Thank you to Hachette Audio and Forever for this free ALC via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this romance, the first one I've read by author Kelley Armstrong. I'm also pretty sure it was my first ever hockey romance!

Professor and romance writer Gemma Stanton encounters hockey star Mason Moretti on a TV show because the hero of Gemma's latest novel bears a striking resemblance to Mason. And although they don't know each other as adults, they go way back - all the way back to kindergarten in fact. Not only were there some childhood crushes, there was a high school kiss followed by hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and lasting emotional wounds. But when Gemma and Mason realize they could both benefit from letting the public think they're an item, they decide to go on a date for the good publicity, and the story unfolds from there!

This book includes:
- Fake dating
- Childhood friends
- Second chance romance
- Dual POV
- Mid-30s MCs
- Book within a book
- Jewish-Italian rep (MMC)
- Indigenous rep (side character)
- Nonbinary rep (side character)
- Some miscommunication

I liked the main characters, the side characters (especially the grandmas), the characters' interactions, the emotional depth of the story, and the personal growth in both main characters. Although there was a bit of miscommunication, I felt like it didn't cross the line and served the story well.

Some of the banter scenes, full of accidental puns and double entendres, had me cackling. Lately I'm realizing how much I enjoy these types of scenes. The ones in this book reminded me of some of the pickleball lessons in Kate Spencer's latest novel, which I also loved. And thanks to the book within a book, there were several meta nods to romance tropes and romance books in general, which was a fun element as well.

I thought the audio was very well done, with duet narration by Patricia Santomasso and Sean Patrick Hopkins. There were also a few sound effects like phone dings when the characters were texting.

This a great romance read and I'm so glad I had the chance to listen!

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors so I’ll read anything she writes. I loved Finding Mr. Write last year and am so excited that we got Gemma’s story!
This is a fun second-chance romance between debut author, Gemma and pro hockey player, Mason who were childhood friends until they had a falling out during high school. Now twenty years later, Gemma is convinced she needs an alpha male hero to sell her book so she decides to write the perfect Mr. Wrong who just so happens to be based on her first crush. She’s certain no one will notice the similarities but when they do, Mason suggests they fake date to help promote her book. And if it helps improve his image well, that’s just a bonus.

I adored Gemma and Mason, they both felt very realistic and I loved that this was dual POV. Gemma is a divorcee trying to rebuild her confidence and Mason is struggling with the reality of being an aging hockey player. Mason is incredibly charming and comes off as careless but it’s easy to see how much he cares about Gemma and setting things right. He lost her once and refuses to lose her again. His character growth was amazing.
I really liked the flashbacks of their school days while seeing them reconnect as adults. And the best part? They actually know how to communicate 👏🏻

I was lucky enough to both read and listen to this and I can’t recommend the audiobook enough! I LOVED the duet narration by Patricia Santomasso and Sean Patrick Hopkins. It’s one of my favorite narration styles and both narrators were fantastic and clear. I loved that they voiced their own characters throughout and the “ding” added for texts was a delightful addition.

Highly recommend if you enjoy second-chance romance and if you haven’t read Finding Mr. Write yet, then you should definitely pick that one up as well!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

OMG, do I recommend this!!
Gifted this audiobook as an ARC, and boy, oh boy! What an amazing gift. Plus, I LOVE a duel narration, and this came in CLUTCH.
I need it as a trophy book read.
I went into this and didn't expect much.
BUT this was such a realistic rom-com, maybe minus the famous hockey player? Could be real for someone, what do I know?
Second chance romance without the miscommunication, but with raw honesty and mature conversations.
THE DREAM.

🎧 ALC | ⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (3.5/5 stars)
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the Advanced Listening Copy!

I just finished Writing Mr. Wrong and had a really enjoyable time with it! The dual narration made this audiobook shine — the performances were engaging and captured the chemistry and banter between the leads perfectly. I love when the narration truly enhances the story, and that was absolutely the case here.

