Fake dating was one of the first romance novel tropes I fell in love with — so much so that I’ve included it in two of my own books (my first, “The Wedding Date,” and again in “While We Were Dating”).
The premise is admittedly a bit ridiculous. Is there a good, genuine reason two people would pretend they’re in a relationship? In most cases, no (but a great writer can make me buy it). Does it have much basis in reality? Probably not — unless there are people pretending to date all around us and we’re none the wiser! But this trope has always resonated with me in part because human beings are so bad at communication — especially when a repeated, difficult conversation is involved (“When is it going to be your turn?” is a question every unmarried bridesmaid has fielded multiple times) — and because I’ve always loved playing pretend.
As a romantic plot device, fake dating enables you to quickly delve into the psyches of the main characters. From the jump, we find out what matters to them, how they want to be perceived, what they’re afraid of and what their friends and family think of them. Everyone in my immediate family besides me is a psychologist, so of course this is what I care about the most when it comes to romance novels — both as a reader and as a writer.
The best fake dating novels are funny, joyful and deeply romantic, and delve into all of the ways it’s difficult and wonderful to be a human being. Here are some of my favorites. (I’m on the record already as loving several of them, which I have blurbed or recommended on NBC’s “Today” show, but my love remains undimmed.)
Act Like It
by Lucy Parker
Set on London’s West End, “Act Like It” pairs Lainie, a charming rising star, with Richard, the theater world’s jaded bad boy. They reluctantly agree to fake a relationship at the suggestion of management, who are hoping to boost ticket sales for their new show, rehabilitate Richard’s public image and help Lainie regain her mojo after being publicly cheated on by her co-star ex-boyfriend. Despite (or maybe because of) their initial dislike for each other, the two have immediate chemistry, but the actual romance develops slowly and believably, with a deeply satisfying climax.
The Dating Playbook
by Farrah Rochon
Jamar is a former N.F.L. player who wants to get back in the game; he hires Taylor, a personal trainer desperately in need of a cash infusion for her business, to whip him into shape. When they’re seen working out together, the press assumes they’re dating, and Jamal convinces Taylor to go along with it so his comeback plan isn’t exposed. This book features a great supporting cast (ride-or-die girlfriends, meddling family members — I love them all), and intriguing back stories for both Taylor and Jamal. These two have so much fun together that it’s impossible not to cheer for them.
D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding
by Chencia C. Higgins
In Higgins’s delightful Sapphic romance, D’Vaughn and Kris get paired up on a reality TV show where, in order to win $100,000, they have to convince their families and friends that they’re in love and getting married. Their acting for the cameras — and their loved ones — is so good that they soon convince even themselves that they are truly meant to be. The end of this book made me happy in the way I am for actual friends who find love — a sign of a truly great romance.
This was one of our favorite romance novels of 2022.
The Education of Kia Greer
by Alanna Bennett
What is it like to be a teenager growing up in the public eye? For Kia, who has been a side character on her family’s reality show for years, it means always being aware of appearances, and knowing the difference between public behavior and private feelings. A fake relationship with Cass, a teen heartthrob, seems to make perfect sense. But these two very quickly develop real feelings, and their tender relationship plays out in private even as they maintain their fake one in public. The details of their lives may not be normal, but Kia and Cass’s complicated feelings, and sweet love story, feel universal.
First Comes Like
by Alisha Rai
When someone pretending to be Dev, a Bollywood star, catfishes Jia, a beauty influencer, she falls hard and fast, and is crushed to learn the real Dev has no idea who she is. But when their “relationship” suddenly becomes public, the two decide to play along. Jia and Dev are from very different worlds, and the culture clash of their jobs, families and lives is joyfully entertaining. This fake, then real, relationship story has all of Rai’s trademarks: well-developed characters, delightful banter and full-hearted romance.
Island Affair
by Priscilla Oliveras
A common motive for faking a relationship is family: not wanting to deal with questions from them, wanting them to think you’re succeeding or wanting to prove yourself to them — all of which can seem perfectly reasonable to anyone with nosy relatives (a.k.a. most humans). In “Island Affair,” after Sara’s boyfriend ghosts her ahead of her family’s Key West vacation, she convinces Luis, a local firefighter, to pretend to be her fiancé for the weekend and help her save face. As the pair throw themselves into maintaining the ruse, their connection builds in a very real way.
On Her Terms
by Amy Spalding
In the latest novel in Spalding’s Out in Hollywood series, Clementine is a newly out bisexual fresh off the breakup of a long-term relationship. Chloe, the commitment-phobic lesbian of her friend group, proposes they fake date in order to navigate a series of upcoming public events and appease their meddling friends (Chloe) and family (Clementine). Both women struggle with other people’s expectations, and I loved watching them figure out exactly what they wanted for themselves — and from each other — to find their triumphant happily ever after.
The Partner Plot
by Kristina Forest
Violet and Xavier, former high school sweethearts, embark on not just a fake relationship but a fake marriage, which really raises the stakes. On a drunken night in Las Vegas, the celebrity stylist and high school basketball coach bump into each other and end up getting (not legally) married. Being fake spouses has professional benefits for both of them, so they decide to let the world keep believing they’re husband and wife, at least temporarily. The longer their “marriage” lasts, the more they remember all the things they loved about each other in the first place.
Playing House
by Ruby Lang
This charming novella packs so much romance, character development and architecture porn into its 100-ish pages. Fay and Oliver, both urban planners, run into each other while touring an apartment in Harlem; Fay pretends that Oliver is her boyfriend in order to get another guy to leave her alone. They could have let it end there, but instead they keep posing as a couple and touring apartments together, and an irresistible attraction and blossoming romance soon follow.
The post Jasmine Guillory’s Favorite Fake Dating Romance Novels appeared first on New York Times.
