Lisa and Simon meet on a blind date arranged by their best friends under the guise of a newspaper article.
Both of them have major baggage from previous relationships - Lisa is looking for love at all costs; Simon (who didn't know he was going on a blind date) doesn't believe he'll find love again or even if he wants to.
What follows is a 24 hour plus ride-a-long with Lisa and Simon and their date.
A light-hearted read about how a blind date could potentially change your life.
I didn't enjoy it as much as his previous book "At The Wedding" but its good for a lazy day read.

spoiler alert ** Some funny moments,some sweet moments. Mostly an enjoyable read.
It ticked quite a few boxes on the romantic comedy front.... perfect ex girlfriend,fool of ex boyfriend. Meddling friends. Lots of misunderstandings etc etc

Not my normal sort of book but I really enjoyed this. Lisa and Simon have been set up on a blind date by their friends Will and Jess. Jess works for a newspaper who will feature the date in their regular blind date column and really needs the date to be successful in order for her to keep her job. Lisa has just come out of another failed relationship. Simon's girlfriend died 2 years ago but he hasn't dated since. Can the blind date actually work well enough to save Jess's job? Will Simon and Lisa be able to put their pasts behind them and have a good time?

There was a big thing wrong with the initial premise - how come Jess and Will have never mentioned Simon or Lisa to the other person before especially as they are so compatible? However, this is quickly forgotten as the story progresses. A worthwhile read.

Then I Met You by Matt Dunn is a contemporary love story that unfolds over the course of a single weekend. I always leap at the chance to read a romance that is told from the male perspective, as this genre seems to be dominated by the female voice.

Simon has lost the love of his life and is uninterested in throwing himself back into the dating scene. He reluctantly agrees to join the charismatic and outspoken Lisa for a single drink as part of a blind date feature for the local paper. Both Simon and Lisa are intriguing characters, each bringing their significant emotional baggage along with them to the meeting, and their bantering is both witty and delightfully snarky.

This is a fun read that will have you smiling and, quite possibly, relating to this run through the gauntlet of modern love. Although it is somewhat predictable, this is an enjoyable read that is worth a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

Jess works at a newspaper called The Gazette on a feature that matches people up on blind dates and then follows up with them afterwards to see how it goes. Lisa is Jess' friend and agrees to go on one of the dates. She has a history of dating losers who dump her and she's optimistically still looking for "the one".

Simon is still grieving over the loss of his relationship with Alice two years ago and is happy being alone. Will is his best friend and Jess' boyfriend. Will tricks Simon into the blind date with Jess and Will has no choice but to go through with it.

Things don't go well with between Lisa and Simon right from the start ... they are too different and want different things. But for the sake of Jess' column, they do a redo of the date within hours, courtesy of Jess' corporate credit card.

I've read many books by this author and thought it was okay. I usually find his books humourous but I thought this one was a bit of downer. I found Lisa was so desperate to find someone and put up with losers. I didn't find her overly likable. Simon was still trying to get over his relationship with Alice and wasn't overly enthusiastic to be stuck on a date with Lisa. He seemed to have a dry sense of humour.

It was written in third person perspective from Lisa and Simon's points of view. The story happens over 24 hours. As a head's up, there is some swearing.

"But life isn't just a moment. It's made up of a past. A future. It's forever."

A super fun and sweet romantic comedy. Doomed to be a disaster of a blind date at first, the two characters show us that nothing comes as expected. Lisa can be annoying at times but I really liked how her character developed the more she spent time with Simon. I enjoyed the alternating POVs and how they provided a little more depth and insight on the characters. The way the story built up and picked up its pace once they get to know each other more was well done. There's a lot of back and forth, misunderstandings and misfortunes, but all of those issues unfolded themselves in a very entertaining way without ever being too much. This is a super quick and easy read, one simply flies through it. It's charming and hilarious at times, gives hope and touches respectfully on the people in the book and their problems and burdens, with witty dialogues and great humor.

