Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Another fun read from Livy Hart!
My first read of hers was a YA that I generally enjoyed but felt a little disconnect from. This adult romcom was much more my speed and so I liked it even more! I enjoy so much that Hart dives into the tropes and the humor we want from a classic romcom.

ARC Book Review: *The Great Dating Fake Off* by Livy Hart

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5 stars)

Livy Hart’s *The Great Dating Fake Off* is a delightful rom-com that expertly blends humor, romance, and a dash of family drama. With its engaging plot and charming characters, this novel is an entertaining read that will keep you hooked from start to finish.

Plot Summary:
Nora D’Amato finds herself in a whirlwind of wedding chaos when she agrees to be her best friend's fake girlfriend to help him fend off his overly invested Italian family. What starts as a simple favor quickly escalates into a full-blown charade at a lavish resort, complete with feuding families, a pickleball tournament, and even a bull-riding bachelorette party. To make matters more complicated, Nora’s longtime crush, Sebastian Rossi, is also at the wedding with his own fake date. As secrets and feelings surface, Nora and Sebastian must navigate the hilarious and unpredictable wedding week without exposing their true emotions.

**Characters:**

- **Nora D’Amato:** Nora is a relatable and endearing protagonist. Her loyalty to her best friend and her internal struggle with her feelings for Sebastian make her a character worth rooting for. Her witty and self-deprecating humor adds to her charm.
- **Sebastian Rossi:** Sebastian is the quintessential romantic hero—handsome, caring, and just a bit mysterious. His dedication to his nonna and his genuine affection for Nora make him a perfect match for her. The chemistry between them is palpable and adds depth to their interactions.

Themes:

1. **Fake Relationships:** The novel plays on the popular fake relationship trope but adds its unique twist with the backdrop of an Italian wedding and multiple layers of deception. The tension between pretending and genuine emotions creates a compelling dynamic.
2. **Family Dynamics:** The story beautifully captures the complexities of family relationships, especially within the context of a big, loud, and loving Italian family. The interactions between family members are both humorous and heartwarming.
3. **Self-Discovery and Love:** Both Nora and Sebastian embark on a journey of self-discovery throughout the novel. Their evolving feelings and personal growth highlight the importance of being true to oneself and embracing love when it comes.

Writing Style:
Livy Hart’s writing is fresh, funny, and full of heart. The dialogue is sharp and witty, perfectly capturing the playful banter between characters. Hart’s ability to blend humor with genuine emotion makes for a thoroughly enjoyable read.

**Final Thoughts:**
*The Great Dating Fake Off* is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that delivers on both humor and heart. Livy Hart has crafted a delightful story with memorable characters and a plot full of amusing twists and turns. Whether you’re a fan of rom-coms or looking for a feel-good read, this book is sure to leave you smiling.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a good fake dating story with a side of family antics and heartfelt romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Livy Hart is absolutely one of the best in the game right now when it comes to rom coms that are ACTUALLY rom coms. Her books are funny, tropey (in the best way), sexy, and full of heart and this is no different. From a brilliant set up (two people in a missed connection end up BOTH as fake dates to the same wedding), to the pining, to the friendships, to the families, to the spice, this is an absolutely perfect book. One of the best parts of this book is the timeline -- the first half takes place over one chaotic week leading up to the wedding and you, as the reader, get a sense of the limited timeline and the forced proximity, but it's the second half, the fall out from the wedding, where the timeline opens up and breathes and allows the characters that the reader got to know in love to really shine. Also, as someone who has a lot of personal experience with big Italian families, Livy nails the dynamics perfectly.

At this point, I'm just waiting for science to reincarnate or clone Nora Roberts so Livy's books can be adapted to the screen, they're THAT GOOD.

This was a cute story.
It's different from the usual fake dating trope, which was nice and caused its own type of fun and problems.
The romance was okay. It was an instant attraction, with a bit of build-up. However, I feel that Nora and Sebastian didn't have much chemistry other than the sex. Written in dual POV, I was hoping for more emotion.
The steamy scenes were pretty good, detailed but not in your face. They can be skipped, but they do get mentioned later in the book.

I really liked the supporting characters. They were fun and I'd love to see more from them.

