This is a fun read with great writing and interesting characters, and it’s got some of my favorite tropes like fake dating and brother’s best friend. Delilah is a baker with a TV show, and she wants hockey players from her brother’s team to come on her show.
The team sends Ian, her brother’s best friend who she’s had a crush on for years. For his part, Ian realizes that Delilah is all grown up and gorgeous. They agree to fake date at the urging of their publicists. How mad is Delilah’s brother going to be when he realizes it’s no longer just fake dating?

Synopsis:
Delilah Baker is known as “the darling of baking” on her local cable show, and being in the public eye is her bread and butter. But with her numbers dwindling, Delilah offers up the idea to collaborate with her brother’s team to entice the hockey fans of Boston to tune in to her show. Delilah thinks it will be a piece of cake—until the team sends Ian Chase, her brother’s best friend and the object of a decade-long crush that she’s never quite gotten over. 

Delilah's and Ian’s teams think it’s a true win-win situation—gaining higher numbers for Delilah’s show and casting Ian in a more positive light. And viewers are eating them up like a cupcake, sparking the idea to play up their relationship for the goal of good press. With more than just their careers on thin ice, the line between what’s real and what’s for show begins to blur…

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

2.5 stars rounded up. I was really excited to read this because I’ve liked the author’s other books, but this unfortunately wasn’t for me. I had a bit of a hard time getting into it and staying engaged with the story and the couple. I am not a huge fan of unrequited love and it felt a bit like that in the beginning. I did like the baking aspect of the book though and thought the show was a fun idea!

As my first read by Lana Ferguson, "The Game Changer" fell short for me. Delilah's long-standing crush on Ian made her seem desperate, while Ian's slow realization of his feelings felt juvenile. Ian's secrecy and overly friendly relationship with his ex-wife were frustrating, and Delilah's constant self-doubt was disheartening. The story lost momentum once the main characters got together, and the conflict felt contrived. On the plus side, supporting characters Ava and Jack added humor, and the steamy scenes were well-executed. Overall, it had potential but didn't quite hit the mark.

What Didn't Work:

Character Dynamics: I prefer when the MMC falls first and is obsessed with the FMC. Here, Delilah’s long-standing crush made her seem desperate, while Ian’s slow realization of his feelings felt juvenile.
Ian’s Secrecy: Ian's reluctance to share his past with Delilah was frustrating, and Delilah’s blind trust felt unrealistic.
Ian’s Ex-Wife: Ian's overly friendly relationship with his ex-wife felt cringy and unbelievable.
Delilah’s Self-Doubt: Delilah's constant disbelief that Ian could be interested in her was disheartening.
Pacing and Plot: The story lost momentum once the main characters got together, and the conflict felt contrived and underdeveloped.
Ian’s Pessimism: Ian’s constant self-deprecation and "wounded warrior" complex were off-putting.
What Worked:

Supporting Characters: Delilah's best friend Ava and her brother Jack added much-needed humor and lightness.
Spicy Content: The book delivers on spice, with well-executed steamy scenes and Ian’s dirty talk.

• Childhood crush
• Hockey Romance
• Brother's best friend
• She always had his back
• Fake dating
• She calls him Cupcake
• He calls her Brat
• NO third act breakup

This book was such a sweet read!!! I loved both Ian and Delilah's characters so much!

Since she can remember, Delilah has always crushed on her brother's best friend. But what happens when that friend is back in your life many years later and returning those same feelings?

Ian was such a wholesome character. Always putting others before himself. Even to his own detriment.

I loved the way Delilah stood up for Ian and always had his back! She stood up for him even when they were kids.

This book was definitely a sweet read! BUT the spiceeeee! Was spicy! Ian had one heck of a dirty mouth! 🔥 And THAT LOCKER ROOM SCENE!!!!!!! MY GOSH!

I always enjoy Lana Ferguson's books, and this one was no different!

The audio to it was PERFECT!!! Zachary Webber and Samantha Summers put on one heck of a performance!! 🤌🤌

It is a brat summer... (iykyk)

Oh boy this was spicy and so much fun. This book combines the perfect elements of hot and sweet and I couldn't get enough of it.

I am a total sucker for she falls first but he falls harder and I was happily surprised to see that executed so well in this book.

I fear I may never exit my hockey romance era...

This was great! It was my first Lana Ferguson and I really enjoyed it. It felt very slow at first, it took me a long time to really get in to it. But by halfway through I had really hit my stride, and found Delilah and Ian so charming. I'll definitely be recommending this to every romance reader I know.

I really liked this one! Delilah is a local cooking show star and Ian is a professional hockey player AND Delilah's brother's best friend. When some bad press affects Ian and his team, the two's PR teams decide that Ian should make a guest appearance on Delilah's show. Their chemistry convinces the PR teams that the two should "be seen together publicly" ie semi fake date. But Delilah's childhood crush on Ian quickly blossoms into grownup feelings, which are very much returned by Ian.

