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Most Likely To #4
Fake Dating the Football Player
Ever since I was little, I’ve dreamt of being able to leave Brentwood in the rearview mirror. And after being voted Most Likely Never Get A Boyfriend, I’m ready to say bye-bye to mean girls, gossips, and bad memories, and hello to a fresh start. I just need to buy a van, make it livable, and spend the next year of my life on the road until I find someplace to settle for good. I have it all mapped out.
Until my cousin buys the van I had my eyes on, and suddenly my freedom is now a graduation present held hostage until the end of the school year.
But there’s one way to fix it… and that’s fake date the shy, quiet, emotionally reserved Brentwood High quarterback, Landon Settler.
If I can convince my cousin that I’m in love, he’ll give me the van early. Landon’s the perfect choice to fake date—voted Most Likely Never Get A Girlfriend, easy to convince, and best of all, I have blackmail on him that makes him agree. But it’s mutually beneficial for him too—I’ll help him make the girl he likes jealous while he turns into my one-way ticket to freedom. And unlike anyone else in the popular crowd, he’s actually fun to be around.
We just have to last until homecoming and not catch feelings for each other.
But with how comfortable we start to get with each other—and as both of our secrets begin to slip out—it’s easier said than done.
Until my cousin buys the van I had my eyes on, and suddenly my freedom is now a graduation present held hostage until the end of the school year.
But there’s one way to fix it… and that’s fake date the shy, quiet, emotionally reserved Brentwood High quarterback, Landon Settler.
If I can convince my cousin that I’m in love, he’ll give me the van early. Landon’s the perfect choice to fake date—voted Most Likely Never Get A Girlfriend, easy to convince, and best of all, I have blackmail on him that makes him agree. But it’s mutually beneficial for him too—I’ll help him make the girl he likes jealous while he turns into my one-way ticket to freedom. And unlike anyone else in the popular crowd, he’s actually fun to be around.
We just have to last until homecoming and not catch feelings for each other.
But with how comfortable we start to get with each other—and as both of our secrets begin to slip out—it’s easier said than done.
458 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 29, 2023
231 people are currently reading
561 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Sutton
14 books920 followersSarah Sutton is the author of YA Contemporary Romance books from a tiny town in Michigan. These standalone novels can be read in any order and are sure to leave you swooning. She’s always loved the idea of falling in love; capturing the fall through words and heart-melting kisses is one of her passions! Meet-cutes? She’ll take all of them! Accidental touches? She lives for them! First kisses? Yes, please!
To follow her on social media and learn more about her books, visit her website: sarah-sutton.com
Facebook: @SarahMaeSutton
Instagram: @SarahMaeSutton
YouTube: @SarahMaeSutton
TikTok: @AuthorSarahSutton
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
August 29, 2023
First and foremost, thanks once again to Sarah Sutton for an ARC of her latest book, Fake Dating The Football Player!
This is Sarah’s best book EVER. if you know me, you know I’m a Sarah Sutton fan & love everything she writes. However, Landon & Lacey’s story hit it out of the park!!
If you like:
-you called/you came
-keep her name out of your mouth
-fake dating
-secret pining
-SHY BOY!!!!
You will LOVE this book!
I’d also say this her most “mature” book ever. There are some familial themes in this that were a bit mature emotionally, really pulling on my heart strings. I also just think Lacey is more mature due to what she went through.
I loved seeing Sarah’s growth from her first book to now. I’ve been excepted for Landon’s story for a while and i was NOT disappointed. I want to reread this book and fall in love with them all over again. I want a Settler Bobcats jersey. I am 10000% #TeamSettler
It was great to see the involvement of past book characters too, such as Connor, Reed & Hudson! I found it so fun to see all the story lines line up together (through each book can be read as a stand-alone, it was definitely more fun knowing what was going on with others during Landon’s story!)
Lacey and Hudson’s relationship was *chefs kiss*. We got to see protective Hudson which i LOVE, while also seeing a bit more personal side of his family life and just what he’s going through.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go think about this book for the rest of the day.
This is Sarah’s best book EVER. if you know me, you know I’m a Sarah Sutton fan & love everything she writes. However, Landon & Lacey’s story hit it out of the park!!
If you like:
-you called/you came
-keep her name out of your mouth
-fake dating
-secret pining
-SHY BOY!!!!
You will LOVE this book!
I’d also say this her most “mature” book ever. There are some familial themes in this that were a bit mature emotionally, really pulling on my heart strings. I also just think Lacey is more mature due to what she went through.
I loved seeing Sarah’s growth from her first book to now. I’ve been excepted for Landon’s story for a while and i was NOT disappointed. I want to reread this book and fall in love with them all over again. I want a Settler Bobcats jersey. I am 10000% #TeamSettler
It was great to see the involvement of past book characters too, such as Connor, Reed & Hudson! I found it so fun to see all the story lines line up together (through each book can be read as a stand-alone, it was definitely more fun knowing what was going on with others during Landon’s story!)
Lacey and Hudson’s relationship was *chefs kiss*. We got to see protective Hudson which i LOVE, while also seeing a bit more personal side of his family life and just what he’s going through.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go think about this book for the rest of the day.
August 29, 2023
Landon might be my new favorite love interest in the Sutton-verse. He’s so sweet and shy and he had so many swoony lines throughout this book! Lacey’s a spitfire and I love her!
January 27, 2025
5 ⭐️!!
“his laugh echoed with the crashing waves, and i couldn’t help but think it was such a beautiful sound.”
🏈 my thoughts:
i was so pleasantly surprised with this book!! i loved hudson and gemma in “rebelling with the bad boy” and i didn’t think it could get better than them, honestly. but it did and i loved this one! honestly after i read the last book, i was tempted to take a break from the series, just because i wanted something new like a mystery or fantasy but im so glad i kept reading. it hooked me from the first page and i realized this is what i wanted to read. it was the longest one out of the series i believe but it was the perfect length in my opinion. lots of interactions between landon and lacey, enough emotional scenes involving lacey’s family, and when the argument between them happened toward the end, it didn’t last too long and i wasn’t frustrated like “talk to each other!!” or anything like that, if that makes sense. it kind of reminded me of bttm for some reason and i LOVEEE that book so it makes sense i like this one too!
🏈 character breakdown
~ landon : oh my gosh i love him!! he was shy, stuttered when he was uncomfortable, and blushed super easily and it was SOO CUTE! but also he was so sweet and caring and considerate. like i know he knew lacey loved twizzlers and stocked up for her when they were going on a trip. when he met lacey’s mom, that whole scene was so sad but sweet because landon just held her as she cried like cmonnn 🥺 he saw her at her worst and loved her through it 💖
~ lacey : i liked lacey, but not as much as i liked landon. honestly landon made this whole book 😭😭 but lacey was such a strong fmc because of her mom and family life and what she went through. i feel like her wanting to run away from brentwood wasn’t relatable to me personally, but i did understand where she was coming from. i feel like that struggle inside her made her so much more real and gave her more depth as a character.
🏈 all in all…
PLS READ THIS BOOK!! read the whole series because these books are sadly not hyped up enough! also i loved the hudson and gemma crumbs we got in this book! i love hudson he is so funny 😭 also shoutout to bff ally, i loved talking to you about these!! 💕
🏈 quotes
“landon felt like a buoy i could latch onto to keep my head above water, and it was a brief gasp of relief.”
“but i… i’d like to know you more, lacey. i want to know as much of you as you want to show me.”
“call me first next time,” he told me in a low voice. “before you run, call me first.”
“so you can talk me out of it?”
“so you won’t be alone.” — AWW LANDON🥹
“but don’t you think it’s a little pathetic to stoop as low as lacey churchill?”
“don’t ever,” he said, voice dangerously serious, “ever talk about her like that. say whatever you want about me, but keep her name out of your mouth.”
“you’re not a trainwreck,” landon said in a softer tone. “and even if you were, i want to be in the wreck with you.” — ❤️🩹🫶🏻
“i’d trade all of that for you in a heartbeat,” he went on, voice still firm and unwavering. “quarterback, top tier, popularity— if it meant that i got to be yours, i’d never look back.” — oh my goshhh 💖
“his laugh echoed with the crashing waves, and i couldn’t help but think it was such a beautiful sound.”
🏈 my thoughts:
i was so pleasantly surprised with this book!! i loved hudson and gemma in “rebelling with the bad boy” and i didn’t think it could get better than them, honestly. but it did and i loved this one! honestly after i read the last book, i was tempted to take a break from the series, just because i wanted something new like a mystery or fantasy but im so glad i kept reading. it hooked me from the first page and i realized this is what i wanted to read. it was the longest one out of the series i believe but it was the perfect length in my opinion. lots of interactions between landon and lacey, enough emotional scenes involving lacey’s family, and when the argument between them happened toward the end, it didn’t last too long and i wasn’t frustrated like “talk to each other!!” or anything like that, if that makes sense. it kind of reminded me of bttm for some reason and i LOVEEE that book so it makes sense i like this one too!
🏈 character breakdown
~ landon : oh my gosh i love him!! he was shy, stuttered when he was uncomfortable, and blushed super easily and it was SOO CUTE! but also he was so sweet and caring and considerate. like i know he knew lacey loved twizzlers and stocked up for her when they were going on a trip. when he met lacey’s mom, that whole scene was so sad but sweet because landon just held her as she cried like cmonnn 🥺 he saw her at her worst and loved her through it 💖
~ lacey : i liked lacey, but not as much as i liked landon. honestly landon made this whole book 😭😭 but lacey was such a strong fmc because of her mom and family life and what she went through. i feel like her wanting to run away from brentwood wasn’t relatable to me personally, but i did understand where she was coming from. i feel like that struggle inside her made her so much more real and gave her more depth as a character.