Fun read! I really enjoyed getting to know Nora and Sebastian. It was tormenting to think it may not work out for them. I like that they spoke about contraception. That’s a really nice touch. Very enjoyable, entertaining read.

Sebastian and Nora are from two rival Italian families, who agree to fake date their best friends to relieve some pressure from their friends’ meddling families.

While fake dating their best friends, they discover that they are actually attracted to each other.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in return for my honest review.

Nora and Sebastian are helping out their friends by agreeing to fake date them for an upcoming wedding. This is a weeklong event, made more difficult by feuding families. When Nora and Sebastian arrive, they realize they have met before and they also realize the attraction they felt at the first meeting wasn't by chance. They agree that they need to shelve it for the time being, until they have their respective breakups, but being in such close quarters isn't doing them any favors.
Nora and Seb were fire together and it was hard to deny their flames. They got along so well but knew that their lives were headed in very different directions. Nora loved the town they lived in and had no reason to move anywhere else, but Sebastian was a traveler. Never putting down roots anywhere, until now. Nora has him questioning his whole life's plan, and since the have been stealing away together and learning more and more about one another, it seems like Nora is his breath of fresh air and maybe he should come up with a new plan.
This book has all the things, amazing chemistry, forced proximity, a meddling Italian family and lots of drama. If you haven't met a Livy Hart hero, what are you doing with your life.
Thanks to Entangled, Netgalley and of course Livy for an early copy.

The way I screamed when I was approved for this on NetGalley!! I’m a huge fan of Livy Hart’s books. This book gave me all the My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Romeo & Juliet vibes!

Here you have two rival Italian families preparing for a wedding that will hopefully unite their families. Sebastian and Nora agree to fake date their best friends in order to help relieve some pressure with their friends’ meddling families. Sounds like complete chaos, right?! It was-in the best way! I found myself laughing all the way through this book. I loved all the wedding drama and Sebastian’s and Nora’s relationship (Oh boy, did they have chemistry). Definitely pick this one up if you’re looking for a rom com that is swoony, entertaining, and fun to read!

I really enjoyed this rom-com. The author did a great job in making you fall in love with every single character. As you continued to read the book you felt part of the family. The familial ties to the story were so cute from the grandparents to cousins. Now, Nora and Sebastian were the ultimate couple goals. The author did a great job building up their love story. I found myself laughing out loud many times. I would recommend this novel to anyone needing a fun read, it was full of love, joy and lots of humor between all the characters.

📣 a freaking adorable fake dating (but not fake dating each other!) contemporary

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 how many stars would you give your Monday so far (out of 5)? I would say 4 for mine. It’s quiet but I was up in the middle of the night & could have used a bit more sleep 🤣.

There are some books where you feeeel the attraction between leads & The Great Dating Fake Off by Livy Hart did that for me.

These two. Oh my.

When they get into a room together, it’s serving heat, need, intensity 🔥 ☺️.

Jocelyn @jsbook has been influencing me to read Livy Hart forever & I finally took the plunge. Now, after how much I loved this book, I’m already thinking about reading her others, two of which have been languishing on my shelves.

In this one, Nora & Sebastian are fake dating other people at a wedding week extravaganza between two tumultuous families, & they just can’t stay apart.

The book is immediately cute & stays cute, filled with characters you root all the way for, especially as they both consider the word “home.” When I tell you that I would pay movie theatre money to see this book play out on the screen, I am serious.

It was sooo good from top to bottom & I enjoyed every page!

5 ⭐️. Out 08/06.

[ID: Jess wears a brown floral dress & holds the book in a meadow.]

Once again Livy Hart has captivated me with her unique blend of comedy, romance, family, and spice.

I am so impressed that Livy was able to make the fake dating trope so unique like nothing I've read in any romance before in this book.

Read this one for:
- Fake dating, but not each other, the hero and heroine are fake dating other people!
- Wedding related
- Forced proximity
- Forbidden love
-Found family

Nora loves her life in Great River. She's found a stable job at a bookstore and her manager/best friend Benji provides her social life. When Benji needs help to tackle his overbearing family at his sister's wedding, Nora steps up and volunteers to be his fake girlfriend. What she didn't plan on was running into the hot guy who runs the Boys mentoring club at the same wedding.

