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A review by wickedregal
Just for Show by Jae
5.0
Edited to add:
Even after 3 read throughs this is still one of my top favorite books. You know a book has your heart and is near and dear to you when, after multiple rereads it still makes you smile at all the small, sweet moments and makes your heart clench and you cry other times. Even though you know the book hasn't changed, the ending will still be the same and happy, it still gets to you and leaves an impact. That's this book to me.
And as far as the audio version of this book... Angela Dawe is my favorite narrator and add to that, having her read my favorite authors book, well... that just made it an even bigger treat and loved every minutes of it.
Original review of book below:
***ARC from YLVA Publishing***
Right from the start, I'm all in. Very first chapter we have the drama that will set up the story. No spoiler here, as it said this in the synopsis, that Clair's fiancée called off their engagement. But honestly, the timing of it?! Talk about more than just a slap in the face, and then for Abby (the ex-fiancée at that point) to leave Claire to explain to their arriving guests of the situation alone?! What kind of monster is this woman? Call off the engagement then have the other person be the one to pick up the pieces and explain when Abby didn't even give her a proper reason? Pfft bye!
The next chapter starts a couple months down the road, and this is when then fun, rom-com commences from here on. The "casting call" idea and execution of it was pure genius... and awkward. Weird combo, right? But omg I loved it!
So now we have the fake finacée booked, Lana Henderson. And these two couldn't be more opposite if you tried. At first you're thinking, okay seriously, Claire is going to murder her before the day is over. Claire is major OCD and Lana is anything but, not to mention, Lana can't stand psychologists. Welp! This will be fun... awkward... **rubs hands together and grabs the popcorn for the show**
It didn't take long though, and soon the little things they were doing because of the other began to show. Little things like Lana throwing her keys on the counter only to come back seconds later and hang them up. Sure it doesn't seem like anything special but it is the awareness of the other person, Claire's OCD, and Lana doing that. It's the little things about their fake relationship, blossoming perhaps into something not so fake, that makes me squee with giddiness. *_* I'm a sucker for the subtle changes as relationships start to blossom, especially without the parties involved realizing until it is too late and love begins to take over. Of course at this point in the book it is early and nothing is really there as a whole but it's those seeds planted that drive the hope. :)
The photoshoot scene gave me the swooning and giddy feelings again. But then there was the dinner with Lana's friends where things started to get turbulent. Even if it was a fake relationship, you should at least know the history of the person you're supposed to be in a relationship with AND those of their friends. But for these two ladies, opening up was not something they were willing to do, at first, with their vaults firmly closed on certain subjects.
It was Lana's panic attack at the boutique, where lines began to become even more blurred in this "fake" relationship. Walls began to come down a few feet, doors began to open into hearts scared and wounded.
The more outings these two went on, pretending to be a loving couple, the more people they cared about in their life that they told, the messier the feelings were at being concealed, because after all... that wasn't in the "contract". Gotta stay professional, surely it was just one sided, the other person was merely acting the role, or the other was just doing for show in order to get that book deal properly sealed. Or was it?
There are so many parts to this story I want to keep talking about but honestly this book is too good to talk about without spoiling because my feels are in high swing, and I have made this review entirely too long to begin with. Let's just say... the New York trip they took was a game changer in many ways.
Maybe sometimes you think you know exactly what you want, until you realize at some point things have changed and it isn't nearly as important to you as what you thought. Maybe something, or someone, has taken that place instead.
Even after 3 read throughs this is still one of my top favorite books. You know a book has your heart and is near and dear to you when, after multiple rereads it still makes you smile at all the small, sweet moments and makes your heart clench and you cry other times. Even though you know the book hasn't changed, the ending will still be the same and happy, it still gets to you and leaves an impact. That's this book to me.
And as far as the audio version of this book... Angela Dawe is my favorite narrator and add to that, having her read my favorite authors book, well... that just made it an even bigger treat and loved every minutes of it.
Original review of book below:
***ARC from YLVA Publishing***
Right from the start, I'm all in. Very first chapter we have the drama that will set up the story. No spoiler here, as it said this in the synopsis, that Clair's fiancée called off their engagement. But honestly, the timing of it?! Talk about more than just a slap in the face, and then for Abby (the ex-fiancée at that point) to leave Claire to explain to their arriving guests of the situation alone?! What kind of monster is this woman? Call off the engagement then have the other person be the one to pick up the pieces and explain when Abby didn't even give her a proper reason? Pfft bye!
The next chapter starts a couple months down the road, and this is when then fun, rom-com commences from here on. The "casting call" idea and execution of it was pure genius... and awkward. Weird combo, right? But omg I loved it!
So now we have the fake finacée booked, Lana Henderson. And these two couldn't be more opposite if you tried. At first you're thinking, okay seriously, Claire is going to murder her before the day is over. Claire is major OCD and Lana is anything but, not to mention, Lana can't stand psychologists. Welp! This will be fun... awkward... **rubs hands together and grabs the popcorn for the show**
It didn't take long though, and soon the little things they were doing because of the other began to show. Little things like Lana throwing her keys on the counter only to come back seconds later and hang them up. Sure it doesn't seem like anything special but it is the awareness of the other person, Claire's OCD, and Lana doing that. It's the little things about their fake relationship, blossoming perhaps into something not so fake, that makes me squee with giddiness. *_* I'm a sucker for the subtle changes as relationships start to blossom, especially without the parties involved realizing until it is too late and love begins to take over. Of course at this point in the book it is early and nothing is really there as a whole but it's those seeds planted that drive the hope. :)
The photoshoot scene gave me the swooning and giddy feelings again. But then there was the dinner with Lana's friends where things started to get turbulent. Even if it was a fake relationship, you should at least know the history of the person you're supposed to be in a relationship with AND those of their friends. But for these two ladies, opening up was not something they were willing to do, at first, with their vaults firmly closed on certain subjects.
It was Lana's panic attack at the boutique, where lines began to become even more blurred in this "fake" relationship. Walls began to come down a few feet, doors began to open into hearts scared and wounded.
The more outings these two went on, pretending to be a loving couple, the more people they cared about in their life that they told, the messier the feelings were at being concealed, because after all... that wasn't in the "contract". Gotta stay professional, surely it was just one sided, the other person was merely acting the role, or the other was just doing for show in order to get that book deal properly sealed. Or was it?
There are so many parts to this story I want to keep talking about but honestly this book is too good to talk about without spoiling because my feels are in high swing, and I have made this review entirely too long to begin with. Let's just say... the New York trip they took was a game changer in many ways.
Maybe sometimes you think you know exactly what you want, until you realize at some point things have changed and it isn't nearly as important to you as what you thought. Maybe something, or someone, has taken that place instead.