Fake Dating For Christmas: A Clean Holiday Romance Novella

by Cassie Hudson

Fake dating your best friend should be easy… if you can get out of the friend zone

They’re best friends. Sure, dating isn’t off the table. He needs a date for Christmas. She needs a companion to the Christmas festivities in town. How could a dating agreement go wrong?

I must have been asleep because how could I have said yes to dating my best friend, who just happens to be a hot hockey player? No big deal, right? Super easy! Except I have to spend a lot of time with him and guard my rising feelings for him during the most romantic season of the year.

Asking Holly to be my fake girlfriend might just be the best idea I’ve ever had. I’ve has a crush on her since high school. How convenient that I needed a relationship for Christmas so my mom doesn’t continue to wonder why I don’t have a girlfriend. Now the only thing I need to do is get her to like me. Easy as cake.. or is it pie?

Genres: Novella, Friends To Lovers

76 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 26, 2024

About the author

Love writing sweet and clean rom coms and poetry. Check out my books below…

*Check here to be updated on my reading.*

Reviews

[Bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

For being the author’s debut novella, I think this book is cute. I believe the book had so much potential to be a 5 star read, but it lacked in a few areas. For me, the book moved WAY TOO FAST. I typically can appreciate a book that doesn’t slow burn too slowly, but this moved so fast that I felt so many important details were missing. I would have loved more of their “fake dating” and communication with his family on their trip to Boston. I absolutely love friends to lovers and second chance, as those are my 2 favorite tropes, but this one just missed so much detail to make me really connect to the characters. If not for the speed and limited detail, the actual story was cute. I would recommend this book for someone looking for a quick (30-40 minutes tops) read.

Another thing that I didn’t like was the inconsistency of part of the storyline. The main characters were friends from high school, but then later on it says that they went to visit his parents in Boston (which isn’t where they met) & it was called their childhood home? I’m not sure if it’s because of missed details or just a story error, but I’m not a fan of when things don’t add up.

Overall, I think this author has potential to write some adorable love stories. I am excited to see what her next full length novel will be like! If this book would have slowed down and built up some depth/emotion, it would have been absolutely amazing.

I received this book from the author for an honest review.

Follow me on bookstagram for more bookish content @brisbooksandbackpacks 💚💚

[Alayna (the.bookstrovert) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Quote:
“I’m at an airport at six in the morning which is not a functioning time for a night owl like me.​We finally reach the gate and Brendan hands me a boarding pass. He, not surprisingly, still looks hot after running full speed through the terminal. Jealous!”


This was such a short and fun bite sized Christmas novella! It felt like a hallmark movie. 😍

These two were head over heels for each other before the story even started! Which I realize is the point of best friends to lovers, but they were so stinkin cute together! 🫠

Y’all should definitely check out debut author Cassie Hudson’s new book if you’re looking for a short and sweet, best friends to lovers novella, with all the Christmas vibes! 🎄🎅🏼

Thank you to the author for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

[Zenna Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good! it was a very easy read. I was very invested in all of the characters and it was very cute and aesthetic. 10 out of 10 recommend! I’m so excited for what this author is going to do in the future!! I loved the Christmas vibe and it was so cute and no spice. I absolutely loved it and will read it again!

[Caitriona Riding · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, and this book has so much potential to be a 5 star read but for me it was way too fast. Now it is a novella, but so much in the story seemed skipped over and rushed, I felt and saw all the potential of what had been skipped. I’m super curious to read a full novel from this author because I want to see what she does when she doesn’t rush and really dives into the romance with everything laid out and told. The characters and story had some really cute and funny moments but because of the super fast pacing, missing content, I just couldn’t fully connect even though this had some of my favorite tropes on it.

It also drove me a bit crazy that the very beginning, there is an event that happens and I don’t remember it ever being explained what happened?

I think this author has a lot of potential to write some adorable love stories, so I’m definitely interested in checking out more from her. If all your looking for is a quick and sweet under an hour romance read, this one might be right up your alley :)

*Thank you to the author for giving me a complimentary copy to read and review, all opinions are my own.

[Marianne Polasko · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute Christmas novella! Brendan and Holly have been friends since high school. Moving back to his hometown, Brendan and Holly reconnect and fake date for the holidays. They are such a cute couple to read about. It was nice to read a Christmas novella. It's perfect for a sweet story during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I was able to read it in one sitting. My only wish is that there was a little more detail in the beginning, but it didn't hurt the story as you continued. This debut for Cassie Hudson was a great start to a series that I want to read more of. I can't wait until Noah's book. Thank you to Cassie for letting me read this ARC.

[Courtnie ~ courtniemustreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute debut novella! I loved how it was sweet and simple and there wasn’t a ton of conflict between the main characters in what they wanted. It was a sweet kisses only romance which I loved!

My only qualm was that in the prologue something happened to Holly and although Brendan gives her space to tell him what happened which is sweet, I really wanted to know what happened.

I’m excited to read more from this author! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Bekah Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassie Hudson's  “Fake Dating for Christmas” is the perfect short and sweet Christmas story! I felt all warm and fuzzy reading this Hallmark-movie-esque novella. This is a clean, sweet romance.


What to expect: 

❄️ Fake Relationship 

❄️ Friends to Lovers

❄️ Second Chance

❄️ Hockey Romance

❄️ Anxiety Rep


This book is filled with lighthearted banter and sweet kisses between the MCs, Holly and Brendan. I loved their chemistry, and it was so sweet how Brendan knew exactly how to help Holly through her anxiety attacks. 

I had hoped for more details about what happened in Holly's past, but maybe that will be addressed in the next book. 

Cassie did a wonderful job, and I'm looking forward to Noah's story (and hopefully seeing more of Brendan and Holly)!


[Disclaimer: I was given an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.]

[Bekah J · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute! Perfect quick read for the holidays! I love Holly and Brendan!

[Cherilyn (Cherwhatyouread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the authors debut novella. It was a very sweet romance about high school friends who lost touch and reconnect. It doesn’t take long for fake dating to turn into real feelings!

Holly and Brendan were perfect for each other. It all goes to show that timing just has to be right.

If you’re looking for a fast, no conflict, happy read! This novella is for you!

[Kendal Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓼 𝓫𝓵𝓸𝔀 𝓪𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓘’𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻, 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓪𝓷𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮. “𝓘 𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾.”

This is a short and sweet friends to lovers, hockey, Christmas romance. It only took me an hour to read so their story moved quick but with their history it gave them depth. Brendan and Holly are so cute and sweet. Brendan definitely seems to be the one to encourage sharing their feelings more than Holly though they both feel strongly toward each other even after a 5 year distance. I love a good fake dating story and this did just that.

ꗥ❀ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞: ❀ꗥ
🎄Friends to lovers
🎄Hockey romance
🎄Fake dating
🎄She wears his jersey
🎄He falls first
🎄Short Christmas novella

“𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓴𝓮𝓮𝓹𝓼 𝓮𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓼: 𝓦𝓸𝔀, 𝓑𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓪𝓷 𝓲𝓼 𝓱𝓸𝓽! 𝓘 𝓪𝓵𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝔂 𝓴𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓷𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮, 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓱𝓲𝓶? 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽’𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓪 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓱𝓸𝓬𝓴𝓮𝔂 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓻, 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓰? 𝓢𝔀𝓸𝓸𝓷!”

Thank you Cassie for my ARC copy of this book. This is her debut novella. Definitely read this if you’re needing a short and sweet Christmas read this Christmas season.

AVAILABLE NOW!! Grab your copy today!!

[Peyton Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an incredibly sweet and thoughtful debut novella! This one was fast paced and clean! I loved the Christmas feels in this one! I’m so impressed by this debut! Highly recommend for this holiday season!!🎄

[LuluLobbesReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fast, easy, and cute read.

As a debut novella, this one is nice and straightforward. If you want sweet friends to lovers with fast HEA, then this is for you.

