Sunday, May 26, 2013

Review: Faking It by Cora Carmack


Faking It by Cora Carmack
Book Two of the Losing It series
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss

**Due to mature content, this book is intended for ages 17+**

Summary (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.

What I Liked:

Cade. Cade Cade Cade Cade CADE. I wanted to yank him out of my Kindle and give him a giant hug (and then some). I thought I liked Garrick, but GOSH, Cade is so yummy! Bliss did not deserve him anyway. Not that I don't like Bliss. But CADE. He is a class of his own.

Cade. Cade. CADE. This guy is my new favorite. He's definitely my favorite part of the book. He is sweet, caring, and thoughtful, but he is also spontaneous and brave. I love the giant leap of faith he took with Max. He decided to help out a stranger, not knowing where things would end up or how things would play out (and clearly, not the way either of them expected).

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book because of Cade (not ONLY because of Cade, but mostly because of Cade). He is such a good guy, and not at all the usual bad boy, rude and arrogant, dominant-type that we find in New Adult books these days.

I was not a huge fan of Max, but I did enjoy the scenes in her point of view when she did a lot of putting her foot in her mouth. Usually, the scenes occurred when Cade, Max, and Max's parents were in the same room. THOSE were the funny scenes. 

The plot of this book is really slow, in my opinion. When I was reading, I noticed that I had reached the halfway mark, and only a few things had happened! This can be a good thing, for some people, but for others, like me, it was not such a good thing. More on that below!

No real love triangle, although there is an "other" guy (but who cares about him). Go Cade! The romance in this book was HOT! Prepare yourself for some steamy scenes!

What I Did Not Like:

It's hard for me to say this, but I really did not like Max very much. I did not hate her, but I did not really like her either. She is who she is, but I still did not like her. I feel like she is an avoider with serious issues, and while this gets better throughout the novel, I still did not really like her for it. 

And she was not good to Cade for the majority of the book. I would say that Cade deserved even better than her, but he truly likes her, so that's that. I did not like her attitude; it did not strike me as snarky or catty or whatever. While most of her attitude comes from her personality, it still seemed slightly childish to me.

The plot was extremely slow, at least for the first half of the book. I do not like slow plots. When only two things happen in 50% of the book, we have a problem. I wouldn't say that the first half of the book (or the second half of the book) was boring, but it bothered me that so little happened in this book.

Would I Recommend It:

YES! Totally! Such a great read, a great New Adult example, and a swoony romance. For me, Faking It did not beat Losing It, even though I LOVE Cade. Despite my dislike for the female protagonist, I really did enjoy this book, and I would recommend it to any New Adult lovers, contemporary lovers, and anyone who wants a good romance! 

Rating:

4 stars. I liked this book a lot!I hope everyone who read Losing It gives Faking It a chance, whether they liked Losing It or not! But who didn't like Losing It!? :D


Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

12 comments:

  1. Great review! I really enjoyed this one as well, but I liked Losing It a little bit better. :)

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  2. I have a problem with books that are slow, too. They tend to bore me. I thought Losing It was a bit slow, but you're right. I did love it :D.
    Great review! I can't wait to get the chance to read Faking It, too.

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    1. I'm glad you know what I meant! And I hope you will read and enjoy Faking It :)

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  3. Yay I didn't have a problem with the slow pacing, but I loved Cade tons as well! I thought that Cade and Max were actually a really great match because they made each other a lot better :) But I do agree with everything you said about Cade; he was so compassionate and adorable and EEK it was just so perfect! I love the awkward scenes too, because Cora's specialty, in my opinion, is definitely writing those scenes!

    Fantastic review, Alyssa!

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    1. CADE!!!! :D

      I'm glad you liked this one, too! And YES, the awkward scenes were the absolute BEST. I'm happy with this one.

      Thanks, Eileen!

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  4. I need to read this *fans myself* Great review(:
    Jackie

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  5. This is an interesting review. I plann to read both of Cora Carmack's books, but I kind of thought I would like this one better than Losing It, just based on the synopsis. I'm now wondering if I could be wrong about that, since I, too, am not a fan of the slow-moving plot. Now I'm curious to see, though, whether my initial assessment will be right, or if I'll end up liking Faking It less than Losing It. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)

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    1. I guess it all depends on perspective! I liked Losing It more, but I liked Cade more than Garrick. I hope you'll like them both! :)

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  6. So, I've read Losing It and I will definitely read Faking It. I was anticipating LOsing It for weeks before it came out. I wouldn't say that I was disappointed, but, I think the book was a little different than what I was expecting. Now, Cade. He's the best friend from the first one right? I had a weird feeling about him in the first one, so I am so glad that he wasn't the weirdo best friend that went too far guy. I am glad that this gets a 4 stars because the way you talked about Max, I was worried that she had killed it for you. I am for sure going to read this book. :)
    Mimi

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    1. Aww, I'm sorry that you were disappointed! Cade IS Bliss's best friend. And he's... so different than what I expected, and I LOVE THAT. And nope, Max didn't kill it for me (though she had her moments). I hope you enjoy this one, Mimi!

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