Fake Gaming: A Gamer Rom-Com: Fake Dating, Real Feelings

by Brittany Evermore

He’s a top-tier streamer with a growth problem. She’s his manager’s sister with a rent problem. The solution? Fake dating.

Nick plays to millions, but lately the numbers stall. His agency pitches a soft-launch a girlfriend and let the internet do the rest. Enter newly back on her feet, sharp-tongued, and absolutely not content. The rules are coffee dates, a few public hand-holds, no real feelings.

Perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey, this neon-bright, slow-burn rom-com serves gamer banter, found family, and open-door heat, plus an epilogue concert you’ll want to read twice.

Genres: Romance

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2025

Reviews

[Kez Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet romance, with a fake dating contract, a touch of drama, pining, and their fake feelings turning real.
I liked seeing the shift from awkwardness to connection, the sweet and impulsive dates, and how they grow together.
It's a quick read, low stakes, and I enjoyed the friendship group's supportiveness.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

˚.༄ Thank you to the author Brittany Evermore for the provided eARC in exchange for an honest review! 💌 ꒷·˚ ༘

3.75 ⭐️

I was drawn in by the blurb about a professional gamer/streamer as an avid gamer myself and I was not disappointed! Yes, the focus was more on streaming than the actual gaming aspect, but that just makes it more accessible to non-gamers! So don’t worry if gaming isn’t up your alley, this’ll still make you swoon over Nick and Rachel! 🤭

⤷ ❝ “𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠?” “𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫”, 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞: 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲, 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐮𝐦. ❞

Let’s get to the two lovebirds, shall we?

Nick is pretty inexperienced in all things dating (or the lack thereof) and let me tell you this: that man can BLUSH. 🧎🏻‍♀️The lap scene? I was with the chat for that one!

Overall, Nick is a cute, yet in the beginning pretty awkward, guy who’s trying to make the most out of his career, that’s been a tad too stagnant for a tad too long.

⤷ ❝ 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 “𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞”, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬. ❞

Now, let’s move on to our FMC Rachel, a funny little menace who knows what she wants (most of the time).

⤷ ❝ “𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐧. 𝐈 𝐛𝐮𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐤.” ❞

She’s overwhelmed with her situation and reluctantly agrees to the fake dating, just so she can get out of here childhood home and start fresh. And honesty - who can blame her? I really liked her character for most part! She was really cute, e.g. the present(s) she got Nick for his birthday and just her overall thoughtfulness, but at ~85% through she got me shaking my head a little too often about her. She had such great communication and consent with Nick that it threw me off how they worked around their conflict. Yes, you get to be mad. Yes, you can avoid one another. But it wasn’t what I was expecting, based on how the first 80% of the book played out. I also found it quite funny that she was shy, because in the beginning it was mentioned that she likes flirting with waiters like it’s a sport? 😆 Yet, whenever it comes to Nick, she’s acting all shy and innocent (so cute btw!).

⤷ ❝ 𝐈 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜. ❞

And Sasha, Rachel’s best friend? She deserves all the honorable mentions out there! She had me laughing home alone like a complete maniac and I loved every second of it.

⤷ ❝ “𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.” ❞

Overall I really enjoyed the book! It’s got all the rom-com vibes and was a fun and fairly quick read.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓:
👾 gaming
💗 fake dating
👾 found family
💗 10/10 banter
👾 only one bed

🌶️​ rating: 0.5/5 - not really spicy, I’d say 👀

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 ARC REVIEW 📚
Fake Gaming by Brittany Evermore
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Thank you, @authorbrittanyevermore, for providing an ARC!

Nick is a top-100 gaming streamer whose viewership has stalled, so his management suggests he soft-launch a romantic relationship to bring in new interest.

Rachel has just been dumped and fired on the same day. Needing money and a sleeping situation that does not involve a twin bed, she agrees to fake date Nick, her brother Josh’s client.

While initially wary of each other, it doesn't take long for Nick and Rachel to realize they have more in common than either of them expected.

This may be one of the most earnest romances I have ever read. Using a red light–yellow light–green light system, Nick and Rachel navigate the boundaries of a fake public relationship while very real feelings develop in private. I loved how honest and open they were with each other. It felt refreshing in a romance landscape that often relies on miscommunication.

