This is a super sweet fake dating hockey romance, it's a quick read but hits the same as some of the greats. It's completely clean, wholesome and focuses on how friendship can quickly become love. There's a slight third act break up, but it's nothing too dramatic, it's quickly resolved and our lovely couple get their HEA.

Because it's a novella, we don't get a lot of detail, there's no real drama, very few side character interactions - I was left wanting more, but I guess that's how the author draws us into their other books! *proceeds down a J.P. Sterling rabbit hole*

This fake dating audiobook was such a charming and sweet experience. The narrator brought the characters to life in a way that felt real and believable, even though I’ve never known anyone who’s actually done something like that in real life.

What I love about fake dating stories is how they often start off lighthearted or awkward but then grow into something genuine and heartfelt. This audiobook captured that perfectly. The characters’ development made the story immersive and enjoyable.

The ending was satisfying and uplifting. It left me feeling warm and happy, reminding me why fake dating stories are so hopeful and fun.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this audiobook!

I was really hoping to love this book, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me.

The characters, whilst initially interesting, began to feel too elementary and insta-lovey as the story progressed. I didn’t anticipate such a sharp turn in the romance and it threw me off guard.

The issues, whilst real world, still managed to feel fake, and I think this relates to the characters not feeling like they were genuine enough. It felt very surface level.

I hope this book finds its target audience!

Axl is a minor league hockey player with dreams of making it big. Sophie is a pop star who just had her heart very publicly broken. Their paths would have never crossed if it weren't for a team owner who decided that the best way to clean up his player's reputation and get people in the stadium was to stage a relationship between the grumpy player and the popular, heartbroken singer. But things don't feel fake when they're together, and what started as fake quickly starts to feel more real than anything else.

It's a sweet, clean romance that's all about understanding and friendship leading to romance. The fake relationship aspect is what brings them together, but we don't really see a lot of fake anything because the opportunities to do that are almost nil. Aside from a couple of times where Sophie is seen supporting Axl's games and one short-lived appearance together, there aren't a lot of the fun parts of seeing them stressing about appearing to be dating around other people. Those are my favorite scenes in a fake dating story, and we don't get nearly enough of that. What we do get is a lot of talking and understanding as friendship blooms between two people who are obviously meant to be together. Ont exactly the fun of fake dating, but heartfelt and sweet nonetheless.

Kasey Miracle and Magnus Carlssen do a solid job narrating and giving the characters life. YOu can hear the emotions in their voices and it makes the story fly by as if you're hearing a fun story told by the couple who lived it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the entertaining listen.

It was such a fast paced yet mesmerizing world. The characters were brilliantly drafted as the author mentioned their before and after story plus the timeline was short yet it covered so many incidents that I was on edge , excited to know what's lying next for our protagonists.
I was in reading slump yet this one was so interesting to listen that i wrapped it up in a day! in a single sitting.
Plus the narrators did an amazing job. This was with dual narration and i absolutely loved it.

I was really excited about this one — hockey romance, fake dating, pop star meets grumpy athlete — all the ingredients for a light, bingeable romcom. And while parts of it definitely delivered, I struggled to fully connect with the story or the characters.

There’s no denying it’s sweet: clean romance, lots of heart, and a leading man who’s more earnest than alpha (which I actually appreciated). The dynamic between Axl and Sophie starts strong, and the fake dating setup had potential for some fun tension. I liked the idea more than the execution.

Where it fell a little flat for me was in pacing and emotional payoff. It moved quickly, which made it a fast read, but also meant the romance felt a bit rushed — more instalove than slow burn. And some of the dramatic turns (particularly the big misunderstanding) didn’t quite earn their weight for me. It felt like the emotional beats were there in theory, but not fully built out.

That said, I think readers who love gentle, low-stakes romance with a closed-door vibe will enjoy this more than I did. I’d happily recommend it to fans of sweet sports romances who want something light and heartfelt without the angst or spice.

I’ll definitely check out more from J.P. Sterling to see how her style develops.

First off I have to say this cover is just so stunning!! I fell in love with this cover as soon as I saw it! JP Sterling did an amazing job writing this story. This book was so cute! I love a good hockey romance and this quick read was perfect. Axl and Sophie were well written characters. I really loved the singer and hockey player fake dating story.

The narrators Kasey Miracle and Magnus Carlssen were phenomenal. They were the perfect pair to tell this story. I loved their voices and they held my attention and kept me entertained through the entire book.

Sophie and Axl have had their own pasts that they need to over come and together they will start to heal. Sophie has just come off a bad break up and Axl is needing to make himself more likable so his coach decided to set these two up for a fake relationship. These two were so much fun. I loved how her parents welcome him with open arms. You can't help but fall in love with Sophie and Axl.

This is a clean romance that will have you laughing and swooning. I hope this book will steal a hockey-puck sized piece of your heart. I would highly recommend this book.


Thank you Audio ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op | J.P. Sterling for allowing me toe listen to this ALC for my honest opinion.

This was a nice short listen but it was pretty good. I love a good fake dating trope. I like the both being in previous bad relationships

I love the female narrator but I don’t think I enjoyed the male one as much.

