Rating: 
Summary: Faking it tries too hard
Review: I love Jennifer Crusie's books and had been waiting for this with much anticpation. "Fast women" had been a bit of a letdown, so I had high hopes of this one. What a disappointment! Other reviews have said it all - too many characters, sketchy character development, too many names to remember, a plot that doesn't make much sense. As another reveiwer said, it reads as if Crusie is trying to emulate a Hollywood "screwball comedy", but it doesn't work. It tries too hard to be funny. I had to force myself to finish it. I couldn't believe I would ever find a Crusie book boring, but this one came close. Where is the zany ebullience, the sheer joi de vivre that made her earlier books such a delight? Give me "Getting rid of Bradley" or "Manhunting" or "Tell me lies". They were full of the joy of living and read as if Crusie had a ball writing them. "Faking it" reads as if it was a real grind to crank it out. Please, please, Jenny, take your time and don't try so hard next time. I'm willing to wait. Quality takes time.
Rating: 
Summary: Crusie Does It Again
Review: I loved this book! When I finished "Welcome To Temptation" I was praying to learn more about Davy and here it is. Another hilarous love story involving Matilda Goodnight, an artist, and Davy Dempsey, con artist. We finally get to meet the head of the Dempsey clan, Michael. And (hurray) there is a brief appearance by Phin and Sophie!
Even if you haven't read Temptation (and you should-go buy it now!!), you'll get a kick out this one! Crusie's character's are funny, smart and likable. You won't be able to put this one down!
Rating: 
Summary: Rudimentary Attempt at Developing Interweaving Storylines
Review: The best thing I can say about this book is that I didn't have to pay for it. I received 3 books for my birthday and though they spanned the literary range (Nanny Diaries and The Lovely Bones), I thoroughly enjoyed them. "Faking It" however was a disappointment and perhaps a more apt description of the author's failed attempt to craft multiple interweaving storylines. There were too many characters with various nicknames, the plot was insultingly obvious though readers were (I assume) supposed to be intrigued by the twists and turns which bring the main characters together. The plot development made me wonder if the author has ever written scripts for a bad sitcom. Please save your duccats and pick another book.
Rating:
Summary: THANK GOD I DIDN'T SPEND ANY MONEY ON THIS BOOK
Review: This book is soo bad! Actually I didn't even finish it. That's saying something because I'll read almost anything if it holds my interest. I have enjoyed reading the back of a cereal box more than this book. I really hate to say this as I enjoyed Tell Me Lies so much and have looked forward to all of Crusie's new releases. Sure hope the next one's better. I did not really like any of her later efforts as much as her first book. Too bad there was not a 0 star to choose from on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I found this book better than the last -- I loved Tilda's character, and my only wish is that I could get some of that furniture she painted. As always, Crusie made me laugh aloud and quote passages to friends.
Rating:
Summary: Too Many Characters
Review: Okay, in a book of 340 pages, there's Matilda (AKA Tilda and Scarlet), Gwen (AKA Gwennie), Louise (AKA Eve), Ronald (AKA Rabbit),Davy, his friend Simon, Davy's family--Michael (father), Davy's niece Dillie, sister (Sophie) and her husband, plus Clea, Mason, Nadine, Ford, Dorcas, on TOP OF THAT, the cat (Adrienne--I think!) and Steve the dog. I wouldn't be surprised if I left someone out. Yes, the book was funny in parts (I think Crusie had in mind a farce), but I was so confused and the characterization was so superficial (not surprising with a list of characters longer than Gone With the Wind's--and THAT was l,000 pages) it took me four days to read this book. Normally, I read Crusie in one sitting. So, bottom line: go to the library if you want to read this and if you do, print out my list of characters. And note to Jennifer Crusie: I'd rather wait TWO years (if I HAVE TO) for quality, which you've done in the past. This wasn't it.
Rating:
Summary: Disfunctional and funny. It'll stick with you
Review: Davy Dempsey conned his million dollars fair and square--so when his financial advisor cheats him out of it, Davy decides to get it back. When he meets a woman in the closet of his victim's home, he doesn't know if it's fate or bad luck, but Davy finds himself caught up in the world of art fraudery, faked orgasms, and women who can't decide which person they really are. It's confusing for Davy, but then, he's a con man. He's sure a little thing like love will never get in his way. Besides, he likes blondes. Matilda (Tilda) Goodnight will do anything to protect her family and the art gallery that preserves her family's century-old dedication to art. If that means stealing a painting her niece accidentally sold, she's willing to make the sacrifice. When she finds herself in a closet with a strange burgular, kissing him seems the thing to do. But stealing one forged painting isn't enough. Soon she and Davy are caught up in an attempt to con paintings from everyone who ever bought a Scarlet Hodge painting--because Scarlet was a fraud too. And Matilda is knows that if she's caught, her family will suffer. The relationship between a con-man and an art forger is bound to have its difficulties. What Davy and Tilda soon learn is that they cannot really let go, can't really achieve the great sex they want, until they can be honest with one another. But honesty is hardly the easiest thing for someone from either of their backgrounds. Until they find their way to trust, though, both Davy and Tilda will merely be FAKING IT. After a fairly flat start, author Jennifer Crusie turns up the heat and delivers a sexy, funny, and emotionally rewarding novel. Davy is a charming con-man who means to be good but whose whole life was based on knowing who was the mark. The Goodnight family is a wonderfully disfunctional mess. FAKING IT has moments of laugh-out-loud humor, some charming insights into humanity, and a set of characters that will stick with you and seem far more real than some of your co-workers. Give FAKING IT a chance and stick with it through the first hundred pages--it'll reward you and that's no fake.
Rating:
Summary: Laugh Out loud funny
Review: Read this one in private as it is laugh out loud funny - also give yourself time to read the whole thing as I you will NOT want to put it down. Crusie is really a good writer if you like fun books and this is her best yet - ENJOY!
Rating:
Summary: I Laughed Out Loud!
Review: This book was a great & easy read. I'm a new Jennifer Crusie reader and "Faking It" was my third pass at her as an author. I had some trouble getting into "Fast Women", so I hesitated to buy this new book in hardcover, but finally gave in and am glad I did! This new release is humerous and entertaining. The relationships between the characters occur easily and blessedly without all of the tension Jennifer Crusie normally writes in to her plots (I know I'm in a minority on this one - having read the other reviews, but sometimes I just want to be entertained without having to work at it!) By far the best part of the book is the ending which is reminiscent of an old "who done it" movie, but contains some great one-liners that really had me laughing (especially the part about Thomas the Caterer!) Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: A little disappointment....still worth reading!
Review: Crusie is a new favorite of mine, and her newest, "Faking It", contains the combination of mystery, zaniness, crazy characters, love & sex that have made her such a great read in the past. This time the heroine is Tilda, an artist, who is the caretaker of her family. The three generations of women in the family (mom Gwen, neice Nadine, both entertaining!) give us a woven thread of a sensible ensemble...but Crusie throws in a lot of characters and characterizations that don't add to the story. Tilda's sister Eve/Louise is confused about which of her two personalities to follow; her romance is incidental to the book & Eve/Louise doesn't work as well as "the best friend" character that Crusie usually adds to the mix. The romance for the heroine occurs early in the book with Davy - a thief who is trying to secure the return of property from a former flame, Clea, now with a wealthy art collector. Art is the theme that binds them all together, specifically forged art. The book's clever, but the jumble of characters and the surface romance between Tilda and Davy (Crusie can usually give you a twosome to root for) with Clea as the necessary third in the triangle just don't compare to Crusie's former lighthearted works. Worth a read, especially if you're still beach bound, but Crusie can do better!
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