I was so annoyed with this book and I cannot believe how bad it is. This feels like a Manic Pixie dream girl/"I'm not like other girls" trope and it sucks.

I appreciated the Harry Potter references to a point, but then things just felt wrong and forced. I also didn't like Nina's character. She was pushy and obnoxious. The flow wasn't there for me, and I ended up not finishing it.

I received an e-book copy to review this book and as far as I remember this is the second Chris Cannon book that I've read, the first one was the Blackmail Boyfriend (my review can be found on this link) and I honestly enjoyed reading this one. The story was not complicated, it was an easy read and it has the happy mood when you read it.

The flow of the story is something that every reader would enjoy and I will never forget the phrase "I couldn't date someone who didn't read, much less someone who didn't understand the fabulousness that was Harry Potter", I will surely remember this book for the rest of my life because I am a Harry Potter fan as well (and bonus, my man is a Harry Potter fan too LOL). Back to my review, I love the story of Nina and West, they're both adorable and even if they fight? I find it cute (maybe I'm weird that way). This book isn't something that will stress you out in fact you will have a hard time to put this down because all you wanted to know what will happen to the characters. How can West accepts his family issue especially his mom? What will happen if Nina finds out the truth about West? those are just simple questions that runs in my head while reading and I was really satisfied when there were answered in this book.

I do suggest people read this especially if they want a quick read. I am sure that they will enjoy it as much as I do and I promise it has a good ending aside from that no cliffhanger. I would love to have another Nina and West story though. They sound perfect to each other and I like Nina's attitude! *girl power*

I'm looking forward to reading more Chris Cannon books, with those two books that I've read, so far I didn't get disappointed yet.

"In real life, if you're unhappy, you need to work to change yourself. Having someone who cares about you helps, but it's not a magic anti-jerk pill."

Nina is a book loving animal enthusiast. Shes kind of a nerd really. When neighbor Wests sets them up on a fake date to the dance, she makes him hold to it. As they get to know each other and the dance looms closer, Nina starts to get all in her feels for West.
Nina has to have the last word, and it makes for funny rants and ongoing discussions with West. I loved their banter.
Was a cute YA book. Would recommend.

Thank you Entangled for this ARC.

As always, I love Chris Cannon's snarky girl, Nina! What I like, even more, her uptight boys that fall for those snarky girls.

Nina loves to debate and only tells the truth (due to her families dramatic history). Side note, Nina is a perfect mix of myself and my husband. I only ever tell the truth, and he wants to debate about everything.

West is a loner and keeps to himself, but his neighbor Nina is a little hard to avoid, and he finds her too alluring to resist.

They date, they argue (debate), and everyone lives happily ever after.

Stevie‘s review of The Dating Debate (Dating Dilemmas, Book 1) by Chris Cannon
Contemporary Young Adult Romantic Comedy published by Entangled: Crush 05 Feb 18

One thing I love about Young Adult fiction is its ability to tackle weighty and sometimes dark issues with quite a touch, and even throw some humour into situations that might otherwise be too depressing to read about. In this case, two teens are thrown together by overlapping property boundaries and soon learn that neither has the perfect home life they had previously envied. At the same time, each of them is able to learn from the other’s situation and find ways to deal with their own.


Nina Barnes and her mother are living in rented accommodations, thanks to Nina’s bigamist father revealing the existence of his other wife and family. Their house shares a driveway and back garden with that of their landlord, whose son is one of the most fancied guys in Nina’s year at school. The shared access comes with complications, of course, not least being that the landlord has exacting specifications as to how close to the drive’s centre any of the car owners can park. When West, the landlord’s son, calls round to ask Nina to move her car before his father comes home, unexpected visitors to both houses result in the pair agreeing to attend a Valentine’s dance together. Not that they’re dating, or anything…

Further parking complications result in Nina and West having to share rides to school, and thus getting to know each other better. Nina is delighted to learn that West is as avid a reader as she is, and almost as much of a Harry Potter fan to boot. They differ, however, in their choice of reading media – Nina has hardbacks, paperbacks, and eBooks of all her favourites, whereas West reads only on his phone – and in their opinions on memorabilia – Nina collects anything Harry Potter related, while West avoids any unnecessary clutter in his life. And their big clash of opinions comes when the local library is threatened with being turned into a recycling centre: Nina is devastated at the loss of access to physical books, whereas West revels in the idea that more items will be saved from going to landfill.

The pair set up opposing campaigns to ensure that the library’s fate is destined in the manner they would prefer, but through adversity the pair become closer, and Nina learns West’s big family secret that underpins all his attitudes to (in his opinion) useless clutter.

