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Inked Love #1
Faking it
It’s fake but it feels oh-so-real.
Forest Ballard is never falling in love again. Once was enough for the brooding tattoo artist. So when he finds himself in need of a girlfriend, he has the perfect solution: faking it.
Plus size model Skye Kim is happy to oblige. A passionate pretend relationship is just the thing to help her win the lingerie contract she’s seeking. So what if Forest is her best friend? She’s a big girl. She knows how to draw a line between real and pretend.
It starts simply. A photo shoot, a family dinner, one too many drinks with friends. Despite his broken heart, it’s easy, smiling like he’s madly in love. It’s easy, holding her close.
And when her red lips brush his?
It’s easy, falling head over heels.
Pretend isn’t enough. But does she want him for real… or is she faking it?
Faking It is a standalone friends to lovers/pretend girlfriend romance featuring a brooding tattoo artist hero and the curvy heroine who brings him to his knees. It was previously published with the title The Best Friend Bargain.
Forest Ballard is never falling in love again. Once was enough for the brooding tattoo artist. So when he finds himself in need of a girlfriend, he has the perfect solution: faking it.
Plus size model Skye Kim is happy to oblige. A passionate pretend relationship is just the thing to help her win the lingerie contract she’s seeking. So what if Forest is her best friend? She’s a big girl. She knows how to draw a line between real and pretend.
It starts simply. A photo shoot, a family dinner, one too many drinks with friends. Despite his broken heart, it’s easy, smiling like he’s madly in love. It’s easy, holding her close.
And when her red lips brush his?
It’s easy, falling head over heels.
Pretend isn’t enough. But does she want him for real… or is she faking it?
Faking It is a standalone friends to lovers/pretend girlfriend romance featuring a brooding tattoo artist hero and the curvy heroine who brings him to his knees. It was previously published with the title The Best Friend Bargain.
440 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 6, 2020
2932 people are currently reading
4203 people want to read
About the author
Crystal Kaswell
114 books2,550 followersCrystal Kaswell is the author of the Sinful Serenade series. She writes steamy new adult romance with flawed characters. She loves police procedurals, tea, and The Hunger Games series. She lives in Portland, OR with her husband.
http://www.crystalkaswell.com/
https://twitter.com/CrystalKaswell
http://www.crystalkaswell.com/
https://twitter.com/CrystalKaswell
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 662 reviews
March 21, 2020
Choppy dialogue and nothing happening could not finish!
DNF 60%
This is the third and will be my last Crystal Kassel book I’ve tried reading, and again I just can’t seem to make it through one.
This book like many others have so much potential. They sound so good but they fall flat for me every time. My main issue with this book is the dialogue. It is so choppy and broken that I would sometimes get lost trying to figure out who was saying what.
Then you add in the fact that this book is mainly all dialogue and very very slow, i just couldn’t do it anymore. I ended calling it quits and skipping all the way to the epilogue.
I wish I could have better things to say about this book because I really wanted to like it. Sadly I just couldn’t.
DNF 60%
This is the third and will be my last Crystal Kassel book I’ve tried reading, and again I just can’t seem to make it through one.
This book like many others have so much potential. They sound so good but they fall flat for me every time. My main issue with this book is the dialogue. It is so choppy and broken that I would sometimes get lost trying to figure out who was saying what.
Then you add in the fact that this book is mainly all dialogue and very very slow, i just couldn’t do it anymore. I ended calling it quits and skipping all the way to the epilogue.
I wish I could have better things to say about this book because I really wanted to like it. Sadly I just couldn’t.
August 10, 2020
Originally posted at:
The first half of this book was fantastic and deserves 5 stars. The second half was meh, unfortunately. I could have sworn I had found the best contemporary book of the year in that first half. It was that good. The story was engaging, the characters complex and multidimensional. The writing and pacing were also very good. Then along the halfway point something went wrong.
Let's start off with my dislikes of this novel first. I'm hoping it's in the book and not just a stylistic choice on the female narrator's part but she would say the word "ahem" in weird points in the conversation. Was it supposed to be a quirk? Maybe the main character has a throat problem that was never mentioned? I don't know what it was but it took its toll in the second half of the novel. My other problem was the prominent use of the C-word over and over and over again by the male lead. Maybe it's just me but the repeated use of that word started making me resent finishing this book. It got to be that bad for me. I can understand and brush off the use of that word once or twice but not the number of times it was spoken during this novel.
Skye was such an amazing character! She was sassy with witty comebacks galore. I loved the banter and chemistry between her and Forrest! This is the kind of witty banter I look for in all the books I read. I liked how she was represented as a bigger girl and how that didn't correlate to her being a recluse with no friends and having never dated because of her size. We need to leave that thinking in the past where it belongs.
Forrest was a sweet and heartbroken man. His trust issues were his biggest battle throughout this novel and it will probably continue to be for the rest of his days. I liked how protective of Skye he was. I loved how he eventually stood up to no-good-Mac. The b with an itch had that and SO much more coming.
The ending was disappointing. I wanted Mac to get what was coming to her for bad mouthing Skye for all these years because of her size. The snide comments took a toll on me as well. I would rather have no relationship with my extended family if this is what I'd be putting myself through every holiday/party/get together. Skye and Forrest get a happy for now ending with a bright future ahead of them and for that, I am somewhat happy. I am rather curious about Holden's story though. I would love to pick it up in the future!
