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Faker
Debut author Sarah Smith nails this fun and sexy multicultural romance where two office foes hammer out their differences to build a love that will last...
Emmie Echavarre is a professional faker. She has to be to survive as one of the few female employees at Nuts & Bolts, a power tool company staffed predominantly by gruff, burly men. From nine to five, Monday through Friday, she's tough as nails--the complete opposite of her easy-going real self.
One thing she doesn't have to fake? Her disdain for coworker Tate Rasmussen. Tate has been hostile to her since the day they met. Emmie's friendly greetings and repeated attempts to get to know him failed to garner anything more than scowls and terse one-word answers. Too bad she can't stop staring at his Thor-like biceps...
When Emmie and Tate are forced to work together on a charity construction project, things get...heated. Emmie's beginning to see that beneath Tate's chiseled exterior lies a soft heart, but it will take more than a few kind words to erase the past and convince her that what they have is real.
Emmie Echavarre is a professional faker. She has to be to survive as one of the few female employees at Nuts & Bolts, a power tool company staffed predominantly by gruff, burly men. From nine to five, Monday through Friday, she's tough as nails--the complete opposite of her easy-going real self.
One thing she doesn't have to fake? Her disdain for coworker Tate Rasmussen. Tate has been hostile to her since the day they met. Emmie's friendly greetings and repeated attempts to get to know him failed to garner anything more than scowls and terse one-word answers. Too bad she can't stop staring at his Thor-like biceps...
When Emmie and Tate are forced to work together on a charity construction project, things get...heated. Emmie's beginning to see that beneath Tate's chiseled exterior lies a soft heart, but it will take more than a few kind words to erase the past and convince her that what they have is real.
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2019
323 people are currently reading
16707 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Smith
20 books927 followersSarah Smith is a copywriter-turned-author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight and she discovered her auntie's stash of romance novels. She's been hooked ever since. When she's not writing, you can find her hiking, eating chocolate, and perfecting her lumpia recipe. She is also one half of the romance writing duo Sarah Skye. Sarah also writes tearjerker fiction under the name Sarah Echavarre
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 1,636 reviews
September 13, 2019
It's not often that I can't think of anything good to say about a book, but Faker managed to annoy me and bore me by doing pretty much everything I dislike in romance. Why are these borderline abusive relationships still being sold as romantic?
It tries to do the love/hate thing, but fails. I've said before that I'm partial to a bit of the old love/hate angst, but so few authors seem able to do it without it feeling either a) fake, or b) emotionally abusive. For me, this book fell into the second category.
Tate is so obnoxious and rude. There is NO excuse for his behaviour. I don't care how many sweet old men he helps out in his spare time-- that doesn't cancel out the way he speaks to Emmie. And in a work environment as well! If someone offers to share their lunch with you, you don’t turn your nose up and ask if it’s organic. I don't care who you are.
This is one of those books where the guy is a dick to the MC for no reason at all and she hates him so much, yuck, yada yada, until he kisses her because - guess what? - he had the hots for her all along and then she's like "oh Tate, almighty sexgod, be mine". No. There's not even any chemistry between them. No desire simmering beneath the hatred. It's literally one minute he's an asshole, the next they are kissing. Love/hate romances need some fire to add a little, you know, love to the hate.
It was also very frustrating to read all the ways Tate is supposed to be redeemed. Like him defending Emmie against the office lech because - true gent that he is - he doesn't sexually harass women. This reasoning always reminds me of that one scene in Steel Magnolias.
But he is still rude, jealous and moody. Emmie wondering which version - hot or cold - of Tate she is going to get on any given day is a form of emotional abuse. She never knows when he’s going to give her the silent treatment or get mad over another guy flirting with her.
And all this is saying nothing of the fact that the book is way too long. The central conflict is mostly resolved by page 75, so there's a lot of filler after that. One minor conflict is fabricated later in the book to try to stir up some jealous feelings, but it's really just the characters being stupid.
I guess my love for Helen Hoang's books is not the sign of a new love affair with the romance genre.
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It tries to do the love/hate thing, but fails. I've said before that I'm partial to a bit of the old love/hate angst, but so few authors seem able to do it without it feeling either a) fake, or b) emotionally abusive. For me, this book fell into the second category.
Tate is so obnoxious and rude. There is NO excuse for his behaviour. I don't care how many sweet old men he helps out in his spare time-- that doesn't cancel out the way he speaks to Emmie. And in a work environment as well! If someone offers to share their lunch with you, you don’t turn your nose up and ask if it’s organic. I don't care who you are.
This is one of those books where the guy is a dick to the MC for no reason at all and she hates him so much, yuck, yada yada, until he kisses her because - guess what? - he had the hots for her all along and then she's like "oh Tate, almighty sexgod, be mine". No. There's not even any chemistry between them. No desire simmering beneath the hatred. It's literally one minute he's an asshole, the next they are kissing. Love/hate romances need some fire to add a little, you know, love to the hate.
It was also very frustrating to read all the ways Tate is supposed to be redeemed. Like him defending Emmie against the office lech because - true gent that he is - he doesn't sexually harass women. This reasoning always reminds me of that one scene in Steel Magnolias.
But he is still rude, jealous and moody. Emmie wondering which version - hot or cold - of Tate she is going to get on any given day is a form of emotional abuse. She never knows when he’s going to give her the silent treatment or get mad over another guy flirting with her.
And all this is saying nothing of the fact that the book is way too long. The central conflict is mostly resolved by page 75, so there's a lot of filler after that. One minor conflict is fabricated later in the book to try to stir up some jealous feelings, but it's really just the characters being stupid.
I guess my love for Helen Hoang's books is not the sign of a new love affair with the romance genre.
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August 6, 2020
OMG here comes my FOUR what a swoony, sweet, heartwarming love/hate relationship at office story I’ve read, I’m smiling like an idiot for hours and don’t forget the irresistible, undeniable, pant-melting chemistry of the couple, amazing break for me after all the thrillers giving me nightmares I’ve read lately STARS!
Hating Games meets Beautiful Bastard meets Allure of Julian Lefray meets Tangled! It’s a great combination of frenemies at office novels. I was about to pass this book at first, because I thought I read too many similar examples about undeniable attraction of two colleagues who are acting immature, spoiled and they do everything to sabotage their relationship and they are so afraid of being sacked so they keep their relationship secret kind of romances.
BUT the reasons what makes this book different from the others ARE:
-The book is focused to Emmie( straightforward, smart, a little bossy but mostly sweet, nice, helpful, hardworker) and Tate’s stories( tough, handsome, annoying, reserved, antisocial but smart, problem-solver. Then we learn he’s also kind-hearted, caring, romantic, passionate man.) As we flip through the pages, we start to learn how their characters evolve, how their past experiences affected their judgments and how their relationship started to develop from work colleagues to friends and finally to lovers. So there is no carrier risk or rivalry, competition between them.
- I loved the similarities of hero and heroine. They’re different from normal which made the people around them judge and call them names when they were so young. They’re both secluded, observant, sarcastic people who have hard times to open their hearts and start to trust the people. It’s so hard to love them. They’re so natural, realistic, honestly developed characters! Of course it’s so easy to root for them. You can find parts of yourself when you dig more about their attributes.
- Like Joshua and Lucy from Sally Thorne’s “Hating Game”, they got closer when the heroine gets sick and the hero takes care of her but Tate and Emmie’s connection was so intense, romantic, and more emotional. I don’t know how many times I sighed, smiled, made indefinable awkward happy voices! (My husband threw pillow at my way but he missed. Ha ha…Evil laugh) Connection parts between characters on this book were better written than Hating Games.
-There were so many hot scenes on this book. Don’t get me wrong! Till the end they slept together but they didn’t have sex. But Emmie’s bathing scene when only a shower curtain separated them was sweaty, heart throbbing, nasty!
- At first Tate mostly acted like a jerk but at the final part we understood his reasons. A part at his high school reunion a little irritated me. (Actually I pissed off. And it was a little hard to accept what he did to Emmie which made me cut one star. )
-Instead of Tate’s reasons for acting like douchebag around Emmie, I enjoyed this book too much and I didn’t want to put it down. I carried it like an accessory with me. I know I invented a strange trend to wear a book on my neck but this is so sweet, swoony, lovable book. I don’t want to let it go!
And the most important thing is as soon as I put the book down, I was feeling joyful, hopeful, happy and I had still awkward silly smile on my face( Maybe I could be doppelganger of Pennywise and wear my clown suit before Halloween if I keep smiling like that!) THIS BOOK MADE ME HAPPY!
I’m so glad to see there are too many debut novels released on this year and most of the books are really good, enjoyable, smartly-written ones. I’m volunteered to read upcoming books of Sarah Smith. It was pleasure to meet a new writer. Because when it comes to romance, my favorite authors mostly disappointed me.
Special thanks to Berkley and NetGalley to share this amazing ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review! I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book so much!
Hating Games meets Beautiful Bastard meets Allure of Julian Lefray meets Tangled! It’s a great combination of frenemies at office novels. I was about to pass this book at first, because I thought I read too many similar examples about undeniable attraction of two colleagues who are acting immature, spoiled and they do everything to sabotage their relationship and they are so afraid of being sacked so they keep their relationship secret kind of romances.
BUT the reasons what makes this book different from the others ARE:
-The book is focused to Emmie( straightforward, smart, a little bossy but mostly sweet, nice, helpful, hardworker) and Tate’s stories( tough, handsome, annoying, reserved, antisocial but smart, problem-solver. Then we learn he’s also kind-hearted, caring, romantic, passionate man.) As we flip through the pages, we start to learn how their characters evolve, how their past experiences affected their judgments and how their relationship started to develop from work colleagues to friends and finally to lovers. So there is no carrier risk or rivalry, competition between them.
- I loved the similarities of hero and heroine. They’re different from normal which made the people around them judge and call them names when they were so young. They’re both secluded, observant, sarcastic people who have hard times to open their hearts and start to trust the people. It’s so hard to love them. They’re so natural, realistic, honestly developed characters! Of course it’s so easy to root for them. You can find parts of yourself when you dig more about their attributes.