The premise has a cute, slightly meta twist: the MMC is a pro hockey player listening to an audiobook written by the FMC, and I loved how that dynamic played out. The story leans into familiar tropes —
🏒 Athlete MMC (reformed bad boy vibes, kind of),
💬 Fake dating,
🧡 Second-chance romance —
and while it doesn’t break new ground, it delivers exactly what it promises: a light, feel-good rom-com with heart.

What stood out to me most was how maturely the characters resolved their conflicts — no dragged-out miscommunication or unnecessary drama, just grown-up conversations (refreshing, right?). That alone bumped it up to a solid 3.5 stars for me.

A great pick if you’re in the mood for something tropey, comforting, and audiobook-friendly.

After last years Finding Mr. Write, which I absolutely loved, I jumped at the chance to read and listen to Kelley Armstrong’s latest, Writing Mr. Wrong. I was hoping for another lighthearted and humor romance, especially as the cover matches the previously mention novel. Well, that’s not what I got. Oh, the romance is here, but this story has a more serious tone. Gemma is divorced, perhaps a bit jaded, but her novel is about to be a hit. She didn’t think anyone would recognize the person she’d based the male lead in her novel on, hockey sensation Mason Moretti, a man she’s had a history with going back to her childhood, and someone she has had mixed/resentful feelings about since high school. But people recognize him all right. And before she knows it the two are flung together, it’s great press for the book, but it also brings up bad memories. Mason is flattered, until he reads the book and sees how the main character acts. Is that how Gemma sees him? Is that how he really is? If so he wants to change…and he wants Gemma to help him. The book features one of my favorite tropes: fake dating, but as I said the story plays out in a more serious tone than I was expecting. That being said, it was still an enjoy tale, and I enjoyed both reading it and listening to it as both Patricia Santomasso and Sean Patrick Hopkins deliver solid performances. If you are a fan of Ms. Armstrong’s work (and you should be as she in incredibly talented no matter which genre she chooses to write) you’ll want to check this out. I’d like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC and Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audio version as well.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/writing-mr-wrong-kelley-armstrong/1146385900?ean=9781538742778&bvnotificationId=be459d87-5142-11f0-940f-0affde38dbe5&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/350352510

Happy publication day! I almost missed reviewing this, but I’m glad I didn’t let it slip by. Writing Mr. Wrong is clever and fun. The audiobook narration was great, with two narrators: one male, one female. Bonus points to the male narrator for not making me want to take a shower to get the ick off, which is a problem that plagues me in audiobooks.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but the blend of rom-com tropes with self-awareness worked for me. I do feel like every contemporary romance these days calls out it’s own tropes (second chance romance, fake dating), but I enjoy that trend, so it’s ok!

Excellent second chance romance.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ - a couple spicy scenes with some vague foreplay and then fade to black.
Narration: 👂👂👂👂👂

Gemma is launching her debut romance novel with a bad boy hero readers love. She had a real-life example to use from a relationship she thought she had with the hockey star from high school. That bad boy now plays hockey professionally and some people connect the dots that he is the inspiration for her book. As he's currently facing a PR difficulty, he suggests some fake dating.

I guess the saying don't judge a book by its cover is accurate, because I have to be honest that I didn't love the cover of this one and it caused me to go in with low expectations. I was delighted to find a solid romance with a focus on the main characters who are emotionally intelligent and can communicate with one another . . . eventually. The side characters were helpful and wise - Gemma's mom is mom goals. All the pieces were there for a five star read and then you get to the audio and it is DUET! I loved how the narrators portrayed these characters! There's a scene where he calls her first thing in the morning and he has that rough morning voice . . . Swoon! Highly recommend, especially the audiobook!

Pretty good romance with fun and interesting characters. I liked the MMC more so than the FMC, but I wasn't WOWED by this book. I've read many sports romance like this one, and I'm sure I'll read many more like it to.

