Faking the Fall by Julie Christianson: Book Review

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

What’s a movie star to do when giving up the spotlight could hurt the ones he loves most?

My agent has this idea—an insanely bad idea—to reboot my Hollywood heartthrob status by having my long-lost love dump me … while I’m proposing to her on national TV.

The theory? Women everywhere will swoon over poor Lincoln James, scrambling to repair his vulnerable, shattered heart.

Trouble is, I don’t have any kind of love—long, lost, or otherwise.

To play my fake girlfriend, my agent enlists Hadley Morgan, my secret college crush. The one who dragged me to an audition that launched my career but left her in the dust.

Upping the ante, she offers Hadley a slot on the show she missed out on years ago. When the alternative publicity ploy is for reporters to dig up dirt on my family, I’ve got no choice but to go along with the ruse.

That’s why I’m in Harvest Hollow now—as one half of the dream couple HadLink—at least until Hadley explodes our relationship during a very public proposal.

Our breakup’s built into this deal. Too bad I’ve got real love for this woman.

But if I come clean, I risk Hadley’s big break, my family’s painful past, and my own rebooted heart …

TROPES:

• Celebrity + Hometown Girl
• Fake Dating
• College Crush
• Secret Pining
• Forced Proximity

Faking the Fall is a closed-door fake-dating/celebrity romcom full of sizzling kisses and crackling chemistry. You'll find plenty of humor and heart in the small town of Harvest Hollow, but no spice.

Julie Christianson writes sweet romantic comedies—but only when she’s not reading them. A former English teacher and lapsed marathon runner, Julie lives in Southern California with her one husband, two kids, and three rescue dogs. She’s madly in love with all of them, but there’s not a lot of room on her couch.

To connect with Julie, visit her website juliechristianson.com and follow her on Instagram (@juliechristiansonauthor).

Faking the Fall is the fourth book in the Sweater Weather series. This is a multi-author series with each book being set in the same small town, but all books can be read as standalones and in any order. 

Oh my goodness, these two! First and foremost, it's no secret by now that I am always here for a fake dating story. Every. Single. Time. It's by far one of my very favorite tropes. For me, I love seeing all the unique reasons authors come up with for their characters to enter into the charade. On the surface, this one seems fairly typical... when Link get in a little trouble with the paparazzi, his agent thinks being linked to a sweet hometown girl will be good for his reputation. Nothing too out of the ordinary there, right? But what really sets this story apart was his reasons for WHY it was so important for him... I won't give too much away, but seriously, Link is just the absolute sweetest. I loved how very protective he was with the people he cared about... including Hadley! It's going to be super hard to read this one without swooning over him at least a little! And the two of them together? So very good! I could not get enough of them! (And the side characters like Hadley's dad and boss only helped to make the story that much better too!)

While I definitely loved the romance and the laughs, I also loved that it had depth and took on some more serious topics like mental health and loss of loved ones as well. It is when those harder, real life experiences are blended into the story that I find the stories are going to stick with me long after the end, and I'm sure this one will be the same. 

If you love a good fake dating story with small town charm and fall vibes, you absolutely do NOT want to miss this one. 

Faking the Fall is a closed-door romance with nothing beyond kissing and no language.