- Like Joshua and Lucy from Sally Thorne’s “Hating Game”, they got closer when the heroine gets sick and the hero takes care of her but Tate and Emmie’s connection was so intense, romantic, and more emotional. I don’t know how many times I sighed, smiled, made indefinable awkward happy voices! (My husband threw pillow at my way but he missed. Ha ha…Evil laugh) Connection parts between characters on this book were better written than Hating Games.
-There were so many hot scenes on this book. Don’t get me wrong! Till the end they slept together but they didn’t have sex. But Emmie’s bathing scene when only a shower curtain separated them was sweaty, heart throbbing, nasty!
- At first Tate mostly acted like a jerk but at the final part we understood his reasons. A part at his high school reunion a little irritated me. (Actually I pissed off. And it was a little hard to accept what he did to Emmie which made me cut one star. )
-Instead of Tate’s reasons for acting like douchebag around Emmie, I enjoyed this book too much and I didn’t want to put it down. I carried it like an accessory with me. I know I invented a strange trend to wear a book on my neck but this is so sweet, swoony, lovable book. I don’t want to let it go!
And the most important thing is as soon as I put the book down, I was feeling joyful, hopeful, happy and I had still awkward silly smile on my face( Maybe I could be doppelganger of Pennywise and wear my clown suit before Halloween if I keep smiling like that!) THIS BOOK MADE ME HAPPY!
I’m so glad to see there are too many debut novels released on this year and most of the books are really good, enjoyable, smartly-written ones. I’m volunteered to read upcoming books of Sarah Smith. It was pleasure to meet a new writer. Because when it comes to romance, my favorite authors mostly disappointed me.
Special thanks to Berkley and NetGalley to share this amazing ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review! I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book so much!
September 13, 2023
This was the worst third act break up I have ever read. Not because of the writing but because the reason was the worst, most hilarious and dumbest thing ever.
Let’s get down to business:
Tate is a rude man that has not even an ounce of politeness and matureness in his body.
And the “excuse” he had was not an excuse. It was a miserable way to give him some form of personality but instead it made him even more unlikeable. Also what’s up with him being so overprotective?
And Emmie? You deserve so much SO MUCH SO MUCH BETTER. How? I don’t understand where the plot came from because it made absolutely no sense. How did we go from one point to the other? I don’t understand and honestly I also don’t want to.
There was no romance nor chemistry in this book. All we had was sexual tension and the urge to release it.
Now let’s get to my favorite part: ✨act 3✨
Spoiler warning for this next section:
.
.
.
.
.
.
I’ve warned you:
.
.
.
.
.
.
Okay so Tate is a twin. He knows ppl look very very similar to each other. How the fuck did he kiss the wrong woman by accident?
You’re trying to tell me you couldn’t tell the woman wasn’t your gf?
You’re trying to tell me you couldn’t read the other woman’s body language?
You’re trying to tell me that you wouldn’t be confused that your gf is talking to another woman that you never liked?
You’re trying to tell me you didn’t remember what your gf was wearing and that you didn’t recognize her wearing a completely different outfit??????
Nothing about this makes ANY SENSE AT ALL AND I AM GOING TO SCREAM.
How the heck did that happen???
I’ve never been more dumbfounded at a third act breakup because it’s so unnecessary and clearly not well planned, it’s actually hilarious.
This def fully ruined the book for me. I don’t understand Tate.
Let’s get down to business:
Tate is a rude man that has not even an ounce of politeness and matureness in his body.
And the “excuse” he had was not an excuse. It was a miserable way to give him some form of personality but instead it made him even more unlikeable. Also what’s up with him being so overprotective?
And Emmie? You deserve so much SO MUCH SO MUCH BETTER. How? I don’t understand where the plot came from because it made absolutely no sense. How did we go from one point to the other? I don’t understand and honestly I also don’t want to.
There was no romance nor chemistry in this book. All we had was sexual tension and the urge to release it.
Now let’s get to my favorite part: ✨act 3✨
Spoiler warning for this next section:
.
.
.
.
.
.
I’ve warned you:
.
.
.
.
.
.
Okay so Tate is a twin. He knows ppl look very very similar to each other. How the fuck did he kiss the wrong woman by accident?
You’re trying to tell me you couldn’t tell the woman wasn’t your gf?
You’re trying to tell me you couldn’t read the other woman’s body language?
You’re trying to tell me that you wouldn’t be confused that your gf is talking to another woman that you never liked?
You’re trying to tell me you didn’t remember what your gf was wearing and that you didn’t recognize her wearing a completely different outfit??????
Nothing about this makes ANY SENSE AT ALL AND I AM GOING TO SCREAM.
How the heck did that happen???
I’ve never been more dumbfounded at a third act breakup because it’s so unnecessary and clearly not well planned, it’s actually hilarious.
This def fully ruined the book for me. I don’t understand Tate.
September 18, 2019
A debut author who brings a combination of THE HATING GAME and FIGHT OR FLIGHT, making you fall in love with Tate and Emmie in the best of ways...
Okay let's all be honest over here, because when am I not? Berkley Romance is killing the illustrated cover game! It's a hit or miss for me for sure, but thank god I gave this beauty a try because I loved everything about this enemies to lovers romance, and I am addicted to the unique aspect of it because of the nationality of both characters of Tate and Emmie. But my gosh, I truly am OBSESSED with the instant attraction and connection there is between them both. Tate and Emmie work together, right across from each other actually and from the very beginning there is this strong banter of them not liking each other. But it starts off because Tate acts a certain way towards Emmie, and Emmie reacts to his actions. But the thing is that Tate is acting like a secret possessive alpha male, the type of alpha male that I look for and adore in every single way. Let me drool over this man because even though he is fictional, I want to hug and I want him to do certain things to my body that I am not ashamed to admit...
And let me take a moment to talk about Emmie shall I? You know how we are recently coming across badass fictional characters, that show the empowerment of women and how strong and confident they can be and truly are. Emmie is no exception, because she truly is this confident character that is not afraid to tell Tate or any other male character in this novel the way it's supposed to be. She is frank and honestly just a down right human being as a fictional character that I am so enamored with. I can try and talk about the story, and give things away but this is just a simple romance story between two enemies who slowly become more than co-workers, and more than friends in an instant. And that possessive side that I was talking about before? Yup! COUNT ME IN! His attitude in the beginning makes a 360 turn once something happens to Emmie, and he knows that admitting his true feelings is something that needs to happen and also something that Emmie sees and appreciates it;
Overall this was a surprisingly, amazingly, and fantastically well written romance novel that will have you wanting so much more! The equal balance between sexy times, feisty times, and down right adorable times in this story is what will keep you motivated to keep turning to the next page. I am hoping Sarah Smith writes another tory connected to this one, I can always predict a couple that may get a story, but either way Sarah has officially become a go-to author that I will one click and recommend to everyone everywhere.
ARC galley kindly provided by Berkley Romance in exchange for an honest review...
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Okay let's all be honest over here, because when am I not? Berkley Romance is killing the illustrated cover game! It's a hit or miss for me for sure, but thank god I gave this beauty a try because I loved everything about this enemies to lovers romance, and I am addicted to the unique aspect of it because of the nationality of both characters of Tate and Emmie. But my gosh, I truly am OBSESSED with the instant attraction and connection there is between them both. Tate and Emmie work together, right across from each other actually and from the very beginning there is this strong banter of them not liking each other. But it starts off because Tate acts a certain way towards Emmie, and Emmie reacts to his actions. But the thing is that Tate is acting like a secret possessive alpha male, the type of alpha male that I look for and adore in every single way. Let me drool over this man because even though he is fictional, I want to hug and I want him to do certain things to my body that I am not ashamed to admit...
And let me take a moment to talk about Emmie shall I? You know how we are recently coming across badass fictional characters, that show the empowerment of women and how strong and confident they can be and truly are. Emmie is no exception, because she truly is this confident character that is not afraid to tell Tate or any other male character in this novel the way it's supposed to be. She is frank and honestly just a down right human being as a fictional character that I am so enamored with. I can try and talk about the story, and give things away but this is just a simple romance story between two enemies who slowly become more than co-workers, and more than friends in an instant. And that possessive side that I was talking about before? Yup! COUNT ME IN! His attitude in the beginning makes a 360 turn once something happens to Emmie, and he knows that admitting his true feelings is something that needs to happen and also something that Emmie sees and appreciates it;
"Who knew Tate Rasmussen, the no-nonsense hard-ass, could be devastatingly sweet?"
Overall this was a surprisingly, amazingly, and fantastically well written romance novel that will have you wanting so much more! The equal balance between sexy times, feisty times, and down right adorable times in this story is what will keep you motivated to keep turning to the next page. I am hoping Sarah Smith writes another tory connected to this one, I can always predict a couple that may get a story, but either way Sarah has officially become a go-to author that I will one click and recommend to everyone everywhere.
ARC galley kindly provided by Berkley Romance in exchange for an honest review...
Follow Me On:
Blog ❁ Instagram ❁ Facebook ❁ Twitter
Read
August 11, 2022not worth finishing imo. heroine was unbearably annoying and the hero was boring.
Read
December 17, 2019DNF at 150ish pages
I was originally loving this book from the first 100 pages. It actually mirrors my life really similarly, and I was enjoying seeing a main character whose shoes I could step into so fittingly. From her workplace situation to her state of mind, I really embraced the way she navigated conflict and I was excited to see where this was headed.
However, this book took a steep downhill when the romance began. I didn’t mind the love interest—in fact, I only wish I’d read on so that I could learn more about him. The main character just becomes intolerable around him because she starts to completely contradict herself. Whereas she is typically super disgusted by the men at her job who judge her and are bossy and comment on her appearance/body, it’s somehow miraculously okay when Tate does it. The pacing of enemies to lovers was ruined by instalove and the main character’s attraction to Tate overpowering her “badass” vibes she tries to have at the office.
Also, the plot of this book becomes unbearingly unrealistic. The main character falls and hits her head and gets a minor concussion, then the hospital wants to keep her overnight for that? There were just a lot of small bits of plot in this that don’t make sense and could have been edited out in the first draft, but somehow I was expected to suspend my disbelief.
