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.

After his date cancels on him last minute for his ex's wedding, a wedding in which he's also a groomsman, fate steps in and traps Drew in an elevator with Alexa. While waiting for rescue, the two strike up a rapport that has Drew asking Alexa to be his plus one to the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself.

Normally, Alexa would never have dreamed of agreeing to go to a wedding with a stranger, but something in the air had her readily agreeing to accompany Drew to the wedding. Of course there's no expectations and it could never go past the one evening. Or could it?

As the night rolls along, both Drew and Alexa are reluctant to see it end, and from there they begin a long distance relationship. But can they build anything more solid between them if "The End" is always looming in the background? And, more importantly, do they want to?

I thought that The Wedding Date started out really promising and for the most part delivered a sweet, romantic read about two people trying to make it work despite all the obstacles in their way.

I loved that Jasmine Guillory made it about the relationship and working with what the characters have in order to keep the relationship afloat. It was never about Alexa or Drew giving up anything to be together even though they live in different parts of the state and could only see each other on the weekends. I like that it didn't feel like either character sacrificed a major part of themselves to be together because how could something like that possibly work out in the end?

I also liked that Jasmine Guillory touches upon Alexa and Drew being different race, and touches upon Alexa image of herself (her body), but these aren't things that necessarily define them, or impugn upon their growing relationship. They are two people who enjoy each other's company and want to spend time together.

The thing that comes between them, essentially, is the fact that neither has wanted to take that huge commitment step, and especially in Drew's case, has run once things start to get too serious.

I did think that the uniqueness of the "meet cute" in the beginning didn't hold up as much as the story progressed and I would have liked that feeling to have remained throughout the entire story. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this read.

Review & Giveaway: THE WEDDING DATE by Jasmine Guillory https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-azA
Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 4 Stars

This debut novel is a fun, flirty take on the “wedding date” story. Alexa and Drew are witty and sexy people caught up in their careers, trying to come to terms with finding the perfect partner. Alexa is an intelligent and accomplished woman, so I cringed a few times when her behavior was a little immature. The same could be said about Drew. That didn’t ruin this lovely romance. I liked how it was a realistic look at the trials of a long-distance romance. I enjoyed this sexy romance.

*Review copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

~*~*~*~

I am so in love with this one. For a debut author she has done a wonderful job!! I went into this completely blind and fell completely in love, I so didn't want to be at work I needed to finish this as soon as possible.



Not knowing how this was going to go I went in knowing it was supposed to be a strangers to lovers story and I can't tell you how much I loved the book and it's take on this genre. Written in a way that a woman like me can see herself in the story I was so happy to read it. Alexa was a fun relateable character who had a lot going on and wanted just a little fun for herself, and Drew as just trying to not look like the loser at the wedding. Their meet cue was hilarious and made me actually laugh out loud. I loved Alexa's reaction to realizing Drew was in the elevator because who hasn't done that same thing more than once??



From that moment on I was hooked, the story flew by, unfolding slowly as each character meet more of themselves as well as the other in ways they never thought they would. I enjoyed that even though race was a factor it wasn't THE factor in their situation-ship. Race played a part in some ways and it was hilarious to watch Drew come to terms with it several times throughout the book. I loved that Alexa had the thought that we have all had, it's not the first time we have been the only black girl in the room and we have to be super aware of how we carry ourselves.



I really enjoyed their conversations, their friendships and how fun and funny their respective best friends are. Alexa has a great group of friends that have her back while also pushing her to be more than she would normally allow herself to be. I love that she has such a passion for her job, that she's happy in so many aspects of her life but just this one at the moment doesn't bring her joy. Drew also has amazing friendships and I love that his best friend never let him go down as an idiot. While he also has a great career, he's afraid of commitment and this are they dating, not dating is she isn't she is girlfriend is throwing him for a loop.



There are moments within the novel that I wish were more fleshed out, as in why Drew had the thoughts he did on relationships. I wish we also got a bit more background on the sisters and their familial relationship, beyond talking about their parents in the past neither character mentioned them ever again. While I liked the intimate scenes eventually; I felt at first that it was kind of a half finished scene since we saw the beginning but everything happened off screen then we met back up with them after. However once you realized it's being told from the perspective of each character and how they are speak is how they share the intimacy. Alexa had a few flaws in that she liked to jump to conclusions about things and wasn't really mature in her thinking about confronting things head on. She would let things go unchallenged because she was afraid of the answer when more often than not it would solve the issue. Drew was blind a few times to how his actions could affect her, and even how the words of his friends would really hurt because he choose to be seen as the good guy instead of sharing the full truth.



