What do you think?
Rate this book
Central State #4
Take the Lead
Falling for my fake girlfriend was never part of the plan...
Daniella Laughlin might seem put together in her dance gear and captainship, but on the inside, she’s figuring out who she is without her mom’s beauty pageant influence. Constantly being critiqued and set up by her mom, she dreads going home for the holidays.
Enter her best friend’s older brother, hockey captain Gabriel Van Helsing. Dani and Gabe have been friends for two decades, and sure, she’s harbored a secret crush on him forever, but she never acted on it because his sister would’ve killed her. Gabe’s a player, on and off the ice, and the longest relationship he’s had is with his hockey stick. He offers to drive her home for Thanksgiving break and proposes the most bonkers idea—they should fake date until New Year’s to get her mom to leave her alone.
Gabe might wear the C on the ice, but he’s always been passive. Here for a good time, never rocking the boat. But after his latest hookup wouldn’t take a hint, he uses Daniella’s predicament for the perfect solution: if he was unavailable, people would leave him alone.
Things begin easily with their friendship, but with every touch and fake kiss, Daniella can’t hide her feelings anymore. And for Gabe, who sets deadlines for every fling he’s ever had, he struggles to fight for what he wants. When their timeline is up, Daniella’s insecurities clash with Gabe’s inability to commit. For two people terrified to take a chance, they must risk their decade-long friendship for a shot at love.
Daniella Laughlin might seem put together in her dance gear and captainship, but on the inside, she’s figuring out who she is without her mom’s beauty pageant influence. Constantly being critiqued and set up by her mom, she dreads going home for the holidays.
Enter her best friend’s older brother, hockey captain Gabriel Van Helsing. Dani and Gabe have been friends for two decades, and sure, she’s harbored a secret crush on him forever, but she never acted on it because his sister would’ve killed her. Gabe’s a player, on and off the ice, and the longest relationship he’s had is with his hockey stick. He offers to drive her home for Thanksgiving break and proposes the most bonkers idea—they should fake date until New Year’s to get her mom to leave her alone.
Gabe might wear the C on the ice, but he’s always been passive. Here for a good time, never rocking the boat. But after his latest hookup wouldn’t take a hint, he uses Daniella’s predicament for the perfect solution: if he was unavailable, people would leave him alone.
Things begin easily with their friendship, but with every touch and fake kiss, Daniella can’t hide her feelings anymore. And for Gabe, who sets deadlines for every fling he’s ever had, he struggles to fight for what he wants. When their timeline is up, Daniella’s insecurities clash with Gabe’s inability to commit. For two people terrified to take a chance, they must risk their decade-long friendship for a shot at love.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2022
536 people are currently reading
10093 people want to read
About the author
Jaqueline Snowe
37 books1,239 followersJaqueline Snowe lives in Arizona where the "dry heat" really isn't that bad. She prefers drinking coffee all hours of the day and snacking on anything that has peanut butter or chocolate. She is the mother to two dogs who don’t realize they aren’t humans and a = mom to the sweetest boy. She is an avid reader and writer of romances and tends to write about athletes. Her husband works for an MLB team (not a player, lol) so she knows more about baseball than any human ever should.
Join my newsletter--> https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...
Join my newsletter--> https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 269 reviews
July 23, 2022
Best friend's older brother AND fake dating tropes??? With a side of mutual pining??!!!
Jaqueline Snowe never misses 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
And hoping book 4 has the couple I am thinking of 👀
Content warning: verbal and emotional abuse (from parent), toxic relationship with parents, negative self talk (it's realistic, but on the other hand can be draining to read), explicit sex scenes, (brief) hospitalization of a character
Jaqueline Snowe never misses 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
And hoping book 4 has the couple I am thinking of 👀
Content warning: verbal and emotional abuse (from parent), toxic relationship with parents, negative self talk (it's realistic, but on the other hand can be draining to read), explicit sex scenes, (brief) hospitalization of a character
June 8, 2022
Jaqueline Snowe does it again! Take the Lead was such a fun New Adult, college sports romance. It gives us the best friend's brother trope and it does it in a magnificent way. The forbidden aspect, the "I've had a crush on him for years", and so much more amazing aspects you'll find inside this book.
Dani needs some help. She doesn't want her mom to constantly arrange blind dates for her and to throw every available guy on her way, so her best friend's brother, who also is kinda her childhood friend (they grew up together!), tells her that they should fake date. It's also helpful to him, because he wants to focus on hockey because it's his final year in college. This arrangement works for both, so they agree! But it soon becomes so much complicated when they start to spend more time together, like going on cute dates, finding what they enjoy most, watching Christmas movies together, etc. And when they agree to have a fake relationship WITH BENEFITS? Oh boy, it's about to go down.
