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Fake
Seventeen-year-old Kath McKenny has a date to the end-of-term party with her since-forever crush. He publicly messaged her to confirm, but there’s been a recent status update: he’s taking the new girl — giggly, pretty, well-developed Lana Elliot — instead.
After being thoroughly humiliated in front of half the school, best friend Chay talks Kath into revenge: a scheme to create the perfect — and very fake — online guy for Lana. Once she falls for him, they’ll show her what it’s like to get brutally dumped.
Everything is going to plan until Kath starts spending more-than-just-friends time with the other new kid in town — Lana’s dreamy older brother, Sebastian. Kath finds herself getting in deep — in love and drowning in guilt, she tries to put an end to her prank, but it’s taken on an unstoppable momentum of its own, with very real consequences.
As her plotting begins to unravel, so do the people Kath thought she knew: Her mother has a secret online life. Her father has a whole new family. Her best friend is barely recognisable. Her boyfriend has a disturbing hidden past.
And her enemy is more familiar than she knew.
After being thoroughly humiliated in front of half the school, best friend Chay talks Kath into revenge: a scheme to create the perfect — and very fake — online guy for Lana. Once she falls for him, they’ll show her what it’s like to get brutally dumped.
Everything is going to plan until Kath starts spending more-than-just-friends time with the other new kid in town — Lana’s dreamy older brother, Sebastian. Kath finds herself getting in deep — in love and drowning in guilt, she tries to put an end to her prank, but it’s taken on an unstoppable momentum of its own, with very real consequences.
As her plotting begins to unravel, so do the people Kath thought she knew: Her mother has a secret online life. Her father has a whole new family. Her best friend is barely recognisable. Her boyfriend has a disturbing hidden past.
And her enemy is more familiar than she knew.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 22, 2014
12 people are currently reading
394 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
August 13, 2016
Although I read books in every genre, Fake is the first Teen Romance I’ve read. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I got a beautifully written, gorgeous story about a girl who isn’t tattooed, doesn’t smoke or drink, and isn’t trying to have sex with the school’s best male athlete. She’s smart, thoughtful, and a loyal friend.
I loved Kath. That’s right. She doesn’t have a clever name, or a nickname like Bones or Skull. Just Kath. She has a nice mother whom she doesn’t resent and she has a horrible background, like most of us. Well, some of us. She rises above her background and she chooses her friends for the right reasons.
This is in a closing scene with her mother. ‘Her hands cup my cheek. “If you have to, you will. And with class.”’ That’s Kath – a heroine with class. I loved Kath’s sincerity, her social conscience, and her problems and solutions touched my heart in a very special way.
Fake’s author, Beck Nicholas, is one of those authors who has latched onto the ‘craft’ of writing. Her voice is light and smooth. She doesn’t use clichés or done to death prose. However, my advice is not to begin the book when you should be doing something else, because you’ll forget and end up with no bread for lunch.
I loved Kath. That’s right. She doesn’t have a clever name, or a nickname like Bones or Skull. Just Kath. She has a nice mother whom she doesn’t resent and she has a horrible background, like most of us. Well, some of us. She rises above her background and she chooses her friends for the right reasons.
This is in a closing scene with her mother. ‘Her hands cup my cheek. “If you have to, you will. And with class.”’ That’s Kath – a heroine with class. I loved Kath’s sincerity, her social conscience, and her problems and solutions touched my heart in a very special way.
Fake’s author, Beck Nicholas, is one of those authors who has latched onto the ‘craft’ of writing. Her voice is light and smooth. She doesn’t use clichés or done to death prose. However, my advice is not to begin the book when you should be doing something else, because you’ll forget and end up with no bread for lunch.
April 21, 2015
The blurb of Fake was what attracted me to pick up this book. It sounded dramatic, scandalous and entertaining. It sounded like harmless fun that would inevitably turn into a mess that the main character would have to clean up. The story didn't entirely focus on this plot for revenge against Lana but covered Kath's relationship with her separated parents and her best friend Chay. There's also Sebastian, Lana's brother, who she gets to know better after the humiliation Lana puts her through. Everyone's hiding secrets and things start to get quite serious! This was pretty good for the author's debut novel. I really liked Kath and Sebastian together in the beginning. Sebastian was kind, sweet and charming to Kath and his family. But once we learn (or guess) Sebastian's secret, the book kind of went downhill for me. Can't blame me for not liking Sebastian as much. I liked how Lana's hatred towards Kath wasn't completely unfounded. Overall, this was a good book but expect some conflicted feelings about the characters once you've finished. 3.5 stars.
March 29, 2015
I have to say I was extremely surprised by Fake.
I was expecting another typically immaturely voiced, overly dramatic teenage angst filled read; and while that can be true if only in subject matter, Fake, is so much more than that. It has been written in a way that made me feel for the characters. I connected with them and their story resonated with me. My teenage years may be far behind me but I have teen aged kids in my house a lot and so the drama in Fake definitely felt real and relatable to things I’ve seen and heard happening.
A refreshingly realistic representation of teenagers and the social media monster that is so seemingly innocent and fun – turns bad.