Beyond those few moments I loved this novel. I got home after I started it at work and told myself I was only going to read a few more pages, next thing I knew it was 130 am and I had finished the book. I loved it and would highly recommend it.



★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you loved this one I highly recommend other pretend lovers/ Rom-Com books including:

Delaney's Desert Sheikh by Brenda Jackson
Rent-A-Dad bu Judy Christenberry

Let me know if you have any other recommendations in the comments down below and of course Happy Reading my loves,

Jasmine Guillory's debut novel, The Wedding Date, is a delightfully sweet romance that I just DEVOURED. I connected with these magnetic characters and their relatable love story immediately. With smart dialogue and a storyline packed with humor, social relevance and blissful romance, it's hard to believe this is a debut at all.

It was so refreshing to read about characters who aren't emotionally stunted or carrying around trunk loads of broken baggage. This story follows an LA doctor and a San Francisco mayoral chief-of-staff through an exceedingly authentic course of events after they meet in a broken elevator. Alexa agrees to play pretend for one evening as Drew's plus one for his friend's wedding. Their dynamic is instantly captivating while never feeling forced or manufactured or insta-love-ish. (Sure, that's a thing.) Their chemistry is delicious, their romance is perfection, but with the two of them refusing to label whatever it is that's growing between them combined with the distance between their homes, complications soon arise.

I love a story that isn't over the top and The Wedding Date NEVER ventures in that direction. The progression of events in this book is a very natural one, the conflict completely legitimate. There's no contrived drama, no nonsense, nothing OTT. It gets complicated in the way life gets complicated, but it stays true to the characters and the tone of the entire book. That certainly doesn't mean this book lacks emotional depth by any means because, oh, the feels! This book is deliciously sweet, beautifully romantic, unexpectedly moving, and when things get tough, it nails you right in the chest. It's so well done what Jasmine Guillory does with this story and I absolutely adored it.

The Wedding Date was perfection, a story so sweet, my teeth hurt, but a romance so sensual and enthralling, my heart wanted to burst. I have so much appreciation for an author who keeps it real. I also love a story that's sexy without being raunchy. There's certainly a time and place for steamy sex scenes, but as with everything else that makes up this novel, the sex scenes are done just right; they're never forced, never over the top. The Wedding Date is all so perfectly right, so delightfully sweet, so full of heart and I enjoyed every bit of it.

This is a quick read romance that I received through Net Galley . By chance two people meet in a stuck elevator, he needs a date for a wedding that weekend, she agrees to be his date. They begin to see each other without any commitment. After a series of bumps in their relationship something more happens.

In case you live under a rock—or have never read any of my reviews—fake relationships are the apple to my pie. There is absolutely nothing I love more than a fun and romantic fake relationship story with lovable characters, a bunch of it’s-getting-hot-in-here moments and even more falling-off-my-chair-from-all-the-swooning moments. You could say my expectations for books containing a fake relationship are beyond sky-high. Well… guess what?! The Wedding Date just surpassed all of those expectations and became one of my favorite books containing a fake couple AND one of my all-time favorite books.

Alexa and Drew met in an elevator. As life would have it, the elevator got stuck while Alexa was on her way to her sister’s hotel room and while Drew was on his way to his hotel room. From the get-go the connection between them was undeniable. They talked, bantered, laughed and had a great time while stuck in that elevator. Too soon it was time for them to go back to their respective rooms but Drew couldn’t just let her go so he asked her to go to his ex’s wedding. Alexa couldn’t say no and suddenly they were pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend for the weekend. But how can you walk away from an amazing weekend like the one they had and go back to normality? You can’t!! And so their relationship… or whatever… started.

I AM SO IN LOVE WITH ALEXA. I love her. I want to be like her. I want her skin. I want her intelligence. I want her social skills. I want her boyfriend. I really do have a girl crush like they say in that one song I can’t stop listening to. She is amazing, there is no other way to describe her. From the beginning she put a humongous grin on my face because I could relate to a lot of things she said. She broke my heart when I read her thoughts about not being skinny/blonde/tall enough for Drew to like her and then she pieced my heart back together when all of those thoughts flew out the window and she was her beautiful, confident, polite self even in a room full of people she didn’t know and she never pretended to be anyone else. Alexa is one of those character you just can’t help but love because they are so true to themselves.