Things I liked: great chemistry, great supporting characters, great examples of mcs setting boundaries
Things I didn't like: a little too much emphasis on how much Delilah has "grown up..." the woman is almost 30!

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Best friend's little sister or brother's best friend, however you want to look at it. Love it!

Ian had a pretty complicated family life and past relationships. He was just trying to protect the people he loved but ended up getting traded to a team in Canada.

Lila had the biggest crush on him growing up. He came back to finish off his career. And I absolutely love when they first see each other after years apart. He was definitely not expecting her glow up. And she realized her attraction and feelings didn't go away at all. To improve his still bad image he went on her baking show and they started a fake dating relationship. But it escalates quickly.

I just enjoyed all the parts of this set up. And the spice was so yummy. That shower scene was so hot.

His Dad was a piece of work and he really had a lot of nerve. Glad when he got what was coming to him.

Her brother who was also his best friend was hilarious, definitely the comic relief. Enjoyed the hockey bits as well. Hockey stretches are fun.

POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

This book is such a perfect mix of sweet and spicy! Delilah’s almost life long crush on Ian and him finally seeing her as the woman she’d become and not just his best friend’s little sister was everything I didn’t know I needed, plus mixing in Boston hockey and baking?! 100% sold.

I love both Delilah and Ian, but especially Ian. He seems a little serious but carries so much on his shoulders trying to protect everyone he loves, so when his sense of humor came out it was extra good! The banter between these two (and side characters) was A+!

Speaking of side characters, Delilah’s brother is outrageously funny and I can’t wait for him to have his own HEA. This is my first book by the author and it definitely won’t be my last!

I was told growing up that if I didn’t have anything nice to say that I shouldn’t say anything at all.

For that reason, here is my review for The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson:

This was my first book by Lana and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The characters were mature in the way everything transpired in this book and that’s always something that’ll win me over. The communication was great and I really liked how it all unraveled! Of course the 🔥 was off the charts. That locker room scene? 🔥 can’t wait to read more and I’m hoping we get a book on her brother after this ;)

Thank you, Berkley, for the free paperback in exchange for my honest review!

A hockey player and a baker? Definitely not something I expected on my romance bingo card, but I ended up loving it! This was my first Lana Ferguson read, and it won’t be my last.

Ian Chase, a hockey player in the middle of a PR disaster, finds an unexpected ally in Delilah Baker, the sister of his best friend and the star of a local baking show. Delilah, facing her own set of career struggles, proposes a collaboration to boost her show’s ratings—and Ian’s career could use a little PR magic too.

What starts as a mutually beneficial arrangement quickly turns into something more complicated. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the lines between real and staged blur in the most delightful way. The blend of steamy romance with a bit of baking charm made this a fun and engaging read. If you enjoy sports romance with a touch of sweetness, this one’s definitely worth a shot!

This story was so cute! And the best part? Spoiler alert:

No third act breakup! I absolutely love when a couple gets together and stays together through the rest of the book, working through their problems together. The commitment that Ian and Delilah had for each other felt so believable and beautiful and I loved every minute!

Lana Ferguson’s new novel The Game Changer follows Delilah, an up and coming baker who is the current sweetheart of the cable tv cooking show world. Her ratings have started to dip, however, and Delilah needs to find a way to jumpstart those ratings again. Delilah comes up with the idea of collaborating with the local hockey team as a fun way to get more people to watch her show, especially since she has an “in” with the team through her brother Jack. What Delilah doesn’t expect, however, is that the player who she’ll be sent to work with is none other than Ian Chase, who is not only her brother’s teammate and best friend, but he’s the guy Delilah has had a crush on since she was in elementary school and Ian was kind to her. Ian was chosen because he is dealing with a PR nightmare after a bad break up and could use some good press to help his image.

The chemistry between Delilah and Ian is amazing, and her show’s viewers are eating it up, so they decide to pretend that they’re dating to up the ante a bit. I’m a sucker for a good fake dating story so I was eating this story up just like the viewers were and eagerly waiting for those fake feelings to finally become real. What starts out as sweet and swoony flirting over baked goods, where she calls him cupcake and he calls her a brat, slowly evolves into a steamy, spicy romance. I also eagerly waited to see how Delilah and Ian would handle Jack since he was the only real obstacle to them being together.

I tandem read the physical copy and the audiobook and highly recommend both formats. Zachary Webber and Samantha Summers narrated the audiobook and I really loved the energy they brought to these characters.

