Cherry doesn't know him from Adam, so is he real or is he fake?
Cherry and Adam are lonely in their new, separate worlds and hook up on social media, but that's when their problems start
When it starts with one simple word: ‘Hello’, how will it end?
Cherry’s world becomes lonely and isolated when her mum marries Lord Milborne and she is sent away to Helton Manor, an elite boarding school for girls in the Lake District. She finds life there difficult and despite the gradual acceptance of her roommates Suki, Rahma and Tasha, she turns to the social media app Pictapost for solace and friendship, where she meets Adam.
Adam is the American-born son of a US air force captain and an English mother, who lives on an air force base in Suffolk, England. He attends the exclusive, very British Priory School and as the only American there, he is friendless and bullied. Then, one day, he connects with Cherry on Pictapost, and that’s when their problems start.
Excerpt
We were messaging one another regularly and sharing snaps, nothing racy; it was early days to harass her into sending me more explicit stuff and scare her off, whereas I happily contributed topless, yet tasteful, photos of ‘Danny’. I had to acknowledge the fact I was no longer @adamfishofficial and my happiness was confused by a warped sense of anger that she’d got over the real me pretty fast and had fallen for a phony. She’d moved on and it rankled. Meanwhile, our new online relationship went on and she was getting more and more into Danny, and there was a part of me intent on punishing her for forgetting Adam Fisher.
Professional Reviews Good job, another interesting story!
Tempting Fake by Tracey Morait tells the story of a teenage girl named Cherry who is sent to a boarding school called Helton Manor. At first, she is very hesitant to go and even pleads with her parents to let her stay at home. Later, she discovers that her mother never wanted to send her to the boarding school in the first place, and it was all because of her stepfather. Her initial days at Helton Manor are challenging as she faces conflicts with her roommates, but they eventually become friends.
The story delves into themes of solitude, socializing, and relationships. Throughout, the point of view alternates between Cherry and Adam, a style that some readers might find off-putting. Personally, I had no issue with it, as I've encountered this style before. In any case, Tempting Fake was definitely worth my time. I highly recommend the story and encourage the author to continue his fruitful writing career
Reviewed by Rosie Malezer
Tempting Fake by Tracey Morait is a YA novel about growing pains. Adam and Cherry are two boarding school students living at opposite ends of England. Cherry's mother is newly married to a womanizing rich pedophile, and Cherry is glad to be away from him at Helton Manor. Adam's father is posted to the Air Force in England, and making friends is hard for both Adam and Cherry at their new schools. Initially, both seek out friendship on social media and look forward to their frequent chats, until one of Adam's school friends at The Priory hacks his account and floods private images of Cherry throughout the whole school. Although Adam is innocent in the deed, he slowly transforms into Cherry's stalker and does anything possible to be near her. When Cherry moves on with a new guy, Danny (Adam's new fake account), Adam's obsession with Cherry comes to a halt when Adam finds love with one of the male students at The Priory. Determined to prove to himself he is not gay, Adam goes to Cherry's home and drama ensues.
I can hear the music to Law and Order playing in my head after each sentence I type - how bizarre is that for a Deaf reviewer? Tracey Morait's riveting story packs so much of today's truths into it, with the risks involved in seeking out love and friendship on social media. Tempting Fake so often feels like a victimless crime, as if what we cannot see won't actually hurt us. However, when obsession steps into play, there soon seems no uncrossable line. Innocent chat turns into stalking, rape, drugs, and thoughts of committing murder to justify the deeds done. I guess I can almost see this story as it is in reality, having lived it. There are so many different aspects to this story, whether it be young love, seeking friendship online, seeking revenge, or determination for the ends to justify the means.... mystery, drama, love, and more... all by the age of fifteen. I highly recommend Tempting Fake to all users of the internet who use social media, as it can be more dangerous than you think. I found this book incredible and feel it would do well in all school and public libraries.
Reviewed by Alma Boucher
Tempting Fake is a young adult coming-of-age novel by Tracey Morait. When Cherry's mother marries Lord Milborne, her world becomes lonely and isolated, and she is sent away to Helton Manor. It is challenging for Cherry to live there, and she is determined to get a reputation for being a nuisance and a troublemaker. Cherry seeks comfort and friendship on the app Pictapost, where she meets Adam. Adam, who was born in the United States, was raised by an English mother and a U.S. Air Force captain. Being the only American student at the distinctly British Priory School, Adam does not have friends and is bullied. Adam connects with Cherry on Pictapost and falls in love with her. Their problems began when Adam's account is hacked and Cherry's photos are tagged.
Temping Fake by Tracey Morait left me speechless and taught me many lessons. It was an amazing story about teenage love, true friendship, and family. Sensitive topics like sexual consent, bullying, and drug and alcohol abuse were covered. It was a page-turner with so many twists and turns that I never knew what to expect next. There was always a surprise waiting around the corner. The characters were realistic and relatable. The way Cherry and Adam act and talk and the issues they face are the same as those of real-life teenagers. This story had me hooked from the start and was excellently written. I was disappointed when the story ended; I didn't realize I was nearing the end. The ending was fantastic, and I will look back on the story for some time.
This book is an excellent read for the young adult/teenager, however, I feel it should well be considered as mandatory reading for high schoolers and possibly by parents and/or high school teachers & councilors. Although Tempting Fake deals with some strong and powerful issues that our young adults are dealing with, such as, bullying, social media, miscarriage, drugs & drinking, sexuality, and death, we must be there to talk to them, but they are going to have to learn about these issues either before, during it happening, or after. And, there will be tech-savvy classmates that are up-to-date on everything social media. Catfishing and stalking, creating fake accounts happens every minute and must be taken seriously. I remember telling the teens I taught - Stand for something or you will fall for everything. Better they are aware of the dangers from social media, meeting people online, giving out their info or sharing pictures. Tempting Fake is a great story told by the viewpoint of the two teens – Cherry Hill & Adam Fisher both have baggage…Cherry’s mother had remarried & became wealthy overnight after struggling, but her husband was hard to live with…Adam’s father was military so he had set plans on how his son was going to do and be as a man…leading both teens to feel unwanted, unneeded, and lonely to the point of seeking out company or friends or boy/girlfriend. The story changed when something happened to make Adam decide to get revenge on Cherry by faking being another social media friend with a long trail of lies!!! My only issue with the book is the use of words of phrases from the British slang without explanation. Obviously there are some foreign words that are well-known and used everywhere, but this body of work used more then was easy to read over and had me stopping my reading to look up terms, such as, “No, he grassed me up to the mods,” “bashing him on the bounce,” “dosh,” “chuffed,” or “cariad,” way to frequent. Very creative of the author, Tracey Morait on the title Tempting Fake, revealing the character “ceridwen” in the very end, and the screamed words of Cherry’s mom to her soon-to-be ex-husband – “I faked it, by the way.” Good storyline.
This is a good read along with an interesting denouement. I like the way the author juxtaposed the two main characters using for the most part, Indvidual chapters with chapter character name headings.
The settings and situations were also up to date in terms of what young adults face today. Also, there was good choice of descriptions in terms of what the characters were wearing, what the climate and weather was like, and the architectural framework for boarding schools that resonate with timelessness.
The only negative issues were/are that I'm not altogether sure about lessons learned at the end or whether it begets a sequel book. I'm also concerned that this, what I would call, a "surface" book with lots of action/good dialogue and most likely the chance for a screenplay option, needed/needs a deeper probe into the underlying issues that have spawned the main characters' actions and driven them to the resolute ending.
Am I asking too much? Would I have been able to write this story at all, even though I'm also an author/write? Of course not, and I would never portend to be able to match all of the threads that hold this story together.
So, best to leave it where I started, and that is, it's a very good read.
The settings and situations were also up to date in terms of what young adults face today. Also, there was good choice of descriptions in terms of what the characters were wearing, what the climate and weather was like, and the architectural framework for boarding schools that resonate with timelessness.
The only negative issues were/are that I'm not altogether sure about lessons learned at the end or whether it begets a sequel book. I'm also concerned that this, what I would call, a "surface" book with lots of action/good dialogue and most likely the chance for a screenplay option, needed/needs a deeper probe into the underlying issues that have spawned the main characters' actions and driven them to the resolute ending.
Am I asking too much? Would I have been able to write this story at all, even though I'm also an author/write? Of course not, and I would never portend to be able to match all of the threads that hold this story together.
So, best to leave it where I started, and that is, it's a very good read.