I am also so in love with Drew. Except from those couple of moments where I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until he came to his senses. He—like I’ve said a million and one times before in my fake relationships reviews—is everything I could ask for in a male character. He is confident without being cocky, fun, intelligent (he’s a doctor!), hardworking and sends donuts instead of flowers (it can’t get better than that!). Drew has some issues when it comes to relationships getting serious. He dates from a month or two and then tells his girlfriend at the time that they should just stay friends. That may or may not be the reason I wanted to shake him until he came to his senses but you’ll have to pick up this book if you want to know the truth.

I rarely mention if a book is too graphic or not but I know some of y’all are not really into the very graphic sex scenes so I’m going to talk a bit about that. You know how in some movies they do that fade to black thing when things are getting hot? The same happens in this book. Kind of. It implies something happened and you know exactly what happened without all the details which I absolutely loved. It’s still cheeks-blushing-tomato-red steamy though!

I can’t believe this is Jasmine Guillory’s first book. That woman is talented with a capital T. I’m looking forward to her upcoming books and I know she will have an amazing career as an author. Definitely keep an eye out for her!

In a nutshell The Wedding Date is a beautiful book about a long distance relationship, a fake relationship, real love, a white guy with commitment issues, donuts, beautiful San Francisco and shiny Los Angeles, a curvy black woman, an elevator and coffee in the mornings. If that doesn’t make you want to immediately pick up this book then I don’t know what will… just kidding. It would mean I didn’t do a great job but I’m crossing my fingers you at least add it to your TBR list after reading this review! That would be a win!

A lovely debut by Ms. Guillory. Alexa a woman of color and Drew a caucasian man ends up in an elevator that stop working. Alexa is off to see her sister and he is in the Berkley area for a wedding. Right away sparks fly with a beginning flirtation in the elevator. Alexa finds out Drew is in town to go an ex girlfriend wedding and her groom happens to have been a close friend to him in the past. He has not date and ask Alexa if she would go with him. What ensues after that is how easily they played off of each other at the wedding with just knowing each other two days prior the wedding. Just when both of them things this is going to be a one night stand they find themselves flying back and forth him from Los Angeles and her from Berkley to see each other. In the opening scenes I felt the sparks of them in the elevator to the wedding scenes where they togetherness felt so natural. As with these rom com they a few misunderstanding amongst them before they both realize this relationship is more than a fling but possible the real thing. Loved Drew's doctor friend Carlos who was a great comedy relief along with Alexa friend Maddie and her co-worker Theo. Review on goodreads and amazon.com

I really don't know why I didn't enjoy this book, but it didn't click with me. I thought it fell flat and I wasn't surprised at anything that happened.

The Wedding Date was sweet and sexy. This was a basic stand in date for a wedding story where your leading characters fall in love with each other. This story was Funny, Witty, and Charming. Really Enjoyed.

Alexa and Drew meet during an elevator mishap at the hotel where he is staying for the wedding of his ex-girlfriend. On a crazy whim, Drew asks Alexa to be his plus one and pretrend to be Drew’s newest girlfriend, newest being the operative word as he has a player reputation. Weddings are a fine place to have lots of fun drama especially with Drew as a reluctant groomsmen. They are both successful professionals: Alexa is the mayor of Berkeley’s chief of staff while Drew is a pediatric surgeon in Los Angeles. Alexa enjoys herself quite a bit beautifully navigating the shark infested waters of wedding party. Drew is captivated by Alexa and she is equally drawn to him so they relationship continues long distance taking it in turns flying to meet for weekends.

The obstacles that crop up besides the distance include Alexa’s self-esteem issues in regards to her body as she is a black, full-figured girl who love her carbs surrounded by salad eating, skinny California blonds. The inter-racial couple issue causes some problems with a few of Drew’s insensitive friends. The other main obstacle is Drew’s proclivity to date women and then break up before things get too serious. His habit of serial dating causes Alexa a lot of doubts and pain.

While I enjoyed the story for the most part as a romantic comedy, Drew’s commitment issues and his callous treatment of several women make his at times a less than likeable character. As a pediatric surgeon, one would think he more than most would see the valuable of loving relationships and family. I actually liked his best friend better who continually challenged Drew’s behavior. No explanation is given for why he keeps his Peter Pan attitude towards dating such as a bad break up or other previous heartbreak. The author also just about sent me into a carb coma with donuts, pastries, and French fries being Alexa’s stress coping mechanism. One wonders how much drama Alexa could have been avoided with a little less sugar.

It's not you - it's me. We all know for me to love a contemporary romance the book has to be out of this world (I'm looking at you The Hating Game) or have some weird kink or twist. A sweet, vanilla, love-story just doesn't flick my Bic.

