Flo is an aspiring musician, Dylan an aspiring actor. Though their upbringings were very different they f ell deeply in love. Then one night their differences come to the fore and they break up, much to the delight of Flo's family and friends. Suddenly both of their careers take off and all they want to do is tell each other, realising they want to be together but that it could harm their fledgling careers they concoct an elaborate plan. They will pretend they are single and see each other in secret but what will their secrets end up costing them.
This funny story will keep you guessing, with some characters you will love and some you really won't.

This is the first book I've read by Justin Myers and sadly I'm not sure I'll be rushing to read further books of his. Whilst I'm sure some people may really enjoy this book and the issues it deals with, I'm not sure this was really one for me. We are initially introduced to Flo and Dylan; Flo a budding musician and Dylan an actor. Both competitive fields of work to get into, and both hoping for that first big break. Despite living hand to mouth on each of their wages, the one thing that keeps them both going is 'love'. From the outset you get the impression that no matter how little they have, they will always make things work together and get great enjoyment from such simple things, such as sharing a cone of chips at the end of the night. The author does a great job of really building a picture of these two characters who seem destined to be with one another, no matter what problems life throws at them. However, it soon unravels that these two characters are from very different backgrounds; Flo from a very privileged background where money has never been an issue, Dylan, from a working class background brought up by his single mother. Despite working shifts at local bar to supplement his lack of acting work, Dylan we discover is a very proud man who wishes to pay his way, especially when it comes to sharing costs or treating his partner Flo. Flo, however, knowing that she can rely on her parents financially whenever she wishes, is able to secretly 'upgrade' them in hotel stays, telling Dylan they have been offered a 'free upgrade'. A nice gesture, but not so good when Dylan finds out and feels hurt he has not been able to pay his way. The difference between Flo and Dylan's backgrounds and their friends becomes an issue, with Flo's parents and friends seeming to 'look down' on Dylan. Eventually, this causes the two of them to break up, which was where the book went downhill for me. Whilst the book was dealing with the issue of money and class, it was at this point Flo's character lost all credibility for me. Flo still clearly loved Dylan but allowed the influences of her family and friends to sway her, with their opinions being more about class and money than her true relationships. The narrative that then follows is that Flo and Dylan both get the lucky break they've been waiting for, but are still not happy as they are not with one another. Getting back together would affect their work, being seen in the public eye, as well as affect relationships with family and friends. So, the two of them get back together but in secret. I think the author intended there to be some rather funny moments that would come from this secret set up. However, I began to find alot of the characters quite irritating, including Flo at times, and so I began to care less about their relationship and jobs, as it seemed both Dylan and Flo, now earning money, had lost a sense of what was really important between them. I found this a real shame as I think the initial set up of the book and their relationship had greater potential to explore such issues. As already said, some may find this book funny and entertaining in parts, but sadly this was not one for me. My thanks go out to netgalley and Little Brown Books for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this.

The Fake Up is an unconventional contemporary romance that follows Flo and Dylan. Both of them are trying to make it in their careers, singing and acting, and this creates a toll on them. They decide to break up but after realising that they still want to be together, they get back together. However, they don’t tell anyone. The entire world, including their friends and family, think that they’re broken up which leads to then sneaking about in a series of wild ways. But real life always comes around and both Flo and Dylan realise this might not have been the best idea.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book and that it was different from other romances. However, I very quickly lost interest and started to dislike the characters. It was quite amusing to see them sneaking about in the beginning, but after a while it became tedious. Both Flo and Dylan changed so much and there was so much that I really didn’t like about them towards the end. I don’t know if the author was trying to make a point about fame changing you, if so fair enough, I just don’t see why it was done to the two main characters who we have spend an entire book reading about. I did like how Max, the best friend, pointed out a lot about homophobia and Dylan and Flo’s privilege, but again I just ended up really disliking them and liking Max more. Dylan and Flo seemed completely oblivious to everyone but themselves and their actions really showed that.

Overall, I liked the idea and the ending was suiting, I just felt that the execution was off for me and I really didn’t care about the main characters towards the end.

Dylan and Flo are on the rocks. Of course they are in love. Obviously they want it to work. But sometimes it feels the world is against them. Their flat is falling apart, their friends never stop meddling and the obstacles keep them
from their dreams are insurmountable. Maybe they just.... aren't meant to be. The break-up completely shatters them both. While Flo cries in her mum's kitchen, penning ballads about heartache, Dylan is forced to sleep on his best friends sofa and channel his pain into acting. Soon Dylan and Flo are on the cusp of everything they've ever wanted. There's only one problem, they can't live without each other.

