Favorite Quotes:

Then we have Arthur, who is the local know-it-all, who keeps the info up to date. He’s probably in his early seventies, and has lived here all his life. He holds his non-smartphone as if it’s a dog turd – a dog turd that might have a bomb in it, perhaps, because he eyeballs it so suspiciously.

To be honest, I hated being on the bus with the kids; it was like being trapped inside a headache.

I guess I’ll just have to try talking to her again – unless you’re allowed to return kids to the hospital or something. Can you return the ones that turn out horrible?

‘I’m going to embarrass her so hard she’ll spend the next year in her room trying to work out how to change her identity,’ I reply. ‘Millie has been walking all over Emma for too long. I’m going to go in there and – maybe I’ll grab a drink? Maybe I’ll get up on a table and dance?’

What do I say? ‘I’m Edward’s mum,’ I lie. ‘He forgot his anti-diarrhoea medication. I thought I’d better bring it.’ ‘You’re not my mum,’ he says angrily before turning to his lady friend. ‘She’s not my mum.’

Marco’s body tells me that he’s no stranger to the gym. My body tells people that the only working out I do is what my pizza is going to cost me with my ‘20 percent off’ code.


My Review:

I giggle-snorted my way through this endearingly witty and crisply written delight and am already eager for more of the same. This was good fun and packed with wry and wily humor, touching insights, and highly amusing observations and character descriptions. Portia MacIntosh is the bombdiggity and a recent discovery for me. I want to amass all her divinely snarkalicious and clever arrangements of words.

Another winner from one of my favourite authors! Faking It is a hilarious rom-com with lovely and lovable characters, a quirky plotline (how many of us have an identical twin who needs us to step in their shoes for a few weeks?) and some unexpected emotional moments.

Despite being thirty-four, Ella is drifting through her life a bit aimlessly...until one fateful day she loses her job (admittedly, she wasn't all that invested in it), her car (which has been on ts legs for some time) and her flat (which was tiny and smelt funny, but was her haven). She will figure it all out somehow, she just needs a few days to get her head round all of this. Then her sister Emma calls and asks for help and Ella can't refuse. Even though they have been estranged for a decade, Ella shouldn't find it too difficult to impersonate her identical twin with her perfect house, rich husband and two children, while Emma goes away for six weeks. No, Ella doesn't lie to herself, she knows it will be next to impossible to trick everybody into believing her, but she understands her sisters's reasons (or she thinks she does) and you do have to help your family in the time of need. Of course, she has a few missteps, like almost causing a car pile at the school drop-off or failing to confiscate her nephew's videogame at his bedtime.

Portia MacIntosh has a wonderful sense of humour and will make you laugh out loud while reading the book, but there are also deep and thought-provoking moments. Ella intuitively senses her sister's life isn't all that peachy and not just because she definitely needs to stay away from the vipers of her so-called friends. Ever since they were children, Ella was the one to fight back for what she thought was right, so if you think jobless, homeless and rudderless Ella is a bit flaky, she is going to surprise you. This is what I love about Portia's characters- they are strong and they learn, they develop and grow. The kids are adorable, even the grumpy fifteen-year-old. There are also other delightful secondary characters, including Ella's love interest ( or should I say love interests?).

The book is entertaining, uplifting, funny and tender at the same time, It is a perfect rom-com. If you are not a fan of this fabulous author, you are going to be after reading it! Highly recommended.

This was a great, fun read. It was comic and entertaining and I loved MacIntosh’s range of characters. My first read from this author, I am certain that it will not be my last.

Twins swapping roles is the premise for this story, with Ella stepping up to be her sister for six weeks. With no home, no relationship and no employment to worry about, Ella thinks this is a great way to put off making any important decisions for a while. However, it’s like a case of ‘the prince and the pauper’ as sister, Emma, has the lifestyle we dream of. Plenty of money, a large house and a quaint village location, Emma is the “super mum” that can, apparently, do no wrong. Of course, it’s a shock to the system for Ella, who soon discovers that Emma’s daily schedule is as full as Ella’s was empty. What ensues is an entertaining read as Ella adjusts to this full-on “mum mode”.

There are plenty of giggles in this narrative. I loved how forth-coming and honest Ella was about her experiences. There were many that I could relate to and I think this is what will make this very popular with readers. Ella is able to almost completely protect the secret of being her sister Emma (did I mention that they are identical twins?!) but I loved the jeopardy she finds herself in when growing attracted to a couple of members of the school community. Of course, Ella has to remind herself that she is happily-married Emma who would not want a relationship but, deep down, this is what the real Ella truly wants.

