This is my second Talia Hibbert book every and I loved it! I am so excited to deep dive into all her work via audiobook because it's such a wonderful experience. Sexy, funny and highly entertaining. Everything I need!

"The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco" is exactly what it sounds like. Millionaire playboy Nik sees Aria and it is love at first sight. Aria, however, has no time or desire for romance. Nik hatches a plan to get Aria to fake date him and chaos ensues.

I am a fan of Talia Hibbert's work but this book did not resonate with me quite the way her other work has. I did enjoy that there were several positives including a diverse cast of characters and LBGTQ+ representation. Sometimes the execution felt a little clunky within the storyline though.
The narrators were able to bring this story to life in a compelling way as well.

Thank you NetGalley, Talia Hibbert, and Dreamscape Media for gifting me this ALC.

I re-read this with my ears after receiving an audio ARC and I think my impression of the book is mostly the same from when I read it a year ago. I'm happy to have read it because I really wanted to get to all of Talia Hibbert's back catalogue. I might not have re-read it if not for getting the audio ARC but the audio was pretty well done and it was still a fun and steamy read with very endearing characters, humour and just enough depth.

Original review from June 2023:

Rounding up to 4
Moving through my Talia Hibbert back catalogue. This is a notable improvement in polish compared to the other books in this series. Also I love a fake dating, forced proximity situation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC

I've read one book by Talia Hibbert earlier and knew she could write spice, but damn, this was spicy. I love how Talia writes her characters and the chemistry between them. This is totally he falls first and he falls hard. Our fmc has emotional scars and is scared to get involved with someone. The way our mmc treats her and constantly cares for her are so adorable. He does everything he can to ensure her safety and comfort and I loved it. Their relationship evolves from fake to real in a such a beautiful way. It was a lovely romance and I highly, highly recommend it. In addition I just love the representation in her novels! I'm all for diversity.

I absolutely loved "The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco"! The fake dating trope is one of my favorites and Talia Hibbert did a great job executing it. I was hooked on this story from beginning to end, and I will definitely read more of her work.

Regarding the audiobook, the narration seemed painfully slow. I sped it up to 2x speed at first, but it was still on the slower side so I listened to the rest of the book at 3x speed. It was also rough for me to understand some things due to the English accent, but overall I thought the narrator did a great job.

I loved that there were two narrators for Aria and Nik's dual POV, this definitely brought the characters to life and made it easier for me to visualize the story as I listened. I suffer from ADHD and have a difficult time paying attention when listening to audiobooks unless they're super engaging, but this audiobook kept me very engaged in the story from beginning to end.

Overall, I think this was a great audiobook and it did a good job of bringing this story and the characters to life!

Thank you to Netgalley & Dreamscape media for this audiobook! I’m a big fan of Talia Hibbert and loved going back to listen to her previous work.

This was a short, sweet, and sexy audiobook that was a great little pick me up. I loved how strong Ari was after going through what she did. Nik was an interesting character who I felt was harder to connect with given his job as a soccer player but was genuinely a kind man.

Unfortunately for me, the narrator of Nik wasn’t the best. I was confused if he was meant to be British or Greek. It went in and out. I loved Ari’s narration and character as a whole with her dry humor and black female empowerment.

Overall it was a fun time to listen to this one! You get to come along with Ari as she fake girlfriends her way through a week long house party with a hot soccer player. Full of tension, smart one liners, and plenty of spice!!!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me. If you enjoy rabid insta-lust from the MMC, mentions of traumatic pasts which are glossed over and never addressed, and an extremely fast blink-and-you'll-miss-it story, then this one might be for you!
As a lover of Hibbert's Brown Sisters trilogy, this didn't meet my expectations. I do know it was written before those, but still, I was disappointed.
I appreciated the different representation portrayed in both MCs, but there wasn't exactly anything groundbreaking.
And honestly, the reason this is getting the full two stars is all down to the audio. I thought the female narrator was really good; though sometimes sounded older than I thought Aria was supposed to be which occasionally took me out of the story. The male narrator was fantastic, swapping between accents effortlessly and making Nik sound incredibly sexy. They both did a great job, and if you want to try this story out, I highly recommend the audio as the way to do it.

This struck me as super cute! The ending was adorable, his himbo energy was adorable, her fiercely loving self was super relatable to me, and the sexy scenes had me dang near sweating lol

I just could not get into this audiobook. The plot didn't really grab me and I found that I was quite bored with the characters and the "dilemma" of the MMC needing a "date".
Maybe fake dating tropes just aren't my thing??
DNF at 17%

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Aria is the perfect protagonist. I adored her fierce nature and her confidence. Her chemistry with Nick was there right from the beginning and made me fly through the story. This is definitely a must-read if you enjoy a good romance with two likeable main characters, and should be on your summer TBR.

He falls first? Fake dating? Just the right amount of heat? Curvy girl rep? Sign me UP. This didn't feel like a Talia Hibbert read but I still had a ton of fun with it.

A HOT NEW BOMBSHELL ENTERS THE VILLA, AND TICKS ALL MY BOXES ;)

-HE FALLS FIRST
-LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT (nice way of saying insta love)
-BI REP
- NEURODIVERGENT MMC
-FAKE DATING (DUH)
-CURVY & CONFIDENT FMC
-SPANISH VILLA HOLIDAY
-MILLIONAIRE FOOTBALLER MMC
-TOO MANY "AGAPE MOU"S TO COUNT
-UNFILTERED & UNINHIBITED SPICY SCENES

Not my favorite story, but per usual Talia knocks my socks off!!

thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the audiobook galley in exchange for an honest review

(3.5 stars)

Typically when I review an audioboook I create a static graphic. But this one had me itching to record a video about it. I also am USUALLY not the biggest fan of the "insta love" trope. Howver, when Talia Hibbert writes it I am apparently a fan. This book was sweet and spicy all at the same time. Being able to hear both perspectives was such an amazing touch because you truly get to see how much they love each other. I can't wait to read more by Talia and what she does in the future. I hope I get to read future arc by her and her team. A beautiful love story done amazingly.

This book is all spice and not much else.
This is a fake dating plot on holiday.

There was a third act breakfast which seemed completely unnecessary to me and the fmc was annoying at times too.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the advance listening copy!

This being my first alc, and it being a “spicy”/ “steamy” book did have me looking over my shoulder to see if any heard the sounds leaking from my headphones!

This was a solid romance, and a fun read (listen?)! This being the third Talia Hibbert book I’ve read I can definitely say I’m a fan of her writing!

There were definitely some parts of the story that I did find myself cringing at, but I just chocked it up to me not understanding British humor.

I wish this did delve more into the fake relationship aspect because once the horniness took off there was no looking back until close to the end of the book with the revelations, and confessions.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐎
𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚒𝚍𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 #𝟹
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

🎧 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗮 #netgalley
⏳ 07𝗛 50𝗠
🎙️ Rooke Kingston & Harvey Fuller

🤎𝙵𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐
🤎𝙲𝚞𝚛𝚟𝚢 𝙳𝚒𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚎 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚎
🤎𝙷𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝/𝙾𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘
🤎𝙱𝙸𝙿𝙾𝙲 𝙼𝙲𝚌
🤎𝚂𝚎𝚡 𝙿𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝙵𝙼𝙲
🤎𝙱𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝙼𝙼𝙲

❝ ᴀ ꜰᴀᴍᴏᴜꜱ ꜰᴏᴏᴛʙᴀʟʟᴇʀ ᴍᴇᴛ ᴀ ᴘʟᴜꜱ-ꜱɪᴢᴇᴅ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ꜰᴇʟʟ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴀᴛ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ꜱɪɢʜᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪꜱ, ꜱʜᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ꜱᴡᴏʀɴ ᴏꜰꜰ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴇꜰɪɴɪᴛᴇʟʏ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴀ ʀɪᴄʜ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀ. ꜱᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ? ʜɪʀᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʜɪꜱ ꜰᴀᴋᴇ ɢɪʀʟꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʜᴇʀ ꜰᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ, ᴇᴀꜱʏ, ʀɪɢʜᴛ…? ❝

I love Talia Hibbert’s work, if you’re looking for a diverse and plus-size character representation, look no further because she has it all. This was pretty much an insta-love, everything basically went down in a week, Nik fell fast and hard and Aria couldn’t help but fall for him too. And she delivered some smoking hot smuts in here involving lots of toys🔥

Of course, their fake dating turns into real feeling very quickly, but just when they’re ready to take the next step the revelation happens. And this is the part that I have some issues with, I don’t understand why Aria was mad. I mean she can be a little upset, but no, she went all ballistic like he just murdered her puppy, it was wild. Fortunately, she wasn’t mad for too long and Nik doesn’t have to grovel too hard (I don’t think he needs to do more than an apology anyway🤷‍♀️). I love the epilogue! I’m a fan of time-jump epilogues that show their future, such a delight.

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧
Keep in mind that the story was told from a third POV, and this is a dual-narrator audiobook. This was a quick listen, and I had a good time listening to it. I think both narrators have done a great job portraying their respective characters, well done.

✨ 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 DREAMSCAPE MEDIA 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝙸'𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 ✨

I liked this, but it just didn't feel like Talia Hibbert. I found myself wanting to skip ahead and wanting more from the story overall. I love Talia Hibbert, but this one just wasn't my speed.

This one is a short cute romance with an interesting backstory. I loved the chemistry between the protagonists and would definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for a short captivating romance.
I loved listening to the audiobook, the female narrator is the best narrator I ever listened to and made me want to listen to more audiobooks (and I’m not an audiobook person!)

Talia Hibbert is truly a master of steamy, diverse romances that are just pure delight! The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco is a perfect sexy summer read featuring hot himbo (bisexual!) ex-footballer Nik and sexy and snarky tattoo artist Aria. When a chance encounter between the two results in a mind blowing kiss, Nik can’t stop thinking of how to get Aria to spend more time with him. He concocts a ridiculous scheme and hires her as his fake girlfriend for a weeklong vacation in Marbella with his football friends, where fake feelings and very real desire quickly deepen into something more.

This is a fluffy and seriously sexy read. There are some heavy themes around Aria’s trauma from a stalker who used her to get at her best friend, but I think one of the weaknesses of the book is the uneven way that her trauma is portrayed: it’s a light and fluffy instalove story with a incongruously heavy backstory. That being said, this would be an excellent book to read by the pool or on the beach—3.75 stars rounded up!

This was a fun romance - Talia Hibbert is the queen of spicy and diverse romances and this book is no different. However, there were some aspects of the story that really didn’t work for me.

I really liked both of our main characters, and I feel that Hibbert dove into their personalities enough to make their chemistry and story simultaneously entertaining and believable. The Spanish setting was summery and fun, and I did enjoy the general plot.

However, I was a little put off by the cascade of periphery characters in this story - there were so many of them and I feel that rather than adding to the story, they just confused me. My biggest issue lies in the backstory of the FMC, which I understand was written to be a traumatic event, but honestly just seemed ridiculous. Personally, I feel that if you’re going to include subject matter as serious as kidnapping and attempted murder, it has to be taken seriously and not glossed over as it was in this book.

Overall this was a (mostly) fun and summery romance that I enjoyed reading as an audiobook. I’d recommend it to romance readers, although it wasn’t a favourite of mine. 2.5/5