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Haven Valley High #1
Faking What's Real
It was only meant to be one fake date.
Emma
Caught up in my impulsive friend’s bet, I’m pushed to ask out my crush in front of everyone.
But Kai doesn’t date, so it’ll end in humiliation.
My only hope is the plan. A fake date to win the bet, make our friends happy, and show people we aren’t their toys.
I never expected Kai would agree to it.
Kai
I should have said no, but instead I broke my own rule.
And when our friends raise the stakes, I end up committing to a fake relationship—the high school relationship I never wanted—for the next two months until Halloween.
They’re counting on us to act believable, and I’ll do whatever it takes.
But as we take each step closer together, Emma’s making me question everything.
And with each kiss to convince everyone else this is real, it’s getting harder to convince myself that it’s not.
Emma
Caught up in my impulsive friend’s bet, I’m pushed to ask out my crush in front of everyone.
But Kai doesn’t date, so it’ll end in humiliation.
My only hope is the plan. A fake date to win the bet, make our friends happy, and show people we aren’t their toys.
I never expected Kai would agree to it.
Kai
I should have said no, but instead I broke my own rule.
And when our friends raise the stakes, I end up committing to a fake relationship—the high school relationship I never wanted—for the next two months until Halloween.
They’re counting on us to act believable, and I’ll do whatever it takes.
But as we take each step closer together, Emma’s making me question everything.
And with each kiss to convince everyone else this is real, it’s getting harder to convince myself that it’s not.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 22, 2022
331 people are currently reading
814 people want to read
About the author
Kenzie Brayne
7 books26 followersA lifelong fan of storytelling, Kenzie originally studied film before turning her attention to the written word. She loves to read and write romance with kind heroes, crushes, awkward moments, temptation, and heart-pounding new experiences.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
April 16, 2024
OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!! I thought it was so sweet, and I love Kai and Emma🩵 I loved the dual POV, it really helped me get into the book more! Kai was absolutely adorable🥹 Best bf everrrr! And Emma was such a great character, I loved her. The fake bet was such a fun twist, it really added to the plot. Here are a few things I think could have been better:
💞 I felt like the ending was a little cheesy. When they were broken up, after Kai found out about the lying. It felt like the author was trying to rush this big reaction, but definitely missed the mark.
💞 I felt like the author made Emma seem younger than she actually is…more like 14-15. Probably because of how Kai kept referring to her. (No spoilers😉)
💞 I didn’t like the whole original bet scene. It felt super unrealistic! Chloe went from the big bad enemy to their best friend? That doesn’t ever happen lol!
Other than that, I really loved this book! It was the perfect quick, fun, and clean YA romance! It reminded me of the song Enchanted and You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift! I also loved how the book showed us Kai’s insecurities as well as Emma’s. It definitely made me like him so much more!!! Overall it was so good! Totally recommend!!! 🤩
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Length of book: 264 pages
Language/TW: 3/10
Format I read: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: YA Romance
Would I recommend to others: Yes!!!
💞 I felt like the ending was a little cheesy. When they were broken up, after Kai found out about the lying. It felt like the author was trying to rush this big reaction, but definitely missed the mark.
💞 I felt like the author made Emma seem younger than she actually is…more like 14-15. Probably because of how Kai kept referring to her. (No spoilers😉)
💞 I didn’t like the whole original bet scene. It felt super unrealistic! Chloe went from the big bad enemy to their best friend? That doesn’t ever happen lol!
Other than that, I really loved this book! It was the perfect quick, fun, and clean YA romance! It reminded me of the song Enchanted and You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift! I also loved how the book showed us Kai’s insecurities as well as Emma’s. It definitely made me like him so much more!!! Overall it was so good! Totally recommend!!! 🤩
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Length of book: 264 pages
Language/TW: 3/10
Format I read: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: YA Romance
Would I recommend to others: Yes!!!