🏈 all in all…
PLS READ THIS BOOK!! read the whole series because these books are sadly not hyped up enough! also i loved the hudson and gemma crumbs we got in this book! i love hudson he is so funny 😭 also shoutout to bff ally, i loved talking to you about these!! 💕
🏈 quotes
“landon felt like a buoy i could latch onto to keep my head above water, and it was a brief gasp of relief.”
“but i… i’d like to know you more, lacey. i want to know as much of you as you want to show me.”
“call me first next time,” he told me in a low voice. “before you run, call me first.”
“so you can talk me out of it?”
“so you won’t be alone.” — AWW LANDON🥹
“but don’t you think it’s a little pathetic to stoop as low as lacey churchill?”
“don’t ever,” he said, voice dangerously serious, “ever talk about her like that. say whatever you want about me, but keep her name out of your mouth.”
“you’re not a trainwreck,” landon said in a softer tone. “and even if you were, i want to be in the wreck with you.” — ❤️🩹🫶🏻
“i’d trade all of that for you in a heartbeat,” he went on, voice still firm and unwavering. “quarterback, top tier, popularity— if it meant that i got to be yours, i’d never look back.” — oh my goshhh 💖
January 14, 2025
3.5 ☆
⭢ age rec: 13+
"his laugh echoed with the crashing waves, and i couldn't help but think it was such a beautiful sound."
♫ | cowboy in LA by LANY
જ⁀➴ a mini review :
actually so adorbs! the fake dating aspect was cute as always- sarah sutton always does a good job of that trope <3 lacy was an ok fmc, i didn’t really hate her but she wasn’t a fav, yk? LANDON THOUGH🤭his was such a cutie (!!), and also really relatable…? he was so shy and considerate and i just loved him🥹not as much as hudson! him and gemma still hold top spot for me :) speaking of them, the crumbs we got were SO CUTE!!! ugh i love them🫂i think one of my favorite things about this series is the fact that all the stories take place at the same time and because of that, you can see everyone’s thought process and such.
🏈— even though this series is one of those inter-connected standalone series, i highly recommend reading them in order!
tropes/selling points
🏈black cat X golden retriever
🏈fake dating
🏈no spice
🏈available on kindle unlimited
"you're not a trainwreck," landon said in a softer tone. "and even if you were, i want to be in the wreck with you."
series ranking
1. rebelling with the bad boy (book 3)
2. tutoring the teachers pet (book 1)
3. fake dating the football player (book 4)
4. dreaming about the boy next door (book 2)
⭢ age rec: 13+
"his laugh echoed with the crashing waves, and i couldn't help but think it was such a beautiful sound."
♫ | cowboy in LA by LANY
જ⁀➴ a mini review :
actually so adorbs! the fake dating aspect was cute as always- sarah sutton always does a good job of that trope <3 lacy was an ok fmc, i didn’t really hate her but she wasn’t a fav, yk? LANDON THOUGH🤭his was such a cutie (!!), and also really relatable…? he was so shy and considerate and i just loved him🥹not as much as hudson! him and gemma still hold top spot for me :) speaking of them, the crumbs we got were SO CUTE!!! ugh i love them🫂i think one of my favorite things about this series is the fact that all the stories take place at the same time and because of that, you can see everyone’s thought process and such.
🏈— even though this series is one of those inter-connected standalone series, i highly recommend reading them in order!
tropes/selling points
🏈black cat X golden retriever
🏈fake dating
🏈no spice
🏈available on kindle unlimited
"you're not a trainwreck," landon said in a softer tone. "and even if you were, i want to be in the wreck with you."
series ranking
1. rebelling with the bad boy (book 3)
2. tutoring the teachers pet (book 1)
3. fake dating the football player (book 4)
4. dreaming about the boy next door (book 2)
January 10, 2024
Simply to put it cringe Highschool romance
August 22, 2023
Firstly, I want to say a HUGE thank you to Sarah for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. Now, onto the review.
As the title suggests, the fourth installment of the Most Likely To series is a fake dating romance that has been hinted at multiple times in previous books. This time around, we get to read inside the mind of Hudson Bishop’s cousin, Lacey Churchill, and how she fell for the older Settler, the shy yet very popular Landon.
Coming from a personal standpoint, Lacey’s POV really hit me right in my core. I haven’t been in her situation, exactly, but I do have that kind of temper. I thought Maisie’s POV was relatable (it is, don’t worry), but I might relate more to Lacey. The girl with the whole “get out of dodge” mindset. Landon, however, is in a somewhat similar predicament as his sister Gemma. If you’ve read book three in the Most Likely To series, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. I highly recommend reading that book before this one to get a better understanding of what I’m saying. I also did enjoy Landon’s bonus chapter (like a LOT).
This is such a beautifully written story that isn’t just about two teenagers falling in love, but about both of them having more of a control over their lives. If you’re a sucker for the fake dating trope like I am, then this book is a definite MUST. It comes out on August 29, 2023 and you can find it on KU for free. This is as spoiler-free as I can get but if you want to see the notes I jotted down while reading, then please let me know!
As the title suggests, the fourth installment of the Most Likely To series is a fake dating romance that has been hinted at multiple times in previous books. This time around, we get to read inside the mind of Hudson Bishop’s cousin, Lacey Churchill, and how she fell for the older Settler, the shy yet very popular Landon.
Coming from a personal standpoint, Lacey’s POV really hit me right in my core. I haven’t been in her situation, exactly, but I do have that kind of temper. I thought Maisie’s POV was relatable (it is, don’t worry), but I might relate more to Lacey. The girl with the whole “get out of dodge” mindset. Landon, however, is in a somewhat similar predicament as his sister Gemma. If you’ve read book three in the Most Likely To series, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. I highly recommend reading that book before this one to get a better understanding of what I’m saying. I also did enjoy Landon’s bonus chapter (like a LOT).
This is such a beautifully written story that isn’t just about two teenagers falling in love, but about both of them having more of a control over their lives. If you’re a sucker for the fake dating trope like I am, then this book is a definite MUST. It comes out on August 29, 2023 and you can find it on KU for free. This is as spoiler-free as I can get but if you want to see the notes I jotted down while reading, then please let me know!
September 2, 2025
I really enjoyed this.
According to Goodreads, I have read the first book in this series (Teaching the Teacher's Pet) but I recall nothing about it, which reaffirms why I've been trying to force myself to diarize my thoughts on here for the sake of future memory.
Anyway what about this book? We're introduced to Lacey in a complicated period of her life. Her mother has essentially abandoned her, she feels like a burden in her uncle's home, and she's desperate to escape all of the above by leaving her small town the first chance she gets. When her cousin dares/bets her to get into a relationship before homecoming with the stakes being literal transport and home out of town, Lacey sets her eyes on football player Landon who seems like he has a heart of gold.
As far as bet stories go, Sutton knows the score. Both parties are aware of the bet and therefore gross moral lines are not crossed and instead adds to the pacing of the story.
I must say (since this review has already lost coherency) that this was yet another book that was so refreshing in its use of single POV (a sadly declining trend). From the moment Lacey approaches Landon to fake date her for the sake of her getting the keys to her motorhome, and to help win over his crush, the vibes said that maybe Landon had a secret crush on Lacey. But because we read this solely through Lacey's eyes there are moments of doubt. It's a specific pet love, but I enjoy that I was able to go back and forth on what Landon's feelings were because it wasn't immediately told to me. It adds a nice tension to the plot, and conversely it doesn't instill an annoying thread of one party seemingly being willfully oblivious.
Okay what else. Lacey was an interest character. And I think because I don't read as much YA as I used to, I forgot how good YA is at developing enormously layered and complex characters. By nature of these stories mostly being coming of age, we often get characters who are at a cross roads if not in life then definitely within themselves as they determine and discover who they are. And we get that really nicely with Lacey. She's already been deeply impacted through her unstable upbringing and the ongoing choices that her mother makes. While she's aware of this, she's not yet equipped to process and deal with the impacts, so her instinct is to run. She's presented as very independent (though not strictly by choice), often selfish (but in very understandable ways), bold and assertive, and also deeply caring. She felt real, and her moments felt real also.
I do think Landon had less development which made sense since this was Lacey's book, told through her perspective. We understand that he's parents are a little controlling and they put a fair amount of pressure on him, but we didn't really delve too much deeper into his character. And that's probably where I dock some minor points, is on this point of wanting to know Landon just a little more. For example, it's clear that Landon understands that a lot of his friends were proper dodgy not great people, and it doesn't quite make sense why he continues to befriend them. So it would have been nice to get a bit of that insight.
Aside from those small quibbles, this was quick and easy to read and I kept turning pages, and I felt invested in these two kids and their journey.
4 stars it is.
According to Goodreads, I have read the first book in this series (Teaching the Teacher's Pet) but I recall nothing about it, which reaffirms why I've been trying to force myself to diarize my thoughts on here for the sake of future memory.
Anyway what about this book? We're introduced to Lacey in a complicated period of her life. Her mother has essentially abandoned her, she feels like a burden in her uncle's home, and she's desperate to escape all of the above by leaving her small town the first chance she gets. When her cousin dares/bets her to get into a relationship before homecoming with the stakes being literal transport and home out of town, Lacey sets her eyes on football player Landon who seems like he has a heart of gold.
As far as bet stories go, Sutton knows the score. Both parties are aware of the bet and therefore gross moral lines are not crossed and instead adds to the pacing of the story.
I must say (since this review has already lost coherency) that this was yet another book that was so refreshing in its use of single POV (a sadly declining trend). From the moment Lacey approaches Landon to fake date her for the sake of her getting the keys to her motorhome, and to help win over his crush, the vibes said that maybe Landon had a secret crush on Lacey. But because we read this solely through Lacey's eyes there are moments of doubt. It's a specific pet love, but I enjoy that I was able to go back and forth on what Landon's feelings were because it wasn't immediately told to me. It adds a nice tension to the plot, and conversely it doesn't instill an annoying thread of one party seemingly being willfully oblivious.
