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auburnedge's review against another edition
5.0
Fake it till you make it and let your nerd flag fly. This book is everything a nerdy bookish girl could ever dream of. The plot is simple but for anyone who dreams of a nerdy happily ever after this is a one sitting read. References to popular book stores and fandoms make it that much more enjoyable.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and review.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and review.
taylorfennerwrites's review
3.0
Cover: πππ (I think this cover looks sweet and romantic. It makes me think of a summer beach read for some reason.)
Summary/Tagline: ππππ ("She's nobody's second choice." This makes Lisa sound like a confident, strong female right off the bat, which I like. And after reading the blurb it makes you want to read on.)
Characters: πππ π (Even though I haven't read the first standalone in this series I absolutely loved Nina and Lisa but I could have warmed up to Matt a little more. What can I say? I tend to have it out for male characters that use a female friend to try to snag another girl. There's a lot of banter and fandom in between the characters, which I loved... I just wish Matt were a little more developed.)
Worldbuilding: πππ (I thought Lisa and Matt's world was well rounded and you definitely get a clear picture of their lives.)
Story: ππππ (This is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance, which is one of my favorite tropes and I enjoyed it a lot! This one will make you laugh and share your love for books, especially Harry Potter, you'll root for Matt and Lisa and get frustrated when they just can't seem to get it together. The characters in this book are quirky and you quickly find yourself unable to put it down. Overall, if you're looking for a contemporary romance, I definitely recommend this one!)
Overall: πππ 3.6 of 5 Stars!
Summary/Tagline: ππππ ("She's nobody's second choice." This makes Lisa sound like a confident, strong female right off the bat, which I like. And after reading the blurb it makes you want to read on.)
Characters: πππ π (Even though I haven't read the first standalone in this series I absolutely loved Nina and Lisa but I could have warmed up to Matt a little more. What can I say? I tend to have it out for male characters that use a female friend to try to snag another girl. There's a lot of banter and fandom in between the characters, which I loved... I just wish Matt were a little more developed.)
Worldbuilding: πππ (I thought Lisa and Matt's world was well rounded and you definitely get a clear picture of their lives.)
Story: ππππ (This is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance, which is one of my favorite tropes and I enjoyed it a lot! This one will make you laugh and share your love for books, especially Harry Potter, you'll root for Matt and Lisa and get frustrated when they just can't seem to get it together. The characters in this book are quirky and you quickly find yourself unable to put it down. Overall, if you're looking for a contemporary romance, I definitely recommend this one!)
Overall: πππ 3.6 of 5 Stars!
slc333's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars Cute teen romance. Loved the nerd girl references and this author totally has a dog. Found the balance between the "she liked Matt, fake dating, Matt likes Lisa , Lisa is confused" worked well. Glad that Matt actually had to work a bit for Lisa and she didn't just fall straight into his lap.
theestherhadassah's review against another edition
5.0
I love Chris Cannon's cute and playful writing style. I may not be familiar with the franchise, but I caught all the Potter references. Also, I'm a major dog lover. This book was a win-win for me.
Thank you Entangled Teen and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. :D
Thank you Entangled Teen and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. :D
bonecarvdweaver's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC! ( And sorry for taking so long )
99% Faking It was an easy read. I remembered picking it up and putting it down after six chapters, because I don't usually find myself interested in heterosexual contemporary romances, but here I am, all finished. I thought it was cute, I love dual perspective books and not riding along hundreds of pages from one person's POV, though on the flip side I would have enjoyed the story more if the author did less of "this happened in the last chapter but in three thousand words lets do a recap from the male perspective" way too many times.
I liked the dynamics between characters, friends and family members and how the romantic interests had different hobbies, that Matt was a character who didn't try too hard in life and knew it, while Lisa knew what she wanted to do but also wanted her best friend who didn't seem into her. I could deal with clichΓ©, but I truly felt the unnecessary hypocrisy from Lisa was a little too much. How could she be mad at Matt for talking to an ex-crush, when she went out on a date with another guy when she knew Matt would be committed to her? It didn't help when Matt practically bought affection from her to win her favor, but they are heterosexuals.
This was cute. I was inspired to get it done today, which I did, because I knew it wouldn't take long. It centers around two high school best friends who lowkey like each other, who pretend to date to get the attention of someone else- because they're dumb, and y'know... happy ending. It was cute. It had interesting characters and surprising turns and emotional punches, such as Lisa's father showing up, and I liked that it gave her more depth. I enjoyed reading it at times, but at the end I couldn't even remember Lisa's name until I looked it up again.