I found myself wanting more as I read. More pages, more time, more story. I would have loved more insight into Nick’s gaming journey and his lack of romantic experience, as well as Rachel’s past relationship with her ex/boss, and what comes next for her once the arrangement ends.

The secondary characters were also a standout. Sasha, Rachel’s best friend, was wise and hilarious, and I would happily read a book centered on her. I also wanted more of Josh and Cam, and especially Nina, whose ever-changing hair color made her instantly memorable.

Overall, the writing was beautiful, lyrical, and quietly powerful. This book packed an emotional punch, and I will definitely be picking up more of Evermore’s work.

For fans of: 🎮 Fake dating | 😒☀️ Grumpy x sunshine | 👀 Public vs private life | 🛏️ One bed | 🔥 Virgin hero | 🖥️ Gaming culture

#ARCReview #Bookstagram #RomanceReads #GamerRomance #FakeDatingRomance #GrumpySunshine #PublicVsPrivate #OneBedTrope #VirginHero #GamingCulture

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun to read

A gamer with plummeting views needs a boost…fake dating his manager’s sister is clearly the answer in Fake Gaming.

Josh has been a professional gamer his entire adult life. Now apparently he needs to “freshen up” his brand to stop his views from dropping. Fortunately his best friend/manager has a suggestion - fake date Rachel, his sister. Never mind that Josh has never dated in his life - in fact, it will add to the appeal.

As for Rachel - recently dumped and fired (by the same guy), she’s trying to find a new direction in life. When her brother offers her a place to live and a job, how could she turn it down? I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

First off - I absolutely adore Ms Evermore’s writing. I highlighted so much of this book it’s a sea of blue. She has a marvelous way with words, picking the most unlikely one for the job, which usually winds up being the funniest.

Second - there was so much to enjoy about this book. It isn’t a complicated story, but where it stands out is in the characterization. The strength of dialogue brings the characters to life and lets their personalities shine. It was so easy to enjoy the conversations and text exchanges - it felt like you were right there with the characters.

There’s not a lot in the way of triggers in this book. It is a slow burn romance with the door open just enough so you can see what is going on without being in the room. I highly recommend this book for lovers of rom coms.

[Kylie Weigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. GOSH.

This was the cutest, most sincere cozy read that drew me in! Obviously, I'm going to read anything by Brittany but this was so different from her other novels and I loved every bit. I loved the path this took between strangers to friends to lovers and then a twist I honestly should've expected but didn't! Major props for making my heart so giddy I didn't expect or want any twists!

Nick comes off confident on his streams but he's a shy, adorable presence that appreciates not only his platform but the people that made his dream possible. Rachel is witty, snarky and down right feisty but with a heart and her best friend, her other half make the most comical duo of menaces and women that know their worth and chaotically embrace their truest form. Undeniably underestimated by the corporate world that threw them together by chance and opportunity, this cute duo rewrites the rules and defines what they want out of their budding relationship - empowering those to listen their hearts, make boundaries and follow YOUR path, even if you end up walking alone or next to someone unexpected.

I literally could feel my heart swell at how adorably blush inducing this little romcom was and I am living for it. This is definitely a feel good, cozy, comfortable read and one that I will cherish as I continue to support Brittany in every novel she produces!

Thanks to the author for this opportunity to once again read for her!

[Shandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! For the most part, I didn't want to put it down, especially around "laps and dreams" because wtf CUTE?! I love a guy who can BLUSH! I love the premise of a streamer needing to boost views. Josh almost had an ulterior motive apart from possibly losing his job. I think, secretly, he knew Rachel and Nick would be great together. Rachel, well, I empathized with her situation way too much so I get why she ended up agreeing.

I loved reading the texts between Rachel and Nick. The banter between the two was 5/5! I found myself chuckling more often than not because this book had my sense of humor. "The clock reads 1:12 am; legally too late to make decisions." broke me, ngl.

The ending kind of lost me just because of how many times Rachel simply said, "you hurt me." I feel with the amount of clear communication Nick and Rachel had regarding consent and their deal, there was a great opportunity for better communication on Rachel's part.

Overall, this is a great, quick read!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is cuteness wraped in gaming code.

