Pretending
- Downloads：2986
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-28 14:15:56
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Holly Bourne
- ISBN：1473668174
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
He said he was looking for a 'partner in crime' which everyone knows is shorthand for 'a woman who isn't real'。
April is kind， pretty， and relatively normal - yet she can't seem to get past date five。 Every time she thinks she's found someone to trust， they reveal themselves to be awful， leaving her heartbroken。 And angry。
If only April could be more like Gretel。
Gretel is exactly what men want - she's a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems。
The problem is， Gretel isn't real。 And April is now claiming to be her。
As soon as April starts 'being' Gretel， dating becomes much more fun - especially once she reels in the unsuspecting Joshua。
Finally， April is the one in control， but can she control her own feelings？ And as she and Joshua grow closer， how long will she be able to keep pretending？
April is kind， pretty， and relatively normal - yet she can't seem to get past date five。 Every time she thinks she's found someone to trust， they reveal themselves to be awful， leaving her heartbroken。 And angry。
If only April could be more like Gretel。
Gretel is exactly what men want - she's a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems。
The problem is， Gretel isn't real。 And April is now claiming to be her。
As soon as April starts 'being' Gretel， dating becomes much more fun - especially once she reels in the unsuspecting Joshua。
Finally， April is the one in control， but can she control her own feelings？ And as she and Joshua grow closer， how long will she be able to keep pretending？
Reviews
Imi V
，
This book gave out really powerful messages and really changed my perspective on a few things。 It really showed that even love had it’s exhausting parts and troublesome bits。 No one is perfect but it doesn’t me that you have to always be pretending。 I would recommend this to everything to be honest because it is such an impactful read。
Millie
，
Aghhh。 3。5 stars。 Okay so I loved this book， overall- I thought it was really good， and there was so many lines that just ASTOUNDED me。 But the thing that made it not nearer to 5 stars was because I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending- not the ending ending but the last 100 or so pages。 I much preferred the middle， and was beginning to think it could be one of my favourite holly bourne books， and I do still love it but I wasn’t as hooked。 I think just because I didn’t like their relationship th Aghhh。 3。5 stars。 Okay so I loved this book， overall- I thought it was really good， and there was so many lines that just ASTOUNDED me。 But the thing that made it not nearer to 5 stars was because I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending- not the ending ending but the last 100 or so pages。 I much preferred the middle， and was beginning to think it could be one of my favourite holly bourne books， and I do still love it but I wasn’t as hooked。 I think just because I didn’t like their relationship that much- it was nice， but not perfect- and I didn’t really like megan much either。 I got slightly sick of reading about men and breakups which is silly because that was kind of the main plot of the book， but I did。 Still， it was a great book， and that chapter on sexual assault was incredible。 。。。more
Rebecca Travers
，
I fell in love with this instantly。 So easy to read and such a flawed yet likeable central character， I loved April instantly。 The plot was pacy and well plotted， let's face it Holly Bourne could never put a foot wrong in my eyes。 I adored her YA and somehow I like her adult novels even more。 I fell in love with this instantly。 So easy to read and such a flawed yet likeable central character， I loved April instantly。 The plot was pacy and well plotted， let's face it Holly Bourne could never put a foot wrong in my eyes。 I adored her YA and somehow I like her adult novels even more。 。。。more
Nicky
，
3。6 trigger warning of rape
Annabelle Shaw
，
I like the concept of this book and it’s unlike anything that I’ve read before。 Reading about April’s past experiences was hard and emotionally challenging…however it was brutally honest and I liked that。 I really enjoyed how I kept on questioning “does she really hate men？” Because she doesn’t。 She just hates what they did to her and how they made her feel and I think we can all relate to that， even if it’s just a little bit。 It was good， but I felt like there was something missing。 The trauma I like the concept of this book and it’s unlike anything that I’ve read before。 Reading about April’s past experiences was hard and emotionally challenging…however it was brutally honest and I liked that。 I really enjoyed how I kept on questioning “does she really hate men？” Because she doesn’t。 She just hates what they did to her and how they made her feel and I think we can all relate to that， even if it’s just a little bit。 It was good， but I felt like there was something missing。 The trauma of April was really hard for me to read but that’s just for me personally。 Over all - 3/5 because it was enjoyable and good however I wasn’t left speechless and like mentioned prior， I felt like something was missing。 。。。more
