What Themes Does Fake Skating Explore For Young Adults?

I get a huge kick out of talking about character dynamics, and with 'Fake Skating' the story is absolutely carried by a tight core cast — mainly two people who pull almost every plot thread along with them. The engine of the whole book is Dani Collins and Alec Barczewski: Dani’s move back to her grandfather’s house and her attempts to get off Harvard’s waitlist put her squarely into the orbit of Alec, and his status as the town’s hockey star means their choices ripple through the community. Those two are the clear protagonists whose wants and secrets push scenes forward. Beyond just being the romantic leads, the deal they strike — fake-dating so Alec can clean up his image for scouts and Dani can snag a managerial role that helps her application — is basically the plot’s gearbox; it’s the contrivance that kicks every complication into motion. Their competing pressures (Dani’s academic anxiety and Alec’s public reputation) create most of the scenes where choices have to be made, lies are kept, and feelings shift. The book leans on that fake-dating setup as the catalyst for growth and confrontation. That said, the plot doesn’t move only because of two teenagers — a couple of supporting players are just as instrumental in shaping events. Grandpa Mick (sometimes called Mike in reader chatter) is emotionally huge: he’s the reason Dani’s back in town, he brings family history and friction into the foreground, and his gruff-but-steadfast presence anchors several turning points in Dani’s arc. Meanwhile Benji/Ben Worthington functions as the friction/antagonist who forces conflict into the open — his actions escalate stakes and reveal truths that Dani and Alec have to face. Add in plot devices like Alec’s hidden shoulder injury and a viral photo that muddies his reputation, and you have the obstacles that keep the plot from smoothing out too quickly. Each of those elements is called out in reviews and publisher summaries, which show how the cast and those plot hooks interlock. () Personally, what I loved is how the talent of the author makes those drivers feel lived-in: Dani and Alec’s choices honestly feel like the natural outcomes of their histories, and the supporting cast doesn’t just fill space — Grandpa Mick’s scenes, for example, genuinely shift the emotional tone and make the stakes feel personal rather than purely trope-driven. If you’re picking up 'Fake Skating' for the rom-com beats, expect to find a character-first engine where the leads steer the ship and the secondary cast bumps it into interesting waters — and I found that combination really satisfying.