When it comes to reading romance, I have a lot of favorite tropes. If my ultimate favorite will always be the friends to lovers trope, I adore a good ya book with fake-dating…especially when it turns into something real.
There’s something so exciting about seeing a fake relationship slowly, but surely turning into something real. As two characters slowly get to know each other better and realize that there might be this little something more… AH, I really love it.
I realized, while compiling this list, that I haven’t read as many books with this great trope as I wish I had. So, friends, if you’re reading this and have ANY recommendation, please feel free to shout in comments!
Alright, here’s my little list of YA books with fake-dating I read and recommend, as well as some exciting reads I have on my TBR and can’t wait to get to!
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YA Books With A Fake Relationship I Recommend
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Jenny Han
To All The Boys is such a classic, I bet all of you read it or at least know about it. It’s, still to this day, one of my favorite comfort reads, too. I love the whole writing-letters to admit your crushes to yourself, I love Lara Jean and Peter’s fake relationship slowly turning into something more. The family vibes, the soft, swoon story. I love it!
☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Loveboat, Taipei, Abigail Hing Wen
Ever Wong, a Taiwainese-American girl is sent to Taipei to study Mandarin for the summer… without realizing just how little work there will be in this new environment. It’s such a fun, entertaining read with an adorable romcom, yet it also deals with great, important themes such as finding yourself, your roots and what you want vs. your parents’ expectations.
☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Clique Bait, Ann Valett
Clique Bait is such a thrilling, mystery read I enjoyed reading a whole lot. It’s about Chloe, infiltrating the popular group in her high school in order to get revenge for her best friend…I loved how the fake-dating romance started and slowly grew and found this book so much fun to read!
☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Always Never Yours, Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka
You all know my love for this author duo’s books! Always Never Yours is excellent in so many ways. The fake-dating relationship is absolutely adorable, the character development is on point, you got Shakespeare, you got family vibes,you have it all. 200% recommending this.
Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Like A Love Song, Gabriela Martins
Like A Love Song is about a Brazilian teen popstar trying to restore her reputation by dating an indie British actor… There’s so much to love about this book. The romance is absolutely wonderful and develops slowly, but surely, which I loved… but it’s not only about that. It’s about reconnecting with your roots and yourself, about friendships and the pressure of fame. I loved it!
☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Dating Makes Perfect, Pintip Dunn
Dating Makes Perfect is a hit for me because it’s both about a fake relationship and a complex childhood friends relationship. Basically, Winnie, a Thai-American teenager, is forced to practice dating with Mat… a childhood best friend turned enemy. It’s such an excellent read with great romance, family and more.
☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
YA Books With Fake-Dating I Want To Read
Counting Down With You, Tashie Bhuiyan
Karina Ahmed, a Bangladeshi teenager, plans on spending her school year without any attention on herself. But when the school’s bad boy asks her to fake-date him to impress his parents, everything changes. This sounds like such an exciting, fun read and I can’t wait to add it to my TBR.
☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Love & Other Natural Disasters, Misa Sugiura
When Willow enlists Nozomi to pose as her new girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Willow’s happy to take that place… hoping to convince Nozomi that she’s the one. This sounds like such a fun, kind of messy fake-dating read and I’m all here for it!
☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Analee in Real Life, Janelle Milanes
In real life, Analee is still shook by her mother’s death, struggling to accept her new family and has no confidence, at all. Online, through a character she created on a role-playing game, she’s strong and brave… and has a crush on a teen boy she’s playing with. When another boy in real life asks her to fake-date him in order to make his ex jealous, Analee agrees…This seems like an excellent read about getting out of your shell and your comfort zone and I am all here for it.
☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Some Other Now, Sarah Everett
Some Other Now sounds like the kind of emotionally devastating book I’d love, when I’m in the right state of mind. Seventeen years-old Jessi used to spend her life next door, until everything changes. One of her neighbor Luke, back from college, asks her suddenly to fake-date him to make his mother happy… it seems like a complex, emotional story about family, friendship, love and loss and I have a feeling I’d love it.
☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
For more book recommendations with great romance tropes, check out these blog posts:
- 10 YA Books With an Enemies to Lovers Romance You’ll Love
- 10 YA books with the friends to lovers trope I enjoyed
📌 Pin 10 YA Books With The Fake-Dating Trope!
Did you read any of these books? Do you want to?
What are some YA books with the fake-dating trope that you love? I’d love to hear your recommendations!
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Thank you for recs. I’m going to save this list. I can’t wait to read Like a Love song.
Thank you for reading! I hope you’ll love it 🙂
I don’t think I’ve read any of these, but I should check them out because I love this trope. The first book that came to mind for me for this prompt was Fake It Till You Break It by Jenny P. Nguyen.
Oh yay! I haven’t read this book, but it’s on my TBR. It sounds really good! 🙂
Fake dating is my favourite trope!!! Loved this, I’m now adding a bunch of books to my never-ending TBR! 😃
YAY! I hope you’ll love them all 😀
Thank you! I hope so too! 😃
oh you HAVE to read Alex Light’s The upside of falling! I adored it SO MUCH, that they became my first favorite couple I read this year. Becca having that way of thinking that romance are for books, for it’s better and less heartbreaking.. which I did believed too at some point 😅
You know me well, like 7 out of the list was on my list too! Though I haven’t read them yet.
Ohhh! Thank you SO much for the recommendation, I need to check it out!
this is such a fantastic list of books!!
my favorite fake dating book is definitely hani and ishu’s guide to fake dating, by adiba jaigirdar. i also really love to all the boys!! it’s such a great series!!
i NEED to read clique bait and loveboat taipei; both sound incredible, and have been on my TBR for way too long!!
Oh thank you so, so much!! I hope you’ll love these books 😀
Thank you so much for your recommendations! I’ve added a few to my TBR hehe, I read To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m especially excited to read Loveboat, Taipei!
Oh thank you so, so much, so happy you enjoyed this! 🙂
I’ve actually never read a book with this trope before, and that needs to change already!! One of these days, I think I’ll actually pick up TATBILB, since I’ve only seen the films :’)
Oooh you should! And yes, To All the Boys is such a great read, I hope you’ll give it a try <3
Ohhh! Fake dating! One of my favourite tropes! Except for the first two on the lsit, I haven’t read any of them, so I’ll definitely check them out 🙂 thank you for this list!
Yay! I hope you’ll love them! And thank you so much <3
To All the Boys is always the first one that comes to mind! Also, Some Other Now is FABULOUS, so you definitely should read it! It’s very emotional, but SO good!
Ohh, I’ll have to give it a try, then. I’m scared about it being so emotional, but also eager to read it 😀
I love the fake dating trope! I’ve read To All The Boys and Counting Down With You in your list and I loved them both. I do want to try all the others you’ve listed here. Thank you for the recs!
Oh I’m so happy you enjoyed Counting Down With You, I can’t wait to read that one! Thank you so much for reading, Nick! <3
I love the fake dating trope and feel like I don’t read enough books with it. I do plan to get to Like a Love Song soon. Analee in Real Life is a great book. I hope you get a chance to read it!
Oh I hope you’ll love Like A Love Song, it’s such a great book! Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3
Great Post, Marie! ❤ Fake-Dating isn’t one of my favorite romance tropes, but it can be so good if well done! I’m very excited for Like a Love Song because it sounds so cute and right up my alley 🥰
Thank you so much, Caro! I hope you’ll love Like A Love Song! 🙂
Thanks for the recs! I need more fake dating books! I’ve only read loveboat Taipei and to all the boys and I really liked them both. I’ll have to check out the others!
Oh thank you! I hope you’ll find some books you love there 🙂
I’m a huge fan of the fake dating trope! I just added all of these I could to my Hoopla favorites list. 🙂 (Still need to search out the Misa Sugiura one because it sounds SO good.)
Ahhh yay! It’s such a great trope! I hope you will love these books 😀