Mia and Jake have known each other their whole lives. They’ve endured summer vacations, Sunday brunches, even dentist visits together. Their mothers, who are best friends, are convinced that Mia and Jake would be the perfect couple, even though they can’t stand to be in the same room together. After Mia’s mom turns away yet another cute boy, Mia and Jake decide they’ve had enough. Together, they … Together, they hatch a plan to get their moms off their backs. Permanently. All they have to do is pretend to date and then stage the worst breakup of all time–and then they’ll be free.
It’s the perfect plan – except that it turns out maybe Mia and Jake don’t hate each other as much as they once thought…
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Mia is having a miserable year. Her mom is still pushing her to date the boy across the street. She hasn’t been on a real date in a long time. Maybe fake dating is the answer?
Jake has known Mia his whole life. Their moms are pushing them to be together because its what they want. Why isn’t anyone asking their kids what they have in mind? One kiss tears the whole plan apart……..
This was such a surprise read! These characters are wonderful and funny. The banter is top notch. I loved the parts where they were so in sync you could tell they knew one another forever. A total slow burn but a thrilling ride.
***This ARC copy was given in exchange for an honest review by its publishers and Netgalley.
2.5/5 Stars
Disclaimer: This review MAY contain spoilers. I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions in my review are my own.
I think that I am in shock right now. There is really no other explanation for how stunned I feel at the moment. Okay, let me explain. Earlier this year I read Jenn P. Nguyen’s The Way to Game the Walk of Shame and it blew my mind. It is one of the very best YA contemporary titles that I have EVER read. Like, EVER. The story had everything. A plot that was entertaining and took root inside you, characters that were completely real and grew as the story progressed, and all the feels a fangirl could want. So understandably, when I pick up this highly anticipated book by the same author and get none of those things…well, it kind of feels like getting lost at sea.
So before I tell you all of the reasons why I ended up adrift in this liferaft, let me just say that this book had a lot of potential. I think that a lot of the issues that I have with this book rest with the execution. I normally love the “childhood friends/neighbors to lovers” trope and I think that the concept of a girl and a boy whose mothers are trying to push them together had so much going for it. I think that with some fine tuning this could have very well been one of those books that wows me.
Unfortunately, the concept wasn’t enough to save this one for me. It felt like the concept, a girl and boy whose mothers are pushing them together in hopes that they become a couple, was all that this story was about. Any good story has a lot more going on in the background that just the main trope. There were some things going on with these characters, but they didn’t feel real or important. It seemed like the focus was mainly on the fact that their mothers were pushing them together. It felt like Mia’s love of theater and Jake’s love of music were just filler and had no real purpose.
Another thing that seemed to stick to the sidelines was Mia and Jake’s friends. Mia has ONE other friend in this book, Aly, and Jake has two friends that are siblings, Rose and Greg. Their friends make appearances, but they are sparse throughout the first half of the book. We see a little more of them in the second half of the book, but their absence made the book feel very unrealistic. Teenagers are all about their friends and I found it hard to believe that they weren’t attached at the hip. It almost felt like Mia and Jake had no other friends at the beginning of the book.
The characters had no real depth. I mentioned how their interests felt unimportant and that really made the characters themselves take a huge hit. I just could not connect with these characters in the slightest. I had no real sense of who they were. I mean, this is a book about high school and I couldn’t even tell you which high school clique the two main characters would have run with. It was all up in the air. The only high school kids that they remotely interact with are theater kids that Mia works with. And the entire plot point concerning Jake’s brother felt forced and unrealistic. Especially with the crappy explanation Finn gives Jake and their mother for abandoning them. I almost felt insulted. Like I had invested all this time reading this book and this is the big reveal? Really? I wanted to like these characters so much but they were so dreadfully dull and fell so flat.
Some of the dialogue in this book was cringe-worthy. I don’t know how else to put it, but some of the dialogue was just terribly written. It wasn’t natural at all and was almost painful to read.
While the romance between Mia and Jake wasn’t swoon-worthy, it wasn’t a lost cause either. There were some cute moments here and there. I did like how thoughtful Jake always was about Mia. Like, he always knew her eating habits and would order her extra food. Adorable. And the way that Mia could tell Jake’s mood by the expression on his face.
Overall, this book just didn’t do it for me. I admit that my expectations were pretty high on this one after reading The Way to Game the Walk of Shame. Maybe that was my downfall where this book was concerned? Either way, I will definitely consider picking up another book by this author in the future. I do think that this is a book that many YA contemporary fans will love.
I loved The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen, so when I saw this book on Netgalley, even though I still had a bunch of other ARCs to read (too many books too little time), I couldn’t resist and requested. So, thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Swoon Reads for approving because Fake It Till You Break It is such an amazingly fun and charming story that made my heart melt.
The fake dating and enemies to friends to lovers tropes can be predictable and cheesy, but I absolutely LOVE them. I think these type of stories are so much fun to read and never fail to make me laugh, swoon and feel those amazing warm fuzzies. After reading so many of these stories, you’d think I would get tired of them, but it’s quite the opposite. Even though I don’t always love every single book I read, this adorable story managed to make me feel incredibly excited, totally giddy, super smiley and just bursting with so much happy. Fake It Till You Break It definitely had me hooked on the feels and I just thought the storyline was so darn cute.
Romance wise, I could not stop swooning! I loved the chemistry between Mia and Jake and thought they’re just so perfect for each other. From annoying each other, playfully bantering and flirting, slowly realizing their feelings, and sharing so many sweet moments, I loved it all and could not get enough of Mia and Jake’s irresistible cuteness. I was literally smiling so big and just gushing every single time Mia and Jake would do something nice for each other.
Jake and Mia are both really awesome characters too and I truly enjoyed getting to know them. Mia is sassy, hilarious and adorably quirky. Jake is caring, thoughtful and has such a good heart. I completely adored them and loved their personalities and sense of humor. I also really liked both their POV’s and had a fantastic time reading about how they really felt about each other. Seriously, there are so many funny parts, spine-tingling scenes, and heartwarming moments that this is without a doubt one of my favorite reads this year.
I love both the moms too and thought they were so sweet, smart, and just really awesome parents. I admired them for being understanding and supportive of their children. I also really liked Jake and Mia’s friends. They’re a fun bunch and I liked how they’re always there for Jake and Mia.
I cherish every moment in this book and I cannot get over how Nguyen perfectly captures the awkwardness, the heartbreaks, and all the joys of falling in love in your teens. Fake It Till You Break It is such a sweet and adorable YA contemporary romance and everyone should read this charming story. You’ll smile, laugh, swoon, and if you’re an emotional softy like me, you’ll probably cry. I enjoyed the writing style, I loved the storyline, and I swooned so much over Jake and Mia. The ending left me smiling so wide and big and I definitely agree that kisses in the rain are the best thing ever!
This is the perfect summer romance and a delightfully cute read. It’s lighthearted, funny, sweet, romantic and wonderfully touching. It’s definitely worth the read and I cannot recommned it enough!
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.