Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC

I love a Hockey Romance, I love a brother's bestie troupe, and most of all I love a fake dating troupe.

This book has everything I like, and more. I can't wait to read more by this author.

This story was a sweet read from the start, and I enjoyed getting to know these characters. I liked that Emmy and Dawson had met before, they already had a bit of a connection, a friendship, even though it had been a while since they'd spent time together, you could feel that pull. There's fun with their friendship, and the build up kept the pages turning. Definitely a read to curl up with to relax and shut out the world. It's part of a multi author collection and I will be adding those to my to be read list as well!

This is my first time reading Grace Worthington and I have to say...I devoured this book in ONE DAY. It was so cute and I couldn't put it down. Dawson is hunky and cute and I love that he's the perfect cinnamon roll for our skeptical heroine. Emmy is a BookTok girlie that also works at the local bookstore. Her life revolves around romance books, but she doesn't believe that type of man actually exists. Except that her brother's best friend (Dawson) gives her the butterflies she's always read about. These two are perfect for each other and the story is a perfect little romance whenever you need a break from those heavier to digest Romantasy novels.

I got this arc for an honest review. I love a good hockey romance as I fell in love with the sport when I moved to Canada. There were some inconsistencies when it came to how the NHL runs and the story in this book. I also did not know this was part of a series so I was confused when we were introduced to characters I had never heard of. I also didn’t connect with the characters and felt they didn’t have much chemistry which made me soft dnf for a week. I picked up the book to finish my obligation to the author.

I don’t usually give low reviews but this one was not for me I gave it 2.75 ⭐️ and negative 🌶️ because it was a close door/ clean romance and I usually like a little spice in my romance.

This book was not for me but that does not mean you shouldn’t see for yourself you may enjoy it.

Happy reading everyone 📚

I would like to thank Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable bookish romance.

This is a great light rom com with that gives off cozy fall vibes. Emmy works at the local bookstore when her brother’s best friend Dawson returns to town to play in the local hockey charity event before moving to Seattle to play for the NHL. Ever since a party in college, Emmy has had feelings for Dawson but she feels the gap between her little life and Dawson’s bigger hopes and dreams of playing in the NHL is too big of a gap to bridge. Dawson also has carried feelings for Emmy since college and with this limited time in Maple Falls he wants to win Emmy’s heart and show her that she is so much more than her small town dreams.

If you’re looking for a fun light romcom and just a feel good pick me up story, this book will give you all the good fuzzy vibes. :) I enjoyed the characters and how Dawson worked to show Emmy that he cared for her. Some of my favorite parts were corn maze at night, the book club discussion of the hockey book, and the bet that Gold Dog and Romcom Books have for seeing each other.

The Friend Face Off, the third book in the Love on Thin Ice, was such a sweet romance. The Friends to Lover trope was such a cute, charming small-town hockey romance. Emmy is a romance-loving, bookish girl working at the town bookshop. Her brother and his friend Dawson are in town to play hockey. Dawson is a hockey goalie, who is in town to play for the towns hockey team with a golden retriever personality. I loved that Dawson and Emmy had this sweet relationship that they didn't know they had online as well as in person. This romance was exciting and engaging to read with zero spice. I enjoyed her writing and look forward to reading more of her books in the future. I also am excited to ready more of these series Love on Thin Ice. I received this book as an ARC by Netgalley and Poets & Saints Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re a fan of sweet hockey romances with a dash of humor and heart, The Friend Face Off is a must-read! Grace Worthington expertly blends the charm of small-town life with the thrill of unexpected romance, creating a delightful story that had me hooked.

The premise is a fun twist on the classic brother’s best friend trope, featuring Emmy, a book-loving heroine who challenges her social media followers to prove that real-life men can be just as romantic as her beloved book boyfriends. Enter Dawson Hayes, her brother’s best friend, and a confident goalie determined to win her over finally. The chemistry between Emmy and Dawson is electric, and I loved how their relationship unfolds in real life and through their playful online interactions. It adds a modern twist that feels so relatable!

What I particularly enjoyed was Emmy's hidden booktok persona—her passion for romance novels because same. The fake dating element adds a delightful layer of tension, and I found myself rooting for them every step of the way.

This was my first book by Grace Worthington, and I’m excited to dive into the rest of the Love on Thin Ice series. If you enjoy friends-to-lovers stories with plenty of charm, witty banter, and swoon-worthy moments, then you’ll want to pick up The Friend Face Off. It’s a charming reminder that sometimes, the best love stories are right in front of us, waiting to be discovered.

Such a sweet romance!! I love the brothers best friend trope. These characters were really made for each other!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Dawson is an amazing book boyfriend. I love that he wanted to read Emmy’s favorite/ current book club book so he can join. He wants to spend time with her however he can.

Emmy gives out younger sibling energy and by that I mean everyone always talks about how oldest siblings give off parent energy because they take on a responsibility for the younger siblings. Younger slibkings feel responsible to take on the responsibility of being around for parents and grandparents since older siblings gave up their childhood youngers give up moving away.

I love that Dawson and Emmy connected on TikTok without even knowing but I really liked that she didn’t get mad that he knew first and didn’t tell her right away. It could have been an easy out for conflict but the story didn’t need it.

Perfect fall pick me up.

Small Town hockey romance meets You've Got Mail! I loved this story so much! The MMC was such a golden retriever and I lived for it! This was such a wholesome romance that solely focused on the friends to lovers trope. He fell for his best friends sister in a small town at the peak of his hockey career. All of a sudden we get thrown into a you've got mail situation and I lived for it! It was so relatable in the beginning as well relating to booktok and the social media aspect of it! Fantastic read! I finished it in one day.

Cute romance between a jock and the bookish little sister of his best friend. I loved Dawson’s character and found him believable but Emmy wasn’t my favorite character. She made so many decisions that didn’t make sense (I have no idea why she just didn’t replace her tire) and I am not a fan of women who don’t know their worth and let people walk all over them. I liked the bookish discussions they had but expected a little more hockey for it being billed a hockey romance. Otherwise, the other characters, particularly her grandmother, were all so much fun and I enjoyed the cameos of the characters from other books and can’t wait to visit Maple Falls again.

Dawson has loved Emmy since he met her 4 years prior. Now that he's back in town, he is determined to take a chance with her. Emmy, though, has become disillusioned regarding love. Dawson's path to Emmy's heart is swoon-worthy, sweet, and enough to make even the most disillusioned love love.

I received an ARC of this book; I have been paid for my review.

This book was absolutely adorable! I annihilated this book in less than a day!
This brother's best friend romance was so cute!





Emmy was so against dating a hockey player. Her brother Dan warned her, "Hockey guys don’t settle down. Not with one team. Or with one girl." She was just a bookstore worker, who ran book club and took care of her Mimi. She never thought she was good enough. She never thought she measured up.
But then came Dawson Hayes. This sweet man read a romance novel for her. He went to book club for her! Dawson was the ironically the perfect golden retriever!

Then there was Gold Dog, the stranger from the internet. The guy that became one of her closest friends. Where did he fit into her life? Should she meet up with him?

The way this book came together was perfect! I highly recommend reading this super fun Rom Com!

The Friend Face off is the third book in the swoon-worthy and sweet Love on Thin Ice series. Emmy and Dawson are such great characters in this small town romance. You won't want to miss reading the books from this series, they will have you hooked immediately.


Thank you netgalley for an arc of The Friend Face Off by Grace Worthington

The Friend Face Off is a romance between an introverted bookstore employee and her brother’s pro NHL teammate. I love a good hockey romance, but unfortunately this was more of a collection of cliches than a fully formed book. I wish the characters and plot had more depth however everything from the plot to the romance stayed very surface level.

I didn’t realize this was part of a series until I came here to leave a review so I can say that you can read it as a stand-alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Friend Face Off by Grace Worthington is the third book in the Love on Thin Ice series, which is described as a sweet small town hockey romcom series. It’s a series of seven books all taking place in Maple Falls. Each volume is being written by a different author and centered upon a different couple having something to do with the charity hockey event taking place in the small town.

This volume centered around Emmy Roberts (sister of Dan ‘the man’ Roberts…the male lead in the previous book) and Dawson Hayes. (who happens to be Dan’s best friend and the goalie for the Ice Breakers, the hockey team representing Maple Falls) The actual hockey aspect of the book doesn’t play a big role in this volume. Emmy works at the local bookstore. She loves books and has always wanted to be a writer. She also is big into posting her ideas of books online, and starts the story by posting about how real men can never live up the men in romance books. She also doesn’t believe men read romance novels. Little does she know she’s about to be proven wrong on both counts. While I’ve enjoyed all the books in the series I’d read, this is definitely my favorite of the series so far. I pretty sure that fact that I’m a book nerd helped me instantly love Emmy, not to mention it also helps that I partially identify with Dawson as well, as I’m a guy who also enjoys romance novels. I won’t go deep into the actual story, but I will say this entire series has been filled with likable characters and fun storylines, making them nice breaks from reality. They’re also quick reads, with most of the books so far being easily finished in only a sitting or two. I’d like to thank Poets & Saints Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Friend Face Off.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R35U15SSE0HJBG/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

A book boyfriend who connects with her in part by reading the books she loves! That's it, that's the review. What more you need!?

I adored this story soooo very much. Emmy and Dawson were such charming characters on their own, and they made for an utterly delightful coupling. I was rooting for them from the beginning. I also loved the small town vibes, revisiting Maple Falls and some other characters from this series, and the epistolary elements were a sweet touch. Other tropes include sports romance (ice hockey!), brother's best friend, second chance romance (kinda), and friends to lovers (also kinda). I highly recommend this book, as well as others in the Love on Thin Ice series!

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for gifting me with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.

Great read, the story of Dawson and Emmy. Emmy has been warned away from hockey players and he is her brothers best friend too. I liked the setting and how it was told from both points of view. Looking forward to more from this author.

Even though we all know how romance books end, the will they/wont they of fake dating is my favorite. This was my favorite so far!