Faking It

by Beth Reekles

CAN YOU FALL IN LOVE IF YOU'RE ONLY EVER PRETENDING?Sophie, 25.Looking a plus onePerfect first At my sister's wedding pretending we're already dating . . .Lifelong singleton, Sophie, is looking for love. With her friends settling down and her family piling on the pressure, it seems that her anonymous column about relationships is more successful than her actual dating life. But now, with her sister's wedding approaching, she's determined not to turn up alone - and if she can't find her soulmate in time, she'll just have to fake one.Enter Harry. Charming, attractive and seeking a post-break-up distraction, he answers Sophie's plea on a dating app, promising an all-expenses-paid weekend to anyone crazy enough to go along with her charade. And with the wedding a hit and a calendar full of "couple" events on the horizon, the pair realise the only way they'll survive the next few months is with each other - and a little white lie . . .But as their love deception deepens and the pair grow closer, Sophie realises their charade may be holding them back from facing the truth. After all, when you're pretending to be in love, how is it possible to find the real thing?From the author of YA sensation and Netflix hit THE KISSING BOOTH, and LOVE, LOCKED DOWN, this is the ultimate fake-dating love story, perfect for fans of THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS and THE HATING GAME'Brilliant! So original, so clever, so funny' HELLY ACTION, author of The Shelf, on Love, Locked Down

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Fake Dating, Adult, Rom Com, Chick Lit

448 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2023

About the author

Beth Reekles is an author and creator best known for her series The Kissing Booth, which was adapted into a series of hit Netflix movies. She began her writing career by self-publishing The Kissing Booth on story-sharing platform Wattpad at fifteen years old, and earned a three-book deal with Penguin Random House at seventeen. Love, Locked Down is her tenth published book. After obtaining a Physics degree and working a day job in IT, she is now a full-time author and self-confessed nerd who loves to review movies on Instagram @authorbethreekles.

Her published works include:
The Kissing Booth
The Beach House
The Kissing Booth 2: Going the Distance
The Kissing Booth: Road Trip!
The Kissing Booth 3: One Last Time
Rolling Dice
Out of Tune
Cwtch Me If You Can
It Won't Be Christmas Without You
Love, Locked Down/Lockdown on London Lane

Reviews

[Alieke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry to say this was not my cuppa tea at all. I did not like Sophie, I did not like Harry, I did not like any of the characters and I just couldn't relate at all.

The fact that it's described as a love story is honestly just wrong. This is not a love story. And that's completely fine if you're not expecting a love story because it says so on the cover .

Also, this could have been 200 pages shorter because I feel like I read the same chapter and sentences about 17 times.

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gosh, if this book was written in 2002 I might have excused the horrific lack of depth and downright irresponsible portrayal of single women. A straight man could have written a young woman better. Honestly just bad all around

[Polly · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was the worst portrayal of a woman i have ever read. please do not read this for your sanity

[Luisa Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven’t read any books by Beth Reekles before and was expecting this one to be a fairly conventional romance. It isn’t, and there’s a part of me that really respects her for upturning the conventional romance tropes by having the heroine realise she doesn’t actually need to be in a relationship to have self-worth.
It didn’t entirely work for me, though. I enjoyed the Bridget Jones-esque chapters early in the story which seemed to set up a lovely happy ending for Sophie and Harry. Unfortunately, whilst Sophie did gain more self-awareness as the story progressed, she didn’t seem to gain much empathy for others and I found her quite hard to like, especially when she rejected Harry. I’d found him a rather adorable character and I wanted a more satisfying conclusion to his story as I’d become quite emotionally invested in him. I’n almost embarrassed to admit I would probably have enjoyed the book more if the plot had gone down the more predictable route and Sophie had realised she was crazy about him.
For me, Sophie seemed in the end to be a bit self-absorbed and wanted everything to be about her. Whilst I applaud her for wanting to be happier in her own life before committing to a relationship, I couldn’t help feeling she didn’t really care enough who she hurt along the way. If the author had made me like Harry less and like her more, I could have found a lot more satisfaction in the ending and rejoiced with her for the final outcome.
I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is for the self-help girlies!

The reason I'm giving it a 3 is because I went into this book expecting a romance. That's how it was sold to me. And the disappointment of not ending with such really killed it for me. However, the message of being single and what that means for a woman is really well written, and I wish that was what was put as the plot of the book, rather than the fake dating.

[Pixie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute drivel. I'd rate it 0. Normally I wouldn't even write a review, but PLEASE don't waste your time on this. I continued to read further expecting some good smut at the very least, but there's NOTHING. I'm glad I didn't pay for this book, as I would want a refund immediately. Who is this even written for?! Ergh. I've read more compelling YA. I've read vastly more interesting and dynamic fanfiction written by 14 year olds about Harry Potter.

