Absolutely hysterical, heart-felt, and overall the perfect romcom! Talia does diverse, spicy romance like non-other.

I highly recommend the audiobook as the narration was top notch.

Thank you!

This book was SPICY! This is an earlier work by Talia Hibbert re-released with a new name. Although I'm normally a fan of her books, this one was too heavy on the spice and too light on the relationship, which is one thing I've always loved about her books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a steamy novel! I enjoyed the fake dating troupe and how it shaped the relationship in the book. This was a fun, quick and amusing read.

The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco was alright. It’s certainly not a new fave Talia Hibbert book of mine but I like it okay. The audiobook was well done!

Thank you @dreamscape_media for a copy of this audiobook. This one left me wanting more from the story to character development. I felt all the characters were a bit flat and the supporting characters didn't add much other then that Nik slept with them. The story is full of sex scenes which is good but also felt like that was all to it. There was a scene where they are playing soccer which was fine but Aria was playing in a bathing suit. How uncomfortable is that.

Rooke Kingston and Harvey Fuller did a good job with the narration.

For the most part, this is a light read that’s only heavy on the steam. While there is a content/trigger warning, the many of the elements noted appear only briefly.

Nik is a newly retired athlete trying to decide what is next while Aria is overcoming drama and trauma from a horrific relationship a year prior. Nik falls first, instalove at its finest and Aria is more resistant but eagerly dives into fake dating.

It could have done a bit more—gone deeper into character development, etc—but perhaps it didn’t really need to.

The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco by Talia Hibbert
Re-Release Date: 5/28/24
Format: audio
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I absolutely adore Talia Hibbert and was so giddy to get an advance audiobook of the re-release of The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco in exchange for my honest opinion (thanks @netgalley)! This is a short and steamy romp that made for a fast and fun listen!

It’s always interesting to read a beloved author’s earlier titles (this book was originally published in 2018) because you see elements of what has made you adore an author in a way that isn’t fully formed yet. I felt the same way when I read Merry Inkmas last year by the same author!

The narration on this audiobook was very well done and the spice was fab as it always is with Hibbert! I do wish we had a little more character building, but for only 202 pages it was a delight! Check this out if you want a fast and flirty vaca or beach read for sure!

Talia Hibbert can do no wrong in my eyes!!!! I will read anything she writes. I'm working my way through her catalog in 2024. I genuinely think she's one of the best rom-com writers right now. The way she writes banter between her characters while balancing that out with the romance and sweetness is just IMMACULATE.

Nik an Aria are no exception. I actually think they've had some of the best banter out of Talia's couples so far. I genuinely believed their chemistry even after such a short time as friends. The progression and tension between them was just SO GOOD I LOVE THEM.

This one is utterly delectable and totally bingeable.

When Greek millionaire Nikolas Christou meets British tattoo artist Aria Granger by chance at his mother’s hotel, he’s a goner. He needs to figure out a way to keep her in his life, so he concocts a plan to get to know her. He’ll pay her to fake date him during an upcoming annual trip with friends to Spain. She’ll protect him from unwanted advances while he gets to spend time with her. It’s a win-win in his mind, but Nik has never been in a relationship. And Aria? Well, she’s sworn them off.

He’s a bit of a Golden Retriever. She has a tough exterior but a big, gushy heart.

And their chemistry is 🔥🔥🔥.

At a glance:
- Dual POV
- Retired footballer, who was a total playboy (until he met her)
- Aspiring tattoo artist
- Bi MMC
- Plus-sized FMC
- Fake dating on vacation
- He falls first (and hard)
- Only one bed
- Banter, banter, banter
- So much delicious heat between the two
- Toys 👀

I highly recommend listening to this one on audio, especially to hear the phrases that Nik murmurs to Aria in Greek. Rooke Kingston and Harvey Fuller nail these characters. I loved their accents.

4.75⭐️

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Dreamscape Media. All review opinions are my own.

Author Talia Hibbert has a great way of creating emotionally, diverse characters with a lot of baggage that are totally deserving of a happy ending! In The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco, Aria is a recent survivor of a traumatic event caused by her ex-boyfriend. She’s not interested in dating or men at this time.

Coincidentally, former professional footballer, Nik meet her at this time and falls hard! With no chance in sight of a date or way to get to know each other better, he comes up with the plan to his fake girlfriend ladies at bay…

This book was filled with lots of spicy chemistry and attraction as these two move there and do something with real substance! I love how you can always find such great diverse characters, both racially and sexually in Hibbert’s writing. Full of sex positivity and true affection!

The narration by Rooke Kingston & Harvey Fuller creates a great balance between the two characters. I really enjoyed their nuanced representation of both Nik and Aria. This was an easy listening experience and I really enjoyed it.

