Rating: 
Summary: Everybody's faking it, thank goodness!
Review: OK, for all you confused readers, put this down and read "Welcome to Temptation" first...you'll get the low-down on Davy, Sophie, Michael, Dillie, and Phin. THEN read "Faking It" and just roll with it. Yep, a little convoluted, but hey, that's life, right? Do you really want another book with cardboard cut-out characters, all of 'em perfect and beautiful? Wouldn't you rather just kick back and be massively entertained? This is a trip, just like Ms. Cruisie's last book, and so much more fun than a lot of other reads that are too serious for what they really should be.
And to the teenager from Milledgeville, NO! you can't find out about Nadine and Ethan yet, because they're STILL KIDS! A heroine should only get her mate-for-life at Nadine's age if she's in a medieval romance, and even then she's probably gonna have to wait 'til she's 16 or 18, because--ew--anything younger is sorta gross.
For those of you who think Clea is a winner: HELLO! she's a mean, selfish wanna-be porn star (back in "Temptation"), thief, gold digger, and generally has no redeeming value, and is probably more amoral than Davy thinks he is. OK, her redeeming value is to point out how much better off everyone else in the book is in comparison.
So hang in there! This is a fun ride, great writing, sooo descriptive and realistic and human. And to you, Ms. Cruise: keep 'em coming! Soon you'll have repopulated Ohio, and all will be well.
Rating: 
Summary: Overpopulated but still fun
Review: Once you've read one of Jennifer Crusie's books, you'll be hooked and want to read them all, including this one. But this was written kind of backward, with a character having a book written around him instead of plotting the story first and letting the players reveal themselves. Crusie plucked a minor character from a previous book and built a story around loveable con man Davy Dempsey; this was a great idea, as Davy is a fun fellow and quite capable of carrying his own story line, and Tilda is a great sparring partner for him in both crime and love. But "Faking It" doesn't seem to know whose story it wants to tell, because Davy and Tilda have too much company. Unneeded characters wander around dispensing unneeded details, and it was rather hard to keep track of them all. Plot twists that don't add to the story clutter up the pages, and some of the minor characters have too many thoughts coming through that don't matter and could have been left out. The first part of the book is a bit rushed (it doesn't make sense that these people would do the things they're doing other than as a plot device) and Davy & Tilda trust and rely upon each other way too quickly, considering they met while they were both in the act of committing a crime. All that having been said, Crusie is the best in this genre and on the whole the book is very enjoyable--it's just not her best effort. The main characters are, as usual, an absolute riot and Crusie's dialogue never fails. It was great fun to see cameo appearances by a few characters from "Welcome to Temptation" (Crusie is to be greatly commended for not using either book as a commercial for the other; if you hadn't already read "Temptation", you wouldn't suspect there was a whole book about Davy's family, nor did Crusie try back then to set up future book sales by hinting that we'd see Davy again) and it was nice to see Davy take the center stage this time. Read this for sure, but you might want to start with one of her other books first.
Rating:
Summary: Faking it.
Review: This is the first book I've read by Jennifer Crusie and I absolutely loved it. It's smart and funny. "Faking It" is the kind of book you space your time out when reading and go back and reread for all the gems you missed the first time. Tilda and Davy have such great chemistry and are just hysterically funny.
Rating: 
Summary: Not As Good As Past Titles, But Not That Bad Either!
Review: This book still had all of the trademark quirky humor, characters, and dialogue that make up a true Jennifer Crusie book. With that said I must admit that I just did not feel as connected to this story as I have to past books by this author. I don't think there too many characters. In a real life situation many people surround themeselves with family and friends. This story demonstates that concept. Eve, Nadine, Tilda, Davy, Simon, Clea, and let's not forget Steve the dog, as well as other characters not mentioned helped in my opinion to move the story along. I at least did not have the trouble that other had of keeping them all straight in my mind. If you have a problem with a multiple character story, this book is not for you. This is a light hearted romance with the gallery intrigue regarding art was very interesting. Tilda and Davy's romance was a bit choppy, but it was still fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: Oh for goodness sakes, pay attention folks!
