Fake It Till You Break It was one of those books I wanted to love more than I ended up loving it. That being said, if you’re a big Jenny Han book, then this should definitely be up your alley because it has the same kind of fake dating scenario paired with a very quirky MC.
Summary
Mia and Jake have known each other their whole lives. They’ve endured summer vacations, Sunday brunches, even dentist visits together. Their mothers, who are best friends, are convinced that Mia and Jake would be the perfect couple, even though they can’t stand to be in the same room together.
After Mia’s mom turns away yet another cute boy, Mia and Jake decide they’ve have had enough. Together, they hatch a plan to get their moms off their backs. Permanently. All they have to do is pretend to date and then stage the worst breakup of all time—and then they’ll be free.
The only problem is, maybe Jake and Mia don’t hate each other as much as they once thought…
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I’m normally a huge fan of the fake dating trope paired with a childhood friend plot, but for me I was only really intrigued by Jake. And for a dual POV novel, you really should like, or even love, both perspectives. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Mia at all, she was sarcastic and she was passionate, but she didn’t excite me enough. I ended up reading to follow Jake’s story, especially as his family situation was further complicated with his estranged brother.
Mia just felt too cookie cutter for me, too much of, “I’m a very quirky girl with big dreams, I just need someone to help me believe in myself” kind of thing. Which, granted, isn’t enough to rule her out for me, but she didn’t have much else around her – unlike Jake.
I appreciated how Nguyen developed their romance, their chemistry, and attraction. Serious swoons were to be had and I devoured Fake It Till You Break It. However, I think for people who are craving a To All the Boys I Loved Before kind of vibe, this is a great book to follow it up. I just needed a little more depth, but I think that’s also a personal preference.
Find Fake It Till You Break It on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.
I also love a good fake-dating trope so I got so giddy when I found out about this book a couple of weeks ago. I also love Jenny Han so it sounds right down my alley. I am sorry you didn’t enjoy it as much as you hoped to; you’re right, you need to like the characters in these type of books and narration. I’ll still read this one because I’m intrigued but I’ll take into account what you said, so thanks 🙂
Yeah! I hope you really love it! I just don’t know if it was for me, but keep me posted!