This is a rom-com with a few twists. Dylan and Flo love each other but life isn't going in the right direction for them both. They break-up and throw their energies into song writing and acting. The story is told from Dylan and Flo's perspective, The pace is slow throughout. I did like Dylan and Flo but there wasn't much intrigue to the story. It was as if the author was always looking for laughs. I did enjoy the book and I would read this author again.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #LittleBrownBookGroupUK and the author #JustinMyers for my ARC of #TheFakeUp in exchange for an honest review.

This was a funny and engaging rom-com which lots of readers of the genre will enjoy.
It was cleverly plotted and was a roller coaster of emotions for me as a reader.
A popular read I am sure
Thanks to the author and publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review

This was a fun read but I felt that it was just a little bit too drawn out. I enjoyed the characters and the premise but it felt unbelievable that the situation would have gone on that long.

Talk about your tangled webs and your star-crossed lovers and a plethora of other Shakespearean sayings. Literally star crossed in this case as, for both Dylan and Flo, their stars are definitely on the rise ... but only as long as they are apart from each other. In spite of being very much in love, and from the beginning of the book you can tell that they are, some obstacles are just too big to overcome. Work, friends, family ... all conspire against love's young(ish) dream, but a separation creates a new kind of muse and heartache really does become the making of the pair, but it's not enough for Dylan and Flo. When they decide to give their relationship another go, it is in secret, deceiving all their loved ones, as being back together doesn't fit the 'narrative' of Flo's overnight stardom. From here on in, Justin Myer's charts the course of their relationship - which definitely does not run smoothly thanks to the ups and downs of life in the public eye.

I really did enjoy getting to know Flo and Dylan over the course of the book. The chemistry between them just shone from the very start of the book, but it was also clear that as much as they loved each other, and as much as they worked hard at their relationship, sometimes the gap between them, the differences in their upbringing and the attitudes of their friends and family - mostly Flo's it has to be said - became all too apparent. Dylan is an honest, working class lad from Yorkshire, trying to make it as an actor. Flo runs her mother's shop and does gigs on the side, but her background is decidedly more middle-class and there is a feeling of Dylan just not being good enough for her in the opinion of those around her. There were times I wanted to shake the pair of them, tell them to get a grip and to tell their family and friends to wind their necks in, although both times Flo tries that it doesn't necessarily end too well. Then there is Dylan whose own doubts about being good enough lead him to make a very big decision, one that does have very life changing, and often humorous longer term consequences.

There is a very varied cast of characters around Dylan and Flo who bring really life, colour and texture to the book. On Dylan's side, we have best friend Max , who has been by his side since childhood. Max has his own issues to deal with, not least of which is an estrangement from his family due to him being gay. The kinship between them is touching and often adds its own laughs, but there are some rather poignant moments too, a good number of which are based around Max's sexuality. The subject of sexuality and representation in the media and in life as a whole, is really sensitively handled and blends well into the narrative, especially when Max finds himself a touch of romance too. There there is Ciara McLean. Tough, independant and one of the most notorious actors on Dylan's new series, she is the epitome of every stereotype you see on tv when a strong woman is represented. And yet, her character is carefully handled too, and there is far more to her than initially meets the eye. Between Ciara and Max we get a view of two very current, very relevant issues of modern life, played out in a way that really does get you thinking about how quickly we rush to judgment when it comes to others, and how much we can be manipulated by the media.

When it comes to Flow, she has her own entourage who manage to shake things up quite a bit. I'm not going to lie, I struggled with them - totally not my kinds of people. It's very clear that they are dedicated to Flo, which is perhaps their one redeeming quality, but they really don't make life easy for her or Dylan. Both Flo's mother and her best friend Estelle, make it quite clear how they feel about Dylan, and although her mother is perhaps a touch more open in her criticism, the subtle, and not so subtle, barbs really do hit where it hurts. Then we have brothers Sonny and Jesse. Chalk and cheese as far as personalities go, but both know exactly what Flo is going through with her new found fame, and provide support when it is needed. It's Jesse who I liked the most, and there is something more honest about him than any of the other people in #TeamFlo, even if he is nursing a few secrets of his own. But no matter which of the characters we meet, each are vibrant, authentic and original, and all certainly serve to make our love-struck duo's lives far more complicated.

