I went through alllll the emotions with this one. Did I laugh out loud? Yup. Did I sob while listening on my way to work? Sure did. Did I make a swoony noise when there was only one bed? Uh-huh. (Seriously why does that trope have such a hold on me?) The characters were likeable and the banter was strong. The relationships between Elle and Adam felt authentic and realistic - it is a bit of a slow burn with individual character growth. Murphy did a great job dealing with heavy issues and bringing awareness to an awful disease.

I enjoyed this romance even more than I expected to! I liked how Murphy portrayed the impact of a family member with Alzheimers both on a short term as well as long term basis. The characters were well developed, and I enjoyed how their love story unfolded. This one had moments that made me more emotional than a typical romance, and you may need to have some tissues ready. This was my first book by Murphy, but I will definitely check out more from her in the future!

What a funny, smart, laugh out loud poignant listen. Elle is trying to live her life and take care of her adored grandmother, Lovie. With Lovie’s memory in further decline, Elle packs up and heads back home to find a BIG surprise in the form of a complete and total stranger in her bed. Adam is Lovie’s live in caregiver and Elle is not amused. The fireworks between them fly, but not the hearts and flowers way. He is a giant pain in her behind and yet…..
When Lovie believes they are a real couple they go along with a fake romance thinking she’ll forget the next day. Let the games begin! Also, the way they addressed Lovie’s alzheimers with love, grace and the reality of caring for a loved one with it was honest. Kudos for that. The narration was terrific. So glad I got the opportunity to listen to this. I really needed a sweet love story and to laugh out loud! I loved the ending!

Fake It Like You Mean It is Megan Murphy’s debut novel. Elle Monroe has left corporate life and has herself well established in her very popular podcast Elle on the L. Elle’s podcast is comprised of interviews she does riding the Chicago L, learning about folks and their lives, hearing their stories. While the people Elle encounters are kept somewhat anonymous, their stories tend to be universal and reflect many people’s own experiences.

Elle has her own story of being orphaned very young and raised by loving grandparents in Elkhart, IN, a couple of hours away from Chicago. Soon after her Grandpa Bobby passed away a couple of years ago her Grandma Lovie was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Lovie, always pragmatic, took control and made arrangements with a specialized home healthcare company to assist and monitor her progression, which has quickly begun a rapid decline, necessitating Elle putting Chicago on hold and coming home to the bungalow where she grew up.

Experiencing train delays, Elle doesn’t arrive home until quite late, entering the house quietly so as not to disturb Lovie, slipping into her dark room, quickly changing and, exhausted, falling in bed hitting a lump that quickly reacts to her presence. This sets up a startling introduction between Elle and her grandmother’s main caregiver, registered nurse Adam Wheeler.

After a shocking meeting the relationship between Elle and Adam is testy. Lovie has become quite nasty with Elle, but when she becomes convinced that Adam is a young Bobby and Elle is a young Lovie, things begin to change all the way around.

This is such a heartfelt story of love, loss, and new beginnings. With a well drawn cast of characters and a tale too many may re-enacting life, Ms. Murphy’s first fiction venture is spot on. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Loved everything about this one! Such a heartfelt, emotional story.

With Elle’s grandmothers rapidly progressing Alzheimer’s, she is forced to temporarily move back in until they can secure a spot for Lovie at a longterm care facility. Having been raised by her grandmother, Elle is having a hard time coping with Lovie’s temperament and memory loss. To make things even worse, Elle has to share the little space left with her grandmothers pain in the ass nurse, Adam. When Lovie sees the two of them together, she mistakenly believes them to be madly in love. Thinking she’ll forget in the morning, they agree to fake it for the day to appease her. Only problem is, when Lovie wakes up… she remembers.

This book is the quintessential forced-proximity, loathe to love romance. I am SHOCKED that this is a debut novel. I can’t wait to see what Megan does next!

Content warning: If you are particularly sensitive to reading about the heart wrenching progression of Alzheimer’s, this one is very emotional and real. The emotions are raw and I felt every one of them like I was in the scene.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Alcove Press for the ALC!

