e-ALC, 09:48:45
Narrated by: Ferdelle Capistrano & Giordan Diaz
Release Date: February 17, 2026
Published by: Books on Tape (Delacorte Romance)
Read from: February 13-15, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: PRH Audio App (I received this ALC free from the publisher and their app. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning:
For Readers Interested In: Audio, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fake Dating, Sparkly Covers, Most Anticipated, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Sports, YAWhat’s a girl to do when the star of the hockey team crash lands in her backyard after a prank gone wrong? Help him cover up the evidence…in exchange for him posing as the perfect prom date, of course. Get ready to swoon with this hilarious YA rom-com debut from the USA Today bestselling author of The Studying Hours Sara Ney!
Harper Conrad figures when opportunity knocks, smart girls listen. Which is why when she catches high school hockey star Easton Burbank trespassing on her parents’ property after stealing their rival school’s mascot, she knows exactly what to do.
The deal is simple. In exchange for Harper’s silence, Easton will become her date to their upcoming prom. It’s a win-win Easton doesn’t lose his hockey scholarship over a silly prank, and Harper can finally justify her purchase of the mega-expensive prom dress sitting in her closet. The perfect bargain…but what happens when what starts as a cover-up begins to feel all too real?
You know how the saying goes, “If you like someone, set them free. If they come back to you, they were meant to be your prom date.” Or something like that.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Not gonna lie I was a little disappointed by this. This was pitched as a romance between the FMC and the MMC who plays hockey. If you know me, you know how I am with sports romance books being pitched that way and there’s hardly any sports…….. So yeah…..
Ok so the main thing that annoyed me was the romance….. I didn’t even like calling it that because it felt weird. She was basically pulled him into a romance by blackmail. And like, huh? I just feel like it wasn’t that serious lol I know they’re teens and it seems like the end of the world, but she needed to have a serious talk with someone. Because what do you mean you’d rather MAKE him take you than just go by yourself? It just didn’t set up good for me. And that other person that was there throughout the whole time, they were still jealous of them. They spent most of the book just mad that he didn’t like her yet because he still liked someone else. And like I wish someone had told her, that it was probably because she wasn’t forcing him? Idk it was weird to me.
And I know I said all that about Harper, but my goodness, Easton…. He needed like a guardian or something. There is no way all that weird stuff should have kept happening to him. Like the glue thing? Sir, are you five? I laughed yeah, but it was more an awkward laugh kind of thing lol Because again, how old are you? Ugh it was just frustrating to watch. And the fact that you still liked that other person when they seemed worse than her? Ugh I don’t want to add any spoilers, but that whole triangle was unneccessary. They needed help being humans before they needed help finding a romance lol
The thing I loved about this tho was the humor. I did laugh a lot while reading this. I asked how old he was a lot in the glue gate, but I did laugh when that other person made a stop in. I thought it was perfect timing. The humor in this is truly what kept me going. I found myself laughing at times that weren’t even supposed to be funny but were just the comedic relief. (His sister is ADORABLE) This was truly what kept the Air Pods stuck in my ears lol
Then of course I know I’m going to be the only one who brings this up, but Lordt this was pitched as a hockey romance to me, which is why I was desperate to read it. If that’s also your reasoning, please know that there is only a little playing of hockey in this book. For the most part they talk about the things outside of the rink, like the arguements with his parents, and the team events like the stealing of the other team’s mascot, and what happened after practice. I wanted more time with them on the ice and actually playing.
Even though I was annoyed in some ways, I still did enjoy reading it. Definitely was a great read to read over the Valentine’s Day weekend. I’m glad I got to enjoy it when I did!
Overall, I give this