Okay what else. Lacey was an interest character. And I think because I don't read as much YA as I used to, I forgot how good YA is at developing enormously layered and complex characters. By nature of these stories mostly being coming of age, we often get characters who are at a cross roads if not in life then definitely within themselves as they determine and discover who they are. And we get that really nicely with Lacey. She's already been deeply impacted through her unstable upbringing and the ongoing choices that her mother makes. While she's aware of this, she's not yet equipped to process and deal with the impacts, so her instinct is to run. She's presented as very independent (though not strictly by choice), often selfish (but in very understandable ways), bold and assertive, and also deeply caring. She felt real, and her moments felt real also.
I do think Landon had less development which made sense since this was Lacey's book, told through her perspective. We understand that he's parents are a little controlling and they put a fair amount of pressure on him, but we didn't really delve too much deeper into his character. And that's probably where I dock some minor points, is on this point of wanting to know Landon just a little more. For example, it's clear that Landon understands that a lot of his friends were proper dodgy not great people, and it doesn't quite make sense why he continues to befriend them. So it would have been nice to get a bit of that insight.
Aside from those small quibbles, this was quick and easy to read and I kept turning pages, and I felt invested in these two kids and their journey.
4 stars it is.
October 20, 2023
The moment I heard about this book I decided to read it right away, it's the fourth book in the Most Likely to series, while this book is more dramatic than the rest of the series I really enjoyed it ..
The story is about Lacey, we will meet her in the third book as the cousin of Hudson, she is out going but have a huge ache in her heart and all she wants is to get away from her small town and forget what happened to her, but her cousin makes her a deal, find a boyfriend that loves you and he will personally provide her with a van that can take her out of the city, so, when the Most Likely list gets out, she saw her name beside Most likely never get a boyfriend and Landon (the shy football player we know from the first three books) got the label most likely never get a girlfriend, so they come to a deal, she will help Landon get the girl of his dream and he will pretend to be her boyfriend until Lacey's cousin gives her the van .. sounds simple .. but who is Landon dream girl ?
I really missed these kind of "Sarah Dessen-y" books, they have some drama enough to keep you invested but not too much that you feel depressed .. and the relationship between Landon and Lacey was *chef's kiss* Landon is such a sweetheart and I really liked him .. the thing I liked the most about this series is that it all happens in the same time you just get another perspective .. it makes Brent High more homey .. can't wait for the next book (if there is any)
The story is about Lacey, we will meet her in the third book as the cousin of Hudson, she is out going but have a huge ache in her heart and all she wants is to get away from her small town and forget what happened to her, but her cousin makes her a deal, find a boyfriend that loves you and he will personally provide her with a van that can take her out of the city, so, when the Most Likely list gets out, she saw her name beside Most likely never get a boyfriend and Landon (the shy football player we know from the first three books) got the label most likely never get a girlfriend, so they come to a deal, she will help Landon get the girl of his dream and he will pretend to be her boyfriend until Lacey's cousin gives her the van .. sounds simple .. but who is Landon dream girl ?
I really missed these kind of "Sarah Dessen-y" books, they have some drama enough to keep you invested but not too much that you feel depressed .. and the relationship between Landon and Lacey was *chef's kiss* Landon is such a sweetheart and I really liked him .. the thing I liked the most about this series is that it all happens in the same time you just get another perspective .. it makes Brent High more homey .. can't wait for the next book (if there is any)
March 17, 2024
Ahh the final book in the series and Sarah really ended it with a masterpiece!
Landon and Lacey's story was one I've been excited about for a while, and I'm so glad it was everything and more than I was expecting!
The whole book gives major YA romance vibes (y'all know what I mean, right??). Obviously, it is a YA romance, but it just ~feels~ like a YA romance. I was never bored or felt like the story dragged on, and there was plenty of external conflict and character growth, which I love!!
Thank you for this amazing book, Sarah! 💜
Landon and Lacey's story was one I've been excited about for a while, and I'm so glad it was everything and more than I was expecting!
The whole book gives major YA romance vibes (y'all know what I mean, right??). Obviously, it is a YA romance, but it just ~feels~ like a YA romance. I was never bored or felt like the story dragged on, and there was plenty of external conflict and character growth, which I love!!
Thank you for this amazing book, Sarah! 💜
September 2, 2023
Lacey Churchill feels like she doesn’t have anything left for her at Brentwood. Just the graduation gift parked on the Bishop’s driveway, waiting to be completed so she can drive off into the sunset and leave everything behind. Nothing is holding her back. Or is there? Lacey’s cousin, Hudson, strikes up a bet with her that if she’s able to get a boyfriend until homecoming then she can get earlier access to Petunia, her beloved van. And who better to strike up a deal than with her male MTM counterpart Mr. Never Get A Girlfriend, himself, Landon Settler.
Fake Dating the Football Player by Sarah Sutton comes in with a rating of 4/5.
It has fake dating, golden retriever and the black cat energy, popular vs outcast, a spunky main character, a greek god quarterback with adorable freckles and reddish brown hair.
I’m going to start this review with just my general thoughts after finishing this book before I start getting into more of the nitty gritty.
This one was a little difficult for me to gather my thoughts about, like what the headline says there are a lot of pieces of this book that I adore however when I tried to piece them together by the end it left me feeling like too many elements or revelations were being introduced nearing the end of the book to try grout some plot holes, or tie a couple loose ends. And unfortunately, I came out of the book not really feeling our love interest this time around.
I know I’m probably going to get a lot of people who disagree with me on this. But it’s the only way I can express what I’m feeling after I finished the book.
Now there will be spoilers in some parts of this review, I will make sure to mark where it starts and ends. But highly encourage you to read this book before you read this review so you can form you own opinion!
Let’s dive into the review! Starting off with our hero and heroine.
Lacey Churchill is up there on one of my favourite MTM heroines, she’s spunky, she can be bold if she wants to be, sassy, not afraid to shut the Top Tier down and go head to head with a couple snakes. I love that she knows what she wants, and her confidence throughout the book especially when it came to putting up a show with Landon makes you fall in love with her.
I think her personality and character were pretty consistent throughout the book, there was never a moment where I was confused that this is what Lacey would do and this is what she’d say, how she’d react to a situation. Of course she had her personal growth and maturity in a lot of different facets of her life but it was still inherently her. Which I loved.
This is especially important because this isn’t a dual POV novel, it’s purely in the perspective of Lacey so it’s crucial that you nail the characterisation of your heroine otherwise you’ll cause a disconnect with your readers. Sarah Sutton had done an amazing job writing her.
Don’t ask me to choose between her or Maisie because I won’t be able to, okay? I love Maisie just as much.
Now for our hero, Landon Settler. He is… well he’s more of a confusing character for me. Landon’s characterisation was a lot more difficult for me to put a finger on. To sum it up I would say it’s because he really wasn’t consistent throughout the book, and wasn’t written as strong as Lacey. I felt like I was reading about 2-3 different boys that all were supposed to be Landon but he came out so fractured.
My first impression of him was that he was obviously a lot more shyer, more reserved than the other boys his age. Potentially a lot more mature especially how he dealt with some situations, but then other times I don’t think his actions or responses reflected that. Then I was seeing the ways he’d respond to Lacey in conversations, it was almost like Lacey was the ray of sunshine and he was the moody grey cloud rolling in. So then that was a bit of a switch in dynamic.
Then at times he’d be the sweetest, cinnamon roll out there. Just being a support pillar for Lacey, which definitely puts him on another level than most boys I knew at that age for sure.
Then we had another side of him that was a lot more bolder, confident, smooth, almost charismatic especially when it came to putting up a show of his relationship with Lacey and even at the end of the book and I was like alright, alright I see you. Yes, I do see you but who are you? Coming back to the lack of dual POV, because of that I found it hard to piece him together. I didn’t get to see his resolve in certain actions he carried out, his thought process, the build up that connected those dots together. And so it left me wondering about when I would be like, “aha!” that’s the Landon I know. But I felt like throughout the novel, I just didn’t get that chance to get to see that consistency in who he was as a character.
**Spoiler start**
The climax of it all when ish was about to go down, Lacey was having a stand-off with Jade and Ashton about the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Madison stood up to both of them to defend Lacey with a vengeance that I would’ve liked to see from Landon at a lot of different points of the book when our girl was being beaten down by the Top Tier. With what we learned from Nate later on in the book is that Jade and Madison had a huge fight that night (which I’d love to know what happened and to see my girl, Madison, fight the snake).
When it came to Landon’s personal growth, you can see glimpses of the pressure of being a quarterback, you can see how he has certain insecurities about how he is being perceived as being connected with the Top Tier. Not necessarily by the people around him, but by Lacey. We also see his relationship with his parents like I mentioned earlier which doesn’t seem to have much friction aside from that one random time his parents decided to just berate him after a tiring game of football. Then we also see his thoughts around the incident during freshman year with Hudson, which Lacey leveraged during their fake dating agreement as blackmail.
So there’s a lot that I feel were left unanswered. We did see Lacey try to comfort him and reassure him at various points addressing his insecurity about being perceived that same way as Top Tier but that’s about it.
I also didn’t really get a good grasp on what Landon’s family situation was about. I mean no family can ever be pigeonholed in a certain structure and dynamic. But it just felt like his relationship and conversations with his parents started but never really ended, and no closure was provided in that regard other than—yeah they let him do what he wants in the end.