It probably wouldn’t have hurt me to finish this, but I just wasn’t enjoying it and wasn’t interested in how it ended because the writing and characters became so cheesy and hard to believe in.
I was originally loving this book from the first 100 pages. It actually mirrors my life really similarly, and I was enjoying seeing a main character whose shoes I could step into so fittingly. From her workplace situation to her state of mind, I really embraced the way she navigated conflict and I was excited to see where this was headed.
However, this book took a steep downhill when the romance began. I didn’t mind the love interest—in fact, I only wish I’d read on so that I could learn more about him. The main character just becomes intolerable around him because she starts to completely contradict herself. Whereas she is typically super disgusted by the men at her job who judge her and are bossy and comment on her appearance/body, it’s somehow miraculously okay when Tate does it. The pacing of enemies to lovers was ruined by instalove and the main character’s attraction to Tate overpowering her “badass” vibes she tries to have at the office.
Also, the plot of this book becomes unbearingly unrealistic. The main character falls and hits her head and gets a minor concussion, then the hospital wants to keep her overnight for that? There were just a lot of small bits of plot in this that don’t make sense and could have been edited out in the first draft, but somehow I was expected to suspend my disbelief.
It probably wouldn’t have hurt me to finish this, but I just wasn’t enjoying it and wasn’t interested in how it ended because the writing and characters became so cheesy and hard to believe in.
July 10, 2020
3 stars
Faker was a great debut novel! Hate to love/work place romances... I'm always here for them. The synopsis of this gave me serious 'The Hating Game' vibes, and that's one of my favorite romances so I knew I had to read this one. I'm so happy I did.
Emmie and Tate have worked across from one another for years. Emmie is with a company that is primarily men, so she's learned to hold her own. It's different with Tate, though. The first thing Emmie noticed when she met Tate is how attractive he was. The second thing she noticed was he despised her, and she had no idea why. She still has no idea why. Now, the two are forced to work together on a big project, and Emmie has no clue how this will go.
I loved finding out all the 'whys' of this hate to love relationship, and I loved both of the main characters. Emmie is strong, fierce, and feisty in the best way. Tate is just everything. He's one of those characters you don't love at first, but once you see the real him... swoon. I adored the man. I truly loved so much about this book. Sure, there was a little unnecessary drama towards the end, but thankfully, it was cleared up rather quickly.
Sarah Smith's writing was fun and her characters were endearing. This book was enjoyable and I'll definitely be checking this author's future works. If you're looking for an enemies to lovers romance that is sweet and steamy, I recommend this!!
No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to fake anything with him.
Faker was a great debut novel! Hate to love/work place romances... I'm always here for them. The synopsis of this gave me serious 'The Hating Game' vibes, and that's one of my favorite romances so I knew I had to read this one. I'm so happy I did.
Emmie and Tate have worked across from one another for years. Emmie is with a company that is primarily men, so she's learned to hold her own. It's different with Tate, though. The first thing Emmie noticed when she met Tate is how attractive he was. The second thing she noticed was he despised her, and she had no idea why. She still has no idea why. Now, the two are forced to work together on a big project, and Emmie has no clue how this will go.
I loved finding out all the 'whys' of this hate to love relationship, and I loved both of the main characters. Emmie is strong, fierce, and feisty in the best way. Tate is just everything. He's one of those characters you don't love at first, but once you see the real him... swoon. I adored the man. I truly loved so much about this book. Sure, there was a little unnecessary drama towards the end, but thankfully, it was cleared up rather quickly.
Sarah Smith's writing was fun and her characters were endearing. This book was enjoyable and I'll definitely be checking this author's future works. If you're looking for an enemies to lovers romance that is sweet and steamy, I recommend this!!
"You tick all my boxes. There's no one in the world like you, Emmie."
August 19, 2019
2.5 stars. I'm rounding up just because I'm feeling generous.
When I read the blurb for this book, I got excited. I thought it was going to be a fun little rom-com. And I guess for some it will be....
If you are a hateful old bat like me you need to ask yourself some questions that go like this:
This book is very cheesey. It's one of those enemy then they are in lurrrrve books, but usually I like a bit more of enemy stuff. This one just didn't fill that need.
Next: I love that the story includes a multicultural relationship. BUT how many flipping times does the main man Tate have to have his skin discussed...we get that he is white. REPEATEDLY
But who cares because he is as boring as shit.
And then finally (because I'm totally going more ragey on this book than I should) is....does the character using slurp during sexy times make your head go into directions that it shouldn't?
or
Wait, I said this book wasn't that bad.
I really didn't hate it!
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review
When I read the blurb for this book, I got excited. I thought it was going to be a fun little rom-com. And I guess for some it will be....
If you are a hateful old bat like me you need to ask yourself some questions that go like this:
This book is very cheesey. It's one of those enemy then they are in lurrrrve books, but usually I like a bit more of enemy stuff. This one just didn't fill that need.
Next: I love that the story includes a multicultural relationship. BUT how many flipping times does the main man Tate have to have his skin discussed...we get that he is white. REPEATEDLY
But who cares because he is as boring as shit.
And then finally (because I'm totally going more ragey on this book than I should) is....does the character using slurp during sexy times make your head go into directions that it shouldn't?
or
Wait, I said this book wasn't that bad.
I really didn't hate it!
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review
October 24, 2020
With all the mixed reviews I’ve read, I went into this book with the lowest of expectations. I wanted so badly to, at the very least, enjoy it. Especially because the main character is half-Ilocano.
But!!! This isn’t just badly written with hilariously unrealistic dialogue, it’s borderline problematic as well. There is a lot of... weird fixation on whiteness that happens. And for some reason, the “conflict” of the story (if you can even call it that) is the love interest is too introverted, which is repeatedly used as a crutch for his abusive or shitty behavior.
I am confuzzled (a cute way of saying I was hella confused as I read this).
Full review to come (and tea may or may not be served).
P.S. At some point, the love interest is compared to Thor and is described as “the god of thunder dipped in a milk bath.” This Marvel fan is not on board with this.
But!!! This isn’t just badly written with hilariously unrealistic dialogue, it’s borderline problematic as well. There is a lot of... weird fixation on whiteness that happens. And for some reason, the “conflict” of the story (if you can even call it that) is the love interest is too introverted, which is repeatedly used as a crutch for his abusive or shitty behavior.
I am confuzzled (a cute way of saying I was hella confused as I read this).
Full review to come (and tea may or may not be served).
P.S. At some point, the love interest is compared to Thor and is described as “the god of thunder dipped in a milk bath.” This Marvel fan is not on board with this.
December 4, 2019
This contemporary romance novel is ... a lot like The Hating Game. Except with most of the wit and humor sucked out.
26 year old Emmie Echavarre is a copywriter at a power tool distributor called Nuts & Bolts. She's surrounded by men in the workplace, so she acts a lot tougher than she really is to make sure she gets respected ... and it works, mostly. But the hardest person for her to get along with is handsome Tate Rasmussen, who's in charge of the company's social media and treats her with unrelenting hostility. Until he doesn't, but by that time Emmie's got a LOT of residual resentment to work off.
A soft 3 stars for me. I enjoyed it well enough while I was reading it, but it's derivative and forgettable. I never completely bought into the relationship here, especially Tate's initial meanness, which felt really unwarranted and inexcusable in a work setting. Again, The Hating Game did a lot better job of making you understand the guy's point of view when he was acting rude, and I had issues with it even there.
On the plus side: diversity representation. Okay then! That's great, but not enough to bump this up to a "recommend" rating.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Content note: explicit sex and F-bombs.
26 year old Emmie Echavarre is a copywriter at a power tool distributor called Nuts & Bolts. She's surrounded by men in the workplace, so she acts a lot tougher than she really is to make sure she gets respected ... and it works, mostly. But the hardest person for her to get along with is handsome Tate Rasmussen, who's in charge of the company's social media and treats her with unrelenting hostility. Until he doesn't, but by that time Emmie's got a LOT of residual resentment to work off.
A soft 3 stars for me. I enjoyed it well enough while I was reading it, but it's derivative and forgettable. I never completely bought into the relationship here, especially Tate's initial meanness, which felt really unwarranted and inexcusable in a work setting. Again, The Hating Game did a lot better job of making you understand the guy's point of view when he was acting rude, and I had issues with it even there.
On the plus side: diversity representation. Okay then! That's great, but not enough to bump this up to a "recommend" rating.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Content note: explicit sex and F-bombs.
October 29, 2019
Emmie is a faker. It’s literally her job. Well, her job is actually working at a power tool company with few women and tons of men.
Emmie is 100% real in her disdain for one of her coworkers, Tate. Emmie has tried to be kind to him and she’s been rebuffed at every turn. Oh, and Tate is hot. Of course.
Emmie and Tate are assigned a project together, and they quickly see each other beyond their “work personas.”
The hate to love trope is always a fun one and Faker is especially redeeming. I found the writing and storyline smart and engaging. My favorite aspect was the banter between Tate and Emmie, and I also loved that the author included diverse characters. Highly recommended for rom com fans!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Emmie is 100% real in her disdain for one of her coworkers, Tate. Emmie has tried to be kind to him and she’s been rebuffed at every turn. Oh, and Tate is hot. Of course.
Emmie and Tate are assigned a project together, and they quickly see each other beyond their “work personas.”
The hate to love trope is always a fun one and Faker is especially redeeming. I found the writing and storyline smart and engaging. My favorite aspect was the banter between Tate and Emmie, and I also loved that the author included diverse characters. Highly recommended for rom com fans!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
July 22, 2019
I received this book for free from the publisher (Berkley Publishing) in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited to read this book because it is an own voices book written by a biracial Filipino American woman. As some of you may know, I too am a biracial Filipino American woman. I knew I had to read this book because representation matters!
All in all, I found this to be a cute romance.
I loved Tate. Despite his tough exterior, he was such a softie and a generous lover. I loved that he put female pleasure first. Speaking of pleasure, I really liked the sex scenes.