The Audio Book:
I LOVED that this was dual narrated! It made for a fantastic and dynamic reading. Both narrators did fantastic jobs, though the male narrator (as nice a voice as he has) doesn't have much distinction in alternative male voices. Let's just say I got lost in quite a bit a dialogue when it was 3+ guys talking right after the other.
The first half of this book was fantastic and deserves 5 stars. The second half was meh, unfortunately. I could have sworn I had found the best contemporary book of the year in that first half. It was that good. The story was engaging, the characters complex and multidimensional. The writing and pacing were also very good. Then along the halfway point something went wrong.
Let's start off with my dislikes of this novel first. I'm hoping it's in the book and not just a stylistic choice on the female narrator's part but she would say the word "ahem" in weird points in the conversation. Was it supposed to be a quirk? Maybe the main character has a throat problem that was never mentioned? I don't know what it was but it took its toll in the second half of the novel. My other problem was the prominent use of the C-word over and over and over again by the male lead. Maybe it's just me but the repeated use of that word started making me resent finishing this book. It got to be that bad for me. I can understand and brush off the use of that word once or twice but not the number of times it was spoken during this novel.
Skye was such an amazing character! She was sassy with witty comebacks galore. I loved the banter and chemistry between her and Forrest! This is the kind of witty banter I look for in all the books I read. I liked how she was represented as a bigger girl and how that didn't correlate to her being a recluse with no friends and having never dated because of her size. We need to leave that thinking in the past where it belongs.
Forrest was a sweet and heartbroken man. His trust issues were his biggest battle throughout this novel and it will probably continue to be for the rest of his days. I liked how protective of Skye he was. I loved how he eventually stood up to no-good-Mac. The b with an itch had that and SO much more coming.
The ending was disappointing. I wanted Mac to get what was coming to her for bad mouthing Skye for all these years because of her size. The snide comments took a toll on me as well. I would rather have no relationship with my extended family if this is what I'd be putting myself through every holiday/party/get together. Skye and Forrest get a happy for now ending with a bright future ahead of them and for that, I am somewhat happy. I am rather curious about Holden's story though. I would love to pick it up in the future!
The Audio Book:
I LOVED that this was dual narrated! It made for a fantastic and dynamic reading. Both narrators did fantastic jobs, though the male narrator (as nice a voice as he has) doesn't have much distinction in alternative male voices. Let's just say I got lost in quite a bit a dialogue when it was 3+ guys talking right after the other.
May 16, 2020
I really like this book. It is a very uplifting book about best friend to lover romance. Plus the fake relationship. It reminds me of Kate Cateebury's book.
It is a slow burn romance. The chemistry and the character development of Forest and Sky is slow. Yet with so many reference from movies, songs and a little bit of porn, this book is entertaining.
Overall this is a wonderful read.
4 stars
It is a slow burn romance. The chemistry and the character development of Forest and Sky is slow. Yet with so many reference from movies, songs and a little bit of porn, this book is entertaining.
Overall this is a wonderful read.
4 stars
February 27, 2020
This is actually my first book by this author and I can honestly say that this will not be my last. I am voluntarily reviewing an advanced reader copy of this book.
Skye has been in love with Forest since he moved in next door years ago, she has watched him fall apart after her cousin broke his heart but through it all she has loved him from afar and been his best friend. But her cousin is getting married and she suddenly finds herself in a false relationship but one that she dreams of being real. Forest would never feel desire for someone like her, she has only ever seen him with stick thin models and she is a plus size woman attempting to be a model. But there is something happening between them could she really have the man she loves or is he still in love with her cousin?
Forest was caught off guard the day his ex Mack rang and informed him that she was getting married, he thought that he was over her so when she asks about her cousin he tells her that they are in a relationship. So when Skye suggests they continue with the lie he is scared for their future friendship. Skye means the world to him and cannot imagine his life without her in it but is he willing to risk his friendship for love or is he capable of loving her enough?
Skye and Forest belong together and they are both so supportive of each other, the two of them dealing with insecurities, Skye being plus sized and Forest believing that he will never be able to love again. This was a great read and would highly recommend this book. 5*
Skye has been in love with Forest since he moved in next door years ago, she has watched him fall apart after her cousin broke his heart but through it all she has loved him from afar and been his best friend. But her cousin is getting married and she suddenly finds herself in a false relationship but one that she dreams of being real. Forest would never feel desire for someone like her, she has only ever seen him with stick thin models and she is a plus size woman attempting to be a model. But there is something happening between them could she really have the man she loves or is he still in love with her cousin?
Forest was caught off guard the day his ex Mack rang and informed him that she was getting married, he thought that he was over her so when she asks about her cousin he tells her that they are in a relationship. So when Skye suggests they continue with the lie he is scared for their future friendship. Skye means the world to him and cannot imagine his life without her in it but is he willing to risk his friendship for love or is he capable of loving her enough?
Skye and Forest belong together and they are both so supportive of each other, the two of them dealing with insecurities, Skye being plus sized and Forest believing that he will never be able to love again. This was a great read and would highly recommend this book. 5*
March 16, 2020
DNF this author just jumps around too much. No build. I can’t read writing that is this all over the place. Second book I’ve tried by them, I’ll quit here..
February 27, 2020
**3.75 Stars
I have some mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I did like the majority of it, but there were some things that I just couldn't get past.
