What an adorable and delightful Rom com!

I’m naughty and couldn’t stay on task with my read along with Entangled Publishing Insiders. I smashed through it!

Picture it: a Romeo and Juliet like feud but without the death and they are meddling loud Italians.

Nora, manages a bookstore, been uprooted most of her early life dragged around by her mother chasing men. Meets a man by chance, feels a spark and he disappears out the door. Nora then inserts herself in her bestie Benji’s family drama In order to save him and ends up his “fake” girlfriend for his sisters wedding.

Sebastian, sets up Boys and Girls clubs all around the U.S., has ties in Great River never sets down roots, meets a hottie in a bookstore but alas he’ll be leaving soon. Decides to help his bestie, Alessia, by being her fake boyfriend to her brother’s wedding.

What could go wrong?

If you love:
🎭 Italian family drama
💞 Friends to Lovers
🌶️ Hot creative Spicy scenes
👵🏻 Nonna’s
👰🏻‍♀️🤵🏻‍♂️Weddings
🦎Bearded Dragons named Tarin

Run out and grab this book NOW! It’s on shelf’s! It’s AMAZING!

Thank you For this fun read along opportunity!

Nora grew up like a gypsy, moving from town to town with her mother chasing one man after another. As an adult, she is now settled with roots and works as a manager in a bookstore owned by her best friend, Benji.

Sebastian's job is to help open Boys and Girls Clubs across the country, but he has returned to his hometown for a year off to help his grandmother with home repairs. The son of two highly successful people, Sebastian seeks to make as much of an impact as his do-gooder parents. Being back in his hometown hasn't been bad, as he gets to meet the cute bookstore manager, and spend time with his best friend, Alessia.

Presented with an opportunity to help their best friends, both Nora and Sebastian decide to spent a week at the wedding of Benji's sister and Alessia's brother as their pretend dates. With families that despise one another, the week is surely going to be dramatic.

This book was a spectacle, but in a good way. There was so much drama between the two Italian families that it was almost hard to know where to look. Fake dating is always a win for me, but having two couples fake dating to keep their parents off their case, was amazing. This was such a good book!!

4 out of 5 stars.

Livy has done it again! This is such a fun romcom with great twists on the fake dating trope. Imagine it: two rival Italian families meet for a wedding. The bride is known for nagging her brother to get hitched, so he and his best friend, Nora D'Amato, decide to fake date. The sister of the groom isn't ready to come out to her family, so she and her best friend, Sebastian Rossi, decide to fake date. Except, uhoh, sparks fly between Sebastian and Nora. Now they have to maintain the pretense that they are dating people they couldn't be less interested in to save their friends.

I laughed. I gasped. I got emotional. It was steamy and sweet and funny in turn. This is a must-read!

Thank you for the publisher for the advanced copy.

I adored this book so much I immediately went out and bought myself a shelf copy so I can reread it.

Livy Hart takes fake dating and flips it on it's head while adding forbidden romance in the most unique set up of fake dating I've ever read.

Nora & Sebastian are friends to the siblings of the couple that are getting married. Their friends desperately need to keep their personal lives private from their extended families at the Big Fat Italian Wedding that's taking place.

So what do Nora & Sebastian do? Nora pretends to be Benji's date and Sebastian pretends to be Alessia's date even though Nora & Sebastian only just met and were immediately crushing.

How to solve this dilemma? By fighting feelings and avoiding each other as much as possible, an impossible task when they are constantly thrust together and their chemistry is just off the charts. It's sad and funny and a little heartbreaking that these obviously perfect for each other people have to hold back.

The tension in this book is insane. These two are falling hard and fast and trying so hard to not let the facade fall and ruin the guise for their friends. All their stolen moments left me blushing and giggling and I was cheering them on every time they stole away some privacy.

If you're looking for an incredible forbidden romance where she falls first but he falls harder, it's this one. READ IT.

Thank you so much to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Fake dating has become one of my new favorite romance tropes and The Great Dating Fake Off gives you multiple fake dating relationships to love. Messy family drama, a lot of talk about books and food, and character you can't help to root for; I really enjoyed my first Livy Hart novel, The Great Dating Fake Off.

Thank you Entangled Publishing for the gifted ARC.

This book was so good. I loved the premise of the story. This is one of my favorite authors so I was super excited to get to read this early.

I like how they both tried their best to help their best friends with their families. This had me giggling like a school girl and gave me ideas. I wasn’t expecting the spice that was in this book but it made it all the better. The ending was good when they realized how much they felt for each other.

This light-hearted rom-com was just that! I really enjoyed the ease of reading this - it wasn't too heavy, but it wasn't flimsy or fluffy either.

