Faker

August 5, 2019
Smith’s debut aims for romantic comedy, but misses the mark. Emmie Echavarre is an expert at faking confidence. She’s one of five women working at a power tool company, and one of the few nonwhite employees. Her white male co-workers mansplain at her and harass her, and she has to project toughness to survive. Cruelest of them all is the social media manager, Tate Rasmussen, who never seems to have a kind word for her. After they begin working together on a project to build interest in their company’s charitable ventures, Emmie has a health scare, and Tate’s response threatens to disrupt everything Emmie believes about her tall, blond, and grouchy co-worker. This enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance hinges on a ton of miscommunication that may frustrate readers. The steamy scenes scattered across its second half aren’t enough to convey why Tate suddenly becomes appealing enough for Emmie to risk a workplace romance when she’s already being hassled by co-workers. In addition, the subplot about Emmie’s anxieties over being Filipina doesn’t gel with the rest of the story. Emmie is appealing on her own, but readers will have a hard time believing in her union with Tate. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary.

Narrator Donnabella Mortel is consistently expressive as she delivers this slow-burn romance. Emmie is one of the few women at a power tool company. Mortel nails Emmie's boss-bitch persona at work, ensuring that Emmie's voice matches her squared shoulders and glare. It's a dismissive tone, coolly professional. At the end of the day, Mortel shifts her tone to reflect Emmie's naturally friendly personality. When a workplace accident has Tate, a hot co-worker who is Emmie's rival, showing a soft side, she begins to question the emotional walls she has put up. The buildup from flirty one-liners to a sizzling encounter will be met with sighs of contentment. A.L.C. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine