Fans of fake-dating, friends-to-lovers, mutual pining and the sharing a bed trope, have I got the book for you! Bonus points if you’re a nerd and into cosplaying!
The Love Con follows Kenya Davenport, a lover of gaming, anime, and cosplay. Though she’s got a degree in engineering, Kenya is trying to make her hobby her dream career—by joining the reality show cosplay competition Cosplay or No Way. Making it all the way to the final challenge, there is only one problem: Kenya has to create a cosplay for iconic pairs and she needs someone—a significant other—to participate. Who better than her long-time best friend Cameron Lassiter, who is all too happy to help his best friend out—and pretend to be her boyfriend in the process? Roleplaying a couple for the cameras leads to some conflicted feelings as both Kenya and Cameron realise that this could finally be the push they need to confess their feelings for each other—but are they both in the same boat feelings-wise or might this just sink their (friend)ship?
Though the premise sounded like perfection, the execution left something to be desired. One of the tricky elements when it comes to long-time friends-to-lovers romances is that of the show don’t tell dynamic. The Love Con suffered of too much telling and not enough showing in the first half of the book. As Kenya and Cam’s long-time friendship is established for the reader, we get to read a lot about their dynamic and how they approach struggles in their friendships (e.g. Kenya’s parents making things more difficult or girlfriends coming into the mix), but we don’t really see these moments and are just told about them. This definitely improved around the second third of the novel where Glass incorporated flashbacks to circumvent this issue and that’s where I really got a feel for Kenya’s and Cam’s strong bond. It’s worth sticking out that telling face to get to the show parts where Cam becomes the knight in shining armour. But speaking of Kenya and Cam…
As weird as it sounds, Kenya and Cam acted out of character so often that I wondered whether I was reading about four characters instead of two. Their introspective thoughts were at odds with how they acted toward each other. Now, granted, this is a totally normal thing—I often think very differently from how I talk. But in The Love Con, it was an altogether jarring experience to have this super deep, introspective discussion of Kenya’s feelings toward Cam and the entire competition only to be then met with her spouting lines like “I want to ride you like a pogo stick” five seconds later. Nevertheless, this is a very subjective opinion and thus shouldn’t deter you from picking this book up.
What I loved in this book, however, was the concept of the story! Having a woman like Kenya who wants to turn her creative hobby into a career despite her STEM-loving parents who think she’s wasting her talent was so relatable—I think a lot of the time cosplaying is seen as something fun or frivolous when there is actually so much time and effort put into the costumes and the fan events that goes completely unappreciated. I also loved that despite having an engineering degree, Kenya fought for her dreams even if they weren’t what everyone expected of her because now more than ever, it’s important to hold on to your dreams and ambitions and not just go with the flow to please others. Glass really drives home that message about going for what you want in life and that alone was fantastic.
There are also microaggressions Kenya faces during the filming of the show and though I wish that Kenya would have been able to fight more against them—or for certain people to get what’s coming to them—I still liked that this was included and not just brushed off.
Also, if you’re a fan of mutual pining, I know that this will feel like going to an all-you-can-eat-buffet with a free pass. Both Kenya and Cam are so head over heels for each other and it’s just all kinds of fun to have them wondering whether the other is just playing at pretend dating or if they want it to be a reality. There are a lot of awkward moments, delicious tension and will-they-won’t-they vibes that for sure are going to keep readers invested until the very end!
Altogether, if you’re looking for a multifaceted, mutual-pining friends-to-lovers romance with a nice heap of fandom culture and cosplaying thrown into the mix, The Love Con is perfect for you!
The Love Con is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of
Will you be picking up The Love Con? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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?
I’m a big fan of the friends-to-lovers trope. This sounds right up my alley.