This story is about a girl that is going through a rough phase, lost her job,her boyfriend and her place all at the same time. She needs to start making money fast so hee brother tells her about an offer to fake date a popular gaming streamer. The streamer is a shy guy that never kissed a girl before, his views are getting lower and he's losing brand deals, so his company decides to create this fake relationship. In the beginning he is reluctant but ends up accepting it.
They are very adorable together, there are some gaming stuff that I found very nice and the secondary couple is also very cute.
It's a super cozy read and a great palate cleanser.

I want to thank the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[MG · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fake relationship with a pro gamer and a “drama empress”.

Nick needs to up his views on streaming and fake dating is the plan in three simple phases-dating, relationship, breakup. Rachel needs a job and to move out of her parents house. Rachel and Nick both hesitantly agree to this plan, but things start feeling real and things cross over from fake to real.

This was such a sweet, swoony, fun book! I loved the chemistry between Nick and Rachel. Sasha was a hoot and a half! She’s the best friend Rachel needed.

Overall, I give Fake Gaming 5 stars! Loved it! If you like fake dating, grumpy MMC and sunshine FMC, one bed scene, a slow burn, and dual POV, then Fake Gaming is for you!

Tropes:
Faking dating
Grumpy x Sunshine
One bed
Slow burn
Spicy
Dual POV

[Shatana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Fake Gaming! If you are a fan of Ali Hazelwood or Tessa Bailey, you need to add this to your TBR immediately. The premise of a top-tier streamer fake dating his manager's sister to save his falling numbers is pure gold, and Brittany Evermore executes it perfectly.

Nick and Rachel have such great chemistry. I loved the contrast between his polished online persona and the real connection they build behind the scenes. The banter is sharp, the "fake" dates are adorable (coffee dates and public hand-holding? Yes, please!), and when the real feelings start to creep in, the tension is delicious.

[yazzyvb · Rating 4 out of 5]

absolutely devoured this book, first time in a WHILE i’ve read a book in a day because it kept me wanting to read more and was just so easy to read! the chapters were perfect sizes, not too long or short & i was just rooting for all the characters! i really love their little group as well, and how they all have each others backs, thoroughly enjoyed this! thank you to the author for allowing me to read an arc!

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to learn about Fake Gaming, and I was not disappointed! I haven't seen very many video game arc books, so I was even more thrilled that the author let me join the ARC team. Thank you!

I loved Rachel and Nick's live story. It was slow and steady, and both characters went through strong character growth. They had an excellent communication system from the start, to be able to say what they were and weren't comfortable with when it came to fake dating.

[Stephanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was absolutely adorable! While it starts with fake dating there are real ups and downs! I would give it 5 stars but it was a little confusing deciphering between who was talking or what was going on when there were a few time jumps/ perspective changes. Other than that it is the cutest gamer romance! 🥰

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Reader

Rfoiahebrfliurehafliuersbvliuhervoiyarhevouyrebfouyerahfouuaerhfoaureuhfroieaufhreoaiufbadrofiuh I LOVED THIS BOOK
Sweet, fast paced, lovely. There’s a reason why the fake relationship is my fav trope and Britt did it SO WELL. I loved loved loved every page. Now if you excuse me, I have to go and have a little cry.

[Manda Doorley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great novella that I was able to receive an ARC copy.
I had to laugh and still have pull to the heartstrings. While a novella this story was able to keep hitting different emotions. I love the use of Green, Yellow and Red and the need for consent on all parties.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me a bit longer than normal to read, due to certain things happening in my life right now.

The book, yes very interesting, nice amount of back and forth, overall very enjoyable

[Emma Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, easy read. I really enjoyed this book, there was a few gamer phrases that I didn't know but despite that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[AshieNightShade · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good and quick read. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters.
I'd like to thank the author for giving me this opportunity to ARC read this book.

[Toni Passarello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a solid 4-star read cozy, relatable, and perfect if you love romance with gamer energy. I just wouldn’t say no to a little extra heat. 😉

[Rina · Rating 4 out of 5]

RACCOONS

I've never experienced so many raccoon mentions, and I've read a book featuring a raccoon, and I'm honestly living for it.