thank you simon & schuster for the e-ARC!
this was surprisingly very entertaining!! i enjoyed the dual pov, fake dating, & childhood friends to lovers tropes. the banter between these two made me blush, i love how obsessed he is with her lol
also, the gummy bears in the locker was adorable!

⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡❄️First and foremost, I want to thank NetGalley and the author for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review❄️ ⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 5 stars
Dual First Person POV
Spice Level 🌶️ - 0.5/5
⤷ there are some descriptive make out scenes, a few sexual based comments, and comments of background characters hooking up.
I'd give this an age rating of - 15+
⤷ frequent use of the word F**k and various other cuss words, mainly from Alec's POV. There is partying that involves drinking and recreational marijuana. Some violence, but not in heavy detail.

⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡❄️ My Thoughts ❄️ ⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡
When I tell you, I practically sprang off the couch when I saw this ARC sitting in my email box would be an understatement. This is by far my absolute favorite Lynn Painter book I have read so far. Reading this made me want to kick my feet repeatedly, but I restrained myself to prevent accidentally booting my husband in the butt if he was near me. I am HOPING like crazy that Lynn writes a follow-up story of Dani and Alec. Their story was absolutely amazing. I NEED it in my life.

⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡❄️ The Plot❄️ ⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡
I have been trying like crazy to get into sports romance books, and this one was done so nicely, and so tastefully. It makes me want to see if I can find something else along these lines. Lynn Painter did an amazing job delivering the story. The chemistry was fire🔥🔥🔥. The banter was fire🔥🔥🔥. This follows the difficulties of what it's like from a standpoint of a child that has been moving around her entire life due to being part of a military family. Social anxiety is such a real thing, and it was shown perfectly in this novel. I felt like I was in Dani's shoes in so many situations because I suffer from social anxiety myself! There were moments where I wanted to throat punch Dani's dad, but I'll leave that for you all to discover.

⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡❄️ The Characters❄️ ⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡
⤷ Dani: Seeing Dani develop over the course of the story was such a wonderful thing to see. It was like watching a closed flower blossom when she finally became comfortable in her surroundings. Despite herself doubt, seeing her anxiety, and reading her thoughts hit home in so many ways. It really made me feel for her, and I wished I could give the girl a dang hug! Because I am the same on so so many levels.
⤷ Alec: There were moments I wanted to shake this boy so many times just to get him to realize he needed to open up sooner. With the small bit of miscommunication and beating around the bush till the last few chapters, before closure happened really tore at my heart. Seeing him be there for his old friend, and old crush, made me want to cheer. Some of the things he thought and said to Dani were swoon worthy and had me grinning at my dang Kindle like an idiot.

⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡❄️ Conclusion❄️ ⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡
If you have enjoyed any of Lynn Painters other books I can't recommend this one ENOUGH. BUY it when you're able! Read it! It's such an amazing read. The second this book hits the shelves it will find it's way onto my bookshelf. Because I may or may not have already pre-ordered this one.

A 5 star read again from Lynn Painter. The history between the 2 main characters made the banter, conversations, and moments together more meaningful and Lynn really conveyed that. I loved the setting of the book and the atmosphere surrounding around hockey. Overall it was amazing!

Listen listen listen. I love Lynn Painter, I really and truly do. This book, while a well written and perfectly good book, just seemed to fall flat for me. I couldn't really get into it until 30% and personally hate when an entire book is based off a miscomunnication trope. What I will say is that I appreciate a YA book actually portraying teenagers who act like teenagers!

Overall good, just not for me

Love Lynn painter's books. This is a cute high school sports romance. Glad to see hockey romance is making its way to YA

I absolutely love Lynn Painter’s YA books! She really knows how to write banter and chemistry. I honestly couldn’t put this book down. My only hesitation with recommending this for a teen/YA audience is the language. There were so, so many F-words, which is a definite increase from her previous YA books.

Thanks to NetGalley I received an advanced electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

This was a really fun and endearing read! A page turner right from the start with plenty of YA teen angst, miscommunications (that didn’t feel annoying), fun friend group dynamics, and adorable yearning. The backdrop of the Minnesota winter along with high school hockey was an added bonus for the feeling of home and belonging growth for Dani (and ultimately her mom).

Lynn Painter is a genius when it comes to YA rom coms - she has perfected the nostalgia of young love and everything fun (and heartbreaking) that goes along with it. I loved this book!

5
This book was SO CUTE I couldn't stop
smiling while reading it!!
Dani and Alec were literal childhood besties, and watching them reconnect-with all the fake dating, small town hockey chaos, and boy-next-door swoon?? I was obsessed. The tension, the nostalgia, the slow burn... it all hit so perfectly.
Alec was sweet but had just enough edge to make you fall hard, and Dani was so relatable. It's the kind of book that feels like a warm hug and makes you believe in love again 82
This was my first Lynn Painter book and definitely not my last!!
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the advanced copy! Fake Skating out Sept 30!!!!

I truly loved this book! the main characters were really just so true- and i love a good fake dating trope that is made unique by the factors around it. i loved that they were already childhood bestfriends, that they both were in love with eachother before the miscommunication happened. I cannot WAIT for people to be able to read this! Ran to read Better than the Movies immediately after ; I couldn’t get enough of Lynn Painter!

Lynn painter has done it again as the queen of fake dating tropes!! The chemistry between Alec and Dani is there from the beginning and the yearning is so sweet. Shes nailed them as childhood friends to enemies to lovers and I love the references of the dive bars, hockey culture and suburban towns here in Minnesota. There is something about Lynn’s YA romance books that just makes you unable to put it down. Take notes because this is how you write a hockey romance. Thank you Simon & Schuster for the early copy on NetGalley!

this was adorable!! Childhood friends to lovers will forever be one of my fav tropes! Overall, this was such a cutie YA romcom. I love how Lynn always has the ability to take me back to my teen years through her writing. My only con is the male characters inner dialogue sometimes felt a bit weird and cringey lol! But I guess we were all cringey teens at one point! Def still recommend :)

If you’re into sports and heartwarming, YA second chance romances, look no further than Fake Skating from none other than the iconic Lynn Painter!