3.5 rounded up

Another fun, SPICY AF, dual POV, fake dating, vacation romance between a tattoo artist and a pro soccer player. There was great chemistry between the two BIPOC leads, lots of sex positivity and plus size rep. I loved the audio narration by Rooke Kingston and Harvey Fuller. While this was the third book in the Midnight Heat series it definitely can be read as a standalone and is perfect for fans of authors like Tessa Bailey. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I feel silly discovering this book as late as I have.
Which makes me so grateful to netgalley for approving this title.
OMGGGGG this book is written in my exact font.

Plus size baddie, that can dress to the nines. I need more glam plus size baddies in romance by the way. Fake dates a famous footballer and the chemistry is so real and so hot, that my headphones melted as I listened.

I love that each and every obstacle gets solved and everything ends in the best HEA. Not to mention the beautiful epilogue.
I love love the queer rep and the surrounding characters. This book is perfection! I am obsessed.

Narrators were amazing too!

Oh how I love the fake boyfriend fiasco!!!!
The book opens with her ex husband being a psycho, and well I was hooked from there. She’s down for anything a real fun party girl who is also a tattoo artist ! He’s a bad boy who is so good just for her, they both have the best banter and the jealousy top tier.
There is a romcom little mishap towards the end of the book that makes you believe that this is over, but this is just where she is able to finally confess to him what has happened to her in the past. though I wish there was much more talk about what had actually occurred to her in her other marriage a little more detail a little more thrill in that area. I absolutely love this book. I love the aspect. I love the romance. I love the banter. I love the friendships within the book and I highly recommend this Audiobook!
Thank you NetGalley for approving me to read this book. It was so much fun.

Read if you like:
🌶️ Spicy Reads
💕 Lighter Hearted Reads
🏳️‍🌈 Bisexual Rep

Talia’s writing is so juicy and freaking enjoyable! This story is generally fun, breezy and hilarious but there are some heavier moments in the beginning and towards the end of the story.

I really loved the Greek bisexual MMC Nik, who has never fallen in love, but he falls hard. And this definitely makes it a quick romance with no real slow burn in their romance.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ALC in exchange for my feedback!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A quick and fun read

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Fake dating
He falls first
Quick reads
Golden retriever MMC
Grumpy / sunshine
Retired football player
Dual POV
Only one bed
Romantic comedies

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Diverse characters
The epilogue was so fun

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
It didn’t really feel the chemistry between them
Third act conflict

I really enjoyed the narration, I thought it was really well done

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a free advanced listener’s copy. I received this copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was just plain fun. I can always rely on Talia Hibbert to give me a quick, indulgent romance with a bit of genre-expected drama at the end that resolves quickly. (This is a compliment always, I hate when fights drag on after they’ve been happy together for what feels like most of the book. Sorry, I’m just allergic to angst.)

It’s nothing crazy nor genre bending but reliably sexy, with characters that have believable chemistry, and a plus sized main lead minus any fatphobia, internalized or otherwise. What more can you ask for?

Oh my gosh, "The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco" by Talia Hibbert is a total blast! Hibbert nails the spicy romance with a fake dating plot that’s seriously sizzling. Nik and Aria have incredible chemistry in this laugh-out-loud scenario that makes you root for them hard.

However, the male narrator's attempt at accents was a bit cringe-worthy. Despite that, the story itself is a page-turner, perfect for diving into a fun, flirty adventure. Talia Hibbert really knows how to set the mood for a delightful rom-com experience!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Hibbert is a genius and has probably ruined me for all other spicy romance. Every book I read or listen to from her gets better.
The characters are rich and multifaceted. The spice is exquisite and creative. Important substantial topics are included without being overwhelming or burdensome to the lighthearted nature of the book.

Plot - 4
Writing and Editing - 5
Character Development - 5
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 5
Final Score - 4.8

Thank you Talia Hibbert, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

Talia Hibbert never misses - I haven't read a single book by her that I didn't love the plot of.

The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco was a fun, spicy romance read, with so many of my favourite tropes. We have fake dating, a former professional footballer, PINING. Argh just so many great elements! And if there's one thing Talia is good, it's writing a hero who is OBSESSED with the heroine - and Nik was so exception to this. This man is out here doing anything he can to spend time with Aria. I love it.

What fell flat for me was the narration - I think perhaps there could have been a better choice for the narrators. The female narrator was fine, but the male narrator put on a strange accent every time he did the dialogue for Nik, and it was just quite off putting. I didn't account this element into my rating - my rating based predominately off plot, however if I were to take this into account, it would probably be more like a 2.75 or 3 star listen for me.

Dnf the audio @ 11% - the male narrator has a lovely British accent that goes smarmy sounding Greek a-hole when he delivers dialogue. Is the MMC Greek? It was hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure he was meant to be a retired British footballer... so that was confusing. I'd heard and read good things about this one, so I'll probably just pick up the physical copy to read at a later date, so this is in no way a reflection of the actual book, but purely a complaint with the narration. Talia's men are hunky, and I was just not feeling this male narrator's performance.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for early access to this one!