I liked reading parts of it, I liked finishing it, but it's definitely not something I find myself obsessing over. I definitely don't want to read anything similar anytime soon. But it was good! I recommend this for young teens or just romance lovers in general!
99% Faking It was an easy read. I remembered picking it up and putting it down after six chapters, because I don't usually find myself interested in heterosexual contemporary romances, but here I am, all finished. I thought it was cute, I love dual perspective books and not riding along hundreds of pages from one person's POV, though on the flip side I would have enjoyed the story more if the author did less of "this happened in the last chapter but in three thousand words lets do a recap from the male perspective" way too many times.
I liked the dynamics between characters, friends and family members and how the romantic interests had different hobbies, that Matt was a character who didn't try too hard in life and knew it, while Lisa knew what she wanted to do but also wanted her best friend who didn't seem into her. I could deal with clichΓ©, but I truly felt the unnecessary hypocrisy from Lisa was a little too much. How could she be mad at Matt for talking to an ex-crush, when she went out on a date with another guy when she knew Matt would be committed to her? It didn't help when Matt practically bought affection from her to win her favor, but they are heterosexuals.
This was cute. I was inspired to get it done today, which I did, because I knew it wouldn't take long. It centers around two high school best friends who lowkey like each other, who pretend to date to get the attention of someone else- because they're dumb, and y'know... happy ending. It was cute. It had interesting characters and surprising turns and emotional punches, such as Lisa's father showing up, and I liked that it gave her more depth. I enjoyed reading it at times, but at the end I couldn't even remember Lisa's name until I looked it up again.
I liked reading parts of it, I liked finishing it, but it's definitely not something I find myself obsessing over. I definitely don't want to read anything similar anytime soon. But it was good! I recommend this for young teens or just romance lovers in general!
pageturnersandsweettea's review against another edition
4.0
Every now and then, I love to read a good young adult romance. A romance that is young, and innocent. So, I was browsing through Netgalley and saw this one, and fell in love with the synopsis and the cover (I mean, seriously. How adorable is that cover? I can just feel the hug he's giving her!). I grabbed it up. I'm super glad I did, too, because I have a new author to read more work by, and characters that have stolen my heart for the long haul.
I loved the way Chris Cannon chiseled these characters. They are true-to-life and came alive within the story. I felt more like I was watching a movie on the big screen than I was reading a book. Lisa and Matt reminded me a lot of some of the kids I used to know in high school. Lisa had a crush on a guy who just wanted to be friends.....or so she thought. Friend zone happened a lot back in my day at school!
Watching Lisa and Matt together in this read was super fun. They were witty and so cute. I loved watching them realize their feelings for each other, and their banter with each other was fun. The sparks flew but nothing was over the top, and Lisa and Matt would be great characters for any young adult (or adult!) to read.
Chris Cannon has a beautiful talent. The way she weaves the story together, even though it is the second in her Dating Dilemmas series, I wasn't overly confused by the happenings surrounding Lisa and Matt's story. I felt a part of these young people's lives and had so much fun reading it! I definitely recommend this book with 4 stars and am looking forward to reading book 1 and other books by this author.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, Entangled Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
I loved the way Chris Cannon chiseled these characters. They are true-to-life and came alive within the story. I felt more like I was watching a movie on the big screen than I was reading a book. Lisa and Matt reminded me a lot of some of the kids I used to know in high school. Lisa had a crush on a guy who just wanted to be friends.....or so she thought. Friend zone happened a lot back in my day at school!
Watching Lisa and Matt together in this read was super fun. They were witty and so cute. I loved watching them realize their feelings for each other, and their banter with each other was fun. The sparks flew but nothing was over the top, and Lisa and Matt would be great characters for any young adult (or adult!) to read.
Chris Cannon has a beautiful talent. The way she weaves the story together, even though it is the second in her Dating Dilemmas series, I wasn't overly confused by the happenings surrounding Lisa and Matt's story. I felt a part of these young people's lives and had so much fun reading it! I definitely recommend this book with 4 stars and am looking forward to reading book 1 and other books by this author.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, Entangled Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
mrszillareads's review against another edition
2.0
Lisa is a book and fandom loving, self-proclaimed nerd girl who has been put in the friend zone by her crush, Matt who has his sights set on another girl. After a new boy moves to town, Lisa feels like she can finally find her own happiness and move on from her crush on Matt. After Lisa learns of "the wedding ring phenomenon-you get more attention when your taken, Matt and Lisa team together to fake date so that they can grab the attention of their crushes. Can Lisa and Matt make themselves noticed by their crushes or will they start to gain each other's attention?
The description of this book hooked me from the start. In the past, I have loved the fake dating trope, so I was very excited to see another version of this trope. This book initially had my attention because it had both perspectives of Matt and Lisa as they were in this fake dating relationship. I felt I was very interested to see how it ended and I originally couldn't put it down.
The more I got into the story, however, the more I felt that I was disconnected with the characters. I felt like I didn't know the characters at all. I felt that the story was so short that I didn't get enough time to really get to know the characters before getting into the plot and climax of the story. I never really felt like the story even reached a climax because the story was too predictable. You never were surprised what happened next because you heard both sides of the story in the eyes of each main character.
Another thing I didn't like about this story was a side plot that didn't need to be in the book. I understand that it was an important part of the characters past, but the story likely wouldn't have ended any different had it not been there. It was mentioned about as quickly as it ended and I just don't think it was necessary at all to the story. Overall, I have this story 2.5 out of 5 stars.
The description of this book hooked me from the start. In the past, I have loved the fake dating trope, so I was very excited to see another version of this trope. This book initially had my attention because it had both perspectives of Matt and Lisa as they were in this fake dating relationship. I felt I was very interested to see how it ended and I originally couldn't put it down.
The more I got into the story, however, the more I felt that I was disconnected with the characters. I felt like I didn't know the characters at all. I felt that the story was so short that I didn't get enough time to really get to know the characters before getting into the plot and climax of the story. I never really felt like the story even reached a climax because the story was too predictable. You never were surprised what happened next because you heard both sides of the story in the eyes of each main character.
Another thing I didn't like about this story was a side plot that didn't need to be in the book. I understand that it was an important part of the characters past, but the story likely wouldn't have ended any different had it not been there. It was mentioned about as quickly as it ended and I just don't think it was necessary at all to the story. Overall, I have this story 2.5 out of 5 stars.
beckymmoe's review
4.0
Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books, on 3/15/19>
Adorable!
Lisa and Matt were both very sympathetic characters--what book-reading girl can't identify with a nerdy book-loving heroine who sometimes feels a bit less-than when confronted with confident, bubbly blonde maybe-rivals? Both Matt and Lisa weren't 100% sure at all times who was the right one for them--though it might be a bit unusual for a romance novel, IRL it's realistic at any age, especially when you're in high school and still figuring things out. They managed to find their way to a satisfying HEA (Matt's book for Lisa was fantastic) and though they made annoying mistakes along the way, they weren't over the top unbelievable or ones that they couldn't realistically come back from. There were many LOL moments along the way to their happy for now and hopeful for the future ending, which more than overshadowed any facepalm ones :)
99% Faking It is the second book in Ms. Canon's Dating Dilemmas series, but it worked just fine as a standalone. Nina (Lisa's BFF) and West were totally cute here, though, and I'm looking forward to going back and giving their book a read too--and crossing my fingers for more in the future!
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Adorable!
Lisa and Matt were both very sympathetic characters--what book-reading girl can't identify with a nerdy book-loving heroine who sometimes feels a bit less-than when confronted with confident, bubbly blonde maybe-rivals? Both Matt and Lisa weren't 100% sure at all times who was the right one for them--though it might be a bit unusual for a romance novel, IRL it's realistic at any age, especially when you're in high school and still figuring things out. They managed to find their way to a satisfying HEA (Matt's book for Lisa was fantastic) and though they made annoying mistakes along the way, they weren't over the top unbelievable or ones that they couldn't realistically come back from. There were many LOL moments along the way to their happy for now and hopeful for the future ending, which more than overshadowed any facepalm ones :)
99% Faking It is the second book in Ms. Canon's Dating Dilemmas series, but it worked just fine as a standalone. Nina (Lisa's BFF) and West were totally cute here, though, and I'm looking forward to going back and giving their book a read too--and crossing my fingers for more in the future!