July 28, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
**SPOILER FREE**
AHEMMMMM. THIS WAS SO CUTE LIKE OH MY GOODNESS. I was silently screaming reading this Thursday night.
It only has 256 pages, and it was a great refresher to my fantasy kick I’ve been havin! Chapters were reasonably short, quick and cute read overall.
the fake dating trope and then they fall for each other at the end? HELLOOOOOOO?!
Kai (he’s not as great as Kai from powerless) bruh had me giggling and kicking my feet at his thoughts at Emma like I need a guy to say that to MEEEEEE.
Emma: she was like such a good character for a romance book. She wasn’t annoying or anything like that like how some romance FMC’s can be.
Lauren: MS WINGMAN. I need someone to do that for me fr.
It was multiple POVS, my love for multiple pov books is out of this world.
The writing was great and it was fast paced and I loved getting to see how Emma and Kai’s relationship formed over time. I loved how Kai’s view on *spoiler* changed over time bc of Emma!
I highly recommend this to someone who is in a slump and needs a quick read, as well as a cute one. LITERALLY SO HAPPY THIS IS A SERIES?! TO I GET TO SEE MORE OF KIEMMA? (Random ship name lollll)
**SPOILER FREE**
AHEMMMMM. THIS WAS SO CUTE LIKE OH MY GOODNESS. I was silently screaming reading this Thursday night.
It only has 256 pages, and it was a great refresher to my fantasy kick I’ve been havin! Chapters were reasonably short, quick and cute read overall.
the fake dating trope and then they fall for each other at the end? HELLOOOOOOO?!
Kai (he’s not as great as Kai from powerless) bruh had me giggling and kicking my feet at his thoughts at Emma like I need a guy to say that to MEEEEEE.
Emma: she was like such a good character for a romance book. She wasn’t annoying or anything like that like how some romance FMC’s can be.
Lauren: MS WINGMAN. I need someone to do that for me fr.
It was multiple POVS, my love for multiple pov books is out of this world.
The writing was great and it was fast paced and I loved getting to see how Emma and Kai’s relationship formed over time. I loved how Kai’s view on *spoiler* changed over time bc of Emma!
I highly recommend this to someone who is in a slump and needs a quick read, as well as a cute one. LITERALLY SO HAPPY THIS IS A SERIES?! TO I GET TO SEE MORE OF KIEMMA? (Random ship name lollll)
October 31, 2023
Was this book amazing? No, HOWEVER I will eat up a fake dating trope everyday for the rest of my life
June 2, 2025
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Will I remember it? No probably not, but I did have a fun time!
August 6, 2023
2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️
not impressed it was so boring and predictable. onto the next book *sigh*
i think im done with my romance novel reading phase i need something with lots of action now to recover 😔
not impressed it was so boring and predictable. onto the next book *sigh*
i think im done with my romance novel reading phase i need something with lots of action now to recover 😔
August 15, 2024
1. if i ever dislike a ya romance, something is clearly wrong with me
2. this is cute to read and then i think about ppl actually doing this and i wanted to throw up
2. this is cute to read and then i think about ppl actually doing this and i wanted to throw up
July 29, 2025
The name’s the best thing about this. That should give you an idea.
I actually managed to dnf this twice. I just thought it too cruel to force this book on anybody, let alone on myself.
And it wasn’t just the cringe or the lack of originality. It was also EVERYTHING ELSE. They have no real reason to date apart from being physically attracted to each other, because they have like zero connection. Because, ok, so she talks to your sister. Just go marry her won’t you??
Did I laugh? Yeah. Did that make up for literally every other moment where they were just all over each other even though they both felt it to be a tad too much for a bet? NO.
She’s a weird, creepy girl who imagines how it must feel like to be hugged by her crush while hugging her best friend, and he decides to break his “no dating in high school” rule for a girl that’s not much more than a pretty face.
Yay connecting!
