I’ve wanted to do this series for a very long time, but never had enough books to talk about. However, I’ve read enough fake dating books now to have this series be sustainable. They will be very spread out though.
If you have any great fake dating book recommendations please let me know, it’s my favourite trope.
Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
This book is absolutely adorable and it says fake dating in the title, so you know it’s going to be great.
For once, this book doesn’t have the whole ‘one person already likes the other and then the second person realises they like them romantically’. Hani and Ishu genuinely didn’t really like each other, so when they start to develop a relationship, it was really cute.
Synopsis: Everyone likes Humaira “Hani” Khan—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita “Ishu” Dey. Ishu is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she stands a chance of being elected head girl.
Despite their mutually beneficial pact, they start developing real feelings for each other. But relationships are complicated, and some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from achieving happily ever after.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
At this point in time, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is probably the most popular fake dating book. This is definitely down to the Netflix films, which I love. The first of which came out five years ago which is crazy because watching it for the first time feels like yesterday.
I do like this book, but I hate how immature Lara Jean sounds compared to the films as yes, I did watch the films before reading the books. I’m not a complete purist, I sometimes read the book after watching the adaptation, but not too often, so please don’t judge me.
There is a lot more content in the book though and I adored the chapters with the estate sale, some great Covinsky moments. I haven’t finished the series yet, I’ve only read the first book, but I do plan to continue at some point.
Synopsis: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed.
But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh.
As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
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Fake dating is my favourite contemporary trope!
Boyfriend Material, The Fill-in Boyfriend, are some of my faves off the top of my head. I’ll have to check out my collection and see if I can find some more.