4 ½ stars
I was expecting another typically immaturely voiced, overly dramatic teenage angst filled read; and while that can be true if only in subject matter, Fake, is so much more than that. It has been written in a way that made me feel for the characters. I connected with them and their story resonated with me. My teenage years may be far behind me but I have teen aged kids in my house a lot and so the drama in Fake definitely felt real and relatable to things I’ve seen and heard happening.
A refreshingly realistic representation of teenagers and the social media monster that is so seemingly innocent and fun – turns bad.
4 ½ stars
February 1, 2015
Rating: 3.5 stars
I’m a fan of Catfish, so I found the concept of creating a fake Facebook profile for revenge quite intriguing. I was a little disappointed to, ironically enough, find Fake wasn’t all I expected. But it was a still a smart contemporary novel with quite a sweet, swoon-worthy romance.
I was quite surprised by Fake. I really was expecting it to be another view of Catfish, but as I mentioned before this element wasn’t as strong as the blurb made it out to be. Instead, Kath confronts first relationships, problems with friends and a changing relationship with both her parents. In this respect, I was really impressed.
Parental absence in YA novels is a much talked about phenomenon, so I was happy to see so much of Kath’s story devoted to working through her relationship with her mum and the absent, bigamist dad who suddenly reappears in her life. Likewise, I was pleased to see some dramas between teenage girls explored, although these felt a tiny bit more cliched.
Sebastian and Kath’s blossoming romance was my favourite part of the novel. These two were really cute together. In fact, I think it’s been a while since I read a book where the romance made me swoon a little and really smile.
Apart from going into the novel believing it was going to be an entirely different read (which, let’s be honest, isn’t really a big problem), my only other niggle was that I did guess most of the ‘surprises’ in the conclusion and could see where the story was headed.
Overall, Fake was a quick and fun read. I fell like actual teenagers would enjoy it more than I did, but it’s still a cute little read if you’re looking for something relaxing this summer.
This review and many more can be found at The Unfinished Bookshelf.
Thank you to Harlequin Teen Australia for providing a copy of the book for review.
I’m a fan of Catfish, so I found the concept of creating a fake Facebook profile for revenge quite intriguing. I was a little disappointed to, ironically enough, find Fake wasn’t all I expected. But it was a still a smart contemporary novel with quite a sweet, swoon-worthy romance.
I was quite surprised by Fake. I really was expecting it to be another view of Catfish, but as I mentioned before this element wasn’t as strong as the blurb made it out to be. Instead, Kath confronts first relationships, problems with friends and a changing relationship with both her parents. In this respect, I was really impressed.
Parental absence in YA novels is a much talked about phenomenon, so I was happy to see so much of Kath’s story devoted to working through her relationship with her mum and the absent, bigamist dad who suddenly reappears in her life. Likewise, I was pleased to see some dramas between teenage girls explored, although these felt a tiny bit more cliched.
Sebastian and Kath’s blossoming romance was my favourite part of the novel. These two were really cute together. In fact, I think it’s been a while since I read a book where the romance made me swoon a little and really smile.
Apart from going into the novel believing it was going to be an entirely different read (which, let’s be honest, isn’t really a big problem), my only other niggle was that I did guess most of the ‘surprises’ in the conclusion and could see where the story was headed.
Overall, Fake was a quick and fun read. I fell like actual teenagers would enjoy it more than I did, but it’s still a cute little read if you’re looking for something relaxing this summer.
This review and many more can be found at The Unfinished Bookshelf.
Thank you to Harlequin Teen Australia for providing a copy of the book for review.
August 17, 2019
I've only previous read one book by Beck Nicholas,
The Last Days of Us
, which came out at the start of last year. Fake pre-dates it by a few years, and was apparently Nicholas's debut, but the writing is as clean and compelling. It isn't so heart-wrenching as Last Days, but is still an interesting exploration of teen and family relationships.
I was really able to relate to our main character, Kath; she's indecisive and comes across as a little shy, but it's more because she wants to coast under the radar at her school and in the town that her mother and she fled to almost a decade earlier. The reasons why don't become clear till late in the book, so I won't reveal spoilers, but it's clear her father did something to betray the family that landed them in the news. As a result, Kath does not want to be the centre of attention. She'd rather write stories in her head and maybe go to the end-of-year party with her long-time crush.
Her best friend, Chay, is very different. She also comes from a troubled family life (we never see her father, but he's strict in a way that seems heavy handed and possibly abusive) but her solution is to be loud and proud, dressing and acting in ways that are designed to get attention. Chay is sometimes a hard character to like, because she does pressure Kath into doing things that are against Kath's nature for her own reasons, but she never actually wants to hurt Kath and stands by her with things get rough.
Sebastian is sweet and mysterious. I found that the nature of the mystery was very well telegraphed, but others might not have the same experience with the story, so I'll leave it at that! His sister, Lana, is the "mean girl" of the story and pretty easy to hate … but as the story progresses, we get a good look at her and can see why she is behaving the way she is. Personality-wise, she's very much a combination of Chay and Kath, so it's fascinating to see how it all goes wrong between them. I found myself feeling a tiny bit sorry for her (and I don't blame her in the slightest for her eternal loathing of Kath by the end of the book - let's be real, the friends had it coming).
The other star of this story is Kath's mother. Maybe it's because I'm an older reader, but I really emphathised with her struggle with a teen girl who is at times volatile and sarcastic, and her desire to find something new for herself. Love the present parent in young adult fiction.
I am definitely going to track down more of Nicholas's books; she has a knack with telling in a compelling way a story that has complicated characters. If you like to read young adult - whether you're a teen or not! - then definitely check out this book.
I was really able to relate to our main character, Kath; she's indecisive and comes across as a little shy, but it's more because she wants to coast under the radar at her school and in the town that her mother and she fled to almost a decade earlier. The reasons why don't become clear till late in the book, so I won't reveal spoilers, but it's clear her father did something to betray the family that landed them in the news. As a result, Kath does not want to be the centre of attention. She'd rather write stories in her head and maybe go to the end-of-year party with her long-time crush.
Her best friend, Chay, is very different. She also comes from a troubled family life (we never see her father, but he's strict in a way that seems heavy handed and possibly abusive) but her solution is to be loud and proud, dressing and acting in ways that are designed to get attention. Chay is sometimes a hard character to like, because she does pressure Kath into doing things that are against Kath's nature for her own reasons, but she never actually wants to hurt Kath and stands by her with things get rough.
Sebastian is sweet and mysterious. I found that the nature of the mystery was very well telegraphed, but others might not have the same experience with the story, so I'll leave it at that! His sister, Lana, is the "mean girl" of the story and pretty easy to hate … but as the story progresses, we get a good look at her and can see why she is behaving the way she is. Personality-wise, she's very much a combination of Chay and Kath, so it's fascinating to see how it all goes wrong between them. I found myself feeling a tiny bit sorry for her (and I don't blame her in the slightest for her eternal loathing of Kath by the end of the book - let's be real, the friends had it coming).
The other star of this story is Kath's mother. Maybe it's because I'm an older reader, but I really emphathised with her struggle with a teen girl who is at times volatile and sarcastic, and her desire to find something new for herself. Love the present parent in young adult fiction.
I am definitely going to track down more of Nicholas's books; she has a knack with telling in a compelling way a story that has complicated characters. If you like to read young adult - whether you're a teen or not! - then definitely check out this book.
October 20, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had a great truth to it and felt like a YA story. There were so many interesting levels of "fake". There were adult and teenage fakes, and fake stories. Plus stories that could have been fake but weren't. Kath was a great heroine who I enjoyed meeting. She had a teenage life that was interesting and intense, like many teenage lives. I enjoyed her loves, and the deepening of her friendship with Sebastian, as well as the troubles with Lana. This was a very clever story.
May 20, 2015
I enjoyed this book, but I predicted every single part of it. The big plot twist was so incredibly obvious that I'm sure almost anyone who has read more than one book in this genre will pick it. Still, it was nice to see the unpopular girl find love, or something like that. I did feel like she still was too immature to appreciate it, and at 17 definitely read as a much younger character. I liked that the two characters that didn't like each other didn't miraculously become friends in the end, that was nice.
Three stars for not really being a stand out, while not being bad at the same time.
Three stars for not really being a stand out, while not being bad at the same time.
April 25, 2016
What an amazing book. Beck Nicholas is one talented writer. Loved the voice and this story of revenge and secrets. I would have loved this book as a YA. Looking forward to more from this amazing author!
August 11, 2019
I began reading this book and could not stop. Then the plot twist happens , I was so shocked.
It's a must read:)
It's a must read:)
November 27, 2014
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www.distractingpages.weebly.com
This book has all the classic clichés of a Middle Range YA novel; predictability, romance, fawning girls, social media, evil popular chick and backstabbing BFFs.
Despite all these things, it was a short and sweet YA novel, it is what it is. It does not in any way evoke massive personal revelation or use amazing literature; but it is a nice and easy coming-of-age read with classic laughs and puns.
Kath McKenny struggles with the cliques at her school as all teens do in YA; but she has a date to the end-of-term party with her forever-crush, he even publically confirmed on social media. Until he updates his status; taking the new giggly, pretty, well-developed Lana Elliot instead.
After getting over the massive humiliation, her best friend Chay talks Kath into the ultimate revenge plan; create a perfect - and very fake - online guys for Lana, once she falls for him, they'll show what a brutal dumping feels like.
All is going according to plan until Kath starts spending more-than-friends time with the other new Kid; Sebastian, Lana's older brother. Kath finds herself falling hard, and drowning in guilt, trying to put a stop to it all, but it's quickly taken on an unstoppable momentum with very real consequences. Revealing all the secrets hidden within the small cohort.
This was a classic YA romance book, I found it to be an easy flowy read, I actually read it on holidays so I never felt compelled to finish it in one go. I had flirty romance and backstabbing, and was simply a cliché YA novel.
Of course with the 3-star rating I have some issues with this book -
- It was hugely predictable; I could see every plot twist coming from a mile away, in a way, it was ok as I wanted an easy holiday read, but it was in no way a brain jerking novel.
