The fake persona or fake dating trope seems especially well-suited to the type of drama-with-resolution that is typically involved in a rom-come or a young adult book, as evidenced in a few that I have read lately:
The classic mismatched couple fake dating turns into actually falling for each other rom-com plot gets a fun nerdy NPR twist in this book: Shay has worked at Seattle's public radio station as a producer since college, always dreaming of achieving her childhood aspiration of hosting a show herself (but held back by her hang-up of not having the "right" voice for radio), so she can't stand it when the cocky new reporter, Dominic, ends up on air, sounding like a natural. Then her opportunity to host a show finally arrives - but it requires not just collaborating with her work-nemesis, but also having to pretend to have dated him, because the new show they're being asked to launch, "The Ex Talk," is a relationship show in which exes offer advice based on their experience of having dated in the past. Neither of them feels great about the lie to their colleagues or the public, but it's that or be out of a job entirely. The show takes off, along with the worsening potential ramifications of this fake dating deception - and along with their increasing personal chemistry, of course... It's a rom-com that has some of the serious background stuff of some family issues/personal growth, along the lines of Boyfriend Material; a bit of steam but not overmuch for me. The public radio setting made it fun, but I might be a teeny burnt out on rom-coms lately, so might not have loved it as much as I would have with some space between reading some others and this one...
3.5/5 stars, for NPR nerds and fans of fake dating rom-coms like The Unhoneymooners or Boyfriend Material
In this YA coming-of-age novel, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel comes to high school," as the publisher tagline says. When 16-year-old quiet and unassuming Izzy stumbles into a comedy club and ends up performing on stage, she finds herself surprisingly drawn to wanting to do it again. And she also finds herself drawn deeper into faking a new persona after telling her new stand-up comedy friends that she's in college like they are - not to mention that she is hiding this whole new side of herself from her family and school friends, now sneaking out at all hours to perform or meet up with her new friends to rehearse, despite her usual role as model student and dutiful daughter. While she's loving this new scene, her fake college life and real high school life are bound to collide at some point... and Izzy has to figure out how to be who she really wants to be, and to stand up for herself. Her process of learning about stand-up and gaining confidence and catharsis through telling her story on stage is fun to read (hence the Mrs. Maisel comparisons), and there's depth in it to, of exploring how she has made herself small given how she feels like she doesn't quite fit in her boisterous family, or how she acquiesces constantly to her controlling boyfriend because of how she's made to feel like she doesn't have any self-worth beyond him.
4/5 stars, YA with humor and good exploration of psychological/mental health aspects of growing up like in books by John Green or Becky Albertalli
I gave a brief review of this one in my May TBR recap, but I thought I'd mention it again because it fits this sub-genre so well, with the fake band member persona that self-proclaimed nerd Sunny takes on in order to impress the new girl. This trope isn't always my fave because you just know that his false self-representation is going to come back to bite him after she falls for him... but I liked how this story explored beyond that standard character arc to think more about how we choose and form our personas, which is such a part of moving through young adulthood, including how different "uniforms" of high school and beyond, like sports jerseys or cos-play costumes, are different ways we assume an identity and make connections with others. Though of course pretending to be someone else can lead to hurt in relationships, what about when faking it can actually build self-confidence and lead to personal growth? So it's a snarky rom-com following the faking-it trope, but it goes deeper too.
3.5/5 stars, also for fans of coming-of-age YA with snark like The Field Guide to the North American Teenager or Permanent Record
All fun summer reading options, if you're in the mood for something along these lines!
And back on the subject of fake dating, if you enjoy that type of story: another great example is The Duke and I, the first in the Bridgerton series, giving you a regency-era romance twist (with lots of steam!) on the trope; in lighter YA of course To All the Boys I've Loved Before is fun, as is Frankly in Love.
When I'm ready for some romance books in my reading life again, I've also got Take a Hint, Dani Brown on my list, and also Christina Lauren's new release, The Soulmate Equation, which sounds like it'll also have some fun twists on the fake dating scenario. Have you read any of these?
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