The story follows Nora and Sebastian as they meet - and then immediately jump into fake dating their respective best friends. I love that the author didn't string the reader along with miscommunication for the sake of it, I love that although there was a bit of "insta-love" - you really see it and understand WHY these two fall in love with each other.

As an Italian, I love that my culture was not made into a farce (as usually happens when it is used as part of a plot). I'm taking off half a star for the one "Sopranos" joke - but otherwise, the author was mostly culturally accurate and respectful.

Giving this a 4-star rating for the rom-com category - this book was funny, sweet and would be a great light hearted read for anyone who wants something easy and stress free.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Entangled for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

Livy Hart writes such fun rom-coms. In this one, Nora agrees to fake date her best friend, so that he doesn't have to go to his sister's wedding alone. And Sebastian agrees to fake date his best friend, so that she doesn't have to talk about her girlfriend with her extended family at her brother's wedding. As you could guess, it's the same wedding. And if all the fake relationships weren't enough drama, the bride and groom's family have a feud that dates back generations.

The families are intense. The wedding parties and activities are hilarious. The venue sounds fabulous with lovely scenery. And the chemistry is steaming.

This was lovely and funny and head me rooting not only for Nora and Sebastian, but equally for their fake dates and for the bride and groom.

4.5 stars rounded up

The Great Dating Fake Off

"I don't need an impressive display, Sebastian. I don't need an audience. What I need is you, exactly as you are, right now."

Oh my heart, I adore Sebastian and Nora! Sebastian and Nora show up to a week-long Italian wedding fake dating other people, but their attraction to each other is hard to deny amid the ruse. This was an absolutely delightful romcom full of misadventures, family antics and overall fun, while balancing the truth of finding your home - and that it isn't always a place.

I highly recommend this one, especially if you're looking for:
- Fake Dating (but not each other)
- big Italian family antics, including feuds
- Hilarious, nosy grandma antics
- Forced proximity

The Great Dating Fake Off is on shelves now and you do not want to miss it! Thank you to Entangled for this ARC! My opinions are my own.

For some time I'm planning to read Livy Hart's book, and this was a perfect chance to get to know her work. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
This story offers a unique take on the fake dating trope, one of my favorites. Sebastian and Nora fake date other people as plus ones for a week-long wedding event, but their undeniable chemistry makes it hard to keep up the charade. Their emotional and physical connection is intense, leading to some heartfelt moments. The secondary characters, Benji and Alessia, added depth to the story and made it even more enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the eARC

Thanks to @netgalley and @entangled_publishing for a #gifted copy of this book.

"I'm not going to tell you to go for it with him, but I will say some people wait their whole lives to meet someone worth agonizing over and never get the chance. You're going to miss him either way when he goes why not at least give it a shot? It's not a perfect plan, but it's a start. Otherwise, what was all this misery for?"

Summary: Nora will do almost anything for her best friend Benji, including being his fake date for his sister's wedding so that his family will get off his back for not settling down. She is so excited to be a part of this crazy Italian week-long wedding until she discovers the guy she likes is also at the wedding with a fake date of his own. Can they survive the week and keep their feelings at bay among the feuding families and watchful eyes?

Dani's Thoughts: This was my first Livy Hart book but it certainly will not be my last. I LOVED this book! The fact that Nora and Sebastian were fake dates for their friends was such a funny premise. They were a ticking time bomb of chemistry and the best banter. Nora might have fallen first, but Sebastian fell hard for her and was so protective. Sebastian had a lot to overcome within where he thought he had to be in life to finally be in a place to let himself love and be loved by Nora. I loved the friend group within this story and would have loved to have more of them all together. Do not miss this one!!

Read if you love:
💕Fake Dating (Sort of)
💕Found Family
🔥Forced Proximity
💕Family Drama
💕Bookish FMC x Protective MMC
2️⃣Dual POV

Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled and Amara for my complimentary eARC of The Great Dating Fake Off. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Great Dating Fake Off contains not one, but two fake dating scenarios. They are both enjoyable and when the inevitable “real feelings” hit, the book takes off. We follow Nora and Sebastian right through the open door. Get ready for some steam

My only complaint is the amount of characters in the story. Granted it is about combining 2 big Italian families and all the trials and tribulations that come with it, but I found myself getting confused as to who everyone was. Things straightened out for me towards the end.

This is an enjoyable romcom perfect for your end of summer reading.

A really fun (and SPICY) fake dating insta-love type romance that has two people who are both in fake relationships for a week-long big Italian wedding between two feuding families falling for one another. There's soooo much family drama in this book but it was hilarious!

The chemistry between Nora and Sebastian was top notch and Livy Hart definitely delivered on both the humor, heart and HEAT! Good on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Jessica Joyce. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

3 ⭐ 2 🌶 4 🎧

I'm so sad... I love Livy, but I just never connected with these characters... I really loved the premise, two sets of fake daters end up at a wedding is really unique and for the most part I enjoyed the story. It's worth a read if you love Livy or instalove rom coms.