grace
，
i think i prefer her YA。
Sreepurna
，
4。5 stars。 This book reminded me of a popular YouTube video where a husband has filmed his wife dancing in the kitchen while cooking。 The entire comment section is filled with people admiring here and calling her "wife goals" etc。 She's so beautiful that even I was in love with her by the time the video ended。 That woman in the video would be my version of Gretel。 4。5 stars。 This book reminded me of a popular YouTube video where a husband has filmed his wife dancing in the kitchen while cooking。 The entire comment section is filled with people admiring here and calling her "wife goals" etc。 She's so beautiful that even I was in love with her by the time the video ended。 That woman in the video would be my version of Gretel。 。。。more
Jen Juniper
，
Tää on rankka。 Ja takakannen lainaus Daily Mailin arvostelusta: "Hurjan viihdyttävä romanttinen komedia #MeToon jälkeiselle sukupolvelle" on vääristynyt ja osoittaa sen， ettei arvostelija todennäköisesti ole lukenut tätä kirjaa。3。5 tähteä。 "Teeskentelyä" on selviytymiskertomus。 April on joutunut raiskatuksi parisuhteessaan ja yrittää nyt koota itsensä， minkä työ seksuaalineuvojana haastaa。 Korostan vielä， tämä ei ole komedia。 Osaa tarinasta rakastin， kuten vertaistuki-nyrkkeilyryhmää ja osaa vih Tää on rankka。 Ja takakannen lainaus Daily Mailin arvostelusta: "Hurjan viihdyttävä romanttinen komedia #MeToon jälkeiselle sukupolvelle" on vääristynyt ja osoittaa sen， ettei arvostelija todennäköisesti ole lukenut tätä kirjaa。3。5 tähteä。 "Teeskentelyä" on selviytymiskertomus。 April on joutunut raiskatuksi parisuhteessaan ja yrittää nyt koota itsensä， minkä työ seksuaalineuvojana haastaa。 Korostan vielä， tämä ei ole komedia。 Osaa tarinasta rakastin， kuten vertaistuki-nyrkkeilyryhmää ja osaa vihasin， kuten sitä kuinka nainen oletusarvoisesti hullaantuu mieheen ja kehittelee romanttisia mielikuvia milloin mistäkin ja luhistuu totaalisesti kun mies ei olekaan kaikkea sitä， miksi mielikuvitus on hänet mahdollistanut。 。。。more
sarahreads
，
tw: sexual assaulti dont even know how to describe how much i really love this book。 i find it really refreshing and healing to read。 its so relatable in a lot of ways and its sad to even say that as a woman， but i definitely felt heard。 idk how many times this book has personally attacked me and still managed to make me self actualize？？ 😂 it can be slightly triggering， but i just love how the author discusses the issues that were being shown in a very realistic way yet make it seem so witty bc tw: sexual assaulti dont even know how to describe how much i really love this book。 i find it really refreshing and healing to read。 its so relatable in a lot of ways and its sad to even say that as a woman， but i definitely felt heard。 idk how many times this book has personally attacked me and still managed to make me self actualize？？ 😂 it can be slightly triggering， but i just love how the author discusses the issues that were being shown in a very realistic way yet make it seem so witty bc mc's inner monologues is exactly how id be lollllla solid 5！ 。。。more
amy macciocca
，
this book was a great mix of angsty feminism and an unpredictable love story。 aprils individual character development was good and i enjoyed how this development helped her heal from her past。 this being said， i was sometimes frustrated by april， holding onto an identity that she clearly didn't have to。 regardless， i enjoyed this story and i would recommend。 this book was a great mix of angsty feminism and an unpredictable love story。 aprils individual character development was good and i enjoyed how this development helped her heal from her past。 this being said， i was sometimes frustrated by april， holding onto an identity that she clearly didn't have to。 regardless， i enjoyed this story and i would recommend。 。。。more
Jill
，
Let’s be clear: this is not a lighthearted ‘woe is me’ dating book， it is a powerful drama about rape。 There are cute， funny aspects however April’s struggle goes beyond the average single woman。 Powerful， unforgettable but somewhat downplayed in trying to be a beach read *I felt*。
Joanna Chen
，
Terrible read。 Couldn't stand April's personality and the whole book just made no sense。 Terrible read。 Couldn't stand April's personality and the whole book just made no sense。 。。。more
Abby
，
Self aware， kind and sharp， with the ending pitched just right。
Jenna Coyne
，
Really enjoyed
Inka
，
