I really liked this debut book by Ash Kelly. The writing was snappy. There was banter galore. I was drawn to the characters immediately.

I felt like the author took the usual formulas for romcoms and knew what bothered readers and purposefully did something different. Enter exhibit 1... Truth fries!

For a debut book, I thought this was very well done. I've seen some other reviews and know that the author will learn from some of the things mentioned in them and grow as her writing journey continues.

I'm not here to dissect the writing. There was one topic that I felt may have been a focus a little too much. Mentioning the virginity issue once would have been fine for me. I honestly don't think that is a big topic of conversation among girl friends. I understand why the author included it, and I applaud her for it. It may have just been a bit over done.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more in this series.
I sincerely thank the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This was such an incredible debut book. This book was laugh out loud funny, sweet and I could not get enough of the banter, Fraser and Evie were made for each other. I loved Levi's scheming to get them together and the pining on Fraser's part. I can't get over the fact that this is a debut book, Ash is so incredibly talented!

This was a cute, banter filled kissing only fake dating pro hockey player romance. The first in a new series, this works as a standalone and is perfect for fans of Jenny Proctor and Emma St. Clair's Appie's series. I quite enjoyed the small town, found family, brother's best friend trope and look forward to more from this new to me indie author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book is sure fun! I really enjoyed the closed door romance for a change, and the chemistry between the characters.

Overall, "The Fake Out Flex" is a sweet and entertaining read that will leave you turning the pages. Many thanks to the Ash Kelly for providing an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 14th May 2024

Evie is on a streak of relationships ending at the one year mark. Her last break up ended with her becoming a viral meme. She's now been invited to her ex's wedding and her brother has arranged for his best friend to be her date. Nate is her brothers life long bestfriend who used to live next door, and he and evie had a bit of a history. Now they have a fake date, but after the wedding they go to the beach and the thing with being a pro hokey player is paparazzi is everywhere. And they get caught up and become viral. So they decide to ride out the fake dating till the hype dies down so she doesn't get embarrassed again. But they both have secrets that could change everything.

This was the cutest! Swooniest! Funniest book!

It's a closed door romance and I LOVED IT!

There were a few mentions of the 90's (see quotes) that rattled me 😂😂😂 just made me feel old 🤭

But this was such a cute story and not your 'typical' like every other hockey romance.

Definitely need to add it to your tbr.

💙

"I've never heard of this before."
"Apparently it's something people used to do all the time in the dark ages.'
"You mean the '90s?"

"So how would a real man break up with me?"
"A real man would never break up with you in the first place, Evie . A real man would be smart enough to realize what a precious gift it is to be with you. A real man would do whatever he could to keep you happy and safe and would always keep two shovels in his car for any unexpected no-questions-asked moments that might arise."

"because if there's one thing that makes romance readers want to hurl their books or Kindles at the nearest wall, it's the overused, clichéd, third-act breakup due to miscommunication. That has been done to death. Don't be that girl, Evie. You're better than that."

I loved this book! It is a closed door hockey romance. Which is exactly what I wanted to read. And I was not disappointed. The romance was perfectly written and I could not put this book down!

Another great hockey romcom! Brother’s best friend. Childhood friends. Fake dating. Found family. Closed door romance.

This is Ash Kelly’s debut novel, and I’m excited to read more books in this series!

This book has me smiling and giggling throughout the whole time. I love the lead characters in this book. Plus, this book has my favourite romance tropes-
❤️ Pro hockey sports romance
❤️ Fake dating
❤️ Brother's best friend
❤️ High school crush
❤️ He falls first
❤️ Small-town vibe
along with close door romance 😘 it been long time since I read the close door romance books but anyway I was sure somewhere that this book won't disappoint me and it literally kept my expectations ❤️

The plot is well paced, i literally finished it in two sittings. So, you can say i devoured this book. Plus, all the characters were well drafted by the author as all were given sufficient scope to contribute to the plot. Each character was unique and interesting in their own way. I loved and had a good time reading the author's work, so I will be looking forward to the next book too now.

