A review by alilbitofmonica
The Great Dating Fake-Off by Livy Hart

3.75

 I have gone around and around trying to figure out where I land with this book. In many ways, I really enjoyed the plot, the setting, the banter, the drama. But this book FELT very long (350 pages isn't really that much, but I felt like it just kept going and going) and there were a few moments of "wtf why would they do this?"
But anyway, it had some sweet moments, some funny moments, and overall I think it was done really well.

- Fake dating is elite and this is double the fake date so double the fun
- The secret pining and eventual secret hookup was great, combining the plot and the genuine reason for secrecy with a tension that was built up so well
- Once they get together, they are getting together everywhere they possibly can: in private, in public, they don't care
- I appreciate that the main conflict within the relationship between Sebastian and Nora is very realistic, like I found myself also thinking through solutions to their problem and recognizing that this is something that people have to work through all the time
- The main setting of this book is wedding week for Rosalina and Enzo, so A LOT of the book takes place within the span of one week
- I found most of the characters to be fun and rather diverse in their personalities, allowing this to feel more natural than when every person is the same kind of comedy/snarky genius.
- The main conflict for the book's main plot here is a long-standing Italian family feud, think Romeo and Juliet, and the need to overcome conflicts to allow for a healthy family union for a new marriage. The angry Italian parents were so irritating, like I truly do not understand how a person could behave so horribly for their own children's wedding, but I was so over it before it was all said and done.