The Fake-Up by Justin Myers | Book Review

“Nope. Admit it, it sounds exciting. Sneaking around? Like being in the French resistance, or a spy or something?”

Dylan and Flo are in love. The only trouble is, they broke up months ago and everyone was delighted for them.

At first, it’s exciting sneaking around, hiding from disapproving friends, climbing through bedroom windows to avoid family, and concocting hilarious disguises. It’s like Romeo and Juliet. With more sex and less poison.

But soon it becomes harder to separate truth from lies. Dylan and Flo are in way over their heads, and the games have only just begun…

15. The Fakeup

I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t been able to keep up with my reading so I thought a nice, easy-to-read romance novel would be a good way to bring back my reading mojo.

Flo is a singer and Dylan makes sure he is present at each of her events, no matter how small they are. He himself is an actor managing to find insignificant roles here and there. They are both waiting for their big break and the frustration creeps into their relationship.

The Fake-Up is a rom-com with two characters who are judging their relationship through the eyes of those around them. Already set up for failure, they eventually break up. Not much later, however, they realise they can’t stay apart. So, to keep their friends from wagging their tongues yet again, they decide to date in secret while having a public relationship with someone else through their work.

Their fake dating was an interesting concept and I enjoyed it in the beginning. But it seemed to stretch on without a purpose. As for the breakup period, it was too short to let the emotions take root and to feel their pain.

There aren’t many twists and no major conflict in the plot which makes the pace a little slow and meandering. The story is told from both Flo and Dylan’s perspective. However I felt there wasn’t much that evolved for them as characters or their relationship.

Their journey lacks spontaneity and a natural flow. You don’t experience any joy or angst for the characters so it is hard to root for them. This is just a compilation of funny instances put together with little thought in looking at the larger picture or the purpose of storytelling.

It is interesting in bits and pieces but felt largely forced. It didn’t engage me but may be more interesting to a comparatively younger reading audience.

The Fake-Up by Justin Myers. Published on 7th April 2022 by Sphere, an imprint of Little Brown Book Group UK. This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group, UK.

Book 15 of 2022.

Aquamarine Flavours Rating: 🌟🌟1/2.

Available on Amazon*.

About Photo: Flo and Dylan are basically hiding their relationship in the shadows.

I’ve played with the light on this leaf pattern, hand-cut on 80gsm paper, and held over the book for a hide-and-seek effect.

About the Author: Justin Myers is a writer from Shipley, Yorkshire, who now lives in London. After years working in journalism, he began his popular blog The Guyliner in 2010. Justin spent five years writing dating and relationship advice for Gay Times, before joining British GQ as a weekly columnist in 2016. His work has appeared in a number of publications including the Guardian, The i, Sunday Times Style and the Irish Times.

You can connect with him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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