I was excited to read The Perfect Date. The blurb totally pumped this book up for me. Then I read the book and was let down.

I liked The Perfect Date’s plotline, despite not liking the book. With everything stripped away, I thought that the plotline was solid. If the author chose to focus on that main storyline instead of bringing in all of the outside drama, it would have made this book a little bit better.

I did not like Angel. She was a rage fueled, nasty, immature woman. Every scene she was in ended in some sort of confrontation. She left a bad taste in my mouth. Now, I did feel bad for her with her issues with Dr. Collins. But other than that, nope.

I didn’t like Duke either. The way he treated Angel throughout the book made me sick. He manhandled her (twice!!), he didn’t stick up for her when she needed it, and he objectified her sexually. There were parts of the book that I did feel bad for him. He was obviously in pain from his ankle injury. His survivor’s guilt over his teammates killing was palpable. His relationship with his father was tenuous at best. But I couldn’t like him.

What I didn’t like was that this book insinuated that sexual assault and sexual harassment was something that should be put up with. The scenes with Angel and Dr. Collins standout in my mind. As well as the scenes with Duke and Roland at the club. There were times in the book where I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

I got zero sense of romance from The Perfect Date. Angel and Duke had zero sparks between them. Plus, whenever they were out together, he treated her like crap. The sex scenes, thankfully, weren’t graphic. But if they had been, I have a feeling that they wouldn’t have done it for me. Because of how I felt about Angel and Duke. And because of the lack of anything between the two of them.

I also had an issue knowing when the book shifted to another character. I would be reading Angel’s part of the story and bam, it would be Duke. I had to reread chapters because of that. Again, something that drove me nuts about the book and just added to my displeasure with it.

The end of The Perfect Date was interesting. I liked how everything was combined at the end. I felt that justice was served in several instances. But at the same time, it didn’t ring true with me. And the epilogue, well, that definitely didn’t ring true with me.

I would give The Perfect Date an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would not reread The Perfect Date. I would not recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

I gave this book so many more chances than I often give books. This, after all, seemed right up my alley, latinx leads, sports – what else could I ask for?

The answer, is, sadly, a lot. Proper Spanish, for once, because with phrases like “Usted va a la escuela, muestran al mundo que las niñas puertoriqueñas no deben ser,” you’d be hard pressed to make me believe anyone who speaks Spanish wrote this book, much less read it at any point from the moment of writing to publication.

I can also ask, in general, for likeable characters. I mean, they don’t have to start perfectly, and they can go on journeys, but at some point during the book I should be able to enjoy reading about them, if not, why am I even reading?

And also, I can, and in 2019, I do ask for a romance book that doesn’t need to put down other women to make the point that the protagonist is somehow better. This isn’t – shouldn’t be – a competition.

That’s without going into the drama of it all, God, the DRAMA. And not like regular drama, either, but like SUPER OVER THE TOP drama of the kind that made me roll my eyes every two seconds and made me want to put down the book countless times.

Usually, just the Spanish mistakes would have been enough. Considering my expectations, I gave this book another chance after that. I’m sad to say that was the wrong choice. You don’t need to read this book. I don’t need to read this book. Life is too short.

