This is so much fun! It’s fake dating, but with a twist - both Sebastian and Nora are fake dating other people at a boisterous and feudal Italian wedding when they feel a mutual attraction. It’s worthwhile to pay attention, as there’s lots of characters in two extended families - but it will still be rewarding if you forget who is in which family. There’s some wonderful side characters (hello Benji!) but really this is just the nicest rocky path to an HEA I’ve read in ages.

It’s steamy 🌶️🌶️, and not all vanilla and it works because Sebastian and Nora are both so very nice, and so into each other. Golden retriever, people pleasing vibes all around…

Apart from all the characters, there’s a lot going on, and plenty of hurdles. I was stressing by the end that they would be brave enough to take a chance, and bingo, we got there! Livy writes a superb romcom, there’s drama but no real angst, just perfect moments in between all the shenanigans among the feuding families. Recommended delightful reading!

Thank you so much Livy Hart, and Entangled Publishing for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

It took me a while to get into this book and up until the end I was struggling with trying to tell the two families apart, there were just way too many characters. The romance in this book was okay but I unfortunately didn’t care too much about the love interests and their relationship. Nevertheless, the book was well-written and I’d still be interested in checking out some of Livy Hart’s other books in the future.

This book left me with such a reading hangover - I was so invested in everyone in this story, and just felt so sad when it ended! I couldn't put it down, read it in less than a day 🙃

📖 The Great Dating Fake Off
📝 Livy Hart
🗓️ 08/06/2024
💜 contemporary romance
📱 read on kindle (arc)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

💭 overall thoughts:
I laughed, I cried - I loved this book so much.

Not only do we get a sweet & angsty romance between Nora & Sebastian, but we also get so much more from the side characters!

They genuinely felt like real people to me, and I was entirely enthralled by all their lives/relationships.

I LOVED their meet-cute, it had me laughing so hard.

After meeting at the bookshop where Nora where works, she and Sebastian have an instant connection but don’t expect to see one another again.

Days later they find themselves at the same big Italian wedding, fake dating other people to ward off their families.

They can’t seem to stay away from each other, as their chemistry and connection is undeniable.

Nora has finally found a place she calls home and feels like she belongs. Sebastian’s job has him travelling and spending months at a time in different places, setting up Boys & Girls Clubs.
They know it can’t work out, but they can’t help it…

The spice 😮‍💨 this book is incredibly HOT.
These two can’t keep their hands off each other, no matter where they are (and mostly that’s in public 😉).

tropes + topics:
🥸 fake dating with a twist
(they’re not dating each other!)
😍 instant connection
💍 big Italian wedding setting (with feuding families)
📚 bookstore manager fmc
💛 non-profit director of development mmc
🔗 forced proximity
🫶🏼 found family
💞 dual 1st person pov

Thank you to Entangled Publishing & NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Sorry to say but this book had too much going on.

I really needed the author to pick a storyline and character set and focus on them. Develop those characters, make me care about their relationship and well being, and live or die on if they can be together.

Instead we got fake dating in not one but two different relationships, a big Italian wedding, and a "I can't start a relationship because I'm leaving town" storyline and several other side plots. It was too much. Too many characters, too many stories, too little dialogue.

I skimmed where there wasn't dialogue because I was never gonna finish otherwise. I didn't crave to pick this back up when I put it down. Disappointing as I really enjoyed this authors last book and I think I could have loved Nora and Sebastian if they were given more character development and focus. Oh well, can't love them all!

This is a supremely funny story. Readers will get multiple couples getting happy endings as the plot unfolds. The dialogue is witty and entertaining and will make you laugh out loud. The characters are wonderful and lovely. Readers will love the variety in the characters ages and the place they play in the story. It is sexy and romantic and a joy to read from start to finish.

This book has it all. Faking datingx2, crazy Italian family, sneaking around, and it’s a dual pov. PHOTOBOOTH SCENE!!

Nora and Sebastian help out their two best friends by agreeing to fake date them for their siblings weddings, little did they know they would end up at the same wedding. Prior to the fake dating agreement Sebastian missed out on the opportunity to ask Nora out. They are stuck pretending to be with other people when they are having a hell of a time trying to fight the pull they have to one another.

Spice in this book is so good. Exhibitionist at its finest.