If you've read the previous books, you know that Skye has been in love with Forest for years. She tried to hide it when her cousin stabbed her in the back and went after him herself, knowing full well how Skye felt. When Forest catches Mackenzie (Skye's cousin) cheating on him, his heart is utterly broken. Fast forward to the present, and Forest still doesn't know how to get over Mackenzie. He doesn't exactly love her anymore, but he's just unable to move on. When both him and Skye receive an invitation to her wedding -- with the same side she cheated with -- Skye comes up with a plan for her and Forest to start a fake relationship so he can have someone be there for him at her wedding, and just maybe, Skye can finally get the man of her dreams to fall in love with her too.
So here is what I liked about the book:
*Skye. Hands down she is one of my favorite heroines this author has created. She is plus sized, beautiful, real, hilarious, and just amazing. She is a bit insecure -- mostly due to her passive aggressive cousin, and the way the world looks when they see plus size women -- but for the most part she's confident and loves herself.
*I love the rapport that Skye has with both Forrest and everyone that they are friends with. She is truly funny and I love how everyone saw her, but her insecurities.
*The emotions that I felt while reading this book: as a plus size women myself, I saw so much of myself in Skye, and it is so nice to not only see a heavier woman represented, but a woman of color.
Now onto what I didn't altogether love:
*Forest. He just annoyed me. I get that he couldn't move on from a cheating ex -- which is one the worst thing anyone can do -- but I never connected with him. He adored Skye, and is very much attracted to her, but he just can't give her all of him because he no longer knows how to love. He has no problem sleeping with time and time again, and getting her hopes up.. And whenever someone else showed interest in her, he went all alpha and claimed her in almost every way.. except the way that mattered.
*The sex scenes always seem the same. Which maybe isn't that important, but it is aggravating
*The half run on sentences made me angry too. I understand every author has different writing styles, and for the most part it does work, but how many times in a book can a shrug, eye roll, or the 'yeahs' be used? Maybe it was because of that I didn't really feel their connection..
*which brings me to another point: this wasn't so much about love, at least on Forest's end, but instead it was lust. It was all about sex, and I love dirty scenes as much as the next girl, but literally all Forest thought about was sex. It drove me crazy.
*another thing that really grated on my nerves was how much this was like "Pretend Your Mine." Best friends, exes wedding, fake relationship, guy refusing to commit due to having his heart broken by a cheating girlfriend. The only difference is that 'Pretend Your Mine' was a better book.
*I Also felt like it was just too long. And it seemed to really drag around the 60% mark.
*Mackenzie. Enough said.
I know it seems that I have more complaints than not, but I did like this book. I will still continue to be a fan of this authors work and will read her other books, I just didn't connect with this one. I really love how this author isn't afraid to tackle difficult topics, such as rape, eating disorder, drug use, self harm, mental illness, and insecurities. All of which a lot of people in this world struggles with, so it's really amazing to see these issues be brought to light.
Overall, this wasn't my favorite book, but I did enjoy reading it and I look forward to more from this author!
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
I have some mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I did like the majority of it, but there were some things that I just couldn't get past.
If you've read the previous books, you know that Skye has been in love with Forest for years. She tried to hide it when her cousin stabbed her in the back and went after him herself, knowing full well how Skye felt. When Forest catches Mackenzie (Skye's cousin) cheating on him, his heart is utterly broken. Fast forward to the present, and Forest still doesn't know how to get over Mackenzie. He doesn't exactly love her anymore, but he's just unable to move on. When both him and Skye receive an invitation to her wedding -- with the same side she cheated with -- Skye comes up with a plan for her and Forest to start a fake relationship so he can have someone be there for him at her wedding, and just maybe, Skye can finally get the man of her dreams to fall in love with her too.
So here is what I liked about the book:
*Skye. Hands down she is one of my favorite heroines this author has created. She is plus sized, beautiful, real, hilarious, and just amazing. She is a bit insecure -- mostly due to her passive aggressive cousin, and the way the world looks when they see plus size women -- but for the most part she's confident and loves herself.
*I love the rapport that Skye has with both Forrest and everyone that they are friends with. She is truly funny and I love how everyone saw her, but her insecurities.
*The emotions that I felt while reading this book: as a plus size women myself, I saw so much of myself in Skye, and it is so nice to not only see a heavier woman represented, but a woman of color.
Now onto what I didn't altogether love:
*Forest. He just annoyed me. I get that he couldn't move on from a cheating ex -- which is one the worst thing anyone can do -- but I never connected with him. He adored Skye, and is very much attracted to her, but he just can't give her all of him because he no longer knows how to love. He has no problem sleeping with time and time again, and getting her hopes up.. And whenever someone else showed interest in her, he went all alpha and claimed her in almost every way.. except the way that mattered.
*The sex scenes always seem the same. Which maybe isn't that important, but it is aggravating
*The half run on sentences made me angry too. I understand every author has different writing styles, and for the most part it does work, but how many times in a book can a shrug, eye roll, or the 'yeahs' be used? Maybe it was because of that I didn't really feel their connection..
*which brings me to another point: this wasn't so much about love, at least on Forest's end, but instead it was lust. It was all about sex, and I love dirty scenes as much as the next girl, but literally all Forest thought about was sex. It drove me crazy.
*another thing that really grated on my nerves was how much this was like "Pretend Your Mine." Best friends, exes wedding, fake relationship, guy refusing to commit due to having his heart broken by a cheating girlfriend. The only difference is that 'Pretend Your Mine' was a better book.
*I Also felt like it was just too long. And it seemed to really drag around the 60% mark.
*Mackenzie. Enough said.
I know it seems that I have more complaints than not, but I did like this book. I will still continue to be a fan of this authors work and will read her other books, I just didn't connect with this one. I really love how this author isn't afraid to tackle difficult topics, such as rape, eating disorder, drug use, self harm, mental illness, and insecurities. All of which a lot of people in this world struggles with, so it's really amazing to see these issues be brought to light.
Overall, this wasn't my favorite book, but I did enjoy reading it and I look forward to more from this author!
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
April 21, 2020
Must have not read the same as everyone else
This story just didn’t grab me like it did for everyone else that read it. I tried to get into the story but for people that were in their late twenties, they just seemed so immature and petty. Plus the story just seemed to drag on for me.
This story just didn’t grab me like it did for everyone else that read it. I tried to get into the story but for people that were in their late twenties, they just seemed so immature and petty. Plus the story just seemed to drag on for me.
January 13, 2022
I really can’t believe I read this whole book. The amount of times I had to stop reading because of how repulsive it was, or how much it made me cringe, was insane.
Every character in this is completely monotonous and they’re all absolutely /obsessed/ with sex. Like, surely this isn’t healthy? If I could stand to read another word I would go back and check if there was a single chapter that didn’t devolve into sexual fantasy or actual sex, but I can’t, so I’m just going to say I’m 99% sure there isn’t.
And yeah, sex isn’t INHERENTLY an issue. But this was /so fucking boring/. Repetitive. Completely lacking tension. Not even satisfying when they actually ✨fuck✨
The only comic relief from this imaginary fuck fest- I’m sorry, ATTEMPTED, comic relief- is a 19 year old boy who constantly begs the main character to fuck him? Oh, and he’s trying to pull a 17 year old? It’s basically the same 5 “one liners” over and over again and it genuinely made me want to die.
A couple more things;
- “princess” 🤢🤢
- how many times can you write “ahem” to interrupt a convoluted thought before you realise jesusfuckingchristthisisthemostirritatingtraittogiveacharacterever
- the tattoos this dude gives are the funniest thing. This dude specialises in the top 100 images that come up when you Google image search “tattoo”
Anyway, yeah, don’t read it
Every character in this is completely monotonous and they’re all absolutely /obsessed/ with sex. Like, surely this isn’t healthy? If I could stand to read another word I would go back and check if there was a single chapter that didn’t devolve into sexual fantasy or actual sex, but I can’t, so I’m just going to say I’m 99% sure there isn’t.
And yeah, sex isn’t INHERENTLY an issue. But this was /so fucking boring/. Repetitive. Completely lacking tension. Not even satisfying when they actually ✨fuck✨
The only comic relief from this imaginary fuck fest- I’m sorry, ATTEMPTED, comic relief- is a 19 year old boy who constantly begs the main character to fuck him? Oh, and he’s trying to pull a 17 year old? It’s basically the same 5 “one liners” over and over again and it genuinely made me want to die.
A couple more things;
- “princess” 🤢🤢
- how many times can you write “ahem” to interrupt a convoluted thought before you realise jesusfuckingchristthisisthemostirritatingtraittogiveacharacterever
- the tattoos this dude gives are the funniest thing. This dude specialises in the top 100 images that come up when you Google image search “tattoo”
Anyway, yeah, don’t read it
January 14, 2023
3.5 🌟
I’m kinda shocked at the overall rating for this on here. Like I’m a harsh reviewer and I’ve definitely read books much worse that are over 4 stars on this app, but this is only 3.6. Sometimes it makes no sense.
This book was good, like there was nothing really terrible about it. There was a lot of repetition. Boy did I get sick of reading about her matcha lattes and Mack sleeping with Diego, but I mean the overall story line and side characters were enjoyable.
I’m kinda shocked at the overall rating for this on here. Like I’m a harsh reviewer and I’ve definitely read books much worse that are over 4 stars on this app, but this is only 3.6. Sometimes it makes no sense.
This book was good, like there was nothing really terrible about it. There was a lot of repetition. Boy did I get sick of reading about her matcha lattes and Mack sleeping with Diego, but I mean the overall story line and side characters were enjoyable.
April 28, 2020
i found it confusing that this book is called Faking It on Amazon.couk !
While I actually didn’t mind either character or their story I did however not enjoy the writing style.
It felt very.... abrupt.
Also didn’t enjoy how an eye-roll or eyebrow raise , any kind of look really was followed up with a description in italics!
And if the female character interrupted her own thoughts with “ahem” once more there was a strong possibility the kindle would’ve been tossed across the room.
Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be able to read more by this author.
While I actually didn’t mind either character or their story I did however not enjoy the writing style.
It felt very.... abrupt.
Also didn’t enjoy how an eye-roll or eyebrow raise , any kind of look really was followed up with a description in italics!
And if the female character interrupted her own thoughts with “ahem” once more there was a strong possibility the kindle would’ve been tossed across the room.
Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be able to read more by this author.
August 28, 2022
3 Stars
I read this in one setting so it obviously grabbed my attention and kept it till the very end.
This probably would have been a strong 4 star read or a solid 5 stars for me if not for the writing. It was quite choppy and sometimes took me out of the story.
Still it was a really cute story. I do wish it was a little more developed with a little bit more going on. But all in all an enjoyable read and a light change after all the shifter books I've been reading.
Happy reading dolls! xx
I read this in one setting so it obviously grabbed my attention and kept it till the very end.
This probably would have been a strong 4 star read or a solid 5 stars for me if not for the writing. It was quite choppy and sometimes took me out of the story.
Still it was a really cute story. I do wish it was a little more developed with a little bit more going on. But all in all an enjoyable read and a light change after all the shifter books I've been reading.
Happy reading dolls! xx
March 9, 2020
His missing piece has been in front of him all along...
Forest sticks his foot in things at the start of things but that is the ideal catalyst. Because he may tell his ex he's dating her cousin...but it wasn't to protect himself. It was to protect Skye.
And he's constantly thinking of ways to please, protect, thrill Skye...more than as a bff. Mmm.
I adore Skye!! She's the perfect plus size goth princess!
I love that she's comfortable in her own skin. That she doesn't let her catty cousin, former bff, ruin her confidence, whether it's past or present. That she doesn't settle for less than she deserves in relationships.
Her father. He's hilarious, and adorable.
Her friendship, and the fake relationship, with Forest that blooms into exactly what they both deserve.
And how hot is it that he supports her career?? OMG!! Or that he's into her as she is?
So many things make Forest a pretty dreamy book boyfriend to go with our amazing Skye. And they are so steamy together. Hot, hot, hot.
And getting to see the formerly moody, broody Chase all happy with Ariel, and hints of what's to come with Holden. I always love Crystal's bookiverse for the extended glimpses.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Forest sticks his foot in things at the start of things but that is the ideal catalyst. Because he may tell his ex he's dating her cousin...but it wasn't to protect himself. It was to protect Skye.
And he's constantly thinking of ways to please, protect, thrill Skye...more than as a bff. Mmm.
I adore Skye!! She's the perfect plus size goth princess!
I love that she's comfortable in her own skin. That she doesn't let her catty cousin, former bff, ruin her confidence, whether it's past or present. That she doesn't settle for less than she deserves in relationships.
Her father. He's hilarious, and adorable.
Her friendship, and the fake relationship, with Forest that blooms into exactly what they both deserve.
And how hot is it that he supports her career?? OMG!! Or that he's into her as she is?
So many things make Forest a pretty dreamy book boyfriend to go with our amazing Skye. And they are so steamy together. Hot, hot, hot.
And getting to see the formerly moody, broody Chase all happy with Ariel, and hints of what's to come with Holden. I always love Crystal's bookiverse for the extended glimpses.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 6, 2022
Not the one for me. There wasn’t enough plot in this 400+ page book. I didn’t want to DNF so I pushed through it. I liked the character of Skye, but all of the characters felt really flat. This is the first book in the stand-alone series, but it felt like the third or fourth book. I felt like I was missing a whole bunch of information about the characters, and if I had had that info they would have been more dynamic and likeable. If this were a novella, it would have been so much better.
dnf-2021
November 6, 2020DNF pretty early on . Didn’t like the formatting. It already seemed confusing
February 27, 2020
Once again Crystal Kaswell has written a wonderful story, that just flows from page to page and wanted the reader wanting more.
Forest and Skye, I loved being on there journey from the beginning. Best friends for years, Skye asks Forest to be her date for her ex’s wedding and is secretly in love with Forest. Forest has had his heart broken and doesn’t know if he can love again. The chemistry and passion are off the charts hot. I highly recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Forest and Skye, I loved being on there journey from the beginning. Best friends for years, Skye asks Forest to be her date for her ex’s wedding and is secretly in love with Forest. Forest has had his heart broken and doesn’t know if he can love again. The chemistry and passion are off the charts hot. I highly recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 9, 2023
I had really high hopes for this book but it was a huge letdown. I found the dialogue to be extremely choppy and didn’t know who was saying what half of the time. I also didn’t understand the need for all of the sexual banter between all of the characters the entire time, it felt like filler. Especially from Holden, it was just over the top. Also, the storyline with Holden and a 17 year old? Off putting. And so many matcha lattes?? We get it, they’re “warm, creamy, delicious.” That line was probably repeated no less than 10 times. As was the word “ahem,” as both a sentence and a word to censor something else. So much repetition. Lots of people loved this one but it was just not for me.
April 2, 2023
DNF at 10%
The dialogue is awful and so choppy it’s hard to read. The younger brother was so annoying that once I read another line from him I decided to put the book down and I’ll never open it again.
The dialogue is awful and so choppy it’s hard to read. The younger brother was so annoying that once I read another line from him I decided to put the book down and I’ll never open it again.
February 29, 2020
This book was a mess. I almost gave up on it several times but I hate not finishing a book. The characters were mediocre at best and awful at worst. They so called hero and heroine were annoying because they both were wimpy, whiny and emotionally immature. Forrest was no strong commanding alpha. Really, your still an emotional mess two years later about your cheating girlfriend. Stop the madness. Skye was just as insecure. Both of them allowed Mackenzie to have to much power over them. The other characters were equally annoying. The sex scenes were ok but not even that made up for a boring and lackluster story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 27, 2020
Kaswell exposes the humor behind the heartache. Skye and Forest keep us laughing through our tears with all the emotion that a heart can handle. The Best Friend Bargain is sweetly, melodramatic with a charming sense of humor that holds tight to your heart. A definite one click read.
