I had the opportunity to read an ARC via NetGalley.

It was a little hard for me to get into the story; I felt that it started a little slowly, but once I was in, I definitely wanted to know what was next.

I enjoyed that the typical issues that you tent to expect in this type of stories weren't treated the way they usually are. The problems were there, but they weren't huge things that felt like the MCs wouldn't have the will to solve.

There are several spicy scenes, more than I expected, but at the same time it doesn't feel like the whole story is centered on just that. There's growing for the characters and the sex is kinda important for the growth of the FMC.

I definitely would like to read the next story, especially because of how it's kinda introduced on the epilogue of this book.

I was slightly concerned after the first few pages mentioned Nora's modeling career to a point of annoyance, but this book actually was a surprisingly refreshing view of women's mental health, and how Nora put everyone's needs and happiness ahead of her own.

Obviously the title eludes to a fake relationship between West and his best friend's little sister, for her "protection", but West is keeping a secret from Nora. As their affair heats up, the timeline on their relationship starts ticking, all while trying to solve the mystery of who is stalking Nora.

This book actually sucked me in with romance and mystery, and I rated it 4 stars.

I was gifted an ARC copy of The Faking Game in exchange for an honest review.

When a stalker forces Nora out of her apartment, her brother Rafe insists that she stay with his best friend, West. She has had a crush on him since she was a teenager, but she is aware of a conversation that she heard that he did not feel the same. When West suggests that they fake date to send a message to the stalker, she agrees so long as he helps her to practice ‘real’ dating and to overcome her fears. Soon they are doing far more than practicing, but they both fear Rafe finding out.
An easy read with plenty of spice. Both are likeable characters, and this story sets a steady pace. It leaves with an interesting update on Rafe, which has me now waiting to find out more. This book highlights that each of the four male friends will have a book about them.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was such a slow burn…in the best way!! Besides the romance, there was some mystery thrown in with trying to figure out who is stalking Nora. The characters all evolved as the book went on and Olivia Hayle definitely left the door open for her to tell the other character’s stories. (Please do!!!) Thank you for letting me read it early!

My first and arguably most important feedback is that it felt like both main characters were mature and actually adults. I’m tired of the MMC starting immature and then morphing halfway through and West was fire from the beginning.

I also loved the premise of Nora having a stalker. It made for so many sweet and steamy moments but felt like the resolution was a little rushed.

I felt a kinship to Nora and her people pleasing tendencies. It felt like a real but not over the top struggle.

I love fake dating. Especially the over the top faking moments and love this one!

4.5⭐️

Such a fun forbidden love/fake dating/enemies to lovers romance. The banter and chemistry of the main characters was so good and felt realistic. I love the personal growth journey the MFC went on and how the MMC supported her throughout. Their love story felt organic and not forced at all which I appreciated. Some things were a bit predictable and with the large focus the stalker situation had throughout the book that resolution felt less than which is why I only gave 4.5⭐️. But this was a fun, bingeable read that would be perfect for summer. The book ended with a surprise/cliffhanger/peak into the next story and I cannot wait to read it! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

4.5 ★

"If you give someone the key, they will wreck you. But you already have the key, sweetheart. And you're welcome to wreck me as long as it means you'll stay."

Okay so I have never read an Olivia Hayle book before and I'm just gonna say this now... please do me a favour and add her books to your tbr lists because wow I'm a huge fan!!!

Not only did she deliverrrrrr with the brother's best friend and fake dating tropes(!!!!!) but she also ateeeee with the lessons??!!!

Brother's best friend is probably my ultimate fav trope ever and this book is the perfect example as to why. It was so addicting, and fun, and so so spicy that I could not get enough. Period.

West is just everythingggggg. The way he is with her, how he teaches her to be herself, to stand up to everyone around her, how he's supportive and protective and flirty, how he showers Nora with the praise that deep down she LOVES, and let's not forget how he also teaches her to be oh so naughty. Oh my lord. Yes. Please and thank you.

I absolutely adored the relationship between West and Nora. The chemistry these two have is off the fricken charts. And their banter with each other... oh how I love me some tension-filled banter. So so yummy.

I would truly like to thank Olivia and NetGalley for the arc of this book. I'm so obsessed and now cannot wait for the rest of this series + to read more of her books!!!