- The characters had no depth; every single character despite Sebastian, were very shallow and boring. They all seemed to be very alike and almost carbon copies or one another.
- Some plot inclusion were extremely unnecessary; I won't spoil it, but Sebastian's revelation at the end was not necessary. We are explained that the secret he's hiding affects his family and therefore Lana, but it was an unnecessary ideal.
It was a cute and sweet read, but not one that will leave you shell shocked, it's one that is going to my archive shelf - won't re-read. All in all an ok YA novel that sits mid-range and is simply something easy to be read when you don't feel like really trying.
Hayley xx
www.distractingpages.weebly.com
This book has all the classic clichés of a Middle Range YA novel; predictability, romance, fawning girls, social media, evil popular chick and backstabbing BFFs.
Despite all these things, it was a short and sweet YA novel, it is what it is. It does not in any way evoke massive personal revelation or use amazing literature; but it is a nice and easy coming-of-age read with classic laughs and puns.
Kath McKenny struggles with the cliques at her school as all teens do in YA; but she has a date to the end-of-term party with her forever-crush, he even publically confirmed on social media. Until he updates his status; taking the new giggly, pretty, well-developed Lana Elliot instead.
After getting over the massive humiliation, her best friend Chay talks Kath into the ultimate revenge plan; create a perfect - and very fake - online guys for Lana, once she falls for him, they'll show what a brutal dumping feels like.
All is going according to plan until Kath starts spending more-than-friends time with the other new Kid; Sebastian, Lana's older brother. Kath finds herself falling hard, and drowning in guilt, trying to put a stop to it all, but it's quickly taken on an unstoppable momentum with very real consequences. Revealing all the secrets hidden within the small cohort.
This was a classic YA romance book, I found it to be an easy flowy read, I actually read it on holidays so I never felt compelled to finish it in one go. I had flirty romance and backstabbing, and was simply a cliché YA novel.
Of course with the 3-star rating I have some issues with this book -
- It was hugely predictable; I could see every plot twist coming from a mile away, in a way, it was ok as I wanted an easy holiday read, but it was in no way a brain jerking novel.
- The characters had no depth; every single character despite Sebastian, were very shallow and boring. They all seemed to be very alike and almost carbon copies or one another.
- Some plot inclusion were extremely unnecessary; I won't spoil it, but Sebastian's revelation at the end was not necessary. We are explained that the secret he's hiding affects his family and therefore Lana, but it was an unnecessary ideal.
It was a cute and sweet read, but not one that will leave you shell shocked, it's one that is going to my archive shelf - won't re-read. All in all an ok YA novel that sits mid-range and is simply something easy to be read when you don't feel like really trying.
Hayley xx
December 5, 2016
Might be some spoilers that i didnt think were that important but others might find important.
rated it 3.5
I admit that it sucked that the faking facebook part wasn't really included in the story and it kind of drifted off and then BAM becomes important again (near the end) whole time I was reading this I couldn't help but think "whoa what an annoying person" about everyone.
I actually hated all the characters except Sebastian *lol* he was one of the reasons why i kept reading.
SO I LOVED THE PART WHERE KATH MEETS SEBASTIAN
It was one of those ' oh no, my boyfriend broke up with me! I'm going to run away in embarrassment now... *starts to trip* OH MY GOD I'M FALLING THIS IS GOING TO MAKE MY EMBARRASSMENT WORSE! *love interest catches girl*' scenes.
and I found it so cute that he gave her a coin with his name on both sides GAW.
Mainly while reading this book (because it focuses on the romance more than anything) I kept smiling like one of those creepy people that your mum tells you to avoid and I giggled a lot too. It was one of those cute books when Sebastian was included but when he wasn't there i was mainly annoyed because as i previously said, i hated all the characters except Sebastian
I guess this book would be good for people that want a romance book that focuses on the romance and maybe a few other minor details or for people that don't want to think too much when reading the book. As in, it's really predictable.
rated it 3.5
I admit that it sucked that the faking facebook part wasn't really included in the story and it kind of drifted off and then BAM becomes important again (near the end) whole time I was reading this I couldn't help but think "whoa what an annoying person" about everyone.
I actually hated all the characters except Sebastian *lol* he was one of the reasons why i kept reading.
SO I LOVED THE PART WHERE KATH MEETS SEBASTIAN
It was one of those ' oh no, my boyfriend broke up with me! I'm going to run away in embarrassment now... *starts to trip* OH MY GOD I'M FALLING THIS IS GOING TO MAKE MY EMBARRASSMENT WORSE! *love interest catches girl*' scenes.
and I found it so cute that he gave her a coin with his name on both sides GAW.
Mainly while reading this book (because it focuses on the romance more than anything) I kept smiling like one of those creepy people that your mum tells you to avoid and I giggled a lot too. It was one of those cute books when Sebastian was included but when he wasn't there i was mainly annoyed because as i previously said, i hated all the characters except Sebastian
I guess this book would be good for people that want a romance book that focuses on the romance and maybe a few other minor details or for people that don't want to think too much when reading the book. As in, it's really predictable.
