This is Lynn at her best. The writing is great, the characters and dialogue realistic, and the emotions are strong - in and out of the bedroom. My only problems were two-fold.

First, for Jonas to spring a change in their relationship on Caitlin like that seemed cruel. She was in a very vulnerable position, and after two years he had to have known how skittish she was. (He certainly did six months later.) He didn't even give her time to think things over, to consider it at all. A "now or never" ultimatum was not the brightest idea he'd ever had.

Secondly, the book title is 28 Dates. The epilogue mentions 28 dates. In actual fact, there were less than a quarter of that mentioned in the story; six, to be exact. (Yes, I did go back and check numbers.)

But the rest? The secondary characters were great, it was nice to catch up with Corbin and Teagan, and the pitfalls of online dating were painfully relatable. Emotions and humour ran high, the steam ran hot. All in all a highly enjoyable read. I will keep my fingers crossed that Trey gets his own HEA soon!

Friends are a special gift. Friends with benefits are an extra perk...until it goes wrong. Commitment-phobe Caitlin learns the hard way that sometimes you fall and don't realize it until you get to stand up by yourself. This friends to lovers story is a detour. They were friends with benefits until he wanted more. He will always want more but she isn't on the same page or even in the same book. Or do she thought.

Things change. People come and go. Some are constants. Some could be swept up by the next smiling face. Caitlin needs to figure out what she wants and how to get it before it's too late.

This was a great read! I liked both main characters and read it almost straight through. Really enjoyed!

I started 28 Dates being excited about it. I had read the previous two books and liked them. So, my expectations for this book were high. I figured that a book about friends with benefits relationship turning into more would be a good read. Instead, I got a book that had me so disinterested in the characters that I almost skipped over the epilogue.

The plot for 28 Dates was interesting. Caitlin is a commitment-phobe. She refuses to do relationships. Her long term friends with benefits ended because Jonas developed feelings for her, and it scared Caitlin. So, she was surprised when her best friend asked her to beta test a dating app that he developed. All she had to do was go on 28 dates. She reluctantly agrees. The same time that she becomes the beta tester, she discovers that her feelings for Jonas haven’t disappeared over the last six months. How is she going to deal with her feelings and date at the same time? Will Caitlin finally realize that she is worth a relationship?

28 Dates started strong. I was enjoying Caitlin’s forays into Dirty’s. I was enjoying watching her friendship with Jonas deepen. Then she started beta testing that app. That is when the book began to go downhill.

The author did do a great job of showing what kind of nutcases there are when online dating. The foot fetish guy had me in tears laughing. That was genuinely funny.

I thought that Caitlin setting up her dates in Jonas’s bar was weird. I know that she felt safe there but couldn’t she pick up on the jealousy vibes from him? He wasn’t subtle about how he felt.

I did like Caitlin. She was sweet. She didn’t take any crap from any of the people she met from the app. She was a pro at putting Jonas in his place. I also liked her outlook on life.

Jonas skeeved me out. He couldn’t get over Caitlin. He acted like a toddler when she started bringing dates into his bar. Instead of coming clean about his feelings, he did something that made me go “Ewww.” I got stalker like vibes from him the entire book. What he did only reinforced my feelings on that.

The romance angle wasn’t there, even at the end of the book. Because I didn’t feel the romance, the sex scenes didn’t do it for me. Yes, they were hot, but I couldn’t get into them.

The end of the book was alright. I liked that everything was wrapped up, but it didn’t feel right to me. And the epilogue. Usually, I would be beyond happy for news like that. But this time, I was like, “eh.”

I would give 28 Dates 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 an on the fence if I would reread 28 dates I am on the fence if I would recommend it to family and friends.

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

I liked the friendship between Jonas and Caitlin in this book. She seems quirky and silly which was a fun mix to Jonas who is a little more serious but also fits with her personality. I am not a huge fan of characters who aren't open and honest with each other, and this had that in spades.

Jonas is pushing for more than friends with benefits from Caitlin and she rejects him, forcing him to move on. Needless to say he begins to date someone else making their friendship "complicated" to say the least. While she continues to hang out at his bar, they remain friends. Though at some point Jonas realizes he never got over her, and she is testing out her bosses new dating app. Their banter saved it for me from being too cheesy and the epic date fails where pretty entertaining.