Bournella on uskomaton kyky yhdistää tarinoissaan kepeää ja nopealukuista kerrontaa vakaviin ja kamaliinkin aiheisiin。 Jostain syystä olin kuvitellut， että Teeskentelyä olisi älykkäällä tavalla kevyttä romanttista hömppää， mutta päähenkilön romanttisen suhteen kehittyminen jäikin aikalailla sivurooliin， ja Aprilin henkilökohtaiset traumat ja niiden vaikutukset ja käsittely olivat pääosassa。 Vaikka kirjaa kuunnellessa teki pahaa päähenkilön puolesta， jotenkin kirja ei silti tuntunut niin raskaalt Bournella on uskomaton kyky yhdistää tarinoissaan kepeää ja nopealukuista kerrontaa vakaviin ja kamaliinkin aiheisiin。 Jostain syystä olin kuvitellut， että Teeskentelyä olisi älykkäällä tavalla kevyttä romanttista hömppää， mutta päähenkilön romanttisen suhteen kehittyminen jäikin aikalailla sivurooliin， ja Aprilin henkilökohtaiset traumat ja niiden vaikutukset ja käsittely olivat pääosassa。 Vaikka kirjaa kuunnellessa teki pahaa päähenkilön puolesta， jotenkin kirja ei silti tuntunut niin raskaalta kuin olisi voinut kuvitella。 Tykkäsin myös siitä， miten tiettyjä monista romanttisista kirjoista ja elokuvista tuttuja teemoja käsiteltiin tässä。 。。。more
Nicola Quinn
，
I have had this book on my kindle since last year when I was enticed by a 99p kindle deal。 When I heard there was a #buddyread happening I was excited to join in as it was the perfect #tickoffthetbrFrom the cover I was expecting a very fun， lighthearted piece of escapism but this is the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover。 This book covered hard hitting topics （rape and sexual violence） I did not like the main character April she was extremely irritating and I found her very immat I have had this book on my kindle since last year when I was enticed by a 99p kindle deal。 When I heard there was a #buddyread happening I was excited to join in as it was the perfect #tickoffthetbrFrom the cover I was expecting a very fun， lighthearted piece of escapism but this is the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover。 This book covered hard hitting topics （rape and sexual violence） I did not like the main character April she was extremely irritating and I found her very immature。 However， as the book progressed I did feel like I understood her a bit better。 I found her job a very bad choice especially considering her past and how triggering it was for her。 What I loved was Joshua 😍 and the fact that this book was such a great book to chat about with the other ladies I was reading with。 Despite the topic I was very much compelled to keep reading。 It was an ok read and definitely not what I was expecting。 。。。more
Kimiko
，
Fantastic but really tough read。 There was a lot that was triggering for me but it was also heartwarming to read things that I connected with so strongly， and it was all so eloquently written。 Be prepared to cry。
Lune
，
3，5 starsThe thing with this book is that it is hard to judge because I haven’t been in the situation the main character has been in。Objectively， the story is well put together。 I loved that there was an explanation for every “weird” thing the main character did to make it seem all the more logical。 There were some points into the story where I felt frightened like her， others where I thought it was a bit too much。 I don’t hate men， I think there are just bad people。 But I do understand why some 3，5 starsThe thing with this book is that it is hard to judge because I haven’t been in the situation the main character has been in。Objectively， the story is well put together。 I loved that there was an explanation for every “weird” thing the main character did to make it seem all the more logical。 There were some points into the story where I felt frightened like her， others where I thought it was a bit too much。 I don’t hate men， I think there are just bad people。 But I do understand why someone who has gone through all that feels that way。 The parts where the main characters goes to boxing where my favorite。 Those moments I felt like I could finally breath， just like her。Besides that， things didn’t feel entirely realistic even though I can’t exactly put my finger on what。 。。。more
Julia
，
I‘ve never read a book dealing with such delicate topics。 I think it was really well written。 You are submerged in April‘s character and I do think there are things to take away from this read。However， I read it a year after getting it for my birthday， so I had forgotten what it was about。 Those who have made similar experiences as April should really consider the pros and cons of reading this story。I‘m glad to have finished it。 Next time I will double check the summary on the back
Gemma
，
This one was very heavy。 Definitely read the trigger warnings before going into it。 The biggest one being sexual assault， rape。 I love 50% of Holly bourne’s books and like the others。 This one was just a like for me。 I find that the story was predictable to me。 I spent the whole time reading it thinking oh no don’t do that， you know how it’s going to end， and those stories I never fully enjoy。 Still it wasn’t a bad book。 The story was heartbreaking and empowering all at once。
Stephanie Ross
