I really enjoyed The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle! It’s definitely a slow burn but I love that it gives time for the relationship between West and Nora to develop. West and Nora as characters are great. West was patient helping Nora in her lessons and we slowly saw her confidence grow. He was also very caring and protective, making sure that she was/felt safe. As a couple they are so lovely and I’m glad we saw that love develop over time. Initially I thought the book would feel long but it was perfect for their story! Thank you Netgalley for this arc, I appreciate it and highly recommend it!

It took me a while to decide what to rate this book and finally settled on three stars. I enjoyed reading it, and it was a fast read for me. But it wasn’t anything remarkable. But it also wasn’t terrible at all. I mean, you can do no wrong with fake dating. I see a little bit of myself in Nora, which I liked. I liked Nora a lot. I’m glad she finally found someone who let her be her true self and set boundaries and love her still after the fact. West is so good for her, they’re literally a match made in heaven. The stalker plot was interesting enough until we found out who’s the stalker. It was underwhelming. The way we found out who it is and who the stalker is. Even the resolution is a little boring. I hope we see more of it in Rafe’s book. I’m definitely reading his book. The epilogue here got me curious on what the hell happened to him in the summer.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars Holy slow burn! The Faking Game is the first in Olivia Hayle’s new Billionaire Games series and at just over 500 pages, there’s plenty of time for Hayle to build up the tension between Nora and West.

When a relentless stalker forces former model and aspiring fashion designer Eleanore “Nora” Montclair out of her apartment, her brother insists that Nora stay with his best friend, Weston “West” Calloway. West is rich, arrogant, and Nora’s former crush, before he turned her down and insulted her. Nora and West agree to fake date in public, seemingly to let the stalker know that she’s well protected. But Nora and West both have their own reasons for fake dating. Nora wants to also practice dating West in private, hoping it will help her with an eventual real relationships so she can lose her virginity before her upcoming 25th birthday. West wants a fake girlfriend so his mother will stop trying to set him up in the hopes of finding him a wife–one he desperately needs before his 30th birthday so he doesn’t lose the family estate due to a clause in the family trust. Soon, West and Nora are practicing everything in secret and it’s no longer fake. West praises her and helps Nora break free from her people-pleasing ways. Is this still just practice or could Nora and West be what the other was looking for all along?

This is Olivia Hayle’s best book yet! The build up of the tension between Nora and West was delicious and I love how the build up of their physical relationship was accompanied by their growing romantic relationship, even if they didn’t realize it. I LOVED how West started helping Nora by helping her practice setting boundaries, saying no, and arguing. When Nora was finally able to stand up to her mother and brother, I wanted to stand up and cheer, but I settled for enjoying how West was visibly proud of her in those moments. The length of the novel not only gave the author time to build up their relationship and the chemistry between them, but to delve deeper into Nora’s people-pleasing habits and issues with relationships. I was surprised that things with the stalker didn’t escalate more and was a little disappointed that that plot ended so abruptly. Maybe I’ve just read too many romantic suspense books 🤷‍♀️ I loved Nora and West’s book and can’t wait for Rafe’s story next!

Thank you Olivia Hayle for the ARC 🩷 The Faking Game releases Mauy 25th!

The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle was swoony fun!

I love all books by Olivia and this one was extra sweet. I love fake dating and then we get a mix of brothers best friend and billionaire and he's protective over her despite him saying he can't love and yet he's so jealous and down bad for her? I loved the mix of a bit of suspense that it had. It's a page turner with swoon, angst, tension and spice and their dynamic? I loved it. It had banter, bickering, falling hard for each other while acting like its all pretend but I love how she challenged him and met his match. Such a fun and steamy romance that I devoured in a sitting. It is a Must read!

oh come on. we are, i am not ok with how good this book was! im a little too smiley reading this i look deranged.
this is brother best friend done in the EXACT right way. wait, why am i still smiling even now whilst writing my review, this is ridiculous. thanks Olivia youve made me all mushy...
but seriously thankyou Olivia because this book was just what i needed and wanted in a book. the blurb gives you a taster that you want to dive into. and then reading it feels like the best time ever.
the characters were brilliant on their own but together they were fire.
it was deeper than i thought it would be too and you really got to know the two characters and why they were the way they were, particularly in Nora's case. BUT she needn't have worried because this man was going to help her and be there for her all the way until she could be all those things for herself.
i gotta admit i was worrying over the near ending when they would have to have the third act break. and i feared it would be West being a plonker and i didnt want him to muddy my view of him. but its all ok folks. its all ok. just read. read this book and feel so good for the whole time reading it and long after.
my only fear now is that im desperate to read the others in this series!

I have never devoured an ARC as quickly as this. Fake dating and brothers best friend are some of my top tropes and this hit THE SPOT!

Nora has moved to New York to pursue her fashion designer dreams. One problem, she was being stalked back home. West, Nora's brothers best friend and heir to billions, has been tasked with keeping her safe. When her stalker reaches out in New York, West moves her into his extremely large home to keep her close.

Nora used to have a crush on West, until he overheard him talking about her one day. Since the. She's hated him. However when West proposes to fake date to throw off her stalker, she takes the opportunity to get him to help her with her dating and intimacy. At what point does the fake dating turn real and can they keep it hidden?

I loved this book. It had me giggling throughout. I actually couldn't put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting instead of sleeping and it's a chunky book!
I love how fiercely protective and encouraging West was of Nora, even during their fake dating. He teaches her self defence incase she needs it, praises her constantly (a kink she never knew she had!) and encourages her to let her mask fall and be her authentic self.

I really liked the character growth in the book, especially Nora's. She went from being such a people pleaser in a world where appearances matter, to standing up for not only herself but her relationship with West.

The chemistry between them sparked from the very first chapter, making the inevitable slow burn feel very natural. I thought the pacing was great, the banter top class and there is plenty of heartfelt moments to make this binge-worthy. It definitely gave me all the feels.

Thanks to Olivia Hayle, Victory Editing and Net Galley for this arc in return for my honest opinion.

I loved this story. West and Nora were so good together, West was so patient with Nora and their boundary setting came so naturally. I loved how beautifully their relationship grew, it was so organic and gave so much insight into how they both felt about each other. I also loved the relationship between the 4 guys. It was very cute and I can’t wait to read the remaining stories.

This book was good! It wasn’t too show boat about being a billionaire. I think the one problem for me is the main female character was too repetitive. Saying the same things over and over again - to the point where it felt like it was trying to meet a character count. Character development was great. But a little more on the spicier side than I thought!

* I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a review.*

Wow. I loved this book. The slow burn is so good. West & Nora are probably my favorites. I love both of their growth and the growth actually feels genuine. I absolutely tore through this book - I read it in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down. This was my first book by this author, but I’ll definitely be reading more.

Just finished The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle and it was such a fun, flirty escape! Fake dating, sizzling tension, and witty banter made this a total page-turner. The chemistry between the characters was so good, and I loved every second of the slow-burn build up.

West and Nora are fucking electric and i could not love them more. this is such a raw and vulnerable book and it fixed a part of me that i didn’t even know needed to be healed.

This was a fun, easy read with some great romantic tension and classic fake-dating charm. The setup had a lot of potential and the pacing kept things moving.

That said, I struggled with the grumpy character—he often came off more like a jerk than just emotionally guarded or gruff, which made it harder to root for the romance at times. I enjoy the grumpy-sunshine dynamic, but in this case, the balance felt off.

Still, there were moments of sweetness and humor that kept me engaged. If you enjoy trope-heavy romance and don’t mind a prickly love interest, this one might still be worth checking out.

- fake dating
- brother's best friend
- roomies to lovers
- dating lessons

I am absolute sucker for brother's best friend romances, and I ate this up!

The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle is a charming and witty fake-dating romance that hits all the right notes. The chemistry between the leads crackles from the first page, making their slow-burn attraction feel both natural and irresistible. Hayle balances humor and heartfelt moments beautifully, giving depth to both the romantic plot and the characters' personal growth. The pacing keeps the reader engaged, with just enough tension to make the resolution deeply satisfying. Overall, it's a delightful and binge-worthy read for fans of contemporary romance.

Brothers Best Friend & Fake Dating

I loved this. Nora is staying with Wes, her brothers best friend, after being targeted by a stalker. They come to an agreement to fake date. Nora needs dating practice and Wes needs pressure off of himself to marry before his next birthday. I loved how Wes was so patient with Nora, he didn't judge her or make fun of her for being so clueless about dating. He helped her by teaching her self defense techniques just in case her stalker got too close. I loved watching Nora grow a backbone and stick up for herself.

I swore off brother's best friend romances last year because I've had such bad experiences with them! But the blurb of this one had me clicking Request on the ARC fast - fake dating, dating lessons, and a Gilded Age-esque estate! I am so glad I did because this was so good! And it was definitely brother's best friend done right!

What also surprised me is that the book got deep into the topic of Nora's people pleasing. It wasn't just a surface level thing, so there were bits which were quite emotional. It wasn't a short book either, so it had the time to properly dig into the reasons for Nora's people pleasing, the impacts of that, and how she and West addressed it together.

When I got to the end and saw that there were 4 planned books in this series, I was so happy for more! I already can't wait for book two later this year!

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.