review will be published on the pub date of the book

The Dating Charade

The cover of the book is absolutely stunning and is actually the main reason, why I gave „The Dating Charade“ a chance. After reading the book I think that if the author’s writing style works for you, this could be a very entertaining book for you. The story is definitely a special one and quiet unique. It’s unlike everything I have read in the past, which is something that doesn’t happen too often. Unfortunately I had severe issues with the author’s writing style, it seemed a bit clipped. And because of this I struggled with getting into a good reading flow which is crucial for me. And that’s why this book didn’t work for even though I wanted it to.

I would definitely check out an excerpt before buying the book, which I of course didn’t do.

The cover is intriguing and the premise is clever. Sadly, this novel didn't deliver. There is so much happening at the beginning and so many random scenes strung together that it is impossible to understand the stakes and the obstacles the characters are up against. It's also categorized as Christian romance, but there's nothing inspirational or faith-based anywhere in the book. I understand the market is changing and readers aren't necessarily looking for didactic teaching in fiction. On the other hand, I feel this novel is in danger of aggravating and confusing readers. A debut novel is not the time to blend genres, or worse, promise one thing and then not deliver.
The book description also implies that this will be a hilarious read, but I didn't find it all that humorous. While Jett is an appealing hero and demonstrates growth as a character, Cassie is very flat and unappealing. This novel is described as a romance, but the hero and heroine are rarely together. Jett spends more time with his neighbor Sarah than he ever does with Cassie. When Jett and Cassie are together, their interactions are brief and stilted, so when the novel ends and they're all a blended family, it doesn't seem plausible. How did they ever have time to develop a relationship and genuinely fall in love?
Thank you for the opportunity. This one missed the mark for me.

I absolutely loved this book! It was basically contemporary romance perfection in my book. This heartwarming story was sprinkled with humor and had a plot that kept me invested while being completely entertaining. The characters were great and were easy to love! Excellent first read for me by this author!!! I’m so excited to have another romance author to add to my list! This one is gong. To be one of my favorites of the year!

This was REALLY great. I received this as a complimentary copy from Netgalley. I really enjoyed reading this! The plot was awesome and interesting and I really enjoyed it. Cassie was great, Jett was great. I am really pleased that they ended up together. I love the blended family. I appreciate that Cassie wasn't pregnant at the end after having fertility struggles - most other books would have gotten her pregnant at the end but I am really pleased that she didn't.
As a sidenote: I do wish that there was more of a dive into Bree's pronouncement about the kids have lived trauma and how to deal with the trauma of terminating parental rights and the trauma of adoption. That would have been a great avenue to dig deep on.

I am always on the lookout for a book that will make me laugh and this one did! Over and over again! I had so much fun, I could not put it down. Serious issues were dealt with in agonizing truth at times, so it was not all fluff, it had some wonderful hard-hitting themes actually. I would say this was more like life charades than dating charades and more about comedic life than romance. It held my interest and I flew through this book and missed some sleep because of it. The characters were individual and interesting, flawed and so lovable. Christian fiction needs more books that make you laugh and this one is the perfect addition to your to-be-read lost and reading shelf! I loved The Dating Charade and can’t wait for more by this author!

Easy-reading and fun, The Dating Charade is exacty how the blurb made it sound. Cassie is a skeptical single woman with bad dating history, all too ready to pull the plug on a first date in the best way possible. Jett is all too ready to dodge her rejection and charm his way into a second date. Both admitting they don't want children on their first date, the plot quickly becomes hilarious as both have to hide their three children from each other after taking over their care in unexpected circumstances. Jett becomes the unlikely guardian for his three nieces/nephews and Cassie become the unlikely guardian for three sisters she knows from her childcare work. Obviously, neither have parenting experience and all three kids seem a handful.

It reminded me of the film Life As We Know It. Would definitely recommend for a short and sweet chick-flick.

Cute and quirky read.
I was attracted by the cover but the book didn’t disappoint.
A perfectly pleasant read.

