For What It's Worth


Thursday, February 8, 2018

review: the wedding date by jasmine guillory



A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in a fun and flirty debut novel.

Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn't normally do. But there's something about Drew Nichols that's too hard to resist.


On the eve of his ex's wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend...


After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she's the mayor's chief of staff. Too bad they can't stop thinking about the other...


They're just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century--or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want. ~
Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Review: I had requested this book months ago and by the time it came time to read it for review I had forgotten why lol And the dreaded hype machine was in full swing so I was kind of reluctant to read it but I’m glad I ignored my misgivings because this was a fun book.

Alexa and Drew are staying at the same hotel and have their meet cute when a power outage leaves them stuck in the elevator. They have an instant, flirty rapport and Drew takes a chance and asks Alexa to be his fake girlfriend at his ex’s & bf’s wedding where he is a groomsman. Alexa, who never has anything this exciting happen to her, says yes to the elevator hottie.

Alexa, is a smart, ambitious Chief of Staff for Berkeley’s (CA) mayor, while Drew is a pediatrician in LA. It’s so refreshing to see two characters who have their own stuff going on and respect each others careers and the time commitment they entail. Even though they live in different cities, they keep flying out to each other to spend weekends together while never really defining where this is going.

Their romance is so fun and light. When they are together, it’s easy and just a joy to be there with them. You can easily see why they keep coming back for more.

Drew is a commitment-phobe and Alexa is kind of reserved when it comes to dating/sex. Thinking Drew is a once in a lifetime fling, she lets herself go and doesn’t worry about how her body jiggles, or how her ample boobs sag. Alexa is every woman and so relatable! They are also an interracial couple – Alexa is black while Drew is white and the author doesn’t shy away from some awkward moments like when Drew takes her to a party where she is the only black person or when all his ex’s appear to be tall, thin, blond, white girls but neither is it a big factor in their relationship.

But as the weekends start to add up and they actually come to need each other to lean on, things get more personal and they both start to panic and react to perceived slights as an excuse to bolt without really taking to each other. This is a minor complaint but I did start to get irritated when they would make assumptions and not let each other explain – instead retreating to their homes. Even well meaning friends couldn’t get through to these two. (awesome supporting characters btw)

Drew is convinced that Alexa will see that he is indeed an asshole (he’s not) and Alexa is trying to cut off the eventual “sorry, it’s not you – it’s me” break up speech.

It just happened a little too often for me and I was starting to get frustrated but it wasn’t a deal breaker and there’s so much more to love with these two with their witty banter and slow slide to their eventual HEA.

I really enjoyed this one! Perfect when you're looking for a fun, flirty romance for Valentine's Day.

35 comments:

  1. I am excited for this one. Sounds cute and has a lot of things going for it. Great review!

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    1. Thanks! It was a lot of fun despite those minor quibbles.

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  2. I had similar reactions throughout this one. I was ready to push them into a closet and make them talk it out at one point. :)

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    1. Yeah, I LOVED them but they got pretty frustrating near the end. Especially how they (mostly Alexa) literally ran away.

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  3. Yaaayyy! I agree that this is a good Valentine's Day read and also agree about seeing two stable characters together! And yes, Drew needed to get his ish together, but the end result was satisfying! Nick told me that Carlos was getting his own book!

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    1. I thought they both did but I actually ended up more frustrated with Alexa. I felt like he at least made a few attempts to show (if not tell) his feelings and she somehow took that as a reason to run. But they were both adorable and frustrating and I ended up enjoying anyway.

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  4. I've been hearing great things about this one. I might just have to pick this up.

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    1. It was fun! Try to stay away from the hype though. It's good but not book hype - best ever good lol

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  5. Seems like a cute read! I can see how them going back and forth with each other and not just communicating could get frustrating. That's great you enjoyed it for the most part though!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  6. Haha, I do that all the time with Netgalley books. Why did I request this thing again? I'm glad this one worked out for you.

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    1. I think because it got approved like 7 months before it came out so I set it aside and forgot it lol

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  7. I admit I don't always go for contemporary romances, but there are a few fun ones out there I really enjoy. I do think I'll have to add this one to the wishlist. I think it is almost time for me to dive into at least one of these in this genre on my wishlist or tbr! LOL

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    1. I like fun ones and despite a few quibbles this was fun and flirty Melissa

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  8. I liked the story premise, thanks for putting this book on my radar!

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  9. I've seen so many reviews for this one Karen that the hype is really overwhelming but I'm so glad it lived up to your expectations. I love fluffy romances coming up to the winter months in Australia and this one has really caught my attention. Fingers crossed I enjoy it as much as you have. Brilliant review and I'm stoked you decided to read it as well :D

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    1. Definitely stay away from the hype! Just go in expecting a fun romance and you should be good.

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  10. I do like the sound of them having their own stuff going on outside the relationship and respecting that about each other. And I like that they put in effort to see each other long-distance. They sound like a really cute couple!

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    1. That's SO rare! No whining about getting called away to work or maybe needing to skip a date. Refreshing!

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  11. I'm glad you liked this one! I've seen it around but haven't had a chance to read it yet. The hype surrounding it makes me nervous, lol. This sounds like something I'd really like, but I can see how their self-loathing can be frustrating. If they stopped seeing themselves as "not good enough," they might realize there is something amazing standing in front of them. Lovely review!

    Do You Dog-ear?

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    1. I totally got he self loathing and fear. It was how they literally ran away that bugged me lol

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  12. This sounds cool and I'm pleased to say that it's my first exposure to it! The hype machine may be churning but I've dodged it spectacularly until now, lol.

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    1. LUCKY YOU!!! lol Hype has killed many a book experience

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  13. It is definitely the perfect Valentine's read. It was cute and fun and I loved the long distance aspect to the romance because you don't get that too often.

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    1. I just loved how mature they were about the distance and they're jobs Becky.

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  14. This does sound like a fun one. Perfect for this time of year. :) Thanks for sharing!
    ~Jess

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  15. I'm usually not into romance novels, but this one actually sounds pretty interesting. I may have to check it out.

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  16. I see what you are saying with the whole Alexa waiting for the other shoe to drop. It probably came up a few too many times, but I loved them together so much, and the characters were really intelligent. Maybe that push and pull was a little over extended, but overall, the book was big fun, swoony, and low drama, which is how I like my romance novels. Great review!

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    1. I agree. It happened a few too many times but didn't the away from my enjoyment of it or how much I liked them together.

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