The Faking Game was such a super cute read, with just the right mix of spice and plot to keep things interesting. The story centers around Nora and West—Nora being the little sister of West's best friend, and West reluctantly stepping in as her bodyguard when she starts being stalked. What starts as a favor quickly turns into something a lot more complicated, especially as West begins to question the oath he made to never get involved with his best friend's sister.

I’ll admit, the book started off pretty slow and felt like it was dragging in the beginning but once it picked up, it really picked up. The chemistry between Nora and West was undeniable, and their banter and growing connection was so good.

That said, I did wish the stalker subplot had a bit more weight or danger to it—it felt like a missed opportunity for some higher stakes or suspense. Still, the romance was sweet, the slow burn paid off, and the balance of heartfelt moments and steamy tension made it a worthwhile read.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read your arc on NetGalley 🙏🏼

What a great book. It was wonderfully written and it had all of my favorite things in a book. There was romance, banter, angst and mystery. It had my favorite trope of brother's best friend. The story moved quickly but had all the good parts of the story in it. I can wait for more of the books to come out!!!

This story follows Nora, a people pleasing model. She discovers she has a stalker and wants to leave for a new start in New York. However, she has a very overprotective brother who makes his best friend, West, make sure Nora is safe from her stalker. The pair start to fake date to send a message, Nora is well protected and to stop West’s mother from setting him up. With this deal another one arises, West has to teach Nora how to data.

I enjoyed this book a lot, i found the characters to be likeable and their chemistry read very realistic. It’s refreshing to read a billionaire plot where the FMC is also wealthy as the power dynamic feels healthier in my opinion. Nora is such a sweetheart and i found myself routing for her to overcome her struggles throughout this book. West was also such a refreshing MMC, the way he treated Nora had me giggling and kicking my feet.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Olivia Hayle for letting me read the arc for this book, i appreciate it so much!!

Genre/Type: Romance
APK: E-book
Page count: 394
Rating：⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Series or Standalone: Book One in The Billionaire Games
Tropes or Themes: Brothers Best Friend, Billionaire, Stalking, Praise K!nk, Cat Parents, Jealousy, Sexual Content, Dirty Talk

Thank you to Olivia Hayle and NetGalley for this arc.

I loved this book! It was so freaking cute. West is the epitome of a book boyfriend that you wish was real. He loved and took so much care of Eleanore. He was so sweet with her.

I look forward to the rest of the series!

A brilliant fake dating (with slight enemies to lovers) romance! Miscommunication, MMC helps our Nora learn how to date. West is broody and exactly what you want from this loveable, charming billionaire. The whole “I’ll protect you” vibe is *chefs kiss*. The romance of the summer!!

I really enjoyed this book I love the main characters and their love story it was so beautifully done and executed great

Loved this book

The faking game begins with nora dealing with a stalker. Nora leaves her home and goes to new york to get away from her stalker siuation. Her brother has securtiy for Nora at all times and that includes one of his best friends, west. Nora always had a crush on west but he kinda rejected her when they were younger. To get a better handle on the stalker, west comes up with plan to fake date Nora. I did enjoy Nora and west but the story felt very long at times.

I really liked reading this book, and I look forward to the rest of what I hope will be a series. This is definitely a slow burn, kind of romance, but once it lights up, it is an inferno. I never thought I had a praise kink before but the MMC is definitely making me question that. The FMC is giving off demi and neurodivergent vibes, but nothing that is expressly written in cannon.

The only cons are how slow the burn was and the fact the "bad guy" seemed to come out of nowhere. But it did set up for the next book, so I can understand it at least.

The Faking Game is an absolute delight! It has the most delicious blend of tropes:
- childhood crush
- frenemies to lovers
- brother's best friend
- fake dating
- dating lessons

It's long but the build is perfection, the chemistry is off the charts and the relationship development is so fun to read.

5/5 STARS - I AM UNWELL. DO NOT SEND HELP ⭐️

The Faking Game has officially rewired my brain. If you hear distant screaming? That’s just me reliving the orchard scene on a loop.

West Calloway: certified menace to my sanity. Tall, rich, broody, and the absolute definition of “I don’t do relationships” - until he’s fake dating his best friend’s sister and teaching her how to actually be loved. Excuse me? Sir? That was an attack 😭

And Nora?? Nora is ME. A people-pleasing, boundary-lacking sweetheart just trying to figure out how to exist without setting herself on fire to keep others warm. Watching her fall for West (and herself) was like therapy wrapped in spice and sprinkled with “brother must never find out” tension. I want to give her a hug. And maybe also borrow her man.❤️‍🔥

Let’s talk about the STEAM:
🌶️ The toy scene? I died.
🌶️ The orchard? I died again.
🌶️ The bed-sharing, the secret touches, the slow descent into “this isn’t fake anymore,” and that final look that says you’re mine now??? Dead. Gone. Ghosted by my own heart rate.

