Name: The Dating Game
ISBN: 9780008509316

Sandy Barker

The must-read romantic comedy for fans of Laura Jane Williams, Sophie Ranald and Sophie Kinsella. ‘THE romcom of the summer... charming, funny and the romance is such a compelling slow burn. I cannot recommend it enough’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

The Dating Game

loved, loved, loved! Everything about this book was just so amazingly written- I especially loved Anastasia Blabbergated’s recaps!! Yes, I know I only gave this book 4 stars but… no regrets. This book was good but I felt like it just didn’t have one moment where i was able to give it 5 stars. There were so many little moments that I adored and smiled whilst reading it but I felt like I just couldn’t pinpoint a single part of the book that was like an UGH factor to me. Overall, really enjoyed this book and I would recommend this to anyone!!

fav character/characters- Jack and Harry (they were so cute in their own way 🫶🏼)

least fav character/characters- Tara (SO INFURIATING)

fav moment/moments- ❗️⚠️IM GONNA TRY AND NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS ❗️⚠️

Kelly

loved, loved, loved! Everything about this book was just so amazingly written- I especially loved Anastasia Blabbergated’s recaps!! Yes, I know I only gave this book 4 stars but… no regrets. This book was good but I felt like it just didn’t have one moment where i was able to give it 5 stars. There were so many little moments that I adored and smiled whilst reading it but I felt like I just couldn’t pinpoint a single part of the book that was like an UGH factor to me. Overall, really enjoyed this book and I would recommend this to anyone!!

fav character/characters- Jack and Harry (they were so cute in their own way 🫶🏼)

least fav character/characters- Tara (SO INFURIATING)

fav moment/moments- ❗️⚠️IM GONNA TRY AND NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS ❗️⚠️

- Elizabeth and Jack

- Daphne and Jack

- Abby’s mom and the video call 😂

- Harry walking in EVERYTIME

- The pin ritual with Jack and Abby

- Daphne’s redemption arc

- GO ELIZABETH 

Have fun reading!!

sydney

I received an arc from netgalley.

This book was so cute. As an avid dating reality television watcher I was very excited for this book and it did not disappoint. It had very cute moments between the main couple that I loved but it didn't have anything that particularly stuck out to me. I feel as though this book would greatly benefit from having duel POV. Understanding where Jack is coming from and what he is doing in certain moments would add something to the book but overall I really enjoyed it.

fransarylibros

I really enjoyed it! The story is about Abigail, a blog writer who is "forced" to be a contestant of a reality called "The Stag" aka the Bachelor. But instead of falling in love with the Stag, she prefers Jack, the hot Australian producer of the show, Jack.

This book is hilarious. The characters are funny, realistic and interesting. I won't deny that around 70% I got a bit tired of the competition, but the end it was everything you would want. All I'm gonna say is that Stag got, what he deserved.
One thing I needed more, was the romance part. We all love slow-burn, but nothing really happens It's a clean romance. I

I received a free copy and these are my honest opinions.

Nikki van Zoom

What a hilarious story! It actually reminded me a bit of Miss Congeniality, which is a movie that I absolutely LOVE! Abby is such a relatable character. If you're a bit quirky yourself, you will definitely be able to identify with her. Also, I desperately want to visit Sydney after reading this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author, for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emma-Leigh Pedder

3.5 stars ✨

If you love reality tv and are looking for your drama fix in-between love island episodes - this is your book. ‘The Dating Game’ is based around a version of ‘The Bachelor’ and a gossip column writer Abigail. 

The first page of this book contains an author’s note warning you that there is an obscene amount of characters in this book and let me tell you - she is not joking. I believe if you are reading on the formatted kindle/e-reader editions there is a function that will allow you to click on a character and it will tell you about them, (I hope this works as this would be incredibly useful!) however this wasn’t finished in my ARC copy. If you are reading in a physical copy or without this function - take notes. Trust me. 

The concept of this book was intriguing, and I really enjoyed the dynamics of the girls in the manor and all the varying personalities that emerged. Having Abby as both a contestant and writing her recaps allowed us to see the day’s events from her perspective, and then her watching herself on the screen too, which led to some interesting scenes. It was a clever way to tie in both the cast and crew, and allowed for a lot of funny behind-the-scenes moments that I enjoyed. (ps - Anyone else used to watch UnREAL? getting similar vibes!)

Unfortunately, I had a few gripes. Although I liked Jack as a match for Abby, I just was missing the SIZZLE! They were cute enough, and they worked great together. I just felt like I was waiting for the tension, and... it never came. It just felt a little juvenile 😬 Abby’s entire personality crisis was a little irritating. She was constantly referring to herself as ‘Doe Abby’, or this is ‘Anastasia not me’ and honestly I couldn’t tell much difference between Doe Abby and Abigail 🤷‍♀️ Anastasia however, was incredibly witty and hilarious. Her recaps were very entertaining, although sporadic; random throughout the book and sometimes just repeating what the author had already written. It was a little messy at times, and I think that persona could have been utilised better.

A good summer read filled with friendships, drama and fun, but a little lacking on the romance for my taste.

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the ARC ♥