Skip to main content

Member Reviews

I struggled with this book a lot. I really wanted to like it, but the writing style wasn’t my thing… this book seemed very choppy in places. It was hard to buy the romance, it didn’t seem real at all. They were just fake dating and then suddenly they fell in love. None of it felt real or believable by any means. I also didn’t like the way it was like everyone using their last name or their middle name so I was like who’s got what name? It just pulled me away from the story. Overall, this wasn’t a strong book at all for me. I didn’t believe in the romance and I didn’t enjoy the writing.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed the characters and the relationship, but some parts felt rushed and some of the lack of communication wasn’t my favorite. But overall I enjoyed the story and would recommend.

Was this review helpful?

Everything about this book was fine. I loved the idea but once I started reading I just wasn’t excited. Especially at the beginning, nothing made sense for the first chapter. It did eventually come together and it all felt fine, but not enough to get me excited for the rest of it.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a cute book. The TENSION. The only thing I would've changed is for the two main characters to have more of a conversation about it becoming real.

Was this review helpful?

A full 5 Stars, pretty sure it was exactly what I was craving. I was laughing, I was crying, I was HERE FOR IT. The MMC was perfect, though I would have loved if they had gone more into the "him not hating" her part!

very thankful to have gotten my hands on this arc!

Was this review helpful?

✨ARC✨Lessons in Faking✨

I want to thank Netgalley, LYX, and Selina Mae for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of Lessons in Faking.

Athalia Pressley is struggling in statistics and finds herself being assigned her brother’s teammate and biggest enemy as her tutor. Athalia asks Dylan to be her fake boyfriend because she craves attention from her brother.

For a good part of the book this was hard for me to understand but as the book went on it really started to resonate. Athalia and her brother (Henry) lost their parents in an accident when they were young and Athalia misses the only remaining part of her family she has left. Even though Henry lives across the street from her and goes to the same college they never see each other because Henry does not make an effort to see her. Henry only seems to come into Athalia’s life when he wants to control it. Athalia begins to learn that seeing her brother means doing something that would ultimately make him upset.

I felt that the book was slow to start but when both Athalia and Dylan start to open up the story became more and more intriguing. It begins to be more about Dylan being good for Athalia than their need to make Henry angry. For example, the thanksgiving scenes were crucial to the plot. These scenes showed who Dylan truly is as a person and really helps the reader connect to him. You see his genuine care and concern for Athalia and how good he is for her. Prior to this, it was a little hard to truly connect to him and truly understand his character.

I also really enjoyed Wrens character. I loved that she was someone that Athalia could count on even when they were fighting. I think that the fact that Wren has a crush on Athalia was an interesting take on why she hated Dylan but was also a little confusing as it came out of what felt like left field. That being said, I love that Wren was able to find someone who she truly connected with to and for someone to take care of her when Wren always cares for everyone else.


Tropes:
Fake Dating
Brothers enemy-lovers

Was this review helpful?

Lessons in Faking had an interesting premise, but the execution fell flat. The pacing dragged, the characters felt one-dimensional, and the dialogue often felt forced. I found it hard to stay invested, and some plot points were predictable or underdeveloped. Overall, it wasn’t terrible, but it missed the spark that could have made it engaging.

Was this review helpful?

4.5 stars. It is hard for a book to make me laugh out loud (multiple times!) and tear up, and genuinely enjoy the flirting without cringing once, but this book did it all. I came in very skeptical of the idea that she was trying to make her brother mad, but it came together really well and was so sweet. Loved every second of this book.

Was this review helpful?

I loved Dylan because of his quips and realness. I related to him more than I did to Pressley because while I also did bad in stats at least I never cheated. I did think the romance was adorable though.

Was this review helpful?

The fake dating and banter in this book is TOP TIER, I couldn't get enough of it!
I highly recommend

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely DEVOURED this one. Fake dating is one of my top favorite tropes. Dylan was EVERYTHING as the MMC. I loved the back and forth banter between Athalia and Dylan. If anything I wish it could have been longer because I love them SO so much

Was this review helpful?

I thought this book was super cute! The writing style was really easy to follow, and the characters were simple but very likable. I will say the plot was a little odd to me having the brother be the main reason the MCs do what they do. Usually, it’s an ex or something that sets those kinds of stories in motion, but I did get why it was the brother in this case, and it still worked. There were a few moments where the characters felt a bit younger than they actually were,but I still really enjoyed the book and was kicking my feet while reading. It’s one of those stories you pick up when you want something cute, light, and fast paced, but with a good plot and chemistry between the characters.

Was this review helpful?