I have HIGHLIGHTED half this book like it’s my job. This wasn’t just a romance. This was an experience. A healing. A masterclass in swoon, spice, and emotional gut-punches.

Thank you, @oliviahayle, for reviving my soul and resetting my romance bar to “West Calloway or nothing” 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️

Faking Game was amazing!!

*"enemies" to lovers
*fake dating
*brother's best friend
*forced proximity
*billionaire romance
*virgin
*praise kink

This book was such a fun read. The storyline was great and the spice was 🥵 As someone who is an absolute people pleaser Nora's character spoke to my soul. I loved that West helped her be strong and learn how to set boundaries in her relationships. Their love story was so wholesome and cute. Beyond happy that the typical miscommunication trope didn't take place because I CANNOT stand that haha!

I am so excited this is going to be a series of 4. While I'm waiting on the next one to come out later this year, I'm going to look up all the other books by this author!!

Huge thank you to Olivia Hayle and NetGalley for an eArc to read and review.

I loved this book! The Faking Game was definitely long, but it never dragged and it gave Nora and West’s relationship the time and space to fully bloom. I was hooked the entire time, particularly because fake dating is my favorite trope. These two were absolute perfection together. Nora, with her people pleasing tendencies, needed someone like West, someone who encouraged her to speak up, stand firm, and go after what she really wanted. And he showed up for her in the most sweet, patient, and quietly powerful ways.

What made this story shine for me was how Olivia Hayle built Nora and West’s emotional connection. They communicated so well about everything except, well... their real feelings, which made the slow burn even more delicious. Their tension, their growth, and their banter was all so natural and compelling. I was smiling half the time and definitely highlighting way too many lines from West’s POV (seriously, the man is peak book boyfriend).

Also, I am already obsessed with the friend group. I need Rafe’s book immediately, and if Alex and Amber don’t end up together, I’ll riot. Their chemistry was too obvious to ignore.

Read this if you love fake dating, brother’s best friend, slow burn romance with heart, depth, and just the right amount of spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Olivia Hayle for the eARC of this book.

This book is really long but I enjoyed it. Nora and West are so good together and I'm obsessed with every part of them. He was so good at getting her to stand up for herself and admit what she actually wants. These two communicated about literally everything except their real feelings. I loved this and I'm looking forward to the books about his friends. I'm assuming Rafe is next and then Alex and Amber(they have to be together).

I received an arc through netgalley.

Oh me oh my… West Calloway, you ARE the standard!
This is my first ARC EVER; I was browsing and as soon as I read the blurb for this book, I KNEW I had to request it. And it did NOT disappoint.
Brother’s best friend, fake dating, and teaching her how to be in a relationship? Oh I’m so in.
Nora and West’s story is a beautiful, filled with yearning and swoon-worthy slowburn. Seriously, my stomach was constantly filled with butterflies, and my mouth hurt from smiling so much.
Nora has people-pleasing tendencies, but West doesn’t receive the same treatment, and he helps her let go of trying to make everyone else happy, and to stand up for herself.
West’s POVs are everything I want to read from a MMC, you truly haven’t read yearning like this. He BREATHES for her.
Ugh, I love him.
It’s filled, DRENCHED, with incredible banter, and ohmigod the sexy scenes.
Their mutual growth throughout this book is exquisite, and it doesn’t feel forced.
Reading Nora’s progression was truly satisfying, and it had me cheering for her the whole time.
And for my praise-kink girlies, which I now have, thank you very much, this one’s for you.
This is my first Olivia Hayle book, and trust me, I’ll be reading every other book she has as soon as I finish posting this review.

I really enjoyed The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle! It’s definitely a slow burn but I love that it gives time for the relationship between West and Nora to develop. West and Nora as characters are great. West was patient helping Nora in her lessons and we slowly saw her confidence grow. He was also very caring and protective, making sure that she was/felt safe. As a couple they are so lovely and I’m glad we saw that love develop over time. Initially I thought the book would feel long but it was perfect for their story! Thank you Netgalley for this arc, I appreciate it and highly recommend it!

It took me a while to decide what to rate this book and finally settled on three stars. I enjoyed reading it, and it was a fast read for me. But it wasn’t anything remarkable. But it also wasn’t terrible at all. I mean, you can do no wrong with fake dating. I see a little bit of myself in Nora, which I liked. I liked Nora a lot. I’m glad she finally found someone who let her be her true self and set boundaries and love her still after the fact. West is so good for her, they’re literally a match made in heaven. The stalker plot was interesting enough until we found out who’s the stalker. It was underwhelming. The way we found out who it is and who the stalker is. Even the resolution is a little boring. I hope we see more of it in Rafe’s book. I’m definitely reading his book. The epilogue here got me curious on what the hell happened to him in the summer.

