How to Fake a Love Story

She wants to break his heart. He wants her to fall in love. Two former childhood best friends must navigate hidden agendas and tangled pasts in this irresistibly messy YA revenge rom-com for fans of Lynn Painter and Ann Liang.

Lakshmi Jadhav is woefully aware that she’s nearing the end of high school without even a fun fling to her name. And now that she’s moved back home to Berkeley, her prospects are even worse. Regardless, she’s determined to “live a little”—as her new friend, Emily, would say…all while studiously ignoring her former best friend and crush, Adil Chadda.

But after Adil carelessly meddles in Em’s relationship, her heartbreak leaves the girls wanting to give him a taste of his own medicine. What if Lakshmi broke his heart? She has her own reasons for wanting to get revenge, after all.

Meanwhile, Adil isn’t sure why Lakshmi left their hometown without so much as a goodbye, and he isn’t about to ask. He’ll stick to working on new clothing designs and doling out dating advice to his friends, Dhruv and Matthias. But when his romantic expertise is called into question, the boys issue him a challenge: Adil has to get a girl of their choosing to fall in love with him. And they know one who never would—Lakshmi.

Now with opposing goals and the same Winter Ball deadline, Adil needs to win Lakshmi over, and Lakshmi needs to break his heart. Can they fake a love story? Or will they both lose the game of love? | Aashna Avachat is a writer, reader, and lawyer from California. She studied English and Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley and law at Harvard Law School. She is the author of Love Craves Cardamom, Mischief Girls, and How to Fake a Love Story. When she’s not working, she’s probably reading on a sunny patch of grass, going on long walks to grocery stores, or being cozy with one of her many foster cats. Visit her online at aashnaavachat.com.