Thank you NetGalley and Olivia for providing access to this amazing ARC.

This is my first time reading anything from Olivia Hayle and she did not disappoint. With some billionaire romance novels, I have a difficult time getting into the story because they are solely focused on wealth and status. That is definitely not the case with this story at all, they are definitely more privileged than the average individuals, but I felt that the billionaire status was more of a background detail that didn't take away from the story.

I was absolutely feral for Nora and West the entire book and of course I am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers romance, especially when it includes a brother's best friend and secret relationship trope. I absolutely devoured this book in about a day.

As a fellow people-pleaser, Nora's character is so easily relatable and I was able to connect with a lot of the challenges that she struggled with. A large majority of my relationships in life were built on the people-pleasing foundation - so girl I get it. I found myself begging for more as West took her through dating practice and lessons and loved reading dual POVs.

Highly Highly recommend reading this book if you love a good enemies to lovers spicy romance.

Publication Date: May 25th, 2025

This was such a fun easy read. It checked a lot of boxes for me and was very enjoyable. We have Nora who is being stalked, and her brothers best friend who is also a billionaire (of course haha). They decide to fake date to draw out the stalker. I think a lot of people, myself included would relate to Nora, and her people pleasing tendencies. The perfect amount of spice to keep things interesting. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

ARC PROVIDED VIA NETGALLEY

Olivia Hayle delivers a fun, steamy take on the fake dating trope with plenty of heart. The chemistry between West and the heroine crackles, and the emotional growth feels genuine. The characters are layered and likable, making it easy to root for them. A swoony, addictive read with just the right edge.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle

I felt a little thrown into the story within the first few chapters, which made me worried about pacing. Well, I had nothing to be worried about! West and Nora’s relationship blossomed as they transitioned from “hating” one another to fake dating to crossing that line West never thought he would cross with his brother's best friend.

West really sees Nora for who she is and isn’t afraid to verbalize it. He made her feel safe which allowed her to be her true self and not the people-pleaser she has always been. And the praise?? West had me melting in my seat.

I am not a fan of the virgin trope but in this situation, it was executed perfectly. I understand the need to feel totally comfortable with someone to embrace the intimacy. I really loved how she started standing up for herself and doing things she wanted to do, not what others told her to do.

Overall, I loved this book and the characters. This is only my second Olivia Hayle book but I will for sure be working my way through her catalog.

The Faking Game started off a little slow for me, but once it found its stride, I was hooked. The chemistry between the main characters builds gradually, and while it took me a bit to fully settle into the story, I ended up really enjoying the journey.

The fake dating trope is always a fun setup, and this one delivers with moments of humor, tension, and just enough emotional depth to keep things interesting. The character dynamics felt authentic, and the slow burn payoff was satisfying by the end.

If you're in the mood for a light, charming romance that takes a bit to warm up but finishes strong, The Faking Game is worth a read.

This book had all the ingredients I typically love—best friend’s brother, billionaire MMC, fake dating, and even a hint of suspense with a stalker subplot. So I was genuinely excited going in, especially with the added fashion-world backdrop and the Paris-to-New York setting. Unfortunately, despite the promising premise, this one fell a little flat for me.

Nora, an aspiring fashion designer, finds herself in a complicated situation after moving to New York to chase her dreams—namely, her stalker has followed her across the Atlantic. Her brother’s solution? She should stay with his best friend West—a billionaire mogul and Nora’s childhood crush. Cue the tension… or so I hoped.

I’ll be honest: this book was slow. Painfully so, at times. The first half dragged on with very little payoff, and I struggled to stay engaged. While I appreciate a well-executed slow burn, this one lost too much momentum early on, to the point that the chemistry between the characters started to feel flat. It wasn’t bad writing—far from it. The prose is clean and vivid, with some fresh, engaging descriptions—but the plot itself lacked urgency and purpose for a long stretch.

The second half improved. The pacing picked up, the romance heated up, and the spice was genuinely well done. But by then, I was already feeling disconnected. I found myself putting the book down more often than not, and it took me far longer to finish than usual.

In the end, while there’s definite potential here—and readers who love slow, simmering romances might enjoy it more than I did—I personally found the lack of narrative drive hard to overlook.

