I really enjoyed this hockey romance. It’s got brother’s best friend, fake dating, and lots of pining. I loved that it was dual pov, and I really liked both characters. I thought Ian was well fleshed out, but I would’ve liked more from Daphne’s backstory. But overall, a solid romance with plenty of spice and fun side characters.

I've not read a lot of sports romances, but I dated a hockey player back when I was in high school, so I was ready to give this one a try.

I was such a fan of their banter and chemistry. It sizzles. I connected to the story right away. The author captured her as sweet with her baking and him as strong and manly with hocky. It was a great balance to their relationship. And I love fake dating. And when it turns real and they are hiding it from everyone. There is plenty of spice to complement their chemistry. That shower scene.

To balance out the romance, there is family drama and supportive friendships. I was as fond of the supporting cast of characters as I was Delilah and Ian.

Whether you are a baker or a hockey lover, this one had all the right pieces for an enjoyable read.

Lana really writes the most perfect romcoms. It’s fun it’s swoony it’s cute it’s banter it’s chemistry and such fun tropes ! And her spice. She’s the queen of romcom spice, up there with Tessa Bailey. I loved the nanny, and this book did not disappoint, it was just way too fun. I love a good sports romance and throw in a cutie golden retriever MMC and some dual POV and long time crush I’m sold. Can’t wait for more by her

The main characters Lila and Ian are thrown into fake dating by their PR people to try to improve his image has a hockey star and her baking show ratings. They are two people who have known each other since their childhood, as she is his best friend, Jack's little sister. This past connection causes angst for him as he starts to develop deeper feeling for her while trying to keep a long held family secret. I thought he should of ruined his father from the very beginning, but realize that he was trying to protect his mother. This storyline was a little predictable but I still enjoyed the unfolding of it. The side characters, especially Lila’s older brother and Ian’s best friend, Jack, added to the enjoyment of the story and were thoroughly crafted. Jack’s lively personality has me hoping for his own love story in a future book. Lana Ferguson never disappoints with her storytelling and this one I highly recommend as well.

Lila is the host of a small cable networks baking show, but viewership is dwindling. Ian is a hockey player returning to his hometown of Boston to finish out his career. Unfortunately Ian has some bad press following him around and needs to clean up his image. Lila and Ian’s teams brainstorm to decide a fake relationship will get Lila more viewers and Ian good press. Lila and Ian haven't seen each other in a long time, but she's been keeping up with his gossip on social media.

I love when there's a PR rep involved in a story somehow and I always enjoy when one of the main characters is a sibling’s friend to the other. I felt like Lila and Ian were really nervous around each other at first but once they got over it, they were great and believable together. I do wish there was more actual hockey involved, but this was still good. I did love the little fun charity events that were focused around hockey, so that helped. This book is more sweet than spicy, but there are still some good spicy scenes.

A big thank you to Berkley Romance and the author for an advanced copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU IF: You love fun brother's best friend romances with lots of feels, plus there's no third act break up!

This book was exactly as expected: fun, sweet, angsty, and full of heart. Like her previous books, Ferguson writes characters that are relatable in stories that I gobble up and leave me feeling like I'm wrapped in a warm hug. A delightful book filled with laughter, swoony moments, and delightful escapism.

I have really enjoyed the unseriousness of Lana Ferguson's other novels so I was a little disappointed in the Game Changer. It had a feeling of every-other-hockey-romance with an unnecessary side plot (twist) that didn't serve the main storyline at all. The selling point of the baking show is completely oversold on the blurb as well. I wanted to see lots of silly baking show hijinks!

I'm rounding up to three stars out of generosity and because I know Ferguson can write fun banter, but I have to say the characters felt so unbalanced: Ian was fully fleshed out with character growth and a proper plotline and Delilah was... there. No depth, growth or arc. Her obsession with Ian took all the potential for delicious tension out of the story and the conflict from the sideplot felt forced.

This was so cute!! Can’t believe I fell in love with a redheaded man but here we are. Lana’s books are so fun and such a good time consistently.

Only thing I didn’t love was when he’d call her kid or kiddo that hit kind of odd to me personally. But I did die when he’d be the only one to call her Lila.

Definitely will be reading all of Lana’s books, can’t wait to see what’s next.

I had higher hopes for this sports romance book. I thought that we were getting a steamy but yet slow-burn romance between the characters; instead, we got a rushed relationship. I felt that Ian and Delilah pace was weird. It was like I was reading it at a fast pace between them, then a slow as hell, and then rushed, then slow. Like, what is that? I’m confused. Instead of me going off about the pace in this romance book, let’s talk about the steamy scenes. It’s steamy between them, but expect a lot of high drama. The drama was out of the world. Don’t know why.

Lana Ferguson can do no wrong in my book! Her novels are always wonderfully steamy and romantic. This was her first sports romance, and I really hope there's more to come in this subgenre from her!