Really enjoying Stacey Lynn’s writing. I love how her characters are strong but fallible. Jonas is strong & he’s decided that after 2 yrs of friends with benefits he wants more from Caitlin. Caitlin has been put aside by everyone in her life since she was a child & expects it as an adult, she’s not looking for anything because she doesn’t think she deserves love. Jonas goes to extreme measures to get her attention using the same dating app that she’s using to test for her friend & boss Trey. I laughed & cried during this book because the dates Caitlin went on were hilarious at times & Jonas’s reaction & those of his bar employees his great. I’m looking forward to reading more. Definitely recommend.

Fun, flirty, and fast-paced are just a few words to describe Stacey Lynn’s 28 Dates. This book was very enjoyable and easy to read, I finished it in one day and really liked the characters and the story.

Caitlin and Jonas have been friends with benefits for two years, but when Jonas decides he wants more out of the relationship and Caitlin isn’t quite ready, the two awkwardly go back to being just friends. When Caitlin’s best friend/tech boss Trey creates a new dating app and asks Caitlin to be a beta tester, things start to change for the pair and after a series of really awful first dates, Caitlin starts to wonder why she was so adamant about not giving Jonas a real shot.

The characters were likable, the plot was easy to follow, the drama was surprisingly minimal and this book totally left out my least favorite trope of miscommunication, which is normally so prevalent in New Adult/Contemporary Romance, so that alone gives it a higher rating in my opinion. The cringe-worthy dates were entertaining as hell and I really enjoyed every page even if nothing earth shattering or monumental happened. This book is a perfect beach read and I can’t wait to check out more by Stacey Lynn!

*Thank you to Loveswept and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I love this second chance best friend love. 28 Dates is such a wonderful read. I really couldn't put it down. Sometimes it takes 28 bad dates to make you realize what you gave up. You can feel the chemistry between Jonas and Caitlin from the start. They just have this way about that they you can't help but to love. It was fun watching Caitlin realize what Jonas really means to her. You feel for her after each disasterous date. Once you find out about Caitlin's past you understand more why she is the way she is. I love her over protective friends. If you haven't read any of the Crazy Love books yet then you need to. I love Jonas and Caitlin so much.

I loved this sweet, steamy story!

This is the story of Jonas and Caitlyn.  Friends with benefits until one wants more....

A beta testing of a dating app, some funny, yet corny Star Wars jokes and a bit of secrecy blended together makes for one heck of a story.

Caitlyn is independent and fierce, she is set in her ways until she sees things a different way.

Jonas is player wrapped in a romantic cape!  He is swoony and just wowza!

This is truly a stand alone, but I have to admit I loved seeing past characters making an impact in this story!

You can't go wrong with a Stacey Lynn story.  She writes funny, she writes smexiness and she writes perfectly!

This is a quick read, I mean I couldn't put it down until the end!  You are gonna love it!

This was such a different story, but I really enjoyed it. I liked that it was the heroine who was gun shy about committed relationships. It was a pleasant surprise since it always seems like the heroes aren’t ready to commit. Jonas was a great hero and I loved the way he slowly won Caitlin’s heart. This was a bit of a slow burn but once Caitlin and Jonas got together, they made up for lost time. If you’re looking for a fun, quick read, you’ll really enjoy this book.

Caitlyn and Jonas have been friends with benefits for a couple of years now, but Jonas has fallen hard for Caitlyn and wants more. Caitlyn, however, is relationship adverse and thinks their arrangement is perfect. She has no intention of ever committing to anyone and wants things to just stay as they are. When Jonas tells Caitlyn he wants them to have an actual relationship,  she turns him down, and shortly afterwards, he informs her that he’s met someone else and is going to pursue something with her. Caitlyn just stares at Jonas as he walks out.

Six months later, Caitlyn is still trying to move on and find another FWB but she’s stuck and she doesn’t understand why. Luckily, her best friend from college has a new dating app he is releasing and he wants Caitlyn to be his guinea pig - try it out for one month and give him feedback - and Caitlyn reluctantly agrees.

Jonas is trying to move on as well. He has been dating one woman since he and Caitlyn ended things between them, but he breaks it off when he realizes he is still in love with Caitlyn. He talks Caitlyn’s friend into letting him try out the app as well and, using a different name (Michael), starts to woo Caitlyn via messages on the dating app. He knows Caitlyn loves Star Wars so he sends her Star Wars jokes, hoping to build her interest in 'Michael'.

