I first have to thank Malin (and so many other Cannonballers!) for reviewing this book so well. I’m not sure I would have ever A) come across it or B) read it if I had, if it weren’t for her review. Thank you to everyone who has raved about this book. I loved it and read it (devoured it, more like) as quickly as I could.
Act Like It hits on two of my favorite tropes: cranky misanthrope falls in love against his will (I mentioned this in my review of Uprooted so was glad to come across it again so soon after reading that one, because I WILL LOVE IT FOREVER) and also people who hate each other SO HARD eventually falling desperately in love. (Thank you, Pride & Prejudice, for planting that seed at a young age.)
This was a delightful read, fun and funny, and the characters were quite likable, even though one was supposed to be a massive dickhead. And he was, just in a very entertaining way (eventually).
The book centers on Lainie Graham, a stage actress who is unfortunately starring in a play with her ex-boyfriend, a tosser (I’m so British) named Will who cheated on her and then dumped her via tabloid. She is approached by management regarding another co-star, Richard Troy, an unpleasant chap who has been racking up so much bad press that it’s affecting the play. They want Lainie to have a fake relationship with Richard, just believable enough that it turns things around enough for the play to actually make money. In return, she’s promised that a portion of the proceeds will go directly to her charity, Shining Light, which raises money for children with cancer. This cause is very dear to her heart, as her sister died of cancer not long ago.
Of course, Lainie and Richard can’t stand each other, meaning that pretending to like one another is A CHORE. Predictably, things gradually begin to change along the way. Knowing that this is going to happen doesn’t make the read any less enjoyable. In fact, I found myself staying up far too late for a work night trying to get to the part where they FINALLY GET TOGETHER DAMMIT. So, yeah. 10 points to Gryffindor, would read again!