This book was such a fun ride. I highly recommend if you want something quick and full of steam/romance. These two people are H O R N Y. But I also love how soft they are for each other, like Gabe constantly touching Dani every single time they are together. Also I adore reading about boys who think they can go into a fake dating/friends with benefits relationship and come out without feeling anything for the other person. "Let's have sex once to put it out of our systems" yeah sir, that doesn't work that way in romance books. YOU'RE ABOUT TO FALL IN LOVE BAD.
PS. One more thing: Gabe calls Dani "good girl" in bed and it's amazing, bye.
Dani needs some help. She doesn't want her mom to constantly arrange blind dates for her and to throw every available guy on her way, so her best friend's brother, who also is kinda her childhood friend (they grew up together!), tells her that they should fake date. It's also helpful to him, because he wants to focus on hockey because it's his final year in college. This arrangement works for both, so they agree! But it soon becomes so much complicated when they start to spend more time together, like going on cute dates, finding what they enjoy most, watching Christmas movies together, etc. And when they agree to have a fake relationship WITH BENEFITS? Oh boy, it's about to go down.
This book was such a fun ride. I highly recommend if you want something quick and full of steam/romance. These two people are H O R N Y. But I also love how soft they are for each other, like Gabe constantly touching Dani every single time they are together. Also I adore reading about boys who think they can go into a fake dating/friends with benefits relationship and come out without feeling anything for the other person. "Let's have sex once to put it out of our systems" yeah sir, that doesn't work that way in romance books. YOU'RE ABOUT TO FALL IN LOVE BAD.
PS. One more thing: Gabe calls Dani "good girl" in bed and it's amazing, bye.
January 17, 2023
*4.75
Fake dating and best friend older brother trope!??! Of course, I'm going to love it! For me, this was so much better than the previous book. It was so lighthearted, cute, warm, and just had a little drama, and it was what I need it. Sometimes I just love to read books that leave you all fuzzy, smiling with not much going on. This only had the fake dating and the toxic relationship Dani had with her mother going on. I feel so bad for Dani, I'm glad she wasn't sure she could ever completely forgive her.
Dani was so sweet and nice but she was always fighting with her mother's comments and second guessing herself. Loved how Gabe's family was her support system. Gabe was super cute and even though he was the captain of the hockey team, he wasn't cocky or arrogant, he was a genuinely nice guy that avoided any type of conflicts at all cost. They were completely adorable and so supportive of each other. All the flirting, teasing and a little bickering, ugh. They got along so well and couldn't get enough of each other. Oh, but the way Gabe saw Dani, his povs!!! My goodness, he was so gone for her and he didn't even know. And letting her enter in to his space and doing things he didn't do with no one and doing it with her🥹😫
Anyways, I absolutely loved them!!! They made my sleep deprived hours fun😂 I am curious about the next book with Elle and Cal👀
Fake dating and best friend older brother trope!??! Of course, I'm going to love it! For me, this was so much better than the previous book. It was so lighthearted, cute, warm, and just had a little drama, and it was what I need it. Sometimes I just love to read books that leave you all fuzzy, smiling with not much going on. This only had the fake dating and the toxic relationship Dani had with her mother going on. I feel so bad for Dani, I'm glad she wasn't sure she could ever completely forgive her.
Dani was so sweet and nice but she was always fighting with her mother's comments and second guessing herself. Loved how Gabe's family was her support system. Gabe was super cute and even though he was the captain of the hockey team, he wasn't cocky or arrogant, he was a genuinely nice guy that avoided any type of conflicts at all cost. They were completely adorable and so supportive of each other. All the flirting, teasing and a little bickering, ugh. They got along so well and couldn't get enough of each other. Oh, but the way Gabe saw Dani, his povs!!! My goodness, he was so gone for her and he didn't even know. And letting her enter in to his space and doing things he didn't do with no one and doing it with her🥹😫
Anyways, I absolutely loved them!!! They made my sleep deprived hours fun😂 I am curious about the next book with Elle and Cal👀
June 22, 2022
I just vibe with Jaqueline Snowe's romances. She does New Adult in a very fun and sexy way. I don't even care for friends-to-lovers but I enjoyed this!