One of things I really liked was the communication between Emmie and Tate. Many times in contemporary romances there will be miscommunications and misunderstandings between the main characters and they will go their separate ways and sulk for a week instead of talking through it. In this book, the characters will almost immediately talk about the situation, which I find more realistic.
This book does get comparisons to The Hating Game by Sally Thorne because of the workplace enemies-to-lovers trope. I have read that book, but it was a while ago so I don’t remember much. Because of that, I can’t speak to their similarities.
As for the Filipino representation, I enjoyed seeing lit bits of Filipino culture like Illocano words and Filipino food. I was also happy to see Emmie talk about being darker skinned and how that has impacted her. There is also a lot of talk about Hawaii, since Emmie grew up on the Big Island.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am so happy to finally see some Filipino rep in romance!
I was so excited to read this book because it is an own voices book written by a biracial Filipino American woman. As some of you may know, I too am a biracial Filipino American woman. I knew I had to read this book because representation matters!
All in all, I found this to be a cute romance.
I loved Tate. Despite his tough exterior, he was such a softie and a generous lover. I loved that he put female pleasure first. Speaking of pleasure, I really liked the sex scenes.
One of things I really liked was the communication between Emmie and Tate. Many times in contemporary romances there will be miscommunications and misunderstandings between the main characters and they will go their separate ways and sulk for a week instead of talking through it. In this book, the characters will almost immediately talk about the situation, which I find more realistic.
This book does get comparisons to The Hating Game by Sally Thorne because of the workplace enemies-to-lovers trope. I have read that book, but it was a while ago so I don’t remember much. Because of that, I can’t speak to their similarities.
As for the Filipino representation, I enjoyed seeing lit bits of Filipino culture like Illocano words and Filipino food. I was also happy to see Emmie talk about being darker skinned and how that has impacted her. There is also a lot of talk about Hawaii, since Emmie grew up on the Big Island.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am so happy to finally see some Filipino rep in romance!
August 21, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Before anyone gets all up in arms about the 3 Stars I’m giving this one, let’s get things clear. I use the Goodreads’ rating system. Therefore, 3 Stars = “I liked it.” There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a 3 Star rating. Also, I read this one here . . . .
So momma sho ‘nuff wasn’t complaining. When it comes to romance novels, they either click with me or they don’t. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of hate to love tropes (not to mention co-workers becoming romantically involved while continually acknowledging the fact that their company has a no fraternization policy), the premise of Emmie being a “professional faker” was a bit of a stretch (she didn’t seem to really fake much other than pretending she wasn’t attracted to Tate), the “we should take it slow” to . . . .
(and clearing a drawer out immediately to boot), and the worst thing of all . . . not being physically attracted (like AT ALL) to the description of the male lead. I don’t care how many times Emmie tried to convince he was some sort of Norse god – in my head he remained . . . .
And, in case you aren’t aware . . . .
I did appreciate that this remained pretty light throughout and the added drama (because there always has to be a little added drama, right???) was not super angsty and drawn out. I also remain in love with these covers – no matter what some trolly little “author” (*cough blogger cough*) has to say about the reasons why. For the record: #1 NO, I am not so dense that I think Young Adult stories will be contained within the pages and #2 NO, I am not embarrassed to read smut in public. I am the woman who had the following experience:
*SOUND OF ALARM WHEN ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE LIBRARY*
Pornbrarian: Ma’am? Oh, ma’am??? (Should have murdered her right there, it’s MISS mother*&^%$#!)
Me: Am I doing that?
Pornbrarian: Yes, sorry. NUTS DIDN’T CHECK OUT PROPERLY. WILL YOU PLEASE COME BACK TO THE COUNTER WITH NUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTSSSSSSS????
If you aren’t familiar, here’s Nuts . . . . .
That was also the last time my youngest ever went to the library with me.
So not only do I call it the Pornbrary – literally to EVERYONE in my life – I also don’t “hide” behind the Kindle and am more than happy to respond to the question of “what are you reading today?” when approached at the fancy coffee maker with answers like . . . . .
Keep up the cutesy cartoon covers Berkley. I love ‘em. Just watch out about these leading men . . . .
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It don’t get much more honest than spilling my own tea all over the intertubes, kids.
Before anyone gets all up in arms about the 3 Stars I’m giving this one, let’s get things clear. I use the Goodreads’ rating system. Therefore, 3 Stars = “I liked it.” There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a 3 Star rating. Also, I read this one here . . . .
So momma sho ‘nuff wasn’t complaining. When it comes to romance novels, they either click with me or they don’t. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of hate to love tropes (not to mention co-workers becoming romantically involved while continually acknowledging the fact that their company has a no fraternization policy), the premise of Emmie being a “professional faker” was a bit of a stretch (she didn’t seem to really fake much other than pretending she wasn’t attracted to Tate), the “we should take it slow” to . . . .
(and clearing a drawer out immediately to boot), and the worst thing of all . . . not being physically attracted (like AT ALL) to the description of the male lead. I don’t care how many times Emmie tried to convince he was some sort of Norse god – in my head he remained . . . .
And, in case you aren’t aware . . . .
I did appreciate that this remained pretty light throughout and the added drama (because there always has to be a little added drama, right???) was not super angsty and drawn out. I also remain in love with these covers – no matter what some trolly little “author” (*cough blogger cough*) has to say about the reasons why. For the record: #1 NO, I am not so dense that I think Young Adult stories will be contained within the pages and #2 NO, I am not embarrassed to read smut in public. I am the woman who had the following experience:
*SOUND OF ALARM WHEN ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE LIBRARY*
Pornbrarian: Ma’am? Oh, ma’am??? (Should have murdered her right there, it’s MISS mother*&^%$#!)
Me: Am I doing that?
Pornbrarian: Yes, sorry. NUTS DIDN’T CHECK OUT PROPERLY. WILL YOU PLEASE COME BACK TO THE COUNTER WITH NUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTSSSSSSS????
If you aren’t familiar, here’s Nuts . . . . .
That was also the last time my youngest ever went to the library with me.
So not only do I call it the Pornbrary – literally to EVERYONE in my life – I also don’t “hide” behind the Kindle and am more than happy to respond to the question of “what are you reading today?” when approached at the fancy coffee maker with answers like . . . . .
Keep up the cutesy cartoon covers Berkley. I love ‘em. Just watch out about these leading men . . . .
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It don’t get much more honest than spilling my own tea all over the intertubes, kids.
October 26, 2019
Sarah Smith has written a sweet, swoony, and steamy romcom. This book is being compared to “The Hating Game” I think this is an accurate comparison. Both are workplace enemies to lovers romances filled with Snark, humor, and charm. So if you loved THG as much as I did you’re definitely enjoy this book. But as similar as they were they were also quite different. Emmie is one of the few women at The tool company where she works. For this reason she spends her days “faking“ that she is a tough cookie not to be messed with. Tate, her coworker is dismissive and rude, and unavoidable because their offices are right next to each other. I am sure you know where this is going, the ending is not unpredictable, but it is oh such a fun and entertaining journey! Emmie was a great character, one of those characters you’d want to be friends with. Then there is Tate. Have you ever had a friend date somebody and they just thought the guy was the hottest greatest thing ever and you just didn’t see it? Yes? In this situation I am Emmie’s friend and that guy is Tate. I just didn’t get the attraction. There was attraction and chemistry and I loved the banter between them, I just didn’t get it. In spite of this I really enjoyed this book it was a fun feel good read that put a goofy smile on my face. And even though I didn’t find Tate to be the man of my dreams I think he was Emmie’s! Not only were they attracted to one another they also communicated quite well, always a bonus!
This book in emojis: 🔩 🍍 🔨 💑
*** Big thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book ***
This book in emojis: 🔩 🍍 🔨 💑
*** Big thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book ***
October 25, 2019
2-ish stars
I wanted to love this book. I really did. It has everything that would attract me to a romance book; enemies to lovers trope, office romance, and a cute cover. But, they were all done badly which turned something that I was suppose to enjoy and love to a huge disappointment.
The enemies to lovers aspect is pretty much NONEXISTENT! The “hating” part was over before I get the chance to remember the characters names! I couldn’t see an actual plot, it was just so basic and boring and I couldn’t see anything happening. I didn’t connect with the characters at all! There were zero chemistry between them and I didn’t enjoy their romance. They were just too cheesy for my liking.
Also, This is the first time I read an enemies to lovers romance with an insta love trope at the same time. How is that even possible? I wish I could have loved it more but It didn’t really hold my interest. I had a really high expectations for this book and I was left disappointed.
I wanted to love this book. I really did. It has everything that would attract me to a romance book; enemies to lovers trope, office romance, and a cute cover. But, they were all done badly which turned something that I was suppose to enjoy and love to a huge disappointment.
The enemies to lovers aspect is pretty much NONEXISTENT! The “hating” part was over before I get the chance to remember the characters names! I couldn’t see an actual plot, it was just so basic and boring and I couldn’t see anything happening. I didn’t connect with the characters at all! There were zero chemistry between them and I didn’t enjoy their romance. They were just too cheesy for my liking.
Also, This is the first time I read an enemies to lovers romance with an insta love trope at the same time. How is that even possible? I wish I could have loved it more but It didn’t really hold my interest. I had a really high expectations for this book and I was left disappointed.
![Profile Image for Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1746468325i%2F66224803._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
October 20, 2019
Story 🌟🌟🌟
This was a book where I hoped it would land on my favorite shelf, but sadly it didn’t win my heart over.
At least not enough.
It was a work related hate-to-love romance with two people who looked really different but who had the same personalities.
Even though it was a different story, different characters etc. it still had a lot of similarities with my favorite book - the hating game.
I don’t know if I really felt the connection between those two, but I was still really happy when they got together.
But even though there was a bit drama sometime, it felt all so smooth and too perfect for me.
Still, it was really entertaining and I had fun.
Character 🌟🌟🌟
Emmie was a tough character to understand. On the one hand she was this hard working and tough woman in a company full of many men, but on the other hand she was also this loving friend, daughter and sister.
Even though Emmie thought that she was faking it, I don’t think she really did.
I think all this personality traits I mentioned fulfill a whole personality, that is different in its own way.
