#amandasellet

Channeling the essence of “Christmas in Connecticut,” Amanda ties in her love of Oahu and her appreciation of the cinematic masterpieces of the past for this laugh-out-loud, screwball comedy that begs the question: Just how far are you willing to go to make your dreams come true?

Libby Lane may not have what most covet in life—wealth, love, or a career that doesn’t leave her hating herself at the end of the night—but she does have the beauty of Oahu and wonderful friends. Friends with whom she conspired to create an online persona that was supposed to be a joke. The complete opposite of Libby in every way, “Lillibet” was her way to stick it to the rich resort guests she served, taking inspiration from overheard conversations and curating the most nauseating affirmations and the cheesiest introspective moments, all tied beautifully together with recipes from her friend Keoki and photos from her bestie Jean. It was just supposed to be an outlet, a harmless way to burn off some animosity. It wasn’t supposed to garner attention, especially from an influencer who, after a near-death experience, was determined to meet her “real-life inspiration” up close and personal. Along with Jefferson, the wildlife photographer who saved her life, Hildy declares that she needs to celebrate Me-mas with Lillibet to recover from her harrowing ordeal. Suddenly sucked into one of Jean’s brilliant ideas before she can realize what is happening, Libby finds herself in Lillibet’s home with a “husband”, two goats, and one heck of a lie. Trying to keep up the farce while maintaining her sanity, Libby has to find a way to get the job of her dreams from her surprise guest without ruining it all by falling for a certain photographer who can somehow see the real her.

As her debut adult novel, “Hate to Fake It To You” was a lot of fun to read, even if it had its peaks and valleys which may cause the attention of the reader to ebb and flow. Showing true admiration for the beaches and beauty of Oahu, even if the overall story didn’t captivate its audience, the breathtaking description of the surroundings, the mouth-watering cuisines shared, and the general atmosphere provided demonstrates just how talented Sellet is in bringing a place to life.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Available tomorrow (July 16th!)

Another month has passed, which means it’s that time again; round up time. I started out pretty strong during May, but didn’t manage to finish a single book during the last week of the month. I ended up picking up Throne Of Glass for a reread, but even that didn’t pull me out of the slump I had fallen into. It is on my ‘hope to finish this month’ list though! Before we look at what I hope to read…