DNF at 32%

Kudos to Angelica who perfectly captured my feelings about the book, here, glad to see I didn't miss anything by giving up part way.

Angel Gomez is a single mom, nurse, part-time bartender studying to get a better life for herself and her son who suffers from asthma.

Caleb Lewis is a baseball player nursing an ankle injury following a shooting, seeking medical assistance on the downlow.

I didn't like either character, it all seemed like a cookie-cutter single-mom meets famous sports star, right down to the mom being a nurse (have you got the idea? She's called Angel and she's a nurse - ie perfect, nurturing, above all other women) working two jobs and having a sick kid (do all nurses have sick kids, is it like a prerequisite?). Duke on the other hand allegedly has a bad reputation but honestly he doesn't seem to do anything to deserve it. There's a lot of casual misogyny but also women putting women down. When Angel is supposed to be studying for her final exams (or something) but is clearly wavering towards going to a party thrown by a reality TV star (who just happens to send her a fancy dress and shoes to wear so she doesn't feel out of place) instead (I didn't stick around to see what she was going to do about her sick kid) I decided to bail.

Not the sweet, charming romance I was hoping for.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

What a delightful book. It was an easy read with a good plot ... and some twists ... and a happy ending. The two main characters,

This was not what I expected. I saw the cutesy cover and assumed that it would be a cutesy romance. I was hecking wrong. They packed way too much into this. Murder, bonkers ex girlfriend, sick kid, pervy bosses, single mom who is a nursing student and then works at a bar when she isn't studying or working at the hospital. There was no real build up to to the Perfect Date. It was just blah and bad and I hated it.

I unfortunately did not finish this book. I felt that it was set up to much more of a RomCom and got dark very fast. I am going to give it another go in a few months, but it didn't hit the classic RomCom beats that I was personally looking for.

Angel Gomez has one goal: finish nursing school, so that she can better support her young son. Then they can move out of the crappy apartment, she can afford groceries, rent, and her son's asthma medication, and she'll prove to the world how strong a young, Puerto Rican single mom can be. The last thing she expects is that the handsome guy she's run into at the clinic is the New York Yankees star pitcher.

Caleb "The Duke" Lewis is running low on, well, everything: luck, money, time, his career. Duke suffered a major injury to his ankle during a shooting at a club a year before. But, worst, he lost one of his best friends. The pain caused him to start drinking, lose his girlfriend, and may cost him his pitching career wiht the Yankees. His secret clinic visits are not helping. However, he does meet a certain nurse...

When a kerfuffle with the media lead to Angel and Duke pretending to fake-date, neither of them have any idea how their worlds will be turned upside down.

Full of wonderful characters--to include a beauty parlor full of fairy godmothers--and more importantly very real, very human characters who face very real, very human problems, "The Perfect Date" is an addicting read about beating the odds, finding your own path in life, and taking a chance on love.

TW for: attempted rape, past gun violence, drugs, sexism, racism, and past domestic abuse.

this looks like a fun cute romance based on title and cover. However, I found their relationship to be very dramatic and toxic at times. I wasn’t able to root for the couple due to me hating Duke.

It was cute but nothing out of the ordinary special. It’s definitely a cute romance but nothing that you haven’t read before. I still enjoyed reading it though.

It was a cute story nothing exceptionally stood out. You've read this before but if you like straight to the point romance I would pick it up.

* I was sent an Advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review*

3/5 stars

I can't say I was all too impressed with this book. I don't feel like I brought anything new to the table here. Then romance was just alright but I didn't really care much for it. There were a few moments throughout the book that I really enjoyed. However everything seemed very predicable and convenient. I would say if you're looking for a short easy romance book to read, this will do.

I'm afraid it did not care for this book at all.
It was just kind of a mess. I feel like the plot had a bit of an identity crisis- at times it wanted to be a cute twist on a modern Cinderella story, but it was too crass and messy. The characters too had identity issues as well: their portrayed behavior was erratic and uneven, seemingly meant to be perceived as spunky or tortured, but coming across as spiteful and dark.
On the whole, there is little I can find to recommend this book.

I think I mistook the synopsis on the book, as I was expecting a lighthearted romance novel. Instead, it read more like a toxic drama. I could not connect with any of the characters or their relationships to each other. I usually read for entertainment and this did not deliver that - but it did stress me out! I feel like those who are looking for a drama might enjoy it, but I will have to pass on this one.

This book has a lot of drama. It’s about a young Mom working hard to make a new life for her and her son. She’s trying hard to make things work and become a nurse. Then a baseball star jumps in her path.

