I laughed, I teared up, I got edged multiple times by plot, but this was the epitome of what a romcom should be!

This was my first Timothy Janovsky book, and clearly I loved this because I read it in a single day. I also went into it hopeful because everyone was saying it brought the spice and they were not lying.

Okay so we have Holden who has really just been going thru the motions for the last 6 years since his mother passed away. Ignoring his grief and not processing that trauma and how it has affected his life & relationships. He gets unceremoniously dumped by his boyfriend after buying them a surprise trip to LA to appear on what was Holden and his mom’s favorite game show “Madcap Market” (think Supermarket Sweep). But alas Holden decides to go to LA alone because those non-refundable tickets are a B.

Once in LA the romance plot really kicks off, and I too would love a man who brought me a pizza I specifically requested (among other things).

Everything in this book is executed perfectly, 10/10 do recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mills & Boon for approving my request to read an arc of this book.

I’ve read all of Timothy Janovsky’s books, and although his first book was my favourite, I have enjoyed his others, so I was excited to read this one. I enjoyed this story and the characters, although I will admit that I did skip the spicy scenes and there were a lot of them, I have nothing against that though.
This book does deal with grief, but does so in a compassionate way and both characters have money worries that would be greatly helped by winning the cash prize of the game show and so the pair decide to fake date. I’d recommend this book to any readers who might prefer a shorter spicy story.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this early copy for review!

i think this one might be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”

'the (fake) dating game' follows holden, who at the start of the novel is broken up with by his boyfriend when he proposes that the two of them audition for 'madcap market' a game show which sees contestants completing tasks whilst running around a grocery store (think supermarket sweep!) holden goes to los angeles alone, where he happens to chance upon leo, a concierge working in his hotel, and the two of them agree to fake date and audition for the show together, for a chance at winning the prize money.

firstly, some things i enjoyed:
- this was a super quick and easy read, which i read in two sittings in one day. very easy book to get lost in
- there were a lot of really wonderful, profound, emotional conversations about grief and i think the way the book handled holden's grief over the loss of his mom was very affecting. i find books can sometimes go a little heavy handed on this, but i thought this book nailed the emotions that come with losing a parent you love so dearly
- i really enjoyed leo's character - he was so funny & charming

but the rest of the book just.. didn’t work for me. i really don’t know why, whether it was the writing, the main character, the pace of their relationship, something just fell a bit flat. also, i really hate when characters contrive problems for themselves — the third act conflict in this was very unnecessary in my opinion and could have been avoided so easily. so yeah as i say, i think this is more of a me problem as i can't pin down why exactly i didn't massively enjoy this. however i have no doubt this book will find an audience, and i am grateful to have had the chance to read it,

The (Fake) dating game is a mm romance novel.by Timothy Janovsky.
I enjoyed the plot of this book. It was fun and easy to read but sometimes I felt that it was a bit slow in some parts. Despite this I still enjoyed the story and it had a good mix of characters. I recommend giving it a go.
❤️ Thank you to netgalley and Mills and Boon for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Timothy’s last book and this one’s description sounded great so I ran to request it when it became available on Netgalley but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

It’s hard to pinpoint what it was that made this book just ok for me, as I did really like the main characters and their relationship. Holden was lovely and I was rooting for him for the start. Same for Leo - he was clearly struggling with finding his place in the world and his passion and I think we can all identify with that in one way or another. They were great together, I loved their dynamic and how they were open with each other about things and always supported each other.

On the other hand, there were a couple of things I didn’t love. The single POV is not my favourite and while it can work, here I think it would have been great to have Leo’s perspective, especially considering how fast everything happened and how quickly they fell in love. I would have also liked to have seen Holden’s personal development journey. When his grief was such a big part of the story and even caused them to break up at one point, I think it should have definitely been explored a bit further (same goes for Leo’s sudden change and him deciding to finally follow his dreams).

Overall, if you’re looking for a queer rom-com that’s light and a fairly quick read, definitely check this one out!

A huge thank you to Mills & Boon, Afterglow and NetGalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 Stars

Huge thank you to Afterglow Books, Timothy Janovsky and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book, in return for an honest review.

