Lace up your ice skates and zip up your coats because winter nears, and with it, seasonal reads hit the shelves. “Fake Skating” is a hat-trick worthy hockey romance book that is guaranteed to warm your heart as the temperature drops. 

Bestselling author Lynn Painter is a beloved tween, teen and adult romance novelist, who has cultivated a following with her witty writing. The author is best known for her duology: “Better Than the Movies,” and “Nothing Like the Movies.” A self-proclaimed rom-com movie enthusiast, Painter has taken her passion and articulated the written equivalent of a romantic comedy. The contents of her book pages are filled with clever banter between characters and interwoven themes that are applicable to both young and old audiences. 

Synopsis

“Fake Skating” is a dual point of view, young adult novel that follows main characters Daniella (Dani) Collins and Alec Barczewski. During the summer months of their childhood, neighbors Dani and Alec were inseparable: best friends, secret hideouts, first kisses. Due to a familial fallout, Dani’s family no longer visits Southview, Minnesota, but the two vow to stay friends. 

Fast forward to their senior year of high school. After a messy divorce, Dani and her mother find themselves moving back to the small, snowy town to live with her grandfather. In Southview, hockey is more than a sport; it is the end-all be-all of the community, and to Dani’s surprise, her childhood friend is nowhere to be seen, but the uprising hockey hotshot dubbed “Zeus” looks suspiciously like a cocky, athletic, muscular, grown-up version of her nerdy childhood best friend. Because of a misunderstanding that festered from years ago, their reunion is tension-filled and strained. Circumstances push Alec and Dani to agree to a fake-dating arrangement. As the main characters are forced to spend more time together, they reconnect, lines blur as the two rediscover childhood history, heal hidden wounds and question if what started out as fake holds more weight than they ever intended. 

Character Development: 

Dani is a military kid; no base is a home, no friend lasts long and the only stability she knew crumbled when her parents announced they were getting divorced. As a young girl, Dani was sassy, spunky and unapologetically herself; her quick wit and sly smirk were a trademark trait. But she left a part of herself at each place her family was deployed. Constantly changing schools and exchanging one mean girl for the next took a toll and she soon found it easier to keep her head down and obsess over her Harvard application rather than acknowledge the overwhelming loneliness and crippling panic attacks plaguing her.  

Dani was devastatingly relatable. Her struggles mirrored some of my own, and I so appreciate the honesty behind her point of view. It was inspiring to see her rediscover the ability to be authentically herself and the vulnerability it took to receive help. Not only did she overcome internal personal battles, but Dani also grew in her relationships with others, most notably her emotionally manipulative father and her guarded grandfather. She stood on her own two feet and found community and love despite her broken beginning. 

Alec Barczewski did not grow up in the spotlight; on the contrary, he had no trouble chasing after the shadow of his dazzling childhood best friend, Dani. When she moved away, and his father faced a life-altering injury, Alec found himself lacing up metaphorical adult skates far before they could fit, taking on responsibilities and pressures no young kid should carry. He was made aware of his family’s financial status, or rather lack thereof, repeatedly by cruel kids, so when he figured out his hockey abilities could potentially benefit his family, he took it and ran.

Alec represented athletes of all kinds, all of whom struggle not to put their worth in their performance, and who risk playing through injury because the game seems more important than themselves. The juxtaposition between his rough exterior and the emotionally tender kid inside who was forced to grow up too soon was so realistic, paired with his childhood insecurities influencing his actions, made Alec a complex character. His intentionality towards Dani was heartwarming; it was clear that he needed her just as much as she needed him. Alec’s breakthrough as a character definitely was seen when he not only cared for those around him, but also himself for once. 

Intended audience / Genre: 

Fake Skating is a YA (young adults) romance novel. YA targets readers from age 12 to 18; however, I would argue that this story falls in the latter category, as there are mature themes and occasional use of crude language. Personally, I think these inclusions authenticated the writing as Painter covered topics that high schoolers interact with, with language that is primarily used by the teenage population. The romance portion was, of course, well written. Once again, Painter provided us with the perfect amount of playful banter while giving us hopeless romantics the squeal-inducing, foot-popping, cheeks-blushing moments we crave. 

Impact on reader: 

This story was more than a palate-cleansing romance book that is only surface-level and sets unrealistic relationship ideas. There was substance to Painter’s writing as she wove into the storyline real struggles, including: divorce, anxiety, athletic pressure, academic pressure and familial fracture. Personally the most impactful message was our need as individuals to find community. To watch the characters come alongside one another in hardships reminded me how healing found family is and had me wanting to prioritize my own community. 

 

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Originality: 

“Fake Skating” was a cute mash-up of popular romance tropes (lovable clichés), including: fake dating, friends to lovers, second chance romance, miscommunication, etc. They were definitely predictable, but Painter did put her own flourish on the common story archetypes. I especially appreciate the way Painter went about weaving the TikTok-famous “hockey romance” aspect into the story. 

As a romance enthusiast, I have read my fair share of sports romance novels and one of my biggest pet peeves is when either the athletic action takes over the plot or if it is completely forgotten after the first chapter. Painter achieved a balance between showing hockey’s importance to the plot/characters while not letting “ice time” consume too many pages. Also, another honorable mention in her writing was staying true to the sport itself. I applaud the appropriate use of hockey terminology!

Pace: 

The story was well-paced, and I found myself eagerly reaching to turn the next page. My mantra as I read the book: “I have time for just one more chapter.” The issue being one chapter led to the next, and before I knew it I was behind on both homework and sleep, but that is a true testament to Painter’s writing ability.

Writing romance novels and keeping the story moving forward without jam-packing unrealistic situations into the pages is challenging. But I thought there was great flow, and when the story may seem that it was slowing down, something would pick the pace back up. The presence of subplots was especially vital to keeping the story moving, even if the main storyline slowed or stayed the same for some time, I was so invested in the action affecting the subplots that I did not mind.

Conclusion: 

“Fake Skating” is a great seasonal read that blends together all the best components of a romcom while still maintaining complex characters and deeply moving themes. Painter proves to be a master storyteller. If you have not already, get your own copy of “Fake Skating” available physically, digitally or on Audible. 

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