Thank you for the ARC!

I was really excited to read this solely based on the premise but it fell short. By the 38% mark I had to start skimming because this really wasn't for me. I feel like there was too much of an attempt to make the main character (I can't even remember her name) quirky and it came off really annoying. I also hated the fact that occasionally the characters would be speaking directly to readers and that is always a dealbreaker for me in books. I also feel like there was too much miscommunication even in the beginning and that just got me.

I will not be reading it again. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

This was a really cute and fun hockey romance! Evie was so cute and I was rooting for her from the beginning. Theres many fun tropes- fake dating, brother’s best friend, small town vibes, and hockey!

This is a cute hockey romance. I love a brother’s best friend book. I liked the flashbacks to their childhood friendship. I found parts to be cringy especially when the main characters were talking about their virginity. I also didn’t like the way they spoke about disabilities and the need to hide a character for the majority of the book.

I was really excited for this book - it has so many of my favorite tropes - but sadly it did not live up my expectations. It was enjoyable, but the ending, in particular, was disappointing.

Evie needs a date for her ex's wedding. It's already bad enough that their breakup went viral, so she can't show up alone. Enter Fraser, her brother's best friend and her long-time secret crush. When pictures of them spark public interest, they decide to continue dating, but how fake is their relationship when both of them feel sparks?

This book has so many killer tropes:
-Brother's Best Friend
-Childhood Friends to Lovers
-Boy Next Door
-Secret Crush
-It's Always Been You

There was so much cuteness with their banter and the 'fries of truth.' Fraser was so sweet, gifting her flowers even when they weren't together. But this book fell a little flat for me. Her group of friends had no individual personalities; they were just one big blob. And the grand gesture at the end came from so far out of left field that it didn't feel genuine. It took a book that was sitting at 3.5 stars that I was willing to round up to 4 down to a 3.

#Review: *The fake out flex* - ARC - Ash Kelly
4/5✨

This book was the perfect choice to relax a bit. Thank you so much Ash Kelly for accepting my request for this ARC 🤗.

Evie has faced a public humiliation with her ex boyfriend. Now he is getting married and he has invited her to his wedding. Evie couldn't say no to his invitation, so now she is forced to go, to demonstrate she is not bothered about everything that happened between them.

Levi, Evie's brother, made a plan with his best friend, Fraser, to help his little sister. Evie and Fraser should go together at that wedding as fake girlfriend and boyfriend. But things couldn't be that simple and everything gets much more complicated. They need to extend this pact for Evie - she needs to keep her job as a reporter.

Of course, they have a hard time denying their feelings to one another. Especially because both of them are hiding something delicate from their life. They don't know how they will react to their secret. And, on top of this, old feelings from their teenage years are coming back stronger than ever.

I liked that there were touched many sensitive subjects, as insecurities, criticism, rejection, innocence. People may be try to avoid these topics because of how the others could react, so I found it really helpful. I also liked how Fraser treated Evie - he was really sweet, tender and attentive with Evie.

A cute, funny, full of banter, clean book😊.
🤍 Tropes 🤍
▫️#FakeDating;
▫️#FirstLove;
▫️#BrothersBestFriend;
▫️#SportsRomance;
▫️#Athlete;
▫️#Hockey;
▫️#NoSpice;
▫️#DualPov.

The Fake Out Flex is Ash Kelly's debut novel. You would never know this by how well thought out this book is. I absolutely loved Fraser and Evie. And the banter in this book had me laughing out loud several times. I really, really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read Hannah and Culver's story! STRONG 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

The Fake Out Flex follows the story of Evie, a news reporter dumped one year ago on live TV during an allergic reaction to the flowers her ex-boyfriend bought her, and Fraser, a professional hockey player who has been pining away for Evie the last 7 years after leaving without saying goodbye his senior year of high school. Their connection? Evie just happens to be the little sister of Fraser’s best friend.

