The (Fake) Dating Game
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Average rating3.5
Ready. Set. Faux.
Holden James picked the worst time to have a meltdown. His chance to audition for his favorite game show, Madcap Market, should have been a moment of triumph—a glorious, loving homage to his adored mom, who died six years ago. Instead, he’s destroying the minibar in a grim Los Angeles hotel room…recently dumped, partnerless and sliding into misery.
But at least the hotel service is sublime. It even comes with an unfairly fit and sexy (smart-ass) concierge who arrives at the door with pizza, Monopoly and deliciously distracting forearms.
All Holden knows about Leo Min is that he’s beautiful and unexpectedly sympathetic, and the chemistry between them is beyond. Maybe it’s even enough to convince everyone, including the show’s casting directors, that they’re a real couple. All they’d have to do is crush the competition, win the huge cash prize and all of Holden’s problems—his broken heart, his buried grief, his complete lack of money and direction—will be fixed.
Of course, reality doesn’t quite work out that way. But love is an entirely different game…
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Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!
I enjoyed this book quite a bit more than I expected after the first initial chapters! The book felt quite shallow at the beginning, and some of the writing I found to be awkward at times, but after a while it definitely grew on me and became more charming than grating. The chemistry between the two characters didn't really show at first, and I wasn't a big fan of Leo at first, but their relationship grew to be so genuine and heartwarming, especially from the midpoint onwards. Having protagonists who actually communicated and grew together whilst supporting and uplifting one another was lovely, and it was great to see each of them take initiative towards their own goals rather than solely depend on one another.
I think the writing style wasn't completely for me, but the narrator did a great job at telling the story in a way I found enjoyable, and it definitely added to the charm of the book. At times, if I had been reading this as a paperback, I would have enjoyed significntly less without the actor's voice narrating the story.
Overall, I had a good time with this one! Contemporary isn't always my jam, but the premise was unique and the characters really sold this to me.