The Dating Charade is the story of Cassie and Jett - both single people who have not had any luck in their romantic lives. After their first date, both feel like it is meant to be. However, when both are faced with taking care of three children each, the possibility of making a new relationship work seems difficult.
This book is definitely marketed as a lighthearted romantic comedy, and while it had funny elements in it, it had a lot of struggles and hardships as well. I felt like they were not explored as much as I would have liked to connect with the characters. This book deals with foster care, addiction, abandonment, to name a few issues. While I really liked the characters, we were not able to delve into them and their problems a much. The transitions from one chapter to another were a bit rough, I felt like we didn't get to read about a lot of what went on.
Don't get me wrong, I do think it is an emotional and great debut for Melissa Ferguson, but it lacks a bit of depth and development. I would love it more if it was 150 pages longer.

I have to admit that I'm a bit torn as to how to rate this book. I was expecting a lighthearted laugh-filled rom-com based on the title, cover, and marketing and this did not fit that mold (even the description didn't do it justice in describing how heavy some of the topics would be). Melissa Ferguson tackled some difficult themes in her debut novel; abandonment, addiction, fostering, infertility, singleness. And I would say she handled them quite well. The romance in this book took a back seat through the majority of the book though (I think the couple was at 3 and a tenth dates by the end if I remember correctly). I think what was supposed to be humorous wound up falling flat for me because of the heaviness of the topics being covered. While many will laugh at the antics of the twins, I felt at times it was over the top. Now, I'm not a mother to toddler twins and Ferguson is so I've no doubt she would know better than I do when it comes to how much mischief they can get into. I thought Ferguson could have delved deeper into the feelings of the MCs. When Cassie has her three foster children taken from her care, we don't really get to experience the loss through her feelings and the book even skips ahead a couple of months. I didn't feel that I really knew Cassie by the end of the book as a result. There was also one rather large unanswered question that wasn't explained in the end... which left me feeling a bit gypped with that storyline. Overall, I think this is a solid debut. It held my attention and kept me reading and tugged at my heartstrings (I can certainly understand why Ferguson decided to go into fostering). I will definitely be giving her next book a read (although I'm curious to see if it truly is a rom-com). I think if you go into this book without expecting a fun rom-com, you'll have an entirely different experience with the book.

3.5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow! I loved this story!!! I cannot believe that this is Melissa Ferguson’s debut! I am definitely going to be watching out for more of her books! I hope she’s a fast writer! This book was full of everything I love in a romance - humor, heart, wonderful main characters, great secondary characters, and, of course, a happily ever after with a few bumps along the way!

Jett and Cassie are both such wonderful and giving characters. There were some serious and sad parts to this story, which really brought out just how giving they both were. And the humor? I laughed out loud so many times while reading this story! Cassie’s sure way out of a date was so funny. And Jett and the toddlers at church was hilarious! I think I laughed nonstop that entire scene! My only one tiny issue with this story was that I wished Jett and Cassie had more page time together.

I’m really hoping we get Bree’s story next. But, if not, I’ll be reading whatever Melissa Ferguson writes next! Wonderful debut! 4.5 stars!

I was given a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC.

This title was advertised in the Romance section of NetGalley which is why I chose the title. However, I would have categorized this as general Christian Fiction. Yes, there is a dating couple, Jett and Cassie, but this story centers more on each main characters interactions with young people, and how they each step up to take care of children that need help.

This is a light, clean, wholesome read, but I was expecting a romance novel.

What a surprise this book was! When I read the back cover copy I didn’t understand exactly how the conflict would play out. But when I realized this tackled the issue of foster care I was on board especially since I’m a foster parent. Not only is every line and analogy filled with humor, Melissa handles the realities of foster care with expertise and a side of humor. I definitely endorse this book as a foster parent. As a wannabe writer I endorse the fantastic writing and as a romance lover this is one of the best romances I’ve read this year!

