Can't Help Faking in Love

A young woman with Bollywood roots hires a barista to act as her boyfriend for her cousin's wedding--only to learn you can't fake chemistry like theirs--in this desi romance from the author of Match Me If You Can

Harsha Godbole has never felt love from her family, but she's always been surrounded by their Bollywood business mogul wealth. Now back in Bangalore after studying in America, Harsha is ready to start her adult life without their money. But that becomes impossible when everything she's worked so hard for comes crumbling down. Fearful of showing up to her cousin's upcoming wedding as a failure--and worse, a single failure--Harsha decides to put her trust fund to good use . . . 

Veer Kannan does everything for his family. He even gave up his dreams of becoming a Bollywood star to get a more consistent gig . . . although working as a barista wasn't really the big break he was hoping for. It's a humble life, but a happy one, nonetheless. Then financial aid falls through for his brother's first year in business school, so now Veer needs to come up with a large sum of money, and fast. 

Harsha's outlandish plan to hire her favorite barista as her fake boyfriend for the weekend-long wedding bash is received surprisingly well by Veer, who hopes this will be his ticket to Bollywood. But Harsha and Veer get way more than they bargained for in this heartwarming journey to finding unexpected love and courage.

Pub Date: February 11, 2025

Swati Hegde is the author of Can't Help Faking in Love and Match Me If You Can, as well as a freelance editor, mindset coach, and self-proclaimed coffee shop enthusiast who lives in Bangalore, India. She can often be found at the nearest café with a hot mug of tea. She looks forward to a long career bringing Indian stories and voices to light.