Blog Tour | The Decoy Girlfriend by Lillie Vale | Author Interview

THE DECOY GIRLFRIEND

Author: Lillie Vale

Genre: Adult Romance

Publishing date: September 6th, 2022

Number of Pages: 336

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Synopsis:

A laugh-out-loud funny and whip-smart romantic comedy from the author of The Shaadi Set-Up, about a young woman who takes the place of her celebrity doppelgänger, and must fake-date the actress’s sexy costar boyfriend.

Writer Freya Lal has a huge secret: she’s a dead ringer for It-girl actress Mandi Roy. Her second novel is due in a month, but inspiration is nowhere to be found. Desperate to shake off her writer’s block, Freya leans into her look-alike abilities and indulges in some mistaken identity for simple perks, like scoring a free mimosa or getting into a trendy nightclub.

Actor Taft Bamber appears to have it all: gorgeous, talented, and Mandi’s love interest both on- and off-screen. But what nobody knows is that their relationship is a PR stunt, and after years of playing make-believe, he’s yearning for something real.

When Freya’s latest impersonation of Mandi goes viral thanks to Taft’s accidental interference, rumors of a breakup threaten Hollywood’s golden couple. To make amends, Freya is forced to give Mandi a little time off: she’ll pretend to be the actress for a month, move in with Taft, and squash the rumors by acting completely in love. But as Freya and Taft play house, it becomes impossible to ignore that their instant chemistry isn’t just for the cameras. While faking it, they might have just found the real thing. 

Book Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound

Author Info:

Lillie Vale is the author of books for both teens and adults, including The Decoy Girlfriend, Beauty and the Besharam, The Shaadi Set-Up and Small Town Hearts, an American Library Association’s 2020 Rainbow Books List selection. She writes about secrets and yearning, complicated and ambitious girls who know what they want, the places we call home and people we find our way back to, and the magic we make. Born in Mumbai, she grew up in Mississippi, Texas, and North Dakota, and now lives in an Indiana college town.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, Netgalley and the author for giving me a copy of the book. Check out the other posts on the tour here.

Read my review here.

Interview:

Q: Hi Lillie! Such a pleasure to have you on my blog! Do introduce yourself to me and my readers.

A: Hello! So happy to chat about my newest Adult rom-com, The Decoy Girlfriend! This is my fourth published novel and it’s the one I had the most fun writing!

Q: This book is one of my most anticipated reads of this year. What is one thing about the book that
you love the most, and you believe readers will enjoy the most as well?

A: Oh, that’s incredibly flattering! I hope you love reading it! One of my favorite parts that I LOVED writing are the ways in which two people show up for one another while still staying true to themselves, their ambitions, and their desires. Neither’s goals are subsumed or sabotaged by the other—they are supported.

Q: I have read Beauty and the Besharam, and I enjoyed it a lot! Your other YA book- The Shaadi Set Up is on my TBR as well. What is something similar between these two YA novels, and The Decoy Girlfriend?

A: Actually, The Shaadi Set-Up is an Adult romance novel! I tend to write about teens and adults who are gutsy, ambitious, but also, in their own ways, a little lost. Sometimes, they’re desperately trying to claw their way back to a previous version of themselves who they think will be their happiest self. Or else they’re in a new reality and in way over their head, trying to figure out where they go from here. They need their friends, family, and sometimes a romantic partner to overcome their misbeliefs about things they thought were true. That’s a similarity in my work that tends to be true for all ages! Across my romance, I think readers can expect escapist and frothy romance, populated with inclusive characters, big emotions, familiar tropes made fresh, and swoony banter.

Q: Without giving away anything, can you tell us what was your favourite scene to write in this novel?

A: Freya and Taft’s photoshoot scene!!! They have a job to do, but there are so many emotional undercurrents going on that they’re both pretty tense and frustrated from the sexual chemistry and emotional tumult! And yet with just their body language, they manage to convey some important messages to each other without saying a word.

Q: Honestly, Beauty and the Besharam had a lovely Indian representation- and I found it very
accurate from an Indian perspective (I was so happy when you mentioned bhel, I love it too, in fact
it’s the last meal I have eaten!) Can we expect the same from The Decoy Girlfriend? What else can
you tell us about our Indian MC?

A: Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed Beauty and the Besharam! Readers looking for familiar Indian cultural touchstones will find a lot of them to enjoy in my latest YA Beauty and the Beast–inspired rom-com, Beauty and the Besharam. And on the Adult side, my love letter to HGTV and second- chance romance, The Shaadi Set-Up!

Q: Lastly, what message do you hope readers will take away from this book?

A: I am honored with whatever readers resonate most with in The Decoy Girlfriend, but I do hope, if someone is going through a tough time or feels professionally stuck in a rut or even has a case of creative constipation, that they know their now won’t be their forever. As Freya and Taft learn in the novel, with enough luck, hard work, and perseverence, nothing is a lost cause or a dead end. There is always a way forward that is worth fighting for.

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That’s it for today! Let me know if this book is on your TBR!

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