Guest post written by The Best I Never Had author Amy Buchanan
Amy Buchanan’s affair with romance and books started at three, when she watched Beauty and the Beast and couldn’t decide if she was more obsessed with the prince or the library (The library. Definitely the library). After decades of devouring love stories written by others, she decided to share the ones pinging around in her brain. She writes fun and spicy contemporary romances with relatable heroines, swoonworthy heroes, and loving found families.
About The Best I Never Had: They staged a romance, faked a breakup, and this time around, anything can happen―even something real. Releases August 18th 2026.
I’ve always been interested in everyone’s favorite trope. I overanalyze each, attributing meaning like a half-baked personality test or poorly written horoscope. There’s no way I’m right (I don’t actually think enemies-to-lovers fans are living out their fantasy of fighting through the characters because they’re avoidant in real life), but I’ve always wondered what it says about me that I can’t seem to get enough of fake dating books.
For some important context, I’m the goodiest of goody two-shoes. The idea of lying makes me break out in hives. Maybe that’s why I love these books so much? It’s something so far outside of my comfort zone that I can explore through the characters. Come for the adrenaline rush, stay for the “Is this kiss real?” moment.
I devour these books, and in each story, one of two things happens. Of course, they fall in love (as one is destined to while fake dating), and either they (a) decide to come clean, or (b) get caught and it all blows up in the most delicious way. It got me wondering… what if neither of those things happened? What if they never acted on their attraction and weren’t forced to come clean by external forces?
That’s exactly what happens in my new book, The Best I Never Had. Owen pays Thea to pretend to be his girlfriend for a family wedding. Despite the tension between them, Owen chooses not to put the moves on someone he’s paying to pretend to like him (like me, he is the goodiest of two-shoes). They walk away from the weekend, unkissed and certain they’ve gotten away with it.
Flash to three years later, when Thea shows up at her sister’s whirlwind wedding to a man she’s never met and realizes that the groom is Owen’s little brother. The two panic, agreeing to keep up the lie that they dated and had a devastating break up so Owen’s intense mother doesn’t blow up the whole wedding. But it’s hard to keep straight what’s real and what an act when his huge meddling family keeps pushing the ‘soulmates’ back together, especially when those pesky feelings they so successfully ignored the first time get even more intense.
This book is a play on fake dating instead of the real thing, but it took its inspiration from all of the fake dating books I’ve read. Here are ten of my favorites:
The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa
Read if you want to laugh out loud on every page
Mia Sosa is one of my all-time favorite authors! In my eyes, she can do no wrong, and that’s certainly true with The Wedding Crasher. After ruining Dean’s modern-day marriage of convenience by objecting at the wedding, Solange agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend to help him claim the promotion he’s been chasing. What follows is banter-fueled perfection (Dean literally gives her a fake dating study guide!) that had me howling and squealing.
The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez
Read if you quote Marie Kondo’s “I love mess” on the regular.
This is the messiest (complimentary) book on the list. We have an upcoming wedding, a hero and heroine who are in love with the bride and groom, respectively, and a fake dating scheme to cover up the fact that the hero was about to tell the bride to call off the wedding. It’s hilarious in just how chaotic it is, but it’s also so beautifully grounded in relatable characters you can’t help but cheer for. And most importantly, Theo is scrumptious.
Say You’ll be Mine by Naina Kumar
Read if no man will ever compete with Mr. Darcy
This one kicks fake dating up a notch. Instead of fake dating, they’re fake engaged. Karthik’s mother is relentless in her desire to see him settled, and Meghna’s just agreed to be the ‘best man’ for a man she’s secretly loved for years. They both need a buffer for the next few months, so what better way than to ‘agree’ to the arranged match their parents are pushing? I am obsessed with Karthik! He’s giving Darcy, all stern and judgmental, but once he falls, he falls hard.
Sunk in Love by Heather McBreen
Read if you like your laughter with a side of tears
I’ve read this book a half-dozen times, and I love it more with every read. Roslyn and Liam are in the middle of a secret divorce when they’re invited to an important family event. The two agree to pretend to still be together for the trip to avoid the drama and disappointment of announcing their split, pairing fake dating and marriage in trouble in the best way. McBreen expertly weaves together funny, spicy, and heavy moments as we learn what pulled them apart and cheer for them to get back together.
Lovelight Farms by BK Borison
Read if you’ve ever secretly been in love with your best friend
I’ll admit it. I’ve been that girl pining after her best friend. And while I’m very happily married now, there’s some sort of wish fulfillment watching two best friends who clearly refuse to act on their feelings being forced to snuggle up and kiss. Stella didn’t think things through when she mentioned a “boyfriend” on a contest application, but now she’s a finalist and needs someone fast. Enter her delicious best friend, Luka, who is more than happy to step in for the role. They’re so soft and perfect, and I come back to reread every Christmas!
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
Read if you binge watch everything on BBC
I’ll read anything Talia Hibbert writes, but this one will always hold a special place in my heart. When Dani and Zaf go viral, he begs her to fake a relationship so he can bring more attention to his non-profit. The only problem… they can’t seem to keep it professional. Dani’s on board for the perfect friends-with-benefits situationship she’s been looking for, but Zaf’s determined to show her they could be so much more than a fake relationship with hook-ups on the side. Like all of Hibbert’s books, she pairs beautifully complex characters with the type of hilarious British humor that’s made me pay to stream way too many BBC shows.
Birding With Benefits by Sarah T Dubb
Read if you think older characters deserve to get their back blown out, too
Being quiet isn’t in my nature, so I could never be a successful birder, but I devoured this book. Celeste shows up at a birding competition thinking she’s there to pretend to be this stranger’s girlfriend. Meanwhile, John, who’s looking for a birding partner after his last partner—and girlfriend—dumped him, has no idea what’s happening when this chaos demon shows up. They decide to go with both, and their dynamic is addictive. Your hot not-boyfriend having to stand close behind and whisper in your ear to avoid scaring the birds? Yeah, I’ll take two.
Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit
Read if you love a good Bollywood movie
I remember watching ‘Jab We Met’ in college, and it rewrote my brain chemistry. This book hit all the same chaotic, perfect notes! Naomi, our sunshine heroine, needs to learn about Bengali culture—fast, and Dev, our grumpy hero, needs to avoid the matchmaker his mom hired against his will, so they strike a deal. He’ll teach her about the culture her mother never shared if she pretends to be his girlfriend to scare off potential matches. I was (and am) obsessed. I wanted to magically transport myself into the Garba scene and then melted at the scene right after (iykyk).
The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton
Read if you haven’t been able to stop talking about Project Hail Mary
We all know astronauts are hot. No other career pairs a brilliant mind and competency with the body of a professional athlete. In this book, Amarie’s life is falling apart around her, and Vincent is preparing for a big mission. Both need to get the people in their lives off their backs, so they agree to fake a relationship until he leaves. The Kiss Countdown has it all. The wickedly hot astronaut, a temporary roommate situation to dial up the tension, a 3-month countdown to a literal blast off, and a New Year’s Eve kiss that will have your toes curling!
First Down by Grace Reilly
Read if you think there’s nothing hotter than a toxic man being put in his place
Look, I know hockey romance is all the rage (I’m with you! The number of times I’ve watched Heated Rivalry should be illegal), but this football romance deserves the spotlight, too. Who can resist a book that starts with her kissing a hot stranger to get away from her cheating ex? From there, Bex and James strike a deal. She’ll help him pass the class he needs to graduate if he pretends to be her boyfriend to get her ex to leave her alone. He’s so wonderfully protective of her, and the rest of the series (featuring a different sport for each sibling) is just as amazing.
