Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC. The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson covers the Fake Dating trope- Delilah's show is losing viewers and Ian needs to church up his image. In an attempt to both benefit from the public taking a new interest in their lives, they team up to fake date. I found the book easy to read and a nice piece of fluff to cleanse my palate. The Game Changer, in my opinion, reads like it is a first novel- things were too easy- I would've liked to see more conflict. I feel like she also made sure to put as much representation in the book as possible, which I love representation but it felt thrown in just to have it included but didn't contribute to the story in any way.

Lana Ferguson has been on my radar since her first book The Nanny and I can’t believe I waited this long to read one of her books!
I’m officially a fan! Her writing style flows beautifully. There wasn’t a time in the whole story that I felt bored. Her characters are funny and full of depth, with backstories that make them relatable and so entertaining. I loved Delilah’s character and her whole life long crush on Ian. It took me back to my childhood crushes which made me root for them even more and made her finally getting him so dang satisfying! Ian was a dreamy ginger giant with a heart of gold. I laughed so hard at their back and forth banter, loved the brat remarks and him calling her sweet girl! The spice was sooo good! I mean… that shower scene was all sorts of hot! I loved all the plot twists and supporting characters and really hope we get a Jack love story next cause he was funny af!

lana ferguson’s writing + a hockey romance + friends to lovers/brothers best friend tropes = pure perfection!!! there are so many good parts to this book. words can’t even describe how much i enjoyed reading this story. i just loved all of the banter, spice, heartfelt moments, constant longing, and undeniable chemistry!!!

this is hands down lana’s best book yet. thank you so so much to netgalley and berkley publishing for the arc!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

Lana Ferguson has just written the next top hockey romance! This is the cutest, fun read full of banter and sweet moments, with Lana's classic smutty brain of course. I fell head over heels for both Lilah and Ian, and it probably started the first time she called him "cupcake."

While the trope of high school crush/brother's best friend that never noticed her is a hard one to pull off, I think Lana did a great job of it. While you fault Ian for not noticing her until now, his moment of saying "I see you" brought in the necessary new dynamic, and was ultimately forgivable since they have a bit of an age gap and have been in different cities for the past decade.

I can't wait to get everyone to read this!

This book was an immediate five stars for me. I loved every aspect of it because EVERY book by this author does the romance genre justice—this one especially. I fell head over heels for the characters and I cannot wait to see what the author comes up with next!!

“‘It's like I spent my entire life blind until you walked back into my life, and I finally saw you.’”

Oh my gosh! I was not expecting to love this as much as I did!! The Game Changer is a classic brother’s best friend trope — but it was so refreshing.

There is a fun PR storyline with fake dating which worked so well for me. The tension was simmering from the beginning and I was immediately obsessed with these characters (Ian is everything to me). I was giggling throughout this whole book — some of these scenes are my new favorites within the genre.

This felt very emotional and real and there wasn’t a crazy miscommunication scene or unnecessary drama. The love confessions were so gentle and perfect too !!!! Lana’s writing is really great!!

Thank you Berkley & NetGalley for the advanced copy. The Game Changer releases on July 9.

The Game Changer is a delightful hockey romance book by Lana Ferguson, featuring a story of friendship, longing, and chemistry. The story follows Ian Chase, a team captain, who faces a PR nightmare after a public breakup. Delilah Baker, his best friend's sister, proposes a collaboration to boost her local cable show's ratings. However, old feelings resurface, blurring the lines between reality and PR. The story explores whether their relationship is just for show or something more.

Thank you @netgalley @lanaferguson and @Berkleypublishing for this ARC for an honest review. I really enjoyed it.

A cute little rom com. I love the fake dating trope so I knew I would automatically like this book. The romance did feel a bit fast but overall a very cute story and I loved Ian’s character.

I loved everything about this!!!! From the cute backstory, the chemistry between Lila and Ian, the fake dating, THE SPICE, to the side characters. I appreciated that there was no annoying third act break up or miscommunication, but liked that there was still some drama to keep things interesting. I haven’t read The Nanny yet, but I’d say this is my favorite Lana Ferguson novel so far.

This was utter perfection!! I was kicking my feet and swooning so hard. Ferguson is a new to me author and I will for sure be diving into her backlist. I couldn’t recommend this book enough!

This is going to be majorly popular I just know it. I'm talking several months wait at the library popular. It is such a fun, warm, steamy sports romance. My only hang up is I myself am growing weary of fake dating, that is just a personal problem.

Okay I’m in love with Lana’s writing lately! I loved the friends to lovers, This was some spicy goodness on top of that! Also no third act break up, vulnerable moments, and just heart warming as well!

The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (4.5 stars)

- childhood friends
- brothers best friend
- fake dating
- hockey romance

So, folks, gather 'round because Lana Ferguson just dropped another gem with "The Game Changer," and let me tell you, I'm about ready to declare her my official dealer of bookish dopamine hits. Seriously, she's become my literary happy place—a one-click wonder!

Now, let's dive into this masterpiece. We've got Delilah, the baking maestro with her own TV show, and Ian, the hockey hottie. I mean, who doesn't love a good dose of hockey romance? If puck action and oven mitts sound like your kind of party, then hold on tight because this one's a wild ride.

Lana rolls out the red carpet of tropes, and I am here for it. Childhood friends turning into something more? Check. Banter that makes you snort-laugh? Double-check. The chemistry between Delilah and Ian is so electric; I swear my e-reader might need a cooldown.