I loved the way this book tackled the stigma and shame that gets attached to certain manifestations of mental health problems, particularly those that can be hidden within a family. I was also very taken with the ways in which Nina tries to help West and his parents, while he tries to understand, and cope with, her more chaotic and ultimately more welcoming family setup. Not a perfect book, but a very charming one nonetheless, and a good introduction to an author and series I plan to investigate further.

Grade: B

The Why: Witty, but debatable romance that was insightful.

Nina is a girl who loves confrontation and is willing to voice her opinions whether you like them or not because her father lied to her about having a whole new family. She's living next door to West who annoys her and lives next door and definitely not a fan of each other. But soon her and West find themselves going to the dance together. I really enjoyed the banter mostly Nina's personality. At first, I thought it was a bit overbearing, but I got used to it.

Family secret (that he keeps from Nina) arises surrounding West's mother who is a hoarder. He doesn't invite anyone over and she doesn't leave the house. It was interesting to read about someone who is a hoarder because I think this is the first book that I've read that has written about this so candidly.

Final Thoughts: Cute and oddly emotional

I’ve read one other book my Chris Cannon and after finishing this one, I have to say that I’m looking forward to picking up more books written by her!
I think most of us bookworms will be able to relate to Nina! There’s quite a few wonderful quotes in the book regarding bookworms that I absolutely loved. Nina was a little feisty and I sort of loved that she liked to debate even though most would call that stubbornness (at least that’s what friends of mine have said in the past.)

I loved West’s character and the secret he had to carry with him through most of the book. I’d never read about the particular mental illness one of his parents had but it was interesting to learn more about!

I’m hoping that there will be a sequel following either one of the twins, Nina’s brother, or Lisa. Heck, I’d even settle for something written for Nina’s mother if Chris decided to go that route! I’d also love to hear more about Nina and West during their college days!

The ending of the book was perfection! I’d literally melt if someone did what West did for Nina as his way of trying to win her back!

Chris Cannon is an amazing voice in contemporary teen romance. Her characters never fail to embody the emotions and actions of today's teens. The scenarios in her books are both realistic and and dramatized just enough to make them appealing. Lovers of simple romance will enjoy Cannon's books, YA fans or not. 4/5 stars.

The Dating Debate is a cute, quirky romance that had me intrigued from the start. The book description had me at “book boyfriends.” From the beginning, Nina is a super relatable character, from her love of books — and Harry Potter — to her admiration for chocolate. Told through dual points of view, this book kept me reading and I finished in almost a single sitting.

DNF I liked the dual points of view and appreciated West's dilemma with his father and mother but I wished Nina was a bit more fleshed out. She seemed like she was intentionally quirky but on the other hand she seemed to self aware for that to work and I just felt like there was a disconnect. I did not finish the book because after a while the 'debating' got to be not so much cute as annoying. I might give this book another try later on because i would like to know what happens with West's mom but for now I'm taking an indefinite break from this book.

DNF @ 30%

"Unless you can magically pull tape out of your"–wait, we were still at school–"ear."

I wish I had a dollar for every time I rolled my eyes. I'd have a million dollars. One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to contemporary novels is probably when the book is either a.) a formula book, b.) a compilation of all the high school stereotypes ever, or c.) full of forced dialogue. The Dating Debate wins at all there.

We have our typical "sassy" hero and heroine (who are, in fact, not actually funny), with a weird-ass relationship I can't wrap my head around. One minute, they're cold as heck, and the next, they're attracted to each other?? SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME.

Of course, we can't have a formula book without a bajillion high school stereotypes! Just take a look from these snippets (these are from the ARC and might change in the finished copy):

"No way was I going to talk to the fashionistas."

"Lisa and I sat at our normal table in the smart girl/bookworm section of the cafeteria."

BRB, I have to go bleach my eyes.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Its the boy next door; West and Nina were awesome. I love that Nina is a book nerd (like me). I feel for West, but there is always a way to handle a secret you don't want found out. But it all works out.

I always enjoy books with dual POV, and this was no exception. It's a cute story, and I liked both Nina and West. I definitely enjoyed most of this, but I did have a minor issue: Nina was really rigid in her views and opinions. That's realistic for sure, but it made her a less sympathetic character than I personally prefer. Without giving spoilers, when the plot headed for the climax, her rigidity made it hard for me to align with her in her treatment of West. She seemed almost incapable of seeing things from anyone's POV other than her own...perhaps because this is reflective of our society right now, it soured the resolution and overall enjoyment of the book for me.

This is the first book by Chris Cannon that I have read though I’ve seen her dragon series and they’re on my TBR. Nina, a bookish nerd and West, a brooding hottie, are neighbors. A whim of fate sends them in each other’s path and as they start dating, they learn more about each other.