Review: Have any of you read Dickens? No, wait, let's not go there. It appears that many folks just have a hard time keeping up with the characters in this book. It's not really the number of characters, it's the number of names for each person. And I think that's one of the main points of the book!!! People are a collection of different "characters", we're not one dimensional. Crusie even hits you over the head with it several times, with the "we've-all-got-a-bit-of-Nadine- in-us". (Funnily enough, I do have to agree with the one person who said she kept thinking Steve was a name of a person, not the dog!) Look, there are lots and lots of nice, simple, boy-meets-girl-gets-into-zany and/or scary situation-and-everyone-ends-up-happy-at-the-end books out there. If a nice simplicity is what you crave, take that route. But if you want clever pacing, excellent storytelling, and rich/complex/funny characters with enough whimsy to balance the touch of reality, then read "Faking It" (and just about anything by Jennifer Crusie since she started writing "real" books). You call follow the progression of names that Davey lays on Tilda - as he discovers something new and unique about her, he draws on old movies to describe that. I found it touching and endearing and very romantic. I felt very real tension between them - there's no secret that they'll end up together, but you wonder how that will happen. (At least I did.) The subtext isn't as ominous or scary as it was in "Temptation" or "Fast Women", but I'm OK with that. And I'm saving this book just so I can read to my daughter the advice about boys that Davey gave his niece ("they're just practice swings"). It's nice knowing how the women of Welcome to Temptation ended up, too (I always wondered if Amy stayed with the sheriff or stayed in LA). Ultimately, you need to remember that Crusie's books are more about the main characters (often women, but in this case, Davey too) figuring out their own lives for themselves. The romantic angle is secondary to that. Please, please - don't be afraid of all this talk about too many characters - Crusie hits another home run with "Faking It" as far as I'm concerned.
Rating:
Summary: Not faking this review
Review: It's wonderful when an author can make you laugh out loud and sometimes shed a tear. Somehow I found myself doing both of those things reading this book. She writes about passion and lust in a refreshing way (it doesn't always work) and I didn't have to skip that part to get back to the story because it was part of the story. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Wickedly Wonderful Entertainment!
Review: Tilda detests painting murals, fakes of Monet and Van Gogh, but it pays the family bills, and keeps their privacy - and this family has secrets up the ying yang. Through unfortunate, and certainly illegal circumstances, Tilda meets Davy when they simultaneously break into a neighbor's house, each for their own hidden purposes. They kiss in the neighbor's closet and their lives unravel from there. This story has double-identities, sex, hit men, crazy family, FBI, cons, forgeries, fakes and love! Wow. To say that Crusie weaves a compelling story is a serious understatement. Faking It has laughter, tears, emotion, suspense and more laughter. Great beginning, great middle, great ending. May I say once again - WOW! If you haven't read this book already, pick it up now.
Rating:
Summary: Faking it.
Review: This is the first book I've read by Jennifer Crusie and I absolutely loved it. It's smart and funny. "Faking It" is the kind of book you space your time out when reading and go back and reread for all the gems you missed the first time. Tilda and Davy have such great chemistry and are just hysterically funny.
Rating:
Summary: Good book!
Review: I have to admit "Welcome to Temptation" is my favorite book. That's what got me started on this author. While this one wasn't as good, it was still a lot of fun to read. The inclusion of some of the characters from "Temptation" was a definite plus and admittedly since I live in Columbus I like the book being set in areas I'm familiar. Some of the things other reviewers had a problem with I enjoyed. For example, the songs on the juke box and references to old movies. But, being a fan of old movies & songs is probably why. I liked the cast of characters and the plot. And as usual, I couldn't stop laughing especially at Tilda & Davy's "personality disguises" while trying to retrieve the paintings. What I didn't enjoy for the first half of the book was Tilda & Davy's sexual relationship. It seemed Davy just wanted sex and his partner could have been any warm body (it was Eve he was most attracted to in the first part of the book). Tilda obviously didn't enjoy herself but Davy didn't seem very concerned about that, as long as he was satisfied. It would have been nice if they'd sat down and really talked about what the problem was instead of ignoring it. However, Davy sure made up for it in the second half! I would definitely recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Fantabulous!
Review: Simply a delight - fantastic, sharp, witty sense of humor weaved thoughout the funny, interesting, and involving story. But then again, everyone knows that already about Jennifer Cruisie's writing!
|
