Review: Faking It

FAKING IT
Losing It #2
Cora Carmack
Contemporary New Adult
304 pages
William Morrow
Available June 4th
Source: From publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.

MY THOUGHTS
Faking It is a story that follows a predictable arc, but underneath the broad umbrella of its familiar premise is a pocket of layered intimacy, where Max, Cade and Ms. Carmack’s innate ability to weave an extremely engaging tale play off one another and treat us to the beauty that results. Knowing the final destination of the relationship between Max and Cade doesn’t for a moment detract from our enjoyment of the incredibly rocky journey to get there, and we can help but luxuriate in two people who have been playing their separate roles for so long they’ve even convinced themselves of their own authenticity, and it’s a joy to watch the bright lights on the stage of their lives go out and force them both to face the shadows of reality.

Max, for all that she is hiding from the world and her family in particular, has a sort of refreshing honesty about her, saying what she means when she means it and bantering with Cade in a way that brings a huge smile to our faces. It doesn’t take long for us to see her fear though, one she covers with layer after layer of physical glamour in the form of heavy stage makeup, vibrant hair color, and tattoos in order to distract people from looking any closer. She’s but a player in her own life, laced up in the corseted costume of a leading lady and bound tight by the blinding terror of what might await her should the role she’s playing be stripped away to leave only Max in its place.

Cade gets his fingers, literally and figuratively, underneath those laces however, pulling them loose and forcing her to face what’s been hidden for so long. In doing so, he finds the unrelenting grip he has on Max to be something new for him, her inherent desire to flee from that which scares her triggering a previously unrealized desire in Cade to give chase, thus freeing him from his casting as the bystander in Bliss’s life. Max and Cade fit together in a way that’s fascinating; not necessarily two pieces that click into place as though that’s how they were always meant to be, but rather pieces that get turned every which way as they search for a way to come together, and the reward–as it always is–is that much greater for the struggle.

The only minor complaint with this story is the speed with which some major issues between Max and her family are resolved. Her parent’s expectations and the haunting perfection of a lost sister are what drive Max to apply all her layers as buffers against the truth of who she wants to be, and when it finally comes time for her to step off the stage and face her potential critics, things seem to work out quite simply after a minor showdown. That drawback aside though, Faking It is delightful and moving, and Ms. Carmack continues to cement her place on my list of auto-buy authors.

Rating: 4/5 

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

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BONUS MATERIAL

A few weeks ago I posted the fantastic news that Cora Carmack was going to be releasing additional scenes from book one, Losing It, from Garrick's point of view (YAY!) should the pre-order sales for Faking It reach certain numbers. This made me absurdly happy as I adored Losing It and Garrick in particular, so I'm thrilled to be able to share with you the first of these bonus scenes below. Cora has released three scenes in total, and you can find all of them on her blog. Hope you enjoy!

Bonus Scene 1: The One Where They Met by WilliamMorrowBooks