4.75⭐️ I love it when a book has depth with the romance. Makes it that much sweeter. Adam is broody and devoted. Elle is extroverted and spunky. Both trying to take care of Lovie, Elle’s grandmother suffering from mid/late stage Alzheimer’s. Tropes include: slow burn, forced proximity, and fake dating. Loved Alex Picard’s narration. Really felt the emotional struggle of Elle loosing the grandmother she knew.

Synopsis:
Elle’s grandmother Lovie has always taken care of her, as long as she can remember. But remembering is just the problem. With Lovie’s Alzheimer’s progressing fast, it’s Elle’s turn to step up. Leaving Chicago behind, the last thing she expects when she walks through the door of her childhood home is Adam Wheeler—in her bed. Live-in nurse and pain in the ass, Adam is here to do his job. Eat, sleep, nurse, repeat.
Thrown together to care for Lovie, tensions rise and lines are drawn, but there’s a bigger problem: in her Alzheimer’s riddled mind, Lovie’s convinced that Elle and Adam are madly in love. Certain she’ll forget by morning, Elle and Adam play along. The only snag? She doesn’t forget.
Lovie is the only person who thinks this fake dating scheme is real…so why is Elle fantasizing about Adam when he’s not around? And why is it getting harder to pretend?

Thank you to @netgalley @megmurphywrites and @dreamscape_media for the advanced listener copy. #netgalley #fakeitlikeyoumeanit #meganmurphy #alcreview

Thank you to the author, publisher, narrator and Net Galley for providing a free e-audio version of this title in exchange for my review.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. But the romance just really felt forced. There was so much going on - Elle's podcasts, her memories of growing up, of her grandma; Adam's life in general; plus the Alzheimer's topic - it was too much. I guess I would have liked the romance to just come much later in the book.

3 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ALC.

The narrator was great!

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a romantic comedy but I don’t consider this one. There were definitely parts that had me laughing out loud, but Lovie’s disease, perhaps realistic (I don’t know because fortunately I have not had anyone in my family with Alzheimer’s), really brought down the mood. The awareness is important, but for a “comedy”, this was too real and too much of a harsh reality for a romantic comedy.
Some parts were cringy-funny where I didn’t know if I should laugh or have 3rd-hand embarrassment.

It dragged at times. I am all for a slow burn, but the story needs to keep moving along and it felt very flat (like no build up) many times. Also, the dynamic between Adam and Elle was a bit unrealistic. I love a good forbidden romance or boss/employee romance, but given Adam’s employment, it seemed to cross the bounds into unethical.

I did not like Elle. She was a brat. And why did she not like Adam? Because he was in her bed? I really didn’t understand the enemies to lovers trope here. I did enjoy the tone of her narrative voice though.

Although this book is not something I’d listen to again, I will definitely check out books from the author in the future.

Elle goes home to take care of Lovie, her grandmother with Alzheimer’s, and discovers a man in her childhood bed. Adam, an in-home care nurse, has moved in to take care of Lovie. I had a hard time understanding Elle’s initial reaction to Adam. She had a strong animosity toward him although he was very kind. I disliked Elle’s character so much, I almost gave up on the book. However, I’m really glad I continued. Elle learned and grew and it was truly a heartfelt and lovely story. I also enjoyed the narrator and her different voices.

I loved everything about this book! I went into it thinking it was going to be a fun, light hearted read but it turned out to be so much more. As someone who is a nurse and has grandparents that have suffered from Alzheimer’s, this book tugged at every single heart string.
It was such a beautifully written story. Megan Murphy did a fantastic job balancing the serious moments with comedic relief. I smiled, giggled, and even shed a couple of tears.

I’m not usually one to listen to romance audiobooks but this one immediately grabbed my attention. The only thing that could have made it even better was if there was a male narrator as well.

Thank you NetGalley and DreamScape media for this AudioArc.
I truly cannot wait to read more from Megan Murphy ❤️

⭐️ Tropes: forced proximity, fake dating, enemies to lovers, one bed, slow burn, found family
⭐️ intertwined podcast, Nurse MMC, HEA

This book had all the feels. After a large childhood traumatic event, Ellie's grandmother, Lovie, took her in and raised her. Years later, Lovie is more progressively succumbing to Alzheimers and Ellie needs to return to her childhood home to prepare for further care and taking care of Lovie. The company caring for Lovie had arranged for her carer to switch to full time live in so now Lovie has Ellie AND Adam caring for her. This creates an interesting turn of events with throwing the two together in the most bizarre of ways, all in the name of not distressing her grandmother in her condition.
There's a lot of working through history, through trauma, through the very difficult life of caring for a loved one and losing someone to Alzheimers.

