Fake It Like You Mean It by Megan Murphy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Genre: Romance
Pages: 336 - Published: 18 March 2025
Dates Read: 07 Oct 2024 - 07 Oct 2024
Oh my god, I think this might be my favorite book for October and maybe even my favorite of the year. A Collision of Stars has been my running favorite, but I’ll need to read it again to really decide. (Plus that book no longer exists and a new version, The Friendship Fling, will release in 2025—so it’s hard to compare the two. Especially when Georgia Stone [ACOS author] is the reason I applied for FILYMI.)
I laughed, I cried a few times, and I absolutely fell in love with this book. However, it is definitely an emotional read so if you’re looking for something without a little sadness, this might not be for you.
About
Elle’s grandma, Lovie, has taken care of Elle pretty much her whole life. When Lovie’s Alzheimer’s is progressing quickly, it’s Elle’s turn to step up and take care of her grandmother. After a long day leaving Chicago behind, the last thing she expects when she goes to lay down in her childhood bedroom is Adam Wheeler, the live-in nurse and pain in the ass.
Thrown together to care for Lovie, tensions rise and lines are drawn, but there’s just one big issue: Lovie is convinced that Elle and Adam are madly in love. To avoid upsetting Lovie, they play along.
Tropes/What to expect:
Enemies to lovers(ish)
Slow burn
Fake dating
Forced proximity
One bed
Thoughts
I devoured this book. I literally did not want to put it down and did everything in my power not to. This was a perfect read for me, between the two lovely characters, the very real story, the emotional rollercoaster, and the sprinkles of spice — UGH! I want to read it all over again and hope I can get my hands on a physical copy.
As someone who only reads eBooks, I literally only buy a physical book if I love it OR if it’s the next book in a series and I know I will love it (like Fourth Wing). So please understand that this is HIGH PRAISE coming from me.
I loved getting to know Elle whenever she would let Adam in to see glimpses of who she was behind the curtain or through stories of her grandmother. And the journey between Adam being a grumpy guy to being a total sweetheart was deliciously slow and unfolded in the background, like a lot more showing then telling. I honestly cannot believe this is Megan’s debut novel and will 100% be picking up whatever she writes next.
While there is definitely spice, the spice isn’t like full-on GRAPHIC like some of these books are. So I think it hits a happy medium that a lot of people will enjoy, even if they skip over anything even remotely smutty.
“I want to know these parts of you, Elle. The messy ones and the crazy ones. I’m not asking for forever. I’m not even asking for next week. All I’m asking for is right now. But if that’s too much, that’s okay too. I only want whatever you’re ready to give, even if it’s nothing at all.”
BE STILL MY HEART. C’mon. Adam is the perfect book boyfriend. He loves and supports his family, he takes care of people like Lovie, which I would not have the emotional stamina to do, and he meets Elle where she’s at. PLUS, he is a very considerate lover, but not in a shy way, if that makes sense.
I almost forgot the podcast, which was such a fun and unique career for the FMC. Opening with her interviewing someone and later finding out some of the reason behind why she interviews on public transit, genius.
Omg, and the way the MMC supports her podcast and responds to trolls. Seriously. I could go on and on! If I could give one recommendation for a book to pick up in 2025, it would be this one. Add it to your TBR and please tell me what you think when it comes out.
