"Faking It" Review

"Faking It'"
by Cora Carmack

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: June 4, 2013
Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Summary from goodreads.com:

Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.

My Review:

This was my first "NA" or New Adult book, and I'm glad that I tried this book before others from the genre. The genre seems to have a reputation as all sex and no substance, but I would definitely say this book does not fall into that trap at all. The cover makes the book seem a lot steamier than it really is. Actually, the book is steamy, but in little ways, not over the top bedroom scenes on every page. The main characters have a lot of chemistry, and the author shows it through unexpected things like hands touching on accident, etc.

Don't get me wrong, this is an adult book with adult themes, it's not YA. There's even a pretty violent street brawl. I'm just glad that it was done in a real way, nothing was over the top for shock value.

Another stereotype that seems to be prevalent in NA is the 'bad boy' syndrome. In this book, the hero is the complete opposite of a bad boy! Which I couldn't be happier about. Max even calls Cade "Golden Boy" because he is so perfect.

There were a few drawbacks to the book, but no deal breakers for me. I didn't think that Mace was a great addition to the story. We knew they were just a fling, so he didn't really seem like a valid obstacle for Max and Cade to get together. Also, the angsty-ness at the end seemed to drag on a bit long.

Otherwise, this is a well-written look at New Adult. I think the genre could be a great thing that readers in the target age group could really enjoy reading. But only if there are more books like this, with great characters, great storylines, and two people trying to have a healthy relationship.

Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 3/5 ( I wouldn't pick it up based on the cover)
Writing: 5/5

Bottom Line: I was hesitant to try the book because I wasn't sure about the genre, but all of my negative assumptions were proven wrong. This is a great New Adult romance.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.