If fake dating, hockey romance, and a little bit of chaos sound like the perfect mix, Lynn Painter’s new young adult rom-com Fake Skating might be worth looking into.

After moving back to the small town in Minnesota where she used to spend her summers, Dani Collins expects some awkward reunions and, hopefully, a quiet senior year. Instead, she gets roped into a, supposedly, mutually beneficial fake dating arrangement with Alec Barczewski–golden boy and hockey extraordinaire.  

Alec needs a stable image in order to impress hockey scouts. His solution? Fake dating his childhood best friend who he hasn’t seen in years. 

As in her other novels Better Than the Movies and Betting on You, the fake dating doesn’t last very long. Painter employs a fan favorite trope–childhood friends to strangers to lovers–and as always, the dynamic is well-written. 

What makes this book more than just an ordinary rom-com is the emotional depth. Faced with lots of change in her life, Dani has a hard time navigating where she belongs. Alec, on the other hand, is juggling the pressures of the town’s expectation and hopes of him becoming a future hockey star. Painter balances the complexities of teenagers with romance to create this novel. 

Fake Skating, similar to Painter’s other work, is a young adult novel consisting of characters many teenagers find relatable, popular tropes, and a light-hearted romance all in one.