Nora & Sebastian meet and have an instant attraction, but before it can go anywhere, they both get themselves in separate fake dating arrangements. The next time they see each other they’re both guests at a huge Italian wedding for friends/family. The wedding is a circus. The two families hate each other. There’s loud, meddling family + adorable grandparents. What’s not to love?!

Every time I read a new Livy Hart book, I get mad that I’ve read everything else by her already. I love her characters & banter.

• fake dating • wedding week • meddling family • feuding families •

Favorite parts:
•bachelor & bachelorette party night
•every moment at his grandmas house

What gets more entertaining than 2 people who are supposed to be fake dating 2 other people try to stay away from each other at a destination wedding. Nora and Sebastian are supposed to be fake dating their best friends, respectively but can’t seem to stay away from each other. The banter was giving and the spice was great! This is a perfect rom com. There were a few too many characters, but not too many that it was hard to get over. I would recommend this for a fun beach read! Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this eARC.

Livy Hart has a way with words that has me knowing that anytime I pick up her book, I need to clear my schedule because it's an IMMEDIATE binge. The Great Dating Fake Off is no different.

Nora, a bookseller with her best friend Benji, put in a pickle when they announce their dating and will be attending as a couple for his sister's wedding. All is well, until she runs into Sebastian, the handsome man opening different Boys and Girls clubs in the area. She knows sparks are flying between her and him yet, she cannot do anything about it... not at a meddling huge Italian family wedding.

Sebastian, promising to help his best friend keep her secret, is attending her brother's wedding as her plus-one a.k.a. fake date. But he's got feelings for Nora too, ones that will be impossible to ignore as the wedding festivities continue. With a wedding on the line and family secrets to keep tied, both are in for a wild ride as they try to be the best fake daters they can be.

There were so many highlighted lines in my kindle while reading "Fake Off" that I almost cried while laughing! Livy Hart's novels are always a delight for me, especially because of the chemistry and banter she brings to each character. I couldn't help but picture these big Italian families as in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" as they fight, squabble and just plain out try to kick each other's asses in pickleball. Those wanting a quick, fast paced yet steamy read to binge on your next reading day will NEED to pick up The Great Dating Fake Off!

In general, I love Livy Hart's novels. However, this one was hard for me. Something about these characters did not connect with me. I love the fake dating trope but when the fake daters fall in love with one another, not other fake daters. I kept hoping that it would get easier for me but it never did.

All that to say, this is not a bad book! The setting is great! And the characters are well developed! It just wasn't a book for me. Hoping I connect better with her next book.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

Nora and Sebastian find themselves at a wedding, pretending to date their respective best friends. They find themselves spending a lot of time together and realize they have feelings for each other. When they accidentally get caught, chaos ensues.

The premise of this book is so good. It has so much potential to be fun and swoony, but just missed the mark for me.

It also took me forever to finish this book. I think there are way too many characters with relationship drama. It's a lot to keep track of, especially with the family dynamics. I also just couldn't really get into the romance between the MCs. The romance was kind of instalovey and there was a lack of chemistry. I didn't feel an emotional connection between Nora and Sebastian and I kept hoping for fun banter that never really appeared.

The writing itself was fine, but I didn't love the writing style. I did enjoy the dual POV and the fun twist on the fake dating trope.

Thank you to Entangled and NetGalley for the ARC.

A fun, albeit predictable, romance. The best part was absolutely the banter between the two main characters. It was funny and it kept me reading even when the plot started to lag a bit.

The author of Some Kind of Blunderfull and Talk Flirty to Me is coming with a new release called The Great Dating Fake Off. As the title suggest this book will be about fake dating. Even though I must admit I haven't read a book by Livy Hart before, I couldn't wait to dive into this story. What will this fake dating romance bring?

Two fake dating couples. She wants him, but he is in the other couple. It's the story of Nora. Ever since he walked into the bookstore, Sebastian has her interest. But when it turns out they both are the plus one for their best friends to the Italian wedding between rivaling families, they cannot be seen together.

It's really amazing how Livy Hart manages to create the vibe of forbidden love while also in a fake dating. It makes the development of the romance even more stunning. I really loved the storyline.