Growing up, Dani’s family moved around alot as the daughter of a military dad. The one constant was her summers in Minnesota with her grandparents and her best friend, Alec. However, after a spat between Dani’s dad and her grandfather leaves them estranged, Dani doesn’t return to Minnesota until her parents’ divorce during her senior year of high school. Despite a falling out, Dani reconnects with her old friend Alec, who is the school’s rising hockey star when she has to find an extracurricular - or risk her not getting into her dream school. After a grave mishap in the locker room, they concoct a scheme to fake date to save face. However, as they spend more time together, they start to realize that it may be more than just fake feelings on the line.

I enjoyed the fun hockey romance. I really loved the banter between Dani and Alec - it was witty, realistic, and absolutely delightful. And Grandpa Busche was easily my favorite character - not gonna lie, I wanted way more of him throughout. All the music references were not my favorite throughout, since they kept pulling me out of the story (for little reason). Also , Dani’s dad was the worst and they resolved his character arc way too quickly for my liking. Overall, while not my favorite YA Lynn Painter novel (that’s reserved for The Do-Over), this was a super cute and fun one - well worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the ARC!

I am a huge fan of Lynn Painters writing, and this book did not disappoint!

This had all of the best YA rom-com feels, but also has a lot of depth. Both of the main characters were so likable and relatable (not to mention adorable together)! The FMC deals with family drama - difficulty connecting with a parent and reconnecting with a grandparent- and because her dad was in the military she moved around a lot so this made friendships hard, after some run ins with mean kids she develops some social anxiety and suffers from panic attacks. Lynn did an amazing job writing this sensitive issues In a way that was relatable, even showing how the FMC could breathe through them.

Our MMC has his own set of issues. He carry’s the weight of trying to be perfect in hockey, even if that means hiding things from his family and team.

These two reconnect and end up agreeing to fake date to help each other. They are adorable and the most perfect couple. Bringing out the best In each other.

I loved the way this one ended!

I definitely recommend!

Thank you Simon teen, netgalley, and Lynn Painter for this ARC!

I have never ever been more excited about an arc before , this was incredible ! -1 star for the amount of like very very recent song and current events mentioned but that’s just personal preference .

The story itself was so addicting, fake dating is the cutest trope and these two did it perfectly . The hospital scene was so cute my mouth hurts from smiling .

I loved the spot , I loved the postcard , I loved dani and alec and their nicknames and this book. now please don’t make a sequel where they break up okay?

This was a cute, easy read! The story centered on a hockey romance with childhood best friends turned lovers through fake dating. This was my first book I've read from Lynn Painter, and her writing style was hilarious and very much puts you in the mind of each character. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

What a totally delightful YA hockey romance! I loved reading Dani and Alec's journey from friends to enemies to lovers—the small town hockey vibes were pitch perfect and the romance was sparkling. I ate it up!

Fake Skating was everything I hoped it would be -- funny, heartfelt and full of that Lynn Painter magic. I flew through it in a day and found myself grinning like an idiot more times than I care to admit.

Dani and Alec have so much chemistry, even when they’re pretending not to like each other. Their childhood-besties-to-fake-dating-to-maybe-something-real journey was the perfect mix of angst, humor and sweetness. The banter? Top tier. The fake dating setup? Chef’s kiss. And underneath all the swoony moments is a surprisingly emotional core -- divorced parents, growing up, changing friendships and all the messy stuff that makes the story feel so real.

Also, Alec is the kind of love interest that makes you want to throw the book across the room and hug it at the same time. He’s thoughtful, complicated and just the right amount of broody. And Dani is hilarious, self-aware and totally lovable from page one.

If you’re a fan of second chances, forced proximity or fake dating done right, this book is for you. Lynn Painter has once again delivered a rom-com that’s both laugh-out-loud funny and sneakily emotional. I’m obsessed. Thank you to Lynn Painter, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ARC!

Amazing, show stopping, beautiful. So fun, sweet, and emotional. Love the mental health representation and the importance of family and friends

I love hockey and I love Lynn Painter books so I was so excited for this! Better than the Movies is one of my favorite books of all time so I was excited to see Lynn Painter come out with another YA fake dating book.

Dani and Alec were childhood best friends but eventually lost touch when Dani moved away. Now Dani is back in their MN town and is shocked to find out that her silly, nerdy best friend is now the star of the hockey team, the most popular boy in school and known as "Zeus" to everyone now. The two don't reconnect right away - in fact, Dani kind of hates who Alec has become. But when a photo of Alec with a bong gets leaked, Dani, who is ivy bound, agrees to fake date Alec to improve his imagine. Alec is a star player but keeps landing in trouble, making him a liability for the NHL scouts with their eyes on him. There is no one better to help him clean up his image than Dani, who has also become the hockey teams co manager to help spruce up her extra curricular.

Fake Skating
Lynn Painter has done it again! Her books transport me back to high school and the good ole days and new loves . Dani returns home to Minnesota where her old best boy friend is now a hockey God , aka Zeus. She was been a nomad and never had a place to call home since her father is a Colonel . Zeus gets a bad rap and needs Dani’s pristine image to help his tarnished one back on track and asks her to fake date. Will they pick up where they left off years before ??? Read and find out
Such a page turner. Couldn’t put it down !

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC
#fakeskating
#netgalley