This was such a cute, fun, and quick fake dating romance! It follows Nora, a model who dreams of becoming a fashion designer, and her brother’s best friend, West. Nora has a stalker, so her brother sends her to stay with West at his estate—what he doesn’t know is that West is about to lose the estate unless he gets married before turning thirty.

Nora agrees to faking a relationship with West, but of course, things start to feel a lot more real. Along the way, West encourages Nora to finally put herself first and go after what she wants, not just what makes everyone else happy.

This one had some great banter, a little suspense, a bit of spice, and just a good vibe. Super solid read!

I devoured this book and left no crumbs. It consumed my every waking thought and some of my sleeping ones.

The Faking Game is everything I want in a romance. Drama, lust, forbidden love, and the most perfect ending.

Every detail was perfection, and I can't wait for more. I am praying to anyone who will listen that there be more. I need a book for every guy in the Lost Weekend crew and Amber.

When I review, I usually like to go into the story and characters a but, but this one doesn't need that. You just need to read it.

Thank you, Olivia Hayle, for the ARC.

ARC Review: Thanks to Netgalley and Ms. Olivia Hayle for the e-ARC.🎀

This was such a lovely read, I found myself smiling and even giggling throughout! Nora and West are both beautifully written characters. Their chemistry is undeniable, but what really pulled me in was the emotional depth between them.

Even though West once made a comment about Nora that hinted at some inner conflict, he constantly checks himself and respects the boundaries he knows are important. That awareness and the slow realization of his feelings made his character so compelling to me.

What I loved most is how West is always ready to drop everything when his men report something about Nora. Not just because her brother, Rafe, asked him to protect her, but because he genuinely feels something for her. That mix of responsibility and real emotion? Chef’s kiss.

This book had the perfect balance of humor, heart, and slow-burn romance. Definitely one I’ll think about for a while.

This book while it kept me engaged and turning the page, felt like something I had read before. It was a good pallet cleanser of a book though and had me smiling. Although not that original still enjoyable.

This was my first book I have read, written by Olivia, and let me tell you, it won’t be the last!!

This book had the ✨vibes ✨

Nora, a famous model with a stalker, moves in with her brother’s best friend, West, for safety. Still inexperienced with men, Nora asks West for lessons in dating… and let the fun begin!!

The sloooow burn, the chemistry, the tension, the will-they-won’t-they, I was on the edge of my seat, kicking my feet and giggling. If I could’ve locked myself away for 24 hours just to binge this, I would have.

West Calloway now has a permanent spot in my heart. The way he protects Nora, encourages her to set boundaries, and empowers her to speak up? Absolute perfection.

This is a must-read.

If you were to, liquify this book, put it in a cup, and put it in front of me, I would empty that cup faster than the speed of light. This was a juicy, easy, blissful read. I want to stay at Fairhaven.

a great billionaire fake dating book with the beloved trope of brothers best friend. West was one of the greenest flags I have read in a while. Catch me on my way to a jeweller to get a tennis bracelet!
Also thank you Netgalley for the Arc!

Posted to Goodreads on the 26.05.2025

4.25⭐ IM BACK guys im trying to hop back on the review game i know you all missed it so much (said not a single soul ever)

this was one of those books i kept seeing lil teasers for on instagram and always got immediately intrigued so when i saw this on netgalley i HAD to snatch (thank you to netgalley and olivia hayle💗💗💗)

now i know some people hate it when books have a ton of tropes but i will eat it up every single time. i am also the biggest brothers best friend fan EVER. and fake dating?? sign me tf up 🖊️🖊️ i loved all the tropes as well as the plot and the characters just 🤌🤌

nora was actually suchhh a sweetheart and i loved her more than i thought i would. usually i kind of get sick of the "super innocent virgin fmc" cause sometimes they are just plain dumb but she wasnt written like that at all but still managed to have the innocent vibe and i loved her. also fake dating your childhood crush/brother best friend that turn into dating lessons? love love love! her people pleasing hit a lil close to home and it made her so relatable and ugh i loved her

WESTWESTWEST god i love this man. hes rich. hes obsessed. hes offering to teach her everything about dating but falls even deeper in the process. name one person who wouldnt be obsessed?? i loved his character in so many ways like he was so obsessed and supportive of nora and everything she did and was also her dominant counterpart without being an overly dominant character yk? (also love his name but i digress)

honestly such a funny spicy read with great characters. my only two things was that i feel like the whole "stalker" plot was kind of anti-climatic and it couldve been slightly shorter in general but i still had such a good time!!

I went into this one blind, i mean the cover was beautiful and i just had to read it! well i'm just here to say this book is a damn good time and i enjoyed every minute of it.

