Best Fake Dating / Fake Relationship Books

The highest-rated books featuring the Fake Dating / Fake Relationship trope, ranked by readers and listeners. Browse 33 titles across Romance, Thriller, Sci-Fi.

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Fake dating works because it creates the perfect pressure cooker: two people forced into constant proximity, performing intimacy they're supposed to not feel, while actual feelings develop in the cracks between the act. The emotional whiplash is exquisite—every touch is loaded, every lie gets harder to maintain, and the moment real feelings surface, everything becomes terrifyingly genuine. You're watching people fall in love while pretending they already have.

You'll find this trope everywhere romance lives: contemporary settings where characters need a plus-one or want to make someone jealous, workplace dynamics where fake dating becomes unavoidably real, high-stakes scenarios where the lie spirals into something neither person expected. The books on this page deliver the delicious awkwardness of forced proximity, the vulnerability of being seen while you're pretending, and the inevitable reckoning when pretense becomes inconvenient.

  1. 1
    Just for the Summer cover

    Just for the Summer

    Part of Your World • Book 3

    by Abby Jimenez

    More about this pick

    Two people cursed to watch their exes find true love immediately after breakups devise a scheme: date each other, break up, and cancel out their romantic jinxes.

    ★ 4.79 BLT Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 4.34 Goodreads (1.1M)
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  2. 2
    Twisted Lies cover

    Twisted Lies

    Twisted • Book 4

    by Ana Huang

    ★ 4.57 BLT Score (707.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.16 Goodreads (707.3K)
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  3. 3
    Red, White & Royal Blue cover

    Red, White & Royal Blue

    by Casey McQuiston

    ★ 4.51 BLT Score (1.2M ratings)
    ★ 4.05 Goodreads (1.2M)
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  4. 4
    A Civil Campaign cover

    A Civil Campaign

    Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 12

    by Lois McMaster Bujold

    More about this pick

    Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan faces his greatest challenge yet—winning the heart of widow Ekaterin Vorsoisson, who's developed a violent allergy to marriage.

    ★ 4.47 BLT Score (20.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.41 Goodreads (20.4K)
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  5. 5
    Mother Faker cover

    Mother Faker

    The Momcoms • Book 1

    by Brittanee Nicole

    ★ 4.43 BLT Score (24.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.16 Goodreads (24.5K)
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  6. 6
    Hopeless cover

    Hopeless

    Chestnut Springs • Book 5

    by Elsie Silver

    ★ 4.35 BLT Score (368.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.08 Goodreads (368.4K)
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  7. 7
    Dolly All the Time cover

    Dolly All the Time

    by Annabel Monaghan

    More about this pick

    When desperate circumstances lead to a Pretty Woman-style proposal, this romance explores whether manufactured intimacy can become something real. Monaghan crafts a believable single mother whose practical choices feel both relatable and swoon-worthy.

    ★ 4.32 BLT Score (1.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.54 Goodreads (1.6K)
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  8. 8
    The Great Charade cover

    The Great Charade

    by Gerri Hill

    More about this pick

    A desperate fake relationship for the holidays becomes complicated when Abby and stranger Nic discover their Red River charade feels surprisingly authentic.

    ★ 4.29 BLT Score (935 ratings)
    ★ 4.25 Goodreads (935)
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  9. 9
    Just for the Cameras cover

    Just for the Cameras

    Bay Area Players • Book 1

    by Meghan Quinn

    ★ 4.25 BLT Score (26.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.07 Goodreads (26.4K)
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  10. 10
    The Miles High Club Series 4 Books Collection Box Set By T L Swan (The Stopover, The Takeover, The Casanova & The Do-Over) cover

    The Miles High Club Series 4 Books Collection Box Set By T L Swan (The Stopover, The Takeover, The Casanova & The Do-Over)

    The Miles High Club • Book 1

    by T.L. Swan

    ★ 4.24 BLT Score (286 ratings)
    ★ 4.57 Goodreads (286)
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  11. 11
    Deserving Maisy cover

    Deserving Maisy

    The Refuge • Book 6

    by Susan Stoker

    More about this pick

    Maisy must enter a sham marriage to escape her murderous brother's latest scheme, but the arrangement might offer unexpected salvation if she survives long enough to claim it.