"It's possible to do everything right and still lose. That's not a weakness. It's life."

Mmm. I like Matt Dunn’s books, have found them thoroughly enjoyable. And this is no different.

Perhaps, however, it is too much ‘no different’. There are some lovely characters here and it’s well written, but it’s just a bit too predictable. There are too many “almost” moments and twisty bits, when ultimately you know it won’t change the end.

An enjoyable ride, but it’s nothing new.

Then I Met You by Matt Dunn a four-star read you won’t want to miss. This has such great characters that you won’t be able to stop yourself feeling for them and caring for them, that’s why I think Matt Dunn is a great writer, he writes people you can identify with and understand so much. Throw in some funny, funny stories and you have a great read. My only issue was that it dragged a little in a couple of points, but overall a very well thought out and honestly funny read.

I have read several books by Matt Dunn before and enjoyed his light hearted "guy lit" approach to the genre. "Then I Met You" does not dissappoint, it does exactly what you expect, how you expect and when you expect. and i LOVED it! Being predictable doesn't take away from the enjoyment of reading this "fate brought us together and won't let us part despite the numerous mishaps along the way" book.

Lisa and Simon are set up on a blind date that goes horribly wrong. It is a book of self exploration, relationship analysis, grief and plain good old fashioned rom-com. It was deliciously easy to read (I stayed up half the night with my son snoring next to me reading "just one more chapter" on the kindle!)

I will say I found Lisa a little whiny by the end but I think the author does a good job of showing how people can over react, or allow thier past to affect the current relationships (this being true with Simon too)

There is enough depth in each of the charaters to make them likeable without dragging away from the intended light hearted humour, the prose is easy and fast past - it will make a great summer read.

Due for publication on 6th August and I'd say - grab a copy, if you like chit-lit you won't be disappointed! 4/5
Thanks to NetGalley and Matt Dun for the advanced copy in return for an honest review which will be published on my blog https://sahughes1404.wixsite.com/bothsidesofthedoona

Amusing story, not especially funny.

It's chick-lit and follows the patterns of chick-lit nicely. I didn't shout at the characters to just get over themselves and get together, but that's perhaps because the story takes place in a little over 24 hours, so there was very little time for the characters to mope around a lot.

The story is told in alternating chapters from Simon's and Lisa's point of view and that works very well. I don't think I could have stood the story if had been just the point of view of one of them.

#ThenImetYou #NetGalley

I have been thinking that my diet of "women's fiction" written by women from diverse backgrounds, could possibly use some... testosterone? So I was happy to be approved to read this book from Netgalley (Thanks!)

This book has a quick easy pace which you can read quickly, as I did. The story is about Lisa and Simon who are set up on a blind date by their friends which is a nightmare... That never ends. In spite of the characters discomfort, it's a funny, light read.

It's not all fluff though. I like how the author pays some attention to developing characters so that you hear about their "flaws" but then you also see them manifest on the date. And possibly grow?? Not telling, no spoilers.

Now when I say flaws, I really just mean Lisa... At times I felt like Lisa was based on a "crazy ex" of the author, portraying her as intense, bossy and inattentive. Other times she just seemed a little dumb (walking into traffic, her whole trip to Mexico, tattoo, etc). Simon, on the other hand, is shy, smart, gentlemanly and kind. All. The. Time. The worst of him is that he's just SO honest (1millioneyerolls) that he really thinks it would be great to get feedback from an ex (not his!) on what's wrong with... Lisa. (🙄🤯🤬)

There are many moments of classic comedic setups - coincidences, mistaken identity and misunderstandings for days. It keeps the story moving, but a healthy suspension of disbelief is required.

I enjoyed the description of the city and felt like the setting is important to this author. I felt closer to the story picturing the town.

