Fake dating AND opposites attracting? Sign me up! When I saw that this book was by an author I really enjoy, that was just the icing on the cake. Falling for His Fake Girlfriend is a January 2023 release, so I didn’t dig too far into my TBR to find it, but with category romances, it’s easy to get a little behind on my reading. As expected and hoped for, this book was fun and charming, and I’d definitely recommend it.
Even though it’s book four in a series, this novel stands alone very easily. Even though I haven’t read them yet, I quickly figured out that the first three books involved sisters meeting the loves of their lives. The sisters make lovely secondary characters in this book, but I didn’t need to know their stories in order to follow this one. This installment centers on their longtime family friend, Molly Cyrs. By her own admission, Molly is often quirky and more than a bit over-the-top.
Worlds collide when she meets her new neighbor, Callan Avery. Callan in the new librarian in their small town, and he is definitely Molly’s opposite. He’s quieter, reserved, and would never be described as impulsive or over-the-top. While he’s not from Stonefield, he has long craved a life in a town where he can establish roots and raise a family.
So, what brings these two together? It’s a fun combination of caffeine and fake dating. We learn early on in the book that not only is Molly friends with the local coffee shop owner, but her daily cups of coffee help Molly manage her ADHD. Molly and Callan meet in the coffee shop, but things quickly progress after Callan’s disastrous first day in the library. The retiring librarian isn’t quite ready to let go, and the locals aren’t entirely sold on this new man running the show.
Molly comes up with the idea of introducing Callan to the community by pretending to be a couple. And of course, these two have so much fun together that they start hanging out more than strictly necessary to keep up the charade. This book worked for me because while Molly and Callan have very different personalities and ways of engaging with the world, they’re both fundamentally decent people. In their interactions with others, it’s obvious that they both want to connect with the world around them, and that seemed to pull them together.
I loved seeing the relationship in this book develop because the author showed how the leads accepted each other and their differences. This isn’t a book where one character is trying to overpower or force change on the other. Molly and Callan sometimes tease one another about their quirks, but they take each other as they are and try to understand each other better. That love and acceptance make this such a happy, romantic story.
Small town romances can sometimes feel a bit claustrophobic to me, but this one feels warm and welcoming. Callan and Molly are opposites in many ways, but their story rings true, with an HEA that feels solid and believable.
Grade: A-
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Subtle
Publication Date: 12/2022
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