Writer Freya Lal has a huge secret: she’s a dead ringer for It-girl actress Mandi Roy. Her second novel is due in a month, but inspiration is nowhere to be found. Desperate to shake off her writer’s block, Freya leans into her look-alike abilities and indulges in some mistaken identity for simple perks, like scoring a free mimosa or getting into a trendy nightclub.
Actor Taft Bamber appears to have it all: gorgeous, talented, and Mandi’s love interest both on- and off-screen. But what nobody knows is that their relationship is a PR stunt, and after years of playing make-believe, he’s yearning for something real.
When Freya’s latest impersonation of Mandi goes viral thanks to Taft’s accidental interference, rumors of a breakup threaten Hollywood’s golden couple. To make amends, Freya is forced to give Mandi a little time off: she’ll pretend to be the actress for a month, move in with Taft, and squash the rumors by acting completely in love. But as Freya and Taft play house, it becomes impossible to ignore that their instant chemistry isn’t just for the cameras. While faking it, they might have just found the real thing.
- Title: The Decoy Girlfriend
- Author: Lillie Vale
- Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons
- Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
- Genre: Contemporary, Romance
- Source: Digital ARC via Netgalley
- Targeted Age Range: Adult
- Content Warnings: mentions of death of a parent (mother)
- Rating: ★★★.5
The Decoy Girlfriend is a whirlwind fake dating romance that I just absolutely devoured. It follows Freya Lal, an author who is struggling to write her second book – and part time, unofficial Mandi Roy impersonator. At first, being mistaken for It-Girl actress Mandi Roy was just a simple coincidence, and something Freya just went with. The two girls are complete doppelgängers, and they even sound the same. But the more Freya’s mistaken for Mandi, the easier it is to just go along with it. It’s not like Freya does it often; just every now and then — a free drink at the club, a free pair of earrings, the sort of minor special treatment that comes along with being a celebrity. But when Freya’s caught in the act by none other than Mandi Roy herself, she finds herself roped into another scheme: Mandi wants a break, and asks Freya to fake-date her co-star, Taft Bamber for her. With no other choice, Freya’s forced to agree.
I found this book delightful. In an odd way, it reminded me of Meg Cabot’s Airhead series. That, coupled with the fake dating element essentially guaranteed that I’d enjoy The Decoy Girlfriend. It was really easy to empathize with Freya, especially with her doubts with writing. Following her journey of overcoming her writer’s block, the second book slump, and insecurities as an author was just really interesting to read. Freya had a sense of “I’m just like other girls”, and reading about Freya learning to become more self-confident, and see all that she had to offer was lovely. Taft, our love interest, was simply lovable. Just like Freya, he also has his own arc of realizing his self-worth, and overcoming his own insecurities, and watching the two of them help each other through that journey was very sweet.
The dialogue between the two characters was so entertaining. I loved Freya and Taft’s banter and pining, and some of their lines were really charming. In a way, however, this book felt very pandered towards romance readers. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just the feeling I got from it. There were specific lines of dialogue that made me go “Oh, the booktok girlies will eat this up”, and tropes and moments that just felt very easy to market. Again, this isn’t a bad thing at all – and I do think it worked for this book, it just wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea.
The ending also felt quite abrupt — there were some threads that weren’t really resolved, and I found myself going “wait, that’s it?”. Still, it didn’t detract from my ultimate enjoyment of the book too much. Overall, I’d recommend The Decoy Girlfriend if you’re a fan of fake-dating, celebrity romances, and if you’re in the mood for something cute and funny.
Links for The Decoy Girlfriend: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Lillie Vale is the author of books for both teens and adults, including The Decoy Girlfriend, Beauty and the Besharam, The Shaadi Set-Up and Small Town Hearts, an American Library Association’s 2020 Rainbow Books List selection. She writes about secrets and yearning, complicated and ambitious girls who know what they want, the places we call home and people we find our way back to, and the magic we make. Born in Mumbai, she grew up in Mississippi, Texas, and North Dakota, and now lives in an Indiana college town. Find her on Twitter @LillieLabyrinth and Instagram @labyrinthspine, or visit her website lillielabyrinth.com.