**Spoiler end**
So unfortunately, I’d have to say he wouldn’t be my favourite love interest in the MTM series. I can already hear the pitchforks and see the torches coming my way. If I was to make a rank, I’d probably go Connor, Reed, Hudson and then Landon. I’m sorry, I know I really wanted to love him I did but it just didn’t happen for me. He might’ve been written a bit too much for fan service.
I think if we saw glimpses of that shy boy throughout, shy with his actions, those subtle and small touches with Lacey that doesn’t always need to be initiated by him. Rather than multiple out of character (or in character, by the end I couldn’t tell) physical affection that was happening, I feel like I actually would’ve loved just peaks of that here and there. I guess I just lost sight of him as the book went on which is unfortunate.
Moving on to the relationship and dynamic between Lacey and Landon. They had some of the cutest, most memorable moments I would say. There was definitely a lot of physical touch of course because they had to put on a show for most of the novel. I really loved how Lacey slowly opened up to Landon, and started seeing him as that constant piece in her life where everything else is just so unstable.
I love how he was always there for her, never wanting her to go through things alone. Through some of the most difficult times, Landon never failed to show Lacey how he cares about her.
I loved that premise of, we say our secret exchange and that means we can initiate a beautiful moment of just basking in what it means to show our other half physical affection. Now I do love it, but I wish there was a bit less of it because by the end it kind of lost its meaning and spark. Like when they would actually trigger it, at the start I held my breath wondering what would be his or her next move and then by the end because there was just so much of it I felt it became a lot less special. And I wish there was a way to preserve that exchange. I still love the premise though, you’d understand what I mean by exchange when you read the book.
As for how their relationship progressed throughout the novel, I think this is the most difficult part about the fake dating trope. You have to think about at what point Lacey started to fall in love with Landon, and vice versa. Capturing that moment when the lines have blurred between what’s fake and true in your actions/feelings in this trope is especially difficult and I applaud Sarah for how she did that in this book. I think you can only truly appreciate it once you’ve reached the third act and you find out the plot twist and see it all in retrospect.
Talking about pace and progression, we finally get to the last section of my review which is the plot.
I’m just going to spoiler tag this whole section because I might go in and out of the plot and subplots.
**Spoiler start**
I think the plot itself started off very strong, I feel like the kick off (pun intended) into the fake dating trope made sense. I think the small interactions embedded within the plot helped to build a picture on Lacey and Landon as a couple and their dynamic.
I just feel like there were a lot of subplots that were introduced, or at least glimpses of what would’ve been an area to develop further that either ran out of gas by the end or I felt was missing a massive piece of the puzzle.
So one of them was Lacey’s relationship with the Bishop family, in particular with Paisley. At one point they become very close by the end but for 3/4 of the book they absolutely were on the opposing sides of the field (pun intended). They did have a very, very beautiful moment and mutual understanding which understandably their relationship just went up from there. But it improved so fast they went from shouting at each other to exchanging I love you’s and hugs in the next scene. I was wondering if I missed a whole chapter here.
Another part I’m trying to wrap my head around is what happened to Ashton and his dramatically antagonistic plan which I felt was a bit farfetched. Nothing came out of that aside from having a bad guy there to stir the pot and shift the blame to. All I know is that he is creepy, he stalked Lacey, doesn’t have anything better to do then stalk Landon and Lacey on a date, and his prom-posal or hoco proposal got rejected by Lacey several times apparently.
The bet he made with Landon felt a bit unnecessary. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that. I don’t know how they didn’t notice Ashton at Le Petit Bateau just chilling on one of the tables in a restaurant setting. This is an upscale restaurant and he was obviously sitting close enough if he heard everything. I can’t imagine Landon and Lacey adopting their normal conversational tone about something like this. Details aside, that part of the plot needed a lot more thought and fleshing out. Because I feel like most of that would have just benefited with a bit more common sense and proper communication.
The plot twist, actually I’m not sure if it’s a plot twist but I guess revelation is a better word for it was adorable. I liked it, it provided a lot more clarity around Landon and his actions. I don’t think I was surprised by it because the whole time Landon never really cared for what Madison thought or said, and when the revelation came through it more or less answered my questions. It was a bit cliché but cute nonetheless.
Just wondering how Lacey didn’t at least recognise this red-headed, freckled boy she shared classes with during elementary school as Landon Settler. We could argue that the situation with her mother meant anything before that time in her life became obsolete in her memories.
What Sarah did so well, which I feel she does so well in all her books, is the family situation subplot. The most beautiful part of this book in my opinion is her acceptance of herself, her growth, her relationship or lack thereof with her mother. And the newfound family she has with her uncle Dean, Hudson and Paisley. My heart cried with her during those moments of feeling like she is so alone, no one wanting or loving her. There’s a beautiful story to tell there and Sarah executed it so well.
The climax and final scenes weren’t the strongest parts of the story for me, they kind of dragged on a little. At one point I kind of had to step back because it was getting a bit sugary sweet. Which is definitely more of a personal preference thing. I think this won’t be a problem for most readers!
I’d say one of the stronger parts was definitely when Lacey finally got to the point where she had that chance to go on her van life adventure. She’s sitting there just with her thoughts and finally makes the decision to choose between a life she thought was right for her and something or someone that made her truly happy.
**Spoiler end**
Now, why this book is a solid 4/5 is because the way Sarah Sutton writes I believe is one of the best in the YA romance, high school genre. The way she writes scenes, describes their emotions are so fluid. I think she just did an amazing job with Lacey in this book, I can say for everyone I’m sure that we all fell a little in love with Lacey and her spunky character. I’m sure we all fell in love with Landon and Lacey’s relationship too and fell victim to those sugar-coated, sweet moments.
I think Sarah’s execution of the fake dating trope was quite refreshing, at least the premise behind it. I loved that secret consent premise as well—that was also something quite new that I haven’t seen in this kind of trope.
I loved Connor’s cameos in these books, now he’s a great example of someone who I’m just like “aha!” That’s my boy, Connor. He was definitely one of my highlights. The way he’d dance around Lacey and Landon, how he’s a LaceDon fanboy? Hello? What’s not to love about Connor.
Another thing I’d love to see more of Madison, in fact I'd love to see her in her own book. I feel like she’s played such a crucial role in at least 2 out of the 4 books in the series and I’d love to see her happy ending. She’s a great example of a flawed heroine, who makes genuine mistakes when getting swept up in the whirlwind of being a high school student. In these two books, I see a well-rounded character that I know some people can genuinely relate to. I really do hope she does get her book but from what I understand Sarah’s plans for book 5 of these series is still up in the air. Fingers crossed!
Concluding thoughts! I personally feel like this book for me wasn’t Sarah’s strongest book plot-wise. I think she did such an amazing job with just writing about Lacey and her story. I still feel like Teaching the Teacher’s Pet, even though it didn’t explore deep topics, was a lot more balanced in terms of plot, pace, dynamic, characters, love interest, and climax. Those things just felt a lot more natural on how it fell into place.
Overall, I still think this was a great read. I still highly recommend it because Lacey is just a great heroine and someone you’d really root for.
Fake Dating the Football Player by Sarah Sutton comes in with a rating of 4/5.
It has fake dating, golden retriever and the black cat energy, popular vs outcast, a spunky main character, a greek god quarterback with adorable freckles and reddish brown hair.
I’m going to start this review with just my general thoughts after finishing this book before I start getting into more of the nitty gritty.
This one was a little difficult for me to gather my thoughts about, like what the headline says there are a lot of pieces of this book that I adore however when I tried to piece them together by the end it left me feeling like too many elements or revelations were being introduced nearing the end of the book to try grout some plot holes, or tie a couple loose ends. And unfortunately, I came out of the book not really feeling our love interest this time around.
I know I’m probably going to get a lot of people who disagree with me on this. But it’s the only way I can express what I’m feeling after I finished the book.
Now there will be spoilers in some parts of this review, I will make sure to mark where it starts and ends. But highly encourage you to read this book before you read this review so you can form you own opinion!
Let’s dive into the review! Starting off with our hero and heroine.
Lacey Churchill is up there on one of my favourite MTM heroines, she’s spunky, she can be bold if she wants to be, sassy, not afraid to shut the Top Tier down and go head to head with a couple snakes. I love that she knows what she wants, and her confidence throughout the book especially when it came to putting up a show with Landon makes you fall in love with her.
I think her personality and character were pretty consistent throughout the book, there was never a moment where I was confused that this is what Lacey would do and this is what she’d say, how she’d react to a situation. Of course she had her personal growth and maturity in a lot of different facets of her life but it was still inherently her. Which I loved.
This is especially important because this isn’t a dual POV novel, it’s purely in the perspective of Lacey so it’s crucial that you nail the characterisation of your heroine otherwise you’ll cause a disconnect with your readers. Sarah Sutton had done an amazing job writing her.
Don’t ask me to choose between her or Maisie because I won’t be able to, okay? I love Maisie just as much.
Now for our hero, Landon Settler. He is… well he’s more of a confusing character for me. Landon’s characterisation was a lot more difficult for me to put a finger on. To sum it up I would say it’s because he really wasn’t consistent throughout the book, and wasn’t written as strong as Lacey. I felt like I was reading about 2-3 different boys that all were supposed to be Landon but he came out so fractured.
My first impression of him was that he was obviously a lot more shyer, more reserved than the other boys his age. Potentially a lot more mature especially how he dealt with some situations, but then other times I don’t think his actions or responses reflected that. Then I was seeing the ways he’d respond to Lacey in conversations, it was almost like Lacey was the ray of sunshine and he was the moody grey cloud rolling in. So then that was a bit of a switch in dynamic.
Then at times he’d be the sweetest, cinnamon roll out there. Just being a support pillar for Lacey, which definitely puts him on another level than most boys I knew at that age for sure.
