The Best Fake Dating + Fake Relationship Books

by Katherine Center

Hannah may look like a kindergarten teacher who could only wrangle young children, but she's more dangerous than she seems. Her excellent skills as an Executive Protection Agent (aka bodyguard) just earned her a job protecting a superstar actor, Jack. He has some unlikely enemies - like a middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker and a brother who seems to hate him.

When Jack has to return to the family ranch in Texas during his mom's cancer treatment, he doesn't want her to find out about the stalker. This means she can't know he needs a bodyguard to be safe. What could go wrong when Hannah has to pretend to be his girlfriend in front of his whole family?

The Book Girls Say…This book is a bit lighter than Katherine Center's other novels because she wrote it as an escape for herself during the pandemic.

by Ali Hazelwood

This highly-rated steamy rom-com covers two popular tropes in one story - fake dating plus grumpy meets sunshine!
Ph.D. candidate Olive doesn't believe in long-term relationships, but her best friend, Anh, is driving her crazy trying to change her mind. In a desperate attempt to satisfy Anh, Olive kisses the first man she sees to show that she is dating and trying to find love.

Professor Adam Carlsen is known for being a tyrant in the lab, and unfortunately, he was the lucky recipient of her impulsive kiss. Olive is shocked when Dr. Carlsen agrees to go along with her fake boyfriend's charade.

When her career is put at risk after a fiasco at a science conference, Adam's response to her big disaster begins to change everything for Olive.

by Alexis Hall

Bitter Luc O'Donnell has excess emotional baggage after growing up in the shadow of a distant B-list celeb father and eccentric mom.

When Luc's job at a charity is endangered after incriminating photos of him are posted online, he has to re-make his image from party boy to "the right kind of gay" by convincing everyone he has a stable boyfriend. He knows he's not ready for a real relationship, but could he sustain a fake relationship long enough to get through a fundraiser?

The Book Girls Say... Boyfriend Material is also on our list of Books for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue, which features several other great LGBTQ+ fake dating books.

by Mia Sosa

Dean was on track for a picture-perfect future - get married, start a family, make partner. But a stranger overhears Ella, Dean’s bride-to-be, admit that she’s really in love with someone else. The good samaritan just can’t help but get involved to protect Dean from heartbreak.

Solange is just supposed to be helping out her wedding planner cousin with an easy gig. But when she hears Ella with another man, she’s convinced that Ella’s future groom deserves better. She’s a die-hard romantic and can’t stand the idea of someone marrying the wrong person, so she crashes the wedding to prevent Dean from making a big mistake.

When Dean learns that having a significant other might be the key to landing a big promotion, he panics and claims to be in love with Solange. Now he just has to convince her to play along…

The Book Girls Say… This dual point of view rom-com includes some very steamy scenes! Author Mia Sosa also wrote The Worst Best Man. Although there are some overlapping characters in the two books (Dean is the best friend of Max, from TWBM), they both read as stand-alone novels.

by Erin La Rosa

Are you a fan of cooking competitions on TV? This fake dating trope book takes place on the set of a fictional series, The Next Cooking Champ. Chef Nina is tired of men dominating professional kitchens and hopes to be an inspiration for other girls. So when she’s selected as a co-host of the newest cooking show, she’s thrilled. At least until she finds out the co-host is the smarmy restauranteur Leo O’Donnell.

Every time the camera rolls, Leo says something that annoys Nina. It gets so bad that she impulsively quits her dream gig - ON AIR! But when the paparazzi catch the duo in what looks like a compromising position behind the scenes, fans of the show LOVE IT. Could they both save their careers by pretending to be a real couple?

by Talia Hibbert

Danika Brown is focused solely on her career, and a serious relationship does not sound interesting at all. But, when she’s rescued by a friend, Zaf, during a workplace fire drill gone awry, she suddenly sees him differently. While a relationship is still out of the question, maybe he could be the friend WITH benefits she’s looking for.

When a photo of Zaf rescuing Dani goes viral, they have an opportunity to capitalize on their 5 minutes of fame to benefit Zaf’s charity. After agreeing to fake a relationship in public, Dani and Zaf couldn’t have more different intentions. Unlike Dani, Zaf is a hopeless romantic! Who will get their way?

While this is book #2 in the Brown Sister series, it works well as a standalone.
PS: This one is steamy!

by Mhairi McFarlane

They say you shouldn’t mix work and romance, but Laurie didn’t get the memo because she does it twice. When her long-term boyfriend - and co-worker - dumps her, Laurie finds herself fake dating another colleague to save face.

After more than a decade together, Laurie’s boyfriend, Dan, dumps her. To make things worse, they work at the same law firm, and she still has to see him every day! She hates the idea of starting over in the dating world, but when the office grapevine learns that Dan’s new girlfriend is pregnant, she wants to give the rumor mill something else to talk about.

It turns out that the office heartthrob also needs a relationship to impress people at work - specifically, a respectable, steady girlfriend to counteract his bad-boy office image so the bosses will take him seriously.

They hatch a plan to fake-date - relying on social media and stage photos to make it seem legit. While they agree in advance to an end date for their fauxmance, there’s a fine line between pretend and reality.

