I have to say that I enjoyed this book - the characters were fun (can we talk about Delilah's brother for a second?), the story was well-rounded but I have to say that there wasn't anything that truly stood out to me from other contemporary hockey romance books. Overall a good read but not something that I'd be coming back to read over and over.

Thank you for the chance to read early!

This was a light read that has some really cute moments, but I'm unsure how I feel about the main couple. Jack seemed really uncomfortable for a good chunk of the book and that made me feel uncomfortable by default. Also the nicknames used felt like a way to show the readers they somewhat grew up together but made the transition from childhood friends to lovers a bit shaky for me. Sadly as a result I didn't feel the spark that I had hoped I would, which is a bummer since the chemistry was off the charts in The Fake Mate. Also about halfway through I felt my interest slipping and i'm not sure why? Especially since there was still story to read and absorb.

Unfortunately this wasn't a love for me but i'm eager to read whatever Lana writes next!

3/5

Another swoony, sweet, and sexy romance from Lana Ferguson! It had strong characters and great banter as always, as well. A great read for romance and hockey lovers.

I adored this book. Everyone has a crush growing up, but few get to act on it. Ferguson plays off of that childhood pull and turned it into a delightful story that was real and true. While I can't relate to being a baker on television or being a hockey star, the characters were down to earth, real and messy as life often goes. No one, celebrity or not, is perfect and I enjoyed how Ferguson showed us the love between two characters as well as the battles each had to overcome in their lives to get where they are separately and together.

This is a steamy rom com full of some of my favorite tropes (childhood crush, fake dating, friends to lovers). It is a fun sports story filled with banter, humor, passion and heartfelt moments.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Lana Ferguson is seriously becoming a must buy author for me! I gobbled this book up just like her other two novels and I cannot get enough of her fantastic writing and story telling!

Ian and Delilah were amazing together. I loved how both of them were absolutely stunned when they saw each other after years of separation. Their reactions toward each other during this entire novel were real and raw and just really resonated with me.

I also absolutely loved how Delilah didn't shy away from things and actually instigated a lot of moments with Iam. For a girl who had a major crush on Ian as a teen, she was bold and took charge of what she wanted and I loved that. Most of the time the female characters are shy and quite but definitely not Delilah and that was a breath of fresh air!

And Ian being this big burly guy who got flustered around Delilah? Priceless and precious!

I have no idea how Lana goes from one genre to another and absolutely slays it, but she does every time and I am biting at the bit for her next release in December! I'm determined to get everyone I know to read all of this authors books because they need more loving! So glad I got to read this and can't wait to hold it in my hands this summer!

I'm torn on The Game Changer. I really enjoy Lila and Ian and their dynamic, but the books falls apart for me around the 50% mark.

There are a bunch of side characters, but rather than being fleshed out, they act more as plot devices. I wanted to know so much more about Mei, Jack, and Abby but we're left with very little. Even the "scandal" at the end I could see coming a mile away. This is very much a surface level story, and while I love our main couple, once they get together, the story just seems to be a way to get us from one spicy scene to another.

In the end this is a quick, cute read so I definitely think there is an audience for this. It just wasn't what I was expecting. This is my first Lana Ferguson book.

Rated 3 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

childhood friend
childhood crush
brother's best friend

fake relationship

friends to lovers

Lana Ferguson seems to enjoy writing accessible Romance novels for niche tropes - here we have Hockey, even though the game wasn't super at the forefront for a lot of the book. The writing is smooth, the dialogue is often humorous, and the smut is satisfying. A good intro to the genre, or a palette cleanser for a light, easy read.

I like that in the smut, toys were used and celebrated. The post-coital banter was cute. There were some BDSM undertones.

I appreciated that the FMC was so bold!

I'm honestly WAY more excited for her book after this and have my eye out for when that ARC drops.

I've had fun with her previous books, so I was excited to read this one. It was sadly not my cup of tea. I found the characters to be one dimensional, a little bit cringey for my taste. The spice wasn't the best. I didn't like the dialogue or the characters. I wouldn't recommend this one.

Absolutely loved this book! I am a big hockey fan- so the hockey aspect alone had me really enjoying this, but the tropes were also so fun- best friend's sister&& fake dating- sign me up! The romance was spicy and the characters were fun!

thank you netgalley and Berkeley Publishing for the ARC!

Alright so it was cute and i’m not mad that i read it but there was a few issues i couldn’t get through. First…the nicknames. Kid. Brat. Cupcake. it all felt juvenile and not like 30 year olds being together. which brings me to my next one… the whole thing about them knowing eachother as kids and him mentioning it so much…i just couldn’t get past that. like i get wanting to make it a whole thing where she grew up and now he’s noticing her but stop thinking about her when she was a kid alright? and the comments from jack saying his brother kissing his sister im like where is the line? it’s very thin! but idk this is my second book from this author where I just think Eh it’s a good book but i’m not in LOVE with it. I will keep reading her future stuff and I hope she wows me one day! OH, But the spice scenes were pretty good i must add

I absolutely adored this book and the growth of both characters. The writing is just so well done and the storyline is fantastic. This one of my favourite reads so far and I cannot wait to own it when it comes out.

