The Faking Game sounded fun but ultimately wasn't for me. The "protective friend" thing felt a bit much and the billionaire lifestyle felt a bit far-fetched. I'm sure others would love this but unfortunately it didn't work for me.

3.5⭐️

Had a good time with this one! The writing made it so quick to fly through. There is a fair bit of spice which isn’t my favourite so did skim those parts but apart from that the story was engaging although a little slow at times. I liked their relationship and seeing them grow together. The resolution could’ve been a bit better imo as wasn’t overly taken when it was resolved.

This book has an amalgamation of my favorite tropes: brother's best friend, billionaire romance, and fake dating. This book was pretty much my catnip for me. It was a fun and well-written romance.

I absolutely adored this story! Nora and West were easy to root for and I loved their tension throughout the book. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series!

this book just didn’t hit for me. the pacing felt off which is probably because the book is so long (500 pages in my opinion is WAY too long for a romance). it felt like the book kept going in circles and there were lots of scenes that i felt i had read in the last chapter with very similar dialogue happening again and again. i thought the premise was fun with fake dating, forced proximity and brothers best friend with the stalker plot to add some action but unfortunately it wasn’t executed the way i would have liked it to be.

Nora is an ex fashion model who is not very experienced when it comes to relationship and love. As a chronic people pleaser, she constantly puts other people’s feelings and wants ahead of her own. Enter West, her brother’s best friend, billionaire and her long standing crush. West has promised Nora’s brother that he will look out for her when she moves to New York and he has to constantly remind himself that she’s off limits. But when a threat to her safety forces Nora to move into West’s estate, they decide that fake dating could be mutually beneficial - helping West deter his interfering, match-making mother and giving Nora experience with dating.

I adored this book! Not just the fake dating (one of the best tropes!) but more so how West really helped Nora find her back bone - how to say no, express her feelings honestly and firmly, and think about what SHE wants instead of always pleasing others. He gave her so much confidence to be exactly who she is, unapologetically. I loved their chemistry, their banter, and watching them both realize that they were never faking it.

This is the first book in The Billionaire Games series, and I’m so intrigued by the other MMCs and their stories. This book just found me at the right time - it’s sweet, spicy, funny and heartfelt. All the stars from me ❤️

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This trope will forever be my favorite. There's something so fun about the fake dating aspect and I think the characters had great chemistry. Overall would reccomend if you're looking for books with this trope.

This book fell a little flat for me. It felt like tropes were thrown in just to check boxes. I would not call this storyline as marriage of convenience as it was just casually tossed in.

Never have two characters deluded themselves more. West is a bad friend and lies to himself! A bit of an odd take on this particular story arc but couldn’t help but route for West in particular. No accounting for taste maybe?!

The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle is a charming, fast-paced romance that delivers all the feel-good vibes readers crave. With witty banter, sizzling chemistry, and the always-entertaining fake dating trope, this story pulls you in from the first chapter. Hayle does a great job crafting relatable characters—especially the sharp and independent heroine who finds herself entangled with a confident, unexpectedly sweet billionaire. Their dynamic is electric, and the evolution of their relationship feels natural and deeply satisfying.

What sets this book apart is its balance of humor and heart. While the setup is delightfully tropey, Hayle’s writing brings fresh energy to the genre, avoiding clichés and delivering genuinely funny, touching moments. The emotional payoff is well-earned, and the side characters add warmth without stealing the spotlight. The Faking Game is a perfect read for fans of modern rom coms who want a light, swoon-worthy escape with just enough depth to keep you hooked until the very last page.

Pretty good book. Though I couldn’t read the last chapter as it archived before it as I didn’t pay attention to the archivedddd date! But no worries, I loved it!

R E V I E W

The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle

☆☆☆☆.5

Advanced Reader Copy graciously provided by Netgalley

This was my first Olivia Hayle book, but it certainly won't be my last. I am new to the Billionaire romance genre, something which I can see this author specialises, but I cannot wait to delve back into The Billionaire Games series as soon as Hayle pens the next book.

