First of all, thank you NetGalley, Timothy Janovsky, and the publisher for allowing me to listen to this book via ARC.

TL/DR: solid fake-dating romance, but the game show plot was not plotting.
Read if: you are looking for a queer fake-dating with a small plot and supportive family
Don't read if: you are working trough family grief. While the author deals with it respectfully, one of the main aspects of this book is Holden's grief around his late mother.

This book was a 3-star read for me. While there were some elements that I liked, it had a lot of elements that made me roll my eyes throughout the reading.

What I liked: first of all, I am a Leo fan, he is immaculate and lovely and way more mature than the main character. I liked the dynamic between Holden and Leo, even more the scenes with Leo's mother. I also loved that this book dealt a lot with family issues and trauma (especially around Grief), and I genuinely teared up a chapter from the end. Both guys have very supportive families and there was no "coming-out" trope, which, as a queer person myself, found relieving.

What I did not like: I did not like some of the tropes of this book, especially <spoiler> the third-act breakup 3 chapters from the end, and the miscommunication that Holden has </spoiler>. What mainly made me pick 3 stars is because the book seems to be all focused around the game show, yet there is only one or two chapters 70% into the book where there is an actual game show, it made me want to know more about it.

Huge applause for the trigger warning it’s brilliant that I’m seeing/hearing more of these. They’re so important. C/W grief and homophobia.

Cute, funny and romantic with a great message on allowing yourself to overcome, to become whole again after grief, or rather, learning to live despite grief.

I liked Holden immensely and really felt his pain, loved the meet cute and the aim to make it to the game show. I kind of wished that it came earlier to the story. I enjoyed his growth (pardon the pun but if you read the book, you’ll know this is mild) loads of sex, graphic sex! Leo was a lovely character too.

It felt a lot of conversation a bit monotone/clunky and unnatural but narration was a little monotone for my preference so I struggled a bit to tell if it was the writing or the narration but enjoyable nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK Audio and Afterglow Books for this audio ARC of The (Fake) Dating Game.

While this was an enjoyable read, the actual narration held some pacing issues for me, and the narrator struggled to keep my attention.

I'd give the book 3 stars overall. Prominent tropes includes: Fake Dating, Queer Romance and a Game Show Setting. A predictable but fun read!

The (Fake) Dating Game is a new gay contemporary romance. When Holden's boyfriend breaks up with him just before their big audition for his favorite game show he thinks his chances are ruined. Queue the meet-cute with the flirty hotel concierge Leo Min. Holden recruits him as his fake boyfriend in a last ditch attempt to get on the show but when there seems to be more of a connection how will things turn out.

This is my third Timothy Janosky book and it wont be my last, I really love how this author builds character narratives. This book did struggle with rushing to get too much in too fast but for an easy afternoon listen it worked ok. This book is by far the steamiest of this authors books that I have read and I loved that positive sexual energy that the MC's had.

Thank you Net Galley, Harper Collins, AfterGlow books and Timothy Janovsky's for the E-audiobook.

• Game show
• Queer romance (MM)
• Spice
• Fake dating
• POC character

This was a fun quick listen! I liked the will they won't they vibes and the humour aspects.

I enjoyed how we get to experience some of Leo's culture. I also liked how we got background to Holden's grief after losing his mom. The chemistry with Holden and Leo was nicely done, and I found so many funny and tensioned moments!

It was a little predictable at times but still a fun read! Definitely would read more of
Timothy Janovsky's Work in the future.

3.5 ⭐

This was a fun read, it was a bit more spicy than I was expecting and the actual game show portion shorter than I was hoping for but overall a good listen

The fake dating aspect never really felt fake and it was more just them lying about how long they'd actually been together

I wish the game show portion of it was a lot longer than it was, it felt like it went so quick and in a blur (probably due to how the main character felt during it) but I just wanted more from it

I really enjoyed the ending and thought it was very cute

- queer romance (MM)
- spicy
- fake dating
- game show setting
- single pov

Thank you to NetGalley and Afterglow Books / HarperCollins UK for the ALC - all opinions are my own

The (Fake) Dating Game follows Holden, who has dreams of being on Madcap Market (think of a more extreme version of Supermarket Sweep). When his long-term boyfriend dumps him, he doesn't let it deter him from auditioning for the show in honour of his late mother. In a chance meeting with Leo, they agree to fake date for the show. Their chemistry is off the charts, but it's all for the game right?

I loved New Adult which was my first book by Timothy Janovsky. The premise of this one seemed a little bit farfetched but totally fun, and it delivered on that 100%. The chemistry between Holden and Leo was cute and spicy and I genuinely believed in it. Fake dating as a trope can be hit or miss but I loved that they realised pretty early on that this was more genuine than they first anticipated it being.

I love that Leo was Korean and that Timothy Janovsky actually tried to incorporate elements of Korean culture. That coupled with the fact that the grief of Holden losing his mom was addressed multiple times but didn't overshadow the romance was really sweet and important.

The story was a little bit predictable at times, but honestly I wasn't expecting a revolutionary romance and the reasons why certain things in this book happened made complete sense.

In short, I adored this and I'm looking forward to going back and reading more of Timothy Janovsky's books.

A hilariously brilliant novel for any romance lover. As a millennial who watched too much Dale’s Supermarket Sweep growing up, this was absolutely charming.

This was a fun listen!

I really enjoyed the premise of this one, it was a bit bonkers with the game show set up, which to UK readers sounded a bit like a love story set on Supermarket Sweep!