Lana, I am foaming at the mouth because of you. I might have gone into a state of being feral because of this book. Wow. Love the author, love the characters, and love the plot. 10/10

I am a huge fan of Lana Ferguson and I was so ecstatic when I saw that I got approved for the arc!!!

The story revolves around our two main characters: Delilah Baker and Ian Chase, who reconnect after years being apart.
Delilah is a baking show host facing cancellation, and Ian, a hockey
player, sees an opportunity for a reunion who needs a positive image makeover.
Right when they reunite, sparks fly! Ian was surprised and delighted to see Delilahs growth as a person, moreso, the way she turned into such a beautiful and witty woman!

Their chemistry is absolutely undeniable, both on-screen and off, leading to a fake dating scenario proposed by Ian's agent to improve his public image. Delilah sees this as a strategic move to save her show's future. Anf from there on, they embark on fake dating eachother!

The Game Changer expertly weaves together beloved tropes like childhood friends-to-lovers and brother's best friend, delivering a narrative rich in snarky banter, undeniable chemistry, and sizzling spice. But as their pretend relationship deepens, secrets from lan's past threaten to unravel everything. Will they take a chance on love amidst the odds stacked against them?

One thing I can always count on the author, is that her masterful skill for storytelling and the way she's so quick at hooking the reader from the first page. Because the moment I started it I couldn't stop reading it until I finished it!

However, it did have the miscommunication trope and third act break up that disappointed me. Either way, I can't lie how much fun I had while reading this book and completely recommend it!

It was a fast-paced, engaging read that provides an escape filled with laughter, swoons, and heartwarming moments that completely captured and warmed my heart and I just couldn't stop giggling at the palpable chemistry we see between the characters! Apart from that, I loved how individually they were such greatly executed characters!

Overall, this sweet, spicy, and heartwarming romance is a must-read, offering a perfect blend of passion, humor, and heartfelt moments. Highly recommended for anyone
looking for a delightful escape into the world of romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I love a good hockey romance and this one was wonderful. It has all the elements of a good romance, characters, storyline, and spice. Just the right amount. I will be sharing a full review very soon. I look forward to sharing more by Lana Ferguson in the future.

Such a cute friends to lovers hockey romance! I love Lana Ferguson’s books. I honestly was expecting it to be spicier but oh my god the locker room scene 🔥 you should read the book based on THAT alone

Tropes:
🧁Friends to lovers
🧁Fake dating
🧁Hockey romance
🧁Hockey player x baker
🧁She calls him ’cupcake’
🧁He calls her ’brat’

Overall rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

First book I've ready by Lana Ferguson but definitely not my last!

Hockey meets baking show in this latest book by Ms. Ferguson. A true standalone (a unicorn my friends!), former friends meet amidst betrayal, life changes, and parental issues. The pace of the story moved quickly but truly shined in the interaction between characters. I giggled more than I should have and loved the uniqueness of the story and how the characters interacted with one another.

Super sexy, which was ah-mazing, and a great story filled with angst, laughter, and love.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC. The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson covers the Fake Dating trope- Delilah's show is losing viewers and Ian needs to church up his image. In an attempt to both benefit from the public taking a new interest in their lives, they team up to fake date. I found the book easy to read and a nice piece of fluff to cleanse my palate. The Game Changer, in my opinion, reads like it is a first novel- things were too easy- I would've liked to see more conflict. I feel like she also made sure to put as much representation in the book as possible, which I love representation but it felt thrown in just to have it included but didn't contribute to the story in any way.

Lana Ferguson has been on my radar since her first book The Nanny and I can’t believe I waited this long to read one of her books!
I’m officially a fan! Her writing style flows beautifully. There wasn’t a time in the whole story that I felt bored. Her characters are funny and full of depth, with backstories that make them relatable and so entertaining. I loved Delilah’s character and her whole life long crush on Ian. It took me back to my childhood crushes which made me root for them even more and made her finally getting him so dang satisfying! Ian was a dreamy ginger giant with a heart of gold. I laughed so hard at their back and forth banter, loved the brat remarks and him calling her sweet girl! The spice was sooo good! I mean… that shower scene was all sorts of hot! I loved all the plot twists and supporting characters and really hope we get a Jack love story next cause he was funny af!

lana ferguson’s writing + a hockey romance + friends to lovers/brothers best friend tropes = pure perfection!!! there are so many good parts to this book. words can’t even describe how much i enjoyed reading this story. i just loved all of the banter, spice, heartfelt moments, constant longing, and undeniable chemistry!!!

this is hands down lana’s best book yet. thank you so so much to netgalley and berkley publishing for the arc!