Then we had another side of him that was a lot more bolder, confident, smooth, almost charismatic especially when it came to putting up a show of his relationship with Lacey and even at the end of the book and I was like alright, alright I see you. Yes, I do see you but who are you? Coming back to the lack of dual POV, because of that I found it hard to piece him together. I didn’t get to see his resolve in certain actions he carried out, his thought process, the build up that connected those dots together. And so it left me wondering about when I would be like, “aha!” that’s the Landon I know. But I felt like throughout the novel, I just didn’t get that chance to get to see that consistency in who he was as a character.
**Spoiler start**
The climax of it all when ish was about to go down, Lacey was having a stand-off with Jade and Ashton about the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Madison stood up to both of them to defend Lacey with a vengeance that I would’ve liked to see from Landon at a lot of different points of the book when our girl was being beaten down by the Top Tier. With what we learned from Nate later on in the book is that Jade and Madison had a huge fight that night (which I’d love to know what happened and to see my girl, Madison, fight the snake).
When it came to Landon’s personal growth, you can see glimpses of the pressure of being a quarterback, you can see how he has certain insecurities about how he is being perceived as being connected with the Top Tier. Not necessarily by the people around him, but by Lacey. We also see his relationship with his parents like I mentioned earlier which doesn’t seem to have much friction aside from that one random time his parents decided to just berate him after a tiring game of football. Then we also see his thoughts around the incident during freshman year with Hudson, which Lacey leveraged during their fake dating agreement as blackmail.
So there’s a lot that I feel were left unanswered. We did see Lacey try to comfort him and reassure him at various points addressing his insecurity about being perceived that same way as Top Tier but that’s about it.
I also didn’t really get a good grasp on what Landon’s family situation was about. I mean no family can ever be pigeonholed in a certain structure and dynamic. But it just felt like his relationship and conversations with his parents started but never really ended, and no closure was provided in that regard other than—yeah they let him do what he wants in the end.
**Spoiler end**
So unfortunately, I’d have to say he wouldn’t be my favourite love interest in the MTM series. I can already hear the pitchforks and see the torches coming my way. If I was to make a rank, I’d probably go Connor, Reed, Hudson and then Landon. I’m sorry, I know I really wanted to love him I did but it just didn’t happen for me. He might’ve been written a bit too much for fan service.
I think if we saw glimpses of that shy boy throughout, shy with his actions, those subtle and small touches with Lacey that doesn’t always need to be initiated by him. Rather than multiple out of character (or in character, by the end I couldn’t tell) physical affection that was happening, I feel like I actually would’ve loved just peaks of that here and there. I guess I just lost sight of him as the book went on which is unfortunate.
Moving on to the relationship and dynamic between Lacey and Landon. They had some of the cutest, most memorable moments I would say. There was definitely a lot of physical touch of course because they had to put on a show for most of the novel. I really loved how Lacey slowly opened up to Landon, and started seeing him as that constant piece in her life where everything else is just so unstable.
I love how he was always there for her, never wanting her to go through things alone. Through some of the most difficult times, Landon never failed to show Lacey how he cares about her.
I loved that premise of, we say our secret exchange and that means we can initiate a beautiful moment of just basking in what it means to show our other half physical affection. Now I do love it, but I wish there was a bit less of it because by the end it kind of lost its meaning and spark. Like when they would actually trigger it, at the start I held my breath wondering what would be his or her next move and then by the end because there was just so much of it I felt it became a lot less special. And I wish there was a way to preserve that exchange. I still love the premise though, you’d understand what I mean by exchange when you read the book.
As for how their relationship progressed throughout the novel, I think this is the most difficult part about the fake dating trope. You have to think about at what point Lacey started to fall in love with Landon, and vice versa. Capturing that moment when the lines have blurred between what’s fake and true in your actions/feelings in this trope is especially difficult and I applaud Sarah for how she did that in this book. I think you can only truly appreciate it once you’ve reached the third act and you find out the plot twist and see it all in retrospect.
Talking about pace and progression, we finally get to the last section of my review which is the plot.
I’m just going to spoiler tag this whole section because I might go in and out of the plot and subplots.
**Spoiler start**
I think the plot itself started off very strong, I feel like the kick off (pun intended) into the fake dating trope made sense. I think the small interactions embedded within the plot helped to build a picture on Lacey and Landon as a couple and their dynamic.
I just feel like there were a lot of subplots that were introduced, or at least glimpses of what would’ve been an area to develop further that either ran out of gas by the end or I felt was missing a massive piece of the puzzle.
So one of them was Lacey’s relationship with the Bishop family, in particular with Paisley. At one point they become very close by the end but for 3/4 of the book they absolutely were on the opposing sides of the field (pun intended). They did have a very, very beautiful moment and mutual understanding which understandably their relationship just went up from there. But it improved so fast they went from shouting at each other to exchanging I love you’s and hugs in the next scene. I was wondering if I missed a whole chapter here.
Another part I’m trying to wrap my head around is what happened to Ashton and his dramatically antagonistic plan which I felt was a bit farfetched. Nothing came out of that aside from having a bad guy there to stir the pot and shift the blame to. All I know is that he is creepy, he stalked Lacey, doesn’t have anything better to do then stalk Landon and Lacey on a date, and his prom-posal or hoco proposal got rejected by Lacey several times apparently.
The bet he made with Landon felt a bit unnecessary. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that. I don’t know how they didn’t notice Ashton at Le Petit Bateau just chilling on one of the tables in a restaurant setting. This is an upscale restaurant and he was obviously sitting close enough if he heard everything. I can’t imagine Landon and Lacey adopting their normal conversational tone about something like this. Details aside, that part of the plot needed a lot more thought and fleshing out. Because I feel like most of that would have just benefited with a bit more common sense and proper communication.
The plot twist, actually I’m not sure if it’s a plot twist but I guess revelation is a better word for it was adorable. I liked it, it provided a lot more clarity around Landon and his actions. I don’t think I was surprised by it because the whole time Landon never really cared for what Madison thought or said, and when the revelation came through it more or less answered my questions. It was a bit cliché but cute nonetheless.
Just wondering how Lacey didn’t at least recognise this red-headed, freckled boy she shared classes with during elementary school as Landon Settler. We could argue that the situation with her mother meant anything before that time in her life became obsolete in her memories.
What Sarah did so well, which I feel she does so well in all her books, is the family situation subplot. The most beautiful part of this book in my opinion is her acceptance of herself, her growth, her relationship or lack thereof with her mother. And the newfound family she has with her uncle Dean, Hudson and Paisley. My heart cried with her during those moments of feeling like she is so alone, no one wanting or loving her. There’s a beautiful story to tell there and Sarah executed it so well.
The climax and final scenes weren’t the strongest parts of the story for me, they kind of dragged on a little. At one point I kind of had to step back because it was getting a bit sugary sweet. Which is definitely more of a personal preference thing. I think this won’t be a problem for most readers!
I’d say one of the stronger parts was definitely when Lacey finally got to the point where she had that chance to go on her van life adventure. She’s sitting there just with her thoughts and finally makes the decision to choose between a life she thought was right for her and something or someone that made her truly happy.
**Spoiler end**
Now, why this book is a solid 4/5 is because the way Sarah Sutton writes I believe is one of the best in the YA romance, high school genre. The way she writes scenes, describes their emotions are so fluid. I think she just did an amazing job with Lacey in this book, I can say for everyone I’m sure that we all fell a little in love with Lacey and her spunky character. I’m sure we all fell in love with Landon and Lacey’s relationship too and fell victim to those sugar-coated, sweet moments.
I think Sarah’s execution of the fake dating trope was quite refreshing, at least the premise behind it. I loved that secret consent premise as well—that was also something quite new that I haven’t seen in this kind of trope.
I loved Connor’s cameos in these books, now he’s a great example of someone who I’m just like “aha!” That’s my boy, Connor. He was definitely one of my highlights. The way he’d dance around Lacey and Landon, how he’s a LaceDon fanboy? Hello? What’s not to love about Connor.
Another thing I’d love to see more of Madison, in fact I'd love to see her in her own book. I feel like she’s played such a crucial role in at least 2 out of the 4 books in the series and I’d love to see her happy ending. She’s a great example of a flawed heroine, who makes genuine mistakes when getting swept up in the whirlwind of being a high school student. In these two books, I see a well-rounded character that I know some people can genuinely relate to. I really do hope she does get her book but from what I understand Sarah’s plans for book 5 of these series is still up in the air. Fingers crossed!
Concluding thoughts! I personally feel like this book for me wasn’t Sarah’s strongest book plot-wise. I think she did such an amazing job with just writing about Lacey and her story. I still feel like Teaching the Teacher’s Pet, even though it didn’t explore deep topics, was a lot more balanced in terms of plot, pace, dynamic, characters, love interest, and climax. Those things just felt a lot more natural on how it fell into place.
Overall, I still think this was a great read. I still highly recommend it because Lacey is just a great heroine and someone you’d really root for.
September 3, 2023
and once again, the “it’s always been you” trope doesn’t fail me
November 14, 2025
Kisses only. This book could be a stand alone in that it gives nothing away from the previous books. That said, I had to look at the other books a few times to remind myself how things went down. I liked Lacey. I really wish she could get therapy. I feel like we didn’t get to know Landon at all. In the last book he’s seen as the golden child who can do anything while his sister is kept under strict parental control. In this book, Landon is just spineless. He doesn’t stick up for anyone (yes he sticks up for Lacey once but he doesn’t do anything when she’s getting bullied). I felt there wasn’t good closure with the Ashton situation, the mom situation, or even with the Bishop family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2024
predictable but I’m ok with that
I really enjoyed this book. If you’re looking for an easy read with an obvious ending this is for you.
