Yes. I am so ready for this to be a new series. And I am hooked already and absolutely ready for Rafe’s book. This was the perfect first book in a series, with really natural feeling character development.

What to expect:
- billionaire romance
- brother’s best friend
- lessons…
- fake dating
- spicy

Olivia Hayle has my number, folks. She plays tropes beautifully without making them feel over done. The tension between West and Nora was REAL and I loved that their road to love was intertwined with a mystery/thriller storyline. After reading and loving The Faking Game I’m eager to dig into Hayle’s backlist and find more gems!

The Faking Game Review
"To all the people-pleasing girls who grew into women afraid of setting boundaries.
May you find the courage to draw them, and the love that says yes to you anyway."

When this is the dedication 🥺🥺 I swear this dedication healed something deep inside of me.
Brothers best friend AND fake dating?! Those are two of my FAVORITE tropes!!! I LOVED the beginning; it was so fun!! Somewhere in the middle though it started dragging (like honestly still not sure the book needed to be as long as it was), had some weird parts that I didn't really like, and I started to lose my connections with the characters (probably just because they weren't communicating and I was getting annoyed with them lol). The ending was really good though and now I NEED Rafe's book!!! 😍 Marriage of convenience; sign me up!!
Overall a fun read for sure!!
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!
#netgalley #thefakinggame #oliviahayle

This book was amazing! If you love rich boy vibes, summery feels, fake dating, and brothers best friends you need this book!

I found The Faking Game to be a fun, enjoyable read- even though billionaire romances aren't really up my alley.
The plot was interesting an immersive and the characters were all likeable except for the FMC Nora whose personality grated on me throughout the story.
Thankyou to Olivia Hayle and Net galley for an early ARC of this book.

4⭐️I absolutely LOVED Nora and West together. I’m a sucker for a brothers best friend romance book and I think this one was done really well. My only issue is that I feel like the resolution to the stalker subplot was somewhat out of nowhere and maybe a bit unlikely to actually occur. To me, it would have made more sense to have someone stalking Nora due to her own fame instead of this. But I really enjoyed reading this book and I’m looking forward to picking up the rest in the series when they come out!

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Olivia Hayle for the opportunity to read this book!

*review posted on goodreads*

Even though I feel awful DNFing ARCs I just wasn't enjoying myself. I feel like it might be mostly a me problem as I think I've outgrown billionaire romances. However, I do have to point out that the writing felt very stilted and could definifinetly have benefited from a few more rounds of editing.

Unfortunately, I have had to dnf The Faking Game at 44% of the way through. The beginning was so good but as it progressed, it started to become slow and my attention drifted away. The hot and coldness of West towards Nora began to bother me as I got further into the book. I wish this could have been a better review.

Rating: 5⭐️/5

So good from start to finish. West and Nora both come from insanely wealthy families with an old vs new money vibe. All of my favorite tropes in one: enemies to lovers, fake dating and a slowwwww burn 🔥. The chemistry between them is insane and I loved every second of it.

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

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It took a few chapters for me to get into this book, but I ended up really enjoying it.

He is your brother's best friend? Okay, so that's an obstacle.
But he is rich and very willing to protect you? Obstacle has been knocked down at this point, because your brother can have another best friend and go kiss some rocks if he thinks that factor will stop you from being with West. I'm just saying!

This story has suspense, but also romance!! Suspense because the FMC has a stalker and at various occurrences, I leaned into the book curious to know if the stalker would appear right then and how would that direct the story/plot. Romance because of what I literally just said about West, plus what is in the synopsis.

I do know that I stated the brother can have another best friend and go kiss some rocks, but I will admit that I am interested in reading Rafe's story!! Because with the way this story ended, yes I want to know what takes place for him.

DNF
I had to DNF this book sadly, it was not bad at all, there were some mistakes in the writng but besides that it wasn't bad. For me it was just too long for what it was, and it has so much potential so I may come back and read later but as of right now I am choosing to soft dnf this one!

ARC copy - Honestly, I admit that the beginning took a little while to get going, but after getting past a quarter of the way through the book, we're really into it! I'd never read any of this author's books, and it was honestly a great discovery✨

Despite a few slow moments at the end of the novel, I loved the story and the relationship between Nora and West 🥹🥹seriously, West?? Damn that man 🫦🫦

As for the characters themselves, I really liked Nora; she's truly a character you can relate to, and I really liked her development throughout the novel, but I won't say anything... It's up to you to discover.

The plot keeps us on the edge of our seats throughout the story, and despite the stalker story, it's a refreshing, good-vibe read! So go read it!!!

Many thanks to net galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

brothers best friend and fake dating and the two best friends in the world and I love that for me and them. Nora has a stalker and to stay safe, her older brother had her move in with one of his best friend, West 👀 to appease his mother and to draw out her stalker, they fake date. YES PLEASE - bless @victoryeditingngc for this NetGalley one. I’m excited for the brothers other friends’ stories!

This was such a good book! I loved the writing, especially the way the characters were build. There were nice twists and banter and just overall great chemistry. It's very much worth a read!

3,5 */5*

I was excited to start The Faking Game, it's a great concept, just the kind of thing I usually like. It started off cute and I actually liked the story all the way through, the only problem I had was with the main character, Nora.

Nora comes from a wealthy family, very beautiful (obviously...), well-known model girl. Hence, she obviously has a stalker who needs someone, a strong, sexy man to protect her. Her brother's best friend is perfect for the role, and the rest I think everyone can guess.

Overall, I loved it, but Nora pissed me off. She has spent her whole life looking at what is good for others and is totally insecure about herself, which was emphasized a lot, so I felt a bit dragged out and bored in parts of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for gifting me this ARC, its been a great opportunity being able to read this new and upcoming romance story.

I enjoyed this book, it enjoyed the characters and reading how Nora and West evolved throughout this story, I wish we got to see a little bit more passion between them, that saying, it was still a great love story. It just needed that little bit more of "my God, I need him/her now and level up the spice".

The story between them and how Nora grows as a character is beautiful and lovely to read, making it easy to relate to. I would recommend on

I love books that explore women growing in confidence and coming into their own and Nora certainly does that in this book. I really related to Nora and her insecurities. West was her perfect fit because he was completely confident in who he was. I think writing about a woman claiming her sexuality is hard but the author did this is a very realistic way. As Nora develops she does it with anxiety, excitement and determination. It was a beautiful love story between the two of them.

Pre Thoughts
- Fake dating?

Overall
One chapter in and already invested. This is a great Rom-om book with complex characters and a great story line. Immerse full read, with descriptive world building.
Broody MMC that softens over the course of the book. I love that the MMC fostered a good environment for the FMC to learn how to set boundaries in a relationship.

Stars 4.5 rounded to 5
Spice 4

Tropes
- Fake dating
- Slow burn
- Forced proximity
-Learning to set boundaries

I will need to get a physical copy of this, it is a lovely read.

Thanks netgalley, Victory editing and Olivia Hayle for the opportunity to read this e ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own Xxxx

The Faking Game by Olivia Hayle is everything I love in a romance—fake dating, forced proximity, and a protective billionaire hero with a marriage deadline.

The heroine, an aspiring fashion designer with a stalker, is taken in by the hero for her safety, and their arrangement quickly turns into something real. Their chemistry is electric, and the slow-burn romance is perfectly paced. The second half was SPICY!

I especially loved the family dynamics and how naturally the emotional moments unfolded. A perfect mix of heart, heat, and tension. Highly recommend!