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
bonecarvdweaver's review
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC! ( And sorry for taking so long )
99% Faking It was an easy read. I remembered picking it up and putting it down after six chapters, because I don't usually find myself interested in heterosexual contemporary romances, but here I am, all finished. I thought it was cute, I love dual perspective books and not riding along hundreds of pages from one person's POV, though on the flip side I would have enjoyed the story more if the author did less of "this happened in the last chapter but in three thousand words lets do a recap from the male perspective" way too many times.
I liked the dynamics between characters, friends and family members and how the romantic interests had different hobbies, that Matt was a character who didn't try too hard in life and knew it, while Lisa knew what she wanted to do but also wanted her best friend who didn't seem into her. I could deal with clichΓ©, but I truly felt the unnecessary hypocrisy from Lisa was a little too much. How could she be mad at Matt for talking to an ex-crush, when she went out on a date with another guy when she knew Matt would be committed to her? It didn't help when Matt practically bought affection from her to win her favor, but they are heterosexuals.
This was cute. I was inspired to get it done today, which I did, because I knew it wouldn't take long. It centers around two high school best friends who lowkey like each other, who pretend to date to get the attention of someone else- because they're dumb, and y'know... happy ending. It was cute. It had interesting characters and surprising turns and emotional punches, such as Lisa's father showing up, and I liked that it gave her more depth. I enjoyed reading it at times, but at the end I couldn't even remember Lisa's name until I looked it up again.
I liked reading parts of it, I liked finishing it, but it's definitely not something I find myself obsessing over. I definitely don't want to read anything similar anytime soon. But it was good! I recommend this for young teens or just romance lovers in general!
99% Faking It was an easy read. I remembered picking it up and putting it down after six chapters, because I don't usually find myself interested in heterosexual contemporary romances, but here I am, all finished. I thought it was cute, I love dual perspective books and not riding along hundreds of pages from one person's POV, though on the flip side I would have enjoyed the story more if the author did less of "this happened in the last chapter but in three thousand words lets do a recap from the male perspective" way too many times.
I liked the dynamics between characters, friends and family members and how the romantic interests had different hobbies, that Matt was a character who didn't try too hard in life and knew it, while Lisa knew what she wanted to do but also wanted her best friend who didn't seem into her. I could deal with clichΓ©, but I truly felt the unnecessary hypocrisy from Lisa was a little too much. How could she be mad at Matt for talking to an ex-crush, when she went out on a date with another guy when she knew Matt would be committed to her? It didn't help when Matt practically bought affection from her to win her favor, but they are heterosexuals.
This was cute. I was inspired to get it done today, which I did, because I knew it wouldn't take long. It centers around two high school best friends who lowkey like each other, who pretend to date to get the attention of someone else- because they're dumb, and y'know... happy ending. It was cute. It had interesting characters and surprising turns and emotional punches, such as Lisa's father showing up, and I liked that it gave her more depth. I enjoyed reading it at times, but at the end I couldn't even remember Lisa's name until I looked it up again.
I liked reading parts of it, I liked finishing it, but it's definitely not something I find myself obsessing over. I definitely don't want to read anything similar anytime soon. But it was good! I recommend this for young teens or just romance lovers in general!
bookishlynerdy's review against another edition
4.0
The book "99% Faking It" was cutesy and somewhat mature for its age group.
I liked it well enough. There wasn't anything terribly bad about it. There was nothing amazing about it either.
I loved the fact that Lisa was a card carrying member of the Bookish Squad but the fact that her getting a boyfriend seemed to hinge on whether or not the guy accepted that seemed a little too little for me. I realize that the characters were in high school and their relationships are bound to change for the worst or for the better. But still. I don't know. It seemed a little weak to me. And the fact that everyone had a car despite having actually said that money was tight. I mean, I get it. I understand that most high school kids had a job after school and on the weekends and that their parents could help them pay for it but I still found it a little unbelievable. Especially when, considering my own high school experience, not everybody who has a job has a car. Sometimes they trade off with their parents or relay on friends or even the bus system, both the public and the school. It just made it seem unrealistic.
The whole plan seemed a little too easy to me. The whole wedding ring phenomenon has pretty much been proven over and over again. I don't understand why Lisa's mom was OK with it. Despite the fact that she's a family/ relationship counselor.