I really enjoyed this book. If you’re looking for an easy read with an obvious ending this is for you.
September 12, 2023
Reader’s Notes:
– this is part of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone (as a side note, this book occurs about the same time & in some of the same events as the events in Rebelling with the Bad Boy as Hudson (the guy from RWTBB) is Lacey’s cousin – this made the story a little more fun for me as I’ve read that book first, but you don’t need to have read it to enjoy this book)
– this is told from Lacey’s point of view
– Landon accidentally sees Lacey in a towel
– Lacey’s mom wasn’t/isn’t the best mom and pretty much left Lacey to fend for herself since elementary school; her mom also has a horrible boyfriend who hurt Lacey’s cousin & Lacey (past event but the boyfriend is seen once in the current story)
– there are 2 mentions of characters giving other characters the middle finger
Review:
This book has made it to one of my top favorite Sarah Sutton books! I loved getting to know Lacey and Landon so much. I loved that I could see clues to Landon’s secret before Lacey even knew there was a secret. I adored how sweet Landon was with Lacey, even though she blackmailed him into this relationship farce. I loved that they both fell for each other despite the Top Tier’s attempts to cause havoc with Lacey. I really liked that both Lacey and Landon showed a genuine interest in the other person’s interests and that they could talk about just about anything with each other. Their conversations (by text, phone call, or in person) were the best and made their relationship/feelings so much stronger! I had many favorite scenes, but one of my top ones was when Landon stood up to the Top Tier for Lacey’s benefit (and another of my favorites was Lacey standing up for Landon)!
Summary:
Lacey has always dreamed of living life on the road when she finally has the chance to obtain her freedom at eighteen. But her plan gets derailed when she moves in with her uncle and cousins and her one cousin, Hudson, buys the van she had her eye on out from under her. Now he’s holding it hostage until their graduation (claiming it will be a graduation gift for her), which is months after Lacey turns eighteen.
However, something comes over Hudson and Lacey finds herself practically over the moon with joy. He makes a bet with her that if she can get a boyfriend, keep him, and truly be in love with him through to homecoming then he’ll give the van to her on her birthday. Lacey knows she doesn’t actually want a relationship but is determined to win the bet and her freedom with this chance. So she convinces the best person for the job to be her fake boyfriend: Landon Settler. Landon is the quarterback and part of the Top Tier of students at school but has had the misfortune of being voted onto the Most Likely Tos list with the tag of Most Likely To: Never Get a Girlfriend. With Lacey having gotten the tag Most Likely To: Never Get a Boyfriend, she figures that it’ll help the both of them out and make it seem even more believable if she got together with Landon.
But with their public affections and nonpublic gettogethers, Lacey is finding herself catching feelings that she didn’t want to have. Can Landon love her back when his goal was trying to catch another girl’s eye with this fake relationship?
– this is part of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone (as a side note, this book occurs about the same time & in some of the same events as the events in Rebelling with the Bad Boy as Hudson (the guy from RWTBB) is Lacey’s cousin – this made the story a little more fun for me as I’ve read that book first, but you don’t need to have read it to enjoy this book)
– this is told from Lacey’s point of view
– Landon accidentally sees Lacey in a towel
– Lacey’s mom wasn’t/isn’t the best mom and pretty much left Lacey to fend for herself since elementary school; her mom also has a horrible boyfriend who hurt Lacey’s cousin & Lacey (past event but the boyfriend is seen once in the current story)
– there are 2 mentions of characters giving other characters the middle finger
Review:
This book has made it to one of my top favorite Sarah Sutton books! I loved getting to know Lacey and Landon so much. I loved that I could see clues to Landon’s secret before Lacey even knew there was a secret. I adored how sweet Landon was with Lacey, even though she blackmailed him into this relationship farce. I loved that they both fell for each other despite the Top Tier’s attempts to cause havoc with Lacey. I really liked that both Lacey and Landon showed a genuine interest in the other person’s interests and that they could talk about just about anything with each other. Their conversations (by text, phone call, or in person) were the best and made their relationship/feelings so much stronger! I had many favorite scenes, but one of my top ones was when Landon stood up to the Top Tier for Lacey’s benefit (and another of my favorites was Lacey standing up for Landon)!
Summary:
Lacey has always dreamed of living life on the road when she finally has the chance to obtain her freedom at eighteen. But her plan gets derailed when she moves in with her uncle and cousins and her one cousin, Hudson, buys the van she had her eye on out from under her. Now he’s holding it hostage until their graduation (claiming it will be a graduation gift for her), which is months after Lacey turns eighteen.
However, something comes over Hudson and Lacey finds herself practically over the moon with joy. He makes a bet with her that if she can get a boyfriend, keep him, and truly be in love with him through to homecoming then he’ll give the van to her on her birthday. Lacey knows she doesn’t actually want a relationship but is determined to win the bet and her freedom with this chance. So she convinces the best person for the job to be her fake boyfriend: Landon Settler. Landon is the quarterback and part of the Top Tier of students at school but has had the misfortune of being voted onto the Most Likely Tos list with the tag of Most Likely To: Never Get a Girlfriend. With Lacey having gotten the tag Most Likely To: Never Get a Boyfriend, she figures that it’ll help the both of them out and make it seem even more believable if she got together with Landon.
But with their public affections and nonpublic gettogethers, Lacey is finding herself catching feelings that she didn’t want to have. Can Landon love her back when his goal was trying to catch another girl’s eye with this fake relationship?
August 29, 2023
Happy Release Day to Sarah and her TENTH book, Fake Dating the Football Player!!! Incredibly thankful I was able to be an ARC reader for this book... If y'all know me, you know I'm a HUGE fan of Sarah and her YA romances, and honestly, this book is no exception!
Since reading Rebelling With The Bad Boy, I've been WAITING for Lacey and Landon's story... I NEEDED to know what was happening while Gemma and Hudson were having their secret tutoring sessions. And I was not disappointed! 😍
Lacey is probably the least similar female character out of Sarah's books to myself in terms of family relationships, but I still felt connected to her in her feelings of "am I not good enough?" and not wanting to hurt anyone... all of her self-doubt, shown in subtle layers, is a familiar feeling. I wanted to wrap her in a tight hug and make all of those negative feelings go away.
In the ways she is bold and unapologetically herself... UGH, she made me jealous and loved her at the same time.
Landon, on the other hand... from the moment he comes into the picture, I knew he was going to be one of my favorite Sutton boys. The way he defended/protected Lacey from the BEGINNING? The "You called... you came" vibes??? The fate moment (if you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about)??? GIVE ME ALL THE STARRY EYES BECAUSE OMG!!!!!!
I've probably said this before, but it is the COOLEST thing to see how all of these relationships are playing out at the same time in this series. The way Sarah connects each story with past characters or events (like how Landon casually references the tutoring sessions Connor's having with Maisie in a conversation with Lacey) makes reading this series even more fun to me because getting to see other characters' perspectives on things and seeing their reactions/thoughts/feelings is like putting together one giant puzzle and going "OH!" when pieces fall into place and everything is starting to make sense.
I could gush about that, and let's be real this book, all day. Consider me Team Lacedon because I am OBSESSED. ❤️
And I know she's a fictional character, but if I ever crossed paths with Jade... *face meet fist* Never have I hated a "mean girl" more than I have loathed her. Madison's also a close second because she definitely irked me more in FDTFP than RWTBB.
Since reading Rebelling With The Bad Boy, I've been WAITING for Lacey and Landon's story... I NEEDED to know what was happening while Gemma and Hudson were having their secret tutoring sessions. And I was not disappointed! 😍
Lacey is probably the least similar female character out of Sarah's books to myself in terms of family relationships, but I still felt connected to her in her feelings of "am I not good enough?" and not wanting to hurt anyone... all of her self-doubt, shown in subtle layers, is a familiar feeling. I wanted to wrap her in a tight hug and make all of those negative feelings go away.
In the ways she is bold and unapologetically herself... UGH, she made me jealous and loved her at the same time.
Landon, on the other hand... from the moment he comes into the picture, I knew he was going to be one of my favorite Sutton boys. The way he defended/protected Lacey from the BEGINNING? The "You called... you came" vibes??? The fate moment (if you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about)??? GIVE ME ALL THE STARRY EYES BECAUSE OMG!!!!!!
I've probably said this before, but it is the COOLEST thing to see how all of these relationships are playing out at the same time in this series. The way Sarah connects each story with past characters or events (like how Landon casually references the tutoring sessions Connor's having with Maisie in a conversation with Lacey) makes reading this series even more fun to me because getting to see other characters' perspectives on things and seeing their reactions/thoughts/feelings is like putting together one giant puzzle and going "OH!" when pieces fall into place and everything is starting to make sense.
I could gush about that, and let's be real this book, all day. Consider me Team Lacedon because I am OBSESSED. ❤️
And I know she's a fictional character, but if I ever crossed paths with Jade... *face meet fist* Never have I hated a "mean girl" more than I have loathed her. Madison's also a close second because she definitely irked me more in FDTFP than RWTBB.
September 3, 2023
I received an arc from Sarah Sutton in exchange for an honest review. (This is late but it took me a while to read it after receiving the copy a little later as well. I'll try to be as short and sweet and concise as I can.
