Review: Faker by Sarah Smith

Debut author Sarah Smith nails this fun and sexy rom-com where two office foes hammer out their differences to build a love that will last....

FAKER by SARAH SMITH

Publication date: October 8, 2019

Published by: Berkley

Series: Standalone

Genre: contemporary romance

 

Synopsis

Emmie Echavarre is a professional faker. She has to be to survive as one of the few female employees at Nuts & Bolts, a power tool company staffed predominantly by gruff, burly men. From nine to five, Monday through Friday, she's tough as nails--the complete opposite of her easy-going real self.

One thing she doesn't have to fake? Her disdain for coworker Tate Rasmussen. Tate has been hostile to her since the day they met. Emmie's friendly greetings and repeated attempts to get to know him failed to garner anything more than scowls and terse one-word answers. Too bad she can't stop staring at his Thor-like biceps...

When Emmie and Tate are forced to work together on a charity construction project, things get...heated. Emmie's beginning to see that beneath Tate's chiseled exterior lies a soft heart, but it will take more than a few kind words to erase the past and convince her that what they have is real.

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About the Author:

Sarah Smith is a copywriter-turned-author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight and she discovered her auntie's stash of romance novels. She's been hooked ever since. When she's not writing, you can find her hiking, eating chocolate, and perfecting her lumpia recipe. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband and adorable cat Salem. Faker is her debut novel.

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REVIEW

Faker by Sarah Smith
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I hate that this book was just okay for me, but unfortunately that's the case with Sarah Smith's debut novel. My first impression was pretty good and I thought this had some real potential. The enemy banter in the workplace with Emmie and Tate was entertaining me and easy to engage with. Emmie is a copywriter at a power tool company named Nuts & Bolts and is in charge of creating product descriptions for the tools. The author herself once worked in a similar position and borrowed from her experience in this male dominated environment. Sexism and sexual harassment are common for the heroine which she combats with a tough, no-nonsense attitude. It's all about showing who's the alpha in the room, and she believes this is simply a disguise that she dons like a sheep in wolf's clothing. Hence, the title Faker.

Even though I was enjoying it, the first niggle I had was the repetitive descriptors of the hero's skin color which I found to be really strange. We are constantly reminded that he is pale, milky, or white to the point where you start to wonder why in the world it was necessary. I don't need to be told almost thirty times how glowingly white he is.

Tate is very rude and abrasive in the beginning of the book. Strangely, that was the most enjoyable part of the story because once they got over hating each other I got bored really fast. The pacing could have used some work. A huge chunk of the story was the two of them "taking things slowly" while making heart eyes and acting like lovesick teenagers. Her internal dialogue had an immature quality to it that became a little cheesy for me. This is coming from someone who regularly reads and loves YA romance.

    Every minute spent with Tate makes me want a hundred more. Every time he says something sweet, I want to hear it over and over. I’ve never been this level of smitten in any prior relationship.

It felt like I was just watching them do routine things day after day while internally swooning and making out occasionally. There was nothing to push the plot forward and create the necessary conflict between them. Tate being an introvert and bad at relationships because of it wasn't accomplishing much. On the other hand, what did cause some drama was his persistent jealousy and uncalled for rudeness towards an acquaintance of his. Jamie seemed like a good guy who did nothing more than ask Emmie out on a date and flirt with her. It was so immature and over the top how Tate behaved towards him, and at some points his behavior got so cringy I had to skim past things.

Another thing I wasn't the biggest fan of was the sexy times in the book. The author used the most unappealing ways to describe things and I couldn't take the scenes seriously. Again, there was a lot of repetition used. Like the heroine's obsession with Tate's "clean mouth" and how it had a complete lack of flavor. Or the over-usage of "between her legs." But with words being thrown around like squealing, yelping, and slurping...instead of feeling any sexual tension between the two of them I was rolling my eyes or fighting the urge to laugh.

The plot could have used more focus on Emmie's work issue with Brett, and her belief that she's putting on an act rather than being another version of her genuine self. So much time was spent on their saccharine exchanges that I never felt it scraped very deep below the surface in any regard. Maybe it's just a case of not connecting to this author. You're not going to click with everyone, and that's okay. But to be honest, if I were to pick a book out of a lineup that I thought was a debut work, I would zero in on this one immediately. Unfortunately this was in the majority a big miss for me, but don't just take my word for it. You may find that your own subjective reading experience is altogether different from mine.

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