"Michael: Where is the best place to shop for lightsabers?

Caitlyn: I don’t know. Where?

Michael: The Darth Maul

Caitlyn: Lame. Do better

Michael: What’s a baseball player’s least favorite Star Wars movie?

Caitlyn: Seriously?

Michael: The Umpire Strikes Back"

28 Dates chronicles Caitlyn’s month using the dating app and she has some pretty bad dates - the app could definitely be improved. Some of the scenes are funny, some cringe-worthy. Jonas is a delicious hero - smart, interesting, patient, committed to his love for Caitlyn. He decides that Caitlyn is who he wants after all and he goes for it - all the time respecting her needs and fears. Some readers may be put-off when Jonas dates someone else after Caitlyn turns him down, but I was okay with it - he truly was trying to move on.

Caitlyn was harder to fall for. She is convinced that love is not for her and stews in this pot for a long time. I thought it was unfair of her to keep showing up in Jonas’ life when she had hurt him so much and was still confused about her feelings. Also, she meets most of her dates at the bar Jonas owns. She’s doing it for safety reasons, but I still had trouble believing that either of them didn’t see the problem with this. Caitlyn wonders fairly early on if she made a mistake pushing Jonas away, and the book spends too much time with them resisting an honest conversation and Caitlyn thinking she can’t have a relationship because her parents were a mess.

"I’ve never wanted a man, and yet have I been fooling myself into thinking I’m not falling in love with Jonas Reeves? Was the largest mistake I’ve ever possibly made in my entire life sending him away? This.This is why love sucks. Everyone who falls ends up disappointed. Or worse. My own family is testament to that."

28 Dates is the third in Ms. Lynn’s Crazy Love series but it can be read on its own. Pet peeve: in the book Caitlyn has curly, red hair - the cover girl has straight brown hair. Things like this just pull readers out of the narrative as they do a double-take at the cover once the characters are described. I’m no expert, but this seems like something that shouldn’t happen as often as it does!

Overall, 28 Dates is a light and fun read – if a little uninspired. If you are heading to the beach and need an easy read for the plane or beach chair, this might work for you.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
Visit our Amazon Storefront

This is the first book that I have read by Stacey Lynn and it definitely won’t be my last! I really enjoyed Jonas & Caitlin’s story. I read in one sitting.

I wanted to yell at Caitlin throughout most of the book to stop being so stubborn! I adored Jonas and I’m glad that he was determined to win over Caitlin. As much as Caitlin drove me crazy I couldn’t stop reading.

After I found out that this was the third book in the series, I was a little nervous that I would be lost. I’m glad to say that I wasn’t and I was able to read without feeling lost.

I look forward to reading more by Stacey Lynn.

I voluntarily reviewed this book

Great friends to lovers book, if your looking for a feel good book this is it. It’s hard not to fall in love with Jonas. Caitlyn is a no commitment kind of girl so the friends with benefits worked for her until Jonas wants more. Little does Caitlyn know that her boss’s dating app is about to commit her to 28 dates ... this book has a you’ve got mail feel to it . Get ready to add this to your summer reading list!

First Jonas wanted to take Caitlin on a real date!

Personal assistant Caitlin Pappas never wanted a relationship due to the disaster of her parent’s marriage and being raised by hired help and not her parents. Caitlin has a friends with benefits relationship with bar owner Jonas Reeves but when Jonas wants to take it further, she ends it wanting to stay as friends.

Caitlin is personal assistant to one of her best friends from college, app developer Trey Kollins. So when Trey finished his latest app he asked her to test it out helping people find their perfect mate in 28 dates. Caitlin signed up on the match app and not having much luck even meeting her dates at Jonas’s bar but it made Jonas realize the woman he was dating wasn’t Caitlin and he really loved Caitlin.

Jonas wanted a relationship and that was the exact opposite from Caitlin and it wasn’t easy for Jonas to convince Caitlin even though her other best friend is married because Caitlin thought her chance had passed when Jonas was dating somebody else.

28 Dates by Stacey Lynn is part of the Crazy Love series and it stands alone to enjoy it without reading the others in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What would you do if you know your best friend is your soulmate and you are afraid to step out of the friend zone?

