Is Honestly I’M Totally Faking It Worth Reading And Books Like It?

My take: 'Honestly I'm Totally Faking It' is a messy, hilarious contemporary romance built around accidental fame and a not-so-charming political type who collides with a scrappy protagonist named Rach (short for Rachel) — she’s the down-on-her-luck assistant trying to keep her head above water when a viral incident dubbed "Boobgate" upends everything. The book is by Amanda Gambill and the audiobook edition lists Dahlia Summers as the narrator. If you liked the loud, chaotic energy of an imperfect heroine shoved into the spotlight, try these: 'The Hating Game' by Sally Thorne (workplace rom-com tension and sharp banter), 'The Unhoneymooners' by Christina Lauren (forced proximity and outrageous setups), 'One to Watch' by Kate Stayman-London (public image/reality-TV vibes and commentary on fame), 'The Kiss Quotient' by Helen Hoang (quirky, heartfelt chemistry), and 'Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating' by Christina Lauren (chaotic, goofy chemistry). Each of those scratches a similar itch — high-stakes embarrassment, snappy banter, and the messy pull between being yourself and performing for others. I really enjoyed how Gambill mixes cringe moments with tenderness; it feels like a rom-com that refuses to behave, and that’s why those recs clicked for me.

If you want a free, legal way to experience 'Honestly I'm Totally Faking It', your best bet is your public library. The audiobook edition is carried by library platforms like OverDrive/Libby and hoopla, which let you borrow it at no cost if your local library has a copy—hoopla often offers instant borrow (no waits) while OverDrive/Libby may use holds for popular titles. All you usually need is a library card and the apps (Libby or hoopla) set up on your phone or tablet. If your library doesn’t have it right now, there are still legit ways to listen without outright buying: many audiobook services offer free trials (Audiobooks.com and similar services will let you claim one or two credits during a trial period, which you can use to get the audiobook). You can also preview samples on stores like Apple Books or Kobo to see if you like the reader before committing. And if you prefer paper, buying from indie-friendly sellers like Bookshop helps authors directly. These options let you enjoy 'Honestly I'm Totally Faking It' while still supporting the creator if you choose to. I usually grab audiobooks through hoopla when my library has them—instant access and no waitlist makes it feel like a tiny, free treat; this one’s a fun rom-com listen, so borrowing it felt like getting a guilty-pleasure episode of a show.

I get why you want a free copy — that book is such a fun romcom vibe. The quickest legit route is your public library: 'Honestly, I'm Totally Faking It' shows up in library digital catalogs as an audiobook, and you can often borrow it through Libby/OverDrive or Hoopla if your local system carries it. Search for the title in your library’s digital app (Libby/OverDrive will list which nearby libraries have it), and if your library has Hoopla you might be able to stream or download immediately with your library card. If you don’t have access to a participating library, there are still legal ways to listen for free: many audiobook platforms offer free trials that let you claim at least one or more books during the trial period. Services like Audiobooks.com and Audible have run promotions where new users can get a free trial that includes credits or selected free listens — that can be a good short-term option to get the audiobook without paying up front. Always check the current trial terms on the platform before you sign up. Finally, if you want to support the author after sampling it for free, paperback and retailer copies are available to buy, and the author’s site has extras and info about the book if you want playlists or more context. I loved the energy of the characters, so borrowing from a library or using a trial felt like a great, ethical way to give it a listen without paying full price right away.

If you want the short, satisfying scoop: the protagonist of 'Honestly, I'm Totally Faking It' is Rach — a messy, lovable woman who somehow manages to be both hapless and competent at once. In the book she’s working as an assistant to personal assistants, crashing on her ex’s couch, and then—because life enjoys chaos—she accidentally goes viral in an episode the internet dubs “Boobgate.” That viral moment and her job intersect with an aspiring politician named Pres, and the story kicks off from there as Rach navigates a fake-relationship setup, career worry, and figuring out how to be herself under public scrutiny. I laughed more than I expected because Rach isn’t a caricature; she’s written with real warmth and a sharp, self-deprecating sense of humor. Amanda Gambill gives her space to be vulnerable and stubborn in equal measure, and the dynamic with Pres (grumpy-but-slowly-sweet) fuels a lot of the romantic tension. If you like rom-coms where the lead is gloriously human and the plot leans into media circus satire, Rach is exactly the kind of protagonist who carries it well.

