christinefitz's reviews
55 reviews

emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This highly enjoyable and very believable take on the fake-dating trope handled heavy themes with a careful touch. While I cried for almost the entire second half, a lot of those tears were happy ones. The support the MMCs demonstrate to each other, as well as the support of their families, is so touching. I think it's still rare to find explicitly autistic characters in fiction and I really appreciated Han's character and the way his autism affected his dating life and understanding of his sexuality. There are a lot of miscommunication moments in this book, due to the secrecy of the fake-dating plot and Han's autism, but the payoff feels worth the frustration. Now very tempted to break my 'no-YA novels' rule to finally read 'The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School'.

I received this digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I had DNF’d both the physical and audio versions of this book before, but I stuck it on a short list for book club selections and my co-host picked it for January. After I finally got to chapter 4,

a plot point forced the characters to open up.

, and I was really into the story. Now I’m considering picking up the next installment, and after reading the acknowledgments I’m very interested to discuss how the author writing this during Covid affected the world building.

Content Warnings