Delilah Baker is a beloved baker, with a cable tv show. She has been pining after her brother’s best friend and fellow professional hockey player, Ian Chase, since they were kids, but he never saw her as more than his best friend’s little sister. He’s been playing for another team up in Canada for years but has just been traded back. A PR nightmare paired with decreasing viewer numbers has Delilah and Ian fake dating to save the show and his image.

This book was so enjoyable! It has everything I have come to expect from a Lana Ferguson novel: an interesting plot with great depth, delightful characters, incredible banter and chemistry, and the perfect amount of spice. It’s paced well, intriguing and beautifully written.

💭 MY THOUGHTS: I love love love me a Lana Ferguson book! I really enjoy that while her books are all fun romances with steamy chemistry, she’s not afraid to write different types of books. I love how she wrote this Sports Romance. The hockey aspect added to the plot but wasn’t overly done.

The characters were lovable on their own and together. Ian was swoon worthy and Delilah was sweet and endearing. Her brother Jake was a great comic side kick - I’d love to see his love story next!

Read for:
❌ Brother’s Best Friend
⛅️ Grump Sunshine
🪟 Opposites Attract
⚠️ Fake Dating
🥅 Hockey Romance
#️⃣ Age Gap
🧸 Childhood Crush
⚖️ Dual POV
📍 Boston

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ / 5

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞..
💙 Brother's best friend
💛Slow burn
💙 Hockey romance
💛 Fake dating
💙 Age gap
💛 Forced proximity
💙 Pining
💛 Friends to lovers
💙 Some spice 🥵

I really enjoyed tandem reading this one. The audio was fantastic! The characters were so great and the spice level was perfect to go along with the storyline!

Age gap is one of my favs. Pair that with brother's best friend and it made it such a good story. Delilah has pined after Ian for so long. Seeing this story unfold and everything starting to click between the two was so sweet.

Both have some pretty crazy family stories. The drama and bits we get about them really add to the characters and how you perceive them as a whole. Delilah kept focusing on "I'm older now", with Ian. That kinda threw me after a couple mentions but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed them. Ian is such a great lovable guy. Delilah's brother played the part perfectly without being the obnoxious overbearing brother. It flowed so well.

This fun and flirty book filled with banter needs to be added to your TBR!

The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson is a fantastic fake dating PR relationship between a pro hockey player that has been recently traded back to the home team after years away & his best friend’s little sister, who is the town’s TV show host baker. Lana Ferguson can write a dang good romance & I was so excited to see her venture into the sports romance realm. She did an incredible job & I will read any romance she writes!

The Game Changer Is great for fans of…
🏒 Hockey Romance
🏒 Fake Dating x PR Stunt
🏒 Childhood Friends
🏒 Baker TV Show host
🏒 Older Brother’s Best Friend x Teammate/Best Friend’s Little Sister

This is the delightfullness of a classic fake dating sports romance but I appreciate that it went so much deeper with the storylines for both of the main characters, their histories & the complex dynamics of so much more. It pulled on my heartstrings.

I quite enjoy the unrequited crush for the older brother’s best friend reunited many years later to finally realize that she has grown up into a gorgeous woman & sees her in a whole new light. I was rooting for both of these characters so much. I also appreciated the humor mixed it at just the right moments.

If you enjoy sports romances, Lana Ferguson’s work &/or romances that bring history, heat & all the feels, I highly recommend checking out The Game Changer!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

I will be posting to social media this week. I will add a link once I do!

I was so excited when I saw that Ferguson was writing a book filled with my favorite tropes, and I was not disappointed. A hockey romance with fake dating and friends-to-lovers, what more could I want? Apparently, I wanted baking and cupcakes, and a precious origin story for this friendship. I wanted sweet and sexy banter and drama that comes from outside this fabulous couple. I wanted backstories with just enough pain to build character and a fun but solid sibling relationship. And you know what? I found all that in The Game Changer.

