Ahhhhhhh! I loved My Big Fat Fake Marriage! It is so delightfully bonkers, and sweet, and filthy. Charlotte Stein has become an auto-buy author for me. Her books are so joyful while also digging into very relatable anxieties.
Connie has a lot of experience with the modern London Nice Guy, and she knows better than to trust a nice guy. Her neighbor, Beck, is just so nice. He says “howdy neighbor” and leaves her pies that he baked himself. Beck is so nice that Connie is pretty sure he’s a serial killer. That impression is not helped when she sees inside his apartment and there are cut outs of women’s heads everywhere and a notepad that says, “Where can I tell people my wife is?” As it turns out, Beck has lied about being married to shut up a bullying colleague and the situation is getting complicated. The situation gets more complicated when Connie claims to be Beck’s wife, again to get that bullying colleague to shut up, and then they have to be husband and wife for two weeks at a writing retreat. The united against a bully, forced proximity, and only one bed situation gives Charlotte Stein a wonderful canvas for Connie and Beck to be honest and vulnerable and for plenty of shenanigans.
It’s generally accepted wisdom that you have to love yourself before you can love someone else. Stein digs into this in interesting ways. At heart, Connie and Beck like themselves, where things get stickier is how they interact with the world at large. They’ve both learned that the wider world does not reward them for being their true selves. Beck is himself anyway, mostly. Connie has erected a thick shield between herself and the world and she has a hard time believing that Beck sees and loves her for her own true self. Connie and Beck are similar in some important ways, they are both delightfully nerdy, with overlapping nerd interests, and they are both going to stick up for someone else before they stand up for themselves.
I’ve seen some conversations about My Big Fat Fake Marriage as being Ted Lasso coded and, yes, that’s in the DNA, but Beck is not an alternate universe Ted Lasso. He’s a cinnamon roll with some Clark Kent (mild manners hiding strength) and a mustache – a man sure of his own masculinity with no need to prove it to others. Beck is kind, sweet, and genuine, which gets mistaken for weak and maybe not super smart, even by Connie on occasion. But Beck knows himself and has made thoughtful choices about how he is going to be in the world.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how rare and wonderful it is to find someone with whom you can truly be your weirdest self and they can be their weirdest self. I identified so much with Connie’s reluctance to let down her guard. As one should expect from a Charlotte Stein novel, these two are delightfully freaky and filthy. When Connie goes feral over Beck’s tiny shorts and his high potency sex drive, it’s both steamy and achingly sweet.
I read both an e-arc and an audio arc. Imogen Wilde’s narration was delightful, giving added depth to an excellent text. Imogen Wilde conveyed emotions and moments of humor that I hadn’t picked up on. I love it when I’m able to read a book and have it read to me.
I received this as an advance reader copy from St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.