Cute! This book totally reminded me of the movie Instant Family. The best parts were with Jett and the kids. As a mom who hasn’t been out of the toddler years for too long, I could soooo relate...and it makes me wonder just how much personal experience Melissa Ferguson pulled from her own kids. 😅

I really wanted to like this one more, but some of the scenarios seemed just a bit too farfetched for me. The characters were well developed and had some fun quirks that made it interesting to read. It was a cute story, one with a happy ending, of course, and a good summer read.

The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson is her debut contemporary romance. I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romance because of the predictability and the unoriginal story ideas with a happily-ever-after ending. I like more action, and the characters running for their lives. But Ferguson's novel isn't your typical contemporary romance novel. It has a raw and realistic view of the foster care system thrown in with some budding romance. I really enjoyed how the novel was funny at times. I really liked the two old ladies in the novel. They were a great addition to the story. I loved when they made an appearance. The romance wasn't over the top and not the main idea of the story. Cassie and Jett had to figure out how to work the romance they wanted in around their hectic lives. I do wish that Jett would have shown how he learned to calm the twins down. They were never told no and had more junk food than anyone I know and wondered why they were jumping around, destroying everything. It doesn't take much parenting to realize this was the wrong way to handle things. Overall, The Dating Charade was a fun read with emphasis on foster parenting. I didn't mind spending the couple of hours with this novel. If you enjoy Becky Wade or Melissa Tagg, then you might enjoy this novel too.

I received a complimentary copy of The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Well..first it’s not really a romance book. It’s listed under the Romance category on NetGalley but it’s just a tad and very secondary.
Second..it’s a clean Christian romance. I have no issue but it wasn’t listed as that on NetGalley.
I just couldn’t connect with everything..so much happened in the book. It was just too much.
It’s sweet and inspirational, I suppose.
Just not my cup of tea.
**ARC provided by NetGalley

Whoever came up with the old cliche, 'never judge a book by it's cover' was CLEARLY talking about The Dating Charade. Looking at the fun cover image and even reading the back cover copy, I expected nothing more from this book than a light-hearted romantic comedy. While it certainly had that too, it was so much more than I expected...and I absolutely loved it.



The story drew me in laughing from the start as we meet Cassie and her fail proof date escape plan. I couldn't help but suppress the laughs. THIS was just what I had anticipated this story would be. Fun. But while the humor carries on throughout the story to the final pages, it also goes onto tackle some pretty weighty topics in the midst of that. Topics like the foster care system and addiction. Not topics you'd think to talk about in a romantic comedy, is it? Still, the author blended the humor so beautifully with these deeper issues to create a heartwarming story that I could not get enough of. You'll be laughing at those humorous scenarios... but you'll want to have a box of tissues ready too.

While this is a Christian romance, I could see it appealing to a wider audience as well. There are certainly elements of faith found throughout the story, but there is not a preachy tone in the slightest. The characters attend church, they talk about praying, etc so it really just falls very naturally into the characters lives, reading more like a clean women's fiction or contemporary romance with characters who happen to be Christians/believers.



This book was so well done that I was quite shocked to discover that it was Melissa Ferguson's debut novel.What a debut! I look forward to reading more from her in the future!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own.

Cassie knows how to bolt because with dating or worse off online dating the person you meet may be totally different from what they displayed on their profile.
I loved Cassie's friend, Bree, and how she took the reins in pushing Cassie to give in to the possibility of commitment and love. Then there's Jett, he's kind, respectful and a hardworking firefighter but single-so single that the elderly ladies wouldn't mind being young just to date him. It's a great warm read.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

It was a great, entertaining book. My only disappointment was that there wasn't a lot of romance, it was more about their individual family situation. Not a bad thing, it just didn't meet the expectation I'd set. Overall, it was fun and had a lot of humor and great characters.

Cassie and Jett meet through a dating app. Just when she is thinking she has met someone she will give a chance too, they both end up with big changes in their lives. The problem is that they don't talk to each other about this, so is it over before it even began?

A great read.