November 13, 2024
Take the Lead is such a sweet and fun story - lighthearted and cute 👌
It’s a compelling blend of romance, personal growth, and emotional depth. This time, we follow Daniella, a cheerful dancer struggling with low self-esteem due to her mother, and her best friend’s older brother, Gabriel, a hockey captain who avoids conflict. Snowe builds their relationship with authentic tension, humor, and warmth, diving into themes of vulnerability, friendship, and the courage to stand up for yourself.
A great read 🫶
Around 4.5-4.75 ⭐️’s
It’s a compelling blend of romance, personal growth, and emotional depth. This time, we follow Daniella, a cheerful dancer struggling with low self-esteem due to her mother, and her best friend’s older brother, Gabriel, a hockey captain who avoids conflict. Snowe builds their relationship with authentic tension, humor, and warmth, diving into themes of vulnerability, friendship, and the courage to stand up for yourself.
A great read 🫶
Around 4.5-4.75 ⭐️’s
November 18, 2022
This was maybe my favorite of the series? Best friends older brother is something I love but it's a bit hard to pull off, because why aren't they together? But I got why that was the case here and I really loved Daniella as a heroine who is working on herself and cutting out toxicity from her life. I DEEPLY loved her resolution with her mom at the end, where she wasn't sure she could ever fully forgive her, because yes.
October 12, 2022
4.5 STARS
Dani and Gabe are such very likable characters.
They had so many sweet moments, cute interactions AND extremely hot chemistry.
It’s fake dating/ best friends older brother and I loved it.
It’s entertaining, fun and it also has emotional depth.
The characters both have personal issues that are fairly clear from early on, I loved how supportive they were each of other. I loved that it showed how their issues affected them individually and together. It really gave the story a great emotional layer.
The fact that they grew up together added another level of intimacy for me and it made their connection seem truly strong.
The characters embark on fake dating and then they add secret sex “benefits” to the mix and things get complicated.
Dani’s long time crush on Gabe added a moderate level of angst and tension.
I really love the way the author makes the characters so multi-dimensional. Quirks, issues and even their likes and dislikes make them really enjoyable and fun characters.
I love this author’s style of writing, her characters are always a bit unique and unexpected in a great way.
Such a great addition to this series. I loved it so much!
Dani and Gabe are such very likable characters.
They had so many sweet moments, cute interactions AND extremely hot chemistry.
It’s fake dating/ best friends older brother and I loved it.
It’s entertaining, fun and it also has emotional depth.
The characters both have personal issues that are fairly clear from early on, I loved how supportive they were each of other. I loved that it showed how their issues affected them individually and together. It really gave the story a great emotional layer.
The fact that they grew up together added another level of intimacy for me and it made their connection seem truly strong.
The characters embark on fake dating and then they add secret sex “benefits” to the mix and things get complicated.
Dani’s long time crush on Gabe added a moderate level of angst and tension.
I really love the way the author makes the characters so multi-dimensional. Quirks, issues and even their likes and dislikes make them really enjoyable and fun characters.
I love this author’s style of writing, her characters are always a bit unique and unexpected in a great way.
Such a great addition to this series. I loved it so much!
October 18, 2022
four stars! ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ i feel like i got whiplash from reading this bc it is so vastly different from the first two in the best of ways!
dani’s character was a bit of a miss for me in the second book, but from the beginning of this one i really loved her. she was such an adorable main character and i loved the energy she put off. her friendship with elle was also super cute, and i’m pretty excited to pick up the next book for elle’s story! looooved the relationship between dani and van, the whole fake dating aspect was really cute and i loved the tension and angst when the feelings started getting a little too real. van was honestly such a great love interest, too. so sweet and the spice was much, much better in this book. definitely a thumbs up!!
dani’s character was a bit of a miss for me in the second book, but from the beginning of this one i really loved her. she was such an adorable main character and i loved the energy she put off. her friendship with elle was also super cute, and i’m pretty excited to pick up the next book for elle’s story! looooved the relationship between dani and van, the whole fake dating aspect was really cute and i loved the tension and angst when the feelings started getting a little too real. van was honestly such a great love interest, too. so sweet and the spice was much, much better in this book. definitely a thumbs up!!