I don't know. The book, on the whole, was enjoyable. I loved all the Harry Potter references thrown in and the fact that Matt was open to the fandom but the fact that AS SOON AS they decided to start "dating" his whole attitude changed until she called him out on it was a bit of a mistake to me. I mean, the whole first 50% of the book was about them being friends and not wanting to lose that friendship, and then Matt goes and acts like a **** despite the fact that He was the one to insist on the whole plan and the insistence of their still being friends was a red flag for me. I don't know. It just wasn't very convincing.
Matt was a sweetheart in the beginning and the end. But the middle was his weak spot.
He did try and I have to give him points for that.
However, Trey, the guy Lisa wants to have notice her, was kind of an ass in the end but his beginning and middle were fine. I fail, as a certified Card Carrying Member of the Bookish Squad (note the capitalization of the words=higher rank than Lisa), to understand why the fact that Lisa is part of the Bookish Squad makes her undesirable to males. I remember having several offers to date in high school and I was a bigger nerd back then! (I've toned it down some for my own sakeβ¦.It was getting too expensive) I didn't like any of the guys but that's not my point. Lisa seemed to be a good girl with a solid head on her shoulders. The fact that she was a nerd shouldn't make a difference to anyone. Least of a potential mate.
Especially not in high school. Sometimes I wonder what happens after the book is finished. Like if in two years, book time, they'll have broken up because people change all of the time in life. I was not the same person I was yesterday. And to base a relationship on whether or not the other person will accept how much you love a certain fandom doesn't seem liable to me. Lisa and her mother both emphasized how much one shouldn't change for a potential mate and they were right. But to make that the only "requirement" in a potential relationship just doesn't make sense to me.
But the book was supremely enjoyable. I liked all of the quirkiness of the characters and the somewhat mature conversations that each character took part in.
I liked it well enough. There wasn't anything terribly bad about it. There was nothing amazing about it either.
I loved the fact that Lisa was a card carrying member of the Bookish Squad but the fact that her getting a boyfriend seemed to hinge on whether or not the guy accepted that seemed a little too little for me. I realize that the characters were in high school and their relationships are bound to change for the worst or for the better. But still. I don't know. It seemed a little weak to me. And the fact that everyone had a car despite having actually said that money was tight. I mean, I get it. I understand that most high school kids had a job after school and on the weekends and that their parents could help them pay for it but I still found it a little unbelievable. Especially when, considering my own high school experience, not everybody who has a job has a car. Sometimes they trade off with their parents or relay on friends or even the bus system, both the public and the school. It just made it seem unrealistic.
The whole plan seemed a little too easy to me. The whole wedding ring phenomenon has pretty much been proven over and over again. I don't understand why Lisa's mom was OK with it. Despite the fact that she's a family/ relationship counselor.
I don't know. The book, on the whole, was enjoyable. I loved all the Harry Potter references thrown in and the fact that Matt was open to the fandom but the fact that AS SOON AS they decided to start "dating" his whole attitude changed until she called him out on it was a bit of a mistake to me. I mean, the whole first 50% of the book was about them being friends and not wanting to lose that friendship, and then Matt goes and acts like a **** despite the fact that He was the one to insist on the whole plan and the insistence of their still being friends was a red flag for me. I don't know. It just wasn't very convincing.
Matt was a sweetheart in the beginning and the end. But the middle was his weak spot.
He did try and I have to give him points for that.
However, Trey, the guy Lisa wants to have notice her, was kind of an ass in the end but his beginning and middle were fine. I fail, as a certified Card Carrying Member of the Bookish Squad (note the capitalization of the words=higher rank than Lisa), to understand why the fact that Lisa is part of the Bookish Squad makes her undesirable to males. I remember having several offers to date in high school and I was a bigger nerd back then! (I've toned it down some for my own sakeβ¦.It was getting too expensive) I didn't like any of the guys but that's not my point. Lisa seemed to be a good girl with a solid head on her shoulders. The fact that she was a nerd shouldn't make a difference to anyone. Least of a potential mate.
Especially not in high school. Sometimes I wonder what happens after the book is finished. Like if in two years, book time, they'll have broken up because people change all of the time in life. I was not the same person I was yesterday. And to base a relationship on whether or not the other person will accept how much you love a certain fandom doesn't seem liable to me. Lisa and her mother both emphasized how much one shouldn't change for a potential mate and they were right. But to make that the only "requirement" in a potential relationship just doesn't make sense to me.
But the book was supremely enjoyable. I liked all of the quirkiness of the characters and the somewhat mature conversations that each character took part in.