This is a novel of change and growth. It was lovely to see Ella grow into herself and I really enjoyed watching her relationship blossom with her niece. Despite Ella having a bad reputation of being the “naughty twin”, she goes to prove how much she has changed. As such, this is undoubtedly a heart-warming story with plenty of laughs along the way.

Reading it in January proved to be an added bonus! The story begins in the New Year, so this is perfect for readers starting 2021. Apart from this, I think it would make a great holiday read because it is straight-forward to follow and with only one narrative perspective. I think maybe I would have liked to read more about Marco or the other supporting characters, but I guess this is a story that needs us to focus on Ella’s change.

With plenty of chuckles, I loved the escapism that MacIntosh provides. We, along with Ella, slip into this seemingly perfect lifestyle of Emma’s and, it is not until we truly experience it, do we realise that Ella has more on her plate that she anticipated. From bitchy, competitive school mums, to the pressure of meeting all the extra-curricular commitments, I think this is a read that will spread plenty of joy. Not to be missed.

With thanks to Boldwood Books, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would firstly just like to say a very big thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for forwarding me a copy of this book, for my Kindle, in return for an honest review.
This was a brilliant new rom com which was very funny and all about love and family.
Ella has everything - perfect house, perfect husband, perfect life - or is she faking it???
I really loved the style of writing and found it very sharp and funny, the characters and storyline were wonderful and it was overall a very refreshing read.
I really enjoyed everything about this book it was very heartwarming and now I just need to read all the authors other books!!

This author has the talent to take everyday characters and scenarios, drawing out the humour, poignancy, and romance in them. Faking It is the perfect example of this. Ella and Emma are identical twins but with different lives and luck. When Ella's life implodes, and her sister unexpectedly reaches out to her, she grabs the opportunity to live her sister's life for a while.

This is a lovely combination of hilarity and poignancy as Ella realises that things aren't always what they seem and what she truly wants in her life. The characters are relatable, but avoid being stereotypically and the plot has a few unexpected twists as it unfolds.

This story is packed with vibrant characters and vivid events, cleverly written to create a heartwarming and uplifting escapist read.

I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

We meet Ella who has had a rather bad day her flat gets caught on fire and she accuses her bosses nephew of starting the fire she then ends up losing her job. All in one day.

Then she gets an unexpected phone call from her twin sister Emma who she doesn't speak to very often. And who leads a very different life to Ella with her big house husband and 2 children.

She asks Ella if she would become her for 6 weeks while she has to go away for prison for driving offences she agrees as she doesn't have much other option being homeless and jobless.

What could possibly go wrong they look the same she hasn't seen her almost 16 year old niece in years and never meet Her 9 year old nephew and she will have the help of emmas husband rich.

She has to avoid lots of very nice looking men at the school and remember she had to act as Emma not Ella.

She becomes friends with Marco who is in a similar situation living with his very rich brother next door.

This will make you laugh out loud. I really enjoyed this book and finished it in just over a day.
It's interesting the things she learns about what she always thought was her sisters perfect family.

What will happen to Ella when her sister returns will she be able to turn her life around.

Just finished reading this.. Here is my review. I gave it 5 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

(This is free on kindle unlimited at the moment)!

I have read Portia Macintosh books before and always thoroughly enjoyed them. I love her humour and the characters she creates always make for a fantastic story. This book certainly didn't disappoint. It's funny, different, loving, sad and happy. The main character Ella is a force to be reckoned with in her own way. But she isn't quite herself in the story and this gets her I to trouble in various ways!
Definitely worth a read. Great easy read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers and the author for the privilege to read this book for my honest opinion

Romcom perfection with a Freaky Friday vibe. Portia MacIntosh once again completely charmed me with this story packed with delightful characters and whimsical antics. Ella is in a bit of a rut. She lost her job, destroyed her pride, and burned her apartment down all on the same day. So when her twin sister Emma reaches out asking her to “take her place“ for six weeks Ella jumps at the chance. How hard can it be? They are identical after all. Even though Ella has not seen her niece and nephew in over a decade and has no experience at motherhood, she is certain this will go well. That is Until Ella ends up pulling in the wrong carpool drop off line, has no idea how to operate the coffee machine, and thought chicken nuggets was a good dinner choice. OK perhaps this is harder than Ella thought, but she can do this.

