Best Fake Dating Romance Books 2026
Fake it till you make it — or until you fall head over heels for real. Fake dating romance is pure catnip: all the stolen glances, "accidental" touches, and the moment when pretend feelings become devastatingly real. Here are the best fake dating romance books to read in 2026.
1. Christmas Contract by Evie Mitchell
Series: Larsson Siblings #4
Tropes: Fake dating, holiday romance, friends to lovers, curvy heroine
Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Need a fake date for Christmas? What could go wrong when you ask your friend to pretend to be your partner — especially when the lines between pretend and real start to blur? Christmas Contract is festive, steamy, and impossible to put down.
📖 Get Christmas Contract on Amazon
2. Resolution Revolution by Evie Mitchell
Series: Capricorn Cove #10
Tropes: Fake dating, small town, curvy heroine, romantic comedy
Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The final Capricorn Cove book brings fake dating to the beloved small town series. In a place where everyone knows everyone, keeping a fake relationship secret is nearly impossible — especially when real feelings enter the chat.
📖 Get Resolution Revolution on Amazon
3. Dial T for Tech Nerd by Megan Wade
Series: Curves & Capital #2
Tropes: Fake dating, curvy heroine, billionaire, romantic comedy
Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Megan Wade continues the Curves & Capital series with another irresistible fake dating setup. A curvy heroine and a tech billionaire pretending to be together — until they're not pretending anymore.
📖 Get Dial T for Tech Nerd on Amazon
4. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Tropes: Fake dating, STEM romance, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity
Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Olive kisses a stranger to prove to her friend she's moved on — and that stranger turns out to be the most intimidating professor in her program. The fake dating arrangement that followed became one of BookTok's most beloved romances.
📖 Get The Love Hypothesis on Amazon
5. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Tropes: Fake dating, enemies to lovers, travel romance, slow burn
Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Catalina needs a fake boyfriend for her sister's wedding in Spain. The only volunteer? The coworker she can't stand. Enemies-to-lovers meets fake dating in this irresistible slow burn.
📖 Get The Spanish Love Deception on Amazon
6. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys #1
Tropes: Fake dating, YA romance, sweet, family dynamics
Spice Level: 🔥
The fake dating classic. When Lara Jean's secret love letters get mailed, she enters a fake relationship with Peter Kavinsky — and readers have been obsessed with this trope ever since.
📖 Get To All the Boys I've Loved Before on Amazon
7. The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Series: Off-Campus #1
Tropes: Fake dating, college romance, sports, friends to lovers
Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Hannah and Garrett strike a deal: she'll tutor him if he helps her make another guy jealous. Classic fake dating setup, flawless execution, and chemistry that leaps off the page.
8. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
Tropes: Fake dating, diverse romance, feel-good, contemporary
Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Stuck in an elevator together, they agree to be each other's plus-one at a wedding. What starts as convenience turns into something neither of them saw coming.
📖 Get The Wedding Date on Amazon
📚 Fake It Till You Read It
For fake dating with steam and humour, grab Christmas Contract or dive into the full Larsson Siblings series.
Evie Mitchell is a USA Today bestselling author of body-positive, inclusive romance featuring curvy heroines and the men who worship them. Discover more at eviemitchell.com.