Final Thoughts:
Great tropes and strong writing, but a sluggish plot and delayed payoff made this a tough read for me. A decent second half, but it wasn’t quite enough to redeem the slow start.

It's a billionaire fake dating summer, for sure. West Calloway is to die for!! Kind of obsessed with him to say the least. If you're into billionaires, fake-dating, and brother's best friend....this is literally perfect for you. ALSO, finally a FMC who isn't insufferable and "not like other girls." So refreshing!

However, I think that the book could've been shorter overall. There were parts that were drawn out that I felt didn't need to be, while there were other parts that I wish we got more of. I also felt that the resolution of the stalker plot point was very anticlimactic, which was disappointing. It is clear now that it was just a plot device for Nora to move in with West, and for what's to come next in the series, but I wish it was more grandiose.

The...learning...aspect of this book was also pretty interesting to me to say the least. I enjoyed the more PG portions of it, but then things got pretty bizarre, like I didn't need that much detail. I didn't hate it, but I felt weird reading it? I think? I honestly can't decide. I know that it's part of the allure of the book, but this trope was new to me so I'm warming up to it!

Overall, I still really enjoyed this book. I quite literally stayed up all night reading it! I am really looking forward to the rest of this series, and I think the author set up the other 3 friends well. I usually hate reading about side characters, but I really enjoyed Rafe, Alex, and James, and I am looking forward to their stories. This is a solid 4 stars for me.

[This review will be posted on Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, & TikTok by May 25, 2025, as some sites won't allow reviews yet. The link to my Goodreads review is attached. Thank you so much for the advanced copy, I really enjoyed it!}

First of all, this book seems so loved! Which I’m always happy to see. Maybe I’m a little prejudiced against billionaires? I just wasn’t feeling West enough to trudge through at this time. I found a lot of the things he said and did unfair. 500 pages is a lot for a contemporary romance in my opinion, but I’m open to picking it up again.

I really enjoyed this book! It was such an easy, addictive read (I may or may not have stayed up until 3am two nights in a row because I just couldn’t put it down).
The story follows Nora, the younger sister of West’s best friend. After a series of events, Nora ends up living with West, who steps in as her temporary protector. While under the same roof, they strike a deal that leads to latenight conversations, undeniable chemistry, and a deeper understanding of each other.
If you're into forced proximity, forbidden love, fake relationships, and billionaires with the softest heart, this one has it all. I especially loved seeing Nora come into her own, learning how to set boundaries, finding her voice, and learning to put herself first. And the spice? Chef’s kiss. It was hot and steamy in the best way, without ever going too dark.
Thank you Olivia Hayle and NetGalley for my arc!

This was my first Olivia Hayle book and I loved it I will be reading more from her immediately. Nora and west were such a great match and balanced each other so well.

Thank you to the publisher and Olivia Hale for my review copy. These are my thoughts:

Nora is a fashion model and heiress to a luxury empire. West is the billionaire Calloway heir and very sought after bachelor. He is also Nora’s brother’s best friend. When Nora needs protection against a stalker, her brother calls West for a favour. He is to keep her safe and protected in the fortress that is his family home. Not happy that her dating plans will be put on hold, Nora and West come to an agreement: in exchange for pretending to be his girlfriend, West will give her “dating lessons”. All sounds fun and easy until secrets and feelings begin to surface and lines begin to blur. Of all the dangerous and reckless things West has done in his life, this little arrangement might just be his undoing.

This was a fun, cute, sweet and spicy read.
Nora was inexperienced when it came to dating and to men and at almost 25, she felt that being a virgin was a big “failure”. She was also a chronic people pleasure and struggled to be her most authentic self. West was a grumpy and busy rich man, being cornered into finding a wife - which he didn’t want.

I really liked Nora and West. Individually, they were more than met the eye and together they became quite the duo. I liked seeing their friendship evolve and how he helped her come out of her shell and stand up for what she really wanted, instead of agreeing and being a version of herself that others expected.
West really liked to praise her and she thrived on it. For a virgin, she was very curious and it made for some funny moments. West was kind and patient and answered all her questions.

