“Fake it till ya make it!” they say. Well whoever “they” are… they probably don’t have crippling social anxiety like Everly Dean. Find out how she tackles those inner demons in Ten Rules For Faking It.
Lots of fakin’ it happening in this photo. Fake tree, fancy cookies I definitely didn’t bake. Even that ornament hanger is an imposter. But “Ten Rules for Faking It”—that’s the real deal! This was our first buddy read for @lovearctually and it did not disappoint. 🥰
Ten Rules for Faking it Premise
“What happens when your love life becomes the talk of the town?” Everly Dean has never been a fan of her birthday. Her 30th birthday in particular is the absolute worst. She starts the day out finding her boyfriend hooking up with his assistant. When she rants about the mortifying incident to her best friend, a radio dj who happened to be live on-air at the time, Everly inadvertently has most of the town furious on her behalf. (And pledging their support to help her find love 😅)
Everly agrees to do a bachelorette-style contest after her (super cute 😏!) boss approaches her with the idea. She sees it a great way to try out her new “rules” for getting out of her head (and house) and working through her crippling social anxiety. One of my absolute favorite parts of the book is how it tackles mental health head-on. As someone who is constantly battling that nonstop internal chatter and overthinking EVERYTHING, I definitely related to Everly. I share some weird anxiety-related fingernail quirks 😅. I like how (most) of the people around her accepted her and helped her work through the hard stuff.
Gimme, gimme more
I DO wish they had gone a bit deeper into some coping/treatment options, but I think Everly definitely started taking the reins more and advocating for herself, especially when it comes to her family AND her job.
I loved the relationship between Everly and her best friend/colleague Stacy. It was also neat seeing how her boss interacted with his brothers and friends. It showed me that he was a genuinely good guy and definitely had me rooting for him.
Everly’s dates were a fun journey. I especially loved the guy who takes “pet-lover” to a whole new level!
Final Thoughts and Where to Buy
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It’s a closed door, slow-burn romance with some moments that will make you laugh out loud. (Including a hilariously relatable Siri convo and a piñata incident that makes me cringe thinking about it 😜) Thanks to the lovely @authorsophiesullivan for spending time chatting with us about the book over Zoom! I’m excited to read more about these fun characters in the future.
Thanks to @stmartinspress / @netgalley for the earc. It is out NOW. Grab your copy on Amazon here, or check your favorite local bookstore or library. 🙂