June 23, 2023
1 star
this book wasn’t actually terrible (definitely not good), but it’s getting 1 star by default purely for the line about taylor swift in this book
if there’s 1 thing i don’t play abt, it’s mother. also, i found it weird how the author is using taylor songs to promote her book when the book bashes taylor… so weird, so odd, so yuck
ok my swiftie bias aside, the plot definitely had potential and i found it to be a fun read at times…
but it was SO millennial-coded, and i’m sorry but i do mean that in an insulting way. an example— why do authors love to make their characters discuss gifs? my friend sent me a pic of a book she dnfed bc of how much they talked abt gifs and then this book did it too and i’m just… confused??? what person under 30 is that passionate about using gifs????
i don’t know what the criteria for kindle unlimited (which is where i read this) is, but this is the most unedited book i’ve ever read on KU. even typos and bad grammar aside, their hair and eye colors were changing, there were so many plot holes, and don’t even get me started on the smut… anatomically impossible is all i’m going to say. like i think the author forgot what positions she had them in…?
i know i keep shitting on this book, but it did have its moments… they were just short-lived. i liked the main characters and i liked how they had their issues apart from one another and were able to help each other, like dani with her mom and gabe with his team
i didn’t like how everything came to a head… their (sort of) break-up and her mom going to the ER was just so dramatic and the resolution could’ve been amazing bc of it, but instead the drama fizzled into boring
also, i know his sister was a big part of the plot, but why was she there professing his love for her best friend FOR him???? i had to skim that last scene bc it was just foul. maybe it’s a me thing, but i hate when the reconciliation is a grand gesture/public situation… like handle that shit in private, i have second hand embarrassment for christ’s sake
overall, i could’ve gave this book 3 stars and been at peace but the author tried to appeal to pop culture without knowing her audience…
anyway stream cruel summer !!!!!
this book wasn’t actually terrible (definitely not good), but it’s getting 1 star by default purely for the line about taylor swift in this book
if there’s 1 thing i don’t play abt, it’s mother. also, i found it weird how the author is using taylor songs to promote her book when the book bashes taylor… so weird, so odd, so yuck
ok my swiftie bias aside, the plot definitely had potential and i found it to be a fun read at times…
but it was SO millennial-coded, and i’m sorry but i do mean that in an insulting way. an example— why do authors love to make their characters discuss gifs? my friend sent me a pic of a book she dnfed bc of how much they talked abt gifs and then this book did it too and i’m just… confused??? what person under 30 is that passionate about using gifs????
i don’t know what the criteria for kindle unlimited (which is where i read this) is, but this is the most unedited book i’ve ever read on KU. even typos and bad grammar aside, their hair and eye colors were changing, there were so many plot holes, and don’t even get me started on the smut… anatomically impossible is all i’m going to say. like i think the author forgot what positions she had them in…?
i know i keep shitting on this book, but it did have its moments… they were just short-lived. i liked the main characters and i liked how they had their issues apart from one another and were able to help each other, like dani with her mom and gabe with his team
i didn’t like how everything came to a head… their (sort of) break-up and her mom going to the ER was just so dramatic and the resolution could’ve been amazing bc of it, but instead the drama fizzled into boring
also, i know his sister was a big part of the plot, but why was she there professing his love for her best friend FOR him???? i had to skim that last scene bc it was just foul. maybe it’s a me thing, but i hate when the reconciliation is a grand gesture/public situation… like handle that shit in private, i have second hand embarrassment for christ’s sake
overall, i could’ve gave this book 3 stars and been at peace but the author tried to appeal to pop culture without knowing her audience…
anyway stream cruel summer !!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2022
okay so this was fun, it was an entertaining, quick read and it had more than a few tropes I really enjoy. I think I might pick up the other books in the series when I’m in the mood for a quick fun collage romance :)) also they play hockey. And he reads. <3
June 14, 2022
This book was so SO good. It was cute, funny, light. The only bad thing about this book was that it ended so soon.
I liked main characters, mostly because they were relatable and real. They learned from their mistakes and really grew up.
The story was nice, without too much drama, so it was exactly what I needed after couple of busy and stressful days.
I enjoyed it so much and will most definitely read it again in the future. Is next month too soon?? Already missing it.
I absolutely recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I liked main characters, mostly because they were relatable and real. They learned from their mistakes and really grew up.
The story was nice, without too much drama, so it was exactly what I needed after couple of busy and stressful days.
I enjoyed it so much and will most definitely read it again in the future. Is next month too soon?? Already missing it.
I absolutely recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 5, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
did-not-finish
July 6, 2024DNFed at 32%. The characters are really immature.
July 7, 2022
The third book in the series these are all standalone and you do not need to read the previous books in the series to appreciate this one
CW: toxic relationship with a parent, body shaming by a parent, brief mentions of overdrinking
I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-m/f fake dating
-best friend's brother
-sports romance
-big simpin
-I'm allergic to feelings
-mutual pining
-childhood crush
OMG I cannot, this book was so good. Once I got started I couldn't put it down. The execution of the tropes, the writing, just chef's kiss. I loved this book. No unnecessary angst, so much chemistry, flirting. These two I just Dani and Van were perfect for each other. Both in denial while they were just you know doing things because they were fake dating and definitely won't fall for each other.