March 31, 2015
First of all, I need to say that I didn't exactly want to read this book. (I won't get into why I read it when I didn't want to...)
I don't read YA, generally speaking.
I don't read 1st person books either. And this book is written in 1st.
Not only is it in 1st, it's also present tense.
No matter how much I loved the blurb and the whole idea of the story, I started reading it in a not-too-thrilled head space.
All that said? I freaking loved it. It took me about five pages to get used to the tense, and it probably took those five pages to hook me so hard I couldn't put the darned thing down.
I loved the author's voice. Seriously. I had a raging case of book-envy(that thing where you wish you'd written something?).
I loved the crazy(and terrible) choices of the heroine, and all her life drama(The Angsts! I love The Angsts!)... and a completely fantastic romance.
I don't like to give spoilers in reviews, so I'm darned sure anyone reading this won't even really get why I so-dug the book... just suffice to say I did. And I'm stupid-picky about what I read, let alone what I rave about.
Will be looking for her other books. For. Sure.
Okay, I said no spoilers, but then I realized something else that I loved that I don't get to praise enough.
(tiny spoiiiiler) The hero's younger sister is an unrepentant biotch, and that she stayed that way... Horrible to the end, no 11th hour redemption for this secondary character. I'm all about the Happily Ever After, but when everything is magically fixed at the end, I get the cranky-face. So I loved that the villain...ish character started bad and stayed bad.
I don't read YA, generally speaking.
I don't read 1st person books either. And this book is written in 1st.
Not only is it in 1st, it's also present tense.
No matter how much I loved the blurb and the whole idea of the story, I started reading it in a not-too-thrilled head space.
All that said? I freaking loved it. It took me about five pages to get used to the tense, and it probably took those five pages to hook me so hard I couldn't put the darned thing down.
I loved the author's voice. Seriously. I had a raging case of book-envy(that thing where you wish you'd written something?).
I loved the crazy(and terrible) choices of the heroine, and all her life drama(The Angsts! I love The Angsts!)... and a completely fantastic romance.
I don't like to give spoilers in reviews, so I'm darned sure anyone reading this won't even really get why I so-dug the book... just suffice to say I did. And I'm stupid-picky about what I read, let alone what I rave about.
Will be looking for her other books. For. Sure.
Okay, I said no spoilers, but then I realized something else that I loved that I don't get to praise enough.
(tiny spoiiiiler) The hero's younger sister is an unrepentant biotch, and that she stayed that way... Horrible to the end, no 11th hour redemption for this secondary character. I'm all about the Happily Ever After, but when everything is magically fixed at the end, I get the cranky-face. So I loved that the villain...ish character started bad and stayed bad.
November 25, 2014
So I picked this up at Big W, again because I like covers with pretty colours. I'm pissed because the cover is one of those cheap ones that creases just from opening the page so now it looks like it's been read 1000 times or opened a billion times, when in fact I read it in two short openings of the book.
It was a great story, but I felt the ending was just thrown in for a happy ending. No one that liked her before hates her now, no one hates chay because only one person finds out she was involved, and she was the one doing most of it. Why the protagonist felt she was to blame is beyond me. I would have dobbed my friend in and thrown her under the bus. In the end of the day, chay practically forced her with emotional blackmail to do it. And she sent like three messages to lana. Like yeah she did some bad shit, but she also stopped it and never started the texting and stuff. Jeeeeezuz. Drama Central this one! The outer stories were what made me like it. Sebastian's secret, her mums secrets, her dad's.
I also felt odd reading the school stuff. No school around here allows full casual dress, and we don't have school sports teams like this. I know the big city schools and stuff do but I was under the impression it was a small town, with only one hair dresser and supermarket. The school seems a little different to the surroundings but that doesn't mean it is, I've just never been to one like that thanks to growing up in a bumpkin country town. If there is schools like this, I was missing out majorly!
It was a great story, but I felt the ending was just thrown in for a happy ending. No one that liked her before hates her now, no one hates chay because only one person finds out she was involved, and she was the one doing most of it. Why the protagonist felt she was to blame is beyond me. I would have dobbed my friend in and thrown her under the bus. In the end of the day, chay practically forced her with emotional blackmail to do it. And she sent like three messages to lana. Like yeah she did some bad shit, but she also stopped it and never started the texting and stuff. Jeeeeezuz. Drama Central this one! The outer stories were what made me like it. Sebastian's secret, her mums secrets, her dad's.
I also felt odd reading the school stuff. No school around here allows full casual dress, and we don't have school sports teams like this. I know the big city schools and stuff do but I was under the impression it was a small town, with only one hair dresser and supermarket. The school seems a little different to the surroundings but that doesn't mean it is, I've just never been to one like that thanks to growing up in a bumpkin country town. If there is schools like this, I was missing out majorly!
December 3, 2014
Finally got to finish this book - we got a copy at the school library but I kept getting interrupted trying to read it!
This is a great story about teenagers, young love, social networking and secrets.
Fake may be a YA book but its not just for teenagers. We all hide stuff about ourselves, put out an image that we want people to see but what happens when the truth comes out?