One of my favorite parts of this story was the romance. It was pretty much love at first sight when Ian promised to sit next to six-year-old Delilah on the school bus. Her affection for him grew and changed as she got older, and though they spent years apart, Ian owned a piece of Dee's heart all these years. Stuff like this makes my heart pitter-patter, and I really adored the past these two shared.

Fast forward to where Delilah has a cooking show that has been slipping in the ratings. To attract more Boston viewers, the producers pair Dee with a hockey player for a one hour special. Delilah never thought that hockey player would be her long-time crush, Ian. Ian had just returned to Boston, and so did the gossip that drove him away. In an effort to distract from that noise, he agreed to the guest spot on Delilah's show. Little did they know this would be the beginning of a fake relationship where the lines would become blurred.

There are a lot of things that happened throughout this story that captured my heart while also delivering the trifecta of laugh, smile, and swoon. I found it easy to fall into this story and root for Delilah and Ian, and I was also very invested in the family drama. Speaking of that, I thought I felt a little love connection between Delilah's brother and another character. I wonder if Ferguson would consider returning to this world. I know I would read that book.

Overall, this was wonderful, fun, and sweet fake-dating, friends-to-lovers romance that delivered lots of laughs and feels, as well as a fantastic grand gesture that had me smiling my face off.

This was so fun!! In true Lana Ferguson fashion, she created all a total must read for lovers of hockey romance.

This is Lana doing what she does best which is right h*rny characters falling in love. This is pretty low stakes/angst and she did a great job keeping things engaging. There is a special skill in my opinion to write a lower angst book that still flies by. I loved this cinnamon roll MMC and watching him fall for her and I didn't want to put it down.

This was sooo close to 5 stars for me but like other reviewers found there were way too many references of them as kids or really her as a kid and him.. not. He expresses regret for not realizing she fell first so long ago but like bro don't worry about it at one point she was very much a minor when you were not. There is a flashback to a "meet cute" that she reminisces to him about when she claims she fell in love with him at 12 but he was way too old for this to be cute to me. Nothing nefarious on his account or really hers but still we don't need to romanticize it. I loved this book otherwise so every reference I was like NOoooo please stop, just talk about the present!!

Anyway, what does work is the brother's best friend trope in current time. There's also some workplace forced proximity thrown in and excellent spice. There's also some definite sweetness with some side plot things with a fundraiser event with his hockey team, etc. And I just love seeing a solid friendship within a relationship, they are so good together. Overall if you enjoyed the Nanny you will love this.

Thank you to Berkley for the eARC

Lana Ferguson does hockey romance, and it is perfection!

Delilah’s baking show needs better viewership, and she suggests her brother’s hockey team.

She’s floored when they send Ian, her older brother’s best friend and her childhood crush.

Ian’s the center of a scandal, and this show will help his- and the team’s- PR.

Delilah knows there’s something Ian is hiding. And she knows he’s a good man, regardless of what the media says.

I love Ian— he’s this gentle giant who’s reserved and kind, but so protective. And Lila is steadfast and smart, doing her best not to let her childhood crush impact her adult judgement.

The pet names are adorable here. She calls him Cupcake, he calls her “sweet girl” and I swear I melt like a darned popsicle.

This is a story of homecoming, timing lining up for two people who belong together, setting wrongs to right… and the spice only this author can bring!

But at its core is love— an incredible romance I will be re-reading and family love.

I want more of these characters because I love them so much. Can there be bonus scenes?

If you’re a romance reader, this has to be on your TBR! I highly recommend.

#TheGameChanger:

Thanks for the free book @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner

“Hiding a part of yourself does nothing but tear you up inside. You can’t really live if you’re only doing it halfway.”

Another hockey romance that I devoured in one day? Put it on my tab. The Game Changer was deliciously fun! You’ve got your grumpy x sunshine, fake date!!, friends to lovers, brother’s bestie, found family, all the good tropes! Plus, you get some fun baking segments which are adorable.

I adored Delilah and Ian. They were adorable. The fall was pretty fast and sudden, but it was too cute to not swoon. Also, this book is saucy y’all. Closed door romance friends, I’m sorry but this one is not for you.