I loved Dani, her terrible relationship with her mom was too relatable. Her childhood crush on Van and how she did her very best to keep her cool around him but just was falling for him because how could you not. Because dear, sweet, simpin, allergic and too cool for his feelings Van. OMG. Doesn't even realize he fell for Dani just can't stop touching her, gone for her immediately, wants her to be happy and okay. I love him, he was so soft, so sweet. Even his relationship with Elle was just too cute.
How he watched secret movies, took Dani on a bookstore date, just wanted to sleep and cuddle with her. HE IS THE BEST.
This continues to hit all of my NA tropey soft spots and I cannot wait for book 4
Steam: 3.75
CW: toxic relationship with a parent, body shaming by a parent, brief mentions of overdrinking
I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-m/f fake dating
-best friend's brother
-sports romance
-big simpin
-I'm allergic to feelings
-mutual pining
-childhood crush
OMG I cannot, this book was so good. Once I got started I couldn't put it down. The execution of the tropes, the writing, just chef's kiss. I loved this book. No unnecessary angst, so much chemistry, flirting. These two I just Dani and Van were perfect for each other. Both in denial while they were just you know doing things because they were fake dating and definitely won't fall for each other.
I loved Dani, her terrible relationship with her mom was too relatable. Her childhood crush on Van and how she did her very best to keep her cool around him but just was falling for him because how could you not. Because dear, sweet, simpin, allergic and too cool for his feelings Van. OMG. Doesn't even realize he fell for Dani just can't stop touching her, gone for her immediately, wants her to be happy and okay. I love him, he was so soft, so sweet. Even his relationship with Elle was just too cute.
How he watched secret movies, took Dani on a bookstore date, just wanted to sleep and cuddle with her. HE IS THE BEST.
This continues to hit all of my NA tropey soft spots and I cannot wait for book 4
Steam: 3.75
January 2, 2025
best friend’s brother AND fake dating tropes!?! this book was so much fun and i could not put it down. i adore dani & gabe so much!!! i’m not quite ready for this series to end
June 17, 2022
Below is my (short) review of my ARC of Take the Lead! Thanks to Snowe for sharing an early copy with me.
If you liked Callie Chase’s Famous series (Pizza famous, Cookie Famous) then Take the Lead by Jaqueline Snowe should be on your preorder list! Take the Lead is the third book in Snowe’s Central State series but you can read it out of order like I did and be just fine (I actually own the first two books in this series but I am notorious for reading romance books out of order so…I haven’t read them yet). Take the Lead focuses on Daniella and Gabe, Dance team and Hockey team captains who have known each other almost their entire lives who decide to fake date in order to get certain people in their lives off their backs for a bit. But she’s had a crush on him for years and he’s not looking for commitment…what could go wrong? This book takes place over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks but it was a fun read in 90 degree heat because it’s fairly steamy!
Tropes covered in this book: fake dating, friends to lovers, best friend’s older brother, wait I’m not sick I caught feelings, hockey romance, taking care of your drunk partner with cheese fries, a holiday love story, college set romance
Be careful: Daniella’s personal journey involves standing up to her mother who delivers a lot of body shaming comments throughout the book. I personally love the trend I’m seeing in books right now where the characters have to face these tough dynamics with their parents (Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade is a great example of this) because that’s something that resonates a lot with me as a person and my personal experiences but these things can still be hard to read so please base your decision about reading this book on your personal comfort level. I have had family members body shame me and make comments about how I dress and I found Daniella’s journey relatable if a bit uncomfortable at times because it’s almost too relatable but not at a level that prohibited me from enjoying the book. However, my comfort level may be different from yours. StoryGraph warns of moderate gas lightning in this book and…I don’t think there is but someone might have seen signs of gaslighting in how Daniella’s mom interacts with her.
Full review will be posted on AuthorAshleyNichole.Wordpress.com on June 18th!