The Game Changer ☾𖤓
By Lana Ferguson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5 stars

If you're a fan of fake dating and hockey romances, "The Game Changer" is a fun read you'll enjoy! Lila and Ian's chemistry is undeniable and their journey from childhood friends to lovers kept me hooked. This book mixes baking, a TV show, and a pinch of hockey to create a sweet and spicy story. While it had a few predictable moments, I loved the supportive dynamic between the main characters and their cute backstories. Plus, the locker room scene? Total chef's kiss! If you're looking for a lighthearted, feel-good read, give this one a shot!

I love Lana’s books so much. They’re such fun reads in my opinion and keep me hooked the entire time. I read this one in less than 24 hours and really loved Ian and Delilah. While its brother’s best friend, they were also friends themselves. There’s a little bit of him seeing her as the “little sister” or “kid” but it’s addressed and really due to him being gone for years and the last time he saw her they were a lot younger. If that bothers you in a book, please push past it in this one and give it a chance.

It’s a slow burn for a Lana book, but I wouldn’t call it a true slow burn since the spice happens somewhere around 60% in. And of course you can’t have a Lana book without having hot spice.

The communication between them was great, especially when the conflict came up (it’s nothing related to the brother). He understandably gets worried about what happens and she’s quick to say they will figure it out together. Very refreshing to read.

I’m hoping the next book in the series is what was hinted at towards the end. It’ll be a fun one if so.

🤍 brother’s best friend
🏒 hockey
🤭 fake dating
✨ secret tattoo
🧁 nickname
👏🏼 no third act breakup

dual POV
4.5/5 stars ⭐️
2.5/5 spice level 🌶️

A really cute brother’s best friend/childhood crush/fake relationship romance from an author who’s becoming a new favorite of mine! This one was pretty sweet and straightforward — no third-act breakup, even, just a series of external obstacles for them to get through. The only element that was a little tough was the MMC’s dad; he was SO mean that it almost jarringly contrasted against the rest of the book’s overall tone. But I really enjoyed this one and was almost wanting for MORE steam if such a thing is possible.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Y’all, I found this boring. It wasn’t bad per se, just really nothing going on.

This spent a lot of time with Ian’s family drama and his internal issues. While Delilah was basically just a love interest with a crush that never ended. She likes to bake and loves Ian. That’s really all I got from her.

This was childhood friends to lovers with a bit of brother's best friend. He thought of her as a kid up until he saw her again while she was pining for him in the back of her mind since she was a kid. There was insta lust on Ian’s side when they met up again, however it wasn’t really feeding me the chemistry between them.

There is no third act breakup and no miscommunication which is great and should have made it a winner for me. However, it just fell flat.

*review will posted to blog soon.

A super cute brother's best friend, sports romance! The book was super cute and spicy. Loved all the witty banter. Highly recommend!

Thanks so much, NetGalley and Berkley Romance, for the complementary book!

I love Lana’s books and hockey romance so I was so excited for this one. I loved the tropes that came together and Lila’s baking. I also loved Jack and hope we get to see more of him honestly. this romance was sweet and soft and made me swoon.

A RomCom you don't want to miss!

Such amazing and lovable characters thrown together in a crazy environment, leading to fake dating between friends, and filled with hilarious moments. I love when stories don't have a 3rd act break-up, which usually means minimal drama and my heart can enjoy every page.

** Baking Show
** Brothers Best Friend
** Cinnamon Roll Hero
** Fake Dating
** Found Family
** Sports Romance
** Witty Banter

The audiobook was pure perfection and as with The Nanny, I couldn't stop once I started and devoured the entire book in a single day. So much goodness and spice to be had, that you'll be sad once it's over and want to read it all over again soon!

I almost DNF this book at 27% because I truly didn’t care about the characters and found them a bit one-dimensional. I went into this book expecting it to love it because I LOVED the fake mate and this sounded fun but I simply wasn’t clicking with this book. I switched to audiobook and thankfully the narrators gave this book a little bit of life and I was able to finish it and not hate it. The spice was good but again I didn’t feel a big connection to the characters. Their “chemistry” was lacking something for me to be fully immersed, maybe it was the fact that they kept mentioning how long they knew each other but it didn’t feel that way or maybe it was the fact that the FMC kept mentioning her childhood fantasies about the MMC but something wasn’t doing it for me. I liked the drama at the end and I did like the FMC brother but overall this book was not for me.

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of The Game Changer. I enjoyed this hockey romance by Lana Ferguson.

I love sports romances and this was a fun read with fake dating and brother's best friend tropes. This was exactly what i wanted in a romance book with Lana's great characters and the perfect amount of steam.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

When a very public breakup becomes a PR nightmare for Ian’s hockey team, he finds the solution in Delilah Baker aka “The Darling of Baking” on her local baking show. The two collaborate to generate good PR, but find they may have feelings for one another as well.

This was super cute and fun. I was entertained and I always enjoy a hockey romance. Plus brother’s best friend is forever a top notch trope.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.