• Brother’s Best Friend
• Forced Proximity
• Fake Dating
• Dating Lessons
• Praise Kink
• Billionaire Romance
• Dual POV

Spice level: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

For the most part, I liked the novel and the chemistry between its two leads. Some of the action was steamy as well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
📆 Pub Date May 25 2025
♥️ Fake dating
♥️ Brother’s best friend
♥️ Dating lessons
From the very beginning, Nora's character resonates with me. The people-pleasing girl is ready to start fresh and get some dating lessons from her brother’s best friend. This is definitely a spicy slow burn where he falls first while she is protecting her heart. This was exactly what I needed: an older brother's grumpy, protective best friend with a praise kink. Yes, please!! It's a refreshing palette cleanser, easy to read, and I can't wait for more in the series.

Before I start gushing, thank you Victory Editing for sending me the e-book version of The Faking Game. I was absolutely obsessed and could not put this book down! This was the sweetest and steamiest version of an angelic FMC and a corruptive MMC, I think we all want a West. The praise kink!! I’m so here for it. I really did love everything about this.

First off rom cons aren’t my favorite but the synopsis sounds great. I really did enjoy this story. The characters are great and I loves their growth throughout the book. My only pro is that I think to many tropes were thrown into this ok. Brothers bestfriend, fake-dating and billionaire romance with a stalker side-plot. It was overwhelming at times. I think some could have be removed and the book would have flowed naturally. This book was both romantic and suspenseful. And I would recommend it

✧ 𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌 💍

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑔𝒶𝓂𝑒 is OUT NOW!

"You should look at the paperwork. Men will say anything, do anything to get the privilege of being inside you." - West Calloway.
"Except you." - Nora Montclair
"Especially me." - West

Hello, my sweet, awful creatures! 🦇

EEEKKK! I'm beyond excited to present you with West and Nora's story!! My new favorite enemies-to-lovers couple.

West has two weaknesses in his life: one is Fairhaven, and the other is Nora, the stunning model and his best friend's sister. Unfortunately, both of these weaknesses are causing him trouble at the same time. If he doesn’t get married in three months, he will lose Fairhaven, and due to the danger she’s in, Nora must live with him there until they can find the stalker who is after her. West knows that his best friend's sister is off-limits—she's always been off-limits—but how can he resist her when she clearly asks for his help in practicing dating?

Wow! I have never read a romance with such relatable content before. Nora’s struggle with saying no and setting boundaries mirrored my own thoughts and worries as I read through her character. Every woman in the world has probably gone through something similar at least once, and I love that we finally have a character who embodies this experience. Nora is every woman. Nora is us.

The fact that West never thought of himself, even while burning with jealousy, made this story so much better! Throughout the whole fake dating situation, he ensured that she was the one gaining the most from it. He taught her how to argue, respect herself, stand up for herself, and feel safe when it comes to sex. Even when Nora wanted nothing more than to make him feel good in return, he only accepted her efforts so she could practice on him! There wasn’t a single selfish bone in his body. West Calloway deserves the Best Book Boyfriend award—sorry, not sorry!

The romance and smut factor were delightful from start to finish. For me, that’s a low possibility since I might encounter scenes or plots I’m not comfortable with whenever I read a smutty book, but West’s protective nature toward Nora made it safe for me! The romance was sweet and bubbly, with some grumpy moments here and there. The smut was consensual, free of triggers, and filled with a teacher/student dynamic that made me giggle and kick my feet. Way to write a steamy romance for softies like me! (I could have had a bit more of the spanking.)

Thank you for the ARC copy and the opportunity to review this! I loved it and can’t wait for Rafe’s book, which is right up my alley.

Until next time

Mira 💗

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The Faking Game is a delightfully engaging page turner of a slow burn! I loved being a part of their world throughout the read. I found myself missing the two main characters if I stepped away from the book for a moment, and certainly when the read was over. This is a list topper for anyone in a reading slump, as well as a shelf trophy I would like to own. I will buy the physical copy, as I do want the ability to pick it up and read it any time I like. The story is a hit! It made me smile numerous times, and I highly recommend the read.

The perfect amount of eye brow raising, and butterfly evoking spice!

