・:〃➜ 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ❄️༄.°
₊°｡❆ 𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖭𝖾𝗍𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖠𝖱𝖢 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐!

🧊⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝑭𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑺𝒌𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 ⋆🤍₊˚ෆ
⋆⁺₊❅。 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚: 14+ (𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙤, 𝙛𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜), 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜: 14+ (𝙛*𝙘𝙠, 𝙨𝙝*𝙩, 𝙖*𝙨 𝘼𝙇𝙈𝙊𝙎𝙏 𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙔 𝙋𝘼𝙂𝙀. 𝙀𝙎𝙋𝙀𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔 𝙈𝘼𝙇𝙀 𝙋𝙊𝙑.) 𓂃 ࣪˖☃️⭑.ᐟ

*̩̩͙‧͙•̩̩͙┈┈・｡˚₊ ❆ ｡˚₊・┈┈‧͙ •̩̩͙‧͙*̩̩͙

╰ now playing: 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 🥶 ⸝⸝.ᐟ⋆
˚.🩵* 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙧
⦊ 0:42 ——◦———— 2:25 ⦉
↠ⁿᵉˣᵗ ˢᵒⁿᵍ ↺ ʳᵉᵖᵉᵃᵗ ⊜ ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ 💙
꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

›  ֺ۪ ❄️ "𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙜𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨" ! ݁ ݂ ͡ ☆

⛸️⋆⁺❅. I am NOT going to lie. The moment I saw this I actually SCREAMED. I was hopping around giggling "NEW LYNN PAINTER BOOK!!! NEW BOOK MAN!! NEW DRAMA!!!" and running around my bedroom for a solid 5 minutes. Because I ABSOULTELY DEVOUR anything written by Lynn so when I saw she was writing a freaking HOCKEY ROMANCE?? WITH WINTER VIBES??? Yeah I was SOLD SOLD SOLD. Mrs. Lynn you can TAKE MY MONEY. So now that I actually was able to read the ARC for this book (Unlike you losers who are stuck not reading ittttt/ jkjk) I WAS HYPED UPP!! I binged this in three days and probably could have binged it in one if I wasn't busy. But I will admit after reading this one once I had read all of her YA books, I will say I def had conflicted feelings on this.

›  ֺ۪ ❄️ "𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙙? (𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙝)" ! ݁ ݂ ͡ ☆

⛸️⋆⁺❅. STARTING OFF HEADSTRONG!!! I actually REALLY loved the representation and the plot of this book SO, SO, SO much. We have girl lead who suffers from anxiety attacks and is ALWAYS OVERTHINKING, which I found SO refreshing to read. I felt like I could relate to her in some ways and it just felt really good reading about a girl who struggles with things every teenager could relate too. We also get the representation with the main girl's parents being recently divorced which had caused her to move across the country to live with her grandfather. I LOVED that we got to see her side and how kids or teens or anyone in general for that matter struggles with having their parents divorced. It was really refreshing and fun to have read about a character with some many key points that made her relatable to some. NOW MOVING ON FROM THAT, THE PLOT OF THIS BOOK WAS ACTUALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD!! I actually ate up the Minnesota aesthetics and the whole fake dating shenanigans. It was classic, iconic, yet I STILL DEVOURED IT. We also cannot forget that this is CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO LOVERSSS which actually made it EVEN better. And even though it was childhood friends to lovers I really felt like it was more childhood friends to enemies to loversishh because I SORTA got those vibes at times. THERE WAS ALSO THE MISCOMMUNICATION. AND OH LORD, I actually really hated this but loved it at the same time. I just think it was such a stupid thing to be miscommunicated about though, hence why the rating is a teeny bit lower. Because I FELT LIKE IT COULD HAVE SOOOO EASILY BEEN RESOLVED. But that is for my hating segment of this review.

