If your teen is suddenly interested in the power play and the penalty box, check their Kindle before you buy them a jersey. Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother isn't a sports manual—it’s the latest entry in the "hockey romance" subgenre that has been colonizing BookTok for the last three years, and it’s likely way more explicit than the YA novels you remember.
The upcoming release of this specific title is set to drop later this summer, and based on the early teasers and the author's previous work, it’s following the "New Adult" playbook to a tee. This means it features characters in their early 20s, high-stakes emotional drama, and "open-door" intimacy that moves it firmly out of the "innocent crush" category and into the "adult romance" section.
TL;DR
Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother is an upcoming New Adult romance expected to feature explicit sexual content ("spice") and mature themes. While it’s marketed to the same audience that loves Icebreaker, it is generally too mature for middle schoolers and younger teens. For a similar vibe without the erotica, try Check, Please! or The Scoring Helper.
We see this pattern a lot: a book with a bright, cartoonish cover and a trope-heavy title (Fake Dating! Forbidden Romance! Hockey!) goes viral on social media. According to Screenwise community data, only about 8% of teens are on TikTok, but that small group acts as the trend-setters for their friend groups. When a book like this starts trending, it bypasses traditional gatekeepers and lands directly in the hands of 14-year-olds who think they’re just reading a "sports book."
The "Hockey Romance" genre specifically relies on the "Golden Retriever vs. Black Cat" dynamic—the idea of a gruff, disciplined athlete who is secretly a softie for the right girl. It’s compelling, high-drama, and incredibly sticky for teen readers. But because these books are often self-published via Kindle Unlimited, they don't go through the same age-rating rigor as traditional YA.
In the world of modern romance, "spice" is the code word for sexual explicitness. Based on the preview chapters and the "Katy & Brayden" audiobook teasers, this book is expected to be a "4 or 5 chili pepper" read.
As you can hear in the early chapters, the setup is classic soap opera: the protagonist is trying to get back at an ex, the ex's brother is a rising star in the NHL, and a "fake" relationship is the only solution. It’s fun, fast-paced, and designed to be binged. However, "open-door" scenes mean the author describes everything. If you aren’t comfortable with your teen reading detailed erotica, this isn't the one.
At Screenwise, we believe in the "Reading Rope"—the idea that literacy is built through both decoding and language comprehension. If your teen is devouring these books, they are building serious narrative stamina and vocabulary. The drama, the complex social hierarchies of the locker room, and the verbal sparring all contribute to the language-comprehension half of the rope.
For some kids, especially those who find traditional "literary" fiction boring, these trope-heavy romances are the only things that keep them reading. The goal isn't to ban the genre, but to find the version of it that fits your family's boundaries.
If your kid loves the "fake dating" trope or the hockey setting but isn't ready for full-blown adult romance, there are better entries in the genre that keep the door closed:
- Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu: A graphic novel series that is the gold standard for hockey stories. It’s sweet, funny, and handles romance with a "PG-13" touch.
- The Scoring Helper: A solid YA choice that focuses more on the high school/college transition and less on the bedroom.
- Icebreaker (the YA version): Be careful here—the original is very spicy. If they want this, make sure they are looking for the "clean" or "young adult" adaptations that some authors are starting to release for their viral hits.
The biggest friction point with books like Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother isn't the "fake dating"—it's the normalization of intense, sometimes possessive "alpha" behavior in the male leads. These books often blur the line between "protective" and "controlling" for the sake of drama.
If your teen is already reading it, don't make it a "contraband" item. Instead, ask them about the characters: "Does the brother actually seem like a good guy, or is he just rich and famous?" or "Why do you think they feel like they have to fake a relationship instead of just talking?" Turning the "brain rot" into a conversation about healthy relationships is the ultimate Screenwise move.
Q: Is Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother appropriate for a 13-year-old? Probably not. While the "fake dating" trope is popular with middle schoolers, this specific subgenre is written for adults (New Adult) and usually contains explicit sexual content and mature language.
Q: What does "open door" mean in romance books? "Open door" means the author describes sexual encounters in detail on the page. "Closed door" or "fade to black" means the intimacy is implied but not graphically described. This book is expected to be "open door."
Q: Why are hockey books so popular on TikTok right now? It’s a mix of the "uniform aesthetic," the "forced proximity" of team travel, and the popular "he falls first" trope. It’s a fantasy world that’s easy to escape into, and the NHL has leaned into the marketing.
Q: How can I tell if a book is "spicy" before I buy it? Check the "Content Notes" on the author’s website or look the title up on romance-specific review sites. If the cover has "cartoon" people but the description mentions "steamy" or "scorching" romance, it’s likely adult content.
Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother is high-octane soap opera for the Kindle age. It’s great for building reading habits in teens who love drama, but the "spice" level makes it a choice for older, more mature high schoolers rather than the middle school crowd.
- Check out our best books for kids list for age-appropriate YA romances.
- If they’re ready for more complex themes, browse our digital guide for high schoolers.
- Get help picking a next book series