There is a lot of humour in the book, as well as some very serious moments in which we are brought front and centre to some very emotive storylines. I'm not meaning the on again, off again romance between Flo and Dylan, although this is certainly key, but how much of themselves they have to hide or give up in order to maintain their success. Many of their attempts to meet did make me smile, and I felt a good deal of sympathy for them as they try hard to stay together when everyone around them is trying to reinforce how much better they are apart. Some of the flare ups between them, designed to keep people off the scent, feel a touch too real, and this very modern Romeo and Juliet tail does have a sting in its tail. As well as a kink or two, ones that certainly made me smile.

With great characters, a witty, frustrating, thought provoking and sometimes emotional narrative, this book has something for all rom-com lovers. Set in a fictionalised version of the worlds of tv and music, I can't help feeling that amongst all of the dramatic license, there may also be a small glimmer of truth behind some of what happens in this book. It kept me amused from start to finish and I know I'll be reading more from this author in future.

A really different take on a typical rom-com, I found it took me quite a while to get into the book , the story starts quite slow but I was glad I persevered. Funny, light hearted but touching on some topical themes. An enjoyable read

Flo and Dylan are struggling artists in London: Flo a singer, singing songs she didn’t write and that she doesn’t like with an accompanist she would love to get rid of; and Dylan is an actor, bouncing from audition to audition, but the only recurring role he has is as a tour guide for the “Horror Stories of London” tours that he is running in all sorts of miserable weather for ungrateful or uninterested tourists. Coupled with the pressures that arise from their different backgrounds and the comments made by friends, it is hardly surprising that tempers flare, and Dylan and Flo decide to end things between them.

In the wake of their break-up, Flo suddenly finds her voice and uploads an original song to YouTube that immediately goes viral and catapults her into stardom. At the same time, Dylan lands a role in a soap – no, a continuing drama – that sees him take to the screen as a character that seems designed to make others swoon. After a few months of going it alone, Dylan and Flo reconnect, but there’s one problem: Flo’s viral hit song and subsequent image was based on her break-up with Dylan and everyone knows it … so they can’t just go back to being a regular couple. So, with their break-up turned fake-up, the question is whether Dylan and Flo can balance their public feud with their private love affair, and if so, how they’ll deal with the inevitable fallout when it finally goes public.

“The Fake Up” was my first book by Justin Myers and I enjoyed it. I felt that the characters were interesting and the premise was unique. It gave an insight into the less glamorous, more uncomfortable side of fame that is so often swept under the rug and ignored when we read books about famous characters. This book looked at the rise to fame in a unique and refreshing way, and I appreciated that.

That being said, though, I felt that the book didn’t really move along very fast. The main conflict of the book was really just the secret relationship between Flo and Dylan and it seemed that the body of the book was the same slight conflict and resolution copy-pasted a few times until the word count was reached. I thought it would have been interesting to develop a bit more of a story to thread through the book, as it felt like the plot that there was ended up being stretched a bit thin.

The book also seemed to be fairly quirky, which was at times really fresh and interesting to read, but at other times felt like the author was trying to show that men can write romantic comedy, and then ended up being a bit heavy-handed. (For example, there is a scene in the book that speaks about how a character’s genitals react to the cold tiles in the bathroom, and I cannot, for the life of me, understand why this was something that was necessary to move the plot along; it just seemed gratuitous and I didn’t see why it needed including.)

Overall, though, I found the book to be entertaining and a fairly solid escapist read. It had interesting characters, who I thought made reading the book interesting, and the book ultimately had enough of an interesting premise going for it that I felt like I wanted to know more. The story was intriguing enough, with enough tension to keep me reading, even if I think there are some areas that could have been tightened up. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more of Justin Myers’ books in the future.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you for giving me this to read, but unfortunately I found that it wasn't for me. I think it was the writing style for me, but I just couldn't get into the story.

I enjoyed the Magnificent Son and loved this one as it's a highly entertaining and compelling story.
Everything works: the pacing, the characters, the humour.
I had a lot of fun, rooted for the characters, and enjoyed it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What a fun read this was. Dylan and Flo's relationship is on the rocks. It doesn't seem that they have a future together. They both dream of great things in terms of their careers and it seems that they are better off apart in terms of things progressing. However they pretend to split up and actually stay together. What ensues is a great , light hearted read.

Dylan and Flo come from different worlds but their love is unmatched. Despite their efforts, they just can’t hold on to each other, but what tears them apart catapults Flo to fame. Their pull is undeniable but breaking up could have been the best thing for them 😳

I struggled with the first part of this book, the relationship between the two was sweet but seemed to be forced and I struggled to connect with the characters. Once we moved past the initial story building, I did enjoy the relationship more 💖

Cute but a little slow to start

This was a very funny novel and the characters came to life under the authors words.
It was impossible to put down.
5* from me
Thanks to#NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review

An off beat romcom but unfortunately not a book for me. I love to try something different from what I normally read but this time it did nothing for me. Thanks still to Justin Myers and your publisher. Thanks to NetGalley as well.