Year 12 student Kath is used to hiding in the shadows so when her crush school jock Joel asks her to the end of term dance suddenly everyone knows who she is - and of course its all over Facebook. But suddenly there is a new status update and new girl, the popular, 'well developed' Lana is going with Joel instead.
After suffering the public humiliation of being dumped in front of everyone Kath's friend Chay concocts a plan to get Lana back with a fake boy to hook Lana then publically dump her. But things are never how they seem and everyone has their own secrets - even the sensitive, hot Sebastian who just happens to be Lana's brother.
This book is already popular at our high school and I'm not surprised!
This is a great story about teenagers, young love, social networking and secrets.
Fake may be a YA book but its not just for teenagers. We all hide stuff about ourselves, put out an image that we want people to see but what happens when the truth comes out?
Year 12 student Kath is used to hiding in the shadows so when her crush school jock Joel asks her to the end of term dance suddenly everyone knows who she is - and of course its all over Facebook. But suddenly there is a new status update and new girl, the popular, 'well developed' Lana is going with Joel instead.
After suffering the public humiliation of being dumped in front of everyone Kath's friend Chay concocts a plan to get Lana back with a fake boy to hook Lana then publically dump her. But things are never how they seem and everyone has their own secrets - even the sensitive, hot Sebastian who just happens to be Lana's brother.
This book is already popular at our high school and I'm not surprised!
July 7, 2019
Real Rating: 6.8 out of 10.
This book was a gift from a dear friend of mine and I hadn't picked it up until about a month ago. Being a huge fan of CATFISH the tv show, I was intrigued to see how the concept of two girls getting revenge on a mean girl by luring her into falling for a fake profile would play out.
As it turned out, there wasn't as much of the catfishing than I was expecting. The story focused more on the lives of the characters and the quickly-developing romance between Sebastian and Kath. What you thought would be a book about two girls wrapping a bully into their scheme online became more of a teenage drama instead. From best friends Chay and Kath becoming stilted and distant in their 9-year-long friendship to Kath meeting up with her father who apparently ruined her life, not to mention her mum meeting up with some guy she met online named Colin, I'm not lying when I say there is a LOT of drama in a short 300-page YA book.
But the drama didn't bother me, in fact, it was what kept the novel progressing to the end. If there was no drama, trust me, this book would be so boring.
What I loved about FAKE was it lead you to believe that the only fake thing in the story was the online profile. The truth is it was actually the characters who were being fake the whole time 'cause everyone had a secret and by the end of the book, everyone's secrets are out in the open. I thought that concept was brilliant and surprised me how quickly online revenge can become something more than surface level drama. I loved how every character had something to hide, something they held close to their heart and it added a sprinkle of mystery throughout the pages. This kept me interested and invested in these characters, which is what everyone wants out of a book, right?
There are only a couple of things I didn't like about this book, which is why it doesn't earn a 5-star rating.
Let's start with the romance.
Okay, so I didn't mind it but after Sebastian and Kath spend more time together, she acts like she's in love with him even though they've only been together for what? A week? Two? This seemed more like a crush or infatuation rather than love, but that's just my opinion.
Also, I'm glad it was actually brought up in a fight the couple had in one scene, but Kath was completely wrapped up in what she imagines is the perfect boy and the perfect relationship. When Sebastian's secret is finally out and he tells her, she gets all upset and says how he lied to her but the truth was she never really wanted to know. 'Cause let's be honest here, she doesn't want the harsh truth of reality to hit her in the face and smash the delicate fantasy bubble she was living in throughout the novel. I'm glad that this came out later in the book though, 'cause it was one thing that annoyed me.
The second one is at the beginning when Kath was humiliated by Lana publicly, honestly, it wasn't that big a deal. Kath wasn't even with Joel, it wasn't official. So I didn't buy it. I can understand the embarrassment of the situation but it wasn't as big a deal as it was made out to be.
Third: Poppy. So we hear this name quite a few times in the book and at no point do we ever get to see this child. Even after Sebastian confessed that she was his daughter, there was still no scene where we see Poppy. I understand he probably wouldn't want to be seen carrying a baby around but there should've been something at least so us readers know that Poppy actually exists beyond dialogue.
Fourth: we never see Colin. Colin is Kath's mum's new boyfriend and although he and his blog are mentioned a number of times, we don't see him either. We see the back of him when Kath meets up with her father at the ice cream parlour because apparently her mum decided to have her date there too. But that's it. At the end of the book, her mother mentions that maybe it's time that Colin meet her only daughter but as sweet as that is, we should've at least got that scene somewhere.
Fifth: Sebastian's belt. We're told in one scene where dialogue is exchanged between the two lovebirds just how special and important that belt was. It belonged to his grandfather and although we don't get too much info on how close a bond Sebastian shared with him, we know enough to come to the conclusion that it's his most prized possession.
In the last couple of pages, Kath and Sebastian make up and he gives her the belt. Is that a sweet gesture? Yes. Is that romantic? Kinda. But if your most prized possession was really that important to you, why would you ever part with it? Especially giving it to a girl you haven't known very long and with whom you could very likely not end up in the future? I don't know. To me, it's not necessary.