If you liked Callie Chase’s Famous series (Pizza famous, Cookie Famous) then Take the Lead by Jaqueline Snowe should be on your preorder list! Take the Lead is the third book in Snowe’s Central State series but you can read it out of order like I did and be just fine (I actually own the first two books in this series but I am notorious for reading romance books out of order so…I haven’t read them yet). Take the Lead focuses on Daniella and Gabe, Dance team and Hockey team captains who have known each other almost their entire lives who decide to fake date in order to get certain people in their lives off their backs for a bit. But she’s had a crush on him for years and he’s not looking for commitment…what could go wrong? This book takes place over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks but it was a fun read in 90 degree heat because it’s fairly steamy!
Tropes covered in this book: fake dating, friends to lovers, best friend’s older brother, wait I’m not sick I caught feelings, hockey romance, taking care of your drunk partner with cheese fries, a holiday love story, college set romance
Be careful: Daniella’s personal journey involves standing up to her mother who delivers a lot of body shaming comments throughout the book. I personally love the trend I’m seeing in books right now where the characters have to face these tough dynamics with their parents (Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade is a great example of this) because that’s something that resonates a lot with me as a person and my personal experiences but these things can still be hard to read so please base your decision about reading this book on your personal comfort level. I have had family members body shame me and make comments about how I dress and I found Daniella’s journey relatable if a bit uncomfortable at times because it’s almost too relatable but not at a level that prohibited me from enjoying the book. However, my comfort level may be different from yours. StoryGraph warns of moderate gas lightning in this book and…I don’t think there is but someone might have seen signs of gaslighting in how Daniella’s mom interacts with her.
Full review will be posted on AuthorAshleyNichole.Wordpress.com on June 18th!
July 7, 2022
A PERFECT BEST FRIENDS BROTHER FAKE DATING ROMANCE!! Also an athlete, a nerd who likes bookstores, who likes coffee, rom coms, AND basically has a Letterboxd? Dream man. Where can I get one of these?
June 30, 2022
4.5 stars. Gabe might be one of my favorite love interests…. Ever? In a book? Ever??? I loved him so much!! It was also fun to read such a great friends to lovers story, and the fake dating in this made a lot more sense than some books. Plus he and Dani were so cute together; I loved his sister/her bff Elle as well, and I’m pretty sure she’s going to be the co-lead of book 4 so yay! This was such a sexy, adorable book that had me racing through the pages. I’m sad I’m done.
June 16, 2023
Official Rating: 1.75 Stars ⭐
This book has SO much potential to be an amazing hokey romance especially with all of the tropes it had (Bsf Older Brother, Fake Dating, Childhood Bsf, etc.) but the female MC and some of the story lines fell SO flat for me.
The start of the book was very promising for me, we are introduced to our FMC Daniella, dance team captain and all around whole some girl and our love interest "Van" (Gabe) , the hockey captain and infamous ladies man. Due to pressure from both characters parents to begin settling down they decide to fake date for a few months.
Now the problems I had:
1. If you HATE tropes where the MC's insecurities get in the way of the relationship, then this is not the book for you. Throughout the book the FMC is constantly belittled and critiqued for her appearance by her mother which takes a toll on her confidence.
So what does she decide to do...
Cut off contact with her mother, find a time to explain to her mom that she has been ruining their relationship, use those positive communication skills she keeps claiming to have, maybe vent to a trusted friend???
...NOPE. Instead she spent most of the book complaining that her mother is the root of all her problems while simultaneously criticizing the Male MC for his lack of communication skills regarding his personal problems.
Well you may be wondering, does she ever confront her mother???
Yep. She decides to yell and cuss out her mom's bad parenting skills WHILE SHE IS IN THE HOSPITAL. Way to go girl that's so feminist and girlboss of you 🤪! Bffr. The female MC's hypocrisy and "I'm morally better than everyone" attitude she had the whole book quite frankly was frustrating to read and leads me to my next point
2. The FMC was SO out of touch with reality that it was PAINFUL. There was one specific part of the book where the FMC and MMC go out for dinner with one of the MMC's teammates. Throughout the book this teammate is kind of hinted at having a less fortunate background despite his terrible attitude. After the dinner the FMC starts complaining about her mom AGAIN (for the 1000th time) and when the teammate explains how fortunate she is to have family that is willing to eat dinner and spend time with her they call him a "d*ck and and a-hole" ... HUH?? Other scenes similar to this made it very hard to sympathize with the FMC. Her problems are very valid but the fact that she doesn't recognize how fortunate she is made her seem bratty throughout the rest of the book.
3. The ending was SOO rushed and just skips to the epilogue after resolving the biggest problem with no other commentary. MIGHT I ADD the problem could've ALL been avoided if the FMC had spoken tf up.