Sebastian can never live up to his parent's legacy, but his work opening up Boys clubs all over the country helps him feel as if he is trying to make his life meaningful. When his grandmother needs some extra support, he comes home to help her out in between his travels and takes some time off. He is happy to help his best friend Alessia when she needs him as her fake date to her brother's wedding. The big problem is that the bride and groom have families that have been feuding for generations, and the drama is bound to be intense at the wedding.

When Nora and Sebastian find out they are both at the wedding fake dating, they both can't seem to stop running into one another. The chemistry between them is off the charts, but they have to try and navigate their rendezvous between messy family drama.

When the family drama explodes triggered by Nora and Sebastian and failing to keep up the rouse of fake dating, the bride calls off the wedding. The two come together with their friends and family to help reunite the bridge and groom. As they are forced together again, they can't deny their true feelings and begin to accept that this is not just any hookup but what they share is truly special and unique.

Buckle up for lots of hilarious family feuding and drama, some amazing spicy intimate scenes, and all the beautiful found family and family elements that are always present in a Livy Hart romance. While this isn't as traditional as the normal fake dating trope, I loved how it it all came together. It really engaged me as a reader since it was so different and you follow a bigger cast of characters within the story of the main couple.

Nora and Sebastian find their way to one another and create the home each one is craving and truly needs.

Now, what about Benji's story Livy? That seems like it would be a fun one to read!

This one publishes 8/6 and I highly recommend pre-ordering now!

Thank you to Entangled and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Great Dating Fake Off is one of my new favorites in the fake dating world. The story follows Nora and Sebastian and is written in a dual point of view. After being roped into being fake dates for their best friends at, surprise, the same wedding, it's inevitable that disaster will ensue when they can't deny their attraction. This pacing and build up of their story was perfect and Livy wraps up the story in a nice little bow. I loved every character from Nora and Sebastian to Benji, Alessia, Ro, and Enzo. If you are a fan of fake dating, semi slow burn romance, and found family, this one is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for providing a DRC of this title.

Such a fun twist on fake dating! I really loved Nora and Sebastian— Livy Hart always does such a great job of building chemistry between the leads. The only thing that did not grab my interest as much was the drama with Benji’s mom, but I still had a great time with The Great Dating Fake Off. Will definitely look forward to recommending this one to my romcom-loving patrons and reading Hart’s next book! 4.5/5.

This was so good! I couldn’t put it down. I love Nora and Sebastian, the double fake dating plot, the crazy Italian wedding, the drama, and Nella! It was all so good and sweet and surprisingly spicy!

This was my first book from this author and I can’t wait to read her others. And also, I am BEGGING for Benji to get his own book. That man has main-character energy and I'm dying for him to have his own love story.

This was my 4th Livy Hart novel and she will continue to be an auto-buy author for me! On the whole, her writing feels authentic with characters that have real flaws and understandable fears, and The Great Dating Fake Off was no exception.

A unique concept involving TWO couples who are simultaneously fake-dating, this story weaves the reader through three love stories (yes, I'm counting the families' respective matriarch and patriarch here too). Set largely amid the backdrop of an Italian-American wedding--with LOTS of opinionated family members in attendance-- the book explores questions of worth and where we find it, what it means to love someone your parents may not agree with, and the gift of "home" as both a place and a person. With well-developed characters and intricate relationships between them, Livy Hart brings the reader through a spectrum of emotions: gushy excitement, righteous anger (at those pesky relatives), and deep disappointment before landing with a satisfying, heart-filling ending. This is a fun (and steamy!) ride of a read that will be especially poignant for those who understand the weight of expectations from those who love us most.

The Great Dating Fake Off is not to be missed!

