* I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a review.*

Wow. I loved this book. The slow burn is so good. West & Nora are probably my favorites. I love both of their growth and the growth actually feels genuine. I absolutely tore through this book - I read it in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down. This was my first book by this author, but I’ll definitely be reading more.

Just finished The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle and it was such a fun, flirty escape! Fake dating, sizzling tension, and witty banter made this a total page-turner. The chemistry between the characters was so good, and I loved every second of the slow-burn build up.

West and Nora are fucking electric and i could not love them more. this is such a raw and vulnerable book and it fixed a part of me that i didn’t even know needed to be healed.

This was a fun, easy read with some great romantic tension and classic fake-dating charm. The setup had a lot of potential and the pacing kept things moving.

That said, I struggled with the grumpy character—he often came off more like a jerk than just emotionally guarded or gruff, which made it harder to root for the romance at times. I enjoy the grumpy-sunshine dynamic, but in this case, the balance felt off.

Still, there were moments of sweetness and humor that kept me engaged. If you enjoy trope-heavy romance and don’t mind a prickly love interest, this one might still be worth checking out.

- fake dating
- brother's best friend
- roomies to lovers
- dating lessons

I am absolute sucker for brother's best friend romances, and I ate this up!

The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle is a charming and witty fake-dating romance that hits all the right notes. The chemistry between the leads crackles from the first page, making their slow-burn attraction feel both natural and irresistible. Hayle balances humor and heartfelt moments beautifully, giving depth to both the romantic plot and the characters' personal growth. The pacing keeps the reader engaged, with just enough tension to make the resolution deeply satisfying. Overall, it's a delightful and binge-worthy read for fans of contemporary romance.

Brothers Best Friend & Fake Dating

I loved this. Nora is staying with Wes, her brothers best friend, after being targeted by a stalker. They come to an agreement to fake date. Nora needs dating practice and Wes needs pressure off of himself to marry before his next birthday. I loved how Wes was so patient with Nora, he didn't judge her or make fun of her for being so clueless about dating. He helped her by teaching her self defense techniques just in case her stalker got too close. I loved watching Nora grow a backbone and stick up for herself.

I swore off brother's best friend romances last year because I've had such bad experiences with them! But the blurb of this one had me clicking Request on the ARC fast - fake dating, dating lessons, and a Gilded Age-esque estate! I am so glad I did because this was so good! And it was definitely brother's best friend done right!

What also surprised me is that the book got deep into the topic of Nora's people pleasing. It wasn't just a surface level thing, so there were bits which were quite emotional. It wasn't a short book either, so it had the time to properly dig into the reasons for Nora's people pleasing, the impacts of that, and how she and West addressed it together.

When I got to the end and saw that there were 4 planned books in this series, I was so happy for more! I already can't wait for book two later this year!

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.