What age is Fake Skating appropriate for?

It is a young adult romance, best suited to readers roughly 13 and up, and it is also enjoyed by adults who like YA rom-coms. Painter's teen books generally keep content milder than adult hockey romances, but parents of younger readers may want to preview it, since this summary does not detail specific content.

Is Fake Skating like Better Than the Movies?

It shares Painter's signature ingredients: a funny first-person heroine, a boy with shared history, and a romance built on banter and tropes. The main difference is the setting and hook, with Minnesota winter, hockey, and a fake-dating arrangement replacing the movie-inspired schemes of her earlier books.

Do I need to read other Lynn Painter books first?

No. Fake Skating is presented as a standalone story about Dani and Alec, so you can start here. If you enjoy it, her other YA rom-coms are natural next reads.

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Fake Skating

Name: Fake Skating
Author: Lynn Painter
ISBN: 9781665921268

by Lynn Painter

Children's Books

A cozy, hockey-flavored YA rom-com from Lynn Painter that pairs the fake-dating trope with friends-to-lovers and a homecoming, built for readers who love banter and slow-burn feelings.

What It's About

Fake Skating follows Dani, a teenager moving back to Minnesota who is eager to pick up where she left off with Alec, the sweet, nerdy boy who was her best friend and childhood crush. The Alec she finds has changed: he is now a confident, good-looking hockey star with a life she no longer knows much about. To bridge the gap between who they were and who they have become, the two land in a fake-dating arrangement, which, as fans of the trope will expect, starts to blur into something more complicated.

Lynn Painter is known for funny, warm young adult romances such as Better Than the Movies and The Do-Over, and this book appears to work in the same register: a first-person heroine with a big inner voice, plenty of awkward and comic moments, and a romance that builds through teasing and near-misses rather than heavy drama. The Minnesota winter and hockey backdrop give it a seasonal, snow-and-ice-rink coziness.

Expect a quick, emotionally light read meant to make you grin and root for the couple. The appeal is less about surprise than about watching a familiar setup play out with charm, as two people who once knew each other completely figure out whether they still fit.

Read this if you…

love fake-dating and friends-to-lovers romances
enjoyed Lynn Painter's Better Than the Movies or The Do-Over
want a cozy, wintry hockey romance that stays teen-friendly

Skip it if you…

want unpredictable plots rather than satisfying genre beats
prefer serious, issue-driven YA over light romantic comedy

Key Ideas

1
Friends-to-lovers meets fake dating
The book stacks two beloved romance tropes. Dani and Alec share a real history, so the pretend relationship carries extra weight: every staged moment risks exposing genuine feelings. Readers get the fun of the fake-dating game alongside the deeper tension of a friendship that might change permanently.
2
Coming home to someone who changed
Dani returns expecting the boy she remembers and finds a near-stranger. The story explores the disorientation of reconnecting after time apart, and the question of whether a childhood bond can survive both people growing up into different versions of themselves.
3
Hockey as setting and identity
Alec's transformation into a hockey star shapes the social world Dani steps into. The sport supplies atmosphere, rink scenes, and a sense of status and pressure, making it a good pick for readers drawn to the popular hockey-romance subgenre in a teen-appropriate form.
4
Painter's comic, voice-driven style
Painter's strength is a relatable, self-deprecating narrator whose humor carries the book. Embarrassing situations, quick dialogue, and pop-culture-flavored banter keep the pace brisk, so the romance feels playful rather than angsty, even when emotions run high.

Limitations

As a trope-forward rom-com, the book's broad shape is predictable by design, which some readers find comforting and others find thin. Painter's teen romances are sometimes criticized for leaning on miscommunication and for side characters who exist mainly to serve the couple. Hockey fans looking for detailed sports content may find the game more backdrop than focus. Note too that although it may be shelved under children's books, it is young adult fiction aimed at teens, not a middle-grade or picture-book read.

Questions Readers Ask

What age is Fake Skating appropriate for?: It is a young adult romance, best suited to readers roughly 13 and up, and it is also enjoyed by adults who like YA rom-coms. Painter's teen books generally keep content milder than adult hockey romances, but parents of younger readers may want to preview it, since this summary does not detail specific content.
Is Fake Skating like Better Than the Movies?: It shares Painter's signature ingredients: a funny first-person heroine, a boy with shared history, and a romance built on banter and tropes. The main difference is the setting and hook, with Minnesota winter, hockey, and a fake-dating arrangement replacing the movie-inspired schemes of her earlier books.
Do I need to read other Lynn Painter books first?: No. Fake Skating is presented as a standalone story about Dani and Alec, so you can start here. If you enjoy it, her other YA rom-coms are natural next reads.

Published: 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Difficulty: beginner
Category: Children's Books

Book details and cover from Google Books.

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