This week is turning into a romance explosion, and honestly, I didn’t plan this. It just.. happened, and once I realised, it was too late. Besides, this week seems to be the best time to dive into my favourite literature trope – fake relationship. For those who are not familiar, it’s basically a relationship the main characters agree to fake it in front of everyone. The reasons behind this are always different, but the faking itself is what I grave for. I just love it when two characters have to jump past the actual falling in love part, and work their way backwards of sorts. Here are my 5 favourite books that have a fake relationship trope.
ROOMIES by Christina Lauren
So this one is probably my least favourite on the list because this fake relationship is a little rough around the edges. Sure, they both agree to a fake marriage because the male character needs a green card, but the woman does lie to him, which makes it a little problematic. That being said, I did enjoy this adult romance and since there aren’t many fake relationship tropes out there, Roomies makes the cut easily. By the way, I’ve read two of Lauren’s books, one is Roomies, and the other one I DNF’d so it’s safe to say she’s a hit and miss for me, but I’m willing to give her another chance.
THE WAY TO GAME THE WALK OF SHAME by Jen P. Nguyen
This is the newest addition to my fake relationship list, and it’s probably the most PG-13 books in this list. Still, I thought it was a lovely young adult book with a likeable leading character, and the fact that they faked a relationship to protect her reputation in high school, seems very plausible. It does have its flaws, but so many young adult books end up rubbing me the wrong way even if I like them, so I’m willing to forgive its flaws. By the way, this is Nguyen’s first book, and based on this, I’m definitely picking up her next one.
THE WALL OF WINNIPEG AND ME by Mariana Zapata
In case your looking for a good slow-burn romance, Zapata is a one of my favourite authors to deliver that sort of story. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, in addition to some of her other books (just as good or even better), has a fake relationship angle to it as well. The reason for them faking the relationship is a green card, and you guessed it, they actually get fake married. The only downside to the book for me was its rushed ending, but the journey there was very enjoyable, so it’s still among my favourites.
THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND, by Katie West
This is one of those silly young adult novels where a girl asks a strange boy to pretend to be her boyfriend, because her ex dumped her, right before prom. The entire plot revolves around that but West writes her characters so well, that you instantly root for everyone. There is also character development, which is important and it is one of those cute books that you can just pick up, and finish in one sitting.
TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE by Jenny Han
It’s safe to say my love for fake relationship tropes began with To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. It’s one of my favourite young adult books, and I’m super excited for its screen adaptation (which I hope they don’t f*ck up!). The story follows Lara Jean, who has written love letters to all the boys she’s ever loved, and they end up being sent to said boys. The problem – one of them happens to be her sisters ex-boyfriend, and to avoid the drama, she tells him that she’s dating the school’s most popular boy! It’s fake relationship heaven!
As you can see, the list is rather short, and it’s because I honestly don’t know many books with a fake relationship trope. So if you know one, and it’s not on this list, feel free to share it down below in the comments!
3
Leave a Reply