I know a lot of readers are coming into their reviews saying they are not hockey romance fans but I 100% am. I have been in my hockey romance era for the last year and don’t see an end in sight. I have also never read or heard of any of Kelley Armstrong’s books before but let me tell you, they are allll now on my TBR because this was perfection. I listened to this one and the narrators were *chefs kiss*. I did have to speed it up to 2x speed because it read a little slow but that’s common for me with audiobooks and not unique to this one. The duet was perfection with them jumping into each other’s chapters perfectly, very smooth and impressive, even in 3rd person! Like, what kind of production wizardry must have been worked to make that seem so effortless? And the text dings? Loved them. I binged this in one sitting.
Okay, lets get to the characters! Gemma has gotten into romance writing after a divorce and has written her version of a nice guy prince charming but nobody is buying so she has to make up a bad boy MMC to try to catch readers attention so she bases it off a guy who broke her heart back in high school. She’s going through a divorce, been singled out by old school bullies and has to call Mason out and I just really saw her strength shine through. You can see her growing stronger throughout the book and becoming more herself after the divorce.
Mason my goodness, my golden retriever, what a man! Defends his girl before they are ever together! Consent! Willing to read her audiobook and give her feedback! A+ communication skills! Truly wants to learn how to be better!
The spice in this book is quite minimal compared to most hockey romance and I felt like that really left a lot of space for the growth of the characters to happen instead which was absolutely beautiful.
The only thing I didn’t like about the book is that it rubbed me the wrong way at first that Mason was using his notoriety to get Gemma’s book some attention and that there wasn’t enough attention on her being able to stand on her own in her career. Second chance romances also aren’t normally my cup of tea but gosh these two smashed right through my expectations. The adult communication and talking their way through problems… Miscommunication trope? Kelley’s never heard of it!
Thank you so much NetGalley & Hachette Audio for providing me with an advanced copy and allowing me to share my thoughts on this masterpiece.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

I really enjoyed this one. The second Chance vibes were everything, I love how the MCs have known each other since kindergarten and even years later can still connect on a deeper level. The narration was A+ I really enjoyed the Sean’s character. Just FYI there is another book with a very similar title out there so don’t get confused and this one is definitely the one you want to pick up!

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Gemma just launched her debut romance novel, the only way Gemma could get her book published was to add a “bad boy” into it. So she may have used her HS “It Boy” Mason, as a loose muse to her book’s MMC. But Gemma is hoping no one connects the dots on this. As she’s going on live tv to promote said book.

The show is hosted by her HS mean girl, so it’s no surprise when she tries to pull a stunt during live TV. But what Gemma didn’t count on was for Mason to also be there and outed as her muse. Oh man, secrets out!

Mason was shocked Gemma still remembered him and honored she wrote about him. She was the one girl who always saw him for who he was, not what he does. Maybe this whole situation will allow them to reconnect.

The TV show certainly stirred up the right kind of PR for both of them, and will help open that door. The question is will Gemma walk through it with him and give him a chance.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“I want more.. I haven’t gotten over you, I’ve been chasing you since kindergarten. And when I finally got you I messed up bad, and I’m not doing that again.”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Second Chance - Years Later
* Frenemies - Because of a Kiss in HS
* Debut Romance Author x NHL Hockey Enforcer
* She Wrote Book Based on HS Golden Boy
* Roasted by Her HS Mean Girl on Live TV
* Fake Dating
* Dyslexia Rep
* Slow Burn w/ Forgiveness
* Vancouver, BC
* Dual POV w/ Spice

📖💭✍️💕 📖💭✍️💕📖

Thank you @readforeverpub and @kelleyarmstrongauthor for my free copy and @netgalley and @hachetteaudio for the free alc 💖.

🗓️ Out today! 6/24/25

✨What it is about:
Romance writer Gemma bases her bad-boy hero on her old crush, hockey star Mason Moretti, only to get caught. When their reunion goes viral, Mason proposes a fake relationship to help them both… but pretending might just turn into something real.✨

💭My thoughts:
This was a charming little story where both characters experience meaningful growth. I especially liked that the characters actually talked to each other and made a real effort to communicate and resolve conflict, instead of dragging things out. Mason was so considerate and thoughtful 💖. The guy was definitely trying his best to make an impression! Nona and Grandma were adorable—you just have to read it!
This is really a story about two people healing together, learning from past mistakes, being vulnerable, and falling in love again. They both put in the effort, and it pays off. I do wish the ending hadn’t felt quite so rushed, but overall, this was a fun, feel-good, quick sports romance.
🎧 The audiobook, narrated by Patricia Santomasso and Sean Patrick Hopkins, was excellent. The duet narration worked perfectly, and the little touches like the text tone sound effects, made it really clear when the characters were texting, which I appreciated. The audio production was great, and I definitely recommend it!