›  ֺ۪ ❄️ "𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙" ! ݁ ݂ ͡ ☆

⛸️⋆⁺❅. NOW. as MUCH as I ate the plot, the characters, the overall idea. I HAVE SOME COMPLAINTS FOLKS I HAVE SOME COMPLAINTS. Starting off where I left off the whole MISCOMMUNICATION ORDEAL. I feel like this was NOT resolved exactly clearly when we are getting into the romance part because our main guy Alec started liking Dani even though the issue was NOT resolved and even though he said he was STILL mad at her. Now I get the guy loves the girl still, and this happened when they were fake dating. But the issue I have at hand is when they actually confessed to eachother THE PAST ORDEAL WAS NOT RESOLVED. And while it does get fixed in the end, I found it quite annoying that he would be constantly in love with her yet still complain about the drama they had in the past. I feel like it would have been better to have resolved their issue while they were still fake dating before moving on to the real thing because it just PISSED ME OFFF. NOW ANOTHER THING, and I know I am going to sound SUPER petty when I say this but I DID NOT LIKE THE PET NAMES ALEC WAS USING. Hear me out, hear me the FREAK OUT. He was calling her "Baby" and "Honey" *mentally dies and not in a good way* I DID NOT LIKE THESE PET NAMES AT ALL. First and foremost, "Baby" sounds like a freaking playboy and I know people say it all the time but ME PERSONALLY I DIDNT LIKE THAT NAME. AND SECOND "Honey" SOUNDS LIKE A DAD TALKING TO HIS DAUGHTER AND I HATED IT SO BADLY TOO. Like there was so many other ones they could have used for them these ones were just like, not it I am sorry. (No hate if you like these ones though) BUT I JUST HAD TO MENTION THAT! Oh yeah and another thing I must add is the amount of cussing (Which is not surprising in Lynn books) BUT STILL.

MAAM.
PLEASE.
CHILL.

I do not need a cuss every sentence THANK YOUUU. <3333

›  ֺ۪ ❄️ "𝙄'𝙢 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙩?" ! ݁ ݂ ͡ ☆

── .✦ 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 ⋆⁺₊❅. 💋
🏒₊˚⊹ 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢: I HONESTLY LOVED HER SO MUCH. I think she might be the best main character girlie Lynn has written because I honestly couldn't find a single flaw about her. She was really sweet, and funny, and I related to her sm. Love my girl Dani <3
🏒₊˚⊹ 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐜: UGHHH now I LOVED HIM ACTUALLY. I think I might love him more than Wes but not more than Charlie. He was SO funny at times and like honestly, SUCH A BAD BOY WHICH I DEVOURED. He was a touch her and you die kind of guy and OH BOY I do not mean that metaphorically. This guy would KILL for his girl. I did find him kind of like a playboy at times but hey that's ok, its all apart of the bad bot vibe. SUCHHHH a cutie tho.
🏒₊˚⊹ 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐤: HONESTLY THIS GUY WAS A DIVAAAAA!! I actually laughed so hard at his parts. He is just so savage and cool, and like he was just misunderstood guyssss. I loved him so much I need a grampa like him ugh.
🏒₊˚⊹ 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐞: AHHHH THE TYPICAL BESTIE GIRLBOSSS! A Lynn painter book is NOT complete without at least one of these girlies supporting our main lead!! She was really sweet I loved her.
🏒₊˚⊹ 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢: OKAY IM GONNA BE SO FOR REAL RIGHT NOW, I ACTUALLY FELT BAD FOR HIM IN THE BEGINNING. I was like oh poor guy, BUT AT THE ENDING GODDD I HATED HIM. I hope he dies.

🧊 And like always, there is SO MANY MORE CHARACTERS in this book. (But that is for you to find out babes.)

⛸️⋆⁺❅. 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍:
I actually found this book to be both bitter AND sweet, and honestly? I would probably read it again. This is such a cozy roadtrip kind of book you would take with you or just read it along with a cup of tea. I loved the plot and the characters so so much. And if you were a fan of Lynn and want a new man to obsess over, I DEF recommend to try it out and see how you like it <3


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❄️⛸️ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: GUYSSS I GOT THE FREAKING ARC!!!! OMG OMG OMG IM SCREAMINGG!! THANK YOU LYNN!! ☃️ BR WITH MY POOKIE <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/178991896">Violet</a> AHHH IM SO EXCITED

ok guys bye im gonna go cry bc this cover has my soul😫🙈🙈🙈

I really enjoyed this one! I'm normally not a miscommunication/childhood friends to lovers trope gal, but with the addition of a messy parental involvement and enemies to lovers, the whole plot worked for me. I love a hockey romance, and Alec's transformation from dork to hockey god with all the cockiness that comes with the reputation? I ate it up. The tension was so well done, it even surprised me for a young adult novel. There were some moments of anticipation that were so great that I forgot they were in high school. I loved them together, I loved the found families, I loved the conflict.