I have never read Janovsky before, and unfortunately I think he just isn't for me! I really wanted to enjoy this book, and there were passages that I really loved, particularly when Holden and Leo were chatting and getting to know each other.

The high energy of this novel is refreshing, and it makes the writing fly. I've seen some reviewers compare this to Alexis Hall's London Calling / Material World series, and to an extent I think that's a fair comparison. The difference here is that Janovsky does not have the same structured lulls, or moments of serious contemplation that we see in 10 Things That Never Happened (for example.) I think if you enjoy the wild madcap elements of Hall's novels, particularly the London Calling duology, then you will really enjoy this.

Whilst I enjoyed some of their interactions, and I thought the initial premise had a lot to offer, I really struggled with Holden as a main character. I found him very hard to sympathise with, even when he was talking about really hard things, because his emotions seemed to skyrocket up and down, from sad, or pensive, to gleeful or horny at the drop of a hat. On the flipside, I think Leo really works, I really enjoyed reading about him, and I can see why he works as a love interest.

They got physical a little earlier than I would have expected, but I don't have much else to say on that front.

Overall I think this was a fair read, there were some things that I really didn't enjoy, but ultimately I think that's more of a me problem.

Everything seems to have gone wrong for Holden. His boyfriend of 4 years calls it a day and asks him to leave the apartment they shared. Still grieving for his mum, he wins a chance for a place on their favourite TV show, Madcap Market, but has nobody to partner up with. So he heads to LA to ask his friend Alexia. After losing his luggage, he checks into a hotel where he bumps into Leo, the concierge.

I enjoyed this lighthearted story. I loved the relationship between Holden and Lee. It's such a fun read with lots of giggles and spice.

A fun, cute and fairly light romance read.

Holden was a loveable main character and you really root for him to be able to compete in his favourite game show. The concept of madcap market is what drew me to this read as I love the tv show Supermarket Sweep, which is a very similar idea.

I enjoyed all the game show bits and was actually a bit disappointed that there wasn’t more time spent with the game show. However, I do appreciate the focus that was put on Holden’s need to deal with his grief.

Leo was a charismatic love interest and him and Holden were adorable together. I would have preferred a slower build up to the physical aspects of their relationship, but that’s just personal preference. The little bit of kink/power exchange was unexpected, yet it worked really well!!

Can’t say this book blew me away. However, it’s great to see more sweet, feel-good, queer rom-coms being published. A good one if you want a bit of silliness, a hint of smut, fake dating and two lovely men finding comfort in each other.

I absolutely adored this book! Having watched ‘Supermarket Sweep’ growing up, I was ready for a light and fluffy shopping-based reality TV story - what I got was a scorching hot, funny, tender and deeply emotional book about someone struggling with grief and looking for any way to try and move on.

Holden has just been dumped by Buckley, his boyfriend of 4 years, after being told that Holden needs to get over the death of his mother (who died 6 years previously). Devastated, Holden travels to Los Angeles to take part in ‘Madcap Market’, his mum’s favourite reality TV show. His plan had been to audition with Buckley, but now he finds himself at a loss as to how to get on the show and do his mother’s memory proud.

Leo Min is the concierge at a LA hotel and is called to request that the young man in room 412 turns down the incredibly loud heartbreak anthems. Leo and Holden hit it off almost immediately and they hatch a plan to pretend to date in order to secure a spot on Madcap Market.

I absolutely loved both characters - they had a lot of depth and were beautifully written. Leo is half-Korean and we see a lot of his background, such as growing up poor and as the child of an immigrant parent, as well as his uncertainty over what he wants to do with his life. Holden is dealing (poorly) with the residual grief from the death of his mother, as well as the fresh grief from the breakdown of his relationship with Buckley. Both characters were so open and communicative and I enjoyed watching their bond grow as they got to knew each other more.

Other than the game show element, which I loved, my favourite part of this book was Holden’s healing arc - I felt it was tastefully and sensitively handled and I appreciated that he had to take some time to get there. It wasn’t a magical ‘love fixes everything’ storyline and I appreciated that! The ending was so positive and satisfying, although honestly I was smiling through the vast majority of the book! I highly recommend this one when it releases in January 2024.

Thank you to Mills&Boon and NetGalley for a free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.