The Fake - Zoe Whittall

Fiction

Rating: 7.5/10

Trust, who deserves it? What are your criteria for doling it out? Can you spot a lie? Or a liar?

Shelby is struggling with paralyzing grief after the recent death of her wife. She can’t trust herself with the simplest of day-to-day tasks and has become an unreliable narrator in her own existence.

Then she meets Cammie at group therapy and feels a purpose again, here is a young woman in desperate need of a caretaker. Suddenly she has a reason to get out of bed, put on clothes and face the day. She can ignore the little things that don’t add up, right?

Gibson has just moved out of the home he shared with his ex-wife when he also meets Cammie. At a different group, with a very different story. He can’t believe his luck when she comes on to him, even if their dialogue borders on corny rom-com material. He can overlook the glaring red flags, right?

Everything starts to come into focus when Shelby and Gibson meet. As they attempt to separate the truth from the lies, they wonder if there will be any truth at all.

A brilliant and irresistible novel that bravely casts a morally bereft character and upends the expected scammer narrative.

Book Pairing(s): I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel, What Remains Off Elsie Jane by Chelsea Wakelyn, Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley