Thank you NetGalley, Marion De Re, and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Окей, определено не очаквах това от първата си ARC книга (която вече отдавна си излезе, но как да се сърдиш на хаотичен емоционален читател?? 🤷🏼‍♀️).
Завръзката беше тотално абсурдна и поне едно 20/30 стр. бях "нееее, защо това се случва??", но всъщност първоначалната лудост беше такава по забавен начин. Историята беше сладка, мила и дори научих някои неща за футбола. Спорт, който, подобно на главната героиня, не ми допада особено.
Любимото ми нещо в книгата категорично е body positive линията, която се справи деликатно с поставената задача.
Първа книга от авторката, но със сигурност бих пробвала и друга нейна. Забавно и леко четиво.

I received an ARC of Fake Dating the Footballer from Netgalley and author Marion De Ré. I am so glad that I did because I enjoyed this book. I love a good sports romance book, especially football (soccer). Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this book!

Roxanne (Roxi) hates football. Her dad and brother are obsessed and all her life she has never understood why. She couldn't tell you a single player on any football team. That is until she finds herself at the airport to pick up the man she thinks she is in love with....and his surprise fiance! Panicked, she introduces them her 'boyfriend,' a man who just happened to be sitting next to her. That man coincidentally happens to be London's golden boy soccer player, Wade Hunter. Wade plays along with her, thinking that he would never see her again. It isn't until his publicist suggests that dating her would help his image after seeing a picture of them in the newspaper, that he reaches out to her. They agree to help each other out by fake dating. The big question remains, will Wade choose his love of football or the love of his life?

I absolutely adored this book, especially Roxi as the main character. She is so relatable, she is a normal full figured woman who struggled with body image issues and insecurities while at the same time being confident and unapologetic in who she is. I loved that, especially that she had such a strong personality while dating England's most eligible bachelor and having models and celebrities judging her. I love that Wade thinks that she is perfect exactly as she is, beautiful inside and out and stands up for her in all settings. This was a closed door romance, which might almost be better than explicit scenes. Marion De Ré does a great job of leaving the scenes at the perfect time for your imagination.

5/5 ⭐️

Two of my favorite tropes – fake dating and football/soccer

Roxy is a smart, funny, plus sized woman who was expected to have a new romance with her best friend. The tables turned and she quickly found a fake boyfriend… who ended up being a professional footballer. Wade is in some bad press and once tabloids start sharing photos it starts helping him. The idea of fake dating keeps them together and has you hoping they stay together.

My heart immediately broke for Roxy, and all I wanted was her to see her worth while staying with Wade. Wade is a genuinely nice guy and has been focused on football. He is career oriented and is wanting to give his best for himself, his club, and their fans. You can tell they both love being around each other.

This was the first book for Marion’s collection I have read and now I need to read them all!

📚I received a free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op, and Marion De Ré for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I've never been a soccer girl, but maybe I am now...😉 This was such a charming read from Marion De Ré. I had my husband cracking up because I asked him about so many soccer terms and rules as I read. The story takes place in London so I also loved all the British details. I love reading books set in European countries.

Roxy...I absolutely love that Marion made her a plus-size girl. Being a bigger girl myself, I always love reading about one of these FMCs landing the "hot guy." And why shouldn't we?! We all have things that make us beautiful and I really appreciated that being celebrated! I also enjoyed reading about Roxy's experiences as a journalist and all the nods to the fashion world.

Wade...I really didn't know what to expect from a soccer star. I honestly didn't have high expectations, but Wade turned out to be a top-notch book boyfriend. He saw Roxy's inner beauty and also loved and celebrated her actual curves...swoon! It was also neat to see him realize that soccer didn't have to be his whole world, that he could have it in addition to a great love and family.

Things I loved...Lina's super cool bestie vibes, Andrew and his family (every single one of them is so sweet), and Roxy and Wade traveling to really cool places. This is my first Marion De Ré book so I'm obviously not reading them in order, but I'm still excited to explore more of her backlog in the future!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️

Fake Dating the Footballer is a sweet and fluffy rom com that will have you giggling and kicking your feet from beginning to end. When Roxy goes to pick up her friend and long time crush Karl from the airport after a 10 month long job abroad, she is shocked to see him stepping off the plane arm in arm with his new fiancee. To cover her embarrassment, she introduces the man waiting nearby as her new boyfriend, and he fortunately plays along. Her new 'boyfriend' happens to be Wade Hunter, the football star, who happens to be having a bit of an image problem at the moment. He asks Roxy to keep the charade going to help rehab his image, and agrees to let Roxy interview him for the cover story contest at the fashion magazine she works for in exchange. As time goes on, the fake relationship starts to feel more and more real.

