My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Love Con

Author: Seressia Glass

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 12/14/21

Publisher: Berkley Books

Categories: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Cosplay, Friends to Lovers, Fake Dating

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

He’s cosplaying as her boyfriend but their feelings for each other are real in this romantic comedy from Seressia Glass.

Sometimes Kenya Davenport believes she was switched at the hospital–how else could a lover of anime, gaming, and cosplay come from STEM parents? Still, Kenya dreams of being able to turn her creative hobby into a career. She finally has a chance to make it big when she joins the reality show competition Cosplay or No Way.

There’s just one catch: the challenge for the final round is all about iconic pairs, and the judges want the contestants’ significant others to participate. Unfortunately, Kenya is as single as can be at the moment. Luckily her best friend, Cameron Lassiter, agrees to be her fake boyfriend for the show. 
Roleplaying a couple in love will force them to explore what they’re hiding under the mask of friendship. Can Kenya and Cam fake it until she makes it, or will she be real about her feelings, knowing it could cost her the best friend she’s ever had? 

This book caught my eye because of the very colorful cover and the synopsis about two cosplayers falling in love! I’ve never read a book about cosplayers before so this is a first for me and it was delightful!

I like Kenya a lot because she’s beautiful, fierce, unique, creative, plus size and confident! She has her insecurities, especially when her parents are grilling her about her future, but for the most part Kenya is mentally strong and she has to be because she is in a high stakes television competition and in the final round.

Her love interest is her best friend and fellow cosplayer, Cameron. She doesn’t know he’s been into her for a long while now, but he’s hoping the fake dating will help her imagine him as a something more and a potential real boyfriend. This boy is crazy about her and I love how he helps her make her dreams come true. Cam is there to defend her, help her, calm her down, protect her and he even lets her grow. He is a keeper!

If the best friend vibes is the sweetest, then let me tell you that the physical attraction between them is the hottest. Problems arise when Kenya’s parents get involved, Cam’s ex and the show trying to cause drama but they navigate it with an awesome communication session.

As for the cosplay stuff, I thought it was a cool competition and different! There is so much work that goes into cosplay so I’m glad it got a spotlight in this book.

Content Warnings: microaggressions

Kenya is black and plus sized and she deals with a lot of microaggressions from one of the judges on the show, a producer from the show and Cam’s ex. Kenya has to rise above it all or else they paint her as the angry black female on the competition. She is strong and I can see why Cam is deeply in love with her. Kenya really is a queen.

This is a quick read and the fake dating starts almost right away, there is no build up at all – so I had to get my bearings a little but we get lots of information later about Cam and Kenya’s relationship and get a good feel for their friendship.

Why you should read it:

• diverse
• cosplay
• friends to lovers, fake dating romance
• Kenya is fabulous

Why you might not want to read it:

• needs more build up to their attraction, it’s instant

My Thoughts:

I like that this was something different for me, in that the two main characters are into cosplay. It was fun to see them in the process of building the costumes and seeing their friendship turn into physical attraction and love. I enjoyed Kenya’s character a lot! She is amazing and I can see why Cam is in love with her, and vice versa. This one is a light read and left me feeling happy for the couple at the end.

📚 ~ Yolanda