April 7, 2020
I just could not finish this mess of a book. The heroine rarely ever offered a complete thought or finished a completed sentence. It was like she was incapable of having an intelligent thought.
dnf
January 20, 2024DNF @ 26%
Can’t get over the choppy dialogue
Can’t get over the choppy dialogue
October 3, 2023
Good read! I felt like it took too long to get to the point. But I love a friends to lover trope and this book gave me all that and more!
September 14, 2022
How can you give someone your heart? Show them exactly where they can press to hurt you the most?
This was a compulsively readable fake dating romance! Skye agrees to be the plus one of her best friend Forest when he is invited to his ex's (awkwardly, her cousin) wedding. Surprisingly, everyone has expected them to get together for forever, but Forest's past heartbreaks stop him from fully giving his heart. What I loved the most about this is that Skye is a plus sized, half-Asian main character. She was truly so comfortable in her skin and I absolutely loved her confidence and spunk. There are those around her that make disparaging comments, but she always holds her head high. Forest is absolutely obsessed with her and her body, and I loved the perspective of a man that will accept a woman as she is. As someone that is on a body acceptance/body positivity journey, I felt really seen and thoroughly enjoyed these aspects!! This book is also super steamy and those scenes were well done. I flew through this book and loved it so much!
This was a compulsively readable fake dating romance! Skye agrees to be the plus one of her best friend Forest when he is invited to his ex's (awkwardly, her cousin) wedding. Surprisingly, everyone has expected them to get together for forever, but Forest's past heartbreaks stop him from fully giving his heart. What I loved the most about this is that Skye is a plus sized, half-Asian main character. She was truly so comfortable in her skin and I absolutely loved her confidence and spunk. There are those around her that make disparaging comments, but she always holds her head high. Forest is absolutely obsessed with her and her body, and I loved the perspective of a man that will accept a woman as she is. As someone that is on a body acceptance/body positivity journey, I felt really seen and thoroughly enjoyed these aspects!! This book is also super steamy and those scenes were well done. I flew through this book and loved it so much!
February 28, 2020
Not my favorite
Fake relationship romance done the Crystal Kaswell way - with a tortured tattoo artist, curvy goth girl, a ton of steam, and a completely distinct writing style - this sexy book is a play on a beloved trope. It’s definitely not my favorite from Kaswell - her books are always steamy but this was like one non-stop sexual reference, only broken up by our heroine’s insecurities and our hero’s tortured nature. There were things that I really liked, but ultimately it felt repetitive - both within the book and when compared to Kaswell’s past romances.
The story follows Forest, a tattoo artist whose heart was ripped to shreds following a bad breakup. He's been single for the last two years (and hasn't kissed anyone for almost that long, despite having had plenty of casual hookups), but is good friends with his ex's cousin, Skye. Skye resents the fact that her cousin pursued Forest (knowing that she had feelings for him) and then treated him so badly. When she receives an invite to her cousin's wedding, Skye sees it as an opportunity for both of them to show just how wrong her cousin's actions were. But putting on a show for others puts the attraction that Skye and Forest feel for each other to the forefront, and it quickly becomes obvious that their friendship will forever be changed.
Kaswell's writing style is so unique, flowing like a stream of consciousness. You'll either love it or hate it, but it definitely works for me. I love a good fake relationship romance, so there were a lot of elements that I enjoyed - the depth of their feelings from the start, the tension, etc. My biggest issue is just how sexual this was - I know to expect a lot of steam from Kaswell (usually so much that I skim some of the scenes), but there’s typically a buildup in intimacy that advances the story, and this didn’t have the same feel. I also didn’t love how many commonalities there were between this book and past books from Kaswell - things that once felt original now feel like they’ve been done before. So it’s by no means a bad book, just not my favorite from this author. I received a free copy via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Fake relationship romance done the Crystal Kaswell way - with a tortured tattoo artist, curvy goth girl, a ton of steam, and a completely distinct writing style - this sexy book is a play on a beloved trope. It’s definitely not my favorite from Kaswell - her books are always steamy but this was like one non-stop sexual reference, only broken up by our heroine’s insecurities and our hero’s tortured nature. There were things that I really liked, but ultimately it felt repetitive - both within the book and when compared to Kaswell’s past romances.
The story follows Forest, a tattoo artist whose heart was ripped to shreds following a bad breakup. He's been single for the last two years (and hasn't kissed anyone for almost that long, despite having had plenty of casual hookups), but is good friends with his ex's cousin, Skye. Skye resents the fact that her cousin pursued Forest (knowing that she had feelings for him) and then treated him so badly. When she receives an invite to her cousin's wedding, Skye sees it as an opportunity for both of them to show just how wrong her cousin's actions were. But putting on a show for others puts the attraction that Skye and Forest feel for each other to the forefront, and it quickly becomes obvious that their friendship will forever be changed.
Kaswell's writing style is so unique, flowing like a stream of consciousness. You'll either love it or hate it, but it definitely works for me. I love a good fake relationship romance, so there were a lot of elements that I enjoyed - the depth of their feelings from the start, the tension, etc. My biggest issue is just how sexual this was - I know to expect a lot of steam from Kaswell (usually so much that I skim some of the scenes), but there’s typically a buildup in intimacy that advances the story, and this didn’t have the same feel. I also didn’t love how many commonalities there were between this book and past books from Kaswell - things that once felt original now feel like they’ve been done before. So it’s by no means a bad book, just not my favorite from this author. I received a free copy via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 18, 2023
I think this book— had too many… pauses.
