rating — 4.25 out of 5 stars.

i am exceedingly picky when it comes to fake dating. i’ve been trying to get out of the habit of saying it’s a trope that i dislike, because that isn’t true at all – i’ve just become frustrated after reading one too many books where they refuse to commit to all the yearning and drawn-out angst that a proper fake dating storyline can give you. when i requested this book on a whim, that same old hope sprang eternal within me – and i’m happy to say that she did it, folks!

i will say, this was a tad long. i don’t really think that any romance book really has any business being 500+ pages in this economy, and there were definitely some scenes i felt could have been cut here and there while maintaining the same character growth and relationship development. which, speaking of – loved both of those in this book! there are so many flat characters and rushed relationships aplenty in the romance world these days, and i felt like there was the perfect balance of action and drawn-out yearning in this book. beautiful, delicious, i ate it up. i do wish the stalking plot had a better resolution than it did (it felt kind of random and low-impact, but idk! it got her into west’s house, so whatever i guess). i still had a blast, though – olivia hayle, you have charmed me. i will be seated for the rest of the series!

Nora and I are one in the same. I’m also a huge people pleaser so it was nice to read her journey to becoming stronger and more assertive in her life!
West and Nora had great chemistry from the very first scene and it just kept getting better. Fake dating is my favorite trope so I knew I was in for a treat.
My only gripe is I think this was a bit too long. There were a few scenes that were dragged out but then there were two or three scenes I wanted more of and they were cut short.
This is my first Olivia Hayle book and I’m intrigued to pick up more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC!!

DEAR LORD WAS THIS GOOD.

Was it long? Yes. Was it worth every single agonising second that I spent with Nora and West? Oh hell yes.

I read this in a day, and it was phenomenal. It's genuinely one of the best fake dating tropes I've ever read. And Olivia Hayle made me enjoy a billionaire romance, and I'm not even mad about it.

Genuinely, this was fantastic, and it's so so so well worth reading.

I am OBSESSED. The Faking Game delivered everything I crave in a romance. It’s a brother’s best friend, fake dating, forced proximity, spice lessons, slow burn tension, romance and so much more. West and Nora had undeniable chemistry, and I loved watching their connection shift from playful to protective and passionate. Their banter? Gold. Their character growth? So satisfying.

Nora’s transformation from a people pleaser to someone owning her worth hit me in the feels. And West? The grumpy, secretly softy who respects boundaries and helps her heal? I swooned—hard. If you love dual POVs, family drama, and steamy slow burns that actually deliver, this one’s a must-read.

I didn’t really enjoy this to be honest. The characters absolutely had chemistry and that I did really enjoy but the whole just X yr old virgin with the like this ‘so experienced male’. I just don’t really like that trope to be honest and it really just kinda ruined my overall view of this book. The stalker aspect was actually super interesting but I felt it was just flat. I felt more could’ve been done and once the stalker is got like not just totally move on from it, just because it was quite the centre of the actual reason why these characters were together at the same house.

West Calloway gets himself into a fake dating relationship with his best friends sister. She is attractive,smart but she needs help getting a real date.

This is my new favorite Olivia Hayle book to date.

The story contains tropes of brother's best friend/fake dating/spice lessons, but it was so much more.
The chemistry and pull between characters felt natural and realistic with a connection that grew steadily.

I appreciated the mature communication and that he encouraged her growth, but never pushed past her boundaries.

This was a really refreshing romance with depth, swoony moments, and plenty of spice.

Thank you for the chance to read the ARC, Olivia!
As a long term fan of Olivia’s work, this was a joy. I loved the fake dating and the date practice premise and the characters were brilliant. Bring on Rafe’s book!

This was the first book of Olivia's that I have read and I feel like I have been missing out. This book is such a heartwarming story. There is not one criticism I can think of the only thing that would have made it better for me would be that there was less spice but that is just my preference (not a criticism). I would definitely recommend this book to romance lovers but probably more to to those who like plenty of spice.

Thank you to net galley, the publisher and most of all to Olivia Hayle for allowing me to read this book - I cannot wait to read rafe's story!!!

This book was adorable and I equally loved the FMC and MMC. They were both mature and their growth throughout the book felt natural and organic. It was really refreshing. This is my first book by this author but I'm looking forward to the second one in the series 👀 the setup at the end already has me intrigued 🙂‍↕️

I really enjoyed this! I’m a sucker for a forced proximity, lovers to haters, and fake dating plot. Some of the romance, the lessons, felt forced or unbelievable and juvenile for a 24 year old woman as one myself, but I can look past it. Overall I think it was really well written and I’m excited for its release!

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.