Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
on September 30, 2025
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Love & Romance, Juvenile Fiction / Sports & Recreation / General, Young Adult Fiction / General, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Young Adult Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Winter Sports
Pages: 448
Format: ARC
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Growing up, Dani couldn’t help but follow around the adorable son of her mom’s best friend. Funny, kind of nerdy, and a little soft, Alec was always down to hang with Dani when they were little. From play dates on the playground to sneaking into movie theaters, Dani and Alec were inseparable. Until Dani moved away. Alec promised they’d stay in touch, except, they didn’t. Flash forward and Dani is back in Minnesota for her senior year, she and her mom living with her grandfather. Dealing with the fallout of her parents’ devastating divorce, Dani wouldn’t mind a nerd-out with the cozy and comforting Alec (and maybe a chance to confront him on his MIA status for all these years). But teenage Alec is nothing like the kid Dani remembers. He’s a hockey star in a town where hockey players are worshiped as gods. Dani’s place as his shadow has been taken up by drooling female fans…and he loves it. Dani is resolved to ice out her former best friend until an unlikely series of events brings them together, and forces them to fake being a couple. Once forced together, the former childhood sweethearts begin to reconnect, unearth complicated family secrets, and face their true feelings towards each other…including the real reason Alec has been pushing Dani away all these years.

I love things all Lynn Painter! Now she comes out with fake dating and hockey romance! DOUBLE LOVE! This was so cute and honestly really hard to stop reading. This was a sweet, fun YA romance with a cozy setting, a strong female lead, and a heartwarming love story. Once it hit its stride, I was hooked Dani and Alec’s dynamic gave me exactly the swoony, childhood sweethearts to fake dating to real feelings vibe I wanted. I really tried to view it through the eyes of a high schooler, because it felt a little too young for my late-30s self. But I would have loved this as a teenager. I know it would have been a favorite I reread often. I loved the setting, and the supporting characters were great. The miscommunication trope is always frustrating, but it felt fitting, seventeen-year-olds are notoriously terrible communicators.

I rated this novel four stars. It was so close to five stars, but I did have to knock it down one star due to (what I believe) is lack of research with hockey. I’m a big hockey fan and live in the Midwest. So this book was going to hit home for me, and it did, but there were a lot of hockey rules that she seemed to break in this book which made it lose the reality of this. Other than that, great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Publishing for allowing us the advanced reader copy of this hockey romance.