Nina’s point of view was quirky and being a fellow bookworm myself, I liked reading about her love of books and her fluency in Harry Potter. It highlighted similarities that other bookworms and I share. Not to mention her addiction with chocolate. I’m a certified chocoholic myself lol.

What was interesting was that West was a reader too and the fact that they both read on their Kindle? I know there are tons of people who read on Kindle but I felt like I was friends with two fellow bookworms like me since my Kindle is my first love.

I empathized with West over his problems. It’s hard when you’re seventeen and carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. No teenager should have to bear such a burden.

I thought at first, that Nina was a carefree person, but as I read on and learned more about her, I found that she had her own issues to deal with. The banter between Nina and West was original, fun and witty.

However, there were a certain depth of emotion that I found lacking in the story and the supporting characters were passed over a bit too quickly. Also, for a seventeen-year-old, Nina seemed a bit childish. West showed more maturity as he made hard decisions which showed his decency and strength of character. Other than the issues mentioned above, The Dating Debate was a good book, fun and cute to read.

Most young adult contemporary stories are light and fluffy, giving you a quick sweet read. Although this book has a wonderful romance, it differs from others because its plot and characters are much deeper than those we normally see. Nina and West are both dealing with family baggage and, as such, need to be more mature than others their age. They’re old souls who’ve seen a lot and been through trying times. But, even with those weights on their shoulders, they’re still teenagers. They’re still experiencing first loves and balancing family needs with the desire to live their own lives.

I liked Nina’s sassy personality. She valued honesty and loved a good debate. And, even though she sometimes didn’t know when to quit giving her opinion, she always did it with good intentions and the desire to make things better. West was frustrated by his family but, though his actions, we were shown quite clearly that he loved them. The way he treated his mom, even when he was confused an irritated by her actions, showed us his kind soul. Nina and West’s romance started as a bit of a joke but they soon learned that they liked each other…enjoyed spending time together and, even without realizing it, came to rely on each other.

I enjoyed watching both of these characters grow. I liked their interactions with friends and family and enjoyed their banter as well. This is a sweet YA that brings the feels. The quirky, smart, bookish girl falls for the brooding, sweet, sexy boy next door…what more could you ask for? If YA is your thing, I think you should definitely pick this book up…I know you’ll enjoy it!

This story was so sweet. What began as a simple high school flirtation developed into something real, and both teens had real issues they were dealing with in true-to-life ways. Highly enjoyable.

the boy next door has an attitude problem. and nina barnes is happy to debate that with him until the sun sets. when west smith claims that they are attending the valentine's dance together, she holds him to it. she says it's because he said it was happening, and she doesn't lie, so they need to make it so and thus the dating debate begins.

and before west even knows it somehow he's in a relationship that he never intended. he doesn't let people get close. because all he wants to do is leave everything behind. his home life is not good. his mother is a hoarder who doesn't leave the house. and his father, besides not being the warm and fuzzy type, ignores the problem never realizing how it affects west.

but opening up to someone as open and generous as nina, puts west's secrets in danger. and he wants to confess the truth to her. but his shame about his home, the extent of his mother's mental illness, run very deep. and he'd rather cut everything else out instead of own it. but this isn't a way to live. you can't keep cutting good things out of your life. so west has to learn how to let nina in for real. how to listen to what she needs and accept that there are things about her that will always make him a little crazy, but he also loves her.

as a pair, nina and west are absolutely delightful. their dialogue is snappy and fun. the way they play off each other and make each other better is basically what you want for all your romance couples. they are better together than apart, and luckily they figure that out with minimal drama.

**the dating debate published on february 6, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (crush) in exchange for my honest review.

I found this book too predictable and dry, I just couldn't get into it. I understand the authors intentions of putting in a character who has a mental illness such as hoarding into the novel but it didn't work into the story and added an unnecessary plot element.
It didn't flow at all and the characters felt lacking as well. If you enjoy typical teen romances you will enjoy this book but I couldn't just get into it.

Nina is the hippie chick, hugging, argumentative bookworm to West her landlords son.

West is the reluctant neighbor who is pulled into Nina's world by a simple dinner invite for fried rice. He didn't realize a harmless invite over dinner to the Valentine's Day dance would lead to concrete plan with Nina. He would do anything to get out of that date even if that meant pushing Nina away. But West has deeper secret then a hatred of dances to protect. Nina will do anything to make him keep his word.

Arguments and laughs ensue as they slow confide in each other and make plans for their un-valentine's date. Until Nina learns West's real secret. West struggles with Nina knowing his secret, while Nina struggles with West's cruel words. Can give and take bring them back together?

I really enjoyed The Dating Debate. All the arguing between Nina and West were for the most part funny, while at times serious. They showed their growth as characters throughout the story. It also helped to keep the story interesting and moving forward.

Definitely would recommend. Funny, quick read.