Alexa and Drew have a super meet-cute in an elevator. Which leads to an invite to be his fake date for a wedding. Which leads to relationship ups and downs of the realistic variety.

<b>"Yep, this was how she usually acted around hot guys. Scared to make eye contact, stared at his abs, said something awkward."</b>

Alexa has a lot of doubts about her attractiveness to Drew. She's curvy - and spends a lot of the book comparing herself to the women surrounding him - fixated on their blonde thinness. I struggle with heroines who undermine their self-worth. I've said it before, and I'll say it again "honey, if you don't know why he's with you I don't know why he's with you." It's not an endearing trait.

<b>"And she'd spent the night falling deeper and deeper in lust with Drew, with those dam tingles every time he touched her, and the whole time he was probably looking at all those women, wishing he was with one of them." At this point, if he wasn't wishing it I was.

However, if you love meet-cutes and sweet relationships and a heroine with legitimate fears about her physical appearance around a man she finds flawless - you should read this book. In this situation - it's not a bad book. I'm just a bad reader.

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I thoroughly enjoyed The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory, a charming romance between two likable characters, Alexa and Drew, who have to learn to trust themselves and each other on the way to a HEA.

Alexa Monroe is a chief of staff for the mayor of Berkeley, and she’s in San Francisco one evening to meet up with her sister who is in town for the weekend. On her way up the elevator in the Fairmont Hotel, the power suddenly goes out and the elevator grinds to a halt. There’s a handsome white man in the elevator with her, and they strike up a friendly, flirtatious conversation. It turns out that Drew is in town for the wedding of his friend and an ex-girlfriend, and his date had to back out at the last minute. On a whim, he asks Alexa to be his date and she agrees.

There is so much to like about this story. This is a charming set-up and I believed in these characters and their world. Both the pacing of their love story and the complications they faced felt realistic and true to life. There is not a billionaire in sight in this book---yes, Drew is a doctor, but he’s worried about his student loans. Yes, Alexa is a lawyer, but she’s left legal practice behind to work in politics. They have to face differences of race, family background, and geography. As a black woman, Alexa experiences the world differently. She knows Drew doesn’t always understand, but when trusts him with her experiences, he believes her and supports her. These external conflicts are compounded by each of their internal fears and worries. Drew has been a serial dater, always breaking up with women after a few months and while they are still friends. Alexa has figured out this pattern and is wary of trusting her heart to him.

Being with each other is easy, comforting, and right...and that scares the hell out of both of them. Drew is afraid of commitment, and if I had one quibble, I’d say that it’s not very clear where that fear comes from. I guess it’s supposed to read as “average white dude” fears, but compared to how well-developed Alexa’s character is, Drew’s backstory felt a little thin. As a content warning, Alexa does struggle with body image. However, this was real and organic to her character, and not played for laughs or cheap shots. She notices that she is curvier and rounder than the paper-thin blonde white girls that Drew is friends with, but she also can tell that Drew loves her body. This is an internal struggle for Alexa, one driven by her awareness that as a black woman, the standards of beauty will always be working against her. This isn’t a major plot point, but it is pervasive, especially when she and Drew are out with his friends and she is the only black woman.

My last thought on this book, I’m worried that the steep price of this book ($12!) will make folks less likely to buy it. I enjoyed this romance, but I’ll be honest when I tell you I’d have a hard time buying it for myself at this price. When I first heard about this book and that price, I speculated that maybe it would read more as Women’s Fiction (a term I hate and would like to blast into the sun, but I guess that’s what we’re calling it now) than romance. But The Wedding Date is a romance--the relationship is primary, and the way Alexa and Drew both grow is what makes the HEA possible. Maybe the idea is that this book has a crossover appeal, drawing both the romance and the women’s fiction crowd? I’d say I trust Berkeley Romance to know their own market, but I’m writing this the week Ana Mardoll is doing a read of another Berkeley title, Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgans, which is fatphobic and sounds truly appalling. Needless to say, that’s not exactly making me feel like this is a publishing house I can trust to know its own market.

I just thought this was a sweet happy book. No long prolonged "Big Misunderstandings", just two people who liked each other, learned to communicate with a realistic HEA. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a pick me up. This author is now on my auto buy.

Reviewed on Amazon and BN.com as SJC Reviews

Rating 5 stars
Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I would highly recommend this book & it’s the first book in a long time that you really are not sure the 2 main characters are going to find their HEA but you really really hope so !!

