This a great read! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and this is a double dose. Nora is fake dating her best friend to get his family off his back, and when she agrees to go to an over the top Italian wedding with him, she sees her crush there. Sebastian is unavailable because he’s fake dating too.
The wedding setting is fun and humorous, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a different take on the fake dating trope.

Both Nora and Sebastian were fake dating other people…for a wedding they were both attending.
But they had an instant attraction to each other when they first met. So when they saw each other again, they couldn’t deny the attraction they felt.

There were a lot of characters, so it was hard to keep track of who was who. And I didn’t really feel the connection between the main characters.

The side characters were fun though, and I loved all the family drama.

I love Livy Hart’s writing. She has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. The best part of this book is that she took one of my favorite tropes, fake dating, and put the most fun spin on it. I absolutely devoured it. I knew going into it there would be a lot of characters, how could there not with the backdrop of the story being a wedding with two large Italian families. I loved all the shenanigans, the drama, the hysterical moments. The tension and heat. Phew. It was all perfection!

Tropes + things
fake dating (but not each other!)
forced proximity
found family
dual POV/1st person

Thank you Entangled Publishing for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

The one liners in this book were phenomenal. The love was perfect. Nora falls first but Sebastian catches quickly. The side friendships were terrific.

“𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐭’𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥.”

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4.75/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 8/6/24

*Thank you @NetGalley and @Entagled_Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆:
Nora would do anything to help her best friend Benji, even if that involves pretending to be his girlfriend at a big family wedding he needs to attend for his sister. All is well until Nora's crush Sebastian shows up at the same wedding with his girlfriend... his very fake girlfriend.

Can Nora and Sebastian keep their attraction hidden to not blow their cover?

𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲:
*Fake Dating (to other people)
*Big Italian Weddings 🎂
*HEA
*Open Door Spice 🌶️
*Pickle Ball
*Witty, flirty, laugh out loud banter 😆

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
I loved this story, from the lovable characters to the witty banter. The MMC/MFC connection could be felt as the relationship developed on the page. The sex scenes were perfect in their spice and frequency as to not distract from the story itself. My only critique would be that there were a lot of characters to follow and it could get confusing for some readers. I was able to track them pretty well.
This was my first book by Hart, and I will be sure to read others.

#TheGreatDatingFakeOff

This is an extremely cute romcom. There are silly situations and others that make the reader swoon. I really enjoyed the book overall. It is a lighthearted, quick read.

It was a decent read. I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. The writing and the spicy scenes, overall were good. But the amount of characters in this book was a bit too much for a romance book.

I LOVE Lucy’s writing and how her books are simply fun. Their funny, gut laughing potential had me glued to my chair for hours reading away.

I love the aloof, unrealistic situations and the chemistry and banter with the characters is off the charts. There is so much going on in the book that at times it is hard to tell what exactly IS going on. But for a fun, fast paced leisure read this book checked all the boxes.

The great dating fake off was so fun! I was so prepared for the fake dating but it was NOT what I had expected! I enjoy going in to books blind and this one had my he on the FLOOR multiple times! The plot was great, the love story was beautiful and organic, the banter was 10/10, the friends and supporting characters were top tier. I really enjoyed this read!

I love fake dating but not like this. The plot of this was so incredibly messy and not for me. Definitely not what I was expecting based on other reviews and the adorable cover!

Honestly, I have mixed feelings on this one. The writing was well and the plot has potential but there's just too much going on at once and that sort of led to things not being developed enough. Maybe this is for someone else, since opinions differ but I think the chemistry between the leads was a little off.

What could go wrong with two fake couples at a wedding? Everything. Filled with plenty of laughs, some cringe worthy moments as characters fall for one another and lots of romance, this was a fun and fast read. Nora will do anything for her friends, including pretend to date her boss in order to get him out of the clutches of his match-making family. To her surprise, the guy she really has interest in and flirted with just before saving her boss, shows up at the same wedding as her....and he has his own fake date. The rouse is on to protect the families but the sparks fly between Nora and Sebastian. Will they get away with it?

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Great Dating Fake Off by Livy Hart!

An absolutely adorable fake dating romance, with hot sex scenes, where all the characters are Italian and there’s an independent bookstore heavily involved. It’s possible this book was actually written just for me.

(Four stars only because the second “act” of the book was inconsistently written and the characters’ actions stopped making sense)

3.5 stars

The Great Dating Fakeoff was an entertaining, fun rom com that I could totally see playing out on the big screen.

Sebastian and Nora have great chemistry and banter from their very first meeting, But nothing seems likely to happen. The two of them are surprised to see one another. They are both attending a wedding weekend as fake dates to other people, and everything gets complicated when feelings develop between the two of them when they're supposed to be pretending to other people.

I enjoyed Livy's writing style and humor. She also has a knack for creating interesting characters with great connections and chemistry. The story does lean a little bit heavy on their physical connection/attraction and I would have liked to have seen more of the emotional side as well. Overall though, this was a good read that moves at a good pace. I can't wait to see what Livy writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for an honest review.

The Great Dating Fake Off is a witty, entertaining romance that’ll have you laughing out loud. Hart’s sharp humor and chemistry between the leads make it a fun, breezy read.

It just wasn't for me. I tried to like it but I just didn't like the characters enough to care about them.

I truly enjoyed the depiction of two rambunctious Italian families in this book! I liked Nora's want to stay home and be quiet with her books, and her friend Benjie, and that she openly wanted to do nerdy things such as play chess, and not physical sports. However, she was a beautifully crafted chameleon that also adapted well to the wedding festivities and plans.
I enjoyed her selflessness and wanting to help bring the bride and groom together while also making sure she apologized in person along with buying flowers for the mother. She was a golden character.
Lastly, I truly LOVED the chemistry between her and Sebastian. The boiling hot scenes along with one of them being in public -waves face- so good! I love Livy Hart's characters/stories, and I CANNOT wait to see what else she comes up with!

I was thrilled by this unique plot: double fake dating where for once, the characters don't end up with the person they're pretending to date. The story is told with so much humor and hilarity, and was a joy to read.

The side characters in this book really shine. Will we see them again in any future novels? I can certainly see why my friends love Livy so much, and I'm excited to read more from her!

Fun rom com wedding read. Fast read that is enjoyable even though it is a bit predictable. Great beach read for wedding season.