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.

Thank you for the audio arc of this book. I liked the idea of a fake marriage and found some of the situations a bit comical. The characters were likable but I would’ve liked to hear both POVs. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I had hoped, but it was still overall a cute book with more spice than I expected.

This is my first read from Charlotte Stein, I will absolutely be reading more from her, when I enjoy a book AND it makes me laugh that's a 5 star for me because I'm not an emotion reader so when you get laughs you get the stars🤣

the way Beck talks was so fun because I talk like him so much 😅 I called my hubby and was like do I sound like this he was like yep pretty much 😂

It all just seemed so awkward but in a fun way, the protectiveness I felt for beck I wanted to put him in a bubble away from the world. Hazel was so great in helping him though and supporting him.

Loved and would recommend thanks netgalley and MacmillanAudio for this advanced ALC for an honest review

Thank you to PRH audio and NetGalley for this ARC!

This audiobook was well produced, however the single POV and narrator were very bland.

I really like the MMC. He was like a plus size Ted Lasso. He made up a fake wife because he was embarrassed about not dating. He uses words like “golly gee” which can get a bit annoying.

The FMC volunteers to be his fake wife because he’s nerdy and she definitely has a crush on him. They have to go to a writing retreat together and continue the charade. I just wish they communicated their feelings instead of the FMC guessing the entire time.
I don’t know if this author’s work is for me.

My first impression when I started this book was that it was going to be a cutesy fake relationship romance. Then it got SPICY. I was shocked and I loved every second of it!! Thanks netgalley!

I wanted to love this book more than I did :( I loved the concept of fake marriage and forced proximity but the entire plot felt like it was lacking and then completely fell apart once they got to the retreat. I would rather have a longer book and have the characters played out more than to only have spicy scenes. As well, I did not love the male main character or maybe just the dynamic that the two characters had together. He almost seemed gay to me at the beginning and I thought that was going to be the reason that he needed a fake wife because I don't know any straight male who would comment on the even-ness of my winged eyeliner, even my own boyfriend who watches me do my makeup often. It also seemed like they went from "omg I touched her butt" to "hey lets touch ourselves in front of one another and then make it weird". I really loved the concept and I liked the characters dynamics before the writing retreat but once they got there the plot got lost for me and it turned too much to the spicy/sexual aspects. I loved "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" and the writing in that and so it was sad to me to see this under-developed for what it could have been.

The narration in this book was very well done. I love the idea of a fake marriage plot; it can be such a great lead into an unexpected romance. I thought the characters were well developed but did not seem like a great match to me.
Ultimately, this was DNF for me. The level of spice was too much and took over the plot of the book.
This book would be great for readers looking for high levels of spice.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Prefacing this by saying Imogen Wilde did a phenomenal job narrating this, but not even she could make me like Connie lol. Such a bummer as I usually love Charlotte Stein books, but ended up DNFing.

Cute and well-narrated. The final third is more spice than plot, but there are definitely readers who will like that aspect.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillian Audio, and Charlotte Stein for the ARC of "My Big Fat Fake Marriage." The audio version is narrated by a British voice which is my absolute favorite to listen to. "My Big Fat Fake Marriage" by Charlotte Stein is a contemporary romance novel that follows the unconventional "marriage" of two neighbors, Connie and Beck. Connie, a writer, has a history of distrusting nice guys, believing they are just waiting to reveal a hidden agenda. However, she meets Beck, an editor who is kind, cheerful, and seemingly too good to be true. Beck, known for his love of bow ties and his sunny disposition, confesses to Connie that he has been pretending to be married to avoid the advances of a co-worker. When Connie defends Beck, she ends up agreeing to be his fake wife for a writing retreat.

The retreat is a whirlwind of awkward encounters and forced interactions as Connie and Beck try to convince everyone that their relationship is genuine. However, as they spend more time together, their initial awkwardness melts away, replaced by a growing attraction. They share their first kiss, their first touch, and eventually, their first time in the same bed. The simmering tension between them builds, and Connie begins to question whether their fake marriage might be turning into something real.

The novel is praised for its charming lead characters, Connie and Beck. Connie is relatable, having experienced numerous failed relationships with men who used their "niceness" to manipulate her. She is a strong and independent woman, but beneath her tough exterior, she is vulnerable due to past hurt. Beck, on the other hand, is a genuine "cinnamon roll" character, meaning he is caring, considerate, and good-hearted. He embodies positive masculinity, practicing consent and respect throughout the story. He is a supportive and attentive partner, always checking in with Connie to ensure she is comfortable.

The novel also explores themes of body positivity and self-love. Connie is a "thick queen," and the novel portrays her body image in a positive and realistic way. The author, Charlotte Stein, is known for her advocacy for body diversity in her writing. As Connie and Beck navigate their fake marriage, they both learn to leave their past experiences behind and embrace self-love. They discover that they deserve to be treated with respect and kindness, and they find love in each other.

"My Big Fat Fake Marriage" is a heartwarming and humorous romance novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy stories about fake relationships, second chances, and finding love in unexpected places. The novel is praised for its charming characters, its exploration of body positivity, and its steamy romance. It is a light and entertaining read that will leave you feeling hopeful and optimistic about love.