    ★ 4.24 BLT Score (1.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.5 Goodreads (1.9K)
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  12. 12
    The Unhoneymooners cover

    The Unhoneymooners

    Unhoneymooners • Book 1

    by Christina Lauren

    ★ 4.21 BLT Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 3.89 Goodreads (1.1M)
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  13. 13
    You're the One cover

    You're the One

    Very Irresistible Bachelors • Book 1

    by Layla Hagen

    ★ 4.15 BLT Score (7.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.13 Goodreads (7.3K)
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  14. 14
    The Kiss Quotient cover

    The Kiss Quotient

    The Kiss Quotient • Book 1

    by Helen Hoang

    ★ 4.12 BLT Score (502.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.87 Goodreads (502.5K)
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  15. 15
    Faking Cinderella cover

    Faking Cinderella

    Small Town Sisterhood • Book 3

    by Pippa Grant

    ★ 4.11 BLT Score (1.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.52 Goodreads (1.5K)
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  16. 16
    Terms and Conditions cover

    Terms and Conditions

    Dreamland Billionaires • Book 2

    by Lauren Asher

    ★ 4.03 BLT Score (472.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.08 Goodreads (472.7K)
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  17. 17
    Shifting Nature cover

    Shifting Nature

    Shape-Shifter • Book 4

    by Jae

    More about this pick

    What began as political theater between fox-shifter Tala and human Faith evolves into real love threatened by hidden agendas. Jae concludes the series by testing whether romance can survive interspecies politics.

    ★ 4.02 BLT Score (334 ratings)
    ★ 4.6 Goodreads (334)
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  18. 18
    The Floral Arrangement cover

    The Floral Arrangement

    Sapphire Springs • Book 3

    by Elizabeth Luly

    More about this pick

    Passed over for promotion, high-powered consultant Roz Kennedy impulsively buys Red Tractor Farm, the struggling agricultural operation she adored as a child.

    ★ 4.02 BLT Score (792 ratings)
    ★ 4.16 Goodreads (792)
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  19. 19
    Enemies by Nature cover

    Enemies by Nature

    Shape-Shifter • Book 3

    by Jae

    More about this pick

    To improve relations between humans and shape-shifters, the Wrasa council arranges a fake relationship between hereditary enemies. What could go wrong when fox and natural predator must convince the world they're in love?

    ★ 3.99 BLT Score (385 ratings)
    ★ 4.55 Goodreads (385)
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  20. 20
    Radiant Sin cover

    Radiant Sin

    Dark Olympus • Book 4

    by Katee Robert

    ★ 3.97 BLT Score (55.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.78 Goodreads (55.0K)
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  21. 21
    The Fine Print cover

    The Fine Print

    Dreamland Billionaires • Book 1

    by Lauren Asher

    ★ 3.97 BLT Score (671.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.8 Goodreads (671.5K)
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  22. 22
    A Lady by Midnight cover

    A Lady by Midnight

    Spindle Cove • Book 3

    by Tessa Dare

    ★ 3.96 BLT Score (23.4K ratings)
    ★ 3.84 Goodreads (23.4K)
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  23. 23
    Undercover Operation: A K-9 Fake Marriage Inspirational Suspense Romance (Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit Book 7) cover

    Undercover Operation: A K-9 Fake Marriage Inspirational Suspense Romance (Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit Book 7)

    Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit • Book 7

    by Maggie K. Black

    More about this pick

    Stolen bloodhound puppies become the key to exposing a drug smuggling operation in this K-9 unit thriller. The fake marriage setup works better than expected when paired with specific procedural elements.