Nora has a stalker and her brother wants to keep her safe and the only way he can think to do this is to send her to stay with his friend West in his huge estate. West who she has had a crush on for a really long time....

West suggests that they start to fake date and Nora agrees on one condition, that he helps her practice real dating. So they start to date and soon it starts to feel real....but is it?

This was the perfect fake dating book and i highly recommend!

• Fake Dating
• Brother's Best Friend
• Dual POV
• Slow Burn

Nora is forced to move into her brother's best friend's estate, after a stalker disrupts her life and safety. West proposes a solution to send a message to the stalker... They should fake date.

Truly, I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. In the beginning, it was a bit slow. I wasn't sure where the book was taking us, with the amount of conflicts there were. But in the end, it did come to a satisfying conclusion. I did enjoy seeing Nora people's pleasing issues, it wasn't just an after thought in the book. You can see her progress throughout the book and not see it go to waste towards the end. This book was a fun and easy read for anyone who's interested.

Thank you Netgalley and Olivia Hayle🫶🏾

✨ thank you to the author & NetGalley for the ARC ✨

Y’all…. I LOVED this!!!! West & Nora had the best communication & chemistry that I’ve read in a long time! I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series

Tropes: best friend’s sister, forced proximity, fake dating, marriage of convenience, billionaire romance

I was hooked from the very first chapter! Nora and West are everything! This was my first book from the author, but certainly not the last! I can’t wait to continue this series! Billionaire romance at it finest.

This book gave me so much joy. I had all the emotions and it was hard to read at times (in a good way), it makes you stop and think. I am quite new to Hayle and this is my favourite so far. I adored both MC's in this, the whole set up felt so natural and they way they handled everything so maturely was perfection. I can get so frustrated with how some "innocent" girls are handled in books, and this was done so well. Nora may be innocent, but she os definitely a girl who actually does know what she wants and understands she had to do work to get there. West is not a bad guy turned good, he is just a normal human who is trying to understand himself. I am SO excited for book 2 and I really hope book 3 & 4 are about the rest of the boys! I need to know more about the Scot! I need book 2 asap and the rest even quicker! Thank you to Netgalley for an earc for my honest opinion!

I really enjoyed reading The Faking Game - it was one of those books that you can hardly put down because you just want to know what happens next.
I was particularly impressed by Nora's development. At the beginning she is rather insecure, smiles a lot to avoid conflict and puts her own needs second. But as the story progresses, she becomes more and more self-confident and learns to stand up for herself - without losing her softer side. I really liked how believably and step by step this change was told.
West was the perfect antithesis to Nora for me. He supports her, encourages her to stand up for what she wants and simply means well by her - even if he doesn't realize for a long time that he himself is what she's really missing. The two had a great dynamic, their chemistry was palpable from the start and carried the story for me.
My only small criticism is that there was a bit too much spice for my taste - it basically suited the story and the tension between the two, but less would have been okay for me. The narrative structure could also have been a bit more balanced for me: In the middle it dragged a bit in places, while the end then felt like it came too quickly. I would have liked a little more time for the conclusion there in particular.
That said, I’d only read one other book by Olivia Hayle before this, but The Faking Game definitely made me want to explore more of her work. I’m excited to see what else she’s written!

I’m not usually into billionaire romances. It often feels too easy when both leads are loaded. But this one? This one got me. I love a story where a people-pleaser finally asks, “What do I want?” and West? He’s a “what do you need, I’m listening” guy. And the way he shows up and sees her? Yeah, I’m not beating the praise kink allegations. He had me giggling, blushing, and slapping my very patient boyfriend out of pure kilig.

The banter was top-tier, the stalker subplot was a fun twist, and the chemistry? Off the charts.
This is for anyone who wants a story that lovingly drags people-pleasers into the spotlight where they belong.

The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle (ARC Review)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was so sweet!

I had the absolute honour of reading an ARC copy of The Faking Game over the long weekend while staying with family and oh my god, I could not put it down!

I have to admit that I wasn't a fan of West in the beginning, but he quickly won me over with how kind and caring and protective he was towards Nora, and how he helped her step out of her comfort zone and learn that it's okay to say no to things that she doesn't want to do.

Nora's journey as a people pleaser who is learning to stand up for herself was so powerful and relatable, and you could really see the growth between her and West not just in their relationship with each other but as individuals as well.

I loved the setting of Fairhaven so much! It was perfectly described and felt like something out of a fairytale! Also, the bromance between the MMC's friend group was so funny and sweet, I can't wait to read Rafe's book, and I desperately hope that James and Alex will be getting books of their own as well!