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
💻Sports romance
✍️Mutual pinning
💻Writer MFC
✍️Slow burn
💻Second chance

⚠️CW: Gaslighting, emotional abuse,infidelity, mentions of divorce, mentions of miscarriage, mention of infertility, sexual content.

I very much enjoyed this audiobook. I love the story so much that I just couldn’t stop listening.

Narrators were fantastic too.

I highly recommend.

4.5 stars!

Writing Mr. Wrong was such a wonderfully produced, fun audiobook to listen to! The narrators had great chemistry reading this; you could truly feel their emotion in the characters, and I felt like I was watching Gemma and Mason’s story unfold in front of me. I do enjoy audiobooks but it truthfully takes a lot for me to want to listen to it again, rather than just picking up the book, but I loved this one so much that I will be listening to it again (it’s a perfect summer audiobook!) and I will definitely be looking forward to the next one that Patrica and Sean narrate. I loved how light-hearted this one was, and enjoyed how easy it was to listen to.

“𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘸𝘰: 𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘦𝘮𝘮𝘢 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘯.”

I love a good rom-com, and this one was such a fun one to dive into! Gemma Stanton is a debut author, who is ultimately forced to write a book about an a*shole, because that’s what sells books, right! She decides to model her MMC after her first crush, Mason Moretti from high school, who is now a pro hockey player, but also a former jerk who publicly rejected her. Gemma assumes no one will figure out who her written hero is until she goes viral after she is reunited with Mason on live TV. Mason, determined to prove her wrong and make up for the past, suggests a dinner date to drive PR and help sell her book, fake dating as a “couple”, and a tropical getaway… gone wrong. Gemma and Mason each work through their own reservations, and the communication between them was so well written. I think the parallels between Gemma starting her writing career and Mason nearing the end of her hockey career really helped them both grow as characters.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 (& 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗!)𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
📇Slow burn
📇Meet-cutes
🏒Hockey players
📇Fake dating
📇Redemption arc
📇Second chance romance
📇Grand gestures
📇Sizzling chemistry

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝑵𝒊𝒕𝒂 𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆 𝑨𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑨𝑳𝑪!

Little hockey romance with a smidge second chance romance. I had so much fun reading this book and the duet narration was perfect. I was sad to finish this one. Excellent banter.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A romance with real communication and an MMC who takes accountability for his actions? Yes, please!

Gemma is a romance author whose debut novel is about to release, and she's really hoping no one will clock the similarities between the man on the cover and Mason Moretti, professional hockey player and her high school crush. But when another former classmate makes the connection and throws the two together, their public reunion goes viral. When Mason sees the opportunity for a little good PR and to potentially rekindle the flame, he suggests that they continue to be seen together, and Gemma agrees in hopes that it will boost her book sales.

I was lucky enough to get to listen to this audiobook, and I thought it was very well done! I loved the duet narration, of course, both narrators were fantastic and did a great job of bringing the characters to life. But it was the added little pings to signify text messages that kind of blew my mind, lol. It's such a small thing, but it really helped to keep the dialogue from getting confusing. If you have the chance, I would highly recommend listening to this book over reading a print or digital copy.

I really liked both of the main characters in this book. I loved that Gemma refused to compromise on what she wanted in a partner and didn't make excuses for Mason, and I loved that Mason genuinely wanted to learn how to be a more considerate partner. There were a lot of issues that arose as they tried to figure out if they could make a real relationship work, but they always talked it out (ad nauseum sometimes, lol), which I found refreshing.

This is kind of random, but I also really liked that Gemma actually went to a hockey game. It's a pet peeve of mine when there is a sport mentioned in a romance, but we never see any of the sport.

I did feel like the ending wrapped up a little quickly, and I wish we had gotten a little bit more of what happened after the game. But all in all, I thought this was a very fun read, and I am sure that I'll be reading more by this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio (Forever Publishing) for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Ahoy there me mateys! I don't read romance and I know nothing about hockey but Kelley Armstrong has won me over!  This is a second chance romance between Gemma and Mason who met in kindergarten, had crushes in high school, and then lost touch.

Gemma married, divorced, and now her first romance novel is coming out - one where the asshole main character just may be based on Mason.  Mason is a star hockey player with a string of one-night stands who doesn't do romance because that would interfere with the game.  After being forced to see each other for a media opportunity where the audience thinks the two are adorable together, both their publicists want them to fake-date.  Gemma can sell more books and Mason can redeem some bad team publicity.

I thought this book was so much fun.  I found that Gemma and Mason had fantastic chemistry.  It was great to see two people who had past mistakes learn, grow, and, above-all, actually communicate with each other.  I was actively rooting for them the whole time.  Mason's crush on Gemma was adorable.  Watching Gemma regain her own agency was fantastic.

This book was also funny in so many ways.  Both Mason and Gemma have grandmother's that are present and heart-warming.  Gemma's family is so supportive and emotionally available.  The descriptions of the plot of Gemma's book were so humorous and Mason's responses to it even better.  The banter between the two characters was sweet, silly, and sexy.  Also this book cleverly comments on all sorts of romantic tropes.  It had me smiling so very much.

This book does take suspension of disbelief, especially towards the end of the book and money does make many things better.  But I now know that I do like romance when Kelley Armstrong is the one writing it.  Arrr!

4.5 rounded up

I really loved the duet narration of this book and both narrators, both narrators did such a great job. Duet narration is always a more enjoyable experience for me and with these narrators it was an even better listening experience. I really enjoyed the character arc that Mason had during the entire book, it made him a more evolved character and more interesting. I also enjoyed how Gemma changed for the better and found herself throughout the book. It was a really fun read.

I absolutely LOVED both main characters! The author wrote a strong FMC who, even though she "fell" for the MMC, she was someone who was strong in her own self. Likewise, the MMC was strong as well (especially physically) but definitely fell hard for the FMC. These two were a great match and I loved their connection. I also loved the disability rep. I had the pleasure of listening on audio and loved both narrators, especially since the book is written from dual POV (audio has male/female narrators who were both excellent). The one detractor for me was the "spice" and somewhat the language--for me, this book was so strong without it and it felt awkward/out-of-place. For me, it wasn't needed; the storyline/plot was wonderful without it. **I received a complimentary audio ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this ALC, Kelley Armstrong and NetGalley!

This story was super fun with the MCs fake dating scenario but their history gave their relationship more depth than if they were just strangers fake dating.

The narrators did an amazing job telling the story. I enjoyed that it was a duet narration instead of just dual. This was a great vacation listen!

You'll love this story, if you love the following:
-Second Chance Romance
-Fake Dating
-Author FMC x Hockey Player MMC
-Older MCs
-Contemporary Sports Romance
-Duel Narration
-Childhood Friends to Exes to Lovers

Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong follows Gemma, a recently divorced writer who rekindles her passion for storytelling. Her latest romance novel sparks rumors that its charming male lead is inspired by none other than Mason Moretti, a famous hockey player and Gemma’s former high school flame. When the two cross paths again and agree to fake date for publicity, old feelings start to resurface.

I had high hopes for this book, especially since I’m a fan of the “fake dating” trope. Unfortunately, Writing Mr. Wrong didn’t quite live up to my expectations. While the premise was promising and had the potential for both humor and emotional depth, the execution fell short.

One of the main issues I had was with the characters. Despite being in their mid-thirties, both Gemma and Mason often felt immature in their behavior and communication. Instead of a slow-building emotional reconnection, the romance leaned heavily into physical attraction, making their relationship feel more like lust than genuine love.

There were moments of charm and wit, and Armstrong’s writing is easy to follow, but I found myself wishing for more character growth and emotional complexity. Fans of second-chance romance may still find some enjoyment in it, but for me, the story lacked the depth I was hoping for.