It was beautiful and lovely, comical and honest. It was so satisfying and really hard to put down.

(4.5 Stars) Thank you, @netgalley @meganmurphywrites @dreamscapeaudio and @alcovepress, for the #gifted advanced listening copy of this beautiful, emotional debut.

Ellie was raised by her grandmother, Lovie, and now finds herself in a new chapter of their relationship as Lovie’s Alzheimer’s progresses, making independent living impossible. Temporarily leaving behind her life in Chicago - where she’s a well-known podcaster - Ellie returns to her Indiana hometown to coordinate Lovie’s care with an in-home nurse until a spot opens in a care facility. That’s how she meets Adam, the compassionate but no-nonsense nurse assigned to help.

Navigating her own emotions about Lovie’s decline, Ellie struggles with following Adam’s advice and facing the memories tied to her hometown. But everything shifts when Lovie, in a moment of confusion, believes Ellie and Adam are actually her younger self and her late husband. To avoid distressing Lovie, Ellie and Adam play along with the charade. What starts as a harmless act of kindness soon leads to undeniable chemistry, as Ellie begins to see Adam for who he truly is - a steady, caring presence she never expected to need. But Adam has his own struggles, and as reality presses in, they both have to ask: is their growing connection just pretend, or something real worth fighting for?

This was an absolutely stunning debut. The small, intimate world that Ellie, Adam, and Lovie create is both tender and deeply moving, filled with moments of quiet resilience and unexpected joy. Murphy balances emotional depth with lighthearted, comedic moments as Ellie and Adam navigate an enemies-to-lovers, fake relationship, forced proximity, one-bed dynamic - all elements that keep the story engaging while still honoring its heartfelt core. The progression of Ellie and Adam’s relationship felt natural and sincere, and I loved how Murphy took the time to build their emotional connection. Highly recommend!

🎧 Audiobook Notes 🎧
Alex Picard delivers a beautiful solo narration, capturing Ellie’s emotional journey with nuance and warmth. She brings sensitivity to Lovie’s storyline while infusing humor and chemistry into Ellie and Adam’s evolving relationship. At 10 hours, this is a deeply engaging listen.

OMG, get this book! All the best tropes, such a beautiful story, lovely human beings, lots of emotions, and of course some romance. You get all the fun and joy of a romcom with more depth and so many relatable characters!

Elle’s grandma, Lovie, raised her and has always been her number one fan. Now that Lovie suffers from Alzheimer's and needs intensive care, it’s time for Elle, a successful podcaster, to step up and help her. And it’s a tough job. When Elle returns home and finds live-in nurse Adam, they instantly clash (and there’s instant chemistry and all the right kinds of tension). When Lovie mistakes them for a happy couple in love, they play along, thinking she’ll forget…but the joke’s on them…

I loved this book so much! I went into it thinking it would be a fun, light read with maybe a little heaviness—and it had plenty of happy moments, hilarity, things that made me smile—but also wove the heavy themes beautifully. Caring for a person you love who has Alzheimer's is no joke, and there are some tough situations in the book, but the author still managed to make it uplifting and beautiful. Elle and Adam took a while, but it was totally worth it! And Adam might be one of my new favorite book boyfriends—if you love the generous, loving, understanding, kindhearted type, he’s your guy.

The only thing I would have liked is more of Adam’s point of view, as the story comes solely from Elle.

Rating: 4.8
Themes and Tropes: Fake Relationship, Only One Bed, Enemies to Lovers, Proximity, Slow Burn, Podcaster FMC, Nurse MMC, Caring for a Loved One, Alzheimer's, Tall FMC and MMC

Fake It Like You Mean It by Megan Murphy (Narrated by Alex Picard)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one really surprised me—in the best way. Fake It Like You Mean It isn’t just a sweet, fake-dating romance (though it absolutely delivers on the charm and chemistry); it’s also a really tender story about grief, caregiving, and the heartbreak of watching someone you love battle Alzheimer’s. That part hit especially close to home for me, and I really appreciated how thoughtfully it was handled.

