FAKE SKATING BY LYNN PAINTER // spoiler-free book review: if you haven’t read this YA childhood friends to lovers sports romance with alllll the yearning then idk what you’re doing with your life,,,

Before we get into the pterodactyl screeching that will be this review, I figure this is a great time to shoutout the interview I did with Lynn a while back, in case you missed it:

Title: Fake Skating
Author: Lynn Painter
Page count: 448
Date published: 30 September 2025
Genre: Young adult contemporary romance

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Synopsis:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies Lynn Painter comes a heartfelt and banter-filled “feel-good rom-com” (School Library Journal) about childhood sweethearts whose icy reunion in their hockey-loving hometown unexpectedly thaws when they fake a romantic relationship.

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 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 stuck 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.

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Big thanks to Simon & Schuster for gifting me an eARC via Netgalley! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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STAR RATING: (5 out of 5 stars)

Anyways, I’m writing this review from jail as the jury indeed criminally charged me for not yelling about this book that I was gifted so kindly and even read early until right now when I got off my ass. Thankfully, I’ll be released as soon as the review is published, but I’ve been given a warning.

Throwback to the only time I talked about one of my favourite reads of 2025 and created this journal spread. That I do love a whole lot, but also shame on me!!!

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So one would think that I’ve always been obsessed with Lynn Painter, right? I mean, I did manually load her novella to Goodreads and go viral screaming about WesLiz, so you would think. But you would actually be a bit wrong because this is maybe my favourite book of hers? Like, I’m sorry, I didn’t know I would be THIS charmed?? Like what in the chokehold crack was put into these pages?

Let’s start off with how long it’s been since I read a sports romance, let alone one on ice. Bringing me back to some deep roots. Makes me think I can be a figure skater, and you suckers better just watch me find a boyfriend during some or other sports game. Getting side-tracked here, but I just love a sports romance, okay, they just take me way out of my comfort zone lmfao

A moment to yell about the writing which was HILARIOUS. As usual. You can’t expect anything less in a Lynn Painter book fr. But the banter in this book in particular was absolutely bantering and I loved it so much!

As we are used to, Painter’s main characters are often dealing with something deeply personal and what I loved most about Dani’s backstory was how difficult it was for her to actually figure out why it was difficult. Which sounds bizarre to say, but isn’t that how family problems always are? And idk I just really liked how the complexities of familial conflict were portrayed and really balanced out Dani’s character. She’s also a shy girl, so we related a lot.

No, but I don’t think you understand, Alec and Dani and these characters literally MADE this book so good. I don’t think I will ever get over the level of charisma in this book, from none other than Alec. I was literally knocked off my feet!!! Their chemistry was INSANE, and I ate up every word. And I usually don’t care about fake dating. Yes, I said it. The trope just doesn’t really do it for me. But childhood friends to lovers, on the other hand, definitely grab me by the neck and Dani and Alec were just too adorable, so I didn’t even care.

This book is the best of Lynn’s witty writing and electrical romance, and if you needed another sign to read it, here it is. Off you go. Bye-bye. Come back and weep.

“Everything was wrong if she wasn’t happy. Because Dani was sparkling eyes and contagious laughter. Dani was happiness.”

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“He didn’t know that was all I did. Overthink.”

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“God, her face. Richie was wrong. She wasn’t cute—she was fucking gorgeous.”

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“We’ve made everything so fucking complicated since you moved back, but the truth is that all I’ve ever wanted is you — period.”

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“I wanted you in fourth grade, when you launched me off that water pillow and broke two of my ribs,” he said, his eyes narrowed on me behind his glasses like he could still see us at the lake. “I wanted you in sixth grade, when I drove over your foot with my dad’s ATV. I wanted you when Mr. Pockets got hit by a car and you cried as hard as I did.”

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HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THIS AUTHOR’S OTHER BOOKS? WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE? I’D LOVE TO KNOW!