So much laugh out loud fun! Ella was great! Even though she got herself into some trouble she always seem to get out of it in her own way. Her relationships with the kids was great. I liked her different perspective, I think sometimes as moms we get fixated on the wrong things and this was kind of like a fresh reset. There is also a delightful love interest in the Story, Marco. We would all be lucky to find a Marco, he was so supportive, understanding, and oh yeah hot. Another stellar book from this fabulous author!

This book in emojis 🚙 🕷 🍭 🧃 🕶

*** Big thank you to Boldwood for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

As if losing your job having your house on fire and then becoming homeless isn’t enough for one day, Ella is then tasked with the job of stepping into her twin sister Emma’s shoes for 6 weeks so nobody knows she’s in jail. Emma’s life is vastly different from the one Ella lives and it’s going to take a lot to convince people. Can Ella fake being Emma and learn to navigate the world of yummy mummies, money and the PTA whilst avoiding the hunky dads of the school gates?
Witty writing, laugh out loud moments and a heart-warming story is the standard I have come to expect from Portia Macintosh and Faking It does not disappoint.
Ella has had terrible luck but, in a way, she really doesn’t help herself. She’s such an endearing character but there are times when I want to give her a boot up the backside and a big hug. She puts on a brave face and bravado but there’s a vulnerability at play underneath it all. Emma is the same. On the surface she has it all – she’s the perfect wife, mother and community member. But Ella soon begins to discover that Emma’s life is not so easy and glamourous. Also, meeting the dishy Marco is all well and good, unless you’re pretending to be you happily married sister. I loved Marco and his easy-going ways. He was a perfect romantic match for Emma and shared a lot of her traits.
The plot is light and humorous although there are some emotional events and some thought provoking questions around relationships and dealing with the past. For those who have the time – it’s easily a one sitting read although it’s nice to spread the joy over several days too.
This is a delightful read, guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

I’ll admit it, I thought this was going to be a fluffy sweet book. I was wrong!! It was a sweet book but it was so much more. I enjoyed this book a lot. I was pleasantly surprised by the whole story. I didn’t want it to end!

5☆ A Laugh out Loud, Fun, Uplifting, Rom Com. A Must Read!


Faking It is the perfect name for this laugh out loud Rom Com. I thoroughly enjoyed every single bit of it.

Emma and Ella are identical Twins but oh so very different in personalities.
So when Emma rings Ella saying she's in desperate need of her help, because she's going to have to go away for a while.
Ella can't believe her oh so perfect sister has been so stupid.

But down on her luck, out of a job and pretty much homeless, she doesn't really have a choice but accept Emma's offer.

You see Emma lives the perfectly happy and wealthy life. Two children, a loving hubby, a gorgeous fur baby and a good social network, and she can't bare the shame of the neighbours or her friends finding out what's happened to her!

So she persuades Ella to impersonate her until she gets out of jail.
No one can know apart from her hubby Rich.
Easy right?.... I mean they are identical what could possibly go wrong?
Lol but judging by the fact Ella hasn't even seen her Nephew or her Niece in years, and has never been to the family home, she most certainly has got her work cut out for her... with some hilarious consequences!

Oh and watch out for Marco! He and Ella become increasingly close, he's handsome, Smart, Fun, and a bit of a Con Artist, but all is not as it seems! Will he suss out Ella's secret?

I'm a huge fan of Portia MacIntosh's books and once again she has written an absolute Gem of a Book!
She is such a super talented Author and her books just keep getting better and better!
Faking It was the perfect tonic I needed to cheer myself up.

Faking It is a Highly Entertaining, Fun, Laugh out Loud, Uplifting, Feel-good read, but at times Tender and Emotional.
The Characters are superbly written, the plot flowed along seamlessly, I loved all the drama, mishaps, mayhem and lil twists it kept the book exciting and fun.
This book is jam packed with so much it was impossible not to love it.
Would I recommend reading this book?...... without a Doubt.....100% YES!!

Thank you so much @netgalley for this arc.
I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The humor brought to the table had me chuckling a few times.
When Ella's twin sister emma calls to ask a favor, mind you they haven't talked in 10 years 🙄
Ella's finds herself in a situation trying to take over her sisters life; to the world, her friends, even her children, for 6 weeks!!
Yup thats the favor she's going to jail and wants to keep up appearances. Mmm hmm was my first thoughts.
Aaand to top this off her sister is wham bam rich!
This was the perfect light read and recommend.

