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kelly_e's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Title: The Fake
Author: Zoe Whittall
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: March 21, 2023
Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Unexpected • Tense • Messy
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In the aftermath of her wife's death, Shelby is barely functioning in her grief. Her friends and family are continuously feeding her toxic positivity, which has lead to her isolating herself. At her grief support group, she meets Cammie, who allows Shelby to express her deepest, darkest feelings. With Cammie's help, Shelby starts feeling pieces of her life return. Until one day her gut tells her that something is amiss.
Gibson is still reeling from his recent divorce, and finds himself deeply depressed. When he meets Cammie at the bar one night, a whirlwind romance ensues, and Gibson feels truly known for the first time in his life. When her introduces her to his friends, they are wary and he, too, starts to question all the drama in Cammie's life.
When Gibson and Shelby meet, they realize Cammie’s stories don’t always add up. In fact, they’re far from the truth. But what kind of a person would lie about having cancer? And what does it say about Shelby and Gibson that they fell for it?
💭 T H O U G H T S
Zoe Whittall was born in my small town, and despite not knowing her personally, I still feel a sense of connection to her roots and want to support her literary endeavors. For that reason I was interested in her 2023 release, The Fake, which also had one of the most intriguing premises I have come across for new releases.
At times this novel reads somewhat like a thriller, fraught with tension and suspicious behaviour, that I thought (on numerous occasions) there would be some big revelation. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In all honesty, not a heck of a lot actually happens and there is no real denouement. Instead, what this literary novel does is dig deep below the surface into the intricacies of human relationships and connection. Of course, that is where the real value is - in reflecting on why we connect with the people we connect with? Additionally, there is a great deal of focus on mental illness and mental health, which I commend the author for handling with care in most cases. (There is definitely some insensitive language use that could have been avoided).
When it comes to the characters, none of them are overly likeable. And that may just be because there was so much room for more character development, and certainly more space for getting into each character's story. I did feel empathy for Shelby as I, too, know the depths of partner death. Some of the sections talking about grief were extremely well penned. By the time I got to the end, I was left wanting to know so much more about Cammie - her background, her motivations, her reason for being the way she is, that I was left slightly unsatisfied.
Unfortunately, the synopsis gives away too much of the central plot. In my opinion, it would have better not knowing Cammie is a con artist from the get go, as this would have allowed more of an unveiling. It is certainly a quick and interesting read, which offered me quite a bit to reflect on, but at the end of the day it just didn't blow me away.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone looking for a book with mental health rep
• readers who enjoy books filled with lies
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"It's the unknown that is truly frightening."
"There is freedom in a new friend while you're grieving. There's no expectation that you'll return to who you once where; they never knew that person anyway."
"Everyone pretends that their reality is the only one."
Author: Zoe Whittall
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: March 21, 2023
Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Unexpected • Tense • Messy
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In the aftermath of her wife's death, Shelby is barely functioning in her grief. Her friends and family are continuously feeding her toxic positivity, which has lead to her isolating herself. At her grief support group, she meets Cammie, who allows Shelby to express her deepest, darkest feelings. With Cammie's help, Shelby starts feeling pieces of her life return. Until one day her gut tells her that something is amiss.
Gibson is still reeling from his recent divorce, and finds himself deeply depressed. When he meets Cammie at the bar one night, a whirlwind romance ensues, and Gibson feels truly known for the first time in his life. When her introduces her to his friends, they are wary and he, too, starts to question all the drama in Cammie's life.
When Gibson and Shelby meet, they realize Cammie’s stories don’t always add up. In fact, they’re far from the truth. But what kind of a person would lie about having cancer? And what does it say about Shelby and Gibson that they fell for it?
💭 T H O U G H T S
Zoe Whittall was born in my small town, and despite not knowing her personally, I still feel a sense of connection to her roots and want to support her literary endeavors. For that reason I was interested in her 2023 release, The Fake, which also had one of the most intriguing premises I have come across for new releases.
At times this novel reads somewhat like a thriller, fraught with tension and suspicious behaviour, that I thought (on numerous occasions) there would be some big revelation. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In all honesty, not a heck of a lot actually happens and there is no real denouement. Instead, what this literary novel does is dig deep below the surface into the intricacies of human relationships and connection. Of course, that is where the real value is - in reflecting on why we connect with the people we connect with? Additionally, there is a great deal of focus on mental illness and mental health, which I commend the author for handling with care in most cases. (There is definitely some insensitive language use that could have been avoided).
When it comes to the characters, none of them are overly likeable. And that may just be because there was so much room for more character development, and certainly more space for getting into each character's story. I did feel empathy for Shelby as I, too, know the depths of partner death. Some of the sections talking about grief were extremely well penned. By the time I got to the end, I was left wanting to know so much more about Cammie - her background, her motivations, her reason for being the way she is, that I was left slightly unsatisfied.
Unfortunately, the synopsis gives away too much of the central plot. In my opinion, it would have better not knowing Cammie is a con artist from the get go, as this would have allowed more of an unveiling. It is certainly a quick and interesting read, which offered me quite a bit to reflect on, but at the end of the day it just didn't blow me away.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone looking for a book with mental health rep
• readers who enjoy books filled with lies
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"It's the unknown that is truly frightening."
"There is freedom in a new friend while you're grieving. There's no expectation that you'll return to who you once where; they never knew that person anyway."
"Everyone pretends that their reality is the only one."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cancer, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Vomit, and Kidnapping
depression, anxiety, PTSD, agoraphobia, death, sibling death, death of partner, divorce, adoption