The way she stood up for herself, was loyal to her family and friends and took help even though she didn’t want to, made me like her.
Tate was also a really weird guy. He was always really mean to Emmie, but then sometimes he was protecting her in his own weird way, wanting to start conversation with her even though she didn’t want to and stayed with her a whole weekend in the hospital even though he didn’t need to.
After Emmie saw his “real” face it all changed. He was like this perfect, cute and nice boy who complimented and smiled for the girl. Supported her and helped her whenever he could.
It was kind of cute even though he seemed too perfect for me.
All in all I don’t really know what to think of both of them. I liked them, yes, but I don’t know if I would read another book about them. In the end it was a bit... not boring but... not as exciting as I expected.
Relationships 🌟🌟🌟
Like is said: there were similarities to the relationship in my favorite book ever, but this relationship was different.
First of all they were way more mature about the whole dating thing: they called a date a date, told each other that this thing between them is called dating and they’re girlfriend and boyfriend and when they fought they talked it out.
But still it was so weird sometimes. Tate changed from asshole to nice guy in seconds and then when he revealed Emmie his “true self” he was never again this stone cold ice guy. Just once, and that was just a tiny bit of ice.
All in all they were cute, but everything went too smooth for my own liking.
Writing style 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The book itself was written in one POV, Emmies. It was entertaining, had some text messages and emails in it and I read it in 24h.
I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I will ever reread this.
_______________________________________
A hate-to-love book?
This was a book where I hoped it would land on my favorite shelf, but sadly it didn’t win my heart over.
At least not enough.
It was a work related hate-to-love romance with two people who looked really different but who had the same personalities.
Even though it was a different story, different characters etc. it still had a lot of similarities with my favorite book - the hating game.
I don’t know if I really felt the connection between those two, but I was still really happy when they got together.
But even though there was a bit drama sometime, it felt all so smooth and too perfect for me.
Still, it was really entertaining and I had fun.
Character 🌟🌟🌟
Emmie was a tough character to understand. On the one hand she was this hard working and tough woman in a company full of many men, but on the other hand she was also this loving friend, daughter and sister.
Even though Emmie thought that she was faking it, I don’t think she really did.
I think all this personality traits I mentioned fulfill a whole personality, that is different in its own way.
The way she stood up for herself, was loyal to her family and friends and took help even though she didn’t want to, made me like her.
Tate was also a really weird guy. He was always really mean to Emmie, but then sometimes he was protecting her in his own weird way, wanting to start conversation with her even though she didn’t want to and stayed with her a whole weekend in the hospital even though he didn’t need to.
After Emmie saw his “real” face it all changed. He was like this perfect, cute and nice boy who complimented and smiled for the girl. Supported her and helped her whenever he could.
It was kind of cute even though he seemed too perfect for me.
All in all I don’t really know what to think of both of them. I liked them, yes, but I don’t know if I would read another book about them. In the end it was a bit... not boring but... not as exciting as I expected.
Relationships 🌟🌟🌟
Like is said: there were similarities to the relationship in my favorite book ever, but this relationship was different.
First of all they were way more mature about the whole dating thing: they called a date a date, told each other that this thing between them is called dating and they’re girlfriend and boyfriend and when they fought they talked it out.
But still it was so weird sometimes. Tate changed from asshole to nice guy in seconds and then when he revealed Emmie his “true self” he was never again this stone cold ice guy. Just once, and that was just a tiny bit of ice.
All in all they were cute, but everything went too smooth for my own liking.
Writing style 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The book itself was written in one POV, Emmies. It was entertaining, had some text messages and emails in it and I read it in 24h.
I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I will ever reread this.
_______________________________________
A hate-to-love book?
Want to read
March 11, 20192009 Ellen Gail: "ewww, rom coms are so cheesy. why would I read that?"
2019 Ellen Gail: "rom coms are so cheesy. I effing love it."
2019 Ellen Gail: "rom coms are so cheesy. I effing love it."
October 13, 2019
TITLE: FAKER
AUTHOR: Sarah Smith
RELEASE DATE: October 8, 2019
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
THEMES & TROPES: Enemies-to-Lovers, Office Romance
RATING: 2 Stars
CLIFFHANGER: No
READ MY REVIEW ON THE BLOG
I had high hopes for FAKER. Maybe too high - I don't know. This started out quite entertaining. Emmie, our prickly heroine, is used to the male display of dominance and pissing contests. She works as a copywriter for tool products so, putting up a brave front, she seems to have it under control. Except when it comes to Tate.
I wish I could rave about Tate like others did but to me he was rude, so freaking rude and unlikable. It was so off-putting how he treated, well, pretty much everyone. His unreasonable jealousy got on my nerves fast. Once Emmie and Tate worked out their issues I didn't hate him as much but I never really warmed up to either of them. I thought they both acted like teenagers.
There were also a couple of things that didn't make much sense to me - like Emmie's appendicitis. The doctor explained Emmie's not noticing it with the symptoms of a concussion she contracted when she fell from a ladder. Everyone who has had appendicitis knows how much in pain you are...so...no. That didn't make sense.
That last incident towards the end...
It was too much. It was all so far fetched and only created unnecessary drama for the sake of it.
This book is being compared to The Hating Game and it was what drew me to it. I think it's universes away from Sally Thorne's bestseller. The only thing these two have in common is the enemies-to-lovers and office romance trope. But that's me - so as always when a book doesn't chime with me I urge you to check out other reviews - what didn't work for me may absolutely work for you!
December 13, 2019
I want the bastards in this book DEAD at my doorstep by dawn
I dragged myself out of the battle with this book bloody and battered but I did it. I finished the worst book I have read this year.
Oh my god. Can we start with the first pages and Emmie’s hate for Tate while she simultaneously obsessed over how white he is? Like she was honestly worshipping the paleness of his skin. For someone who is Filipino and grew up in Hawaii to see whiteness as such a good quality is really concerning and I can imagine a little upsetting. She later asks Tate if he has an Asian fetish but she literally fetishizes his pale skin.
The work project is that a hardware company is building a house for a poor family. Okay. That makes sense. She has a hard hat on the cover. Except once Emmie falls off a ladder with her hard hat on, that just happens to fall off and result in a concussion, the work site hardly gets brought up again. We don’t see the house finished or the family’s reaction. Like what the hell was the point.
She gets diagnosed with a mild concussion and is held overnight. Girl what hospital would ever!!!!! And then she ends up having appendicitis and surgery. She conveniently has no one to stay with her because her mom and sister are both out of town in different places so her coworker that she hates stays with her for 36 hours lmfao wow he’s such an asshole right
Except he actually is an asshole!!! He is a broody bastard who miscommunicates almost on purpose and has rage issues and Emmie is the most insecure idiot
*they kiss* *he stays with her for days in the hospital* “it’s going to be so awkward at work when we get back and Tate hates me again” lmfao how dumb are you. All that and she asks if he has a girlfriend. No, I just go around kissing everyone
Then we have this bitch... “a man walks in to the room. He has on a white coat and a stethoscope. I assume he is the doctor.” “A girl that looks identical to Tate walks up and hugs him and says ‘hey, twin!’ I assume this is Tate’s twin.” (The first one actually happened, the second one is an example I made up, but it probably almost happened.) The author did a piss poor job of just letting us figure things out, like the most obvious things. They pulled up to Tate’s old high school and she said “I assume this was Tate’s high school.” Like r u on crack sis ????
As far as word choices go, oh man. This bitch called a boner a “pants tent,” said two men were “facing off like gorillas,” said during intimate moments that she “moaned and squealed like a wounded animal,” and my personal favorite: during sex, she said: “I made a noise that was hardly human. But it had to be human, because it came from me, and I’m a human.” BITCH WHAT THE FUCK LMFAOOOO. Is that your attempt at humor or are you actually just stupid!!!
Emmie would not stop calling Tate “Tate Rasmussen” in her head. Like, yeah, I call David Dobrik David Dobrik because we are not on a first name basis. But Tate was her coworker for months and then ate her out while she recovered from appendicitis and she still has the nerve to say “I can’t believe I’m in Tate Rasmussen’s house” lmfaooo he’s not Harry Styles why are you dropping his government name!!
Speaking of appendicitis, the only thing keeping these two cRaZy KiDs from having sex for four weeks was her doctors orders to not do anything strenuous for a month after surgery. So we basically suffer through a month of them dry humping the walls while thinking about each other and then when they finally have sex we get to hear about how she had to talk herself out of cumming early lmfao bitch r u crazy
BECAUSE SHE TOLD HIM IN THE HOSPITAL SHE RARELY CUMS DURING SEX lmfao I love telling my coworkers that I think hate me personal things that they definitely couldn’t use against me
The reason they hated each other all stemmed from her looking like his ex lmfaooo who he kissed at his high school reunion thinking it was Emmie lmfao!!!!!!! Girl what
The high school reunion she begged him to go to and then they spoke to two people, his SISTER and his best friend who appeared twice in the novel prior, and then decided to leave to go fuck. So like NO POINT whatsoever in going. But Emmie isn’t like other girls teehee so she stops to cram 3 slices of cake in her mouth and that’s when he kisses his ex.
So she calls an ex crush to pick her up, but her car is at Tate’s, and he takes her there, and Tate pulls up and goes nuclear on the both of them and then is like “I always liked you uwu read my texts to my sister over the past YEAR” Emmie says she doesn’t have time “but I hate texting” he says and she says you texted me the whole weekend I was sick!!! And he says “I like texting you uwu”
Conveniently enough he and his sister seem to have only ever texted about Emmie lmfaoo no “grandma is in the hospital” no “did you borrow my backpack” no “mom says dinner at Outback Steakhouse Friday night at 8” so the author has no clue what sibling relationships are like
Because Emmie has been dating Tate for a month and her sister Skypes her and she lies about being at Tate’s and says she’s at a friends house!! What a good sister awww
Then she gets embarrassed... getting caught... sleeping over at her boyfriends house by his sister? Not even his mom lmao his twin sister. The sister is a voice of reason and is like I don’t give a fuck. But Emmie literally called it the walk of shame. Not when it’s from your boyfriends house!!!!!!!!!