You want to be more than fake lovers with benefits... TELL HIM
You are unsure about his intentions going forward with the fake relationship... TELL HIM
You feel insecure about your body and are scared that he only wants you on an intimate level... TELL HIM
For someone that has amazing self proclaimed communication and leadership skills she did none of it in the book.
I did like some things about the book like the character development the MMC went through learning to hold people accountable when in a leadership position, and the side characters were *chef's kisses*. The vibes in this book were also GREAT, as someone who loves the winter season the book made me feel cozy and festive for the holidays in the middle of summer. However, unfortunately the MMC, side characters, and vibes were not enough to save this book from being unenjoyable. If you like some of the tropes I hated that I mentioned above it MIGHT be a fast, easy hockey romance for you. But otherwise wasn't a big fan and there are better hockey romances
This book has SO much potential to be an amazing hokey romance especially with all of the tropes it had (Bsf Older Brother, Fake Dating, Childhood Bsf, etc.) but the female MC and some of the story lines fell SO flat for me.
The start of the book was very promising for me, we are introduced to our FMC Daniella, dance team captain and all around whole some girl and our love interest "Van" (Gabe) , the hockey captain and infamous ladies man. Due to pressure from both characters parents to begin settling down they decide to fake date for a few months.
Now the problems I had:
1. If you HATE tropes where the MC's insecurities get in the way of the relationship, then this is not the book for you. Throughout the book the FMC is constantly belittled and critiqued for her appearance by her mother which takes a toll on her confidence.
So what does she decide to do...
Cut off contact with her mother, find a time to explain to her mom that she has been ruining their relationship, use those positive communication skills she keeps claiming to have, maybe vent to a trusted friend???
...NOPE. Instead she spent most of the book complaining that her mother is the root of all her problems while simultaneously criticizing the Male MC for his lack of communication skills regarding his personal problems.
Well you may be wondering, does she ever confront her mother???
Yep. She decides to yell and cuss out her mom's bad parenting skills WHILE SHE IS IN THE HOSPITAL. Way to go girl that's so feminist and girlboss of you 🤪! Bffr. The female MC's hypocrisy and "I'm morally better than everyone" attitude she had the whole book quite frankly was frustrating to read and leads me to my next point
2. The FMC was SO out of touch with reality that it was PAINFUL. There was one specific part of the book where the FMC and MMC go out for dinner with one of the MMC's teammates. Throughout the book this teammate is kind of hinted at having a less fortunate background despite his terrible attitude. After the dinner the FMC starts complaining about her mom AGAIN (for the 1000th time) and when the teammate explains how fortunate she is to have family that is willing to eat dinner and spend time with her they call him a "d*ck and and a-hole" ... HUH?? Other scenes similar to this made it very hard to sympathize with the FMC. Her problems are very valid but the fact that she doesn't recognize how fortunate she is made her seem bratty throughout the rest of the book.
3. The ending was SOO rushed and just skips to the epilogue after resolving the biggest problem with no other commentary. MIGHT I ADD the problem could've ALL been avoided if the FMC had spoken tf up.
You want to be more than fake lovers with benefits... TELL HIM
You are unsure about his intentions going forward with the fake relationship... TELL HIM
You feel insecure about your body and are scared that he only wants you on an intimate level... TELL HIM
For someone that has amazing self proclaimed communication and leadership skills she did none of it in the book.
I did like some things about the book like the character development the MMC went through learning to hold people accountable when in a leadership position, and the side characters were *chef's kisses*. The vibes in this book were also GREAT, as someone who loves the winter season the book made me feel cozy and festive for the holidays in the middle of summer. However, unfortunately the MMC, side characters, and vibes were not enough to save this book from being unenjoyable. If you like some of the tropes I hated that I mentioned above it MIGHT be a fast, easy hockey romance for you. But otherwise wasn't a big fan and there are better hockey romances
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2022
Dani has never felt she measured up to her parent’s expectations for her both when her comes to her image and the men in her life. She is dreading having to visit them over the holidays as she knows that they are determined to find a suitable man for her so she decides to ask Gabe to pretend to be her boyfriend to make the situation more tenable.
Gabriel is her best friend’s brother, the captain of the hockey team and the man she has been attracted to for as long as she can remember. He needs a girlfriend to dissuade the woman who want to become a permanent part of his life and she needs a boyfriend to keep her parents out of her business, let the fun begin!
Two friends agree to an arrangement however between the fun and flirtations it is beginning to feel like so much more. Gabe is so supportive as he shows Dani she is perfect just the way she is and when it comes to Gabe, Dani shows him that when it comes to his history with women it was only because he hadn’t let the right women into his heart.