I will read anything Lynn painter writes, YA or otherwise. Nothing like the movies is one of my favorite books. I thought this was a great, quick read. I loved the two main characters - Alec and Dani. They had great chemistry and I thought their banter was great. I would have loved more flashbacks of their childhood backstory, but I still enjoyed it without.

Thank you so much to the publisher for allowing me to read this early! Lynn is one of my favorite authors and like all her work, her banter is unmatched within her stories! I had a fun time reading this. My only dislike was the miscommunication trope used here. Sometimes it can make a story feel like it’s dragging. However, the characters were great and I still enjoyed the world this took place in. Can’t wait for publishing day to grab my copy!

This book was SO good! I couldn’t put it down and was kicking my feet and giggling so much. I love her books!!

Ohhhh I LOVED this book!

Childhood friends to lovers is my favorite micro trope and Lynn wrote it so well. I loved every character. No outside drama between the main characters, they worked together and stayed strong even with everything trying to pull them apart. Absolutely loved the fake dating to save their reputations. Thank you for the military kid insight, as a retired army spouse this was so emotional and added so much to my experience.

Will reccomend this to everyone!

Lynn Painter is a must-read author in my book. I enjoyed this new YA title and found it to be refreshing and fun. It moves fast, and I liked that. You get a feel for the characters right away, and I became invested in their outcomes. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC for an honest review!

I absolutely love Lynn Painter and everything she writes. It has that YA feeling, where it is easy and fun to read, a perfect way to start the summer readings.

I enjoyed getting to know Alec and Dani, in so many tropes I love:
Best friends to lovers
Shy FMC with popular MMC
FAKE DATINGGGG

but also the one trope I hate… miscommunication. Even though it is a trope I hate, it was a book a could not put down!

If you think, “oh I hate the communication trope, idk if I want to read this”. I would say give it a try as it could go 50/50. Lynn does it very well that we are able to enjoy the tropes that I love. I think at the end of the day, it is a YA book and the conflicts of going to be more silly but still a very enjoyable book!!

I’ve never read a Lynn Painter book that I didn’t absolutely adore and this book is no exception! I literally finished it in less than a day because I couldn’t put it down!

I love Dani and Alec so so so much and their story was so captivating! The fake dating trope has always been one of my favorites and the fact that they have such a history made it even better! I loved seeing their growth not only as a couple but as individuals and it made the book even harder to put down😭 Overall, I just loved this book so much and I absolutely recommend it to all my romance book lovers out there!!

Thank you so much netgalley for the arc!!

This may be Lynn’s best book yet! She was able to combine two well-loved tropes, fake dating and second chance, in such a seamless and engaging way. The story between these two characters is so sweet and heartwarming that I couldn’t put the book down. I do feel like there were a few loose ends regarding their miscommunication about their history. However, I feel like that also allows the reader to see how strong their connection is in the present and that it is not just because they loved each other in the past but because they are so compatible with who they both are now that they haven fallen in love with each other all over again. To me, this was Lynn’s most insightful & romantic book yet. I will definitely be rereading and recommending this to everyone!

Another great YA romance from Lynn Painter that takes place in a small hockey obsessed Minnesota town where Alec and Dani, two childhood best friends, are reunited and who find themselves fake dating to help save Alec's hockey reputation. There was lots going on in this book, I liked how well written and relatable Dani's anxiety and panic attacks were and the relationship between Alec and Dani was so swoony. Hockey fans won't want to miss this one. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Yes, I finally found it—my favorite YA romance of the year! Lynn Painter has officially outdone herself. While I’ve long been a fan of her sparkling adult romcoms, this YA novel captures something even more special: the magical mixture of first love, heartbreak, family chaos, personal growth, and the second chances that make your heart flutter in the very best way. This isn’t just a love story—it’s a celebration of resilience, reconnection, and finding your voice when the world keeps trying to silence it.