My biggest problem was that there were too many open-ended plot holes at the end. Will Kath ever meet Poppy? Will Lana always be mean to her or will they become friends? Will Sebastian and Kath still be together in 5 or 10 years from now? Will Kath ever just suck it up and meet her half brother and sister in the future? Will Kath ever meet Colin or will her mother break up with him? Also, who was Poppy's mother?
Of course, it ended on a note that suggested that we will never know what the future holds for Kath and Sebastian but it would've been nice if we got some closure on some of things that were never addressed.
Other than that, it was an enjoyable, easy and quick read. A few surprises here and there, but overall it was a good book.
This book was a gift from a dear friend of mine and I hadn't picked it up until about a month ago. Being a huge fan of CATFISH the tv show, I was intrigued to see how the concept of two girls getting revenge on a mean girl by luring her into falling for a fake profile would play out.
As it turned out, there wasn't as much of the catfishing than I was expecting. The story focused more on the lives of the characters and the quickly-developing romance between Sebastian and Kath. What you thought would be a book about two girls wrapping a bully into their scheme online became more of a teenage drama instead. From best friends Chay and Kath becoming stilted and distant in their 9-year-long friendship to Kath meeting up with her father who apparently ruined her life, not to mention her mum meeting up with some guy she met online named Colin, I'm not lying when I say there is a LOT of drama in a short 300-page YA book.
But the drama didn't bother me, in fact, it was what kept the novel progressing to the end. If there was no drama, trust me, this book would be so boring.
What I loved about FAKE was it lead you to believe that the only fake thing in the story was the online profile. The truth is it was actually the characters who were being fake the whole time 'cause everyone had a secret and by the end of the book, everyone's secrets are out in the open. I thought that concept was brilliant and surprised me how quickly online revenge can become something more than surface level drama. I loved how every character had something to hide, something they held close to their heart and it added a sprinkle of mystery throughout the pages. This kept me interested and invested in these characters, which is what everyone wants out of a book, right?
There are only a couple of things I didn't like about this book, which is why it doesn't earn a 5-star rating.
Let's start with the romance.
Okay, so I didn't mind it but after Sebastian and Kath spend more time together, she acts like she's in love with him even though they've only been together for what? A week? Two? This seemed more like a crush or infatuation rather than love, but that's just my opinion.
Also, I'm glad it was actually brought up in a fight the couple had in one scene, but Kath was completely wrapped up in what she imagines is the perfect boy and the perfect relationship. When Sebastian's secret is finally out and he tells her, she gets all upset and says how he lied to her but the truth was she never really wanted to know. 'Cause let's be honest here, she doesn't want the harsh truth of reality to hit her in the face and smash the delicate fantasy bubble she was living in throughout the novel. I'm glad that this came out later in the book though, 'cause it was one thing that annoyed me.
The second one is at the beginning when Kath was humiliated by Lana publicly, honestly, it wasn't that big a deal. Kath wasn't even with Joel, it wasn't official. So I didn't buy it. I can understand the embarrassment of the situation but it wasn't as big a deal as it was made out to be.
Third: Poppy. So we hear this name quite a few times in the book and at no point do we ever get to see this child. Even after Sebastian confessed that she was his daughter, there was still no scene where we see Poppy. I understand he probably wouldn't want to be seen carrying a baby around but there should've been something at least so us readers know that Poppy actually exists beyond dialogue.
Fourth: we never see Colin. Colin is Kath's mum's new boyfriend and although he and his blog are mentioned a number of times, we don't see him either. We see the back of him when Kath meets up with her father at the ice cream parlour because apparently her mum decided to have her date there too. But that's it. At the end of the book, her mother mentions that maybe it's time that Colin meet her only daughter but as sweet as that is, we should've at least got that scene somewhere.
Fifth: Sebastian's belt. We're told in one scene where dialogue is exchanged between the two lovebirds just how special and important that belt was. It belonged to his grandfather and although we don't get too much info on how close a bond Sebastian shared with him, we know enough to come to the conclusion that it's his most prized possession.
In the last couple of pages, Kath and Sebastian make up and he gives her the belt. Is that a sweet gesture? Yes. Is that romantic? Kinda. But if your most prized possession was really that important to you, why would you ever part with it? Especially giving it to a girl you haven't known very long and with whom you could very likely not end up in the future? I don't know. To me, it's not necessary.
My biggest problem was that there were too many open-ended plot holes at the end. Will Kath ever meet Poppy? Will Lana always be mean to her or will they become friends? Will Sebastian and Kath still be together in 5 or 10 years from now? Will Kath ever just suck it up and meet her half brother and sister in the future? Will Kath ever meet Colin or will her mother break up with him? Also, who was Poppy's mother?
Of course, it ended on a note that suggested that we will never know what the future holds for Kath and Sebastian but it would've been nice if we got some closure on some of things that were never addressed.