Being a twin myself (although not an identical twin), I completely loved the idea of the story of Faking it! Emma and Ella are identical twins, but whose lives couldn’t be any more different. They have barely seen each other in 18 years, but when Emma calls upon Ella out of the blue, and asks her for a huge favour, Ella reluctantly agrees.

With Emma having to go way for 6 weeks, she asks Ella to swap ‘places’ with her, so as her reputation is not ruined. No-one knows she has a twin sister, so no-one will be any the wiser that Ella is not actually Emma! Things don’t go quite to plan, as Ella has to learn all about her new life. And that includes getting to know her new ‘husband’ and ‘children and a whole new family life.

With twists and turns along the way, Faking It is a funny, heartwarming and uplifting story, which I can totally recommend if you are a fan of romantic comedy stories, and especially Portia Macintosh.

What a fantastic, moving and fun read this book is - hilarious and totally packed with laugh out loud incidents! 

Identical twins don't necessarily have identical personalities or lives. That is particularly true for Emma and Ella. As a teen, Emma married her childhood sweetheart, had her first child, inherited a fortune from her Mum and kicked her twin sister out of their home. Ella was always the rebellious twin, the one who kicked back against authority and got into mischief. Now they're approaching their thirty-fifth birthday and Emma calls to request Ella's help . . . . she wants Ella to pretend to be her, living her life, looking after her two children who don't know Ella - whilst Emma goes to prison for six weeks. What will it be like pretending to be her wealthy twin? Definitely a shock to the system - especially with Emma's rebellious daughter to care for and handsome men around to tempt Ella! 

This is a great read, showing how life can be so different to that you expect when moving to live in someone else's place. The story is definitely a great romcom but that ending is so emotional! Ella trying to fit in with Emma's rich, gossiping friends, taking over organising tasks, dealing with strangers who assume she knows them, trying to cater for the children who assume she's their Mum . . . a fabulous fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

I have yet to meet a Portia MacIntosh book I don't love.

I had feared before going in that, as the twins have very similar names, it would be confusing to tell who was who. This is not then, as I had pictured, a dual narrative. I would have loved to see Emma a little more in the speaking role, though.

I loved seeing Ella's relationship with her niblings, and also the romance in this book was very sweet.

This was such a good read! Seemed like an impossible task - to fake being someone else, even if you are a twin.
I enjoyed all the characters in this book and loved that becoming someone else helped Ella to discover herself in a way that she may not have done otherwise.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC to review.

Faking It by Portia MacIntosh is a fun love story about identical twins. Ella the poor sister agrees to take Emma, the rich sister, place for a few weeks. Emma is going to jail for unpaid parking tickets. Emma's husband knows all about the swap. The sisters have not seen each other in years, but Ella has nothing to lose, so why not. This was a fun book that I really enjoyed. A lot of twists and turns, which kept my interest. Plus the reader knows the truth, which kept us rooting for Ella. I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a lovely, heartwarming, emotional story. When Ella finds herself suddenly homeless and jobless, an unexpected call from her estranged twin sister gives her aimless life purpose—for a few weeks at least. How hard can it be to pretend to be Emma for six weeks while her otherwise perfect sister does time at a country-club prison for her unpaid parking tickets?

What Ella doesn't expect is to lose her heart to her teenage niece and nine-year-old nephew. She's never been responsible for another person before, and it brings out parts of her she didn't know existed. But things start to get complicated when her friendship with a sexy neighbor turns into something more. After all, she's supposed to be a married woman, and the gossips are starting to talk.

This book is so much fun. Ella is a free spirit who can't seem to get her life sorted. And Marco…well, he's a bit of a mess, too, yet super smart and capable. Together, they're delightful. If you like romantic comedy, this book is a must-read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.

This was a fun book to read but with a great motive behind it. The truth comes out in the end after all the hard work that has to be gone through. Very enjoyable and well written 5 stars for this and I recommend it. You will find this a good book to curl up with. Well thought out and different.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC

The concept of this book was really good and I did enjoy and finish it. It was funny in places and I did enjoy the characters, they were really well written, we could have heard from some of them a lot more and the "padding" would not have been needed.

There was pages and pages of "thought" and a great deal of "description", which wasn't needed, but then again had it not been there it would have been a Novella.

If these characters were re-visited I would probably get the book so its not all bad.