Then the happy ending is them turning in their relationship disclosure form to their bosses in their bosses office and the bosses don’t care and have shit to do and they leave and so Tate and Emmie profess their love to each other in their fucking bosses office LMFAO idiots I swear to god
I’m sure I could go on frankly but I never want to think about this abomination again.
I dragged myself out of the battle with this book bloody and battered but I did it. I finished the worst book I have read this year.
Oh my god. Can we start with the first pages and Emmie’s hate for Tate while she simultaneously obsessed over how white he is? Like she was honestly worshipping the paleness of his skin. For someone who is Filipino and grew up in Hawaii to see whiteness as such a good quality is really concerning and I can imagine a little upsetting. She later asks Tate if he has an Asian fetish but she literally fetishizes his pale skin.
The work project is that a hardware company is building a house for a poor family. Okay. That makes sense. She has a hard hat on the cover. Except once Emmie falls off a ladder with her hard hat on, that just happens to fall off and result in a concussion, the work site hardly gets brought up again. We don’t see the house finished or the family’s reaction. Like what the hell was the point.
She gets diagnosed with a mild concussion and is held overnight. Girl what hospital would ever!!!!! And then she ends up having appendicitis and surgery. She conveniently has no one to stay with her because her mom and sister are both out of town in different places so her coworker that she hates stays with her for 36 hours lmfao wow he’s such an asshole right
Except he actually is an asshole!!! He is a broody bastard who miscommunicates almost on purpose and has rage issues and Emmie is the most insecure idiot
*they kiss* *he stays with her for days in the hospital* “it’s going to be so awkward at work when we get back and Tate hates me again” lmfao how dumb are you. All that and she asks if he has a girlfriend. No, I just go around kissing everyone
Then we have this bitch... “a man walks in to the room. He has on a white coat and a stethoscope. I assume he is the doctor.” “A girl that looks identical to Tate walks up and hugs him and says ‘hey, twin!’ I assume this is Tate’s twin.” (The first one actually happened, the second one is an example I made up, but it probably almost happened.) The author did a piss poor job of just letting us figure things out, like the most obvious things. They pulled up to Tate’s old high school and she said “I assume this was Tate’s high school.” Like r u on crack sis ????
As far as word choices go, oh man. This bitch called a boner a “pants tent,” said two men were “facing off like gorillas,” said during intimate moments that she “moaned and squealed like a wounded animal,” and my personal favorite: during sex, she said: “I made a noise that was hardly human. But it had to be human, because it came from me, and I’m a human.” BITCH WHAT THE FUCK LMFAOOOO. Is that your attempt at humor or are you actually just stupid!!!
Emmie would not stop calling Tate “Tate Rasmussen” in her head. Like, yeah, I call David Dobrik David Dobrik because we are not on a first name basis. But Tate was her coworker for months and then ate her out while she recovered from appendicitis and she still has the nerve to say “I can’t believe I’m in Tate Rasmussen’s house” lmfaooo he’s not Harry Styles why are you dropping his government name!!
Speaking of appendicitis, the only thing keeping these two cRaZy KiDs from having sex for four weeks was her doctors orders to not do anything strenuous for a month after surgery. So we basically suffer through a month of them dry humping the walls while thinking about each other and then when they finally have sex we get to hear about how she had to talk herself out of cumming early lmfao bitch r u crazy
BECAUSE SHE TOLD HIM IN THE HOSPITAL SHE RARELY CUMS DURING SEX lmfao I love telling my coworkers that I think hate me personal things that they definitely couldn’t use against me
The reason they hated each other all stemmed from her looking like his ex lmfaooo who he kissed at his high school reunion thinking it was Emmie lmfao!!!!!!! Girl what
The high school reunion she begged him to go to and then they spoke to two people, his SISTER and his best friend who appeared twice in the novel prior, and then decided to leave to go fuck. So like NO POINT whatsoever in going. But Emmie isn’t like other girls teehee so she stops to cram 3 slices of cake in her mouth and that’s when he kisses his ex.
So she calls an ex crush to pick her up, but her car is at Tate’s, and he takes her there, and Tate pulls up and goes nuclear on the both of them and then is like “I always liked you uwu read my texts to my sister over the past YEAR” Emmie says she doesn’t have time “but I hate texting” he says and she says you texted me the whole weekend I was sick!!! And he says “I like texting you uwu”
Conveniently enough he and his sister seem to have only ever texted about Emmie lmfaoo no “grandma is in the hospital” no “did you borrow my backpack” no “mom says dinner at Outback Steakhouse Friday night at 8” so the author has no clue what sibling relationships are like
Because Emmie has been dating Tate for a month and her sister Skypes her and she lies about being at Tate’s and says she’s at a friends house!! What a good sister awww
Then she gets embarrassed... getting caught... sleeping over at her boyfriends house by his sister? Not even his mom lmao his twin sister. The sister is a voice of reason and is like I don’t give a fuck. But Emmie literally called it the walk of shame. Not when it’s from your boyfriends house!!!!!!!!!
Then the happy ending is them turning in their relationship disclosure form to their bosses in their bosses office and the bosses don’t care and have shit to do and they leave and so Tate and Emmie profess their love to each other in their fucking bosses office LMFAO idiots I swear to god
I’m sure I could go on frankly but I never want to think about this abomination again.
December 24, 2019
You know how in most genre people use the phrase “predictable” as a criticism? To me the best part about contemporary romance is that it is predictable in the best way possible. Sometimes a girl just needs a happily ever after!!!
Sarah Smith’s debut novel Faker is an enemies-to-lovers co-worker romance novel that just hit the sweet spot of steamy, funny, and heart-melting. Wonderful!
I think enemies-to-lovers is probably my favorite romance trope, and I also love a steamy romance between co-workers, so Faker was a hit in my opinion. The setting was really fun and not one that I have seen much of.
Emmie works for a power tool company called Nuts & Bolts located in Omaha, NE, and is one of only a handful of females and minorities to work for the company. As a result, she has developed a tougher persona than she feels, to help her stand up to what (let’s be frank about this), is sexual harassment at work. Cat calls, whistles, unwanted attention—these are the norm. But Emmie has a way of shutting it down and executing her job as a copywriter without too much trouble.
Until the new social media manager Tate starts across the hall from her. From day one, Tate is dismissive and cold towards Emmie, and she quickly marks him as her adversary. But when they are forced to work on a long-term project together, they can’t deny their attraction. And let’s just say, things steam up!
I found the enemies-to-lovers trope in this book to be one of the more realistic in terms of feelings and evolution. Their disconnect made sense, and their attraction and feelings developed organically. But since this is a book, I did want a bit more of the enemies part. It felt like once the wall broke down fairly early on, we didn’t really get the tension of that fine line between love and hate that I wanted. I did really enjoy them as a couple and how they learned more about one another. The sequence of events that leads them to develop feelings was so sweet, and I liked that for once the feelings developed before (or at least in tandem with) the heat between them.
I also really loved the setting in Omaha, as someone who used to live there! I instantly recognized Three Happiness and eCreamery, as well as a number of other locations in the book. That was a fun surprise!!
Fans of contemporary romance will truly adore this book—it is such a great blend of love, fun, and steam. Wonderful work by Sarah Smith!! I’m excited to read more from her.
Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
Sarah Smith’s debut novel Faker is an enemies-to-lovers co-worker romance novel that just hit the sweet spot of steamy, funny, and heart-melting. Wonderful!
I think enemies-to-lovers is probably my favorite romance trope, and I also love a steamy romance between co-workers, so Faker was a hit in my opinion. The setting was really fun and not one that I have seen much of.
Emmie works for a power tool company called Nuts & Bolts located in Omaha, NE, and is one of only a handful of females and minorities to work for the company. As a result, she has developed a tougher persona than she feels, to help her stand up to what (let’s be frank about this), is sexual harassment at work. Cat calls, whistles, unwanted attention—these are the norm. But Emmie has a way of shutting it down and executing her job as a copywriter without too much trouble.
Until the new social media manager Tate starts across the hall from her. From day one, Tate is dismissive and cold towards Emmie, and she quickly marks him as her adversary. But when they are forced to work on a long-term project together, they can’t deny their attraction. And let’s just say, things steam up!
I found the enemies-to-lovers trope in this book to be one of the more realistic in terms of feelings and evolution. Their disconnect made sense, and their attraction and feelings developed organically. But since this is a book, I did want a bit more of the enemies part. It felt like once the wall broke down fairly early on, we didn’t really get the tension of that fine line between love and hate that I wanted. I did really enjoy them as a couple and how they learned more about one another. The sequence of events that leads them to develop feelings was so sweet, and I liked that for once the feelings developed before (or at least in tandem with) the heat between them.
I also really loved the setting in Omaha, as someone who used to live there! I instantly recognized Three Happiness and eCreamery, as well as a number of other locations in the book. That was a fun surprise!!
Fans of contemporary romance will truly adore this book—it is such a great blend of love, fun, and steam. Wonderful work by Sarah Smith!! I’m excited to read more from her.
Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
October 6, 2019
1 Star / 2 Steam (maybe)
This was a huge DUMPSTER FIRE!! I wanted to enjoy it but after the third or fourth mention of how "pale/milky/white" Tate's skin was in only two chapters, this turned into a hate read rather than a read for enjoyment. Emmie is employed in a male-dominated shop dealing with tools. Tate is the social media coordinator and Emmie has taken the companies digital visibility to the next level but when the two of them meet Tate doesn't take to Emmie the way she thinks is acceptable. There is also the constant mentioning of how the men at the tool company objectify the female employees so Emmie has to have her "bitch boss" attitude in place at all times. Tate steps in after an incident with Emmie while taking care of her in an intimate way getting someone in the company fired. Although there was a similar incident in reverse nothing happened to that offender. This story tried and failed to do the hate to lover trope and I found myself utterly annoyed with this story from the obsession/objectification of skin color, why there was supposed to be "hate" between Emmie and Tate didn't really make sense, and there is a love triangle that was just unnecessary. Overall, this was just a mess IMO and a waste of my day.