No spice and No cussing.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fake Dating for Christmas is Cassie Hudsons debut book. Holly & Brendan were adorable. Quick easy read. Cozy Christmas novella!

[Bevanny Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, huge congrats to Cassie on this wholesome debut! This is a super quick read jam packed with lots of sweetness and Christmas cheer. It was great to see some mental health representation in this book as well, and I'd definitely like to see that explored further in future books. It was also quite stress-free as there wasn't much conflict at all, which made for an easy read.

What Cassie wrote in her acknowledgements is true -- writing a book is hard! It's a great accomplishment to finish a book and I look forward to seeing what she does with her future work!

[Britny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Christmas novella was short, sweet, and a great way to jump into the holiday season! I loved Holly and Brendan. Fake dating and friends to lovers tropes are my jam, put them together and you have a fabulous book! Cassie Hudson’s debut novella didn’t disappoint and I look forward to reading more in the future from her! Thank you Cassie for having me on your launch team. It was a lot of fun!

[Leslee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fake Dating For Christmas is a closed door Christmas novella from debut author, Cassie Hudson. This is a short, cute read that I absolutely adored. I love all of these tropes and this novella did not disappoint with them. I will admit that novellas can seem really short and again, my only “gripe” is that I wish it was longer so we could see more of this charming couple. Cassie is a promising author and I cannot wait to read what she writes next!

[Haley Shumway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a super sweet quick read. It is a novella so it goes very quickly but absolutely adorable. Holly and Brendan are precious. If you want a really good feel good book this is for you.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeaaa I think I’m being generous giving it two stars… it was sooo rushed and not good😬 it was good if u need a reallyyyy short book tho

[Hannah Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎄ARC REVIEW🎄

To start off I want to say that being a debut book, I think this is really really good!! ❤️ Considering that this is a short novella, I wasn’t expecting a lot of detail, but I do really wish that there were more, like 10-20 pages more of just extra depth, to build anticipation and make it a little less predictable. I do think that it would’ve helped some readers including myself feel more emotions, and ultimately would’ve led to a 5 star rating from me.

With that being said if you are looking for a super quick, easy, and heartwarming read, you will really enjoy this cute story! ❤️🥰I can’t wait to see what Cassie does in the future, she is an amazing, character builder, and really knows how to make you fall in love with them.

Brendan has had a crush on his best friend, Holly since high school. He is just such a sweet and loving character! Holly is super relatable with her anxiety and also her loving personality. They made me want the story to keep going!

Fake dating and second chances, some of my favorite tropes, and they were executed so well, minus the lack is some details! 🥰 You can’t forget the adorable cat named “Mittens”! 😻

Thank you so much to the author for allowing me to read your debut novella and share my opinions.

[Cassondra Perea · Rating 3 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reuniting after five years, Holly Reid and Brendan Park pick back up right where they left off, rekindling their friendship. With the holidays in full swing, the pair dive head first into celebration mode. However, that involves posing as a couple. Will they finally admit to having feelings for one another, or will the fear of losing the friendship prevent them from speaking up?

Fake Dating for Christmas, a clean holiday romance novella, is the first writing project for Cassie Hudson. While the author is shrouded in mystery, preferring to remain anonymous, her work is sure to resonate with the younger crowd.

Featuring popular tropes such as (childhood) friends-to-more and fake dating, this fast-paced, sweet story is the perfect stocking stuffer for young romance readers this Christmas!!!

*Hudson hosted a giveaway (2024) in which one lucky winner would receive a copy of her debut novella. To my surprise I was the lucky winner. While I couldn’t wait to read the story, I was inundated with prior commitments. However, last years’ loss was this year’s gain! Thank you Cassie for hosting the giveaway and blessing me with a festive read!!!

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 Stars) This super short and sweet holiday romance was perfect for a Christmas afternoon read. Brenden and Holly were besties in high school and an accident forced them apart for years. But now that he’s back in town and they’re both in need of a fake date, they easily fall into a strong like once again.

