So, before I get into the real reason I hate this book, let's discuss why I didn't like Tansy and Gemma, the main characters. I don't know what it was with the two of them, but the fake engagement (I didn't get to the marriage part) felt *way* too forced. The fake love they were trying to portray to me read as too much and too cheesy. And also can I just say, Gemma felt like she was not the type of person to express much outward love in the 36% I read. As for Tansy, uh I didn't like her. She has anxiety, so I should feel for her since I too have anxiety, right? Wrong. Other people probably relate to her, but I didn't. Not one bit. I'm not sure exactly what I didn't like about her anxiety, but it felt like she shrunk into herself whenever she was around Katherine (her stepmother) and never tried to defend herself. Once again, this is probably a personal thing, but I was not a fan of Tansy. If you loved Tansy and Gemma, good! I'm glad people love them, but I didn't.

Note added: 17/11/2022 - why are people tagging this with lesbian? Alexandria clearly states on all of her socials about this book that it's a bi/bi f/f romance. There's literally zero lesbians in this book. C'mon, people! Do better! The bisexuals deserve it! /end note. This book should really not be taken too seriously as the start of the fauxmance is a bit ridiculous (they are engaged after barely speaking to each other), both families (including their drama) have a high soap opera vibe and the conflict is pretty over the top, and yes the romance is also rather cheesy. So, now you know what you’re in for if you decide to read this book.I know this sounds like I didn’t like this at all but I did! I thought it was fun and sweet but I feel like I could have loved it if not for those other things overshadowing what I did enjoy. Every moment Tansy and Gemma were together on screen was a delight, even in their text exchanges. Content warning: nude photos (of a 16 year old!!!) shared without consent (the guy in question who shared them was older, and got away with it while the girl was shamed and humiliated, because ofc), alcohol consumption, manipulation, toxic men. My only issue was I did feel the character MC’s in this were quite similar to Darcy and Elle in WITS and the story held a handful of similar traits (why I dropped it down one star.)

Gemma was great, too. I liked that she made a life for herself outside of her awful family and that, despite being a rich heiress, she started working in the family company at the bottom. All rich people with companies should do that imo, but that's neither here nor there. Again, the whole must be married stipulation in the inheritance was silly and farfetched, but I enjoyed the hijinks anyway! A side note on the cover though - I'm slightly irritated at the fact that throughout the book, Tansy is described as at least mid-sized, if not plus-sized, and the cover doesn't reflect this in my opinion. Obviously this is not the author's fault nor is it a mark against the book itself, but just something that I really want publishers to stop doing. Tired of questions about her love life, she invents a fake girlfriend, inspired by the stunning cover model on a bestselling book. But when the real-life Gemma crosses Tansy's path, her white lie nearly implodes. Written with a surfeit of quippy wit and graced with a delightfully quirky constellation of supporting characters, Lambda Literary Award winner Bellefleur’s fun, fresh take on the marriage of convenience trope delivers all the romantically swoon-worthy moments and steamy chemistry romance readers crave.” -Booklist

Hobbies

I loved this so much. It was sweet and sexy and funny. Clearly I need to read more from this author! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own. A fauxmance, one of my favorite tropes, and I’m happy to report that I enjoyed this book a lot. It had some minor bumps, but overall it didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book, so I’m fine with that.

If Teddy wasn't written so flamboyantly gay, I don't think I would've had a problem. But because he is, absolutely not I dnf'ed this shit show at 36%. Alexandria Bellefleur powers this fake dating masterpiece with boatloads of heart and the result is perhaps her most divine tale yet.” -Buzzfeed

Gemma needs a wife to meet the terms of her grandfather’s will and Tansy needs money to save her struggling bookstore. A marriage could be mutually beneficial, if they can fool everyone into thinking it’s a love match. Unexpected sparks fly as Tansy and Gemma play the role of affectionate fiancées, and suddenly the line between convenient arrangement and real feelings begins to blur. But the scheming Van Dalen family won’t give up the company without a fight, and Gemma and Tansy’s newfound happiness might get caught in the fallout… As for the plot, there was literally no plot whatsoever. Tansy meets Gemma, they decide to fake-wed, their fake wedding gets ruined by Lucy because, of course, such a unique storyline it creates—past lover ruining the wedding because she can't see Gemma with anyone else, and the end. Nothing happens in between that is interesting enough to write nice things about. Everything, and I mean everything, is entirely unrealistic and nonsensical. On top of that, all the side characters were childish—too childish. Even the jokes they made were so forced. It was really cringe. And also, they marry in the end. The main characters. They knew each other for less than a month and married each other. How realistic indeed. I'm gonna have to sit on it, but I think this might be my favourite book by Bellefleur so far - she really keeps getting better and better. My only criticism is really that I found the ending to be a bit too over the top for me personally, and it isn't as steamy as some of her other books, so it's not quite in that 4.5-5 star range for me, but it's very close. bellefleur, as usual, creates palpable chemistry between her leads that the inevitable crossing of the line they create between themselves is a welcome one as soon as it happens. this is easy to read, easy to love, and written so fondly that it is easy to find yourself rooting for those who inhabit the story. you can just never go wrong with an alexandria bellefleur novel.

I grabbed the US cover because whoever designed the UK cover? JAIL. It’s very ClipArt vibes circa 2002. I read Written in the Stars last year and that was a 2 star hate read. I was giving Bellefleur another chance with The Fiancee Farce because hello bookstore owner, sapphic, fake dating, fake marriage that leads to love? Yes, please. But oh boy was this a miss for me. This zippy Sapphic rom-com from Bellefleur features slow-burn romance, a steamy marriage-of-convenience, and a profusion of Taylor Swift references. . . Bellefleur’s snappy prose is perfect for the banter between Tansy and Gemma, and it’s delightful to watch the tension build between them. . . deeply satisfying.” -Publishers Weekly Tansy's greatest love is her family's bookstore. But when it comes to actual romance, she can't get past the first chapter.The 3rd act angst/breakup made me drop a star. This was an easy 5 stars until then. Anyone who has been following me knows I despise it, and it made no sense here, especially given they'd been communicating so well up until that point. I had to put the book down for a day it made me so annoyed. It did lead nicely into the 'grand gesture' conclusion, but I still resent that it was there at all. A madcap marriage of convenience rom-com, filled to the hilarious brim with well-drawn supporting characters. . . Bellefleur continues to spin delightfully different queer romances, and The Fiancée Farce is the best of the bunch so far.” -Bookreporter.com