The Pretender

21 Rumors

By: Kristy Marie

Narrated by: Heather Firth, Connor Crais

The Pretender is an enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about the boy next door and the girl who did the unthinkable to win his affection. Previously published as Subscriber Wars by Kristy Marie.

Secrets. Lies. Betrayal. Mine and Sebastian’s relationship wasn’t built on the foundation of trust. It was built over war. A ruthless war that exposed who we really were.

Enemies. Imposters. And Lovers. Sebastian and I would never be friends—not after what we did. But we could pretend—especially for the million-dollar prize—in a cutthroat film competition that would set our careers in motion.

We needed this win to fix our reputations. But that’s not what happened. They say money ruins relationships. I disagree. Love is the ultimate destroyer. Love ruined us. Love made us pretenders.

©2021, 2022 Kristy Marie (P)2021 Kristy Marie

Prank Wars

OMG! So, fantastically good! Let the prank wars begin! Valentina and Sebastian are a riot. All the tension masked as hate and rivalry. Lots of witty banter and inner monologue... So much denial. They keep each other on their toes. These two were best friends. Due to some deception they became enemies. A university cam competition comes along so they team up and enter. What ensues is nothing short of comedic gold. Their fake relationship too soon becomes very real. I enjoyed this book so much. It was hilarious and heartfelt. They have amazing friends and family who fully support them. A definite must read.

Banter filled delight!

This story was so much fun and I didn’t want it to end. “The Pretender” is fun, flirty and Kristy Marie turned up the banter and tension with Sebastian and Valentina’s story.

Valentina and Sebastian are sworn enemies in the influencer world. Both are competing for the likes and clicks and to win the MyView competition and also against each other. But when Sebastian realizes that they are better together to win, he convinces Valentina to be his fake girlfriend.

Oh my gosh, these two are so witty and I loved reading their story. The banter was top notch and had me cracking up. They were truly enemies and seeing them give into the attraction they felt for each other had me turning the pages to see what would happen. They have a history and some secrets that they shared and that just added to the tension. Their prank war that started it all was the cherry on top. And Valentina is the daughter of my favorite from the “Commander in Briefs” series, Timaeus Lambros. I’m so glad we’re getting the stories of the kids from the series.

Connor Crais and Heather Firth were just perfect as Sebastian and Valentina. Connor is great as a grumpy guy and Heather did a great job bringing Valentina’s fiery spirit alive.

Hilarious, Swoony & Charming!

I absolutely love Valentina & Sebastian! I first read this when it was originally Subscriber Wars. Loved it so much that when Kristy Marie changed the name to The Pretender, I had to get my hands on the audio. And of course, Connor Crais & Heather Firth are FANTASTIC!!

This is a perfect enemies to lovers, fake relationship, RomCom! I love revisiting all the characters from IOU & Rebellious. It’s such a great cast of friends. This book is full of laughs & steam & hilarious pranks, but the heart of it is watching their true feelings unfold.

Kristy Marie is a 1-click author for me. Every single one of her books are rereads for me. I love them all.

Great!

Ever since i found out about this audiobook i've been looking so forward to it! I finished this story when it first released and couldn't wait to experience it again in this new way. I started listening to it as soon as i could and got into this audiobook quickly. I so enjoyed this listen!

Having listened to both Heather Firth and Connor Crais before, i was so excited when i found out these two were narrating The Pretender! These two and their voices brought me back into this story in such an awesome way. These two were so great with their narration as Valentina and Sebastian! From the entertaining moments to the so many feels, both Heather and Connor captured it all!

This is war

🎧 AUDIO ONLY REVIEW 🎧
Audio: 4/5 🎧

#thepretender (previously subscriber wars) by @authorkristymarie is one you don’t want to miss.

Valentina and Sebastian have a war going on. They both do viral videos and are relatively internet famous, even more so when they prank each other. So when an opportunity comes up for a hefty lump of cash, they do whatever it takes to win. Including fake a relationship. What can go wrong when you pretend to be in love with your enemy to win a competition? The stakes are high but their determination is higher. All is fair in love and viral videos.

@connorcrais and @heatherfirthnarrator did a great job narrating this book. They were able to really show the emotions or love, hate, frustration, anger and lust out of these two characters. I loved reading it initially and especially enjoyed listening to it. If you love the crazy group that Kristy has created you won’t be disappointed.

The right amount of fun

This audiobook made me laugh and fall in love. The main characters' "war" was one of the funniest things I've seen and seeing other characters I love was sweet. The enemies to lovers banter was surely a bonus, along with the great narration!

Enemies to Lovers Perfection!

Kristy Marie truly threw me for a loop with this one! The Pretender did exactly what it was supposed to do; draw you in, keep you on your toes and have you hungry for more. Sebastian and Valentine’s story starts off with a mysterious prologue that definitely isn’t the whole truth. So from the jump, you’re like ok I need to know everything. Their antics and banter was hilarious and you couldn’t help but eat it up. I am obsessed with the way Kristy Marie does enemies to lovers and best believe The Pretender is one that will be unforgettable! Heather Firth and Connor Crais did an amazing job bringing this story to life!!

Original and Funny!

This is the second book in the 21 Rumors Series. I love this series! Sebastian (Bash) and Valentina (V)’s story is intriguing. I liked their banter. Their relationship is complex. The storyline is original, and funny. The writing is unique. This is an excellent enemies to lovers romance. Heather Firth and Connor Crais did an excellent job with the narration. Looking forward to listening to The Closer, the next book in the series.

Very creative storytelling!!

4.5 stars

This is a New Adult story, which isn’t my usual preference, having graduated decades ago. However, I recently discovered this author, and wanted to give this audiobook a try. As the story begins, the protagonists are in college. Listeners aren’t exactly sure what has happened, but they know that both Valentina (V) and Sebastian (Bash) used to be good friends, but aren’t any longer. In fact, by employing this clever method of telling this story, Kristy Marie ensures that listeners don’t actually discover what happens to destroy their friendship until the very end of the story. Under normal circumstances, this might be an unsuccessful ploy. In this instance, it works beautifully. Readers are compelled from start-to-finish wondering ‘what happened?’

V and Bash are working together in forced proximity in an attempt to win a $1 million filmmaking contest. Bash wants his half so he can leave school and move to CA and start his career in film. The story alternates between the day-to-day activities of this ‘couple’ as the explore their friendship and relationship, and an interview with these two contestants as they tell their about fake ‘love story.’ Listeners may not fully appreciate the brilliance of this particular storytelling strategy until after they have finished the entire story. Nevertheless, Kristy Marie is an impressive author.

Heather Firth and Connor Crais bring this story to life. They make it easy to follow the actions of each minor and major character, and they do a fine job of distinguishing the characters from each other with their individual portrayals. The production quality is excellent, and there aren’t any unexpected mouth noises or background noises to intrude upon the storytelling.

Bash

This enemies to lovers relationship was fueled by pranks and banter, each in the hope of winning. But when things get murky and they have to come together, their practical jokes paved the way to something different.
Another swoony romcom from KM, and another glimpse of those CiB babes, all grown up.