There’s weird family dynamics where you just hate some characters, and it’s totally warranted. Other family members are insanely precious and I had to cheer for them. Also, like, can Jack get a book? I need his story. I love his annoying golden retriever immature self and see that arc of him growing and loving. Please?

There’s no third act breakup!! There’s an HEA at the end!!! The couple and story is perfection.

Absolutely adored. Out today, 7/9!

Predict text: the game changer …

The game changer is the best thing to ever happen to me 😂😂

🧁 Book Review 🧁

The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson
🧁
I love Lana’s books, her writing style, the way she writes banter, and her sassy heroines. This book was completely charming. It was super sweet, it had a little bit of pining, it had tons of chemistry, some truly excellent spice, and really loveable characters. Ian is a giant ginger hockey player who is protective and noble and secretly has a dirty mouth. I get why Delilah fell for him as a teenager and never got over him. He was perfection. I adored Lilah, her smart mouth and spunkiness, and that her nickname for Ian is Cupcake. I also need a book where Jack is the main character. In conclusion, this book is adorable, flirty, and wonderful and I read it in less than 24 hours. P.S. I am feral for Under Loch and Key and I need it right now!
🧁
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🧁
Read if you like:
▫️hockey
▫️brother’s best friend
▫️slow burn
▫️childhood friends to lovers
▫️fake dating
▫️dual POV
🧁
Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley, and Lana Ferguson for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

“I love when you’re a brat, because it means I get to spank it out of you.”

The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson is another hit by the author!

When a hockey player is in need of fixing his image and his best friend’s little sister is the darling of baking, their PR teams have them “hang out” with the intention of appearing like they’re dating. For Lila, it’s her dream come true since she’s had a crush on Ian she was a kid. For Ian, he can’t believe the little girl has grown up to be a woman he’s definitely noticing now.

“It’s like I spent my entire life blind until you walked back into my life, and I finally saw you.”

This friends-to-lovers romance was so cute! The chemistry and love between them was adorable and hot, especially Ian called Lila “brat”. I’m crossing my fingers for Lila’s brother to get a book, because he stole the show!

- age gap romance (less than 10 years)
- brother’s best friend
- friends to lovers
- hockey romance
- childhood crush
- no 3rd act breakup

My new favorite Lana Ferguson book is this one right here! I love hockey romance pretty much no matter what, but this was next level! This is childhood friends to lovers, but she was always his best friend’s little tagalong little sister. When they walk back into each other’s lives for the first time after several years without seeing the other, the sparks definitely fly! Add in an opportunity to fake date and all of Delilah’s childhood fantasies are coming true! The banter is so good and he calls her brat…and she likes it!

After a very public breakup forced Ian Chase to move away, he doesn’t expect it to come back to haunt him several years later when he decides to return home to finish out his hockey career in Boston, where it all began. Delilah’s baking show has been in decline and in an effort to boost numbers and positive press, Ian and Delilah’s PR teams suggest they “fake date” to change the narrative…after all people love childhood friends to lovers!

Read if you vibe with…
🏒 Hockey Player
👩🏻‍🍳 She’s a Baker
💖 Childhood Friends to Lovers
⚠️ Brother’s Best Friend
❣️ Fake Dating
🗣️ Banter
❤️‍🔥 Slow Burn
🔥 Spicy
🥵 He calls her Brat
🧁 She calls him Cupcake

4 Stars
Wow, a romance read where both MCs can communicate honestly with each other -and the conflict/drama was resolved well! I love a good friends to lover romance and I really enjoyed this one and the characters in this (Delilah's brother Jack was so fun). Another great read from Lana Ferguson!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

Thank you so much to @berkleyromance and @netgalley for an early review copy of this book!
This was so CUTE. I gobbled this up in one day and was cheesing very hard by the end of it fe Lana is one of my favorite Romance authors and this one just gave me all the butterflies. It also made me laugh out loud several times which is just an added bonus.
Friends to lovers is one of those hit or miss tropes for me
BUT brothers best friend who grew up with you, who you had a crush on and haven't seen in YEARS and suddenly is back in your life just HITS. I also really love that there's no third act breakup.
Lila is lovely, secure and confident and just loves reducing lan to a blushing mess. The smut to romance ratio was just right and
ALSO YES, to more romances having Dual
POV. I love reading lan's Lila obsessed thoughts
Pick this one up for a cute, witty, romance read perfect for summer !