The way 'Honestly, I'm Totally Faking It' wraps up had me grinning and a little irritated in the best rom-com way. Near the end, the fake-relationship setup hits a real snag: Pres gets furious after feeling lied to and confronts Rach, which leads to a breakup moment that feels sudden and emotional. Not long after, Pres impulsively storms into an interview where Rach is being questioned, and there’s this messy-but-sincere reconciliation that leads into an epilogue showing them together and (mostly) settled. Plenty of readers picked up on how the third-act blowup felt like the last push before the lovers-finding-each-other-again beat. Why it lands like that comes down to what the story’s been building toward: authenticity versus performance. Rach has been navigating how to be herself in a world that wants her to perform for a politician’s image, and Pres has been learning to value the messy, unpolished parts of her. The breakup functions as both a consequence of political pressure and as a narrative crucible—he's forced to confront whether he trusts her and she has to decide how much she’ll sacrifice for his career. Some readers felt the reconciliation was a touch fast, but thematically it resolves the central question: can they be real together without the charade? The author’s promotional and retail pages frame the book as a romcom with heart and that shape shows in the ending beats. All told, I loved that it ends with them choosing each other and with a wink to the chaos that brought them there; it’s not a flawless finish, but it fits the book’s tone and left me smiling.

If you enjoy a romance that leans into mystery, spectacle, and a bit of criminal glamour, I’d say 'Honest Illusions' is absolutely worth a read. I got swept up by the colorful premise — Roxy, the daughter of a famous magician, inherits skills (and a taste for thievery) and ends up tangled with Luke, an escape artist whose secrets slowly unfold. That marriage of magic-as-performance and cat-and-mouse romance makes the book feel like a rom-com crossed with a caper, and Nora Roberts pulls it off with readable pacing and likable leads. If you want things to keep humming after the last page, try pairing it with books that share its mood rather than its plot beats. For lush, performance-driven magic and a slow-burn romance set inside an otherworldly show, 'The Night Circus' is a natural companion — it gives you the atmosphere of spectacle and theatrical stakes in a different register. For a more historical, character-first take on magicians, identity, and escape artistry, 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay' offers deeper, bittersweet echoes of what makes trickery and showmanship compelling. Both choices will scratch similar itches while staying distinct. Bottom line: if you like romantic suspense with clever set pieces, some moral gray around the protagonists, and a performance-as-lifestyle vibe, pick up 'Honest Illusions' and enjoy the ride — I finished it grinning at the tricks and invested in the characters' messy loyalties.