This was a very quick read, and was the perfect fluff to get me out of a bit of a slump I've been struggling through recently. Roxy and Wade had solid chemistry and fun banter. This is a closed door romance, so keep that in mind if spice is something you're looking for. Additionally, there is some body shaming, body image issues, and possible ED related behavior, so this may not be for you if you find these to be triggering.

Overall, this was a very cute and sweet read, and I look forward to picking up the other books in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an eArc to review!

I love Fake dating trope and I am argentine so not only do I love soccer, it is in my DNA, so I was in it from the moment I saw the cover
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Roxy is about to fulfill her dream by reuniting with her best friend and crush after months out of the country, and hoping to pick up the relationship where they left off the night before of his trip. But apparently his best friend came back very well accompanied and it's like that night would never have happened.
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The next thing that occurs to Roxy is to grab the nearest stranger and say that he is her boyfriend. Surprisingly, he has no problem following along.
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What seemed like a good idea to save face ends up getting complicated when she finds out that he is not a stranger but that he is a famous soccer player and the next thing is that he needs urgently her help to maintain his public image.
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Putting herself in the public eye is not easy when old insecurities begin to appear.
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Wade is the perfect cinnamon roll hero for Roxy and not only does he support and accompany her every step, he always has a gesture that goes beyond what they have to pretend and things become more real.
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Wade and Roxy are so much fun together, not only the chemistry they have with each other but also with their friends and family.
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This is a book for any fan of sport romance, fake relationships, football, and family. So sweet and cute to read, about love and body positivity.
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Thanks to Marion de Rose for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

This was an amazing book as expected. I really loved the fact the language is right for London. I love that this includes people with body image issues. That was something that is really related to by males and females. I really loved how this was written short and sweet but it doesn’t feel rushed at all. I couldn’t have picked a better story.

OMG this book had to have been one of the cutest books I have read so far. When I saw the title, I didn't automatically think of Football as in Soccer I was thinking more along the lines of American Football. I loved Wade and Roxy, they made such a cute couple. Even though the fake Dating turned into the real thing, I think Wade just started to fall for Roxy first or it could've been simultaneously.
I received a complimentary ARC from the author and Netgalley for a fair and honest review.

I read this is one sitting! It was so cute! I’m so happy to have found a sports romance that wasn’t hockey. This book was adorable. It was fluffy romcom goodness! Wade and Roxy are everything. ❤️ this book was very well written and charming and I just can’t stop gushing over it!

This is a swoony closed door sports romance that will blow you away! I couldn’t help but become invested in the storyline and the characters and needed to know what happened next- so much so that I read this book in a day! I truly enjoyed reading Roxy and Wades story. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and Marion De Ré does an amazing job bringing this story to life. It also includes funny banter and body positivity! Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the perfect little sports rom-com. Such a wonderfully light-hearted book to sink your teeth into without having to put much thought into it. This book is a perfect 'in-betweener' to get you out of a reading slump (it sure broke me out of mine). I absolutely loved this take on the fake dating trope *screw you Karl!* and I feel like I really resonated with Roxy on so many levels particularly with her insecurities about her image. I just found myself rooting for her the whole time - I really just ate this book up!

I just wanted to to start by saying that this is the third book I’ve read by this author and two of them have been ARCs. I’m grateful🩵

I love how this book highlights body image struggles. I felt like it was accurate. I, like Roxy, have a lot of curves, which are mostly because of my hips and they make me insecure on most days. I liked how it was portrayed in the book, how Roxy dealt with them, how she built her own wall and her own confidence, and how her man was always hyping her up. We love that

I really enjoyed reading this book. I’ve been reading a lot of sport romances but they have been mostly about hockey. This is my first Football (or soccer) book that I’ve read and it was what I needed. I was in my school’s varsity team and I am a Chelsea fan too so it was nice that it was based in the UK

I wish the title was a bit more discreet but it’s fine, you get the gist

I’ve said this before and I’ll gladly say it again. The author is so incredibly talented. She can change dialogues based on how she wants her books to be portrayed - which I suppose all authors can do.. but the way Ms. Marion does it, just blows my mind. Whether it’s based in different countries or if it’s talking about different things or creating characters. She’s very knowledgeable about literally everything and that makes her books just great reads

