Review: Faking It by Cora Carmack

Title: Faking It
Author: Cora Carmack
Series: Losing It #2
Published: June 4, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.

* This review may contain spoilers for Losing It, book one in this series. *

This is the kind of book that makes me love my book blogging hobby.  Some books I read make me feel a little drained and almost like it's a chore to read and review... but oh boy, not this one AT ALL!  I had trouble putting it down just to leave the house for work.  It was seriously THAT good!  Dare I say I liked it even more than Losing It?  I think I can honestly say that.  Faking It is one of my top reads of 2013.

Max seems to be spiraling downward... at least in her parents' eyes.  She's off on her own, following her dream of becoming a singer in a band.  Her parents have a hard time accepting this.  After the loss of Max's sister, her parents have turned overprotective and demanding... and Max is having a hard time handling it all.  She rebels by getting tattoos, dying her hair, and dating "bad boys" her parents wouldn't approve of... yet oddly this is all behind the backs of her parents.  For reasons she holds within herself, she can't seem to show her parents her true self.  Instead she covers up her body art and acts all prim and proper around them, as not to disappoint them.  But why can't they just accepted her for who she really is?

Cade, who completely won over my heart when he first appeared in Losing It, is head over heals for his unavailable BFF, Bliss.  He's trying to get over her and move on with his life, and in the process his runs into Max.  It all starts off with a lie... Cade acting as Max's boyfriend to impress her parents that unexpectedly showed up... but the chemistry and attraction between Cade and Max was hard for either one of them to deny, no matter how hard they both tried.

Okay,  I'm just going to say it... this reminded me a lot of Dare You To.  I think it was the whole bad girl/good boy aspect of it.  Not that Max was "bad" by any means, but she was troubled and rebelling.  Then we had Cade, who was too good for his own good.  Such a sweetheart.  I really enjoy the switch from the whole bad-boy thing we see far too often in books.  I do love me some bad boys... but good boys are pretty awesome too.  :)

The relationship between these two was the type of relationship I long to read about in my books... total opposites that seem totally wrong for each other, yet can't seem to stay apart.  They compliment each other in the best ways possible and make the other want to be a better person.  They bring out the good in each other, no matter how tortured their past was or how unstable and emotional their present is.  Their relationship just works.

As one of my top series, I find it hard to believe I could ever be disappointed in these books.  Carmack continues to surprise and amaze me with this series and where each book heads.  It seems they are so different, yet so similar at the same time.   I'm so excited for this fall when Finding It is set to be released.  I have a feeling I just may love that one too.  :D

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

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