One of my favorite reads on NetGalley this Spring!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I read a lot of rom coms but this one falls flat for me. It’s not terrible, but it wasn’t my favorite. It almost packs too many tropes. We could have eliminated the stalker portion, though the ending shows it will lend itself to future books. Making Nora virginal and inexperienced as a runway model with filthy rich friends and family made her unrelatable to me. She and West could have fallen in love without that whole facet of their relationship, which ended up feeling forced to me. The friendship between West, Rafe, Alex, and James was the most interesting part of this.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This book had some of my favorite tropes and it did not disappoint. Fake dating and billionaire?! Sign me up. The first quarter of the book was a little slow for me but after that I binged it. West is such a likable character and the care he puts towards Nora was swoon worthy! Seeing Nora find herself and regain control of her life made it easy to root for her as a character. The conflicts at the end were necessary but mild and the epilogue sets this series up for more wonderful chaos. I can’t wait to keep reading!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7589022885

This book was such a fun and heartwarming read—I couldn’t stop smiling (and maybe even giggling) the whole way through! Nora and West totally stole my heart. Their chemistry? So good. But it was the emotional connection between them that really got me.

West had me swooning with the way he respected Nora’s boundaries and slowly started realizing his feelings. And the way he drops everything the second his guys mention her? Not just because her brother asked—he feels it. That mix of protectiveness and real emotion? Chef’s kiss.

Loved the perfect mix of humor, heart, and that delicious slow-burn tension. Definitely a must add to TBR!

Thank you @oliviahayle & @netgalley for the ARC opportunity in exchange for my honest review, it was a wonderful read 📚💖

Thanks to NetGalley and Olivia Hayle for an Advanced Reading Copy of The Faking Game.
The Faking Game released on May 25, 2025 for sale and on Kindle Unlimited.

The Faking Game is a guilty pleasure. Forced proximity and brother’s best friends are two tropes that come together for a steamy ride. Nora is a socialite that wants to be a designer instead of a model. Her biggest problem though, is that she has a stalker. She lived in France, and decided to move to NYC to get some distance from her stalker. Her brother Rafe’s childhood best friend, West, is a billionaire with his hands in many different businesses. He promises Rafe that he will help watch out for Nora while she is in NYC.

The stalker quickly shows that he is still watching Nora, and West decides that he and Nora need to pretend to be in a relationship. He has Nora move to his family’s estate, Fairhaven. He doesn’t tell Nora his own problems. If West does not marry before his 30th birthday (in 5 months) he will lose Fairhaven to his married cousin due to a 100 year old clause in the family trust. Nora and West start attending events together, and Nora slips up that she has very little experience relationship wise. Her and West take their friendship to another level of lessons, which shows their very real affection to each other. West is afraid of her brother’s reaction, and has made it clear to Nora that he will never get married. When Nora finally finds out about the marriage claus, and they find out who the stalker is, West and Nora have to decide if what they have is enough to last, for real.

The Faking Game has spice and a plot centered on a billionaire’s world. This is the first book in the series, and I can’t wait to read the next billionaire guilty pleasure!

West Mutherfxckin’ Calloway. Yes please.
He has made his way into my top book boyfriends.
The way that he loves, protects, and 🥵 praises Nora is absolute top notch. A man who loves his woman out loud, but also quietly is always a 10/10 in my book and that is West to a T.
Nora is also a relatable queen. From her chronic people pleasing to her sarcasm.

These two were so well written. The character arcs for both of them were amazing. Their relationship evolution was beautiful. It wasn’t too fast paced but it also wasn’t too slow either. It felt perfect for the characters and their situations.

The ending of the stalker plot felt a little meh to me, but it seems to have set up for a second book in the series so I can see why it was him.

I loved the banter between West and Nora, but also between the guys and in their group chat.

This was my first Olivia Hayle book but it will most certainly not be my last!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book had me hooked from the beginning, it does not miss a beat.
Nora is a model from a well off and well known family. She is also a people pleaser who is inexperienced with love and wants to find a relationship.
West is her brother’s best friend and becomes her head of security after someone continues to stalk and scare her.
She pretends to be his girlfriend in exchange he teachers her how to date. What could go wrong?

I loved Nora and West’s chemistry, their characters felt believable.
I can’t wait for the next book about Rafe to come out!!

Enemies to lovers
Bodyguard
Brother’s best friend
Dual POV

Thanks so much to NetGalley for this ARC!

Brothers bestfriend, fake-dating and billionaire romance with a stalker side-plot. This book was both romantic and suspenseful. I loved the growth of both the main characters, and how real their flaws felt.
The only reason this isn't a five-star read is because some of the scenes felt a little bit cringey at times.