The Decoy Girlfriend

by

Lillie Vale

Delightfully fun and fresh!

The Decoy Girlfriend by Lillie Vale is a delightful romantic comedy featuring celebrity impersonation and a fake-dating scenario. This story had me smiling so much of the time. The premise got me from the start, and the author delivered just like she said she would. 

Freya Lal’s follow-up novel to her successful debut book is due imminently, but with her inspiration level at zero, she’s nearing despair over honoring her commitment. Agonizing over her dilemma and staring at a blank laptop screen while watching her aunt’s bookstore, she’s even more distracted by the movie being shot on the street outside their doors that features a famous actress for whom Freya is frequently mistaken. While Freya has taken advantage of her physical similarity to Mandi Roy for small perks in the past, the idea of impersonating the hottest actress in town had never crossed her mind until Mandi’s co-star and Freya’s number one crush, Taft Bamber, walks through the bookstore doors. 

I’m a sucker for the fake relationship story, true, but this one had a cool twist: one of the main characters is impersonating a celebrity. I also really enjoyed having the story told from the dual points of view of the two main characters and watching everything unfold from both angles. 

Freya Lal was a delightful character. I liked her and felt bad about her agonizing problems trying to follow up on her early, early success with a new book – deadlines looming. Losing your mother is such a blow anyway, but when she is your main cheerleader, it would be particularly devastating. 

Taft Bamber was hands-down charming and adorable. It was awful how he was treated by his “people.” It made me want to do some damage on his behalf. There are also several notable supporting characters. 

I want to say that this is not a book for younger readers. There are very intimate scenes that are well done but not suitable for children. 

I recommend THE DECOY GIRLFRIEND to romance readers who enjoy the fake dating/fake relationship plot, especially those featuring famous characters constantly in the spotlight, adding pressure to the situation. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author or publisher through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.