It was cute and quick with some good tropes - fake dating obvs, super open door spice and an exploration of grief and loss. Lots of predictable moments, but a fair romance read that I’d recommend to those who enjoy a mm romance.

The narration was good and engaging and I flew through it.

This was a fun read but it didn't leave any kind of mark on me. It was a fast read and I enjoyed it okay, I just know I won't remember any of it in a few months. It was nice while it lasted though. Just not my favorite by this author. The characters were pretty layered and interesting and the plot was mostly fun except for the grief part I just remembered. I also winced a lot at the sex scenes but that might be a me thing. Anyway, a good read, just not a very memorable one. I'll keep reading books by Timothy Janovsky though.

I did not really connect with the story line and found the main character annoying at times. I think it just wasn't my cup of tea.

While I absolutely loved Never been kissed and also really liked New Adult, Timothy Janovski has a tendency to write really unlikable characters somehow. I already didn’t like Matthew Prince, but this book really wasn’t it for me.
already couldn’t get into this from the start. We don’t really get to know our MC, all we know is his mother died a few years ago and he loves a certain supermarket gaming show. Then the sex scenes already start, which weirded me out a lot to be honest. It’s supposed to be fake dating, but they just jumped each other at the start and didn’t stop, so there was zero tension or romance in sight.
When the MC started to shove a cucumber into spaces a cucumber should never be shoved into, it was really over for me.
It didn’t help that the narrator sounds really, really young (more like YA book narrators).
I couldn’t bring myself to finish it and would rather give no rating.

This was AMAZING! It was a beautifully written love story with an interesting premise-Holden’s boyfriend dumps him just before he is set to take part in his favourite game show, and a cute hotel concierge offers to help him. I loved reading the development of the love story and also the redemption of Buckley at the end of the book, and it was a really fun audiobook. The narrator did a great job and did different voices for characters which allowed me to fully differentiate between characters speaking. I have enjoyed the author’s other work and knew I would love this one as well. I would definitely recommend if you’re looking for m/m romance and the fake dating trope. I loved it!

If you love gameshows, especially Super Market Sweep, and M/M romances with a lot of steam, The (Fake) Dating Game is perfect for you.

There was so much promise with this book but there was just no chemistry between the main characters. There was no build up or anticipation. A sorry start to the new reading year I'm afraid.

3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

Many thanks to NetGally and HarperCollins Audio UK for an arc of this audiobook in return for an honest review.

This is a really fun and spicy twist on fake dating. After Hudson's long term boyfriend dumps him out of the blue, Hudson heads to LA for an audition to the favorite TV show of him and his late mother, Madcap Market. There he meets Leo, a smart arse hotel concierge with whom he has undeniable chemistry. They decide to go on the journey of auditioning together, whilst faking a relationship to get the best chance of being accepted.

There is a lot of spice in this and I am HERE for it, it's very well written MLM spice, with a little bit of dom/sub thrown in. Chef's kiss. I'm not just talking one chapter - its throughout the book, so that may swing this either way for you.

It is also a very cute story about grief, exploring relationships, loss and heartbreak. There is a lot about the grief of losing a parent and at times it was quite heavy which I didn't expect. I did love how the novel ended, and the journey both characters took through the time jumps nearer the end of the book, that really made me feel like they were real people who made real mistakes and wanted to work on themselves. Their relationship was also so pure, they supported one another so well and I adored that.

Given the name and the description of the book, I would say that the game show elements didn't come in until about halfway through, and some of the key parts of the game show are missed out. Also, to be quite honest, although they were faking being boyfriends for the show, they clearly were attracted to one another, and all they were really faking was having put a label on it, and how they met, so it kinda missed the mark on fake dating for me.

The audio narration was great and it didn't feel too slow or fast, it also suited the tone of the novel well.

I think this is well worth a read - it was enjoyable, but I just didn't find myself wanting to put it on which I often do with audiobooks, so overall I think I just wanted a bit more from it.

So I thought I loved this ebook, but I ABSOLUTELY adored this on audio. Mark Sanderlin did a fantastic job narrating these two characters. And I can’t wait to listen to more books they’ve narrated!

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!

This story was a lot more than I expected and I enjoyed going on a wild ride with Holden as he travels to LA to audition for a gameshow that connects him to his mum. This story is definitely chaotic, with Holden’s character spiralling in response to all the different things going on in his life, but his connection with Leo is incredibly sweet (but the spice is not!) and I maybe would have even loved to see Leo as the main character in this. Beyond the fake dating this book looks at embracing your identity, following your passions, but also it explores grief in a very real way. I didn’t love Holden as a character and didn’t love the narration (not to say it was bad, as it wasn’t at all) but I did enjoy this story for everything else. It’s a little crazy and plenty hot, and showed the reality of grief and how important it is to process emotions in a healthy way. The light and heavy topics were a perfect balance!

This is my fourth book by this author now and I think I'm gonna have to read whatever he writes at this stage! Don't get me wrong, we're not looking at the next literary genius, but when you go into reading a romance novel you have certain expectations and this book hit absolutely every beat perfectly. I loved the characters, the silly story line, the adversity and the really heartfelt emotional moments too.

So I suppose I'm saying read this is you want to read a fun, well written and spicy romance. Don't read this if you're expecting Charles Dickens.

I was given access to the audiobook by the publisher via Netgalley. When I look at the list of books that Mark Sanderlin has narrated, it turns out I've listened to tons and he always give great voice. An excellent production.