Book Review: The Counterfeit Boyfriend by Cindi Madsen

The Counterfeit Boyfriend

Author: Cindi Madsen
Publisher: Cindi Madsen Books (June 25, 2018)

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Summary
My twin brother’s talked me into a lot of crazy things, but taking his place on a road trip with his girlfriend so he can party with his friends is a whole new level of insanity. What’s even more insane is I somehow find myself agreeing to it—thanks, alcohol, guilt, and bribery. I’m determined to undo the arrangement, but then I meet Gwen, this sexy redheaded hurricane of energy and brains.

And then she kisses me. Just like that, I’m driving her up the coast, on our way to a wedding with a mess of complications. With each hour and each stop, I’m falling harder and harder for a woman who doesn’t know my actual name.

I’m trying to do the right thing. Or the lesser of the wrong things. All my life I’ve had to clean up my brother’s messes, but for the first time ever, I’ve landed the upper hand in one of our switcheroo schemes. Now I’ve just got to come clean and convince Gwen that I’m the brother she should be with.

Rating: 4 stars

Review
This book is so cheesy and unrealistic and I just adored it. It got off to a bit of a rocky start and I almost stopped reading it after the first chapter, but kept going in the hopes that I could count it for a particular category in a book bingo challenge I'm participating in. Turns out it didn't fit the book bingo category, but I'm glad I kept reading anyway! Counterfeit Boyfriend is told in the first person past tense, which seemed really odd to me and sometimes came off as feeling pretty awkward and cumbersome. The POV switched between Ethan and Gwen, and it's really interesting to get each of their viewpoint into what they're feeling and what's happening, and this way the reader really gets the full impact of the number of times/situations in which if the timing/wording/circumstances had just been a SMIDGE different, everything would have turned out in such a different way.

This book is fun fluff, and besides, I'm a sucker for both the road trip romance trope as well as the mistaken identity trope. Gwen and Ethan are so cute together, and the level of banter!

"I know you're strong and all, but you're not the Hulk."
"Are you sure about that? Have you ever seen me get angry enough to test that theory? I mean I'm not confirming or denying anything, but I'd also like to point out that you haven't seen me and Superman in the same room, either."

Later the whole Hulk/Superman thing comes up a couple more times, and it's just hilarious and touching and nerdy and I love it. This whole book is just a great summer beach read, and is great if what you're looking for a cheesy trope-y fluffy romp, with a dollop of heartbreak, a sprinkle of grand gestures, and a whole heck of a lot of happy-ever-after.