When heiress and model Nora Montclair finds herself the recipient of an unwanted admirer, she embraces her tried and true genial fascade and hides away her terror. But as the intensity of her stalker increases, so too does her fear, and when a welcome escape arrives in the form of a fashion-design competition across the sea, Nora takes full advantage.

Whilst Nora hopes that her admirer wouldn't follow her all the way to New York, her brother isn't willing to take any chances and gets his best friend, fellow billionaire and US resident West Callaway, to take point on her security. The only problem? Nora and West have been at odds for years, and worse, West is one of the only people that sees through Nora's people-pleasing mask to the very heart of her.

In need of some help himself, Nora and West embark on a fake dating scheme with two purposes. The first; to show Nora's stalker that she is not alone and has powerful allies, and perhaps even coax him into revealing himself. The second; to take the pressure off West to find a wife before his thirtieth birthday when the home he loves will be taken away if he isn't married. But as the two spend more time together, the reason behind their mutual animosity quickly becomes clear, and what starts off as a game of pretend becomes anything but. But with all these games afoot, who will come out the victor?

This was an addictive read with an underlying mystery in addition to my favourite fake-dating trope. I loved how West was Nora's biggest champion, constantly pushing her to be herself and fight back against those who wished to contain her. The development of their relationship was heady, as West helped Nora navigate her virginity until it was all but a forgone conclusion that the pair would end up together. I deducted half a star for the heavy handed use of praise which at times seemed a little much but otherwise, a brilliant read.

I loveeeee a good fake dating book, and I loved this one! I am here for this MMC. This book was well written and easy to read, however some of the pacing was a bit off.

A slow burn for the ages. Fake dating and brother’s best friend all in one, and it made my heart skip a beat and the butterflies flutter like crazy.

The female main character is a popular model who’s craving something more. Her people pleasing tendencies made her feel real and relatable, and led to some seriously heartwarming moments with West, the male lead.

The plot kept me hooked and the characters were so easy to love. The chemistry between the two mains was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. They brought out the best in each other in a way that felt genuine and swoony.

The Faking Game was a quick, satisfying read that totally hit the spot if you're in the mood for a fun billionaire romance.

This book didn’t really work for me. I found it hard to believe that Nora, at age 24, could be that naive about dating etc. It’s one thing if she hasn’t dated much at her age but she really didn’t seem to know anything. I also found the dating lessons that she was doing with West to be confusing. Sometimes it was obviously one of the lessons and other times when the line blurred it was confusing. I liked the characters but I didn’t like the way the storyline was designed. I am open to reading more from this author and another one of her books might be a better fit for me.

As such slow burn was not really may thing but reading this book made me realize the true essence of slow burn. The way Nora and West relationship grow as the chapters pass. And the character was explored like Nora. A solid a+!

I've read a few of this authors books and I have to say this one is my favorite. Olivia hayle did the fake dating trope so well. I read this book within 2 days because all I wanted to do was read this book. I could not put it down!

My only complaint was that it felt like the chapters would end abruptly or in ways that felt somewhat incomplete to me personally.

Rating is 4,25 stars

I was obsessed with this book!! I love a fake dating trope, but I love it even more where there is a teaching angle attached to it like we see with West and Nora. I truly love the way that the characters were written to not only complement each other, but also to bring out the best in the other as well. Good amount of spice as well

I’m not normally one to read billionaire romance books, but I was presently surprised by how engaged I was overall with The Faking Game. Olivia Hayle does a great job of keeping the reader engaged with Nora and West’s story and intrigued for future books on West’s friend group.

That being said, I would still give this book a 3-3.5 rating because of how repetitive the writing felt most of the time, and this book unfortunately did not convince me to read or like the billionaire romance trope. I would recommend this book for people who do like that trope and like it when the man falls first and falls hard.

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing this early copy with me for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

First off thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc!

3 ⭐️

The Faking Game was… fine. Pretty mid overall. The story had promise, but the execution was a bit messy.

The chapter changes were super abrupt, which made it easy to lose track of what was going on. I kept having to backtrack just to figure out where I was in the story. It definitely needed another round of editing—some parts felt rushed or underdeveloped, which took away from the reading experience.

Not a terrible book, but not one that’ll stick with me either. Just okay.