Also, I realized quite half way through the book that Lina is from Resisting My Boss 😝🤕

If you want an easy read that’s going to lift up your mood and make you smile and just make you feel good about yourself and make you fall in love with the MMC, this one is for you

Ma’am, I have a question for you.. why are your books so short? I want more. No no .. I NEED MORE

I loved this book. The desperate act of Roxy at Heathrow leads her into a fake relationship with a footballer looking to rehabilitate his reputation . This particular plot, to be fair is not a new one, however I did like how it was written. Roxy and Wade have dual perspectives in the book and I very much liked the emphasis on body positivity.
I will definitely be looking for this author's past and future work. Absolutely recommend.

This was such a great romance. I love fake dating to hea. Roxy and wade were so cute with their love for each other. She gets him to help her make a past friend jealous and he plays along to help himself. But lines become blurry when they start to have real feelings. He falls first. I also love she is a curvy woman. I know all us curvy girls have had these feelings and confidence loved the book.

I love a good romance book, Marion De Ré gave me a perfect execution of a modern romance novel with lots of events and overall feel good moments!

I loved this book a lot! The characters were great and it had me laughing every now and then. I liked how the characters interacted with each other and that I was able to connect to them! The tropes were very true to it's advertisement so check the blurb to see if you like those!
Overall a quick and fun read I can recommend.

⚽️ Book Review ⚽️
|| Fake Dating the Footballer ||
|| author: @marionderewrites ||
Format: ARC ebook
Read from: April 4, 2024 to April 6, 2024
2024 RG: 41/100

MCs: Roxy and Wade

This one was a first by this author for me. I signed up on NetGalley thinking it looked like a good read and I was not disappointed. It was a very sweet, fast-paced read and I loved the characters and how thoughtful Wade was.
Roxy Grant is super excited to see her assumed boyfriend, Karl, at the airport after 10 months. As it turns out, he doesn’t feel the same way as her and in a desperate effort she claims a random guy as her “boyfriend.”
Wade Hunter is a famous football (soccer) player just sitting in the airport waiting to pick up his brother when a random girl claims him as her “boyfriend.”
It all goes on from there in a very sweet, clean way that I loved. I will admit that my brain kind of stuttered when I read 20° as warm before I remembered that it is set in London and was in fact not 20°F, but 20°C. 😭😀
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
“Loving yourself is a lot easier when you’re loved by somebody else.”

If you love sports romance and are in the mood for something that isn’t hockey, this is the perfect read for you.

Fake dating the footballer is a cozy little “fake dating” romance. Roxy is a fashion magazine writer who is in love with her best friend,. She was sure that after his time away for business they were ready to start their happy ever after upon his return. That is of course until she met his beautiful fiancé at the airport. Panicking she grabs the first available man she could find to pretend to her boyfriend, A man who just so happens to be a very famous football player Wade. Wade very chivalrously plays along, even going so far as to give her a kiss goodbye. One that he couldn’t stop thinking about.

Conveniently Wade has had a bout of bad press and is in need of a bit of rebranding. The tabloids are going crazy for Wade and his “non-supermodel” girlfriend. Seems like they could both get what they want out of a fake relationship..

But what happens when its not so fake?

This was a cozy quick read and was 5/5 star for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

This was my first book by Marion De Re, and I absolutely loved it.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and this book did not disappoint. I connected instantly to Roxy and Wade. I loved how genuinely nice and kind Wade was. How he thought things through and made an effort to do better. I found myself in Roxy in many ways. The body positivity and awareness were real, and I felt seen. Their connection was fire!

I can't wait to read more from this author

4 / 5 stars

I absolutely enjoyed reading this sweet, fake dating, dual POV, he-falls-first, sports (football aka soccer) rom-com. When Roxy meets Wade at the airport, she is at her lowest point since the guy she’s been waiting on for a year turns up with a fiancé who’s not her, she makes an announcement that Wade, the perfect stranger she just met, is her boyfriend. Wade doesn’t object but plays along as he needs to rehab his image as well, so they agree to continue this charade. It's fun to watch how they progress from strangers to friends to lovers. I loved Wade and how he defended, supported, and cherished his girlfriend since he saw Roxy for who she was, and not how she looked, and how he would do anything for Roxy, even taking her on her over-the-top imaginary dates for real.