Olivia really knows how to write a billionaire romance. Her setting are rich and her characters shall never want for anything. Her characters are also characters are sexy and the spice is “spicin’”!

Loved the little teaser at the end for Nora’s brother’s story! This is a series I’m going to want to keep reading.

[Spice: 3/5]

I really enjoyed this one! It was fast paced yet a slow burn which built up nicely to the spicy scenes and the emotional connection between the love interests. I also liked how the author handled the main characters people pleasing tendencies and could definitely relate to her character. Overall it was a great enemies to lovers romance with a good storyline and fleshed out characters.

I rolled my eyes at a lot of this to be honest and felt frustrated at how babied Nora was. However, West really grew on me and, eye rolls aside, I still couldn't put it down.

thank you to Olivia Hayle and Net Galley for this arc!

I really enjoyed Nora and West story, we truly got to see them grow healthy boundaries and communication skills that we don’t often see the development of in books as often and as some who is also a recovering people pleaser i loved the representations that we saw of that within Nora, and I can’t wait to see where the boys books take us.

Everything about this book had me so so so in love! I won’t lie, I was a little nervous when I saw how long it was, but Olivia made every word matter!! Each word served its purpose and I ate it up!!

Forced proximity, dislike to lovers, fake dating, best friend’s younger sister?? Yeah nothing went wrong and I’m already quaking for Book 2!! Until then, I will be going back through Olivia’s backlist and reading every word she has written.

Ok this book was such a fun read overall!! Nora and West were absolutely adorable, and I loved their relationship dynamic. I also absolutely loved the friendships we got to see between Nora and Amber and between everyone on the Lost Weekend trip. I love a good forced proximity romance, and this gave me everything and more. It was a bit spicier than a book I would normally read, but not anything too crazy either. I would give this book a 4 🌟! Super excited for Rafes' story to come out!

The Faking Game is Dual POV, Brothers Best Friend, Fake Dating, Roommates, Slow Burn, Jealous/Protective MMC & a Contemporary Romance following some of the world's most elite families.

This story follows West Calloway & Eleanore Montclair in book one of A Billionaire Games Novel.
West owns the best security team in the country, if not the world (his words not mine. LOL) so when Nora (Eleanore) moves to New York from London to escape a terrifying stalker situation her brother Rafe contacts his best friend to watch over & protect his sister until they can uncover the stalker.

I LOVED EVERYTHING about this book. The characters, the friendships, the emotion & the brutal honesty of being a "people pleaser". Seeing Nora's growth into being her own person & not just someone obsessed with a man (I mean she is obsessed with West, but you would be too.) is absolutely what made me love her character.

THE ENDING HAD ME SHOOK & READY FOR BOOK 2.

Thank you so much to Olivia Hayle & NetGalley for the eARC & the opportunity to enjoy this story.

This is my first book by Olivia Hayle but whew can she write a good billionaire novel. I absolutely loved both the FMC and MMC. Normally an inexperience trope is not one of my favorites to read but with the brother’s best friend and fake dating trope to make up for it made for an easy read. I did love how Olivia developed Nora’s character throughout the book while utilizing West as someone who helps her find her strength and not do the work for her.

The ending was a jaw dropper and I absolutely can’t wait to read book 2 but I low key can’t wait for Jame’s book…bring on the duke.


Thank you NetGalley and Olivia Hayle for the eARC I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

4.5 stars ⭐️ this had so many of my favorite tropes! Nora and West had undeniable chemistry. I loved everything about it!!

What to expect:
- fake dating
- brother’s best friend
- virgin FMC
- slow burn
- billionaire romance

Thank you to NetGalley and Olivia Hayle for the ARC. All opinions are my own 🫶🏼

Thank you NetGalley and Olivia Hayle for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Billionaire MMC and inexperienced MFC are not my favorite tropes BUT fake dating, secret dating, mutual long term pining (and misunderstanding turns to dislike), forced proximity, lessons, brothers best friend are all *chefs kiss*.

I loved the growth that West helps Nora achieve through their lessons. This went beyond romantic relationships and was important for her relationships with her mom, brother, and even agent.

West’s growth was important to their future but a little more internal so it was less of the storyline.

Overall I enjoyed and that cliffhanger leading to book #2…consider me hooked!