Both Nora and Sebastian are amazing characters. It really is love at first sight for the two of them and if it wasn't for the wedding I think they would have been on a date sooner. However where is the fun in that right? I really loved the fact they had to wait to be together and I feel like it made the romance even stronger.

I really enjoyed reading The Great Dating Fake Off. This book made me curious about the other Livy Hart books, which will be added to my endless wishlist for sure. In my opinion this book deserves a 3,5 star rating.

This was a fun spicy fake dating trope book with a spin that the two leads are actually fake dating other people for a wedding week. I liked our main couple and their best friends. They had banter and steam right from the beginning. They just mesh and their intense alone moments in terms of talking and emotion were the best. Easy to binge read but dang there are a lot of characters. A few less would have been nice because I was at my limit for remembering who was who. The third act break up was dumb and I didn’t appreciate it but they figured out their own stuff to be able to come back together in a great way.

So far I have enjoyed everything Livy Hart has written and this was no exception. Can’t wait for her next book!

I really liked the main character chemistry in this book but sadly that's all I really enjoyed. I was bored for about 50% or the book. I ended up skimming to the good parts. The main plot is very week imo. 3 stars.

This was really cute! A fun premise with the fake dating their friends and being attracted to each other. It definitely lent itself to the third act conflict. There were a LOT of characters and it got tricky to keep track of who was who and how they were related. I adored the meet cute and the characters were really funny together—great dialogue and banter. The pacing stalled through the middle for me, especially with the specifics of the wedding events. but there was fabulous tension—Sebastian was so sweet to Nora. And my picky eater heart was so happy with how he found foods for her—wedding food is so tough when you’re picky! The third act conflict felt really well developed too which was refreshing! The ending and beginning were really well paced.

Big thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Livy Hart books always bring the spice, the humor, and the love. The Great Dating Fake Off is such a fun and steamy romance.

Nora is the manager of her best friend, Benji's, bookstore. Sebastian comes into the bookstore, and he is about to ask Nora out on a date, but he is interrupted by Benji's overbearing sister and mother. When they try to set him up on a wedding date for his sister's wedding, Nora steps in to pretend to be Benji's girlfriend.

Sebastian steps in to help his best friend, Alessia, because she is not ready to come out to her family at her brother's wedding. It turns out that both Nora and Sebastian are fake dating other people at the same wedding!

When they arrive at the wedding, Sebastian and Nora wind up spending so much time together. They fight their growing attraction to each other because they want to stay in their fake relationships with their best friends.

Their forced proximity leads to sneaking around and leads to some steamy moments! There's one steamy scene in photo booth that is so much fun.

Overall, I loved the wedding scenes with the Italian families. I'm Italian, and I could relate to that part of the story. I enjoyed Sebastian's closeness with his grandmother too. Nora and Sebastian were so great together, and I loved the epilogue too.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

What a fun book this was! Two couples fake dating as they attend an over the top Italian wedding between two rival families. This was such a fun premise, I loved the fake dating twist in this one! The banter was laugh out loud funny and the chemistry between Nora & Sebastian was off the charts! Expect wide open door spicy scenes!

I always have a great time with Livy Hart's books and The Great Dating Fake Off was no different.

Hart blends spicy & 2000s romcom perfectly. This felt a bit like My Big Fat Greek Wedding but with fake dating. I had so much fun with the characters, the fake dating shenanigans and, of course, the spicy scenes. Nora and Sebastian were such lovable characters. I loved Nora's sunshine disposition and how gentle Sebastian was. They complimented each other and made the romance between them so romantic. Sebastian's lines about being in so gone for Nora were so good! I definitely highlighted the heck out of his POV chapters.

This has heart, banter, playful vibes and steamy spice. Definitely recommend this one!

Reading a Livy Hart book is one of my favorite things: I love the comfort of knowing that I am going into a book by an author whose books I've loved before, and The Great Dating Fake-Off was no different.
The fun twist on the fake-dating trope in this story - Nora and Seb are fake-dating other people - was refreshing. Them being insanely attracted to each other, while trying to keep things under wraps, and all of that with the potential of chaos that arises during this week-long wedding celebration, truly kept things interesting all throughout.
The Great Dating Fake-Off felt like being in a movie, and also a contemporary week-long house party à la histrom with all the drama (if that makes sense). The story flew really well, and I enjoyed every bit of it!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.