Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Operation Fake Relationship
AUTHOR: Jay Northcote
PUBLISHER: Jaybird Press Ltd
RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2020
LENGTH: 163 Pages
BLURB:
Can a fake relationship between best friends turn into the real thing?
After years of estrangement from his parents, Nick is finally going home for Christmas, but not without backup. He wants moral support, so his best friend and flatmate, Jackson, agrees to pretend to be his partner so he can go with him.
It’s easy for Jackson to be convincing when his feelings for Nick are as genuine as ever. He put his crush on the back burner long ago, but acting out a role he’d love to play for real is harder than he imagined. Holding hands, kissing under the mistletoe, even sharing a bed for the sake of the charade… He can’t help wondering what he’s let himself in for, and whether his heart can take it.
Emotions run high as Nick grapples with family issues, and the sexual tension between him and his best friend becomes difficult to ignore. But if he and Jackson give into the temptation to be fake boyfriends with benefits over the holiday, what will it mean for their future as friends once Christmas is over?
Contains: best friends to lovers, pretend boyfriends, daddy issues, mistletoe, and a happy ending—of course.
REVIEW:
Awkward conversations, a tense atmosphere, and mince pies lie in store for Nick and Jackson when they arrive at Nick’s parents for a family Christmas. Memories, both good and bad, surround his childhood home. But what throws Nick through a loop more than anything are the feelings for his best friend, Jackson. Nick asked him to be his fake boyfriend, but Christmas Magic strikes, opening his eyes to what has been in front of him for years.
Jackson, however, has always loved Nick – he’d just given up on ever having him.
The story is told in the third person from the viewpoints of Nick and Jackson. Other than that, I couldn’t comment on any other technicalities because I was too engrossed in the story – which is a good thing.
For me, just about everything was on the money. The imagery was spot on – I felt like I was a fly on the wall. The pace was excellent, and I loved the characters. The dialogue was realistic, thoughtful, and appropriately, funny. I laughed out loud at the discussion regarding marmite and what the first words, Seth, Nick’s nephew would speak.
Reactions were excellent and believable, but, for my reading taste, the only aspect that could have made it perfect would have been a bit more… angst is not the word, nor is drama. Maybe tension over what happens when they no longer have to be in a fake relationship. It was there, but it could have been eked out a bit. I wanted my heart to thump a little more than it did – that is a petty thing on my part. Conversely, I was chuffed that Nick’s reactions. He’s not prepared to sit back and let happiness slip away.
What I loved was how the author portrayed the complexities within a family. How building bridges and letting go of the past is both painful and cathartic. Holding onto hurt and anger affects everyone in the house.
Being a Brit, I felt truly at home with the turns of phrase. I love a good book and am happy to read stories set just about anywhere in the world. But when a book is written, in the UK, with English spelling, typically British swear words, and scenery – it has a familiarity about it that makes me comfortable in a way that encourages me to settle in with an Ovaltine.
A realistic, yet thoroughly enchanting read – it was a drool-worthy mince pie with double cream and a hot toddy on the side.
RATING: 
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