All Athalia Pressley wants is to rebuild the shattered bond with her twin brother, Henry. But after years of distance, she's starting to believe it's impossible--until a statistics class lands Athalia with an unexpected tutor: Henry's sworn enemy and campus golden boy Dylan McCarthy. Suddenly, she has her brother's undivided attention. Dating is the last thing on Athalia's mind--especially not with the arrogant, impossibly hot McCarthy, who embodies everything Henry despises. But when she realizes her brother's sudden interest hingest on Dylan's presence, Athalia makes a reckless bargain: she and McCarthy will fake date, giving her the perfect excuse to stay in Henry's orbit.

so they fake date and even make a contract for it. a little outside of what I'd expect for two people so young but it was cute. A fun fake dating, rival romance

Absolutely loved this book, I feel like going into it I was a bit worried that I wouldn't like it. I ended up loving it. The way the author wrote the story was beautiful. I would say check for trigger warnings. Bring your tissues.

Okay but Lessons in Faking had me in my feelings! We’ve got fake dating, rival energy, twin drama, and of course… butterflies. Athalia is just trying to fix things with her twin brother (cue the emotional damage), but instead she ends up fake dating his sworn enemy slash infuriatingly hot golden boy, Dylan McCarthy. The banter?? The tension?? The contracted fake dates that spiral into real feelings?? I was HERE for it.

If you love:
• Enemies-to-lovers-but-make-it-fake-dating
• A morally conflicted golden boy
• Girls who just want to feel seen
• And boys who fall first, hard, and forever

…then give this one a shot! It’s messy, a little chaotic, but still hits that sweet spot of angsty fluff and tension you didn’t know you needed.

It could just be that I was feeling overly emotional today however, this book had me swooning, crying, laughing and feeling every emotion in the book. “Lessons in Faking” strays away from the brother’s best friend trope and focuses on brother’s enemy, which I LOVED.

Each of the characters were so beautifully flawed and well-thought out that I cared for each of them. Especially our MMC, Dylan. Throughout the story, getting to know more about Dylan his family, and who he is meant so much to me.

The authors commitment to exploring Athalia’s grief and how it affects her relationship with her brother was beautiful. From the beginning of the book you are sucked into the story and it feels as if Athalia and Dylan are your best friends and you’re watching all of this from the sidelines. I fell in love with every side character, even her brother, even when he was pissing me off.


The author does an excellent job in portraying difficulties that one may have when coping with grief, including mental health struggles. Please make sure to check the trigger warnings for this book! I cannot wait for this book to be published so I can have it on my bookshelf and I cannot wait for it to be in the hands of readers everywhere as it is one of my favorite reads of the year.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for my honest feedback!

Oh. My. God. This was so cute and so good. If you love Ali Hazelwood’s Deep End and Elle Kennedy’s college hockey series this one is for you! Obsessed with McCarthy. Loved the complex character relationships and trying to figure out what is happening in their own worlds and povs made the book that much more interesting!

A fresh, funny, and emotionally sincere romance that puts a clever twist on the classic fake-dating trope. With sharp banter, heartfelt moments, and just the right touch of vulnerability, this book delivers on both swoon and substance.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm really delighted to see a US publisher translating romance novels from Germany. I hope to see more international books like this!

This was a fun story! Great story line, inviting characters and it holds your attention! Highly enjoyed the romance too! Always game for a college romance!

This being my first experience with a sports romance novel was such a delight.
It delivered the perfect amount of yearning, compassion, and tenderness shared between the main character and her love interest. Even with the swift pacing, the characters felt fleshed out and scrupulous.
One of the key elements of the story were that of intimate bonds, and how family doesn’t always mean who you’re tied to by blood. This highlighted the main character, Athalia, and her relationship with her best friend, Wren, that I felt helped contribute so much to the story aside from the sparkling romance.
The fake dating, especially when it involves your brother’s arch rival, only added to the tension deliciously. With them starting off as annoyances to one another, their quick quips and sarcastic dialogue was the cherry on top.
This story definitely made the goal as one of my favorite lighthearted romances of the year!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read Lessons in Faking! I really enjoyed this sweet and heartfelt slow-burn romance. Athalia and McCarthy had great chemistry, and the fake dating setup was full of charm, humor, and emotional depth. Their banter felt natural, and the shift from reluctant partners to something more was fun and satisfying to watch unfold.