[Becky (beckyy.readss) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book because I wanted to read more work from authors that I've enjoyed previously. I enjoyed the Kissing Booth series besides the last book which was awful I wanted to read more of her work and give her another go. This book was 99p on kindle deals. I shouldn’t have given her another shot. This book wasn’t it. Warning, this isn’t going to be a pleasant review because it was disappointing.

This book is based on Sophie Barker. She has been single for what feels like her whole life. With her friends settling down and her family piling on the pressure, it seems that her anonymous column about relationships is more successful than her actual dating life. But now, with her sister’s wedding approaching, she’s determined not to turn up alone and if she can’t find her soulmate in time, she’ll just have to fake one. This is where Harry comes in. He is charming, attractive and seeking a post-break-up distraction, he answers Sophie’s plea on a dating app, promising an all-expenses-paid weekend to anyone crazy enough to go along with her charade. And with the wedding a hot and a calendar full of “couple” events on the horizon, the pair realise the only way they’ll survive the next few months is with each other and a little white lie. But as their love deception deepens and the pair grow closer, Sophie realises their charade may be holding them back from facing the truth. After all, when you’re pretending to be in love, how is it possible to find the real thing?

There is one thing I liked about this: the idea of a fake boyfriend, however it has been done so many times before and so much better by other authors. Several books have the fake dating trope and have done it well, this just sort of missed the mark completed.

Sophie is not a girl’s girl, she doesn’t like her family and she should just live alone and then she would be fine. She was annoying and I wanted to smack her with her inner thoughts. She was just vindictive and jealous. I understand being lonely and things and that being single whilst all your friends are happy can suck but Christ woman, be happy for your friends and family. The storyline was just repetitive and there was no happy ending. So, what was the point of this book? Plus one of Sophie’s traits is that she was upset that she got dumped on Christmas Eve and then broke up with Harry on Christmas Day – she was a bitch for that. I couldn’t tell if this was supposed to be a young adult book or a new adult book, I don’t think Reekles has got out of her Wattpad days, because there was no smut or romance besides the “butterflies” that Sophie mentioned and then sometimes I read over the fact that she slept with Harry until she mentioned it after a later date like what?

This book was not a love story, if you are wanting a rom-com, this isn’t it. I wouldn’t even say it was a self-help book either like some of these reviews are stating. She doesn’t help herself and there is no happy ending. And this book could have been 100 pages and would be fine, it was just very repetitive.

[Hannah Stratton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unexpected ending, the book was okay but I wanted it to end differently

[B. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this book at all and came close to just not finishing it. The main female character spends the entire book complaining about how her family and friends make her feel badly about being single. She is yearning for a relationship. She ends up faking a relationship with a guy she meets over a dating app. He seems like a great guy, although he has his own troubled history with his former wife. But they get along great and enjoy hanging out together and having some lovely sex. But she’s still not happy. Eventually, she decides that her true happiness is just not dating and looking for a relationship. That’s it.

So, if you are looking for a romance with a HEA, this is not it. But if you feel badly about being single and want to read complaints about how that stinks, you might enjoy it.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. Skimmed the last like 75 pages because it was longer than it needed to be. Main character complained the whole time about being single and then when a guy says he likes her she suddenly realizes she doesn’t want a boyfriend??? Complains about her friends not being there/being busy as if they aren’t all working 20somethings who are also dating/married. That’s reality sweetie! But she also doesn’t say anything to them and just continues to brood. She was annoying and i wanted the ending to be different. Fully for self love but she should have realized this earlier IMO.

[Anabella Shay Xo(RomanceBookWormXoXo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles and wanted to read this one too. I really enjoyed the book, loved it so much. Can't wait to read more books by Beth. I highly recommend this!

[Bella · Rating 1 out of 5]

i didn’t finish it. i actually dnf’d but i read so much of it im counting it.

[Dunya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring.
This girl is jealous of everyone and is always mis dressed it’s getting annoying. I cant stand her.

[francesca x · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ☆

cute, not smutty, nice and slowburney x

[Anna]

Soft dnf-ing it (I guess, idk if I‘ll pick it up again) @ 213 pages
I just can’t stand the grouching anymore and I also hate the fact that she’s like „oooh but what if he‘s seeing another girl“ while she’s literally sleeping around with someone else, get a grip girl

Edit: I decided to read the last chapter and the epilogue, after reading a few reviews and it was quite disappointing, someone pointed it out very well, this is more of a self help book disguised as a romance, she doesn’t even end up with the guy 😅 which doesn’t have to happen obviously, but when you’re intending to read a romance book this is quite misleading

[Noemi Proietti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did try to like this book, but, unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I found the main character unlikable, flat, and annoying with her obsession about being single and desperately looking for love. She is only 25 years old and everyone around her is already pressuring her about finding a man, buying a house, and creating a family. I think it was a bit exaggerated. Also, the pace was slow and the story was often repetitive. Based on the blurb, I was expecting something else from this story, so I was disappointed how it ended, although I liked how the protagonist developed.