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

4.5 Stars Holy slow burn! The Faking Game is the first in Olivia Hayle’s new Billionaire Games series and at just over 500 pages, there’s plenty of time for Hayle to build up the tension between Nora and West.

When a relentless stalker forces former model and aspiring fashion designer Eleanore “Nora” Montclair out of her apartment, her brother insists that Nora stay with his best friend, Weston “West” Calloway. West is rich, arrogant, and Nora’s former crush, before he turned her down and insulted her. Nora and West agree to fake date in public, seemingly to let the stalker know that she’s well protected. But Nora and West both have their own reasons for fake dating. Nora wants to also practice dating West in private, hoping it will help her with an eventual real relationships so she can lose her virginity before her upcoming 25th birthday. West wants a fake girlfriend so his mother will stop trying to set him up in the hopes of finding him a wife–one he desperately needs before his 30th birthday so he doesn’t lose the family estate due to a clause in the family trust. Soon, West and Nora are practicing everything in secret and it’s no longer fake. West praises her and helps Nora break free from her people-pleasing ways. Is this still just practice or could Nora and West be what the other was looking for all along?

This is Olivia Hayle’s best book yet! The build up of the tension between Nora and West was delicious and I love how the build up of their physical relationship was accompanied by their growing romantic relationship, even if they didn’t realize it. I LOVED how West started helping Nora by helping her practice setting boundaries, saying no, and arguing. When Nora was finally able to stand up to her mother and brother, I wanted to stand up and cheer, but I settled for enjoying how West was visibly proud of her in those moments. The length of the novel not only gave the author time to build up their relationship and the chemistry between them, but to delve deeper into Nora’s people-pleasing habits and issues with relationships. I was surprised that things with the stalker didn’t escalate more and was a little disappointed that that plot ended so abruptly. Maybe I’ve just read too many romantic suspense books 🤷‍♀️ I loved Nora and West’s book and can’t wait for Rafe’s story next!

Thank you Olivia Hayle for the ARC 🩷 The Faking Game releases Mauy 25th!

The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle was swoony fun!

I love all books by Olivia and this one was extra sweet. I love fake dating and then we get a mix of brothers best friend and billionaire and he's protective over her despite him saying he can't love and yet he's so jealous and down bad for her? I loved the mix of a bit of suspense that it had. It's a page turner with swoon, angst, tension and spice and their dynamic? I loved it. It had banter, bickering, falling hard for each other while acting like its all pretend but I love how she challenged him and met his match. Such a fun and steamy romance that I devoured in a sitting. It is a Must read!

oh come on. we are, i am not ok with how good this book was! im a little too smiley reading this i look deranged.
this is brother best friend done in the EXACT right way. wait, why am i still smiling even now whilst writing my review, this is ridiculous. thanks Olivia youve made me all mushy...
but seriously thankyou Olivia because this book was just what i needed and wanted in a book. the blurb gives you a taster that you want to dive into. and then reading it feels like the best time ever.
the characters were brilliant on their own but together they were fire.
it was deeper than i thought it would be too and you really got to know the two characters and why they were the way they were, particularly in Nora's case. BUT she needn't have worried because this man was going to help her and be there for her all the way until she could be all those things for herself.
i gotta admit i was worrying over the near ending when they would have to have the third act break. and i feared it would be West being a plonker and i didnt want him to muddy my view of him. but its all ok folks. its all ok. just read. read this book and feel so good for the whole time reading it and long after.
my only fear now is that im desperate to read the others in this series!

I have never devoured an ARC as quickly as this. Fake dating and brothers best friend are some of my top tropes and this hit THE SPOT!

Nora has moved to New York to pursue her fashion designer dreams. One problem, she was being stalked back home. West, Nora's brothers best friend and heir to billions, has been tasked with keeping her safe. When her stalker reaches out in New York, West moves her into his extremely large home to keep her close.

Nora used to have a crush on West, until he overheard him talking about her one day. Since the. She's hated him. However when West proposes to fake date to throw off her stalker, she takes the opportunity to get him to help her with her dating and intimacy. At what point does the fake dating turn real and can they keep it hidden?

I loved this book. It had me giggling throughout. I actually couldn't put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting instead of sleeping and it's a chunky book!
I love how fiercely protective and encouraging West was of Nora, even during their fake dating. He teaches her self defence incase she needs it, praises her constantly (a kink she never knew she had!) and encourages her to let her mask fall and be her authentic self.

I really liked the character growth in the book, especially Nora's. She went from being such a people pleaser in a world where appearances matter, to standing up for not only herself but her relationship with West.

The chemistry between them sparked from the very first chapter, making the inevitable slow burn feel very natural. I thought the pacing was great, the banter top class and there is plenty of heartfelt moments to make this binge-worthy. It definitely gave me all the feels.

Thanks to Olivia Hayle, Victory Editing and Net Galley for this arc in return for my honest opinion.