Other than that, it was an enjoyable, easy and quick read. A few surprises here and there, but overall it was a good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2015
Interesting book. I enjoyed most of the characters and the concept but the story was really predictable. It was still a fun, quick read though. Chay was my least favourite character and I really struggled to believe that she actually cared about her supposed best friend, Kath. I feel like Lana would have better been placed as Chay and Chay as Lana if that makes sense? But I suppose that would mess up the entire story, so never mind! I'm not 100% sure, but I think this might be a debut novel???
September 4, 2015
This was a powerful story of both cyber bullying and in person bullying. It took me right back to the school yard, made the horrors that can be a teen girl's life realistic.
Fake was not only well written, but the characters were deep and realistic. So much so that I devoured this book in just a few days because... SEBASTIAN!
Fake was not only well written, but the characters were deep and realistic. So much so that I devoured this book in just a few days because... SEBASTIAN!
January 3, 2015
The beginning of this book nearly made me stop reading, but I managed to make it through the beginning and the rest was surprisingly good. After reading the first few chapters I didn't think I was going to like the book as much as I did. But it surprised me and I did actually enjoy this book
March 24, 2015
I felt the story line was to be expected and the ending was very cute.
December 11, 2014
what an amazing book. the major plot twist at the end really leaves you in suspense. its a MUST read
January 30, 2017
Probably more so 3.5 stars...
January 28, 2015
I really enjoyed this book :) it wasn't perfect and there were some definite problems but overall a great read. 7.5/10 :)
March 16, 2015
It was awesome! but i would love it if Beck made a second book to add on to the ending. i would love to know how Kath gets along with Poppy, and if Kath does eventually meet her fathers family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2015
This book was amazing. It captures little town teenage life to a tee. It also shows just how much damage can be done through misuse of the web. I loved it and highly recommend everyone read it!
December 20, 2018
Fake was... what I expected: girl goes through a sort of break up, girl decides to get revenge on the girl who caused said break up, girl ends up regretting decision and it comes back to bite her in the ass.
So predictable.
I had no real attachment to any of the characters in the books although I must say, I did really like Sebastian - the guy Kath (the dumb girl who catfishes some other girl for revenge) falls in love with.
I had a bad feeling that something would go horribly for the main character, Kath, and most of the time I was correct; bad things did happen in this book. Some things not even relating to the fake guy Kath and her friend had created.
It's such a stupid idea. I honestly don't know why anyone would want to catfish someone. It's dumb. Don't do it. It'll come back to bite you on the butt one day.
The overall storyline was good and I liked that we got to know Sebastian pretty well in the book. I got really annoyed when things with Kath and Sebastian went off because of such a stupid mistake that Kath never should have made. At least she realised her mistake as soon as she made it.
Pretty much, I think it's a good read. I just don't understand why anyone would do such a thing as revenge? Honestly, I hate the idea of revenge. Anyway, I would happily recommend reading this book.
So predictable.
I had no real attachment to any of the characters in the books although I must say, I did really like Sebastian - the guy Kath (the dumb girl who catfishes some other girl for revenge) falls in love with.
I had a bad feeling that something would go horribly for the main character, Kath, and most of the time I was correct; bad things did happen in this book. Some things not even relating to the fake guy Kath and her friend had created.
It's such a stupid idea. I honestly don't know why anyone would want to catfish someone. It's dumb. Don't do it. It'll come back to bite you on the butt one day.
The overall storyline was good and I liked that we got to know Sebastian pretty well in the book. I got really annoyed when things with Kath and Sebastian went off because of such a stupid mistake that Kath never should have made. At least she realised her mistake as soon as she made it.
Pretty much, I think it's a good read. I just don't understand why anyone would do such a thing as revenge? Honestly, I hate the idea of revenge. Anyway, I would happily recommend reading this book.
January 20, 2018
This was not my favourite book by beck Nicholas. The reason for it losing 2 stars is because I wasn’t really impressed with the main characters, I feel that Joel got painted in a really bad light, Kath I feel was made to be more innocent then she really is, I didn’t like Sebastian at all. I’m also tired of authors using “you didn’t tell me”, “I’ve been busy” as a line when we follow the main character and she doesn’t really do much.......when didn’t she have time?? Was it between all the showers she had, and the author describing her putting on tracksuit pants, is that what was taking up so much time, or all the sitting waiting for a reply on her computer???
Ok this book frustrated me more than I realised.
Ok this book frustrated me more than I realised.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2019
Interesting concept. I liked reading it. Sebastian was a very interesting character, and I liked it quite a lot when Kath stood up for herself. The language wasn't as rich as I liked it to be, though.
All in all, not bad.
All in all, not bad.
December 17, 2025
It was okay. The big twist really took me by surprise, but other than that was an average read. It really felt like an Australianised American High school teen drama movie, and I didn't really like it as much.
Includes a form of catfishing in the book, which was an interesting part, but it got boring really fast too.
2🌶️ [Closed Door Romance]
Includes a form of catfishing in the book, which was an interesting part, but it got boring really fast too.
2🌶️ [Closed Door Romance]
June 26, 2024
formative part of my youth, this book shaped my taste in men 😌
March 1, 2018
It was okay. Enjoyable enough to finish and want to see how it panned out, but some parts were just a little over-the-top and kind of ridiculous.
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