Now, let's talk spice. Lana doesn't hold back, and neither does Ian. That dude's mouth had me sweating—yes, literally. And don't even get me started on the locker room scene. It's the kind of steaminess that makes you reconsider your choice of reading location. I may or may not have blushed hard enough to rival a tomato.

So, if you're on the hunt for a rom-com that's as spicy as your favorite hot wings, grab "The Game Changer." Lana Ferguson delivers a 4.5/5 star experience that's hotter than a jalapeño on a summer day. Trust me; your bookshelf needs this.

I just reviewed The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson. #TheGameChanger #NetGalley

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this title early! This is Lana Ferguson’s third romance book that I have read in the past year and I can now absolutely call myself a super-fan of hers. And not just because this was a hockey romance, (which happens to be a favorite trope of mine) or the fact that there was no dreaded third act breakup, (Again, Thank you, Lana!!!!) but the vibrant characters, a story that keeps you rooting for them, and a sickly sweet romance plot that doesn’t quit made this an absolutely desirable read. I cannot wait to see what Lana cooks up next for us!

*thank you to Berkely, NetGalley, and Lana Ferguson for the eARC.

Yall. This book. THIS BOOK. I loved Lana with The Nanny, she blew me away with The Fake Mate, and now I am on my knees with The Game Changer.

Delilah “Lila” Baker is…. A baker. And that is too freaking adorable. She’s great at it too. Ian Chase is a hockey player who is….chasing Lila? I think that’s how we’re gonna talk about their names. Ian is a hockey player who left his hometown of Boston to avoid drama and scandal. Life has brought him back to the pro team his parents own, and isn’t that its own bag of worms? I love that both Lila and Chase are just a little bit messy and chaotic and have the baggage of their lives. They aren’t perfect and that makes the story so much better.

On to the plot: Lila is a baker and her tv show is facing declining viewership, and her show has decided that a partnership with the local pro hockey team would be great boost. Ian has just moved back and his scandalous past is following him, so he is put on the show to help his “bad boy” image. Unsurprisingly, the team up of the two is quite hot, and rumors fly. Are they in love? Are they not? Do her deserts actually taste like sugar coated heaven? Relationship rumors fly, and Lila and Ian choose to lean into them (at the urging of their respective teams). Will they stay just friends or will they develop into so much more?

Fake dating and real friendship mix in a sweet, romantic, HOT story full of like and love and lust. I was truly hooked from line one all the way until the epilogue was over. This book made me fall in love with hockey and baking all at the same time, which is such a tall order. Lana Ferguson is so quickly becoming one of my auto buy authors and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lana, and Berkley for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lana Ferguson has quickly made it onto my auto-buy list. I remember hearing about this book so long ago and immediately wanting to read it, knowing it was going to be an amazing read. Since then, I’ve read both ‘The Nanny’ and ‘The Fake Mate’ (if you haven’t read those I BEG of you to go read them right this second) and instantly fell in love with how Lana can pull off a spicy as hell, but sweet as can be rom-com story.

The game changer hits this sweet but spicy mark right on its head. You immediately start loving, and rooting for, Ian and Lila because their instant chemistry is off the charts. At one point I was just BEGGING them to finally give in and kiss already😩 the will-they-won’t-they in this book is top teir.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
- Cute nicknames
- Friends to Lovers
- Brother’s Best Friend
- No 3rd Act Breakup

Lana has done it again! She has perfectly mixed a compelling story with the spiciest spice and it just makes me so happy.

You have the soft, ‘innocent’ baker with Delilah and the big, scruffy hockey player with Ian. When you put the two of them together, it’s smoking hot chemistry with banter and teasing leaving you desperately wanting them to get together ASAP. I really enjoyed that Delilah knows what she wants and was not afraid to start making the first move 👏🏻👏🏻

Ian is a hockey player and there are some hockey talk/events but not TOO MUCH description of gameplay which I think was a very smart approach by Lana. Most of the time in hockey romance reads, I tend to get lost/confused in the action of the game but I never felt that way with The Game Changer, but I still got all the fun and hot hockey vibes.

You can’t have a brother’s best friend trope without the brother and even though I know this was such a labor of love for Lana, I hope we get a Jack story in the future! He really rounds out the story and is the perfect comedic relief to contrast the banter and tension of Delilah and Ian.

Another deliciously hot entry into the Lana Ferguson extended universe! Lana can do contemporary romcom, paranormal romcom, and now... a hockey romance. But rest assured you do not need to care at all about sports to enjoy. This was a high-heat, low-conflict (within the relationship, at least -- there's a family plot that has plenty of conflict) read that's perfect for readers who are looking for cozy spicy beach reads with no third-act breakup or miscommunication. As usual, Lana excels at spice, funny, well-developed side characters, and fast-paced plots that keep the pages turning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A hockey romance with side of brothers bff! This is for the girlies who aren’t fans of miscommunication or third act breaks ups because it’s pretty slow burn and smooth sailing once the two leads get together. I enjoyed the first half of the book but once they go together it kinda lost all its appeal for me. Lila being so obsessed with him since she was a teen and even now was a little to desperate for my taste. Not a bad book at all, but def my least favorite

Lana is definitely an auto-buy author for me now! Loved the Fake Mate and I adored this one! Lila and Ian are just so perfect together. And I loved her zany brother Jack. There's a fair amount of angst but its coming from her job and his dad and not them as a couple, which I found refreshing. I love a good brother's best friend trope and this one was made even more sweeter by the fact that she crushed on him growing up. I wish we had gotten a little more closure on Lilah's storyline outside of her relationship with Ian but otherwise this book was fabulous!