I love a romance that has you already in a friend relationship and watch it grow. What would you do to make sure the other person in the relationship wants you in the same way?

Very romantic and funny.

Fun book

28 Dates is a FWB second chance love story with Caitlin being the scared girl afraid of a relationship with her favorite sexy bartender, Jonas. If you're a fan of Stacey Lynn's, you will love this new sexy summer read. This book was well paced, with great banter and humor, and characters that had depth. Jonas was the perfect book boyfriend and I kept wanting to read more, even though the story was as others have said "predictable". Overall, this sweet book will bring a smile to your face, so I'm giving it five chilli peppers of hotness!

I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for my unbiased opinion. All thoughts are my own, thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

3 Stars
Oh what to do when someone wants more. This is what 28 dates seems to be... We have friends with benefits that have been working great...But then tables turn and one wants more...How to make the other see more could be good and not to be afraid of the change.

Let me start by saying Jonas is very swoon worthy in this story. Caitlin was likable even with her issues. I liked how she faced her fears in the end and understood even from the beginning that she did have those fears. The secondary characters were likable and I would love to read all their stories too. The dates Caitlin went on were good and horrifyingly funny. It ended well and wasn't rushed. Overall a great romantic read.

This is a fun quick “Second chance romance or friends to lovers” read.
I loved Knocked Up and was looking forward to this one so much. I felt this was a little predictable. I knew Jonas was going to try and get to know Caitlin, via the dating app. I expecting more drama to come from their initial “break up.’ I get it, it was a friends with benefits type of deal, but it ended way too pretty. There were feelings and that made Caitlin, flee and made Jonas, trying to move on.. But when he does Caitlin, decides “hey, I kinda miss him and wow he wasn’t so bad.” That sort of didn’t sit well with me and I have no hard limits when reading. Jonas, knows he only can ever love Caitlin, so breaking up with his girlfriend can no longer be avoided. Caitlin, is unaware of the break up and keeps longing from afar.
I did enjoy the Idea of finding love or boyfriend material with the. 28 dates app. It was an original plot that I have not read yet. I really enjoyed Caitlin ‘s relationship with her guy friends.
After overcoming trust issues and her fear of love, Caitlin, realizes that in fact that Jonas is the right guy for her.
This was a quick pleasing read.

28 Dates is the third book in the Crazy Love series by Stacy Lynn. It is currently scheduled for release on June 11 2019. Each of the books in this series can be read on its own, but returning characters make reading the books together even better.

Caitlin Pappas is a lifelong commitment-phobe. The closest thing she’s had to a relationship in the last few years was a friends-with-benefits thing that fizzled out because the guy wanted more. So when she and her best friend design a new app that promises to find “the one”, Caitlin is the perfect guinea pig. Little does she know that she may have already met her match. Jonas Reeves has tried his best to move on after Caitlin didn’t want take things to the next level. Now they really are just friends, without benefits. Caitlin’s even a regular at his bar, The Dirty Martini. But when he learns that Caitlin plans to beta-test a new dating app on his home turf, Jonas senses a golden opportunity to win her heart. Even if he has to slide into her DMs to do it.

28 Dates is a romance with lots of heart, and emotion but less heat than I have come to expect. This is not a bad thing, it works perfectly with this story. If there had been more heat I think it would have destroyed some of the character and story building that made the tension and story itself so poignant. Caitlin has little faith in love, after having a less than stellar history with family and support. However, great friends have lowered some of her walls- and lingering feelings for Jonas confuse and worry her. Jonas is confidant that real love exists, and he wants a future with Caitlin enough to risk everything. I love the conversations they have, and how hard they work to keep the other around even when they think friendship is all they will ever have. I really loved the secondary characters and how everything comes together for our couple, in spite of themselves. This was a feel good love story that often had me smiling as I read.

The only thing that bothered me has nothing to do with the writing, but with the cover. Caitlin's red hair is mentioned many, many times in the story- but the cover model clearly is not a redhead. I know the author does not always have say in the cover image, but I would hope that someone along the way would check character descriptions against cover images. Just saying.

28 Dates is another novel with heart from Lynn. I love the writing style and depth of character. I think all fans of the author will be thrilled with this offering, and be waiting for what ever she does next.