I always love a good little romance but this one was a bit more emotionally taxing than the usual heartfelt one-which was a great read regardless. I empathized with Lacey and Landon on their battles they had to go through. I didn't think Lacey could top Gemma, but alas, she does (by a small margin). I really love the way we see Landon at first really awkward and stiff around Lacey, but soon warms up to her as they embark on a two week fake relationship. The ending is absolutely beautiful and I love how Landon and Lacey handle the rising climax. I love how Sarah Sutton always have relatable characters that aren't overly obnoxious or out of this world dramatic. It has dramatic moments, but it's quelled by a funny moment or leads into understatement and growth for the two characters involved. Lacey and Landon had such an honest and open relationship (even though someone did do something that wasn't very good in the long run) but the ability to understand each other's faults and their own. Taking inventory is very important and I love how Lacey and Landon both took accountability. It goes to show you how characters don't have to be all out there with toxicity that a lot of YA has these days.ds
The only thing I could say is I wish there was more interaction between Hudson/Gemma and Landon/Lacey. I think it would made a nice moment. Also, I wish Lacey could have seen Conner and Maisie's moment as well and slightly comment on it. Other than that, this book is absolutely a must read. I absolutely loved how much longer it was as well. With every book, Sarah Sutton does it again and again, growing with her writing and her ability to weave a story in and out.
I always love a good little romance but this one was a bit more emotionally taxing than the usual heartfelt one-which was a great read regardless. I empathized with Lacey and Landon on their battles they had to go through. I didn't think Lacey could top Gemma, but alas, she does (by a small margin). I really love the way we see Landon at first really awkward and stiff around Lacey, but soon warms up to her as they embark on a two week fake relationship. The ending is absolutely beautiful and I love how Landon and Lacey handle the rising climax. I love how Sarah Sutton always have relatable characters that aren't overly obnoxious or out of this world dramatic. It has dramatic moments, but it's quelled by a funny moment or leads into understatement and growth for the two characters involved. Lacey and Landon had such an honest and open relationship (even though someone did do something that wasn't very good in the long run) but the ability to understand each other's faults and their own. Taking inventory is very important and I love how Lacey and Landon both took accountability. It goes to show you how characters don't have to be all out there with toxicity that a lot of YA has these days.ds
The only thing I could say is I wish there was more interaction between Hudson/Gemma and Landon/Lacey. I think it would made a nice moment. Also, I wish Lacey could have seen Conner and Maisie's moment as well and slightly comment on it. Other than that, this book is absolutely a must read. I absolutely loved how much longer it was as well. With every book, Sarah Sutton does it again and again, growing with her writing and her ability to weave a story in and out.
August 30, 2023
This book was adorable! I have loved every single one of the Most Likely To books, and this one is no exception. Lacey and Landon were so cute together, and I loved how we got to see some scenes from a different perspective.
Lacey can’t wait to leave her hometown. Who wants to be in a place with stuffy mean girls and obnoxious jocks? She’s sick of her life stuck with her mother’s mistakes, and she can’t wait for her new life traveling the country. So when her cousin offers to sell her the van if she gets a boyfriend, she accepts the challenge. Landon Settler has been voted Most Likely to Never Get a Girlfriend, and even though he’s part of the Top Tier, something about him seems different. Will this fake dating actually turn out to be love or will Landon just be another Top Tier jock?
I loved Lacey! She’s really fresh and different, and I love how she’s the odd juxtaposition of a really brash, confident front while secretly being really insecure at times. Her family life left a lot to be desired, and she didn’t really want to let everyone in. It was adorable to see her with Landon and how she also bonded with her uncle and cousins. I was really happy to see a positive parent figure in this book too!
I loved Landon! He’s such a cinnamon roll through and through. I love how he was always trying to do the right thing, but Lacey brought out a more adventurous side to him. It was fun to see his friends too! Reed and Conner make a lot of appearances in this one which was fun to read about.
This is an adorable YA romance! There’s a ton of teen angst and drama while still being clean. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves high school romances!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review
Lacey can’t wait to leave her hometown. Who wants to be in a place with stuffy mean girls and obnoxious jocks? She’s sick of her life stuck with her mother’s mistakes, and she can’t wait for her new life traveling the country. So when her cousin offers to sell her the van if she gets a boyfriend, she accepts the challenge. Landon Settler has been voted Most Likely to Never Get a Girlfriend, and even though he’s part of the Top Tier, something about him seems different. Will this fake dating actually turn out to be love or will Landon just be another Top Tier jock?
I loved Lacey! She’s really fresh and different, and I love how she’s the odd juxtaposition of a really brash, confident front while secretly being really insecure at times. Her family life left a lot to be desired, and she didn’t really want to let everyone in. It was adorable to see her with Landon and how she also bonded with her uncle and cousins. I was really happy to see a positive parent figure in this book too!
I loved Landon! He’s such a cinnamon roll through and through. I love how he was always trying to do the right thing, but Lacey brought out a more adventurous side to him. It was fun to see his friends too! Reed and Conner make a lot of appearances in this one which was fun to read about.
This is an adorable YA romance! There’s a ton of teen angst and drama while still being clean. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves high school romances!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review
August 29, 2023
Sarah Sutton and a fake dating romance? Yes, please!
Fake Dating the Football Player was everything I was hoping for and more! The fake dating trope is one of my absolute favorites, and this was everything. Lacey and Landon are perfect together - everything from their backstories to how they are so adorable together was just perfect! Sarah Sutton did an excellent job of really having their personalities come through her writing, and the world building was so strong in this novel. It really feels like you’re going through everything right along with the characters.
I think this may be my favorite in the Most Likely To series, and I loved seeing how the other characters from the series showed up in this book. I can’t get over how well everything fit in this story and how there were twists I didn’t see coming. It’s such a heartfelt story, full of cute moments but also so much growth on Lacey’s part. I loved seeing how she developed over the course of the book and how her story evolved. She’s definitely one of my favorite main characters Sarah has written! And Landon is such a sweetheart! I don’t want to spoil anything, but trust me, you will love him! 🥹
FDTFP is the perfect end of summer/early fall read, filled with moments that will make you smile and laugh, tear up, and just feel all the feels 🥰 if you’re looking for a new Young Adult Contemporary Romance to put on your TBR list, Sarah Sutton never disappoints and I promise you will love Fake Dating the Football Player! 💕
Fake Dating the Football Player was everything I was hoping for and more! The fake dating trope is one of my absolute favorites, and this was everything. Lacey and Landon are perfect together - everything from their backstories to how they are so adorable together was just perfect! Sarah Sutton did an excellent job of really having their personalities come through her writing, and the world building was so strong in this novel. It really feels like you’re going through everything right along with the characters.
I think this may be my favorite in the Most Likely To series, and I loved seeing how the other characters from the series showed up in this book. I can’t get over how well everything fit in this story and how there were twists I didn’t see coming. It’s such a heartfelt story, full of cute moments but also so much growth on Lacey’s part. I loved seeing how she developed over the course of the book and how her story evolved. She’s definitely one of my favorite main characters Sarah has written! And Landon is such a sweetheart! I don’t want to spoil anything, but trust me, you will love him! 🥹
FDTFP is the perfect end of summer/early fall read, filled with moments that will make you smile and laugh, tear up, and just feel all the feels 🥰 if you’re looking for a new Young Adult Contemporary Romance to put on your TBR list, Sarah Sutton never disappoints and I promise you will love Fake Dating the Football Player! 💕
August 29, 2023
The "Most Likely To" series officially has its 4th book out, titled "Fake Dating The Football Player". This YA romance trope is my absolute favorite, and I love how Ms. Sutton continues to get other characters involved in the lie than just the two who are participating in the faux 'relationship'.
FDTFP also gives me early 2000s RomCom vibes: "She's All That" and "10 Things I Hate About You" come to mind!
In this story, we learn more about Lacey and her complicated family history, and how it's affecting her day-to-day life. After getting caught in a precarious situation with Landon early on in the story, and having to contend with The Top Tier throughout the school year, Lacey gets involved with a boy who's secretly liked her since elementary school.
She dreams about getting away from Brentwood and exploring the #VanLife, but when someone from her past unexpectedly drops into her life again, and Landon is there for Lacey in ways she's never imagined, she slowly begins to pick up the pieces of her fragile existence.
Until The Top Tier threaten to take it all away from her.
FDTFP is probably my favorite book in this series, and I know fellow fans of these characters will enjoy seeing them continue to be entwined in each others' lives while getting to know them - especially Lacey and Landon - a little bit better.
FDTFP also gives me early 2000s RomCom vibes: "She's All That" and "10 Things I Hate About You" come to mind!
In this story, we learn more about Lacey and her complicated family history, and how it's affecting her day-to-day life. After getting caught in a precarious situation with Landon early on in the story, and having to contend with The Top Tier throughout the school year, Lacey gets involved with a boy who's secretly liked her since elementary school.
She dreams about getting away from Brentwood and exploring the #VanLife, but when someone from her past unexpectedly drops into her life again, and Landon is there for Lacey in ways she's never imagined, she slowly begins to pick up the pieces of her fragile existence.
Until The Top Tier threaten to take it all away from her.
FDTFP is probably my favorite book in this series, and I know fellow fans of these characters will enjoy seeing them continue to be entwined in each others' lives while getting to know them - especially Lacey and Landon - a little bit better.
August 24, 2023
I loved Lacey. Though, her feisty, spitfire personality threw me for a loop in the beginning (she's definitely the fieriest of all of Sarah Sutton's characters to date), she quickly grew on me and her anger was more than justified. It was relatable, especially as a defense mechanism to keep herself from getting hurt. While Landon was a sweet LI and in the end I understand why he did what he did, I still wanted to strangle him in the moment and at points he did come off as a bit of a "Gary Stu" archetype. Also, in a way, I'm glad things didn't end up well between Lacey and her mother in the end (another difference between her and most, if not all, of Sarah's MCs to date). It made the whole situation feel more authentic and realistic as well as showing that not every family turmoil can be fixed to the point of leading to a happy ending (some parent/child relationships are just messed up beyond repair). Overall, I enjoyed her interactions with Hudson, Paisley, and her uncle because it showed how much learning what a healthy and loving family dynamic can be a learning process when coming out of certain situations.