The Book Girls Say… It should be noted that the fake-dating trope is just one part of this story. There’s also a significant focus on Laurie’s personal growth as she learns to move on from her ex. This is a great pick for readers who enjoy character-driven books and British humor. On the other hand, it might not be quite swoon-worthy enough for those seeking a big dose of romance… although readers adore Jamie.

by Jamie Wesley

Jada hoped her dreams would come true when she was cast on a reality dating show. After making it to the end but turning down the marriage proposal, viewers turn on her, and life becomes more of a nightmare. She decides to lay low for a while, taking a job at a San Diego bakery.

Sugar Blitz has an unlikely owner - uptight pro football player Donovan. The bakery is struggling but attracts attention when a reporter believes Jada and Donovan are a couple. While they don’t like each other, they agree that pretending to be a power couple could be just the thing they both need.

by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Ari loves her job as a TV meteorologist, and she’s eager to learn from her boss Torrance, Seattle’s famed weatherwoman. But Torrance’s ex-husband, Seth, is also the station’s news director, so she’s too wrapped up in her relationship drama to mentor Ari.

After a particularly disastrous holiday party, Ari commiserates with sports reporter Russell. Together, they hatch a plan to get their bosses back together to calm the office storms. But all of their fake relationship scheming leads to unforecasted results when it turns out they are the ones with the real chemistry.

by Ava Wilder

Former A-list heartthrob Ethan is over Hollywood and wants to be left alone. In the wake of his high-profile divorce and the death of his creative partner and best friend, alcohol now plays a leading role in his life. However, one remaining film written before his partner's death needs to be finished. Ethan knows he has to clean up his act before the final movie can be made.

Grey was the beloved starlet in a long-running teen soap, but now that the show has ended, she's having trouble finding work. Her publicist has a hail-mary idea to bring Grey back into the spotlight.

A buzzworthy public relationship with Ethan could be the thing both actors need to relaunch their careers. It seems crazy at first, but soon the real sparks fly. Will they be able to drop their fake facades with each other when they're out of the public eye?

by Christina Lauren

Single-mom Jess understands data and statistics. What she doesn't understand - or have time for - is relationships. But when her best friend tells her about a new DNA-based matchmaking company called GeneticAlly, she's intrigued by the idea of finding a soulmate through the reliability of numbers.

She's shocked when her test results return a 98% match with the company's founder, Dr. River Pena. She's already met him, and she's confident they are not compatible! But the company sees the potential for great PR from this match, so they offer to pay Jess to date River for the publicity.

The Book Girls Say… Faking dating is just one part of this rom-com, which also includes the enemies to lovers trope and lots of nerdy, steamy chemistry! What more could you ask for?!

by Adiba Jaigirdar

This YA romance is set in Dublin and features two Bengali teens coming to terms with who they are. Hani is easy-going and popular, but when she tells her friends she’s bi, they trivialize her identity because they’ve only seen her with boys. She blurts out that she has a girlfriend and points to Ishu, who is Hani’s total opposite.

Ishu is an academic success but not popular, and she worries that her lack of social standing will hurt her chances of getting into her ideal university. Maybe both girls could benefit if they pretended to date? But that’s easier said than done when you’re both Bengali girls subject to lots of external judgment.

by Emma St. Clair

This PG-rated, sweet and silly read is part of a romance trope series called Love Cliches, in which each book follows a different friend.

Thayden’s family is wealthy, and his dad uses his money and power to manipulate his son. He even includes a clause in his will requiring Thayden to get married to retain control of the family law firm.

Guarded southern bell Delilah is broke. Could she let down her walls enough to marry Thayden, solving her financial problems?

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of 8/5/22.

by Lauren Layne

Audrey and Clarke have been best friends since they were kids, and romance has never entered the picture. But when Clarke’s meddling mother tries to play matchmaker, he dodges her by announcing his engagement to Audrey, knowing he can count on her to play along.

As the fake wedding date looms, the just-for-show kisses start to stir up feelings that neither knew existed. Will they ever be able to go back to just being friends? And do they even want to?

The Book Girls Say… This fake-fiance rom-com is the third book in the Central Park Pact trilogy. Each book can be read as a standalone, but if you do want to read all three, it’s best to do so in order because the later books will reveal some spoilers about the earlier titles.

by Monica Murphy

Caroline works at a stationery store helping engaged couples pick up the perfect save-the-date cards and wedding invitations. She’s met her fair share of bridezillas, but the latest turns out to be engaged to Alexander Wilder - the first boy Caroline ever kissed.

When Caroline catches Alex’s fiance half-naked with another man, she decides she has to tell him the truth. But, if he breaks off the engagement, it will leave him in quite a predicament. To solve his problem, Alex has a proposal for Caroline…

The Book Girls Say… Angela enjoyed this light and quick fake finance rom-com and especially loved armchair traveling to Paris! It’s the first in a series of seven books, but numbers 2 and 3 didn’t have the same charm (in fact, Angela found the characters in the following two books pretty unlikeable), so we recommend reading Save the Date and then skipping the rest.

The audiobook version of this title is currently included free with an Audible membership as of 8/9/22.

by Christina Lauren

This fake marriage rom-com is perfect for theater lovers! Holland Bakker has a major crush on Calvin, the street musician who plays in the subway station near her apartment, but she's never had the nerve to talk to him. Fate brings them together one night when he saves her from a drunken attacker, but then he disappears when the police arrive. Holland wants to find a way to repay Calvin, so she gets him an audition with her Broadway musical director uncle.

The audition goes very well, but Calvin's Broadway debut is in jeopardy because his student visa expired years ago. He's been in the country illegally ever since. So, hoping to help both her uncle and Calvin, Holland proposes a scheme in which she'll marry Calvin without letting him know about her long-held infatuation with him.

Soon Calvin is a Broadway star, but when will Holland finally stop acting?

The Book Girls Say… Of course, we can't fail to mention yet another excellent book by the writing duo of Christina Lauren. The Unhoneymooners takes the fake-marriage concept and ups the ante by combining it with the enemies-to-lovers trope. When the real bride and groom get food poisoning and are too sick to go on their non-refundable honeymoon to Hawaii, they give the trip to the Best Man and Maid-of-Honor. That would have been perfect if the duo didn't hate each other. And if they didn't have to pretend to be newlyweds to take advantage of all the pre-paid newlywed activities.

by Allison Ashley

Noah and Mia have been best friends forever, and he would do anything to help her. His life and career are going great, but Mia’s road has been bumpier. She finally has a chance to go back to school and pursue her dreams, but she can’t afford to leave her dead-end job because she needs a kidney transplant and can’t afford to lose her medical insurance.

Noah suggests they get married - in name only - so that she can study full-time and be on his insurance. This marriage of convenience is risky for both of them. With their jobs, health, and hearts on the line, will they be able to convince their suspicious coworkers and nosy roommates that their union is legit?

by Lauren Landish

Violet's grandfather, the only father figure she's ever known, wants her to have a big, fairytale wedding so that he can walk her down the aisle. And now that her Papa's health has been declining, she wants to grant him this dying wish. But to do that, she needs to find a groom, and fast.

Conveniently, Ross - her best friend's older brother - also needs to find a wife to convince his father that he's settling down. What could go wrong?

It shouldn't be that hard for Violet to fake being in love with Ross, considering she had a huge crush on him throughout high school. He's still super handsome, but he's also an arrogant jerk. And he still treats her like she's the kid he used to trade childish pranks with.

The Book Girls Say... This is the first book in the Big Fat Fake trilogy, which also includes My Big Fate Fake Engagement and My Big Fat Fake Honeymoon. The subsequent books are about Ross's siblings, and all read as standalones. Each book is filled with laughs mixed with sexy, steamy scenes.

These books are included with Kindle Unlimited as of 8/5/22.

by Sariah Wilson

Rachel Vinson has created a successful but secretive business in the wedding industry. For a fee, she provides the perfect bridesmaids for any wedding. Of course, no one knows they are paid, and it's crucial to stay undercover to avoid embarrassing the bride. While she has a full staff, Rachel heads to the highest-profile events herself, which is how she ended up at the luxe wedding of an Instagram influencer in Hawaii.

Rachel is serving as the maid-of-honor opposite the groom's business partner and long-time best friend, Camden. Camden is understandably suspicious of Rachel since he's never met her before, and he has been burned by people misleading him in the past. 

As their interactions increase throughout the week, Rachel is determined to keep him at a distance, but fate continues pulling them closer together, often through near-disaster wedding moments.

The Book Girls Say... This fake bridesmaid book is a fun twist on the fake relationship trope!

by Georgio Toffolo

Victoria works in a Chelsea bar but dreams of opening a boutique for the clothes she loves designing. When a huge department store opening is announced in the neighborhood, she worries it will kill all the small shops, including the one she wanted to open.

Oliver has problems of his own. His family’s newest department store location needs to open before Christmas, but it’s behind schedule. Plus, his mother keeps demanding to meet his girlfriend, which is a problem since she doesn’t exist.

When Oliver and Victoria meet each other, he hatches a plan. If Victoria pretends to be his girlfriend at the opening, he’ll showcase her designs at the store. It could be a win-win… or it could be a total disaster!

by Camilla Isley

This book sounds like a movie - a cranky, but successful single woman hires a fake date for the holidays.

It may not be a groundbreaking concept, but reviewers love the writing and said it made them laugh.

by Alexandria Bellefleur

Elle is an astrologer who runs a Twitter account called Oh My Stars. When her new business partner sets her up on a blind date with his sister, Darcy, it’s clear they have nothing in common. But Darcy is desperate for her brother to stop playing matchmaker, so she tells him the date went well… and now she has to convince Elle to go along with the lie and pretend that they are dating.

Elle reluctantly agrees on the condition that Darcy will help her navigate her overbearing family during the holidays. The arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. But what happens if their fake relationship turns into real feelings before the year ends?

The Book Girls Guide… This OwnVoices queer rom-com is not to be confused with Aisha Saeed’s book by the same title, which is set in Pakistan and included on our Southern Asia booklist.