An easy to read rom-com that I enjoyed. I liked that Angel and Duke were people of color with real problems, loved the sprinkling of Spanish, and the many secondary characters. Angel's friends are what I loved best, and for some reason I kept picturing J Lo as Angel, especially from when she was in the movie Maid in Manhattan. There were enough storylines to come together and deliver tension throughout the book.

NOTE: I received a free advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

With a cute cover and good description, I was looking forward to this book. While a quick read, it was not quite as good as I was hoping. The plot line is cute enough - you typical rom-com "meet cute" that matches up two people from different circumstances - a struggling single mom and a famous Yankee pitcher. I think the issue was the author never quite found the right balance of whether she wanted to be sassy, sweet, funny or sexy and somehow none of those tones really shone through. The sex scenes weren't sexy enough. The sassiness didn't come off smart enough. In addition, the misogynistic language was hard to take - I know those lines being said by characters who were either star baseball players or sexually predatory doctors, but still, not easy to read. That said, I read a few reviews completely panning this book with readers lamenting that they'll never get those hours back and that, to me, seems too harsh of a criticism. While not a standout, the book was a quick enough read and enjoyable enough too.

There were a lot of elements to this book that made it a great concept and a feat of diverse romance. The outcome left me feeling rather disappointed and angry. The two main characters we ‘rent really the best people, and I couldn’t relate to their viewpoints. I thought Angel was too much of a try-hard, and there was too much focus on her not being like ‘other girls’. I felt as if the drama didn’t propel the plot forward and instead it became just messy. Although I appreciated the contrast of humour with serious topics, this just seemed like way too much for a ‘simple’ rom-com. This was a miss for me.

DNF

I was excited for this book as I'm always looking for a great contemporary romance and I love romances with athletes in it. Add in diverse characters and it seemed like a sure thing. However, this was such a drama fest with problematic issues that I just could not finish.

The premise of this book in itself is fairly good, but it lacks depth. With some editing and revising, it shows good promises.

Caleb aka Duke is a professional sportsman, a superstar. Having achieved his childhood dreams, his present and future prospects are dim!

Angel is a young single mother who juggles studying whilst holding a job to make ends meet. She is at the end of her training, but there is one person who holds her to ransom. To finish her training, she has to succumb to his harassment and blackmail.

Caleb turns to Angel for assistance when his career is on a downward spiral. She doesn't know who the 'Duke is, but soon finds out. They have a few moments and I can't say that there is any chemistry between them.

Duke is not portrayed in a positive light. He is full of himself and is not shy to "use" someone else for his own gain. He redeems himself on the last third of the book by coming to his senses and his heroic act. There is no doubt about Angel's good intentions, but she comes across as being short tempered and disrespectful to certain aspects of her life. Her priority is her son and her love for him outshines any of her shortfalls. It's not the type of book that I would normally read, but it has its pros and cons.

I was kindly issued with an eARC from Netgalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

1.5/5 stars

The title and synopsis set the reader up for a cute lighthearted romance but I found this novel to be almost the opposite. I feel like the synopsis for this book was potentially written for a different draft than the one I read.
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There’s so little description of the growth in the relationship besides mentions of how attractive both individuals are. Duke likes Angel because she sees the real him and she’s -not like any other girl- and doesn’t fall for him because he plays for the Yankees or for his usual humour or ‘charm’. I found Duke’s humour and language sexist and objectifying. I started off liking Angel’s determination and the fact that she was calling Duke out on his behaviour. As the novel went on Angel and Duke ( and the majority of other characters in the novel) were really rude or angry most of the time. I’m not sure if it was suppose to come off as endearing banter but it really turned me off. I get that there were difficulties in their past and things they were working on but I was hoping to see some character growth around these points. There was also too much drama in this novel. This paired with unlikeable main characters and a potentially toxic relationship just didn’t work for me.
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What did I like about the novel? I liked the characters of Jose and Gabriela. The best written part of the book was the epilogue and I wish more of the novel had been like this.
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The Perfect Date comes out on June 11, 2019
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Content warning: discussions/ mentions of rape, sexual harassment. There were multiple times where characters made light of potential eating disorders due to a model being skinny. Asthmatic attacks/ hospitalization of a child

I got this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) from the publisher with the understanding that I would read it and provide an unbiased review.

It's not often that I'm reading a book and think to myself "wow, this must be what watching a reality TV show feels like." I'm not a big TV person, but this book reminded me of a mashup between a reality TV show and a soap opera would look like. There were twists, and sexual tension, and wildly implausible and borderline comical situations. It wasn't my cup of tea, but if you're looking for a silly, quirky read, this may fit the bill.