3.5 stars
A funny and entertaining story with nice characters. There are a lot of moments when you gonna laugh out loud and also a lot of things happening in a span of a very short time. Sometimes we like to believe that true love can be felt in a very short time and maybe that’s what this book wants to share.
I feel like I couldn’t really connect with the characters. Yes they’re young and smart and trying to live their lives in full, they have insecurities and hopes but also some conceptions about life itself that is very difficult to change their opinion.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review it to the author, publisher and NetGalley

I've seen so many good reviews of Matt Dunn's books and had them recommended to me so I just had to try the latest.

Simon has spent 2 years getting over the love of his life when he is set up on a blind date with Lisa. She thinks she is there to help out a friend who runs a pretty disastrous dating column in the local paper. It's fair to say that the pair do not hit it off immediately, but after the longest first date in history, things start to change.

This was a quick and quite engaging read. I did find it a bit unrealistic in places as the date was continually prolonged by a series of events and the date meandered through various ups and downs. I also found both characters quite irritating in their own ways, especially Lisa who seemed to find multiple ways to take things personally and have an argument; if I was Simon, I think I would have run for the hills! However, it's a sweet story and humorous in places, so can be forgiven to some degree.

Overall, an engaging romance novel that will pass the time and make you smile. I'd be open to trying more books by this writer.

The premise of this book is cute and it is actually well written in terms of rhetoric, but overall I was sad that it was a bit predictable.

⭐️Book Review ⭐️
Then I Met You
By Matt Dunn
3/5 Stars

**I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.** Pub Date 8/6/2019

Let me start by saying I was able to read this quickly in one day. It was a fast romantic, chick-lit read. There were some great jokes, funny puns and of course...romance.

Meet Simon and Alice. Simon hasn’t had a date for two years when he had the ‘perfect girlfriend’. Alice doesn’t want another date or even a boyfriend. Simon’s best friend, Will, decides it is time to set up Simon finally on a blind date. This date ends up being a marathon lasting over 24hrs! Alice and Simon start by hating one another as expected. How will it end?

What happens when they find themselves featured as a blind date in the local paper? Will sparks fly or will it flop?

It takes great skills and competence to treat such tragic topics with so much lightness and accompanying respect. What we have here is undoubtedly a romantic comedy with a light tone but with a very deep meaning. It was very easy to identify with both characters, two 'damaged' persons ( by the past, by themselves) like many. The story would have provided great dramatic, tragic material yet you do smile a lot while reading on as is customary in Matt Dunn's novels. I was particularly impressed by the very short timeframe of a couple of days that had worried me at the beginning (I was afraid it would be too heavy, too much, in a too short time) and yet was pivotal for the main message of hope and optimism that we get in the end. The double POV works perfectly, too. I found it engaging and entertaining and extremely uplifting. Top dialogues, funny jokes and brilliant puns: Matt Dunn never fails to delight us. Absolutely recommended.
I had the great pleasure to be able to read this book through NetGalley, before it was published. Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley.
#ThenIMetYou #NetGalley

Lisa and Simon are forced together on a blind date organised by their best friends; romantic, bubbly, unrealistic yet fun, "Then I Met You" hits the mark of being the ideal summer read.

Cute Read, interesting storyline, funny characters. Though I couldn't relate with some of the characters because they were a little flat for my liking.
Thank you to Matt Dunn, NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa and Simon are forced together on a blind date organised by their best friends. I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it just didn’t hit the mark. After a mammoth long blind date (over 24 hours), the two finally go from hating each other to wanting to be together. It was too unrealistic and I started to lose interest about halfway into the book (but plowed on and finished it!).

This is a fun romantic comedy. When shy and reluctant "to get back on the saddle" Simon meets Lisa, who is a full force to be reckoned with suddenly everything seems like a push-and-pull effect.
It's interesting how the pace is in line with their first meeting in the first half. It's slow and there's a bit of uncertainty, but once the two become open to getting to know each other-then it builds up beautifully.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.