Fraser agrees to be Evie’s date to her ex-boyfriends wedding, but little do they know, a romantic moment captured between them after the wedding will catapult them into the spotlight and begin the start of their “fake” relationship—or is it fake after all? Evie and Fraser both harbor secrets that they fear will be a deal breaker for any shot at a real relationship. Will the feelings that started seven years ago grow stronger throughout their fake relationship?

This book is great if you like:
-Clean, Wholesome Romance
-Mild swearing (maybe less than 10 words the whole book)
-Fake Dating Trope
-Brother’s Best Friend/Little sister romance
-Flirty/witty banter
-He falls first
-all the 🔥🔥🔥 without the 🌶️🌶️🌶️

New to me author, Ash Kelly, delivers a deliciously clean, satisfying hockey romcom in The Fake out Flex. Evie has been down and out in the love department since her highly publicized breakup. Determined to attend her ex’s wedding for closure, her meddling brother asks his best friend, Fraser, to be her plus one. This is where all the fun tropes come in. Fake relationship, brother’s best friend, unrequited love, and small town feels. Evie and Fraser have both secretly loved each other since high school and now they have an opportunity to officially explore what it feels like to be in a relationship. Add in all the witty banter, mishaps, hockey fun, and family and friends and you have a winner!

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for an early copy. All thoughts are my own.

I’m a huge fan of hockey and a huge fan of the fake dating trope so I knew I’d like this book.

Good things:
I really enjoyed the plot. I thought the characters were likable and fun. The banter between the two main characters was hilarious and the brother meddling was fantastic.

Not so good things:
I didn’t like how they spoke sometimes and what I mean by that is that it seemed somewhat childish for adults. I also felt like maybe the story was too short and needed more happening.

All in all; I did enjoy the book. It was fast pace, cute, and a good time. I laughed out loud so many times. This is a closed door romance. I would recommend this to probably everyone.

Tropes:
-brother’s bestfriend
-fake dating
-high school crush
-he fell first
-closed door
-hockey
-funny banter

3.5 rounded to 4!

This was a cute, closed door, fake dating hockey romcom. It had me giggling multiple times throughout the book. I really enjoyed that the characters had known each other since they were in high school, it really cemented their relationship and chemistry. I’m not the biggest fan of the virgin trope but I felt Ash Kelly did it very well and not too overly done. The family and friends were great and also brought a lot of good banter to the book. I think Ash has set herself a nice little character pool for a series!

Overall, this was a very light, quick paced, funny and at times cheesy romcom.

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be posted to my instagram ahead of publication date.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘩 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘤. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Evie has never been lucky in love. Each of her ex-boyfriends broke up with her shortly before the one-year-mark of their relationship. The last one did so very publicly on live TV and memes of Evie went viral after that. Now Evie needs a date for said ex-boyfriend's wedding and her brother suggests to go with his best friend Fraser. Evie used to have a crush on him years ago and is still not completelyover it. What she doesn't know is that Fraser liked her too but never acted on it. Will those two get a second chance?
I liked reading the book, it has relatable characters and a believable enough storyline. It's funny and written from a dual point of view. The book has no spice at all and seems to be the first part of a series about 5 friends finding love. If that sounds like your kind of book it should be on your TBR.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 When Evie’s latest break-up goes viral (I am so glad that wasn’t a thing when I was dating), her brother takes it upon himself to set her up in a fake-dating trope. Former high school crush turned hockey player, Fraser, is there to save the day as her faux date for her exes’ wedding! Perhaps her love wasn’t so unrequited? Hilariously cute and such a fun read, The Fake Out Flex has it all. I was excited for this book but I had no idea it would just make me so happy. This is genuinely one of the most uplifting and fun books I have read and the writing just pulls you in with such an welcoming invitation, like showing up to your best friend’s house.

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram ahead of the publication date!