The Great Dating Fake Off
by Livy Hart
5⭐️

fake dating x2
italian wedding
fueding families
she’s his type to a T (and T stands for tempting)
dual POV

*publish date: 8/6/24*

I am on a roll for 5⭐️ romances and this is no exception! I am a HUGE fan of fake dating and it’s safe to say this is the first time I see this spin on it! I am in love with Nora and Sebastian and their relationship! Sebastian will be everyone's favorite book boyfriend! His love language is protective and gift giving in the best way! Nora is adorable and highly relatable. I found myself connecting a lot with her desire to connect and build deep friendships/relationships. There is so much pining and angst and trying to not get caught situations that kept me on the edge of my seat. I was planning to take it slow but I was hooked and finished this in less than 2 days! The levels and amounts of spice were absolutely perfect!!!I will definitely be buying my paperback trophy when it’s out in August! I may even read again because I loved it just that much!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

*review will be posted on IG on 7/23/24*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6552100953

This book was amazing and I devoured this book in just a few sittings! I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

3.5 stars! This was fun, but not my favorite Livy Hart book. I never really got too invested in Sebastian and Nora’s relationship until the end, which was cute. Spice was good, just didn’t connect with the story that much. It also felt at times like there were too many characters to keep track of.

The Great Dating Fake Off by Livy Hart
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 6 August 2024

Nora D'Amato was the epitome of loyalty when it came to her best friend. Need her to play the role of besotted admirer to fend off his overly enthusiastic Italian family? Consider it done. Attend a wedding just to appease the overbearing relatives? No problem. Endure six days at a luxurious resort while witnessing the clash of the bride and groom's families? She'd grab the popcorn and settle in for the show.

However, there was a tiny complication. Nora's crush—someone who occupied her thoughts in ways she'd rather not admit—was also in attendance. Sebastian Rossi was like a temptation she couldn't resist, looking irresistibly delicious, making her pulse race faster than a melting scoop of gelato in a heat wave.

Yet, Sebastian was off-limits... officially, at least. He was here with his pretend date for the wedding, owing Nora big time for keeping an eye on his nonna during his frequent work trips. A week in the Adirondacks seemed like a simple task, especially since Sebastian's lifestyle didn't allow for real relationships. Definitely not with Nora, the charming manager of the local bookstore who occupied his thoughts more than he cared to admit.

In the midst of a wedding battleground, with two families at odds, there was no room for flirting or clandestine rendezvous. Every move was under scrutiny, whether it was during the pickleball tournament, the tense confrontations between patriarchs, or even the unconventional bachelorette party involving bull-riding. Any misstep could unravel everything, risking the exposure of secrets they were sworn to protect.

There's an abundance of reasons to adore this gem. Hart's trademark humour dazzles in this uproarious comedy of mishaps. The chemistry between Nora and Seb practically leaps off the page. And let's talk about the sizzle—those steamy moments are off the charts (thanks to some photo booth antics)! The ensemble cast, comprising two feuding Italian families with their own juicy secrets, is simply stellar!

"The Great Dating Fake-Off" is an absolute riot and I would happily recommend it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, LLC | Entangled: Amara, and the author, Livy Hart, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Nora loves her life in Great River. She's found a stable job at a bookstore, and her manager and best friend, Benji, provides her social life. When Benji needs help dealing with his overbearing family at his sister's wedding, Nora steps up to be his fake girlfriend. What she didn't expect was to run into the hot guy who runs the Boys mentoring club at the same wedding.

Sebastian struggles to live up to his parents' legacy, but his work opening Boys clubs across the country helps him feel like he's making a meaningful impact. When his grandmother needs support, he comes home to help her and takes some time off from his travels. He also agrees to be his best friend Alessia's fake date to her brother's wedding. The problem is that the bride and groom's families have been feuding for generations, promising plenty of drama.

When Nora and Sebastian discover they are both at the wedding fake dating, they can't stop running into each other. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but they must navigate their budding romance amidst the messy family drama.

As the family tensions explode, triggered by Nora and Sebastian's failing attempt to maintain their fake dating ruse, the bride calls off the wedding. The two, along with their friends and family, work together to reunite the bride and groom. Forced to spend more time together, Nora and Sebastian can't deny their true feelings and realize their connection is something special and unique.

Get ready for lots of hilarious family feuds and drama, spicy intimate scenes, and the beautiful found family dynamics that are a hallmark of Livy Hart's romances. While this story isn't your typical fake dating trope, its unique twist and larger cast of characters kept me thoroughly engaged.

Nora and Sebastian find their way to each other, creating the home they both crave and need.

Now, what about Benji's story, Livy? That seems like it would be a fun one to read!

This book publishes on August 6th, and I highly recommend pre-ordering it now!

Thank you to Livy Hart for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.