The audio was great and well done. James Cavenaugh and Zura Johnson did fantastic jobs and Tantor, as always, nailed the production. Definitely recommend listening.

Romantic comedy with steam and passion
This was a fun light-hearted but angsty book. It also had three couples in love: Nora and Sebastian, our main couple; Alessia and Eloise; and Ro and Enzo. The comedy surrounds the marriage of Ro and Enzo whose Italian families have fought one another for generations. They met by chance; continued meeting secretly and fell in love. Their week-long wedding celebration brings out the best in Nora and Sebastian but the worst in the Ferraros and Mazzellis. Actually, the part about Nora and Sebastian being at the wedding in itself is funny. They are not a couple until the mishap of the wedding. Their back stories explain so much about them. Somewhat typical boy meets girl, boy falls immediately for girl, boy must give girl up, boy realizes that he cannot live without her but it is charming, witty, fun as in a comedy of errors! Chapter 33 is heartbreaking. As good and busy as this plot was, there were times when it dragged. Maybe it was just me. It had a wonderful ending. I do plan to read more by this author. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through Entangled and NetGalley.

I always enjoy Livy Hart's books and this one was enjoyable too. I liked how Nora & Sebastian met at the bookstore and their chemistry was good. They couldn't stay away from each other and I could feel the attraction but I think the insta-love was what let me down. Also, since the beginning itself, so many side characters were introduced left and right and it was really difficult to keep track of them especially because they were from two different families. So the beginning was very chaotic. Perhaps if the character introduction was slow and brief, I would've liked the book more. Because figuring out the dynamics between all of them was hard and I feel like it overshadowed the romance tbh.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

The Great Dating Fake-Off had its moments, but overall, it was a mixed experience for me. It took a bit longer than expected to really get into the story, and with so many characters, I found myself struggling to keep track of everyone. This made it hard to fully connect with the main plot and the romance.

The central relationship had some cute moments, but it didn’t completely draw me in. While I appreciated the banter and some of the more lighthearted scenes, the chemistry between the leads felt a bit underdeveloped. I was hoping for more depth and emotional connection.

That said, Livy Hart’s writing style is engaging, with witty dialogue and some charming scenes that kept me invested. While this book didn’t fully resonate with me, I’m still interested in exploring more of her work in the future.

The Great Dating Fake Off was fun, flirty, and full of familial fireworks. When Nora agrees to be her best friend's fake girlfriend for a wedding week, she doesn't expect to bump into Sebastian, a man she previously met and had sparks with. Sebastian is also faking a relationship to survive the week. The wedding they are both attending are with two rival Italian families and it's just as over the top as you'd expect. I enjoyed that the fake dating concept was not about the two in the same fake relationship. The family relationships were exhausting at times, but felt realistic for a big family. The two MCs had a lot of chemistry and it was easy to fall in love with them as a couple.

Livy Hart takes a popular rom-com trope and turns it upside down in the most delightful way in this story about two fake wedding dates who fall in love with each other instead of the friends they arrived with.

When Nora overhears her best friend's family giving him a hard time about attending his sister's wedding alone, she eagerly rushes in to help him. She introduces herself as his girlfriend and convinces him to let her attend the wedding as his fake date so that he can spend quality time with his grandfather without his mom and sister meddling in his private life. He begrudingly agrees and off they go to spend a week at a luxury resort in the Adirondacks. The only problem? Nora's mysterious bookstore crush is attending the wedding, too, as someone else's date.

Sebastian did not volunteer to be his best friend's fake date, but when she and her girlfriend told him that they were not ready to come out to her entire extended family and steal the spotlight from her brother's wedding, he agreed to pose as her boyfriend. He did not expect to run into the beautiful bespectacled bookseller that he couldn't stop thinking about in the middle of the Adirondacks. Pursuing his interest in Nora would require both of them to abandon their friends, so they agree that, at least for this week, they'll stay away from each other.

Except they can't. Livy Hart does an amazing job of developing Nora and Sebastian's chemistry through every interaction, and the tension between them slowly builds until it becomes unsustainable... and has disastrous results for their friends. This book has everything you want in a rom-com: absurd predicaments, delicious romantic tension, tight-knit friendships, and spicy scenes that make enduring the slow burn worth it.

I also love that you can feel how important the stakes and challenges are to the characters, which helps you buy into their dilemma. You're able to understand both why Sebastian's job is so important to him and why Nora won't allow herself to follow him when he leaves town.

This book is perfect for fans of big, fat, dramatic family weddings, forbidden love, forced proximity, and seeing the familiar tropes played out in a refreshing way. Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC copy for me to review.