Reviews

two words: TWEE and TRITE. i rolled my eyes constantly. there's nothing new or interesting or even fun to read here - the book felt empty, almost like this was just an outline instead of a fully-realized story. no real character development and no real insights. writing wasn't great - very rupi-kaur-esque, where you're attempting to be "deep" but you just sound lame.

unless you're an avid consumer of those modern romcoms (you know the ones...), you should read something else.

thanks to random house publishing group for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

avereads12's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

TORONTO NAME DROPPING BUT I STILL GO EEGEHHEHEHE I'VE BEEN THERE even when its the bloor subway station mentioned lol

mbkarapcik's review against another edition

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3.0

In The Fake, by Zoe Whittall, charismatic and stunning Cammie enters the lives of Shelby and Gibson. Shelby recently lost her wife and cannot seem to get past her unrelenting grief. Gibson lost his wife in a divorce although he's a little less lost--he's just trying to revamp his life and get happy again. Could Cammie be the one element that improves both of their lives? Not exactly.

Everyone else in Shelby and Gibson's lives detect that Cammie isn't who she says she is, but they're both convinced that she's their good luck charms. Lies, however, start piling up, and the two strangers band together to discover who Cammie really is, and if they can beat her at her own game.

I think the premise of this book is really good, but I don't know why all the summaries promote that Cammie is a scammer. A little more mystery surrounding Cammie's motives would have helped to make the story more intriguing. Plus, it takes quite a while until Cammie is confronted with all her lying and scamming, so you're only getting back story about Shelby and Gibson as well as observations of the developing relationships between the simultaneous partnerships.

And I cannot say that I liked Cammie from the start. It's not just that she's a scammer. She's truly unlikeable in my book. I cannot understand why either of the two "fall" for this woman. Is it because they're so vulnerable from the previous demises of their other relationships with their spouses? I didn't buy that. Neither character seemed that naïve--just desperate--and both Shelby and Gibson frustrated me for falling into Cammie's traps.

While the writing is engaging and keeps you moving along with light humor, I didn't feel empathy for any of the characters. And it really takes way too long for the characters to do anything about Cammie's toxic behavior. I was waiting a for real comeuppance, but it wasn't delivered. I am curious if the author's other books are stronger in plot and execution.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

plutosorbit's review

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funny mysterious fast-paced

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

1.0

This started as a strong 4 stars and halfway through it felt like either there was a change in authors or she completely gave up and tried to get it over and done with asap

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