The Perfect Date

I should have googled the book before I started reading it. I have made a commitment to stop reading reality tv/internet people books (without careful consideration) and I did not realize that following that rule could have saved me from this book. It’s not good. The cover is the cutest, but the book is almost unreadable.
The Perfect Date is about Angel, a single mother in nursing school trying to take care of her asthmatic son José. She meets the Duke, a pitcher for the Yankees with an ankle injury, past legal trouble, and some potential money problems and then romance apparently happens. I didn’t see it though.
The writing is so bad. If it was written by anyone without fame it would never never never have been published. I would be embarrassed to be associated with this book. The writing is hard to follow, point of view switches are terribly executed, it is hard to figure out who is doing what half the time. I thought Again, But Better was bad but I hadn’t read this book yet.
The plot is so drama laden it will most certainly make your eyes roll. The tragedy porn being dumped on the reader right at the beginning is so poorly done. People can most certainly have lives that are this terrible, but the way it’s just laid out for you right at the beginning is just bad plotting and character development. And as the book progresses the drama gets more and more outlandish. How many times does someone need to walk in on sex in one book? And how long do you need to stare at two people banging before you figure out what’s happening and turn your ass around?!?
I hated they way this book talked about most women that weren’t our heroin, Angel. Everyone she worked with was “anorexic” and too skinny for our hero, the Duke, to want to bang. No other woman is shown to be smart, out heroin is a special woman because she has layers. It is bullshit that this kind of attitude about women is still being published in 2019. And it’s not like it’s a nuanced look at gender or how women are expected to behave. It’s just Angel is amazing, her neighbor/friend is fine, basically all other women are terrible.
Our romantic lead is someone who apaproaches Angel and says “I hear you take you shirt off for money” and we are supposed to like him?!?? He has such terrible behavior throughout this book when interacting with Angel. I am so over aggression and bad behavior being presented as sexy.
Angel is all “I don’t need a man” but is also day dreaming about a man “taking care of her”. Which is super outdated also doesn’t match up with the author trying to convince us that Angel is smart and self sufficient. I just wish that the character development was better.
So I recommend this book to no one. And if anyone has any actually cute romance recommendations I would love to hear them.

I am going to be 100% honest and tell you that I didnt think I was going to like this book but had an open week for a blog tour and decided “What the hell? Why not?” I am so glad I did because this book was actually very good. I think the fact that it was written by a reality star is what initially threw me off but she did an excellent job and let’s be honest, Reality stars know drama and there was not a shortage of that in this book!!

I loved that Angel is a single mom putting herself through nursing school. I remember being a single mom and working while going to school for medical assisting and it was exhausting. That instantly helped me relate to Angel. She was an excellent mom and not once put herself or someone else above caring for her son. Getting mixed up with Duke initially starts out terribly. He invites her out to a party and it is DRAMA!!!! I was ready to get out the popcorn cause it was freaking great drama too!! I have no doubt in my mind that the author probably based some of this drama off some real life stuff that she’s seen happen with being an athlete’s wife and reality star.

Another thing I loved about this romance was that it wasn’t all daises and rainbows. There was a smidgen of romance but the majority of it was life and finding out who you could really trust in your circle. Finally have a romance story where the female wasn’t a doormat made this even more enjoyable and another way it made it more relateable. I’ve got a mouth on me so the sassier the characters the better.

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 (4.5 out of 5) I loved reading this book and have already started recommending it to friends.

Very rarely am I on the up side of a YMMV review. Usually I am wondering how readers are loving a book I couldn't stand, that was poorly written, etc. Yet here I am, wondering how I enjoyed a book that readers found misogynistic (?!) with unlikable characters. I most definitely understand the term "misogynistic" even if I don't throw it around at the drop of a hat. So, let's wade through this and see what's what.

First off, The Perfect Date is not your typical romance. I don't believe that it's intended to be. You might be led to believe that it's a Cinderella story, but this Cinderella, Angel Gomez, is working two jobs, is a single mother caring for an asthmatic son she had at 15 when she was abandoned by the baby's father, and is now finishing up her nursing degree. She rocks. She doesn't take sh*t from anyone, but she has her good friends who she loves and who look after her like family, especially her neighbor Gabriela. I just have to mention how truly much I enjoyed that part of the story, how Gabriela and Latisha and the others in the beauty salon band together to help Angel. Even though they aren't family, they are family. They are the *best* family.

The Prince in this story is Duke, a once star pitcher for the Yankees who was inured in a shooting that killed his best friend. Duke hasn't healed, and it's that time of year again when players are getting on the field and strutting their stuff, but Duke doesn't have any stuff to strut. Duke is messed up, but he has a good heart shown by how he talks down Jose, Angel's son, in the waiting room when Jose is going through an asthma attack and generally tries to do the right thing. While he also is up and down in his initial treatment of Angel, I really can't say that this is extremely different from other books I've read where readers enjoy their alpha bad boys. Duke is depicted as a real person with failings; he is not overly bad nor overly good.

