Dylan and Flo, two artistic types who come from very different backgrounds fall in love and move into a crumby flat and get on well enough until they don’t. Careers aren’t going as well as they hoped, their friends are terrible, they haven’t got enough money, Dylan is too proud to accept help from Flo’s rich family and Flo just doesn’t get it. They split and it’s nobodies fault. They may be miserable without each other but the other aspects of their lives suddenly start to pick up. They get back together and for reasons have to keep it on the down low. It’s exciting. It’s fraught. It’s a recipe for disaster surely.
This was fine. I liked the premise and the writing was good. It waffled a bit. The main characters were annoying. I was mostly team Dylan throughout this however, Flo’s behaviour was questionable and there’s no way a self made Glaswegian would let his daughter get away with it. This made no sense to me. I also agree with Ciara though, Dylan is extremely wet and by the end I was exasperated with the pair of them. There was also an attempt to talk about gay and bi representation and the characters felt bad about it then did absolutely nothing to do anything about it so it felt a bit pointless. By the end I just didn’t care anymore.

Lovely light read about a couple who break up. Each trying to find their way in life. It’s my first Justin Myers read and won’t be my last.

The Fake Up a five-star read that will keep you guessing all the way through. Flo and Dylan are just adorable, they will warm you up, and make you understand how hard it is to be in a relationship, but man its also fun, as these pair show. But those two aren’t the only stars of the show, there are a whole host of characters that support these two that make the story ebb and flow. Make you chuckle and smile at the cute moments, it does drop in a couple places, but overall the story is strong will keep you hooked.

It's like romeo and juliet with more sex and less poison ... well hell who knew I needed this in my life.
I read this book really quickly it was a quick and easy read that I couldnt down, it was funny and cute.
The characters grated on me slightly towards the end due to the way they acted but that didnt take away anything from the book or storyline. It was an enjoyable read.

I enjoyed this book. I don’t read many romcoms or funny books, but this did make me laugh and kept me entertained throughout

I sort of enjoyed this, but by the end the characters really annoyed me! They were both so self obsessed and while I started out caring what happened by the end I was just irritated! Having said that, it was quite funny.

Dylan and Flo are in love. The only trouble is, they broke up months ago and everyone was delighted for them. At first, it's exciting sneaking around, hiding from disapproving friends, climbing through bedroom windows to avoid family, and concocting hilarious disguises. It's like Romeo and Juliet. With more sex and less poison. But soon it becomes harder to separate truth from lies. Dylan and Flo are in way over their heads, and the games have only just begun.

I really enjoyed this quirky, rom-com read. We meet Flo and Dylan when they are struggling but very much in love. We follow them as they break up and then as they are back in each others lives and making a success of their careers. But, will success bring them happiness?

Flo and Dylan are at the heart of this read so it is good that I adored them and enjoyed their story. We get to laugh a lot during this and I found the read very entertaining. Myers throws in harder-hitting subjects as well, especially towards the end, and I thought these added an edge and brought a lot to the plot.

'The Fake-Up' is a hilarious, comedic read with wonderful characters. I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sphere for an advance copy.

This was a humorous but thoughtful look at the relationship between Flo and Dylan who are soulmates and both support each other as they try to get a break in singing and acting respectively yet the social differences between them, which is highlighted particularly in Dylan’s interactions with Flo’s friends cause tensions between them ultimately causing them to break up. In the month they are apart they start to flourish professionally however realise they still want to be together but without external pressures so they don’t tell anyone they’ve reunited which leads to a chaotic and slightly farcical turn of events. The storyline is fresh and funny but it’s the characters themselves that make this, they’re really well portrayed, most especially Dylan’s friend Max, and you do get a really good feel for their emotions and their lives.

Two Exes And A Secret..
Dylan and Flo are in love. Dylan and Flo broke up. Dylan and Flo are officially Exes. Everyone is happy. Especially Dylan and Flo who are most definitely in love and who are most definitely not broken up. They are enjoying immensely the secretive world that they now inhabit- rather like Romeo and Juliet. What can possibly go wrong….? Enjoyable, amusing and entertaining romcom with a fun plot populated with a well drawn cast of characters. Witty escapism.

Ok, I went into this book without really knowing what the book was about but I really really enjoyed it was a breath of fresh air and the story was really good. The characters were relatable and it's really something you can see happening for real-life without ruining it the plot twist was fun right to the last page wink!

Once I got going I could not put the book down it was a rollercoaster of a journey and I was sad when it was time to put the book down.
Thanks once again for picking me for this review it is not something I would have normally reviewed but I am so glad I did and now I have another great author to follow. It reminded me a lot of Sophie Kinsella's style of books so if you are a fan of a good chick flick then please get this book once it's available to review or buy I really hope you will give this book a chance it was a great book and you will really fall in love with the characters and the plot.

