Book Review: "The Great Dating Fake Off" by Livy Hart

Nora is willing to do almost anything for her best friend and boss, Benji, even take care of his bearded dragon. And when she witnesses Benji being hassled by his mother and sister about not having a date to his sister’s wedding, she steps in and tells them that they’re dating. Now she’s his date for nearly a week of wedding festivities at a posh resort in the Adirondacks.

Much to Nora’s surprise, when they arrive at the resort she spots Sebastian, the handsome guy she was flirting with just before pretending to be dating Benji. It turns out Sebastian is also a fake date, for his best friend, who happens to be the groom’s twin sister. So both Nora and Sebastian have to keep their own feelings in check to keep up the façade for their friends.

But this isn’t just any wedding. The two families have been feuding for decades; the bride and groom dated secretly for a year before telling their families about their engagement. Tempers are flaring, nerves are fraying, and despite the blatantly obvious chemistry between Sebastian and Nora, they have to behave themselves. Because if they get caught…it could mean disaster.

The more time they spend together, both during pre-wedding activities and stolen time away from the others, the harder it becomes to deny what they’re feeling. But Sebastian is going to be moving for his job in a few weeks, and Nora grew up being dragged places by her mom, so she wants to stay put.

“I want to be claimed. To be someone’s person. I crave the safety that comes when two people fully belong to each other. Not that I’ve experienced it.”

I’ve said many times how much I love fake dating as a trope, so this was right up my alley. It’s a steamy story with emotion, family dysfunction, banter, and crazy wedding chaos. That’s a recipe for a fun read, in my book.