There is a lot of drama. But not angst. By now, you know that if there's angst, all of that: poor, poor me stuff and self-absorption and pouting that I'm out the door. No. There's drama, but it's the kind of drama that has you flipping pages. It's the kind of drama where I felt bad for the tough 23-year old Angel, who's trying to navigate situations she's never been in before with types of people she's never had to associate with before. She was great. She has guts and is kickass.

There are bad guys. Duke's father can be unpleasant. Dr. Collins who seemingly holds Angel's career in the palms of his lecherous hands is very unpleasant. There are cowards and greedy beyotches.

But, I liked this story. I liked the moments of humor. I liked how it made a statement about how Latino and black children react differently to asthma and its medications and how this needs to be investigated and treated.

This was a story about People of Color written by a Person of Color, so #ownvoices is very relevant.

Misogyny? No, the the author was not misogynistic. She did, however, portray several men being men who behave extremely badly and unless you live under a blanket or a rock or some other obscure place, this happens. If you're a woman, you know this happens and I believe the author only offered a reality that many women face. Perhaps it was heightened drama...or not. I can certainly never speak for all of the things that can happen to attractive young women in a man's world, especially in environs where I've never been. 

At the end of the day, I liked The Perfect Date more than I expected and found it to be the an engrossing read.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun sports romance for sure. It felt a little forced at times, but mostly drama and kind of full of stereotypes.

"The Perfect Date" is one of those books that draws the reader into the drama that is unfolding on the pages and with this book there is a lot. The two main characters, Angel and Duke, have a lot to deal with in their own lives personally, and professionally, and neither is really looking for love. Angel became a mom young while in her teens and then her support system, her mother, passed away when her son was two years old. She has been trying to keep afloat and do what is best for her son. Very quickly, she discovers that she needs to pretend with Duke, and carry on a charade as this is going to be beneficial for her. Duke is struggling from an injury and trying to work through some of his own issues and he needs a good thing happening for him in the tabloids right now. As these two lives intersect the reader is taken on quite the ride as several issues are addressed and dealt with. This is a quick read, not a light, "beach read," but a book that will draw you in have you thinking about struggles that other have to deal with.

Review
I'm sad to say that I didn't fall in love with this book as I had hoped too. The cover was gorgeous and I'm always down for a story with diverse characters. I was over the moon when I was excepted to be part of the blog tour and that's why it saddens me that I didn't enjoy the book. I will write my honest opinions as always,

What I did like : I loved that Angel is hardworking single mother. She works at a club at night to support her and her son while also in nursing school. I can relate to the character in this aspect as I also went to nursing school while supporting my son. It's difficult and requires a lot of sacrifices in order to do well in school.

What I disliked: There was so much drama, I can get behind a story with some angst, but I found some of these scenarios way over the top. Duke was very rude and unlikable. He treated Angel poorly and yet she continued to peruse him.

Overall, I am incredibly disappointed. I just didn’t feel the romance. Between the fake-dating / real-dating / doctor drama / baseball drama, it was all too much thrown out to you at once. This book is a little rough around the edges, I think with more time spent on editing and developing the characters that the book would really benefit.

I am not the targeted audience for this book and could not relate to the characters especially Angel who seemed to be full of rage with a chip on her shoulder. I think this book is best suited for hip, young urban readers. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

I was expecting a nice romcom from the brief breakdown of the story. I felt like the romance took a backseat to all the other things that came up in the story. There was a lot to uncover but overall I enjoyed this story. The pace was nice and fast and I enjoyed the writing!

I thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s (MacMillan) for providing me an early ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
Although I don’t normally look at the reviews of a book in detail before I read it (I do to decide if I’m interested in reading the book or not, but I don’t want to spoil my enjoyment), because I update my current reading on several book sites, I can’t help but see what the general ratings for the book I’m about to start reading look like. Let me tell you I was alarmed when I saw how many 1 star reviews this book had. I was even more concerned because, based on the description, I had agreed to participate in a Blog tour, and I was worried about having made a serious mistake and having to vow out of it. Luckily, I enjoyed the book (yes, it’s far from perfect, but I wasn’t expecting perfection), and I wonder if having read the reviews and getting a clear idea of what had upset other readers didn’t prepare me for what was to come and helped me not go into it with false expectations.
The cover, I think, can make people expect a “sweet” or “cute” romance. Well, that, it is not. The description hints at the personality of Angel (perhaps more accurately than that of Duke, whom many readers didn’t like at all), but readers might have expected a more standard romance, where the romantic side of things is the main story. I agree with the readers who said this novel has a lot of “drama”. Oh, yes, it does. It is like a melodrama on steroids, rough around the edges, and it feels like a fairly extreme soap opera. People wear their hearts (and rage) on their sleeves, they don’t do stiff-upper-lip or measured emotions, and they throw themselves headlong into life. It might be because I’m Spanish and we are supposed to be “red-blooded” (what other colour our blood would be, I have no idea), “passionate”, and “hot tempered” and those attributes (I don’t think they are always helpful, but I refuse to call them defects) are also expected of Latinos in general, and because I’ve watched and enjoyed Central and South-American soap operas, but I did like the oomph of Angel, the main character, even if she was not always consistent (but hey, I’ve never found characters in romantic novels or chick-lit entirely consistent). In some ways, her part of the story has strong elements of women’s fiction, even if the style of writing is different. A young Puerto-Rican woman, a single mother from a young age, she’s had to fight against the odds to try to make a living for herself and her little boy, Jose, who unfortunately suffers from asthma. Working two jobs at the same time, studying all hours to get her nursing qualification, and relying on her friend Gabriela, the hairdresser with a heart of gold (the interaction between the women sometimes made me think of Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes, minus the Southern gentility), being subject to a #metoo kind of situation (well, more than one), she is pushed and pulled in all directions but tries to remain strong and keep her moral compass. Yes, she loses her cool every so often, but I cheered her on more than once.
Hers is a Cinderella story, indeed, one in a more soap operatic style than a gentle fairy tale (not that fairy tales are truly gentle), with over the top villains who seem to be villains just because they are (no justification or exploration of the baddies. In olden times, I’m sure one of them would have worn a big moustache he’d twirl, and the other one would have been a proper witch), and where Cinderella is far from the passive and pretty young girl just waiting for the prince to come rescue her (she actually kicks him out more than once). The love interest, Caleb, “The Duke”, has his own Cinderella story, as they share in their humble origins (although he is African-American rather than Puerto-Rican), but he’s now living the aftermath of the Cinderella story, and realising that the people who surround him are not true friends, and money cannot buy the really important things. Many readers say he is not likeable because he thinks only of himself (well, yes, mostly, although he shows concern for Angel’s boy, puts his own career at risk for him, and he is also outraged when he reads about the lack of appropriate asthma treatment for children from diverse ethnic background). We do learn about his circumstances, he is put through the wringer in the novel, and his character bears some resemblance to the rakes readers of Georgian and Victorian literature are so fond of. (Perhaps he lacks some of the charm, but that might be in part because we see him from his own point of view at times, rather than what tends to happens with the rogues, who tend to remain attractive, mysterious and dangerous men, whose motivations we know little about). He helps save the day in the end, and, although he will not rate among my favourite male protagonists, he isn’t the worst either.
The book includes many side-stories —I’ve mentioned the issue of the lack of treatments for Jose, and the novel makes a serious point about the lack of investment in research, by the pharmaceutical companies, of appropriate treatment for diverse populations. Yes, we are not all young white males and our bodies do not respond the same as theirs to the medication; and we also have difficult family relations, grief, sexual harassment, alcohol and drug abuse… — and it is set in the world of sports (baseball), and of celebrity culture. Considering Lozada’s credentials, I am not surprised she has a lot to say on the subject, and the baseball players’ wives (a bit like the footballers’ wives in other countries) interactions rang true. There are comedic moments, although they are far from subtle and some people might not find them funny, but if you let yourself go along for the ride and get into the spirit of it, this is a fun read, touching and inspiring as well.
The book is narrated in the third-person, alternating the points of view of Angel and The Duke. As I said, I read an early ARC copy of the novel, and I noticed readers complained about there not being a clear distinction between the one point of view and the other, but expect this will have been corrected in the final version of the novel, as will, I hope, some awkward Spanish phrasing at the beginning of the book.
Although this is not a standard romantic novel, the ending does live up to the genre (wish-fulfilment and all) and yes, I enjoyed it. If you’re easily offended or are looking for a genteel and/or gentle romance, this is not the book for you. I’d recommend reading through the sample and being prepared for a full-on whirlwind soap, that stretches the limits of credibility (and for some, perhaps, of good taste), and mixes a lot of other genres. If all that doesn’t scare you, give it a go! It will be a wild ride!