I really hope we get a follow on at some point would love to know what might happen next .... for flo and Dylan

Many thanks to Netgalley & Little Brown Books

I received a taster of the upcoming Justin Myers book and, after enjoying the first one of his books I’ve read, I’m happy to report that this book looks like one I would also enjoy.

I’m looking forward to reading the full book in the future definitely!

I have never clicked faster on a book, I love Justin Myers' writing and this book, his third, is just brilliant. Initially I was a bit ... ooh, who are these characters and what the hell is about to happen? And then it all starts falling into place and you run along with the people and the stories, with all the ups and down. It's enjoyable especially because the characters have flaws, they are human and their situations are not farfetched, while being fantastic.
Total triumph!

Dylan & Flo the main characters in this tale are such loveable characters, you are immediately drawn into their world of secrets & fun.
A heart warming tale of love & all it’s ups & downs. A first read for my by this author & thank you for the opportunity, look forward to another

Talented but broke Flo and Dylan love each other against the odds. Splitting up leads to success for both of them, but they start seeing each other again in secret. Leading to a friends romance also needing the secrecy from the public scrutiny.
Hiding the romance encounters it's own hardships and fun.
But what happens when they decide to go public?

Flo and Dylan are trying to make it in the world of entertainment, but not getting the breaks.
The characters are friendly and likeable and you want them to succeed, but outside pressures seem to be conspiring against them. Born into different lifestyles, Dylan was born into a working-class family while Flo’s family are rich, and living together in dingy rooms Dylan feels he is holding Flo back.
As both Dylan and Flo begin to achieve success, for professional reasons their relationship needs to be kept secret. Although the dialogue is laugh out loud, hilarious at times, it’s also emotional as the reality of their situation sinks in. The plot is character driven, and I love the quirky sense of humour of all the characters, Flo’s family, Max, Dylan’s friend are well developed and a joy to read.
The characters are well-drawn, and you feel a connection with them, but on the downside, the plot does tend to lack pace at times. Written from both Flo and Dylan’s perspective you gain a rounded perspective to the story. The ending wasn’t what I expected, but fits well with the plot.

What a fantastic book. This is the first book I’ve read by this author but definitely won’t be the last.
A funny, laugh out loud, story with believable and relatable characters. It gripped my from the very start and kept me up til late in the night wanting to read ‘just one more chapter’.
I will be recommending this book to my friends. A great read.

Thought I'd try this as a break from my usual crime thrillers.

This novel has a "are they together or are they not together? " question. They are but as fame comes to them in their own separate field, they aren't ... but actually they are. You with me?

A nice story that took me on a romantic journey away from crime and gruesome deaths so a welcome change.

I loved Justin Myers’ previous novel, The Magnificent Sons, so my hopes were high for The Fake Up. Unfortunately I found myself struggling to engage and rapidly realised I didn’t like any of the characters which, while not at all essential in a book, in a rom-com such as this it’s more important to care about what happens to the protagonists. And I didn’t. The classic ‘rags to riches/starving artist to massive fame’ storyline relies on characters who are fundamentally relatable, and neither Flo nor Dylan were. In place of personalities they had labels (privileged upper class waif, Northern actor with a chip on his shoulder) and I didn’t ever get a sense of who they were behind those labels. I will definitely read Myers again, on the strength of his previous books, but at The Fake Up was a miss for me.

The premise of this book interested me, and I initially liked the characters of up and coming actor Dylan, and budding singer Floria.
However, it was so full of cliches and stereotypes and not enough subtlety that I got annoyed while reading it. The author wants to paint Flo's family as snobby and stuck up... and we get it, it's obvious, they look down on Dylan, ok. But when having the audacity to keep spices and pesto in the cupboard is supposed to be a sign of them thinking themselves better than others... come on! Both sides of the class divide became unsympathetic! It feels like they couldn't have done anything right to be seen as good people. All this felt negative to me.

I don't think the reader needs all this stuff slapped in their face every other page to understand the characters. The quirks were overplayed, everyone fitted too much into either camp villain or camp victim, trying to paint the protagonists as Mr and Mrs Perfect by making everyone else into a monster, and I think in this respect it could benefit from some toning down in order to be more realistic.

Taken with a pinch of salt, this book is a fun read if you don't mind a healthy dose of class stereotypes and are into rags to riches stories, love triangle dilemmas and the like.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I found this to be a wonderful light-hearted read, but with enough stuffing to stop it being in any way fluffy.

The two main characters, Dylan and Flo live together in a grotty flat, but they are both hoping that one day very soon someone will see their potential and they will hit the big timer,Dylan as an actor and Flo as a vocalist.

It is what happens when these two split up just as their stars are rising that this author really grabbed and kept my attention. His insight into the acting and music business gave really creditability to this story.

I absolutely loved Dylan and Flo but my god did I want to bang their heads together!!!

A wonderous five stars from me and I am now off to find another book written by Justin Myers.