In all seriousness, this book had way too many pauses, stuttering and was very repetitive. The dialogue was choppy and all over the place, making it hard to work out who was saying what. It was formatted weird and I almost DNF’d it at 20%. I took a break at 20%, started and finished another book before I came back to this one, only to DNF it at 40%.
Holden is annoying and was clearly only there for “comedy relief” and I use that term lightly, because he wasn’t funny. Holden saw women as objects and only cared about sex. Holden also fantasised OUT LOUD about what Skye would be like in bed, in front of a minor. Then he hit on said minor, while offering her alcohol. She’s in high school and he’s an adult. 🚩🚩
Holden also asked his pregnant sister if she was horny. That is incredibly weird.
Forest (who doesn’t like the beach, go figure) seemed to over sexualise everything about Skye THEN was complimenting how beautiful she was after the fact. Forest also gave me the ick when he talked about how Oliver’s sister being too young for him as she’s still in high school but thinks she’ll be a knock out one day is weird and gross. He also says “I’m old enough I look at teenagers and think ‘one day, they’ll be attractive”, like wtf? 😳🚩🚩
Another quote from Forest: “Sure enough, Oliver's sister Daisy is down-stairs. With her blond hair and her cornflower blue eyes, she's every bit as adorable as her name.
She's pure California Babe. Not that she's a babe just yet. It's not that she isn't gorgeous. She is. But she's so damn young. A kid who needs protecting. Hell, she's looking at Holden like he's the guy who's going to protect her.” What the actual fuck????
I would have loved Skye to be more confident in the parts I read. She just seemed like a bumbling mess the entire time, which is a shame because she had so much potential. I am sad I couldn’t push through to finish it and see if Skye had any personal growth.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.
In all seriousness, this book had way too many pauses, stuttering and was very repetitive. The dialogue was choppy and all over the place, making it hard to work out who was saying what. It was formatted weird and I almost DNF’d it at 20%. I took a break at 20%, started and finished another book before I came back to this one, only to DNF it at 40%.
Holden is annoying and was clearly only there for “comedy relief” and I use that term lightly, because he wasn’t funny. Holden saw women as objects and only cared about sex. Holden also fantasised OUT LOUD about what Skye would be like in bed, in front of a minor. Then he hit on said minor, while offering her alcohol. She’s in high school and he’s an adult. 🚩🚩
Holden also asked his pregnant sister if she was horny. That is incredibly weird.
Forest (who doesn’t like the beach, go figure) seemed to over sexualise everything about Skye THEN was complimenting how beautiful she was after the fact. Forest also gave me the ick when he talked about how Oliver’s sister being too young for him as she’s still in high school but thinks she’ll be a knock out one day is weird and gross. He also says “I’m old enough I look at teenagers and think ‘one day, they’ll be attractive”, like wtf? 😳🚩🚩
Another quote from Forest: “Sure enough, Oliver's sister Daisy is down-stairs. With her blond hair and her cornflower blue eyes, she's every bit as adorable as her name.
She's pure California Babe. Not that she's a babe just yet. It's not that she isn't gorgeous. She is. But she's so damn young. A kid who needs protecting. Hell, she's looking at Holden like he's the guy who's going to protect her.” What the actual fuck????
I would have loved Skye to be more confident in the parts I read. She just seemed like a bumbling mess the entire time, which is a shame because she had so much potential. I am sad I couldn’t push through to finish it and see if Skye had any personal growth.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.
July 17, 2020
Best friends Skye and Forest pretend they're dating to make Forest's ex Mack jealous. Max is also Skye's cousin. They get into this mess because Mack calls Forest but it's not really clear why she called in the first place. I think it's to invite him to the wedding or to see if Skye should have a +1 on the invite but the conversation is a bit hard to follow. Skye is in love with Forest and Forest is definitely lusting after Skye. He could be in love with her, but it's not exactly clear to himself.
Skye is half Korean, half white and...she's plus-sized. It was nice to read about an Asian girl who wasn't a stick-thin model (not that there's anything wrong with that either). I liked the representation here. I really wanted to give this book a better rating for that alone.
Forest is okay at first but then his woe is me attitude becomes irritating. I understood his insecurities but I needed him to get over it. By the end of the book, maybe halfway actually, I was ready for Skye to choose someone else, even Forest's brother Holden could potentially be a better choice.
The book has a lot of potential but there were times when it was confusing. It's difficult to really "see" where they're at because there is not very much description. I know that it's a restaurant or a store, maybe at home but there is not much detail. Sometimes, I won't know where they are and what they're actually talking about. The main leads are always thinking, which is fine but then it also ends up disrupting the dialogue. I liked the dialogue. It made me chuckle/smile a few times but it also often felt stilted. The characters could not finish their thoughts so there were dashes and ellipses from interruptions. It was very frustrating at times.
Overall, an okay read that had potential but could be confusing.
Skye is half Korean, half white and...she's plus-sized. It was nice to read about an Asian girl who wasn't a stick-thin model (not that there's anything wrong with that either). I liked the representation here. I really wanted to give this book a better rating for that alone.
Forest is okay at first but then his woe is me attitude becomes irritating. I understood his insecurities but I needed him to get over it. By the end of the book, maybe halfway actually, I was ready for Skye to choose someone else, even Forest's brother Holden could potentially be a better choice.
The book has a lot of potential but there were times when it was confusing. It's difficult to really "see" where they're at because there is not very much description. I know that it's a restaurant or a store, maybe at home but there is not much detail. Sometimes, I won't know where they are and what they're actually talking about. The main leads are always thinking, which is fine but then it also ends up disrupting the dialogue. I liked the dialogue. It made me chuckle/smile a few times but it also often felt stilted. The characters could not finish their thoughts so there were dashes and ellipses from interruptions. It was very frustrating at times.
Overall, an okay read that had potential but could be confusing.
March 8, 2023
This is my first book by Crystal Kaswell.. and probably my last.
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the book. It was a great friends to lovers story. Heart broken tattoo artist and plus size best friend find love while also dealing with a complicated ex and self esteem issues. It was uplifting and the author did a great job with the plus size modeling portion of the story.
My issue is with the writing style. It was extremely choppy and sometimes hard to understand. I would have to read a paragraph multiple times to understand who was saying what. Not only that, but a good portion of the book isn't even written in full sentences. Examples:
My knock is soft.
He doesn't answer.
So I knock louder.
Still nothing.
I push the door open.
"You and Forest... it seems right. Is it right?"
"Yeah." I think so. I hope so. "He's a great guy."
"He is. Just... Be careful."
"Huh?" What...
"Never mind... "
It's very hard to follow at times and the flow is everything when it comes to reading. If you can't read at a consistent rate and understand what you are reading as you go then you can't really enjoy the story.
This book has a lot of promise. Great characters, great story... just needs a lot of work on the delivery.
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the book. It was a great friends to lovers story. Heart broken tattoo artist and plus size best friend find love while also dealing with a complicated ex and self esteem issues. It was uplifting and the author did a great job with the plus size modeling portion of the story.
My issue is with the writing style. It was extremely choppy and sometimes hard to understand. I would have to read a paragraph multiple times to understand who was saying what. Not only that, but a good portion of the book isn't even written in full sentences. Examples:
My knock is soft.
He doesn't answer.
So I knock louder.
Still nothing.
I push the door open.
"You and Forest... it seems right. Is it right?"
"Yeah." I think so. I hope so. "He's a great guy."
"He is. Just... Be careful."
"Huh?" What...
"Never mind... "
It's very hard to follow at times and the flow is everything when it comes to reading. If you can't read at a consistent rate and understand what you are reading as you go then you can't really enjoy the story.
This book has a lot of promise. Great characters, great story... just needs a lot of work on the delivery.
January 15, 2023
i wanted to stop reading this so many times but stayed to see it through. i didn’t like anything about this book. his brother being super crude and inappropriate every line of dialogue, her being a proud plus side character but hating and pitting herself against every skinny character that walks by her, her weird cousin, and the main mmc constantly entertaining his ex gf and her talking after she cheated on him.
also why is no one else bothered by/ rooting for the younger brother to get with his best friends 17 YEAR OLD sister???? He’s like 21 and they are making jokes about when she gets out of high school and turn 18???
also why is no one else bothered by/ rooting for the younger brother to get with his best friends 17 YEAR OLD sister???? He’s like 21 and they are making jokes about when she gets out of high school and turn 18???
December 3, 2022
This made me so mad. Sooooo many words! How can you write so much without anything really happening😫 I liked the first quarter to half, it was a decent friends to lovers built up. Pretty basic, standard trope. And then it just became boring and suddenly characters just behaved like incredible idiots in order to have some sort of climax. I’m
So enraged , i can’t even
So enraged , i can’t even
July 19, 2022
This was my very first book by Crystal Kaswell and it’s safe to say, after I finished this one, I read the other 2 in this little series (Inked Love), and then read all 8 of the Inked Hearts series. Also, why is the series called Inked Love you may ask? He’s a tattoo artist! In these series, one person in the “coupling” is a tattoo artist - which is honestly what drew my attention to the first book. This book follows Skye and Forest - who are very best friends after he moved in next door years ago. After this first one, I had to finish all of them. Forest is a tattoo artist and Skye is a body positive social media influencer. The kicker? She’s been in love with him for like ever, but he dated her cousin and she broke his heart. But this sin’t like a normal cousin friendship, instead the cousin is vindictive and went after Forest KNOWING Skye had feelings for him, and she always manages to put Skye down - especially body shaming. Skye is a thicker girl, so yasss to the body positivity and body inclusiveness in this book and having a strong female lead. Now, the cousin/ex is getting married and to save Skye from the cousin’s opinions and backlash, he says that Sky has a boyfriend and won’t have to attend the wedding alone as implied. Now? Skye needs to find a fake boyfriend but manages to convince Forest to play the part.
This was one of my first fake dating and friends to lovers books, so looking back at it, this is definitely where my love of the tropes come from. I was able to finish this book in about 7 hours - and it was such a light, fluffy read that made it just feel… happy and wholesome.
This was one of my first fake dating and friends to lovers books, so looking back at it, this is definitely where my love of the tropes come from. I was able to finish this book in about 7 hours - and it was such a light, fluffy read that made it just feel… happy and wholesome.
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