This specific video review will be included in the September/October 2019 wrap-up.
For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
This was a huge DUMPSTER FIRE!! I wanted to enjoy it but after the third or fourth mention of how "pale/milky/white" Tate's skin was in only two chapters, this turned into a hate read rather than a read for enjoyment. Emmie is employed in a male-dominated shop dealing with tools. Tate is the social media coordinator and Emmie has taken the companies digital visibility to the next level but when the two of them meet Tate doesn't take to Emmie the way she thinks is acceptable. There is also the constant mentioning of how the men at the tool company objectify the female employees so Emmie has to have her "bitch boss" attitude in place at all times. Tate steps in after an incident with Emmie while taking care of her in an intimate way getting someone in the company fired. Although there was a similar incident in reverse nothing happened to that offender. This story tried and failed to do the hate to lover trope and I found myself utterly annoyed with this story from the obsession/objectification of skin color, why there was supposed to be "hate" between Emmie and Tate didn't really make sense, and there is a love triangle that was just unnecessary. Overall, this was just a mess IMO and a waste of my day.
This specific video review will be included in the September/October 2019 wrap-up.
For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
December 9, 2021
I LOVED this!! I thought the whole thing was going to focus on the enemies to lovers romance but it was so much deeper than that and because of it, so much more enjoyable. I loved that the characters communicated really well and I love seeing multicultural couples portrayed so well and with so much heart. This made me swoon, I genuinely laughed out loud a few times, and I was rooting for both characters from the get go!
November 1, 2019
This is a cute, light, steamy rom-com in the hate-to-love sub-genre.
Emmie spends her days faking it—being tough, that is. As one of only a few women working for a company that sells power tools, she needs to show everyone that she’s no-nonsense, and that nothing anyone says or does bothers her. It’s exhausting hiding your true self from people.
One person she doesn’t hide her feelings from is her colleague, Tate. For reasons Emmie can’t understand, he seems to hate her and always has. He takes whatever chance he can to ignore, belittle, or simply be rude to her, so she gives it right back to him.
When they have to work together on a major company initiative, it’s a disaster. They can’t even meet with each other without sniping. But every so often, Tate lets his guard down and Emmie can’t figure out what his true feelings really are.
If you’ve read a rom-com or two, you know what comes next. Is there more to Tate than a gorgeous exterior and a mean interior? Should she let her guard down? Why does he hate her in the first place?
"Faker" is sweet and there are a lot of steamy scenes to be had. Emmie and Tate have good chemistry, too. I guess my criticism is that there just didn’t seem to be enough to why Tate was such a jerk in the first place. Even the usual obstacle in the middle of happiness didn’t quite seem as insurmountable as they often do.
This is still a fun read, though, and it certainly entertained me on my flight home—and kept me hiding the book so my seat mate couldn’t read the sex scenes over my shoulder!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Emmie spends her days faking it—being tough, that is. As one of only a few women working for a company that sells power tools, she needs to show everyone that she’s no-nonsense, and that nothing anyone says or does bothers her. It’s exhausting hiding your true self from people.
One person she doesn’t hide her feelings from is her colleague, Tate. For reasons Emmie can’t understand, he seems to hate her and always has. He takes whatever chance he can to ignore, belittle, or simply be rude to her, so she gives it right back to him.
When they have to work together on a major company initiative, it’s a disaster. They can’t even meet with each other without sniping. But every so often, Tate lets his guard down and Emmie can’t figure out what his true feelings really are.
If you’ve read a rom-com or two, you know what comes next. Is there more to Tate than a gorgeous exterior and a mean interior? Should she let her guard down? Why does he hate her in the first place?
"Faker" is sweet and there are a lot of steamy scenes to be had. Emmie and Tate have good chemistry, too. I guess my criticism is that there just didn’t seem to be enough to why Tate was such a jerk in the first place. Even the usual obstacle in the middle of happiness didn’t quite seem as insurmountable as they often do.
This is still a fun read, though, and it certainly entertained me on my flight home—and kept me hiding the book so my seat mate couldn’t read the sex scenes over my shoulder!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
December 15, 2019
It is truly unfortunate that this book has surface similarities to The Hating Game because it's almost impossible not to compare them. Unfortunately, this book is like The Hating Game if you remove the charm, wit, and banter. I am not the first one to point that out.
The thing is that Emmie isn't a bad romance character. She's working hard in a job she kind of likes and appears to be good at, but has the challenge of being one of the only women in the company. So she's hyper-conscious of how she presents herself and that's wearing but appears to be working. At least for all but one guy who is rude, condescending, and sometimes outright mean. He's naturally going to be the leading man. And that's where the story fails utterly. Because while Emmie is okay (if somewhat bland), Tate is a nonsensical jerk who sends mixed signals like he's a tapdancing telegraph operator. Smith makes the mistake of giving us details of some of their interactions and there's just no adequate excuse for the way Tate treats her. You don't treat any coworker that way and still consider yourself a decent human being. And it's even worse that she's the only one he treats that way. So while Smith is showing us his "redeeming qualities" through kind interaction with others, I'm sitting here thinking "this is not actual redemption, it just makes his jackwagonry personal and targeted."
I got nearly halfway in and Emmie started having feelings for him because the author has him do this weird pivot where he's attentive and nice. And then he reverts for, like, an hour and then he's nice again. And I'm waiting for Emmie to ask him what the heck is going through his fool mind, but she seems to be completely on board and is even developing feelings for the waffling snotrag. And then I made the mistake of putting the book down for the evening. And now I can't look at it without a big pile of "meh" dropping by for a visit. So I'm calling it quits.
I've been looking for an excuse to bump my rating to two stars because the ground-level writing isn't bad and the main character is more-or-less engaging. But a romance depends on both the main character and the love interest being solid wins and this book just doesn't come close. Add a plot that's disjointed and filled with convenient coincidences and I'm sticking with the single star.
The thing is that Emmie isn't a bad romance character. She's working hard in a job she kind of likes and appears to be good at, but has the challenge of being one of the only women in the company. So she's hyper-conscious of how she presents herself and that's wearing but appears to be working. At least for all but one guy who is rude, condescending, and sometimes outright mean. He's naturally going to be the leading man. And that's where the story fails utterly. Because while Emmie is okay (if somewhat bland), Tate is a nonsensical jerk who sends mixed signals like he's a tapdancing telegraph operator. Smith makes the mistake of giving us details of some of their interactions and there's just no adequate excuse for the way Tate treats her. You don't treat any coworker that way and still consider yourself a decent human being. And it's even worse that she's the only one he treats that way. So while Smith is showing us his "redeeming qualities" through kind interaction with others, I'm sitting here thinking "this is not actual redemption, it just makes his jackwagonry personal and targeted."
I got nearly halfway in and Emmie started having feelings for him because the author has him do this weird pivot where he's attentive and nice. And then he reverts for, like, an hour and then he's nice again. And I'm waiting for Emmie to ask him what the heck is going through his fool mind, but she seems to be completely on board and is even developing feelings for the waffling snotrag. And then I made the mistake of putting the book down for the evening. And now I can't look at it without a big pile of "meh" dropping by for a visit. So I'm calling it quits.
I've been looking for an excuse to bump my rating to two stars because the ground-level writing isn't bad and the main character is more-or-less engaging. But a romance depends on both the main character and the love interest being solid wins and this book just doesn't come close. Add a plot that's disjointed and filled with convenient coincidences and I'm sticking with the single star.
October 8, 2019
3.5 stars
Damn I was in so much love with this book...I actually started getting excited because I thought finally after months of waiting and searching, I had finally found my next 5 star read. I loved how cute and sweet the romance was. I loved the characters, their banter, their personalities. Basically everything. But then that plot twist came around 75% into the book and...
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I was SO frustrated with where the author took their romance. It was so unnecessary and just so STUPID. It took away from their romance and everything that the entire book was leading up to. It made me not believe in their connection, it turned me off from their love story. UGH I'm just so frustrated and upset I really and truly do not understand why the author took their story in that direction when their story was perfectly fine without this stupid drama. Up until that moment I was thinking this book was a 4.5 star rating but then after that horrible chapter my rating shot right down to a 3. I want to talk about it in more depth but I will refrain from spoilers.
I don't feel like I can say anything else at this moment because I'm too disappointed with the stupid plot twist and sad that this book wasn't a 5 star read for me. I think many people will love this and probably not think the plot twist is that big of a deal as it was for me. But unfortunately for me, it ruined the story for me. That being said, I do like the author's writing style so I could see myself trying another book of hers in the future.
*arc given in exchange for an honest review*
Damn I was in so much love with this book...I actually started getting excited because I thought finally after months of waiting and searching, I had finally found my next 5 star read. I loved how cute and sweet the romance was. I loved the characters, their banter, their personalities. Basically everything. But then that plot twist came around 75% into the book and...
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I was SO frustrated with where the author took their romance. It was so unnecessary and just so STUPID. It took away from their romance and everything that the entire book was leading up to. It made me not believe in their connection, it turned me off from their love story. UGH I'm just so frustrated and upset I really and truly do not understand why the author took their story in that direction when their story was perfectly fine without this stupid drama. Up until that moment I was thinking this book was a 4.5 star rating but then after that horrible chapter my rating shot right down to a 3. I want to talk about it in more depth but I will refrain from spoilers.
I don't feel like I can say anything else at this moment because I'm too disappointed with the stupid plot twist and sad that this book wasn't a 5 star read for me. I think many people will love this and probably not think the plot twist is that big of a deal as it was for me. But unfortunately for me, it ruined the story for me. That being said, I do like the author's writing style so I could see myself trying another book of hers in the future.
*arc given in exchange for an honest review*
December 11, 2019
I really wanted to like it, but I hold grudges. It must be the Scorpio in me. I know it ends with a HEA and everyone is smiling but I can’t get over the main conflict of the story.
Emmie was Pilipino but her race and culture didn’t feel inclusive and diverse in the story. It felt used and dirty. Which made me so freaking sad. Finally POC are MC’s and I want to scream!
Emmie was Pilipino but her race and culture didn’t feel inclusive and diverse in the story. It felt used and dirty. Which made me so freaking sad. Finally POC are MC’s and I want to scream!
