You’ve probably heard the advice before, right? Fake it til you make it.
It’s advice that crops up in just about any situation. Want to build a business of any sort? Fake it til you make it.
Want to raise kids who are contributing members of society? Fake it til you make it.
Want to get that promotion at work?
And it’s that last one that has Melanie Owens looking at Ian, her partner-slash-competition, with a particular gleam in her eyes.
Melanie is a writer. Not of books–in fact the idea of writing a book is the farthest thing from her mind. No, Melanie writes the storylines for video games. If you know anything about video games, it’s that there’s always some sort of romantic plot line in there. Even if it’s subtle.
So it’s probably no surprise that Melanie is seeing the romance blooming between the other couples participating in Joe Robinson’s little game. And that’s what leads her to suggest to Ian that they fake it til they make it.
I’ll be honest, the fake relationship trope isn’t my favorite. I feel about it the same way many people feel about secret baby. Because the very idea of it — faking a relationship — necessitates so many lies.
And I just don’t feel liars are romantic.
Nor are they the sort of Christians that I know my readers want to read about. My readers tend to be pretty open to reality — they have to be with my books, because there’s very little of the shiny happy perfect world in my fiction. But it still felt like I needed to find a way to make the idea of a fake relationship more palatable.
If only for myself.
So what if the idea of fake it til you make it wasn’t something Melanie only embraced at work? What if that was the same principle she lived by when it came to her spiritual life?
You know one place fake it til you make it never works? Faith.
And that opened up a whole new way for me to look at the idea of a fake relationship. I ended up loving Melanie and Ian’s story, and I hope you will, too.
To whet your appetite, here’s an excerpt from the start of the book:
“I think we need to date.”
Ian coughed. A tiny spray of coffee shot from his lips. He dabbed at it with a napkin and worked to catch his breath. “Come again?”
“Date. You and me. Or at least pretend to.”
“I don’t—what do you mean pretend?” Ian frowned at her. “Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m fine. Think, Ian. Think about the contest teams.”
“The contest teams? Christopher and Stephanie from government solutions.”
“Dating.” Melanie ticked up one finger.
Ian’s eyebrows drew together. “Jess and Ryan.”
“Engaged.” Melanie cocked her head to the side and held up a second finger.
“I don’t think—”
“Just finish out the teams.” She sipped her mocha and watched him. Would he see it?
“Aaron and Holly.”
“Also engaged.” She raised a third finger.
“Tyler?” Ian’s expression practically shouted gotcha!
Melanie chuckled. “Desperately in love with Danielle Hicks, if you recall? And if the rumor mill is to be believed, he was getting ready to propose before her accident in the fall.”
“Oh. Right. I do remember hearing something like that.” Ian sipped his coffee and studied her over the top of his cup. “It could be a coincidence.”
“Oh, come on.” Melanie shook her head. “If it was just one couple? Sure. I’d buy happy accident. But it’s everyone except us. Joe’s matchmaking.”
“No way.”
“Way.” She grinned. “Didn’t you think it was weird right at the start when there were no single gender teams?”
“Representation is a thing, you know.”
“Okay, sure. So why not any all-female teams? I can think of other women at GameAlong who, no offense, would be just as qualified for this as you.”
Ian’s head bobbed from side to side. Was he at least considering it? “I guess I can see that. I could think of a couple of other guys who could do it, too. But we don’t know their criteria—Joe and Tyler put the portfolios together. They probably had backups in case someone said no.”
“Pfft. Please. No one was going to say no.” Melanie shook her head. “I’m serious, Ian. You remember how Joe made a big deal in January that it was possible for them to get to the end of the contest and not choose one of the two competitors? They didn’t say why—left it hanging like it could be based on performance—”
“Which it could be! Why would you think it was anything else?”
“Are you willing to take that chance?” Melanie raised her eyebrows and held his gaze. She let herself sink, for just moment, into his eyes. Then she pulled herself out. Focus, girl.