Anyways, almost every character was an idiot. Chloe? Hello? She went from horrible mean asshole to their bff in a heartbeat, and no one questioned it? And Nate is flirting with her even though she has a boyfriend? And said boyfriend didn’t even tell his alleged best friends he was dating somebody??
They were all lying, toxic friends. Awesome right?
Only thing that could have saved this was Nate’s humor, but then he started flirting with Chloe and I stopped liking him.
Also, the dual pov wasn’t carried out too well. They both just knew what the other was thinking. I mean, take this for example (from Kai’s pov):
Throughout the lesson, my thoughts kept returning to Emma. She intrigued me. On the surface she’d been friendly, polite, but i felt as if she’d been hiding something. Something she was afraid to say.
So…
a) HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?? YOU DON’T KNOW HER AT ALL
and
b) WHO TF TALKS LIKE THAT??? SHE INTRIGUED YOU??? You should maybe go see somebody. And that’s not the only case with he asked with amusement and she seemed to enjoy my interactions with Chrissy.
There’s another thing that bugged me, and it was the feeling that the author has never actually gone to high school. I mean, she asks him out, and people literally gasp? NO ONE, i repeat NO ONE would make it so obvious that they were listening in on your conversation. And they definitely wouldn’t gasp.
There’s so many things I could add, like I literally have SIXTY ONE NOTES on my kindle, but it doesn’t let me upload them, so you’ll have to take my word for them.
Oh, and sorry if the review isn’t exactly structured, but I was writing things as I read my notes…
I actually managed to dnf this twice. I just thought it too cruel to force this book on anybody, let alone on myself.
And it wasn’t just the cringe or the lack of originality. It was also EVERYTHING ELSE. They have no real reason to date apart from being physically attracted to each other, because they have like zero connection. Because, ok, so she talks to your sister. Just go marry her won’t you??
Did I laugh? Yeah. Did that make up for literally every other moment where they were just all over each other even though they both felt it to be a tad too much for a bet? NO.
She’s a weird, creepy girl who imagines how it must feel like to be hugged by her crush while hugging her best friend, and he decides to break his “no dating in high school” rule for a girl that’s not much more than a pretty face.
Yay connecting!
Anyways, almost every character was an idiot. Chloe? Hello? She went from horrible mean asshole to their bff in a heartbeat, and no one questioned it? And Nate is flirting with her even though she has a boyfriend? And said boyfriend didn’t even tell his alleged best friends he was dating somebody??
They were all lying, toxic friends. Awesome right?
Only thing that could have saved this was Nate’s humor, but then he started flirting with Chloe and I stopped liking him.
Also, the dual pov wasn’t carried out too well. They both just knew what the other was thinking. I mean, take this for example (from Kai’s pov):
Throughout the lesson, my thoughts kept returning to Emma. She intrigued me. On the surface she’d been friendly, polite, but i felt as if she’d been hiding something. Something she was afraid to say.
So…
a) HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?? YOU DON’T KNOW HER AT ALL
and
b) WHO TF TALKS LIKE THAT??? SHE INTRIGUED YOU??? You should maybe go see somebody. And that’s not the only case with he asked with amusement and she seemed to enjoy my interactions with Chrissy.
There’s another thing that bugged me, and it was the feeling that the author has never actually gone to high school. I mean, she asks him out, and people literally gasp? NO ONE, i repeat NO ONE would make it so obvious that they were listening in on your conversation. And they definitely wouldn’t gasp.
There’s so many things I could add, like I literally have SIXTY ONE NOTES on my kindle, but it doesn’t let me upload them, so you’ll have to take my word for them.
Oh, and sorry if the review isn’t exactly structured, but I was writing things as I read my notes…
April 3, 2023
Cute story. A little back and forth, but overall decent. A clean YA story!
July 7, 2025
This book was honestly super sweet 🥹💕—I liked the characters and the cozy vibes were definitely there. But that’s kind of where it ended for me. It was really slow 🐢 and I kept waiting for some kind of twist or big reveal… and it just never happened 😕.