The Pucker-Up Pact is one of those books that makes you smile the entire time you’re reading it. I loved Axl’s grumpy, slightly clueless hockey player energy paired with Sophie’s confident, sunshine popstar vibe. Their fake dating pact felt like the perfect rom-com setup, but what made it better was how their playful teasing slowly turned into genuine affection. The water-gun fight scene was adorable, and their banter felt natural and fun without ever being cringey.

I also appreciated how the story remained clean yet swoony, proving you don’t need explicit scenes for tension to feel real. Sophie’s vulnerability about her past added depth, while Axl’s journey from hot-headed player to supportive partner felt satisfying. Some parts were predictable, but honestly, that’s what I want in a comfort read.

If you love grumpy-sunshine, hockey romances, and fake dating with a heartwarming payoff, this is such a cute and easy pick. It left me with a goofy smile and a warm, happy feeling.

This novella was the perfect size. I'm in my hockey romance era, so I was all about this one. A fake dating scenario turns into real chemistry, what is not to love? It was a little more insta-lust than I would have liked, but still felt like a slow burn until they finally admitted it was real.
The male narrator was a little hard to get on board with, but he did start to grow on me.
Thanks to Victory, J. Sterling and Netgalley for an ALC.

When a hockey romance starts off in the middle of a play, and you're racing down the ice with the MMC. When you're thrown right into the thick of the game. You know it's going to be awesome. I love me some hockey romance. And when you're in the mood for a just kisses, sweet romance read, J.P. Sterling hits the mark every time.

What to expect: Fake Dating to save face. Agreeing to the fake dating to stick it to the one who wronged you. Feelings that can't make up their own mind. An entertaining FMC whose career is more advanced than the MMC and the MMC that still chooses to be there with her.

Sophie and Axl help each other out on this one. Her sunshine to his grump. They are super cute together and a part. Plus, there's an amazing big gesture to get the W. I would recommend if you're looking for a light, quick, and easy, entertaining read. J.P. Sterling does it again.

This was a wonderful short read/listen. The story progressed nicely with drama that wasn’t overly drawn out. The characters were fun and well developed and continued developing throughout the story.
The narrators did a great job though it took me a little while to feel the male narrator felt like the character. Both narrators had great pacing and voice acting.

The Pucker-Up Pact is such a sweet Hockey Romance, AHL Player + Singer makes for a very cute couple indeed. With tropes like fake dating and Grumpy + Sunshine this short story has everything you need. There is so much emotion packed into this beautiful story and the banter between Axel and Sophie is perfect, I was laughing and smiling so much listening to it. The narrators did a great job bringing this book to life.

🎧 The Pucker-Up Pact by J.P. Sterling 🎧
Audiobook ARC
Narrated by Kasey Miracle and Magnus Carlson

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the audiobook ARC.

This is my first J.P. Sterling read and I will definitely continue to read more of this series. Luckily, the ebook was available on KU so I could follow along while listening. This is a fast paced hockey romance with 2 cute epilogues.

Tropes:
Dual POV
Sports Rom-Com
Hockey player
Singer
Instant chemistry
Revenge Fake Dating
Grumpy/Sunshine
Kisses only
She’s mine vibes

#bookish #arcreader #books #reading #bookstagram #sportsromance #hockey

One thing about me? I love a fake dating trope! I really enjoyed Axel’s grumpy personality & Sophie’s bubbly sunshine personality!

I really enjoyed this audiobook, the narrators were great & it was a quick & fun listen. It does say “duet” but it is actually a dual narration, but it was still enjoyable!

Cute short fake dating romance. I enjoyed Axel's grumpy NHL personality and Sophie's opposite happy pop star personality in this story. The water gun fight was my favorite part of the book. I did enjoy both narrators but the cover did state it was a duet narration but it's actually dual narration. I was excited for duet narration because it's my favorite type of audiobook so that was a let down but dual narration is also good, just would have liked to know that going in.

He is an AHL hockey player that needs an image boost to reach the NHL. She is a pop star that needs to get over a broken heart. Why not be seen together in this super cute fake dating, water gun fighting, small town hockey romance?

This is a quick and easy read, more of a novella than a full novel. It is a closed door romance with little to no swearing and adorable characters.

The narration is very good, although it says on the cover that it is a duet narration when it is a dual narration instead. It is still very good and I strongly recommend it.

AHL Hockey player x pop star
Grumpy x sunshine
Small town
Fake dating
Water gun fights


Dual Narration- Kasey Miracle & Magnus Carlson
*The cover says Duet but this is definitely dual narration. They do a good job with the narration.


Sophie heartbroken pop star looking for revenge on her cheating ex boyfriend.
Axl hot headed hockey player looking to build a better image.

This was super cute and sweet. I really enjoyed it. Definitely on the fluffy side and just kisses no spice however it’s a fabulous lighthearted and quick easy listen.

This is a quick, clean, and fun audiobook. The best part is that it was narrated in duet narration by Kasey Miracle and Magnus Carlson. They are both new to me narrators but I really enjoyed their portrayal of Sophie and Axl.

Definitely pick this up if you're into:
*Hockey players and pop stars (yes, please!)
*Fake dating shenanigans
*Sweet forced proximity
*Revenge

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an ALC of this book. I voluntarily listened and gave an honest review.