I think this title might struggle a tad, as it's clearly marketed to the Rom-Com audience, but it's written more for the soap-opera subgenre of reality tv. That's not a bad thing, but that completely adorable cover clashes with the almost entirely unlikable cast. The reviewers on GoodReads aren't wrong on this one (no, I can't believe I just said that, either). Not a bad book, not a bad cover, but a mismatch. There's an audience out there, but it's not Jasmine Guillory's, nor Alexa Martin's. I'm thrilled to have something to share with reality tv fans!

I was a little dubious going into this book. The cover is adorable and the synopsis makes the book sound so good. But I read a few reviews before starting and to say they were mixed would be generous. Still, I received this book in exchange for a fair review, so I was prepared to be open minded. Then I saw that the author quoted herself in the acknowledgments... I've read thousands of books, and that's the first time I've ever seen that, so I braced myself from there.

THE PERFECT DATE follows Angel, a hard-working single mom attempting to keep her head above water and finish nursing school and Caleb “The Duke” Lewis, a professional baseball player. They meet in a community clinic where Angel is bringing her son for an emergency breathing treatment; Duke is there getting his ankle looked at. Yes, the professional baseball player, worth millions of dollars, decides to bribe a community clinic doctor with $1500 to wrap his ankle instead of going to a private athletic trainer or therapist. Umm. What?

The whole book pretty much unravels from there. Besides the ridiculous and poorly researched baseball facts, the writing was clunky, the scene switches were abrupt, and both main characters were unlikable in the extreme. To make matters worse, I've never read a more inconsistently characterize heroine than Angel. One minute she's so angry and full of fire, then we switch to Duke's POV and she's all fresh-faced innocence and "not like other girls." Spare me.

I gave up on this book at 42% when we meet the other baseball girlfriends and wives whose vapid and shallow conversations made it impossible to continue torturing myself. I could feel the drama ramping up (baseball drama, fake dating drama, money drama, doctor drama) and I just wasn't invested enough to put myself through all of that extra drama in a very, very short book. Plus Duke has basically been a self-serving jerk the whole story and set Angel up for humiliation (ignorance does not excuse him) at the party.

Overall, I am incredibly disappointed. I was really hoping to make it to at least 50%, and maybe if the writing had been better, I would have been able to overcome my distaste, but it wasn't. Moving on with my life! Hopefully, this book connects with someone else, it just didn't with me.

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

2.5 stars - I don't really have much to say about this one. I wasn't a big fan of any of the characters. I didn't like that the men were all awful towards women (even if they tried to not be ... they still fell right back into it). I just wasn't a fan of this book & the relationships in it.

The Perfect Date is a charming book about a single mother who is asked to be a fake date for a popular baseball player with too many issues. I love Angel. She is a strong, unwed, Puerto Rican woman who is support herself and her asthmatic son by working as a bartender by night and nursing school during the day. Her struggles are relatable to any woman trying to get ahead and make ends meet. Caleb is a baseball player recovering from an injury. He has a problematic ex and money issues. When these two are together the spark is undeniable. A great quick summer read. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press to extending the invitation for me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Angel is one hardworking single mother. She works at a club at night to support her and her son. She is also in nursing school. She has no intention of falling in love. She just doesn’t have time for that! Enter Caleb! He is the star pitcher for the Bronx Bolts and Angel is not impressed! She is immune to his charm and good looks….until she isn’t!