Dylan and Flo don't have the most glamourous life, but they're happy. He's almost an actor, and she's almost a musician, and they've got a cosy flat in the city together. Her private school friends might not get their life, but it's theirs and it's forever.

Until it wasn't. It all fell apart, and in a moment it was over. Their entire relationship had been relegated to a line in a song, an anecdote. But that promise of forever is still lingering and they soon realise they don't want to be apart.

But so much has happened, and they just need some time to themselves to work it out without prying eyes and vicious tongues … so they pretend. They pretend to be apart, while they can work towards their wildest dreams and maybe back to each other.

"We are like Romeo and Juliet. Except we don't die at the end."

This is not the story I expected, but it was a riot nonetheless. Full of total chaos and things I hope could only happen in books or soap operas (Sorry, I meant continual dramas.)

Full of timely and painfully relevant truths about being a woman, a person of colour or a member of the LGBT+ community, especially in the harshness of the spotlight. Hands down this story contains some of the best written women written by a man I've read in a very long time. I also adored the relationship between Dylan and his best friend, Max - a real, affectionate friendship between men who aren't scared so hold each other and say they love each other.

The Fake-Up is a bit of a long read, and definitely had its slow points - but countered it with intense drama and the allure of fame and adoration. The ways our characters got themselves tied up more and more with each turn was so insane that it almost became believable.

Full of sickly sweet romance, side-splitting humour and heartbreak that could 'give a sunflower seasonal affective disorder', this off-beat oddball romcom is definitely something unique.

This book is alot if fun and definitely not one to be taken seriously, it's light-hearted and funny and a different twist on the usually romantic comedies.

What a funny, hard to put down book! It kept me wanting to read to find out what happens with them. I’ll definitely be reading more books by him. Well done!

Oh my, I was already starting to think that I will never finish this book. I couldn't warm to it, not for a single moment. I've started to read it filled with hope and expectations, it was really good sold to me and also, I think, the synopsis is very promising.
But right from the beginning, it felt meh, wooden and forced. And well, maybe it's me, but why write a story without actually a story? What was the purpose? The way it was written was also not working for me, we were fed with snippets and moments from the characters' lives that were neither interesting nor significant. Just some chosen moments. It didn't feel like emotional rollercoaster of feelings, it felt too laboured and forced. It was frustrating to read about the characters breaking up, finding each other again, knowing, then not knowing what they want, and then all over again, the same, the same. I'm still not sure why I've read till the end - OK, I've eventually started to skim reading, but even though, I'll never get back those precious hours of my life back.

I tried, I really tried, pushing through it and hoping, but it wasn't for me.

The Fake Up is an enjoyable read, one that puts a unique twist on the fake dating trope—instead of them faking to date, they’re faking to have broken up, and it’s a lot of fun.

The book follows Dylan and Flo who, on breaking up, realise that their respective careers have taken off, thanks to the feelings that break-up inspired. Only, perhaps they’re not so broken up as they’d have everyone think. So really, this is a bit of a secret relationship novel.

Dylan and Flo are both very sympathetic characters, which is why this novel works as it does. If either of them had been dislikeable, then we would have an issue, I think. Okay, so they’re both somewhat messy and not always likeable, but you can sympathise with them. You’re rooting for them, although maybe not always their relationship. Alright, at times I rooted for Dylan more than Flo, because she seemed to be using him a bit more mercenarily than he did her, but overall it was like. Mutual mercenary use. And quite fun for it.

That’s really the draw of this book: how much wild and messy fun it is. I mean, the premise promises it, and I think it delivers too. It’s a read I fairly sped through because of how fun it was. But it wasn’t all chaos and nothing else—there were still emotions there, particularly nearer to the end.

What I would say, though, is that there was a lot of time with them together at the start, and not a lot of time spent broken up. Which, I guess, is needed so you can establish the relationship and make people root for them, so that you get the emotions I talked about. But I don’t know. I feel like I needed them to be broken up for a little longer. As it was, it felt like they were broken up for barely a moment (although I’m pretty sure it was meant to be longer, if only for how long they moped).

However, as I said, this was a broadly enjoyable read. Perhaps not my favourite of Justin Myers’ books, but then. It was always going to be hard to dethrone The Magnificent Sons.