The ending? Ugh, awful 😩. It felt so passive like the author just wanted to wrap it up and call it a day 🧃✌️. There was no real punch or emotion—just a super quick, unsatisfying finish 😶.
Honestly, it was sweet and had its moments 💖, but it was also bland, with no twists, no tension, and no surprises 🙃📖. If you like chill, low-drama books, you might enjoy it—but I needed way more 😬.
The ending? Ugh, awful 😩. It felt so passive like the author just wanted to wrap it up and call it a day 🧃✌️. There was no real punch or emotion—just a super quick, unsatisfying finish 😶.
Honestly, it was sweet and had its moments 💖, but it was also bland, with no twists, no tension, and no surprises 🙃📖. If you like chill, low-drama books, you might enjoy it—but I needed way more 😬.
August 24, 2025
4⭐️ I LOVED THIS BOOK! The fake dating was so good. I think this book made it one of my favs. It was so fun and I loved both the characters. There was a reason that I didn’t give it a 4.5 star (I think that’s what I deserves). Kai (Kai from Powerless is better btw. No one is EVER replacing Kai😉) kinda wanted a little more sometimes and I was like buddy 😒 (I think I made it sound worse).There was no spice but it was talked about between a mom/daughter a bit.
But I loved this book and stayed up until the 2am to read it… hehe 🙃
But I loved this book and stayed up until the 2am to read it… hehe 🙃
June 26, 2023
Ah, fake relationships. While I can't imagine ever participating in one, I sure do love them. I fell in love with the trope back in 1999 with Drive Me Crazy and that hasn't faded.
Kai and Emma are sizzling and sweet and I adored their journey.
If you like fake relationships, bets, best friends, series, movie nights, parties, pasta and kisses, this book should be on your TBR. Plus, it's in KU. You're welcome.
Kai and Emma are sizzling and sweet and I adored their journey.
If you like fake relationships, bets, best friends, series, movie nights, parties, pasta and kisses, this book should be on your TBR. Plus, it's in KU. You're welcome.
July 22, 2023
Cute story
I wished it was longer, but it was a cute story. It was a fast read and very good for a plane ride.
I wished it was longer, but it was a cute story. It was a fast read and very good for a plane ride.
August 2, 2023
Super cute. A lot of times I was sitting smiling at my kindle. They had an amazing dynamic and their transition from strangers, to friends, to lovers was amazing
August 19, 2024
cute!! love both kai and emma.
January 25, 2025
I think this was a pretty average book for me and I would not say it was bad, but I didn't find it to be special or really engaging at all. Its just an average YA book thats very simple to read. I don't think I would read books like this again or at-least not at the moment since I found the writing to be very simple and straightforward which can be great, but I found that in my perspective the characters didn't show any emotions of yearning or a true connection that I would prefer. I probably won't read the other books within this world or series. I just don't think reading this book was worth my time and I don't see myself picking up another book from this author.
June 19, 2024
okay i kinda like love this author. i didn’t love this book at the beginning, i mean it was good but it was missing something and i think that was him being obsessed with her but that came later on. i liked the realness of the awkwardness and the amount of like different types of characters and conflict. i did think kia overreacted at the end but i’m glad they made up!
January 3, 2025
4.75 stars
Really liked this it kept my attention all the way through never dull moment
Really liked this it kept my attention all the way through never dull moment
May 6, 2024
like, not love. its very pg13 highschool miscommunication fake dating. like, shes good for what she is, a shorter read and i really had no hugely negative things to say about it? but i wished it had more? like this is something i will forget so easily and within 3-10 business days. ill read the rest of the series because kindle unlimited exists, but if i had to do any real work in trying to seek this out, this review would never exist. a fifth of this book was read weeks ago, and the rest was all at once as a sudden impulse to finish the rest of my currently reading log, and i think i could have read a random chapter or two and gotten the gist of the story, very run of the mill, and thats okay!