[KATY · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 3.5

This was not the love story I was expecting but I'm kinda here for it. I applaud Beth for not sticking to convention, but I do feel I was a little mis-sold. Even with all the Bridget Jones-esque styles don't go into this expecting that sort of ending. I loved the comedy but wish the characters had a little more depth and that Sophie grew not just in her own perspective but others too. Even with all the pop culture references it still didn't feel 2023.

[Katie Patton · Rating 1 out of 5]

honestly? not great.

[Julie Doyle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do NOT waste your time. Absolutely one of the worst books I have ever read. I wish I would have read reviews before I started it. Kept thinking it would get better. NOPE!

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Looks like I'm not the only one who didn't enjoy this.
I became bored very quickly.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faking It
Il perfetto primo appuntamento
Beth Reekles

È il primo libro che leggo di quest'autrice, ma ho visto dei film tratti dai suoi romanzi e mi sono piaciuti molto. Sophia è una ragazza che dà troppa importanza nel voler compiacere tutti e non si rende conto che la cosa più importante, è stare bene con sé stessa. Scrive una rubrica per il suo giornale, dove pubblica aneddoti simpatici sul essere single. Ci tengo a puntualizzare che, anche se la lettura è stata scorrevole, l'ho trovata un po' adolescenziale, come se avessi letto un diario di una ragazzina e questo per via delle tante descrizioni e il continuo rimarcare di essere appunto single. Personalmente, avrei preferito meno dettagli, perché hanno reso il libro pesantuccio. Essere single può essere uno svantaggio per molte persone, tuttavia, come dimostra Sophia alla fine del romanzo, prima di tutto bisogna stare bene con noi stessi, perché nessuna relazione si può basare sul riempire quei vuoti che sentiamo dentro. Sentirsi bene, può portare a vedere tutto con occhi diversi e, quando meno ce lo aspettiamo, le cose belle arrivano sempre. Basta avere pazienza e fiducia
Valutazione: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy: 🌶
Emozioni: 💘💘💘
Recensione a cura di Julia Altamura.

[Heather Riff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faking it is a story of a single girl, Sophie, who has a lot of bad dates from swiping right. Her family and friends are always bugging her to find a good man and she gets sick of the pressure so she finds a guy to be her fake boyfriend. This book made my laugh out loud so many times reading it. It definitely gives off Bridget Jones vibes. I recommend this book to people who like a good rom com that will make you laugh and feel all the feels. No spice really but the story itself is so good that I don’t miss it.

I just reviewed Faking It by Beth Reekles. #FakingIt #NetGalley

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5🌻

Despite other reviews of this book I did actually enjoy it! Did take quite a while for me to finish it but I enjoyed the conversations around being single and boundaries with family, friends & dates. Certainly not a book that will change your life as it is a rom-com fake dating trope (odd imo) but it was a nice book to pick up when you have 5 mins spare. Honestly quite surprised that Sophie and Harry didn’t end up together - I was expecting them to, which tbh would’ve ruined the book for me.

[Kelsey Rhodes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars! I haven't read the author's "Kissing Booth" book, but I did watch the Netflix movie. So when I saw that she had written another book, I was interested in reading it. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy the writing style or plot of this book. Sophie was pretty unlikeable and this doesn't really fit the contemporary romance genre. It just felt really flat and slow-paced. Not a good fit for me.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Alicia Cerone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think there is going to be a lot of mixed reviews for this book, mostly because it isn’t your typical romance.

I’d actually say this isn’t really a romance at all- more of a coming of age story of Sophie finding herself and growing in every relationship she has.

I really enjoyed this, but I can also see where many won’t.

[Elena Springer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this book should get more attention: WAY deeper than it seems from the back cover blurb, & SO relatable to my own life/feelings at this particular moment in time.

writing style was kinda chaotic(?) idk how to explain it, so that’s why only 3 stars.

warning: if you like traditional rom-com reads this might not be for you…

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found the character unrelatable and I felt like I was waiting for the story to start and it just missed the mark a little.

[Majestic · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt like the book dragged on, the premise was great but felt too long.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of this one. Despite the fact I'm in the same boat as Sophie, I just couldn't relate to her character at all, so I struggled with this.

[Niamh Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

If woe is me was a 400 page book. Easy, light hearted read though