“I think the stress of the competition is getting to you. Or you’re working on a romantic storyline and you’ve lost track of reality. We make a good team. There’s no reason Joe and Tyler won’t be able to choose one of us. We don’t need to date.” Ian started to stand. “You should seriously get more sleep or something.”
So You Need a Fake Relationship releases September 7th and you can pre-order it now or grab it in KU when it’s out. Generally my books in series stand alone, but with this series it’s a little more fun if you’ve read the others first.
I’d love to send a paperback of any of the So You Want to be a Billionaire books to a US commenter. To enter, tell me what you think about fake relationship stories and/or if you’ve ever pretended to be in a relationship with someone and how that worked out. Comment by midnight (eastern time) on Friday, September 3rd. I’ll choose a winner on Saturday (the 4th).
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
Fun to read about.
It sounds like such a fun story! The book I read which first made me fall for romance was Marcia Schuyler by Grace Livingston Hill, which has a fake relationship/marriage of convenience.
But I agree with you that the fake relationship trope is very hard to pull off precisely because of the honesty factor, which is why I keep running into a wall when I think about writing it myself. I’m really looking forward to reading how you handle it because I know you’re a thoughtful writer who doesn’t gloss over things.
Thanks!
I’ve done a blend of fake to marriage of convenience before and that combination can help ease the need for deception. But yeah, it’s a tricky line to walk.
I enjoy reading about fake-to-real relationships. But I also see how hard it would be to fake it in the Christian walk. Although as a teen I think there was quite a bit of faking until I got a firm grip on The Truth – “Whistle A Happy Tune” made sense back then.
Ha. Yes. The teen years are tricky. Although I also feel like there are elements of faking it that come and go in adults too. Depending.
I have never been in a fake relationship. I have read some fake relationship books that were funny and enjoyable. I really enjoyed the excerpt of your new book.
Thanks! The closest I ever got to a fake relationship was pretending to be a friend’s date so this other girl would leave him alone while we were at an improv show.
I’ve read a few but not my favorite. This one sounds interesting though.
Thanks! It’s not my favorite trope, but it was a fun challenge to write one I was good with.
Hi Elizabeth! You have me hooked with the intriguing premise to this series – Matchmaking cloaked as an Office Competition and each romance a different troupe. Enjoy how you weave contemporary issues of gaming, cooperation, structure in the corporate world, and romance into page turning stories. Most fake relationships romances that I have read are historical romances. Probably easier to write. No need to include me in your give away, since I am on your review team. Loved the story. Well done. Best wishes.
I’ve read a few, and I kinda like them! This series is really going to be good! I’ve read one of them, and I’ve GOT to read the others, in order, of course! Oh, I found a booboo.
She let herself sink, for just (a) moment, into his eyes. Then she pulled herself out. Focus, girl.
Sorry, it’s a nasty habit I have!
I enjoy the fake relationship trope and it sounds like you’ve come up with a really interesting version of it.
Thanks Renate! I always appreciate your reviews and help getting the word out!
Ha. Silly typos. I think it might be fixed in the actual book but I’ll check – I pulled this out of my document and I usually get typo feedback from ARC readers that I then just fix in the formatted version.
Thanks! It’s fun to see folks who enjoy the trope – maybe I just need to read more of them :)
I’m smiling :) This is my favorite trope – fake relationship stories!
They are so much fun!
Oh yay!
This book looks so interesting! I sometimes enjoy fake relationship stories, I think it depends on how it is written. But I am excited for your book to release!
Thank you! Yes it definitely depends on how it’s written (which probably applies to every situation 🤣 )
I had never considered it from your POV! Though I can definitely see it now…
And while they aren’t exactly my favorite trope (as in, my first choice), I still enjoy it when I grab one :)
I like reading fake relationship books, most of the times they really do make it work. Have a great week and stay safe. I enjoyed this post.
I love fake relationship books, Elizabeth. But only if there’s a really good reason for it. And they have to feel guilty about lying the entire time. And in the end, realize they shouldn’t have done it and apologize to the people they lied to and God. All that makes them human and Christians.