Drew & Alexis story begins in an elevator - a chance meeting where sparks fly from their mutual attraction. Drew is comitment shy never staying with the same girl for more than a few months - he needs a date for his ex’s wedding - who better to ask to be his fake girlfriend then elevator girl ..,

Alxis has a great career & is not looking for a boyfriend she decides to take Drew up on his fake girlfriend offer - they have a great time at the wedding together & an unplanned night of explosive sex. Their chemistry for each other off the charts ..

They decide to carry on a long distance relationship and begin to fall in love - as it becomes pretty aparent early on they just love being together...

This book reminds us that relationships are not always easy but if someone is important to you - you will work together to handle those bumps in the road rather than giving up and starting over ...

I really liked this authors writing style and can’t wait to check out more of her
books !

Overall I liked this book, and I will definitely check out any of Jasmine Guillory's future books. Her writing is sharp and smart, as are her characters.

What bugged me slightly about the book was how low the stakes were. Two people have to navigate a long-distance relationship (only an hour plane ride, tickets for which each character seems to be able to easily afford), and the only obstacle was their unwillingness to admit to their feelings. I wanted a bit more characterization of Drew into why he's not into committed relationships (that was sort of thrown in midway through the book) and why Alexa might be reluctant to admit to being in love with him.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory is a debut romance featuring Alexa and Drew who meet while stuck in a hotel elevator during a blackout. She’s there to pick up her visiting sister and he’s in town for a wedding and dateless—with Drew desperate for a wedding date a fake romance ensues but real sparks fly from the start. It’s witty, sexy and sweet.

When I first saw this book, I thought it would be a good fit for me, because I love fauxmance romances, and I was right! This book was delightfully sweet and charming, and I enjoyed it very much.

Who?
Alex, a former lawyer, now chief of staff to the mayor of Berkeley, who has been so busy building her career, she had no time for romance.

Drew, a pediatric doctor, who prefers to casually date and keep himself emotionally detached.

What?
While in Berkeley for his ex-girlfriend's wedding, Drew finds himself trapped in an elevator with Alexa. There, he asks her to pose as his fake date in order to avoid the pitiful glances of the other attendees. The date may have been fake, but the sparks were all too real. Their wedding weekend turns into the more, but will it turn into more?

Why?
Alexa and Drew were both fantastic characters. They seemed to have it all on the surface, but underneath the perfect veneer, they had a few flaws. I found I could relate to both Drew and Alexa because of these flaws. Aside from the flaws, they had a lot of great traits.

Alexa was an independent woman. She had career goals and did what she needed to in order to achieve those goals. She was also fun and vivacious, determined and passionate. I hated when she felt insecure, because she really had a lot to offer. I was glad Drew was sometimes able to remind her of those amazing qualities from time to time. She also had an awesome bestie, Maddie, who encouraged Alexa to go outside her comfort zone, as well as being her cheerleader.

There was something about Drew that pulled me in immediately. He was easy going and kept it light and easy, but as the story went on, I felt like he slowly began giving more and more of himself to us. I really liked his friendship with Carlos. I love a good bromance, and those two definitely had one. Carlos was such a solid friend, and often served as the voice of reason, when Drew was allowing his fear to govern his decisions.

I also really enjoyed the story in general. The heart of this story wasn't the fake date, but rather, what happened after. It was about Alexa and Drew and their blossoming relationship, and I thought Guillory did a great job letting it unfold. I am so glad she went with a duel point of view, because flipping between Drew and Alexa really added to this story. I couldn't imagine not being in one of their heads. It just would not have had the same effect.

Guillory filled the book with Alexa and Drew's work life and separate social lives, but what I looked forward to were their weekends together. They were hot, steamy, and swoony. The feelings that were growing between them were more than obvious and I just couldn't wait for Alexa and Drew to acknowledge them.

And let's talk about that ending!!! Oh, here come the happy tears again. I swear, it was perfect.

Overall
Fun, flirty and filled with too many smile inducing moments! I had so much fun being a part of Drew and Alexa's fauxmance to romance.

This book had me hooked from the very first sentence and I pretty much didn't put it down until I had finished. It's a fairly typical romance, with a great elevator meet cute, but what sets this story apart from most is that it features an African American woman and a white male. Both Alexa Monroe and Drew Nichols are strong protagonists that I found myself rooting for constantly. Alexa, especially, was a well-developed and charming character. The story isn't earth-shattering, but in a way it is - I kept thinking to myself that I'd never read an interracial romance before. It added some elements that wouldn't have been there otherwise and made me think a bit. I'm not going to lie - I had tears of happiness in my eyes at two points toward the end of the book and I'm not much of a crier. I honestly can't wait to read more from this author.