    ★ 3.95 BLT Score (517 ratings)
    ★ 4.5 Goodreads (517)
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  24. 24
    Bride Of The Alpha cover

    Bride Of The Alpha

    Timber Valley Pack • Book 1

    by Georgette St. Clair

    More about this pick

    Curvy shifter Josephine magically impersonates her slender friend to crash an arranged marriage—St. Clair's romance tackles body image within paranormal tropes.

    ★ 3.93 BLT Score (3.4K ratings)
    ★ 3.65 Goodreads (3.4K)
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  25. 25
    Undercover Connection cover

    Undercover Connection

    The Finnegan Connection • Book 4

    by Heather Graham, B.J. Daniels, Adam Gold, Abby Craden

    More about this pick

    FBI agent Jacob Wolff and detective Jasmine Adair clash when both end up undercover in the same Miami crime organization. Romantic suspense in the glamorous nightclub world.

    ★ 3.87 BLT Score (525 ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (525)
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  26. 26
    One Week Girlfriend cover

    One Week Girlfriend

    One Week Girlfriend • Book 1

    by Monica Murphy

    ★ 3.86 BLT Score (54.7K ratings)
    ★ 3.9 Goodreads (54.7K)
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  27. 27
    Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit Books 7-9: Three Thrilling Suspense Novels – An Action-Packed Christian K-9 Romance cover

    Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit Books 7-9: Three Thrilling Suspense Novels – An Action-Packed Christian K-9 Romance

    Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit • Book 7

    by Maggie K. Black, Dana Mentink, Katy Lee, Sharee Stover

    More about this pick

    Three K-9 crime-stopping adventures blend Christian romance with high-stakes mysteries involving stolen bloodhounds and Pacific Northwest dangers. Black, Mentink, Lee, and Stover create action-packed stories where faith and romance intersect with police work.

    ★ 3.81 BLT Score (24 ratings)
    ★ 4.33 Goodreads (24)
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  28. 28
    Merry and Bright cover

    Merry and Bright

    Home Sweet Holidays • Book 2

    by Ali Rosen

    ★ 3.81 BLT Score (23.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.78 Goodreads (23.6K)
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  29. 29
    An Inconvenient Letter cover

    An Inconvenient Letter

    The Proper Romance Regency • Book 6

    by Julie Wright

    More about this pick

    Marietta Stone's passionate secret love letters for Frederick Finch are accidentally delivered to the wrong man, turning her private romantic obsession into a public scandal in 1828 London.

    ★ 3.80 BLT Score (2.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.86 Goodreads (2.0K)
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  30. 30
    The Penalty Box Affair (That Steamy Hockey Romance Book 3) cover

    The Penalty Box Affair (That Steamy Hockey Romance Book 3)

    That Steamy Hockey Romance • Book 3

    by Lili Valente

    ★ 3.78 BLT Score (270 ratings)
    ★ 4.34 Goodreads (270)
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  31. 31
    The Devil's Heiress cover

    The Devil's Heiress

    Company of Rogues • Book 7

    by Jo Beverley

    More about this pick

    Beverley creates a Regency romance where heiress Clarissa must distinguish genuine suitors from fortune hunters while questioning whether the appealing George Hawkinville truly wants her or just her money.

    ★ 3.74 BLT Score (1.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.9 Goodreads (1.6K)
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  32. 32
    Beauty and the Rake cover

    Beauty and the Rake

    The Rookery Rogues • Book 3

    by Erica Monroe

    ★ 3.61 BLT Score (259 ratings)
    ★ 3.52 Goodreads (259)
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  33. 33
    Stone Brothers Box Set cover

    Stone Brothers Box Set

    Stone Brothers • Book 1

    by Tess Oliver, Anna Hart, C.J. Bloom, Mason Lloyd, Maxine Mitchell, Joe Arden, Lucy Rivers, Christian Fox

    ★ 3.58 BLT Score (2 ratings)
    ★ 3.5 Goodreads (2)
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How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

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