The Fake Wedding Project by Pippa Grant

Publication Date: 08th Oct 2024 

Genre: Contemporary Small Town Romance, Family Drama

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: A bit of family toxicity, loads of drama, and some love 

The Silvers and Andersons of Tinsel, a small town in Michigan, have an intense family feud going on for decades. No one really knows the reason for the continuing feud. However, the younger generation is tired of it. 

When Amanda panic-blurts about being engaged to Dane Silver, the duo decides to continue the charade. Why not use a fake engagement to end the feud forever? 

It sounds great until things start to feel a bit too real for comfort and they have to make some major decisions. 

The story comes in the first-person POV of Dane Silver and Amanda Anderson in alternate chapters. 

My Thoughts: 

The premise makes it clear that there will be some toxic family drama for the main characters to deal with. Some of them are quite decent and actually make an effort while others are idiots. Of course, the intention is to show the toxicity of the situation, so we have to have annoying but necessary scenes. 

While the dual POV helps know what the main characters think, having both in the first person makes it confusing at times. The voices are not always distinct. Also, I’m not sure of this new trend of addressing the readers at random or breaking the fourth wall. I’m tired of it already. 

Though the whole story takes place in a week, it is not really insta love, for one character. We know in the first chapter itself that the MMC had a crush on the FMC. Until around 60%, it is a question of what he’ll do about it and the growing awareness between the two. 

The small-town setting plays an integral part of the plot. Turns out this town sees high temperatures in summer and is a Christmas tourist destination with the festival being celebrated around the year. 

The side characters don’t get much depth. A couple of them are sweet. Everyone does what is expected of them, so the plot keeps moving. 

There’s a mystery too, about the feud and its origins. The varied reasons stated for it are hilarious and crazy, though the actual one might be a little serious. Is there anyone who even knows what it is? Why aren’t they revealing it? 

There’s a sort of third-act breakup which is not a breakup but you get what I mean. They need that space to sort things out in the head. 

The ending is HEA with a bonus epilogue from Chili’s POV. Chili is Dane’s dog, a super lazy one! So, the doggy’s POV adds a quirky touch and brings more smiles. 

To summarize, The Fake Wedding Project is a lighthearted read about family, relationships, small towns, and love. While it does have a few unsavory moments, these are essential for character growth. 

This is my first book by the author but I can see why she is popular in this genre. The writing style is easy to read, and the main characters are well-developed. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Montlake, for eARC.  

#NetGalley #TheFakeWeddingProject