October 4, 2019
*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Faker is a debut romance that caught my eye after the cover was revealed and then I read the blurb and my excitement grew because I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers romances so I knew that I had to get my hands on this story.
As one of the few female employees at a male-dominated company, Emmie Echavarre is a pro at being just "one of the guys". She has tough skin, doesn't let anyone put her down and stands her own ground. But there's one person who has a knack for getting under her skin: her co-worker, Tate Rasmussen. When Emmie and Tate are forced to work together on a charity project for the company, will these two be able to find a way to put aside their differences and get the job done or will it all come crashing down?
Let's start off with the good stuff. If you were a fan of The Hating Game then Faker may be right up your alley. Just like with The Hating Game, Faker had great back and forth banter which was what immediately drew me into the story. I was living for the tension between Emmie and Tate and how they would constantly doing things to push one another buttons. All that tension made for one angsty romance! Not gonna lie, this romance was adorable. I loved the slow build up of these two tip toeing around their feelings for one another and seeing that spark turn into a flame. ALSO THIS BOOK HAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE KINKS! Emmie gets sick and Tate offers to take care of her and I was sobbing because it was so freakin' cute! As for our characters, I felt like Emmie was such a relatable character. She spends most of her days putting on this tough girl act but as the story goes on we see that wall she puts up start to break down slowly and we get to see all that vulnerability underneath that tough exterior. Tate on the other hand, well I'm still not sure how I feel about him. At first, I thought he was a great fit for Emmie and I liked his awkward personality but then the twist happened and now I just can't move past what he did. Now for the not so good stuff. One thing that really irked my nerve while reading this book was how Emmie would constantly bring up Tate's paleness. She would go on and on about how his "skin glowed" and how "flawless" his skin was and the first two times I let it slide, but by the sixth time I was so over it. Like we get it, Tate's skin glows like Edward Cullen's, we got the picture the first time, lol. But the thing that made me really want to throw my eReader across was the conflict. The conflict for this book was slightly disturbing to say the least. I've never read a book with a twist like this and it just rubbed me all the wrong way. The conflict also happened so close to the end of the book that I felt like there wasn't enough time for Tate to grovel and man did that dude deserve to grovel instead of having Emmie easily forgive him like she did. The conflict will definitely make or break this book for some readers. All in all, Faker may have started out as a fun read but the ending was a major flop for me and left a bad taste in my mouth.
Faker is a debut romance that caught my eye after the cover was revealed and then I read the blurb and my excitement grew because I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers romances so I knew that I had to get my hands on this story.
As one of the few female employees at a male-dominated company, Emmie Echavarre is a pro at being just "one of the guys". She has tough skin, doesn't let anyone put her down and stands her own ground. But there's one person who has a knack for getting under her skin: her co-worker, Tate Rasmussen. When Emmie and Tate are forced to work together on a charity project for the company, will these two be able to find a way to put aside their differences and get the job done or will it all come crashing down?
Let's start off with the good stuff. If you were a fan of The Hating Game then Faker may be right up your alley. Just like with The Hating Game, Faker had great back and forth banter which was what immediately drew me into the story. I was living for the tension between Emmie and Tate and how they would constantly doing things to push one another buttons. All that tension made for one angsty romance! Not gonna lie, this romance was adorable. I loved the slow build up of these two tip toeing around their feelings for one another and seeing that spark turn into a flame. ALSO THIS BOOK HAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE KINKS! Emmie gets sick and Tate offers to take care of her and I was sobbing because it was so freakin' cute! As for our characters, I felt like Emmie was such a relatable character. She spends most of her days putting on this tough girl act but as the story goes on we see that wall she puts up start to break down slowly and we get to see all that vulnerability underneath that tough exterior. Tate on the other hand, well I'm still not sure how I feel about him. At first, I thought he was a great fit for Emmie and I liked his awkward personality but then the twist happened and now I just can't move past what he did. Now for the not so good stuff. One thing that really irked my nerve while reading this book was how Emmie would constantly bring up Tate's paleness. She would go on and on about how his "skin glowed" and how "flawless" his skin was and the first two times I let it slide, but by the sixth time I was so over it. Like we get it, Tate's skin glows like Edward Cullen's, we got the picture the first time, lol. But the thing that made me really want to throw my eReader across was the conflict. The conflict for this book was slightly disturbing to say the least. I've never read a book with a twist like this and it just rubbed me all the wrong way. The conflict also happened so close to the end of the book that I felt like there wasn't enough time for Tate to grovel and man did that dude deserve to grovel instead of having Emmie easily forgive him like she did. The conflict will definitely make or break this book for some readers. All in all, Faker may have started out as a fun read but the ending was a major flop for me and left a bad taste in my mouth.
August 30, 2019
If books received awards like at the MTV Movie Awards, Faker would be awarded the title of "Hottest Kisses". Does that entice you enough? No? How about an enemies-to-lovers office romance? Yes, you read that right! Faker has two of my favorite tropes and Sarah Smith's spin on them were fantastic. I had a lot of fun reading this one and I think others will too.
The enemies-to-lovers vibe were strong from the very beginning of this book and I was living for it. Emmie is one of the handful of women that work at a very male-dominated company. Over the years she has had to create a persona for herself to avoid being seen as weak or someone to trample over. Emmie is really the perfect sort of heroine for this kind of contemporary romance. She is fiesty, funny, and very much headstrong. We also get to see quite a bit of her attachment to her Filipina background and culture. It's not a difficult task to want to be on her side. Emmie's most-hated co-worker happens to be Tate, who sits right across her in their office. The two of them don't mesh well together and are constantly at each other's throats. Tate was the quiet and intense type of hero. You're not 100% sure what's going on inside that head of his until it's slowly revealed to you throughout Faker. He is much more introverted than Emmie, but equally smart and passionate. His broody and frowny persona did it for me, especially because it was so delightful to watch him become entirely unraveled by Emmie.
These two and their chemistry are ON FIRE. Seriously, the sexual chemistry is out of this world - they nearly lit my Kindle on fire. Their relationship is HOT and it's not because the book has a ton of sex scenes or anything. It is just HOT. The touches, the kisses, and just the air around these two are fiery! This book also has one of my other favorite plot devices: taking care of the significant other when sick. It brings Emmie and Tate closer together and had my heart all mushy and happy. Admittedly, their "hate" for each other does not last long, but I have no complaints about that because I enjoyed seeing them together so much. The cute little flirty texts they share with each other are one of the best parts of this book! The way Tate was so patient and attentive of Emmie was very romantic! There was some drama towards the end of the book, as you would expect with any book. I was glad that it wasn't dragged out for the sake of angst and these two actually communicated and used their words to get over this hurdle. The only thing I did not care for in this book was the constant mentioning of how "pale" Tate was - it seemed like a fetish for Emmie and I could have personally done without it.
All in all, Faker was a very strong and enjoyable debut romance. I'm looking forward to reading more hot makeout scenes (and more) from Sarah Smith.
October 8, 2019
4.5 STARS!
A debut novel by Sarah Smith, Faker was a real treat and so much fun to read! The cover and then the blurb drew me in instantly, making me want to read this novel. Off the bat, I can see how and why people may get The Hating Game vibes but honestly, there really is no comparison. This story is so very different, diverse, and special in its very own way and right.
The story begins with Emmie our heroine, she's of Filipino and Hawaiian descent. Working in a mostly male dominated career, she doesn't let anyone step all over her. She's a boss and proud of it! But, she's stuck having to see and hear Tate, her enemy, whose office is right across from hers. Constantly bickering back and forth (its rather cute), these two are very hostile towards one another. Now, Tate is a bit of a loner at heart. Reserved, brooding with an introvert personality. He's got that mean look to him but its hard to not see how handsome he is. He'll do whatever he can to get Emmie's attention... even if that means being a complete a-hole.
Their relationship builds slowly with time. We learn so much about these two and how alike they are. The chemistry is off-the-charts. Told mostly through Emmie's POV we get to see her guarded side. She's someone that doesn't let just anyone in. With Tate being so private, he doesn't open up to just anyone, and it's refreshing to see him let his walls down, showing this sweet and kind side. I fell head over heels for this brooding man!!
Overall, this was a great debut! I definitely would have liked more' especially from Tate's POV; however, I'm not disappointed. After reading Sarah's words, we've only hit the tip of the iceberg. This author is full of potential and this is me stating this not knowing what else Sarah has in store for us! So, kudos to Sarah, what an amazing job well done!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*
A debut novel by Sarah Smith, Faker was a real treat and so much fun to read! The cover and then the blurb drew me in instantly, making me want to read this novel. Off the bat, I can see how and why people may get The Hating Game vibes but honestly, there really is no comparison. This story is so very different, diverse, and special in its very own way and right.
The story begins with Emmie our heroine, she's of Filipino and Hawaiian descent. Working in a mostly male dominated career, she doesn't let anyone step all over her. She's a boss and proud of it! But, she's stuck having to see and hear Tate, her enemy, whose office is right across from hers. Constantly bickering back and forth (its rather cute), these two are very hostile towards one another. Now, Tate is a bit of a loner at heart. Reserved, brooding with an introvert personality. He's got that mean look to him but its hard to not see how handsome he is. He'll do whatever he can to get Emmie's attention... even if that means being a complete a-hole.
“A couple months ago, you couldn’t stand the sight of me.”
“And you were starting arguments with me constantly.”
Their relationship builds slowly with time. We learn so much about these two and how alike they are. The chemistry is off-the-charts. Told mostly through Emmie's POV we get to see her guarded side. She's someone that doesn't let just anyone in. With Tate being so private, he doesn't open up to just anyone, and it's refreshing to see him let his walls down, showing this sweet and kind side. I fell head over heels for this brooding man!!
Overall, this was a great debut! I definitely would have liked more' especially from Tate's POV; however, I'm not disappointed. After reading Sarah's words, we've only hit the tip of the iceberg. This author is full of potential and this is me stating this not knowing what else Sarah has in store for us! So, kudos to Sarah, what an amazing job well done!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*
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