Fake Skating
by Lynn Painter
After her parents' painful divorce, Dani moves with her mom to her hockey-legend grandfather's house in small-town Minnesota for senior year. That is also home to Alec, her childhood best friend and summer sweetheart,…
At a glance
- Genre
- Young Adult
- Trope
- Fake Dating
- Length
- 448 pages
- Format
- Trade Paperback
Reading Options
Fake Skating
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Why You May Love This Book
You may love this if…
- In order to secure their respective futures, a former best friend duo enters a fake dating arrangement that stirs up their complicated shared past.
- Fans of YA contemporary romance
- Readers who enjoy high-stakes fake dating plots
- Nostalgic
- Features Fake Dating
This may not be ideal if…
- Potential for standard YA tropes without surprise
The Romance
Tropes, dynamics, and the chemistry that drives this story.
Tropes
Relationship Dynamics
Details
Type: Young Adult Contemporary
Pairing: unknown
Power balance: Balanced; both characters require the other to achieve their specific, high-stakes goals.
How It Feels
The emotional landscape you'll move through while reading.
Heat Level
Based on available metadata and editorial review.
Who Is This Book For?
Best for
Reading mood
Recommended audience: Young Adult
The Story
Spoiler-Free Synopsis
Following her parents' difficult divorce, Dani moves to Minnesota to live with her grandfather, a hockey legend. There, she encounters Alec, her childhood best friend and former summer sweetheart who is now a local hockey star. With Dani needing extracurriculars for her Harvard application and Alec needing to improve his public image for NHL scouts, they form a pact to fake a relationship. As they navigate their new dynamic, their history and external pressures make the arrangement increasingly complex.
Central Conflict
Dani and Alec must maintain a fake relationship to achieve their separate life goals while managing the unresolved complications of their shared history and personal family pressures.
Setting
Small-town Minnesota
Strengths
- Classic, high-interest tropes
- Clearly defined character motivations
Consider before reading
- Potential for standard YA tropes without surprise
Discussion Guide
Questions to deepen your reading experience or spark a book club conversation.
- 1
How does the central conflict shape the relationship between the main characters?
- 2
How does the setting influence the characters' decisions and their relationship?
- 3
How do the relationship dynamics evolve throughout the story?
- 4
Who would you most want to recommend this book to?
- 5
How did the pacing affect your reading experience?
- 6
Which aspect of the story did you find most compelling?
How This Profile Was Created
Eikna uses book metadata and AI-assisted analysis to create structured romance profiles. Public profiles are reviewed and approved by an editor before publication.
- Editor reviewed:
- Yes
- Last reviewed:
- October 4, 2026
- Confidence:
- Moderate confidence
- Profile version:
- eikna-public-book-intelligence-v1
About the Author
Lynn Painter
What Readers Say
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Publication Details
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- Length
- 448 pages
- Language
- English
- ISBN-13
- 9781665921275
Are you the author? Verify your author profile to manage this book.
This is my book — sign inReading Options
Fake Skating
As an Amazon Associate, Eikna earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
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