The Game Changer is the perfect read for you if you enjoy:

Sports/Hockey Romances
Brother’s Best Friend
Fake Dating
Friends to Lovers
Age Gap
Fun Banter
Spicy Rom-Coms

An adorable and spicy brother’s best friend, sports romance

This book was as cute and adorable as it was hot and spicy and I LOVED it! Delilah is a baker with a local cable cooking show. Ian is a hockey player and her brother’s best friend weathering a PR storm. The two decide to help each other by filming an episode on her show which would be a PR boost for both of them. The problem is, Ian is also Delilah’s lifelong crush. After not seeing each other for years the sparks and chemistry fly between them, sparking rumors of a romance. The two decide to fake date to help both their careers but soon find real feelings becoming entangled with their fake romance.

I was a fan of their romance and the book was a great blend of funny, heartfelt and spicy moments.

Lana brings to "The Game Changer" what she writes best... spice and flirty banter.

Delilah has always been a baker, finally reaching her dream on her own made for cable baking show. Now, short on rankings, she's got to come up with something that brings in the viewers. Her solution? Bring in a hockey player to aide her in an episode. No one can resist a man in an apron!!

But what happens when the team brings in none other than Delilah's childhood crush and her brother's best friend? Ian is back in Boston after years away due to "personal" reasons. He needs to freshen up his image and let others see him as not only that "rough and tumble" hockey player. What starts out as avoidance for the sake of her brother turns quickly into he can't avoid her. Those one liners Delilah hits while filming and her overall peppiness? Call it what you want, he'll call her his "game changer" especially when life goes up in flames!

The Game Changer was a quick paced, steamy after the 50ish% mark read that I enjoyed! While I mainly enjoyed watching these main characters relationship blossom, I found myself more invested in the side characters and their overall impact on everything. I found the "conflict" to be something I've seen and read before which was a semi bummer as I was hoping for something more original or impactful. Those looking for a fun, quick spicy dual point of view read will want to pick up Lana's latest!

3 stars is generous for this. In my opinion, you can tell the author was not necessarily ready or wanting to write this one. This is why publishers should not necessarily interfere with a writer’s release schedule. Instead of capitalizing on the hockey romance trend, we get this…. and unfortunately this was a miss for me. Lana will always give A+ spice and the banter between the two main characters had its moments. But the story and the conflict was very bland and forgettable. This TO ME isn’t indicative of a true Lana Ferguson book and so this won’t deter me from picking up another one of her books. This one, however, is skipable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley this advanced copy. I recieved this as part of the #BerkleyBesties program. All thoughts are my own!

I liked this one a lot! Is it my favorite read ever? Most likely not. I did have a lot of fun with these two though, so I landed on four stars. This book felt comfortable in that I knew the stakes were never too high, thus making it an enjoyable read.

This takes on some pretty typical tropes: hockey romance, fake dating, and brother's best friend. Was it groundbreaking? Not really. But Lana does such a great job of writing some fantastic spicy scenes and I enjoyed the progression between these two becoming friends to more. There was an unique aspect in that Lila was a baker on a cable show program and this felt fun as that is a new type of character I don't seen often. I especially enjoyed Lila's older brother Jack, he was a welcome side character who made me smile every time he was on the page. I picked up on a vibe towards the end that I hope Lana develops into a companion novel.

If you're looking for a comfortable fake dating sports romance with a healthy dose of spice, this is one to pick up.

Super cute spicy Brothers Best friend Hockey Romance.

Lana Ferguson is an insta buy author for me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥🔥

Quick Breakdown

Brother’s Best Friend
Friends to Lovers
Fake Dating
Hockey Romance
Baker Heroine
Workplace Vibes
No 3rd Act Break Up
Dual POV
Open Door - Moderate Detail

Thank you to @berkleyromance for the eARC & gifted finished copy & @prhaudio for the gifted ALC in exchange for my honest opinion #berkleypartner

Delilah hosts a baking show on public TV, but her numbers haven’t been the greatest. In an attempt to drum up some good publicity, she asks her brother’s pro hockey team, the Boston Druids, to send a player as a guest host. They send Ian Chase, Delilah’s brother’s best friend & her childhood crush. He’s back in Boston after a bad breakup caused a PR nightmare & he escaped to Calgary to play for the past six years.

After the episode is wildly more popular than either was anticipating, their PR teams think it might be a good idea if the pair are seen together in social settings, making the public believe they’re together. Shouldn’t be hard, especially as real feelings get mixed in.

This was so fun! The unrequited childhood crush trope is a guilty pleasure of mine & I love how Lana handled it. How Delilah’s feelings came roaring back like nostalgia when Ian came home & into her life as an adult (& single 😉). Watching him notice & appreciate Delilah as a now grown woman was a treat. A huge bonus for me was the lack of a 3rd act break. Nothing I love more than a couple working together to solve a crisis instead of against one another 🙌🏻

The Game Changer is narrated by Samantha Summers & Zachary Webber. I’ll listen to anything Zachary narrates & he didn’t disappoint here either. Highly recommend listening if audio is your thing.