This book. WOW!!!! Sports Romance, Fake dating twin brother's rival. I read in one sitting and the ending wrapped everything up perfectly. I can't wait to read more.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7788622331
https://www.tiktok.com/@deanna2128/video/7536796460759764238?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7517065125934990861

Was this review helpful?

I was not a big fan of the strong cliches starting right off the bat at the beginning of the book, it gave me a hard time while I was getting through the first couple chapter. However as I kept reading I found myself more and more pulled into the story.

The first chapter felt a bit like jumping in during the middle of a thought, though as the chapter progressed I found myself more situated within the story. I was also not a fan of Athalia’s brother, Henry, which contributed with my slowness in reading the beginning. I understand that the frustration with his characters especially with Athalia’s perspective was the one main point of the story so that’s more my preference.

The plot of the book itself was interesting, it found a way to link personal relationships into academics and I found the blend between the two to be done really well. Academics were a continuous plot point even as it progressed with the main characters’ relationship and athalia’s relationship, or lack thereof, with her brother.

I honestly really felt for Athalia as I got to know her and her dynamic with and feelings towards Henry. I wasn’t a fan of how Dylan threw jabs at her because of her upbringing when they were both rich and also knowing her opinion of herself and how she saw her brother perceive her did not help his case but it also allowed for growth within their relationship when he realized. I found it hard to like her in the first maybe three or four chapters but when i started seeing more of her character/personality that quickly changed.

As I said, I wasn’t Dylan’s biggest fan either, his character felt a bit self-righteous at least in his interactions with the fmc at the beginning when like also he barely knew her. I honestly wish we also were able to read chapters from his perspective cause I believe it would have added a lot to the story, that being said his character and feelings were well portrayed by Athalia’s sole perspective. I enjoyed reading about him and his interactions with Athalia.

I liked this book, I was intrigued by the plot and characters and was very entertained once I pushed past my initial reluctance.

Was this review helpful?

Unfortunately this was not for me. I love the premise of the book: fake dating your brother’s arch-nemesis? Yes please.

But other than that, everything fell flat to me. I felt like the pacing of the chapters were a bit weird. It was like I was just thrown into the middle of the story with no life jacket. I kept asking myself if I maybe skipped a chapter or two on accident or missed a whole paragraph while reading. I was also confused because our MMC was going by his first name and middle name at the same time. Like both actual names would be used in one chapter and I would forget they were the same person. The characters and story lines just weren’t hitting for me sadly.

Thank you to netgalley and lyx books for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was a cute and emotional read with great banter; Athalia’s inner monologue had me laughing one moment and feeling deeply the next. Dylan was a sweet love interest, and their chemistry was strong.
However, several key plot points, like Wren’s feelings, Lia’s grief, her past with Henry, and the summer house that were introduced too late and felt rushed. If these had been woven in earlier, they could’ve added more depth and balanced out the romance. I also wish the emotional tension hinted at early on between Dylan and Athalia had been explored more, instead of their relationship feeling so physical.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but the late-stage drama needed more room to breathe. 3.5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

This was cute, but towards the end there seemed to be a lot of plot points that came up super suddenly. Wren’s feelings, Lia’s anxiety and grief journey, her history with Henry, and their summer house were issues I was curious about and wish were drawn out to break up the romance. Dylan & Athalia’s relationship felt super physical to me too, and I wish we got the angst the first 10% gave us a glimpse into in terms of their dynamic.

Was this review helpful?

This is one of my favorite romances ever. The banter had me kicking my feet and I was giggling throughout the entire book. Athalia’s inner monologue took me through so many different emotions, at times funny, other times sad, but always profound.

I also loved meeting Dylan. He was so sweet to Athalia! Overall I loved watching their relationship grow.

Was this review helpful?

Who doesn't love a fake dating troupe. This book was a quick, fun read. some smut, so not ya. The sport theme is light. one pov. found family. There is a trigger for the loss of family, not on page.

Was this review helpful?

I’ll be honest, when I first picked this book up, the beginning felt a little cliché, and I ended up putting it down after Chapter 2. But when I came back to it later, I was so glad I gave it another shot.

Once the story picked up it became such you got to enjoy the characters more. The characters had some underlying traumas but overall it was a light read.

Dylan McCarthy was a swoon-worthy male main character. He had great comedic timing and charm, and I loved that he didn’t come off as overbearing. His dynamic with Athalia seemed to balance out but I did feel there was more depth needed. I feel like a large portion of his life was glossed over especially his family dynamic.

I also appreciated Athalia as a main character. Even though she and her twin brother Harry shared a close bond, she had a strong, individual personality that stood on its own. She didn’t come across as overbearing or whiny, and there was no victim mentality but I felt we dove deeper into her life in comparison to McCarthy’s.

Overall, Lessons in Faking was a really enjoyable— short and sweet.

Was this review helpful?