Picked up 'Dead Fake' on a whim because the premise sounded like someone had mixed my worst social-media nightmares with a slasher flick—and it totally delivers that sticky, adrenaline-high teen horror vibe. Vincent Ralph sets this in Bleak Haven, where a viral site called Swipe to Die generates AI ‘death’ videos of students, and those staged deaths start happening for real. The protagonist, Ava Wilson, is complicated in a way that kept me rooting for her even when the plot piled on side mysteries about her family. The book is a Young Adult thriller, published as part of the Bleak Haven series with a release date of January 20, 2026, and it leans into gore and fast pacing more than quiet character study. I read it like I was watching a horror-obsessed friend narrate the scariest TikTok—lots of breathless momentum and visual shocks. The strengths are obvious: a punchy hook about deepfakes and tech-enabled cruelty, plus scenes that read like short, tense film sequences. On the flip side, the story introduces several subplots—Ava’s family history, changing friendships, and a messy romance thread—that sometimes make the middle feel scattered rather than razor-focused. Critics have praised the book’s modern and gory thrills while noting that the plot can feel disjointed in places; I felt that tension too, but the finale has some clever turns that mostly justify the ride. If you like your YA thrillers on the bloodier, high-energy side, this scratches that itch. If you’re trying to decide whether to pick it up, think about what you usually enjoy: if you want atmospheric slow-burn horror, maybe try something else, but if you want a quick, bingeable YA whodunit with contemporary tech scares, go for 'Dead Fake'. For similar reads I’d put it alongside 'One of Us Is Lying' for the high-school mystery energy and ensemble-suspense, and for readers open to older, moodier tech-or-cult horror, 'Night Film' scratches a different but complementary itch. If you want more of Ralph’s voice and pacing, his earlier thrillers like 'Lock the Doors' and '14 Ways to Die' are solid follow-ups. Those comparisons helped me figure out what I liked most here: the book is best consumed when you’re in the mood for pulpy, modern scares rather than delicate, literary dread. Definitely a fun, messy, shout-it-out-loud read—I closed it a little breathless and grinning.

I picked up 'Faked' on a whim after seeing mixed reactions online, and honestly, it’s one of those books that grows on you. The first few chapters felt a bit slow—almost like the author was testing the waters—but by the midpoint, I couldn’t put it down. The protagonist’s voice is raw and relatable, especially when they navigate moral gray areas. Some reviews criticize the pacing, but I think it mirrors the protagonist’s internal chaos. The ending isn’t neatly tied up, which might frustrate some, but it feels intentional, like life itself. What stood out to me was how the book plays with perception. Side characters aren’t just props; they have their own arcs that subtly challenge the main narrative. If you enjoy stories that make you question who’s really 'right,' this might be your jam. It’s not a light read, though—expect to sit with your thoughts afterward.

If you loved the gritty, high-stakes deception in 'Faked', you might dive into 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' by Scott Lynch. It's got that same clever, morally grey protagonist pulling off elaborate cons, but with a fantasy twist—think Renaissance Venice with magic and thieves' guilds. The banter is razor-sharp, and the heists are so intricate you’ll reread scenes just to savor the setup. Another pick is 'Six of Crows' by Leigh Bardugo, which blends heist dynamics with a found-family vibe. The crew’s chemistry crackles, and the stakes feel personal, like in 'Faked'. For something more contemporary, 'The Art of Deception' by Leonard Goldberg offers a modern con artist navigating deadly power plays, though it leans heavier into thriller territory.

I’ve been thinking about the ending of 'Honestly I'm Totally Faking It' a lot—there’s this messy, hilarious build-up that finishes in a rush, and I have mixed feelings about how it all lands. The book sets up the whole premise with Rach accidentally going viral (the infamous “Boobgate”) and then being folded into Pres’s campaign narrative as part of a PR strategy; that premise is explicit in the publisher blurbs and library listings for the book. What actually happens at the end: Rach reaches a point where she’s uncomfortable with how the fake-relationship publicity machine is using her, and she tries to step away—this is the moment that forces the stakes to become real. Pres, who’s been pushing a guarded, buttoned-up public persona through most of the story, finally snaps out of his campaigning shell when he realizes she’s being exploited. He interrupts or barges into the interview scene to stop things from going too far and to call out the exploitation, and that confrontation is what flips both their arcs into actual honesty rather than performance; the implied reconciliation that follows is more emotional than procedural. Fans who’ve discussed the climax note that the rescue/interruption is the turning point, and many readers felt the closing scenes and epilogue were handled quickly—some called the ending a bit rushed even though it ties up the main beat. Personally, I liked that the book leans into the ridiculousness of political PR and then makes the hero choose the person over the campaign gloss, but I also wish the final emotional repair had a bit more breathing room. It’s satisfying on a rom-com level, even if it doesn’t linger on every consequence—overall it left me smiling, just wanting one more scene of slow, honest talk between them.