，
Funny， easy read and some bits were quite relatable。
Barb
，
April， Joshua，
Juliana Ferrer
，
Holly Bourne is one of my favorite authors for many reasons - one of which is that she tells realistic *romance* stories。 ML in this book is flawed and imperfect。 But more than that， I like how powerful her writing is to change my perspective on things。 The Spinster series made me understand feminism and advocate against mental health stigmas。 In Pretending， she reinforces the truth that men are indeed trash。 While ML is not totally trash， （view spoiler）[ one of his friends is - and that means s Holly Bourne is one of my favorite authors for many reasons - one of which is that she tells realistic *romance* stories。 ML in this book is flawed and imperfect。 But more than that， I like how powerful her writing is to change my perspective on things。 The Spinster series made me understand feminism and advocate against mental health stigmas。 In Pretending， she reinforces the truth that men are indeed trash。 While ML is not totally trash， （view spoiler）[ one of his friends is - and that means something if， after 20 or so years， ML doesn't contradict said friend until FL stood her ground against him。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Robyn Boyd
，
Preferred her other （non YA） novel this went on a bit in the middle for me， but an enjoyable read。 Definitely triggering if you’ve ever suffered sexual assault so be warned！
Elodie
，
Amusing seeing some sadly very real stereotypes， sounded like my friends telling me about their real life dating adventures at time。 But the plot is incredibly obvious from the start with really nothing to at least throw you for a loop somewhere in there。 Disappointing， because the concept could have been funny/interesting executed in a less generic romcom way。（view spoiler）[Also like why isn't Megan in the epilogue？ What happened to her， did she get her suprise gift SO thanks to having given up Amusing seeing some sadly very real stereotypes， sounded like my friends telling me about their real life dating adventures at time。 But the plot is incredibly obvious from the start with really nothing to at least throw you for a loop somewhere in there。 Disappointing， because the concept could have been funny/interesting executed in a less generic romcom way。（view spoiler）[Also like why isn't Megan in the epilogue？ What happened to her， did she get her suprise gift SO thanks to having given up on getting one， did she get the promotion？ Come on don't leave us hanging :P （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Milla Periaatteen Nainen
，
Omassa genressään erinomainen， miinusta vähän liioitellusta pituudesta sekä lievästä ennalta-arvattavuudesta （joka sallitaan tässä tyylilajissa）。 Kirja ansaitsee runsaasti sisältövaroituksia raskaista teemoista， joita kuitenkin käsitellään ammattitaitoisesti ja ilman sosiaalipornoa。33-vuotiaan Aprilin tapa toipua traumaattisista kokemuksista vaihtuu kostofantasian toteuttamiseksi （enemmän Tinderissä kuin Kill Bill-tyyliin）， mutta tunteet tulevat peliin。 Hyvä feministinen ote， kriittinen suhtautu Omassa genressään erinomainen， miinusta vähän liioitellusta pituudesta sekä lievästä ennalta-arvattavuudesta （joka sallitaan tässä tyylilajissa）。 Kirja ansaitsee runsaasti sisältövaroituksia raskaista teemoista， joita kuitenkin käsitellään ammattitaitoisesti ja ilman sosiaalipornoa。33-vuotiaan Aprilin tapa toipua traumaattisista kokemuksista vaihtuu kostofantasian toteuttamiseksi （enemmän Tinderissä kuin Kill Bill-tyyliin）， mutta tunteet tulevat peliin。 Hyvä feministinen ote， kriittinen suhtautuminen parisuhteen autuaaksi tekevään voimaan ja terävää huumoria。 。。。more
Lisa
，
Really enjoyed this and then came the ending - dont know what to rate it， so no rating for now
Sadie
，
DNF @ 10%。 For an adult novel， this reads a lot like Holly Bourne's YA， which makes the narration even more grating coming from a grown woman: This man clearly likes you。 Look！ He's just looked up from BBC Sport and winked！ A wink！ What a lovely， romantic wink 。。。 oh， he's gone back to looking at his phone now。Also， it bugs me that she doesn't know the difference between a circle and a sphere。 DNF @ 10%。 For an adult novel， this reads a lot like Holly Bourne's YA， which makes the narration even more grating coming from a grown woman: This man clearly likes you。 Look！ He's just looked up from BBC Sport and winked！ A wink！ What a lovely， romantic wink 。。。 oh， he's gone back to looking at his phone now。Also， it bugs me that she doesn't know the difference between a circle and a sphere。 。。。more
Jo
，
Light reading
Ananya Maity
，
4。5 starsIt really must be a privilege to be able to look at this book from a place of emotional detachment。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Pretending
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Pretending&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Pretending&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0