The story centers around Dani and Alec, childhood best friends and first loves who grew up side by side as neighbors. They shared their first kiss, secret jokes, and late-night dreams—until Dani’s father, a strict and often emotionally distant colonel, uprooted the family time and again, moving them from country to country. Despite their promises to stay in touch with coded postcards, life intervened. Miscommunications, pain, and unspoken assumptions led to silence, and the once-inseparable pair drifted apart, each secretly blaming the other for ghosting.

Now, after her parents’ divorce, Dani returns to her grandfather’s home in small-town Minnesota—back to where it all began. Grandpa Mike is a local legend and former hockey star with a sharp tongue and an unexpectedly warm heart. Their relationship is rocky at first, but watching it slowly mend is one of the most touching parts of the novel. Mike adds so much humor, wisdom, and unforgettable one-liners to the story, and honestly? He steals every scene he’s in. (The hospital scene had me laughing out loud. He deserves his own book!)

But things get complicated when Dani crosses paths with Alec again. He's no longer the boy she remembers—he’s the school's charismatic, devilishly handsome hockey star with a legion of admirers and a carefully constructed image. Dani is still furious at being ghosted; Alec is quietly hurt and harboring his own regrets. Their reunion is tense, charged, and irresistible to watch unfold.

When a chaotic moment leads them to a spontaneous fake-dating arrangement—meant to help Alec clean up his public image and Dani boost her extracurricular résumé for Harvard—things begin to shift. Pretending to care quickly turns into something dangerously real, forcing them both to confront the unresolved feelings, wounds, and dreams they’ve been hiding. But with college, distance, and old fears still looming, can they risk falling again—knowing how much it hurt the first time?

Painter absolutely nails the dynamic between Dani and Alec. Their banter sparkles with wit, their chemistry leaps off the page, and their emotional growth is deeply satisfying. I adored Dani's fierce intelligence, vulnerability, and sarcasm, and Alec’s layers—beneath the charm is a guy who’s trying to keep everything together while dealing with pain of his own.

And let’s not forget the fantastic supporting cast. Dani’s journey of making new friends, standing up for herself, and finding her place in a new school environment is handled with so much heart. The small-town hockey backdrop adds such a cozy yet dynamic vibe, reminiscent of Friday Night Lights with a YA romcom twist. Honestly, it felt like Fredrik Backman’s Beartown collided with a feel-good Netflix teen movie, in the best possible way.

This book has everything I love in a YA romance: emotional depth, hilarious moments, slow-burning chemistry, heartwarming family themes, and characters you genuinely root for. I didn’t want it to end—and yet I couldn’t stop reading. You know that rare feeling when a book makes you laugh, swoon, tear up, and want to hug the characters all at once? That’s this book. It’s extra adorable, extra emotional, and extra unforgettable.

Final verdict: A five-gazillion-star knockout! This book is a total gem—heartfelt, charming, and one of Lynn Painter’s best works to date. I wholeheartedly recommend it to readers of all ages looking for a romcom with depth, laughter, and heart.

A huge, heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for sharing this amazing YA romcom digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts. I loved every moment of it and didn’t want to say goodbye to these wonderful characters.

This might be my favorite YA Lynn Painter book! Fake dating, friends to lovers and a hockey romance..I’m not sure if I could have asked for more. I loved seeing Alec and Dani’s relationship grow and develop, I don’t always like the miscommunication aspect but I think it was done well. I hope Lynn writes more sports romances in the future. Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC!

HOLY MOLY this book was amazing! No notes. The story was incredible, The characters were incredible. ALEC BARCZEWSKI!!!! This is definitely in my top 3 for Lynn Painter books. The story felt relatable with Dani's family problems and the weight on Alec's shoulders that he has to hold so no one is disappointed in him. Truly this was such a good book and I am so happy I got an arc! This was such a quick read and I never wanted it to end! If there was 300 more pages of this, I would DEVOUR it. Please write more sports YA books, you never disappoint!