This was my first time reading anything Olivia Hayle! And I highly recommend this book if you like the following tropes:

✨billionaire romance
💘dating lessons
✨suspense
💘roommates
✨forced proximity
💘virgin heroine
✨brother's best friend
💘fake dating

A huge thank you to @oliviahayle and @netgalley for the ARC💕

Hello, new insta-read author alert-

Nora Montclair just moved to NYC to participate in an exclusive fashion design competition in NYC. She soon realizes she brought more than just her design talent with her: her stalker followed her over. To stay safe, she reluctantly moves in with Rafe's overprotective best friend West Calloway; his sprawling Fairhaven estate is practically a fortress. Or a prison. But there are some perks. She gets to set up an atelier space for her fashion designing, for one. Oh, and Nora needs some help practicing dating so she can find her one true love... a man without constant expectations who can also pop her cherry before she turns 25 (but she doesn't tell West that last part). West is up for a bit of fake dating for her benefit. It would send her stalker a clear message. And maybe, as an added benefit to West, showing Nora off as his girlfriend will finally stop his mother constantly shoving prospective brides in his face. She's his best friend's sister. So she's practically his own sister. That's how West SHOULD view her, anyway. Who is he kidding... At least Nora hates him just enough to make this deal work.

This book is everything. Every time I put it down to do important things like eat or sleep, it beckoned me like a freaking Siren: "Continue me. You know you want to."

Did I request this ARC for the romance? 100000%. The romantic compatibility between the lovely heroine and absolutely delicious hero was taking up all the space in my head, living rent free, demanding my attention. The book is written in dual PoV, which is my favorite way to read romance. West's chapters did not disappoint. His desire for Nora ratchets up to a 100, nice and slow and intense.

Their shared socio-economic status is another reason why this book is a success for me. Rather than have "just a naïve small-town girl falling for a billionaire", Nora herself is wealthy and well-connected, with a solid career and further ambitions of her own. West respects and admires her, and while he's overprotective due to her stalker situation, he also supports her as she follows her dreams.  

While I came for the romance, I left with that AND (surprisingly) a really reflective, memorable character arc. Nora's development throughout the book is sublime, and man, how hot is it that West and their fake dating both help get her there. I don't always love a fake dating trope, because it at times quite literally contrives the romantic tension, but it's a whole new ballgame when there's a genuine desire for the male love interest to build up the heroine. Nora & West's first intimate moments are swoonworthy, but the more profound romance is seen elsewhere: it is in every step she takes, with his encouragement, to come out of her people-pleasing shell. Their realness with one and other, and their mutual enjoyment of the way he chooses to guide her (oh hello, praise kink), makes their connection deeper and believable. Basically, none of it ever really felt like "fake dating" at all. I just think it was beautifully done. 

The stalker storyline in the end doesn't really make much sense, but heck, let's be real - I never read this for some stalker storyline. So that's neither here nor there. This book's still perfection to me and it's already on my reread pile. 

West is part of a group of friends who met at boarding school, Belmont, and basically grew up together. As it tells West's story, The Faking Game introduces us to the other guys: Rafe, Alex and James. Each is set to be the leading men in subsequent installments of The Billionaire Games series., and from the introduction we learn the guys have a lot in common, but have unique enough personalities, which should make follow-up books in the series surprising and varied enough. So I'll be looking out for those releases!  

This is my first Olivia Hayle book, and clearly it won't be my last. There is no faking how much I thoroughly devoured and loved this steamy romance. Take all the stars, an infinite amount of praise and a whopping thank you to NetGalley and Oliva Hayle for generously providing me with a copy of this book; all opinions expressed are honest, voluntary and 100% my own.

I don’t usually love brother’s best friend romance but this book does it sooo well. It started out a little slow but I got hooked when they started their “lessons.” Honestly some of the hottest scenes I’ve read in a while 🥵 I’m really glad that I was approved for this ARC because I loved it and want to read Olivia Hayle’s other books now. I’ll definitely be reading Rafe’s book. I was hoping all of the guys would get one but especially him.

I’m a sucker for a fake dating trope always and I liked the kind of bodyguard aspect to this one. The romance was cute, pretty slow burn and I liked seeing them together. This just felt way too long, nothing really happened for the first half of the book - could definitely have been under 350 pages.

This book was such a fun surprise! I was a little hesitant as I am not usually a fan of the brother's best friend trope, but Olivia Hayle did an outstanding job. I also really appreciated Nora's character and her growth. Her constant struggle of trying to make those around her happy is something i really resonated with and it was refreshing to see it reflected in a romance novel. A great read overall!