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐨𝐧
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★★★★

I listened to this audio and read the eARC in tandem since I love doing this when I have both formats. This was such a fun hockey romance featuring brothers best friend, friends to lovers and a little bit of fake dating. I adored the main characters Delilah and Ian and loved that they had so much history together! The fact that Delilah had been infatuated with Ian since they were little had me swooning over their new reconnection. The chemistry, nicknames and playfulness between them was adorable and I couldn’t get enough of it! The spice was on a whole other level! Lana Ferguson truly knows how to write some jaw dropping spicy scenes 🥵

The side characters, the hockey team and of course, Delilah’s brother were such great additions to the story. I really enjoyed the mystery of the drama and rumors that were circling around about Ian in the media. It made me love him even more that he was protecting the ones he loves and didn’t care to set the media straight and just let them believe what they wanted.

The story wrapped up in such a sweet way and I loved the found family aspect that fell into place with his mother and sister. I wish the epilogue would have jumped a little further than just 3 months out and I wish it gave more details on the characters futures but I’m kind of hoping there is a sequel to cover that - Maybe a story for Jack and Abigail??

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘
Hockey Romance
Brother’s Best Friend
Friends to Lovers
Fake Dating
Family Drama
Super Spicy
Dual POV

happy release day!

ian & delilah are here! lana’s first hockey romance was so delicious, which was no surprise.

when ian comes back to his home team, he’s in desperate need of some good pr. the solution? fake date his best friend’s little sister, obviously.

fake dating is one of my fav tropes. the tension??? the longing and pining?? GIMMEEEE. add in the semi-forbidden aspect because it’s ian’s best friend’s little sister and I ate it up.

one thing I didn’t love was how it was heavily focused on delilah’s childhood crush. I actually hate unrequited love and this felt like that towards the beginning. especially once ian started noticing her and comparing it to how they were growing up. it honestly icked me out a bit.

nonetheless this is a fun, light, fluffy and smutty read with no third act breakup!

thank you sm to berkley romance and netgalley for an arc 💖

read if you like
✨ hockey romance
✨ best friend’s sibling
✨ fake dating
✨ no third act break up

The Game Changer was cute. Not my favorite of Lana’s books but it was decent. I liked all of the characters and the storyline was interesting enough. The “evil” dad character is kinda boring. Otherwise it was a fine book. Not a new favorite, but I didn’t love it either.

The brother’s best friend is a frequent romance theme and The Game Changer uses it wisely. The backstory for Ian’s character brings a little more gravitas to the novel. A big secret, an obnoxious father, and of course hiding their real romance from her brother made this book interesting and yet somehow it fell a little flat for me. A lot of time was spent building up Ian’s character, but Lilah remained one dimensional. Yes she had a baking show, and yes she still had the crush on her brother’s best friend but that was pretty much it. Her dream of having a romance with that crush was coming true and yet for some reason, I just didn’t care that much. It felt a little too set up and lackluster for me to get too invested.

If you like spicey romance novels, The Game Changer will deliver the goods, but what this novel needed was a rock solid, interesting plot. For me, it only delivered half of it’s promise.

Absolutely loved loved this book and the characters (minus Gia and Mr Chase) although there were some minor things that made the book okay but for the most part I really enjoyed this book!

The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson
.
What to expect from The Game Changer:
Hockey player/baker m/f romance
Brothers best friend
Fake dating
Spicy
No third act breakup 🙌🏼
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I loved Delilah’s brother, Jack. I hope we see a book featuring him in the future.
.
Thank you netgalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read this book!
3.5 ⭐️