love in this book. Connie and Beck were multifaceted characters, each with backstories that were given just the right amount of attention. I enjoyed how much this book subverted stereotypes. Beck is a giant of a man, but he is gentle and passive and a completely lovable nerd. He is also the inexperienced, "pure" one of the couple, and I loved that role reversal.

The best part of the book, however, was Beck's genuine, natural kindness and Connie's journey to realizing that kindness in a man might just be the most attractive trait. Stein presents Beck as the man every woman deserves: a man that listens and cares deeply about his partner's happiness and well-being.

The title gave me the impression that Connie's weight would play a much bigger role in the story. While Stein does bring Connie's weight into play in how past men have treated her in relation to how Beck treats her, it is not central to Connie's hangups or her development, and I loved that! It was simply a love story between two people.

There were a few things I struggled with in this book. The first was the pacing. The first half of the book is focused solely on the two characters getting to know each other and falling in love emotionally without realizing it. There is no spice and only a few physical interactions period. Then the second half of the book switches completely to focus on the physical relationship and spice so much so that I kind of forgot about all the non-physical reasons why they liked each other. I also struggled a bit with the narrator. Her voice for Beck did not match the descriptions, and her tone did not always match the mood or context of the scene. It drew me out of the story a bit.

Overall, I definitely recommend the book, especially for fans of the fake dating/fake marriage trope, though I might suggest reading rather than listening. I can safely say I will be reading more from Charlotte Stein!

This was so cute and also absurd but in a totally enjoyable way. The banter was top tier, as always from this author. And the miscommunication trope was actually so well done in this case because it was rooted in what women actually have to deal with while dating and from society as a whole. I definitely felt very seen in this fmc.

This was such a fun read. I'm loving all the big boy reads in 2025, and this one hits so well! Charlotte Stein just knows how to write lovable characters and beautiful stories. I loved their story, and couldn't help love the fake dating. It was done so well. Loved it!

I had such a fun time with this one. I went in pretty blind (saw the cover and loved it) and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed as it unfolded. Great chemistry. Fun characters. A pretty interesting plot. I am interested in seeing what else this author has in store!

✨Arc Review ✨ Out March 11 ✨

Connie/Hazel has never trusted nice guys. After all, they always end up revealing some heinous secret. When she meets Henry Samuel Beckett aka ‘Beck’ she feels he is no different. Except… maybe he is? She discovers that his big secret is that he told everybody he was married when he’s not. He’s actually single and has been his whole life. Could he really be a super sweet 30 something man who’s never had a relationship? She doesn’t know why but she feels like she must protect him. She ends up his fake wife and while on a writing retreat must make it look real. Then they share their first kiss. What’s that now? She feels an attraction…? They must now share a bed, and when he accidentally gropes her chest in the middle of the night, she knows she wants to act on this attraction.

🥵 The way they met was hilarious and over all this was really cute. I really liked their characters even if they were a bit much.
Once they become intimate though, the plot is lost a little bit.
It becomes kinda repetitive with all the spice. Every spicy scene was over detailed about what they were going to do, then they did it, and then she wrote about her playing it over in her head what they just did. It was too much. I do understand why she wrote it this way, but it lost my attention.
I wanted to love the ending… when they realized that they actually loved each other, but the miscommunication trope reared its ugly head.
Overall, if you can get past those things, I think you’ll enjoy it. It was a fun and quirky read with great tropes! I’m such a fan of fake dating! I definitely recommend!

Tropes:

🥰Fake Marriage
😘Inexperienced Golden Retriever MMC
🥰Forced Proximity
😘One Bed
🥰Plus Size Rep

Thank you to @netgalley and Charlotte Stein for this advanced copy. And mention that Hazy as a nickname was the absolute cutest!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. I really enjoyed the concept of this book and thought the plot and the characters were super lovable. That said, the author used some phrases that were repetitive and off-putting to me… like we’re not 16… who says “do me” as a fully grown adult REPEATEDLY and seriously. I couldn’t get past some of the language… it just made it feel rather immature to me and spoiled the story a bit.

I adored this book! I probably would have listened to it in one sitting if I hadn't had to go to a family event. It was so hard to put down that I stayed up way too late listening to the end.

I loved the plus size rep of both main characters throughout the story. As one half of a plus size couple, I know my husband deals with bs from people about his size too.

I found Connie/Hazel instantly relatable. Her tales of "nice guys" from her past sounded like far too many dudes I dealt with in college. Beck, though, might be my new favorite book boyfriend. He's absolutely adorkable. And the fact that he's bookish. *swoon*

I'm really looking forward to checking out more titles from Charlotte Stein now. I loved her writing. I laughed out loud multiple times, teared up at the end, and was pleasantly surprised by how spicy this book got once it got to the spice.

The audiobook narration was also great. Imogen Wilde had distinct voices for each character, and I was impressed by her accent work. Beck's American accent in particular. There were only a couple times where one or two words sounded "British".

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

🎧 Audiobook +📗 E-book: My Big Fat Fake Marriage

Cover: loved the plus sized couple

✍🏾 Author: Charlotte Stein- I read When Grumpy Met Sunshine 3 ⭐ & How to Help a Hungry Werewolf 4 ⭐

📃Page Count: 320

📅Publication date: 3-11-25 | Read: 3-8-25

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 8:04

🌎 Setting: London

👆🏾POV: 1st person, single-Connie

Genre: Rom-Com

Tropes: fake marriage, plus size h/H, 1-bed, grumpy/sunshine, body positivity, close proximity, slow burn, cinnamon roll H, book lovers

⚠️TW: bullying, virgin H

🗣️Narrator: Imogen Wilde voices all the characters with standouts from Connie and Beck. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.


Summary: After speculating about her too nice American neighbor, Connie meets Beck at an office party at his publishing house. He is sweet and cheery, but when his colleague starts harassing him, he tells a little white lie-that he's married. Connie stands up for him and claims to be his wife. Together they go on a writing retreat getting to know each other to keep up the ruse.

👩🏾 Heroine: Connie Evans/Hazel 31, an aspiring writer, marketing copy

👨🏾 Hero: Henry Samuel Beckett/Beck 37, a book editor

🎭 Side Characters:
*Mabel-Connie's BFF/married to Alfie
*Doug-the office bully

🤔 My Thoughts: Connie was a sexually charged character while Beck had no experience. Together they learn to live together, sleep in the same bed, and boost Beck's self-esteem. They were an unlikely pair, but Beck showed Connie there are good people in the world, and she taught him how to be in love.

Range of Emotions 😊😭🤣😔
*Spice: 4/5 🌶️
*Emotion: 4/5 🥲
*Couple: 4/5 🧑‍🤝‍🧑
*Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press| St. Martin's Griffin, Macmillan Audio, and Charlotte Stein for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

I thought this was a cute fake marriage story. I especially loved all the cute notes they exchanged! I’m a big fan of the plus-size FMC and golden retriever MMC. I liked that there was a real reason why they faked their marriage, so it didn’t seem forced. This is probably my favorite trope, and this book is worth the read!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan audio, and St. Martins Griffin for the ARC.