March 23, 2023
Loved this book!! The romance and kisses was perfect, the relationship progression well written, story enjoyable, and characters lovable! 😍 My only complaint is the content. There’s cussing, talk about sex though the characters never do it, and there’s some partying with alcohol. I didn’t like how the author made it completely normal and okay for minors to be drinking and some getting drunk, and though the MCs didn’t go that far, they still drank and they’re 17. Besides that though it was fairly clean, a little hotter than your typical YA romance but nothing bad.
November 5, 2023
We all need a best friend like Emma has because she is the real mvp of this book. This book was a simple sweet read that had me smiling like a geek half the time. Kai was a sweetheart, fake dating never fails for me I love it with my whole heart. The third act breakup wasn’t my favorite but we all knew it was coming and it was quickly resolved so I can forgive it lol
July 1, 2023
This was such a cute story! The relationship and overall story profession was nicely paced and honestly I know people may have issue with the underage drinking/partying but everyone knows it happens. Overall cute read!
December 2, 2023
CUTE
This was such a cute read and I found myself giggling and laughing. The characters are cute and that plot and how they went back to places were a nice touch. If you need a cute book this should be it
This was such a cute read and I found myself giggling and laughing. The characters are cute and that plot and how they went back to places were a nice touch. If you need a cute book this should be it
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February 28, 2023It was okay, an easy quick read, very cute but I'm a drama frog so I wanted a little more conflict tbh.
February 5, 2024
Loved this book!
February 19, 2024
It was a really good book, and a fun read!
March 29, 2024
I really loved the book... however I hated Lauren! I know she though she did what was best for her friend but gah she was so dumb! The book was really good despite her stupidity!
July 9, 2024
4,5/5⭐️
October 12, 2024
It wasn't bad but why don't authors give their characters depth and let them have meaningful conversations??😭😔
November 20, 2024
Easy, cute read, just felt like the main lead was written to seem like a 12 year old..
March 21, 2025
OMG! 😍 This book was GREAT! 🤩 Loved the characters, they felt SO real! 💖 I want to read the whole series! I'm currently reading "Celebrating What's Real," but so far, this one's my fave! 🥰 (I'll have to read the others to be sure, though!) 🤔
Kai (the love interest) was cute...ish. 😉 But I kinda didn't like him lol. 😅 He was good for Emma, but I wouldn't date him. Here's why: 🙅♀️
1. He's dull. 😴 Is he allergic to fun or something? 🙄
2. He overreacts. Like, dude, chill bruh! 😅
3. “Mommy issues." 🙄 Even though it's good the author showed his vulnerable side, his "mommy issues" kinda annoy me. Ugh, HORRID! 😫
But great book overall! 💖 I relate to Lauren SO much! 🥺 If they made a movie, I should play her! 😂 I'm that impulsive, crazy friend who thinks she's Cupid, even though I can't even tell my crush how I feel. 🙈 Yeah, we relate A LOT! Except I haven't met my crush yet, but I know I'll react like that! 😂
4/5 stars! ✨ Definitely recommend! 13+ IMO. 👍💖
Kai (the love interest) was cute...ish. 😉 But I kinda didn't like him lol. 😅 He was good for Emma, but I wouldn't date him. Here's why: 🙅♀️
1. He's dull. 😴 Is he allergic to fun or something? 🙄
2. He overreacts. Like, dude, chill bruh! 😅
3. “Mommy issues." 🙄 Even though it's good the author showed his vulnerable side, his "mommy issues" kinda annoy me. Ugh, HORRID! 😫
But great book overall! 💖 I relate to Lauren SO much! 🥺 If they made a movie, I should play her! 😂 I'm that impulsive, crazy friend who thinks she's Cupid, even though I can't even tell my crush how I feel. 🙈 Yeah, we relate A LOT! Except I haven't met my crush yet, but I know I'll react like that! 😂
4/5 stars! ✨ Definitely recommend! 13+ IMO. 👍💖
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews