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Book Review-The Bookworm’s Guide To Faking It by Emma Hart

by | Jan 2, 2022 | Audio Book Reviews, Book Reviews | 4 comments

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

About The Book

What I expected on Saturday morning: Books.
What I got on Saturday morning: my ex-best friend and first crush in front of me.

Let it be known that I, Holley Stuart, do not give a single rat’s behind about pro baseball’s star pitcher Sebastian Stone.
I definitely don’t care that he’s standing in my bookstore.
Nor do I care that he seems to have forgotten about the last time we saw each other—senior prom, when he both humiliated me and broke my heart, albeit unknowingly.
Now, he needs a date to his sister’s wedding.
Don’t ask me how I ended up being it, because I have no idea. But that’s the least of my problems.
His grandfather is adamant we’re dating, and Seb isn’t in a hurry to convince him otherwise, so I have no choice but to go along with it.
The problem? The only thing I’ve ever faked is… well, you know.
I’ve definitely never faked my feelings for someone.
And judging by the way I feel whenever Seb looks at me, it doesn’t look like I’m starting now

My Review

First Impressions

The Bookworm’s Guide To Faking It was such a fun time, and I breezed through this audiobook here. I had so much fun discovering this romance and enjoying the wonderful voice of Emma Hart. This is a very short and quick read, but it is one that you will get a kick out of. If you want a true romantic comedy, then look no further than this author. I have become impressed with her books so far and see what she pens. This is a romance that features quite an array of tropes and themes here and it was interesting to see how they all worked together. Another delight is that the heroines in this series are all booklovers of romance, so there is a connection to them that is so relatable. I really felt like the elements that are blended in this book just worked so seamlessly and I can tell that its a talent of this author in how she crafts such charming stories.

Summary

Holley Stuart is completely content working in her bookshop, and not having to worry about a man, that is until her high school sweetheart who broke her heart comes back to town. Holley and Sebastian were once best friends until at prom she saw him kissing her nemesis, and it broke her heart and she was never able to forgive or forget that fateful night. But now Sebastian is back and wants to reconcile, but Holley is determined to stand her ground against him. Sebastian has never forgotten Holley, despite his adventures throughout his career, she was his best friend and he is not a pansy and willing to allow Holley to let this misunderstanding widen the gap between them especially as he may be in town longterm due to his baseball injury. Through a set of circumstances, they end up posing a fake relationship, and as they are forced to be close together, the issues that separate them have to come to light and it will turn Holley’s life upside down. Because she realizes that she has never stopped loving him and what she feels him is more powerful than anything that she has ever felt. But will Holley have the courage to embrace what they have together?

What I Liked

This was a story that I truly had so much fun with and I really loved the turn of events that led these two into a fake relationship. I just adore this trope, and I really found this setup so endearing. There are so many fun players involved in this story from the main characters all the way down to the grandparents of Holley and Sebastian, to even the sweater-dressed ducks. The humor in this book was so delightful, I couldn’t stop laughing at all the dry humor and this author definitely knows how to evoke such playful emotions that just left me with a smile all day. I will admit that I just wanted to immerse myself in this story and allow this author to captivate me even further. The romance that develops between these two was quite fun and I didn’t want to let go of this one here. I adored seeing Sebastian and Holley together, and their quirky bantering was utterly delightful. You can bet on many barrels of laughter to entertain you to no end.

What I Disliked

As much as I was charmed by the story I will admit that there were some factors that kept this from a five-star read. The first is how LONG it took for this couple to actually get together. Like they didn’t have sex or even really have a good kiss until the latter half of the story, and even though it’s a short book, I really would have preferred some more built-up chemistry than what we received in this one here. But I also struggled a bit with Holley. I didn’t understand her reasons for pushing Sebastian away constantly throughout the book, it was a bit frustrating. Because even when the truth comes out, she still treats him like a stranger. I felt like she could have faced up to her feelings and fears sooner without Sebastian having to see past her fake persona and get to the facts of the feeling on the matter.

Overall Evaluation

I found The Bookworm’s Guide To Faking It to be an essential story that will charm your heart in the most endearing of ways. It’s a romance of fun angst, playful banter, a reconciliation that will bring a tear to your heart and deliver a sense of contentment to the soul.

Book Details

Title: The Bookworm’s Guide To Faking It

Author: Emma Hart

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance

Format: Audiobook

Source: Hoopla Digital

Length: 6 Hours

About The Narrators

Tim Paige is an audiobook narrator with a passion for romcoms, superheroes, and telling stories that provide an escape from the world (or a new lens with which to view it). A former full-time touring musician, Tim has played on some of the biggest stages in the world. He is the voice of “The More You Know” on NBC, and has provided voice-over for many national commercials, promos, trailers, and video games. When he’s not narrating audiobooks or voicing fun projects, you’ll most often find him playing pretend with his two sons, shouting at the television during Syracuse Orange basketball and football games, or cooking up tasty vegan treats.

Savannah Peachwood was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, and now resides in New York City. Her roots ensure that she brings sweet-as-honey Southern charm to her audiobook narrations.

Book Links

Amazon | Kobo| audible| Anyplay| Goodreads| LibraryThing| The StoryGraph| Literal Club

If you liked these books, then I recommend picking up “the Bookworms Guide To Faking It”

heaven texas by susan elizabeth phillips

charming the highlander by janet chapman

ever after by rachel lacey

Book Evaluation

Storytelling Quality: 5

Story Itself: 5

Character Development: 5

Writing Style: 5

World Building 5

Feels + The Romantic Heart 5

Pacing 4.5

Plot 5

Cover Art 4.5

Ending 5

Book Ratings

Rating of the Book

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Steam Level

Simmering—soft warm touches and light intimacy

Warm- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.

Even though I would say the steam description is more detailed, its a low amount in the story

Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.

Series Order

The Bookworm’s Guide To Dating-Pub 2020 (220 Pages)

The Bookworm’s Guide To Faking It-Pub 2020 (209 Pages)

The Bookworm’s Guide To Flirting-Pub 2021 (174 Pages)

About The Author

Emma Hart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels and has been translated into several different languages. She first put fingers to keys at the age of eighteen after her husband told her she read too much and should write her own.
Four years later, she’s still figuring out what he meant when he said she ‘read too much.’

She prides herself on writing smart smut that’s filled with dry wit, snappy, sarcastic comebacks, but lots of heart… And sex. Sometimes, she kills people. (Disclaimer: In books. But if you bug her, she’ll use your name for the victims.)

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4 Comments

  1. Ann Lorz

    This sounds really cute. I haven’t really read this author yet. Nice review.

    Reply
  2. Sam@WLABB

    I loved how determined Seb was to win Holly back. I am a sucker for a second chance romance too

    Reply
  3. Rachel

    I do enjoy playful banter in a romance. Glad to hear this was a hit!

    Reply
  4. Michele H

    Emma Hart writes some fun banter, doesn’t she? I’m glad you’re loving her rom-coms and the characters she pairs up. I need to catch up on her newer books after reading this wonderful review!! 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Michele HCancel reply