The Fake-Up - Justin Myers

Genre: Romance | Contemporary

Release Date: Expected 7th April 2022

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Dylan and Flo don't have the most glamourous life, but they're happy. He's almost an actor, and she's almost a musician, and they've got a cosy flat in the city together. Her private school friends might not get their life, but it's theirs and it's forever.

Until it wasn't. It all fell apart, and in a moment it was over. Their entire relationship had been relegated to a line in a song, an anecdote. But that promise of forever is still lingering and they soon realise they don't want to be apart.

But so much has happened, and they just need some time to themselves to work it out without prying eyes and vicious tongues … so they pretend. They pretend to be apart, while they can work towards their wildest dreams and maybe back to each other.

"We are like Romeo and Juliet. Except we don't die at the end."

This is not the story I expected, but it was a riot nonetheless. Full of total chaos and things I hope could only happen in books or soap operas (Sorry, I meant continual dramas.)

Full of timely and painfully relevant truths about being a woman, a person of colour or a member of the LGBT+ community, especially in the harshness of the spotlight. Hands down this story contains some of the best written women written by a man I've read in a very long time. I also adored the relationship between Dylan and his best friend, Max - a real, affectionate friendship between men who aren't scared so hold each other and say they love each other.

The Fake-Up is a bit of a long read, and definitely had its slow points - but countered it with intense drama and the allure of fame and adoration. The ways our characters got themselves tied up more and more with each turn was so insane that it almost became believable.

Full of sickly sweet romance, side-splitting humour and heartbreak that could 'give a sunflower seasonal affective disorder', this off-beat oddball romcom is definitely something unique.

⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title.

CW: swearing, alcohol, hospitals, homophobia, bullying, cheating.

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