*I received an ARC copy of this book and am voluntarily posting an honest review
*I received an ARC copy of this book and am voluntarily posting an honest review
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2023
“I measured my school days in interactions with Lacey Churchill” I have never related to a sentence more 💀💀
Not going to lie, going in I had some preconceived notions about this book, but Sarah has blown it out of the water once again.
Throughout reading this book, it kept reminding me of Noah Kahan’s song “You’re gonna go far.” Sarah managed to make you empathize with Lacey and her desire to leave. I was right there alongside her, wanting to get in her van with her. So many times I found myself feeling for her and wanting to hug her.
Her desire to runaway is one that we can all relate to on Atlest some level. Landon’s desire (or fight) to be his own person is one that we deal with as we get older.
The angst is amazing and numerous times I’d tear up at the way Sarah wrote it. The feeling of being unloveable that Lacey struggles with is so real. The emotional range that is reached throughout this book is amazing.
All in all, this book is one of Sarah’s best works I’d say. Thank you so much for the arc.
Not going to lie, going in I had some preconceived notions about this book, but Sarah has blown it out of the water once again.
Throughout reading this book, it kept reminding me of Noah Kahan’s song “You’re gonna go far.” Sarah managed to make you empathize with Lacey and her desire to leave. I was right there alongside her, wanting to get in her van with her. So many times I found myself feeling for her and wanting to hug her.
Her desire to runaway is one that we can all relate to on Atlest some level. Landon’s desire (or fight) to be his own person is one that we deal with as we get older.
The angst is amazing and numerous times I’d tear up at the way Sarah wrote it. The feeling of being unloveable that Lacey struggles with is so real. The emotional range that is reached throughout this book is amazing.
All in all, this book is one of Sarah’s best works I’d say. Thank you so much for the arc.
August 29, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I struggled a little over the rating because the story was predictable, but ultimately I feel like this is the type of book you read to have a warm and fuzzy heartwarming feeling, not to be surprised, so I decided to go with the full 5 stars. It was a well written and engaging novel (the only reason I didn’t finish this book the day I started it was school) and the character development was great. I think Lacey’s unique home situation added a lot to her character. I definitely got little butterfly moments a couple time. And of course I absolutely loved seeing some of my favorite people from the other books in this series. All the cameos and cross overs and little references are so much fun to spot. Side note: as a waitress I loved all the work scenes, they were actually pretty realistic. This book is definitely worth a read. I’d just like to end by thanking Sarah for giving me an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 2, 2023
This was hands down my favorite Sarah Sutton book. I feel like I say this about every new book she releases, but every book just keeps getting better and better.
I loved this mainly because of our leads. Lacey was different from all of SS’s other female protagonists. She was bold, outgoing and tough. She was never afraid to speak her mind and her comebacks and snarky attitude towards the Top Tier was great. Landon was also really sweet. He was shy and quiet, but cares so deeply. It was beautiful watching them fall in love. Their relationship developed in a way that felt super natural.
The only reason it isn’t a five star read was that I felt the story dragged at times. It could have been a little shorter in my opinion. I was also not a fan of the third act breakup🫠
All in all, another fun and cute read from SS! I also get the feeling Nate and Madison might be the leads of the next book👀
I loved this mainly because of our leads. Lacey was different from all of SS’s other female protagonists. She was bold, outgoing and tough. She was never afraid to speak her mind and her comebacks and snarky attitude towards the Top Tier was great. Landon was also really sweet. He was shy and quiet, but cares so deeply. It was beautiful watching them fall in love. Their relationship developed in a way that felt super natural.
The only reason it isn’t a five star read was that I felt the story dragged at times. It could have been a little shorter in my opinion. I was also not a fan of the third act breakup🫠
All in all, another fun and cute read from SS! I also get the feeling Nate and Madison might be the leads of the next book👀
March 4, 2024
This was my first book by this author. It was very cute and high school innocent. Kisses only, and not intense ones, and seniors who have curfews of 9pm and drink sprite at football parties. Quite unrealistic but we’ll go with it.
SPOILERS START HERE!!! 🛑
I wanted to love Landon. He’s such a sweet guy in a lot of ways but a few things ruined it for me. His friends are awful to Lacey and he never puts them in their place (just once). I didn’t like how he kept asking her to hang out with these mean friends of his who put her down. But what really made me lose all love for him is that he told Ashton all her secrets. Lacey doesn’t share much with people and she let Landon in and Landon tells his buddy about her most personal issues! How could he?? It wasn’t needed for their bet or to “protect” Lacey. Once we found out he shared all their relationship details AND Lacey’s personal details - I was all for her packing up and saying Peace Out! ✌🏼
SPOILERS START HERE!!! 🛑
I wanted to love Landon. He’s such a sweet guy in a lot of ways but a few things ruined it for me. His friends are awful to Lacey and he never puts them in their place (just once). I didn’t like how he kept asking her to hang out with these mean friends of his who put her down. But what really made me lose all love for him is that he told Ashton all her secrets. Lacey doesn’t share much with people and she let Landon in and Landon tells his buddy about her most personal issues! How could he?? It wasn’t needed for their bet or to “protect” Lacey. Once we found out he shared all their relationship details AND Lacey’s personal details - I was all for her packing up and saying Peace Out! ✌🏼
September 9, 2024
It was so fun being back in this series! I’ve been interested in Lacey and Landon’s story since the last book but it took me awhile to get around to it. 😁 I adore fake dating books and so loved this one! Landon was so sweet and cute, and I liked how Lacey found his presence calming and grounding. Their relationship and story was really good and I liked the cameos to the other books’ MCs and stories going on at the same time. Your heart really feels for Lacey and her home situation. I feel like her character was constantly butting heads with others though and it was annoying at times, which is my reason for 4 stars. The content is mostly clean, with some cussing and talk of a “hook-up closet” at school. I don’t know if this is the end of the series or not, but I really hope we get a book for Madison! Her character has intrigued me since book 1.
September 16, 2023
This was such a fun read! Lacey and Landon are adorable together, with their drastically different personalities, and I loved seeing them grow closer beneath the facade.
Lacey was a little more abrasive than I even expected at times, but I loved her personality and story and felt like she was easy to sympathize with and root for. I would’ve liked to have learned a little more about Landon besides what we already knew from Gemma’s story, and see him grow along with Lacey besides in their relationship. But I have to say, the big thing we learned about him was one of my favorite parts of the book!
Overall, I’d recommend this story to any readers of YA romance! (No need to read the rest of the series first I’d say—but read them anyway because they are fun too! ;))
Lacey was a little more abrasive than I even expected at times, but I loved her personality and story and felt like she was easy to sympathize with and root for. I would’ve liked to have learned a little more about Landon besides what we already knew from Gemma’s story, and see him grow along with Lacey besides in their relationship. But I have to say, the big thing we learned about him was one of my favorite parts of the book!
Overall, I’d recommend this story to any readers of YA romance! (No need to read the rest of the series first I’d say—but read them anyway because they are fun too! ;))
October 13, 2023
I have been a fan of Sarah Sutton for a while and when this came up for pre-order, I knew I had to have it. I fell into the pages within an hour of it arriving on my kindle and I was lost for the next day because I had to know how Lacey and Landon’s story was going to play out and end. The whole thing was gorgeously written, with relatable characters and that beautiful way Sutton has for making them feel real and like you’re watching it all play out in front of you. I loved the twists, loved the way the story came together and that POV from Landon’s side just made the book all the more enjoyable! Very much recommended!
August 29, 2023
This series makes me so happy. This book is adorable and I can’t get over how much I love Landon and Lacey.
The number one thing I loved about this book was Landon Settler. There are so many cocky football players in books like this who fake date the awkward girl, but this book does almost the opposite. Landon is sweet and quiet. He blushes frequently and is so nervous around Lacey. The fact that a guy like this not only is the main character but is also swoon worthy is something I think is so refreshing. His shy, quiet nature foiled against Lacey’s spunk and refusal to take crap from anyone made for great chemistry while also giving us something fresh and romantic.
I also loved Lacey’s journey to come to terms with her relationship with her mother and also her uncle’s family. It was really special to watch her find the vulnerability to let herself be cared about by the people around her.
I will always recommend books from this series, but this one feels really special.
The number one thing I loved about this book was Landon Settler. There are so many cocky football players in books like this who fake date the awkward girl, but this book does almost the opposite. Landon is sweet and quiet. He blushes frequently and is so nervous around Lacey. The fact that a guy like this not only is the main character but is also swoon worthy is something I think is so refreshing. His shy, quiet nature foiled against Lacey’s spunk and refusal to take crap from anyone made for great chemistry while also giving us something fresh and romantic.
I also loved Lacey’s journey to come to terms with her relationship with her mother and also her uncle’s family. It was really special to watch her find the vulnerability to let herself be cared about by the people around her.
I will always recommend books from this series, but this one feels really special.
September 8, 2023
I just finished another great read from Sarah Sutton! Lacey fixing up her van made me think of my mom's love for her vans. One which she had a mini fridge that was great for road trips! :)
This story gave me the rom-com vibes like "She's All That" or "Never Been Kissed." Two of my all time faves!
Great storyline that had me laughing out loud, tearing up, and cheering for Lacey and Landon. Oh yeah, it also made me want to slap a few cheerleaders and football players. Reading more about Hudson's life was a plus! I can't wait to read the next book in the MLT series! :)
This story gave me the rom-com vibes like "She's All That" or "Never Been Kissed." Two of my all time faves!
Great storyline that had me laughing out loud, tearing up, and cheering for Lacey and Landon. Oh yeah, it also made me want to slap a few cheerleaders and football players. Reading more about Hudson's life was a plus! I can't wait to read the next book in the MLT series! :)
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