My only critique is that the buildup felt a little slow—it took me a bit to get fully pulled into the story. That said, once it found its stride, I was hooked. The second half delivered on the tension, heart, and payoff I was hoping for.

Overall, it's a cute and engaging read with a meaningful look at love, connection, and second chances. Thank you again for the ARC—I appreciated the chance to read and review it!

This was a flirty and fun story, but also one that deals with complex sibling relationships. I think Mae did a good job crafting interesting characters and dialogue. The book held my attention, and I wanted to see the outcome. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

First of all - thank you to NetGalley and S&S for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Listen… listen listen listen. This is a fake-dating-turned-lovers book and I ATE THIS UP. Was it predictable? Yes. Was it a masterpiece? Nah. Were there times where they changed scenes without saying they were changing scenes and it confused me a bit? Yeah… But did I enjoy the HELL out of it? ABSOLUTELY.

I’m eating this man up. We love a man that truly believes in her.

I read this pretty fast. Would’ve read it in a single sitting if I had the time. It was a page turner for sure.

These was a fun read. I’m always done for a fake dating trope! I enjoyed the banter between the characters.

thank you for this opportunity! i enjoyed this cute book! i have been following the author on instagram for a long time and i’m so happy i got to read her book. i really enjoyed her writing and i hope i will be able to read her other books!

Loved the book written beautifully and will be recommending it to everyone Story was so cute and there wasn’t a part I didn’t love

I absolutely adored this book. I read it so fast and loved it so much! The characters and their dynamics as well as their challenges and slow yearning towards each other just made the book that much better. I didn’t want the book to ever end!

A fun, easy, and fast-paced college romance with great banter, fake dating, and just the right amount of heart. Perfect if you love light love stories.

4.25 ⭐️’s

This was such a good college romance. Fake dating, forbidden romance, rivals, soccer… I loved the MMC so much, and I appreciated that the FMC was a little complicated in her own way.

There were some things I felt I didn’t quite get the answers to, but they weren’t so important to the plot that I was upset.

I loved that the FMCs twin brother and best friend served important purposes, but they did not take away from the story. They were in the book just enough, and were referenced several times.

The banter between the FMC and MMC was top notch. I always love good banter.

🌶️🌶️🌶️Some detailed scenes. Not an overly spicy book though.

🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 The romance in this was perfect. It wasn’t cringy or over the top. I felt like it was so well done.

I binged this book in a day! Fake dating? Slow burn? Sign me up!!
When Athalia proposed entering into a fake relationship ship with her brothers arch rival in order to punish him, the last thing she expected from Dylan Mcarthy Williams was the attraction she felt every time she was near him. She was supposed to hate him too, but why did she seem to forget that with every encounter. Could he have feelings as well?
It’s a fun, easy romance read and I enjoyed it!

I was hooked on this book from the first chapter. I absolutely loved Lessons in Faking. Bring tissues for this book because it will leave you wrecked. If you love enemies to lovers, I highly recommend this book.

I devoured this book in one sitting!! It was an amazing story with the banter, the fake dating, the angst and tension was perfection!

5 STARS!!

To get back at her twin brother, Athalia decides to fake date her brother's arch nemesis who just so happens to also be her statistics tutor.

There was just something about this book that grabbed me, took a hold of me, and ran. I literally finished this book in a day that's how much I was enthralled by it. I will say it took me a little to get into it but once we were there I was locked in baby and I never wanted to go back.

Enemies/Rivals to lovers will always be a top trope of mine if for nothing else but the banter it brings to a story and let me tell me they brought it. There was just something about Athalia and Dylan/McCarthys dynamic that did it for me. The one thing that did bother me a little was I felt like she didn't really have a reason to hate him but then Athalia was a self aware queen and was like "yeah I don't even know" so I let it slide.

Honestly I can't even say more than that. Just hovered it for yourself please!!

Instagram post to come!

Lessons in Faking by Selina Mae is a charming, witty, and utterly addictive romance that hits all the right notes. What starts as a pretend relationship quickly turns into a whirlwind of real feelings, messy emotions, and undeniable chemistry.

Selina Mae delivers lovable characters you root for from the first page. The banter is hilarious, the slow-burn tension is perfection, and the emotional payoff is so satisfying. It’s more than just a rom com, it’s about self discovery, vulnerability, and allowing yourself to be truly seen.