Caleb and Angel have a love-hate thing going at the first. Angel is a fiery Puerto Rican and she does not take crap off of anyone. She doesn’t care if that someone IS the star pitcher. Caleb is attracted to her from the first he laid eyes on her. These two make a wonderful team.

I enjoyed Angel. She is my type of female character. She is tough, independent and smart. She and Caleb have a rocky start. But, soon they both realize they have way to much chemistry to ignore. Plus any book that talks baseball is perfect for me! This is a quick, enjoyable romance.

I received this novel from St. Martin’s Press for a honest review.

Angel Gomez, a single NYC mother working hard to support her asthmatic son and to earn her nursing degree, gets drawn into a fake relationship with a Yankees' pitcher whose career is in jeopardy due to injury (he needs a reason to explain why he's visiting a medical clinic; she's a student working on her practicum there). The set-up sounds great.

The first big annoyance is that the baseball references were completely unbelievable. A star pitcher is NOT going to get "fired" for having an injury. A major league team would have doctors either on staff or doctors with whom they work overseeing an injured player, and most likely some contractual language obligating him to work with said doctors rather than running off to a shady doctor on his own. And a pitcher would have been down in Florida for spring training, along with the other catchers and pitchers, not in NYC. And he would have been at the ball park every day, rather than chasing around after Angel...

What is really upsetting here, though, is the romance, or lack thereof. Most of the novel shows Angel and Duke being suspicious, doubtful, and many times outright cruel to one another; none of the good feelings, longing, or even romantic tension one reads romance for exists in Angel and Duke's difficult relationship. One can admire Angel's determination to make something of herself without liking her approach to romance. After Angel thinks "Then she knew. She'd lost all respect for Duke. As that respect receded like a wave, it also wiped out her desire to be with him," I'm all "you go, girl." But alas, she kept the door open, and he and she kept being cruel to each other, which made me lose all respect for both of them.

This was the first book I read by these authors, but I was not disappointed. There were some times that the way the characters spoke irritated me, but it didn't deter me from reading. Duke and Angel come from different worlds. He is a successful baseball player and she is a struggling single mom. She works multiple jobs and is going to school so she can make a better life for her son, Jose.
When he goes to the clinic where she works, the press finds out and want to know if he will be able to play in a week. He uses the cover of visiting his girl, Angel, as his reason for being there. They spend more time together, neither one beliving the other truly likes him/her. She sees what his life is truly like and wants no part of it. She got accused of doing something that she caught someone else doing.
Not only is he recovering, and not very well, but he is also still struggling with the murder of his friend/teammate. She is struggling to keep her son alive, he has asthma and the insurance she has doesn't pay for his medicine. Between an angry, vindictive ex, a slimy boss, a dad who may or may not be trusted, it doesn't look good for these to find a way to be together. When he makes a decision that she doesn't agree with, she believes he isn't who she thought he was. The real questions are: will he go through with it, and did he kill his teammate like some believe.
I recieved an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Angel Gomez is all about pulling herself up. She keeps persevering when life keeps throwing her curve balls. She is studying to be a nurse at the same time being a bartender. She also has the most adorable child and is raising with the help of friends. Caleb "The Duke"Willis is just trying to keep his job as a pitcher for The Yankees. He goes to this clinic he knows which will keep things quiet. While there he meets the most beautiful woman. Little did he know she would be a thorn in his side. She keeps pushing him to be better. She doesn't put up with his crap. In the end, he turns into the person he can live with.

I love baseball romances! Unfortunately this was not one of my favorites - I thought the character development was lacking. On top of that, there were too many inconsistencies to how MLB players are actually treated for me to believe anything (I am a huge baseball fan, so this might not deter a casual fan). Also, the main character was a Yankee... which is in my Red Sox blood to hate! 😝

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.