I generally will find a way to enjoy them when I stumble across them. But I do tend to avoid them if I know the trope.
Thanks, you too! I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
This is true. Although generally I think as christians we need to repent and stop the minute we know we’re doing wrong. That would often end a plot prematurely.
I love, love, love when there’s a fake romance trope in romances! It just adds a layer of fun to the sweetness of the story.
Ha. You’re not alone in enjoying them!
I enjoy fake relationship stories because I think they can have so many good lessons involved in them. I think seeing the characters grow and come to terms with what they are doing by lying can deep.
I prefer to read genuine relationship stories. Or, the relationship starts off fake but a real relationship develops!
That’s a great perspective.
I like when the fake turns real fairly quickly, but when it’s prolonged I start to get grumpy :)
I wouldn’t be in one myself but sounds like a good read!
Yeah, I don’t think I could do it for any sort of extended period myself either :) Thanks – I hope you get a chance to read it.
I’ve read a couple of fake engagement stories that were good (can’t remember the titles). But I don’t think someone could pull something like that off in real life! Makes for a fun fictional story though. :-)
I enjoy fake relationship stories sometimes. It definitely can leave me feeling uncomfortable at times depending on how it’s written. I’m excited for this one though! I’ve enjoyed this series immensely.
I don’t like fake relationship stories, but have endured a few in that trope recently…and definitely feel that ‘fake it till you make it’ is a total minefield of disaster waiting to happen!
I do like how your story is also going to focus on the spiritual aspect.
I love the fake relationship trope. Often it turns out everyone else knows the couple is really in love before they realize it themselves.
I’ve never been in a fake romantic relationship.
Love reading them
I enjoy these type of books
Elizabeth,
I’ve been reading through all these books. Right now I’m on book 4, Aaron and Holly’s story.
I’ve had a great time reading them.
I can’t seem to put them down.
I was excited there was another one and went to buy it, but saw that I’d already pre-ordered it AND Tyler’s story.
Now to be patient to read them.
Thanks for writing these fun stories.
Hi, Elizabeth! Fake relationship is definitely not my favorite trope. I can think of a couple that I have read recently and both had a strong theme of regret and repentance. I much prefer the undiscovered relationship approach in marriage of convenience stories.
Like you, I had a very brief (like, for an afternoon) fake relationship in order to help someone try to derail another’s unwanted interest. Not sure it helped in the end. It was in college and I’m pretty sure I was asked because I was known for being an actor. Even for that brief period, though, it felt uncomfortable.
No need to include me in the drawing, I’ve got my pre-orders all queued up! Woohoo!
It definitely doesn’t feel like a real life application would work for this trope!
Oh that’s so lovely to hear! Thank you :)
Definitely a minefield! I hope you get a chance to read this one :)
That’s definitely true. I see that in the ones I’ve read. It can be fun to watch that aspect.
Most of us are right there with you!
Yay!
Excellent!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them! Thank you!
Thank you for pre-ordering!
Yeah, helping my friend was kind of fun for about a half hour and then it was awkward and weird. I was really glad when the show started and no one was talking to us anymore.
I totally agree with you that it wouldn’t feel right to pretend something that wasn’t real. But, the idea does sound like a fun story.
Thanks!
I’m loving this series. And, as someone with a fake relationship story coming out at the end of the month, I have to be intrigued by this one, too. ;-)
Yay!
Did you find it hard to write? I really struggled with this one (I think b/c the trope isn’t my favorite. I’m trying to push myself though because we can’t only ever have friends to more.)
You’re welcome.
These are really fun books! I’m having a hard time waiting. Ugh!
This sounds really fun!
I prefer authenticity to fake, happy to read it and see though :)
I just found this and had not responded. I know the giveaway is over, but I wanted to share what I think about fake relationships. I think in books, fake relationships can be worked out to good. In many cases, the people end up falling in love. I am not so keen on fake relationships in real life. I have seen too many people get hurt. Thank you for allowing me to respond late. God bless you.