Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Fiancée Farce

I want to preface first by saying that I was mainly intrigued to read this simply because the cover looks so bad. Like Wattpad bad. And whoever made this book should reevaluate the next time they make a cover because I WILL trash it.

Anyways, I think a lot of people will disagree but I actually don’t mind how fact-paced the course of their relationship was. Although I do understand why other readers wouldn’t be into it. Since this book was described to be a “steamy” sapphic story with a fake relationship trope, I also did expect the book would have more angst and conflict to it but we didn’t get much from that.

The conflict was also too shallow.

I did not see the need for them to break up in the last act (though I knew at some point it was coming) because there’s not much discord to work off of. The feelings of inferiority and insecurity Gemma went through really seems like a her problem and not so much as a sensible enough reason to leave Tansy. But yeah like I said since it was too shallow, it is the only one the author has to latch unto.

If y’all are not into that and want DEEP angst and trepidation, maybe this book is not for you.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book, not much angst but I personally love seeing a “Character A falls first, Character B falls harder” trope. I also do think this is better than the author’s previous book I’ve read so a win for me!

Content Warnings

woodsofthebooks's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

five bajillion stars. i didn’t think any of a.b.’s books would top Written in the Stars but boy was i wrong. i wish Belltown Books was a real place so i could go there and be surrounded by books and the knowledge of this one in particular. i need to reread it immediately.

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meganb392b0's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Cute queer romance

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gale_bruckner's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The fiance farce has many good hallmarks that make the Fake Dating trope so captivating. I really enjoyed Gemma's desperation and confidence making their engagement almost predate their actual meeting. However, I would have loved to see a slower transition from "We don't know each other" to "You're kind of cool" to "I think I really like you" to love. The best part of fake dating for me is the slowly dawning realization that you're in so much deeper than you planned on being. That realization is often accompanied by sweet domestic scenes where we get to see the characters spend time together and grow more comfortable as a team. The transition from strangers making a deal to sweethearts was way too quick for me. I also would have liked to see Gemma's hard exterior crack into something softer and more vulnerable through Tansy's eyes. We see some of these things but it felt very rushed in my opinion. The way the ending came together was fantastic. It had the perfect dramatic arc of " Everything is going to be fine" to "Everything is completely ruined" and back again.

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rachel_j's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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flyingryndeer's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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