Gabriel is her best friend’s brother, the captain of the hockey team and the man she has been attracted to for as long as she can remember. He needs a girlfriend to dissuade the woman who want to become a permanent part of his life and she needs a boyfriend to keep her parents out of her business, let the fun begin!
Two friends agree to an arrangement however between the fun and flirtations it is beginning to feel like so much more. Gabe is so supportive as he shows Dani she is perfect just the way she is and when it comes to Gabe, Dani shows him that when it comes to his history with women it was only because he hadn’t let the right women into his heart.
March 4, 2023
IGNORE THE COVER PLEASE! I swear it was such a cute book 🥹
Best friends brother, life long crush, fake dating… ugh this book was cute. Gabe was an absolute sweetheart through the whole thing, but god did he ever annoy me when he couldn’t get his feelings in check and realize HE LOVES DANI! I wanted to yell at him.
I love that this book didn’t have a third party breakup scene. It was really just because of miscommunication and was super short lived.
And Dani’s relationship with her mom was such a struggle, but I’m so happy with the outcome of it and Lovely Lily grew on me in the end.
Elle (Gabe’s sister, Dani’s BFF) is hilarious, I loved her! I’ll definitely be reading the next book since she’s the female lead and I’m dying to figure out what’s up with Cal Holt (male lead)!!!
Best friends brother, life long crush, fake dating… ugh this book was cute. Gabe was an absolute sweetheart through the whole thing, but god did he ever annoy me when he couldn’t get his feelings in check and realize HE LOVES DANI! I wanted to yell at him.
I love that this book didn’t have a third party breakup scene. It was really just because of miscommunication and was super short lived.
And Dani’s relationship with her mom was such a struggle, but I’m so happy with the outcome of it and Lovely Lily grew on me in the end.
Elle (Gabe’s sister, Dani’s BFF) is hilarious, I loved her! I’ll definitely be reading the next book since she’s the female lead and I’m dying to figure out what’s up with Cal Holt (male lead)!!!
June 29, 2022
We know Daniella from book 2 in the Central State series From The Top and now she is the main character in book 3, Take the Lead.
The friendship she built with Gabe through her childhood is really sweet. The way they joke together and obviously care about each other is the start of a great relationship.
I never think I’ll like the fake-dating trope but this was done really well and I loved it. The friendship between Elle and Danielle was also a nice touch to the story.
5 stars!
The friendship she built with Gabe through her childhood is really sweet. The way they joke together and obviously care about each other is the start of a great relationship.
I never think I’ll like the fake-dating trope but this was done really well and I loved it. The friendship between Elle and Danielle was also a nice touch to the story.
5 stars!
February 27, 2023
There’s nothing I love more than two complete idiots agreeing to fake date for absolutely minimum reasons and then promptly falling in love with each other but claiming it’s all for the ruse and thinking they’ve got everything under control while secretly pining. Never gets old. Also I’m a sucker for a Gabe. Love me a hunky Gabe. God bless.
4⭐️ no thoughts just vibes in my sports romance era
4⭐️ no thoughts just vibes in my sports romance era
March 11, 2023
When I started this book I didn’t love it, but Towards the middle of the book it started to hold my attention and was considering a 3.7/8ish rating, but at the very end when the mc finally stood up for herself to her abusive mom and then the fall out was that her bff told her to go apologize??? Yeah solid 2 stars literally had to skip that whole part made me feel sick to my stomach
June 18, 2022
I loved this book! It’s a great stand alone since I didn’t know it was part of series, which I’ve promptly downloaded already. The writing style made it easy to read and enjoy!
I loved the story, the characters, and the plot twists. I definitely did not want the story to end, but if it must, the ending was appropriate for the story. No spoilers!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved the story, the characters, and the plot twists. I definitely did not want the story to end, but if it must, the ending was appropriate for the story. No spoilers!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 1, 2022
4.5 stars!
I really enjoyed Gabe and Dani’s story!
So much chemestry!
I really enjoyed Gabe and Dani’s story!
So much chemestry!
August 23, 2022
Cute.
Looking forward to Elle and Cal's story.
Looking forward to Elle and Cal's story.
February 23, 2023
We love a supportive side character pushing the couple together!! We love a theme!! We love a strong leader!! We love Michael Reiner!!
July 22, 2023
More of a 4.6 stars. Is a childhood friends turned lovers/ fake dating. Very good and has good story line but I’m not a big fake dating fan.
July 25, 2023
this was very cute 3.5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 269 reviews