Yes, the romance kicks off a little fast, but honestly, when life throws you into intense situations, feelings tend to follow suit. And the growth we see in the main character? So good. I loved watching her find her strength and navigate both love and loss with vulnerability and heart.

Also—props to Alex Picard’s narration! It pulled me right in and made the emotional moments land even harder. If you like your romance with a side of real-life depth and healing, this one’s worth picking up.

Megan Murphy’s debut novel was so real, raw, and honest. It dove deep into what it is like taking care for someone with Alzheimer’s, how it takes a village to get through those times, the reality of caregiver burnout, and still managed to give us an incredibly sweet romance.

In just a few pages you get to witness Elle’s journey. She’s stubborn, strong, and relatable. Adam is logical, observant and sweet. Both grumpy. And together they stumble through life and fall in love in one of the best slow burn, fake dating, forced proximity (yes there is only one bed) romances I have read this year.

Fake It Like You mean it is sweet, fun, relatable, heartbreaking, and spicy, all rolled into one. Definitely deserved those 5 stars and I think I will be recommending it to EVERYONE. It is worth it!

An adorable story about Elle, who moves home to take care of her grandmother, Lovie, that has Alzheimer’s. Elle’s grandmother raised her after her parents died. When she walks in, she finds Adam, the round-the-clock nurse, in her bed. Lovie mistakens Elle and Adam for herself and her late husband. Elle and Adam learn to play along. I love the slow-burn, fake-dating, forced proximity troupes, they are my favorites. Unfortunately, I know all too well the care for someone with memory problems and the situations memory patients can get into. The characters were amazing, especially Elle’s character who was flawed and didn’t really know how to deal with the new version of Lovie. I found myself heartbroken at moments and smiling at other parts of the story. This was a story of empathy, love and change.

Elle moves back to her childhood home to care for her grandmother, who has Alzheimer. Her Grandmother raised her and she's trying to get her on her ins so she can put her in a care center to have around the clock help. Until then a service she's using is having to have someone there around the clock and the main nurse is Adam.

From the moment they meet there is such a hostility towards each other that didn't make a lot of sense to me. When we dive into the heart of the story of taking care of her grand mother who doesn't remember her and having to navigate that part which was heartbreaking to read. But having her and Adam hate each other from the get go was a misstep to me. I wish they could of been friends from the start and it would of made a romance more believable and the romance to me didn't work.

Thank You NetGalley for this Audio Arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Oof! I got smacked right in the feels with this one.

I laughed, a lot. I cried, A LOT. I swooned, and kicked my feet, and just all around had a fantastic time listening to Alex Picard bring Elle and Adam's story to life!

4.75 ⭐️

The emotions I went through reading this book… I laughed, I cried, I smirked, I swooned, and I fell in love.

The scenes with Elle’s grandmother were heartbreaking, while the scenes between Elle and Adam had me kicking my feet and screaming, “Just kiss already!” Their banter had me smirking through half the book.

Adam is such an amazing character, checking all the boxes: caring, understanding, thoughtful… just how I like my MMCs. It was a sweet romance, but it was also an eye-opening look at the day-to-day life of a caregiver.

The narrator did an incredible job portraying all the emotions. I really loved listening to the audiobook!

Thank you Megan Murphy, Dreamscape media & NetGalley for the ALC, this is my honest review ✨

𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐁𝐑 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞:
💛 Fake dating
🩵 Slow burn
💛 Only one bed
🩵 Banter & tension
💛 Alzheimer’s rep

I loved this book! It had so many fun, sweet moments with Elle and Adam. The beginning of their relationship was a little rough in terms of me actually believing that they would end up together, but by the end i really liked how authentic their characters turned out to be. They are real and flawed and they ended up working through their mistakes.

With all of the giggles and blushes with Elle and Adam, there are also heartbreaking moments with Lovie, whose Alzheimer’s is progressing and she no longer recognizes Elle or herself. This is really what makes the book shine to me, the difficulties Elle and Lovie go through in the face of this disease. I cried so many times, and a scene near the end of the book, ugh!

I think the podcast aspect of the book was really interesting. “Elle on the L” is such a fantastic premise and I think the transition from Elle focusing on that original podcast to starting one about Lovie is such a natural progression. Very well done!

I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!