Because this is short and sweet, the romance is on a very fast track and I could easily envision this developing into more with added detail, but it was the perfect snack-sized story for a busy season/day. The attraction is clear and the strong bond is still present, the characters likable, and all the holiday shenanigans were endearing.

This novella is the author’s debut and it will be fun to see where her writing career takes her.

[L.M. Ransom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This debut novella by author Cassie Hudson is short but very sweet. The two MCs, Holly and Brendan, play really well off each other, and their scenes together are fun and light-hearted. It's hinted at that Holly's family life isn't all that great, but Brendan's family really takes her in. I am a sucker for friends to lovers, and this one fits that trope perfectly. Plus, it's a Christmas story, and the holiday fair they attend makes for some adorableness between them.

This is the first in series, and I can't wait to read Noah's story and all the rest.

I was given an ARC copy by the author. My opinions are mine alone.

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassie’s debut novella is a cute read to get you into the holiday spirit. Best friends Holly and Brendan agree to fake date for Christmas—Holly needs a date for the fair, and Brendan needs to take Holly home for Christmas to his mom off his back. But as they spend more time together, they both realize that pretending to be in love is a lot easier than hiding their real feelings. I just loved how they

With a cozy holiday setting this book is a must-read for fans of fake dating and friends-to-lovers stories.

[Mallory Bolick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Cassie Hudson for the arc! This book was sweet. Holly and Brendan’s was a cute (childhood) friends-to-lovers christmas romance. This book was short and therefore felt a little rushed, but that could be said about most novella’s. I finished this book in an hour, which was nice with all the books i have yet to get through recently. This was short enough to fit into the business of life and I appreciate that. 😊

[Hannah Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

This debut novella was short, sweet, and a great Christmas read!
What could go wrong when two past high school best friends decide they need to lean on each other for different reasons this Christmas season?! Brendan needs Holly to pretend to be his fake girlfriend during Christmas with his family so they can stop harassing him as to why he’s never in a relationship. Holly agrees, but asks him in return to be her date to the town’s/her work holiday festivities.
They were so close in high school, Brendan even almost admitted to his love for Holly… but then there was an accident, and they grew apart. Was their five years apart enough for them to forgot how they once felt about each other? Or will time make them realize what they’ve been missing out on?? I recommend reading to find out!

[Beth DeLong]

If you're looking for a bite-sized dose of a Hallmark Christmas movie, you've found it! This is a short and sweet novella that's perfect for a quick and cozy read. I highly recommend reading this in comfy clothes, curled up on the couch, with a cup of hot chocolate.

Thanks so much, Cassie, for the ARC, and congrats on your debut!

[Kaci Bonar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella was a splash in the Christmas story pond! It was cute to see two friends reunite and pick up right where they left off! Their hearts were clearly still very attached, even if they didn’t admit to anything in their younger years! I guess it’s true what they say about some cases of true love being a whirlwind affair! Congratulations on your debut!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brendan and Holly were best friends in high school. After an event that kept Brendan from sharing his true feelings for Holly, they drift apart.

Fast forward and Brendan randomly shows up at the spa where Holly is. They reconnect immediately. Both happen to need a date for events and they agree to fake date to help one another out.

It’s not long before true feelings are exposed.

This is Cassie Hudson’s debut novella. It’s a short, sweet Christmas romance. One you will eat up on a cozy night with your cup of hot chocolate. I loved it and can’t wait to see what else Cassie has for us.

[Caitlyn (a page turned) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had all the cute Hallmark Christmas vibes! It was a friends to more, fake dating, short, sweet novella. It was an easy read at 49 pages, great to get you in the Christmas mood.

There is no third act breakup (yay!), and it is clean and wholesome with no spice or language.

[Dina Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a whirlwind, fast-paced second chance romance! I loved every moment and can’t wait to dive into more of the Park Family series. Holly and Brendan’s chemistry was undeniable, and their fake dating quickly blossomed into something more. It was a sweet read from start to finish!