Fake It Like You Mean It

A Novel

Fake dating, enemies to lovers, and a wonderfully unique forced proximity debut romance, perfect for fans of Elena Armas’s The American Roommate Experiment and Drew Barrymore’s classic rom-com Fifty First Dates.

Elle’s grandmother Lovie has always taken care of her, as long as she can remember. But remembering is just the problem. With Lovie’s Alzheimer’s progressing fast, it’s Elle’s turn to step up.

Leaving Chicago behind, the last thing she expects when she walks through the door of her childhood home is Adam Wheeler—in her bed. Live-in nurse and pain in the ass, Adam is here to do his job. Eat, sleep, nurse, repeat.

Thrown together to care for Lovie, tensions rise and lines are drawn, but there’s a bigger problem: in her Alzheimer’s riddled mind, Lovie’s convinced that Elle and Adam are madly in love.

Certain she’ll forget by morning, Elle and Adam play along. The only snag? She doesn’t forget.

Lovie is the only person who thinks this fake dating scheme is real…so why is Elle fantasizing about Adam when he’s not around? And why is it getting harder to pretend?

Fake It Like You Mean It is the perfect blend of romance, laugh out loud comedy, and heartbreaking beautiful moments.
Praise for Fake It Like You Mean It:
“The fake dating trope takes on unexpected emotional depth in Murphy’s utterly endearing debut . . . [With] perfect pacing and chemistry that leaps off the page.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Elle and Adam have so much chemistry . . . A moving romance that balances the heartbreak of slowly losing a relative to Alzheimer’s with the thrill of falling in love.”
Kirkus Reviews

“A fun rom-com, with a unique story and you get emotionally invested in these characters.”
Red Carpet Crash

“Packed with crackling tension, raw emotion, and sharp wit, Fake It Like You Mean It explores what love means in every sense of the word. I was tearing through the pages right up until the final, breathless conclusion and cheering Adam and Elle every step of the way!”
—Amy Ewing, New York Times bestselling author of The Irish Goodbye

“With a fresh twist on fake dating, delicious forced proximity, and so much heart, Fake It Like You Mean It is an impressive debut! Megan Murphy perfectly balances a swoony, sexy romance with an authentic and emotionally resonant representation of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Transformative, cathartic, and ultimately deeply comforting, this is a romance whose tender heart beats on every page.”
—Melanie Sweeney, USA Today bestselling author of Take Me Home

Fake It Like You Mean It deftly balances the humor and heartache of finding new love as another is slipping away. In her witty, poignant debut about letting go and loving people fiercely, Megan Murphy puts a fresh and bittersweet spin on beloved tropes. A cozy and heartfelt delight!”
—Ellie Palmer, author of Four Weekends and a Funeral

Fake It Like You Mean It is a wonderful spin on the fake relationship trope charged with fun and witty banter and so emotional. I absolutely loved it!”
—Etta Easton, author of The Kiss Countdown

“Megan Murphy's Fake It Like You Mean It is a heartfelt story of love in all forms interspersed with light, humorous moments to strike a perfect balance. Clever, independent Elle and kind, supportive Adam are a perfect, swoon-worthy match. I loved this beautiful, thoughtfully written, emotionally satisfying romance!”
—Amber Roberts, author of Haunt Your Heart Out
When Megan Murphy is not writing (or reading) swoony, laugh-out-loud contemporary romances, she works as a business analyst. Megan’s most at home with her husband and rescue dog, Captain, or enjoying a concert or local festival. Whilst she now lives in a small-Kentucky town, a two-year stint in Northern Indiana became the inspiration and setting for, Fake It Like You Mean It, her debut novel.

About

Fake dating, enemies to lovers, and a wonderfully unique forced proximity debut romance, perfect for fans of Elena Armas’s The American Roommate Experiment and Drew Barrymore’s classic rom-com Fifty First Dates.

Elle’s grandmother Lovie has always taken care of her, as long as she can remember. But remembering is just the problem. With Lovie’s Alzheimer’s progressing fast, it’s Elle’s turn to step up.

Leaving Chicago behind, the last thing she expects when she walks through the door of her childhood home is Adam Wheeler—in her bed. Live-in nurse and pain in the ass, Adam is here to do his job. Eat, sleep, nurse, repeat.

Thrown together to care for Lovie, tensions rise and lines are drawn, but there’s a bigger problem: in her Alzheimer’s riddled mind, Lovie’s convinced that Elle and Adam are madly in love.

Certain she’ll forget by morning, Elle and Adam play along. The only snag? She doesn’t forget.

Lovie is the only person who thinks this fake dating scheme is real…so why is Elle fantasizing about Adam when he’s not around? And why is it getting harder to pretend?

Fake It Like You Mean It is the perfect blend of romance, laugh out loud comedy, and heartbreaking beautiful moments.

Reviews

Praise for Fake It Like You Mean It:
“The fake dating trope takes on unexpected emotional depth in Murphy’s utterly endearing debut . . . [With] perfect pacing and chemistry that leaps off the page.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Elle and Adam have so much chemistry . . . A moving romance that balances the heartbreak of slowly losing a relative to Alzheimer’s with the thrill of falling in love.”
Kirkus Reviews

“A fun rom-com, with a unique story and you get emotionally invested in these characters.”
Red Carpet Crash

“Packed with crackling tension, raw emotion, and sharp wit, Fake It Like You Mean It explores what love means in every sense of the word. I was tearing through the pages right up until the final, breathless conclusion and cheering Adam and Elle every step of the way!”
—Amy Ewing, New York Times bestselling author of The Irish Goodbye

“With a fresh twist on fake dating, delicious forced proximity, and so much heart, Fake It Like You Mean It is an impressive debut! Megan Murphy perfectly balances a swoony, sexy romance with an authentic and emotionally resonant representation of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Transformative, cathartic, and ultimately deeply comforting, this is a romance whose tender heart beats on every page.”
—Melanie Sweeney, USA Today bestselling author of Take Me Home

Fake It Like You Mean It deftly balances the humor and heartache of finding new love as another is slipping away. In her witty, poignant debut about letting go and loving people fiercely, Megan Murphy puts a fresh and bittersweet spin on beloved tropes. A cozy and heartfelt delight!”
—Ellie Palmer, author of Four Weekends and a Funeral

Fake It Like You Mean It is a wonderful spin on the fake relationship trope charged with fun and witty banter and so emotional. I absolutely loved it!”
—Etta Easton, author of The Kiss Countdown

“Megan Murphy's Fake It Like You Mean It is a heartfelt story of love in all forms interspersed with light, humorous moments to strike a perfect balance. Clever, independent Elle and kind, supportive Adam are a perfect, swoon-worthy match. I loved this beautiful, thoughtfully written, emotionally satisfying romance!”
—Amber Roberts, author of Haunt Your Heart Out

Author

When Megan Murphy is not writing (or reading) swoony, laugh-out-loud contemporary romances, she works as a business analyst. Megan’s most at home with her husband and rescue dog, Captain, or enjoying a concert or local festival. Whilst she now lives in a small-Kentucky town, a two-year stint in Northern Indiana became the inspiration and setting for, Fake It Like You Mean It, her debut novel.