Book Review: The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
Rating: 2 stars of 5
The Fake Mate was a recent pick for one of my local book clubs. I ended up settling on a 2-star rating for it because I found it unsatisfying and kind of odd. Though lighthearted and cute at times, the interactions between the FMC and the MMC were repetitive, especially in the first half, and by the end of the book, I really did not like the MMC. He is supposedly in his 30s, educated, yet incapable of emotional honesty and that was a huge turn-off for me.
The relationship between the two main characters was based on a fake dating trope but very quickly descended into insta-lust and their physical connection took over the book to the detriment of the rest of the story. I felt like we never even really got to know the characters because we were constantly just watching them “scent” each other (at one point, I thought, “Are you guys capable of doing anything else?”) or be intimate. By the time the MMC knows he loves the FMC, he really knows nothing about her aside from what he’s learned during spicy scenes or their initial conversation.
I find miscommunication / lack of communication tropes - especially amongst older protagonists - frustrating, so I didn’t really enjoy the latter half of the book. She deserved better.
If the author had developed their relationship a bit more outside of their spicy scenes and given the MMC some emotional intelligence, the book would have been better.
It did feel like the book needed a stronger subplot or something else to move it along a bit more. There were large chunks where it felt like nothing was happening.
Overall, it was a bit predictable, unsatisfying in its depiction of relationship, and could have used some editing. The author really overuses the term “slick.”
I’m glad I read it with a group because that made the reading experience more enjoyable, but I don’t think I would have finished it if I had just been reading it on my own.
Content advisory: strong language, open door spice
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