I have read almost all of Lynn Painter's books and over time I have noticed that her YA books are significantly better than her ones marketed towards adults. Fake Skating, a YA hockey romance caught my eye for a couple of reasons. Number one; it's a hockey romance, and number two its young adult. I feel like whenever a book has to do with hockey it's almost always adult, so this was a pleasant surprise. I was super excited to read this book and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
Fake Skating by Lynn Painter is about Dani and Alec. The two were childhood bestfriends, inseparable. However that soon changes when Dani moves away. The kids had a pack to always keep in touch, but when the letters stop coming both Dani and Alec feel betrayed. Years pass and Dani moves back to town, only to meet a teenage Alec, who is nothing like she remembers. The two get to talking and one thing leads to another and Dani and Alec find themselves fake dating.
This book is one of my favorite Lynn Painter books. Lynn creates the perfect blend of romance and real life as a high schooler. This book is for fans of tropes like boy-next-door and fake dating. I highly recommend putting this book on your tbr.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

3 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I’m a huge fan of Lynn Painter so I was excited to get this one! It wasn’t my fav by her tho but also still super cute. It’s YA which is fine since that’s what I expect from Lynn but these characters just didn’t do it much for me. The fake dating trope I love so that was a plus. I did enjoy the ending a lot. So am I gonna recommend this book? Yes. Am I gonna buy the physical copy as a trophy? Also yes! 😉

I really enjoyed this book! I love the fake-dating troupe and this was done super well! I love that they were childhood friends turned strangers that had to learn the new versions of each other. I also really liked how the book also covered Dani’s sense of belonging and her relationships with her family. Most of the time, I struggle with miscommunication as a conflict but this was done well. The end felt a little rushed to me but overall I really liked it! Lynn Painter never disappoints!

I went into Fake Skating totally blind other than knowing it was written by Lynn Painter, and honestly, that's all I needed. No one writes yearning rom-com quite like her, and this book was no exception. It had me smiling, swooning, and feeling absolutely giddy from start to finish.

The story follows Dani, as she moves back to her mother's hometown in the middle of the spring semester of her senior year. While trying to fly under the radar and graduate, she gets swept up in a fake dating scheme with Alec, a popular high school hockey player and her childhood best friend. As their pretend relationship starts to blur into something real, the tension and chemistry between them build in all the best ways. I loved this fun take on a high school hockey romance!

I'm a total sucker for fake dating, and Lynn, if you're reading this, please never stop including it in your books! Fake Skating was everything I wanted from a YA rom-com and more. Sweet, funny, and full of heart.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC!

Fake Skating was such a heartfelt and authentic read. The teen characters felt so real, with emotions and reactions that made me genuinely care about them. Dani’s struggles with panic attacks and adjusting to life after her parents’ divorce were handled with care and realism, never overdone or brushed aside. I appreciated how these serious topics were woven into the story naturally, helping me connect with her on a deeper level.

The setting really came to life with vivid descriptions of small-town Minnesota and the ice rink atmosphere. The relationships, especially between Dani and Alec, had a slow, believable build that made the story even more enjoyable. I didn’t want it to end.

As a long time Lynn Painter fan I have to admit this is my new all time favorite YA romcom by her. Like I didn’t think anything would top Better Than the Movies but Dani & Alec’s story did it.

Fake Skating is former friends to lovers fake dating hockey romance. Literally all my favorite tropes in one book. But in all seriousness this book was so freaking cute. I hate to be that person but I’m going to quote Olaf. This book felt like a warm hug, and some people are worth melting for.

Now the only reason I didn’t give this a 5 stars was because I felt the ending was a little rushed and there were a couple of plot points that I felt weren’t fully addressed. However, even with that said I loved every minute of this book and I devoured it in less than 24 hours. Also I’m secretly hoping the rushed ending is a hint we may get a book 2. Like Lynn hear me out if you can do Liz and Wes college story, I want Dani and Alec’s.

Overall, I highly recommend this book and I can’t wait to pick up my trophy copy when it releases September 30th! Lastly big Thank you so much Simon Teen, Lynn Painter and NetGalley for the eARC!