This book wasn’t what I expected, but I really enjoyed it! I think we can all relate to Sophie in some way, especially with modern dating. Jason on the other hand, did annoy me slightly with his communication, but it didn’t ruin the book. A nice and easy to read, chick lit!

Würdiger Nachfolger der Vorgänger, macht definitiv Lust auf mehr - leichte, lustige Unterhaltung zum Abtauchen und Gutfühlen.

I read this book in about a week. If work didn’t get in the way it would have been a lot faster. Loved the writing style of this book. Can’t wait to read the next book.

No More Bad Dates is the first book in the High Tea series by Kate O'Keeffe, but it is clear that at least some of the characters were secondary characters in previous series by the author. It still works as a stand alone, but fans of the author might have a more engaging read.

Twenty-five-year-old Sophie McCarthy’s career is virtually nonexistent, her family expects her to “do something important” with her life, and she’s totally sick of dating the wrong guys: the self-absorbed, the arrogant, the borderline criminally insane. After she’s unceremoniously dumped during the vows at her boss’s wedding, she and her two equally disappointed-in-love best friends agree to help each other find decent guys to date. Together, they form the No More Bad Dates Pact: stop dating the wrong guys and start dating the right ones—weirdos and jerks need not apply. When Sophie’s roommate Jason Christie—a.k.a. doctor-in-training and serial nurse-dater—joins the pact, he vows to weed out the bad ones for her. But with his rejection of every guy Sophie meets, she begins to wonder if he’s got an ulterior motive. And anyway, why does she always have so much more fun with Jason than with the guys she’s actually trying to date? While desperately seeking her “happy for now,” could Sophie stumble into her “happily ever after?”

No More Bad Dates is a story that focuses more on the journey than the destination. Sophie is sick of bad dates, tired of being talked down to by her siblings, and just wants to figure out what she wants. She loves her job, and her friends, but thinks that she should want more- mostly because other people keep expecting her to. Jason is her roomate, friend, and a serial dater. I like that they are real friends from the start, not friends because they want more- but real friends. I loved the secondary characters- the friends and extended family are great and really keep the story moving and entertaining. The bad dates were terrifying and funny in their own way- and also realistic in terms of some of the people that are out there. I found the story to be more about Sophie figuring out what she wants from life- and figuring out how to get there than about her relationship with Jason. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and will appeal to a variety of readers, it just was not what I was expecting. I would have liked to have seen some of the story from Jason's point of view, even though I know many readers are not as fond of that as I am. I just like knowing what is going from both sides- especially when feeling as in question. I enjoyed the read, and think it will appeal to a wide range of new adult and adult romance readers.

No More Bad Dates is fun and sweet with plenty of humor and feels.

A cute Sunday afternoon read.

Twenty-Five years old Sophie is dating one weirdo after another. Except for her ex, none of them are bad just plain weird. But no one wants to continue dating them which leads her and her friends to form the No More Bad Dates pact. While this is the main crux of the story, we also get to see her personal growth and her relationship with her family, colleagues and her hot roommate, Jason.

I loved that the book was set in NZ. The characters were interesting and some were downright adorable. The storytelling was smooth with some laugh out loud moments. Jason and Sophie were cute together but I would have liked to read more of them together. All in all, this is a nice feel-good chick-lit.

Cute, feel good love story! I loved the humor between Sophie and her roommate the best. I wish there were less cheesy analogies.

No More Bad Dates is an adult contemporary romantic comedy by Kate O’Keeffe. It is the first book in the high tea series, which is taglined as a cozy cottage cafe story. I am unsure at the moment if all of the books in the series will be standalones or if you will need to read them in order. If I had to guess, I would think they are will be set in the same world, but will all act as standalone cozy romances. I have to say I don’t love the cover because it reminds me too much of Barbie, but I do love the story setup.

In No More Bad Dates we meet our main character Sophie, who gets dumped at a wedding by a royal jerk. Because, seriously…who does that??! Oh don’t worry, he had a great reason. View Spoiler » Because Sophie has been burned one too many times, she decides to have her friends help her pick out guys to date before she dates them. This is an adorable setup, and screams cozy romantic comedy. Great for a day curled up with a blanket. I really enjoyed Sophie, her friends and her roommate Jason as they tried to find Sophie the perfect guy.

Bottom line: If you are a fan of friends to more tropes and you like adorably cute, light-hearted reads, then No More Bad Dates is the perfect thing for the pool, or a lazy Sunday afternoon, or even a rainy day. I really enjoyed this cute story. It was exactly what I expect, which is exactly what I wanted.

No More Bad Dates by Kate O'Keeffe is the 1st book in the High Tea series, and a delightful start. I love Ms. O'Keeffe's books, they are always pack with fun, entertainment, and romance. This book does not disappoint, perfect escape from the real world. I highly recommend this book, and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

We’re back at the cafe and it’s neighboring high tea place. This new series has Sophie, Erin and Darcy as the three female friends that make a pact of No more Bad Dates. Let the Vetting begin!

Sophie and Jason are roommates, but he’s a serial nurse dater and works crazy hours to become at doctor and she’s only a barista and she’s not his type. They’re bff’s and nothing more. So Sophie goes on a hunt for dates and then her friends Sophie, Erin and Jason come along to make sure the guys aren’t jerks, like the last guy that dumped Sophie.

This was cute, like all 4 books in the previous series, it’s usually the one guy we’re all rooting for!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-five year old Sophie’s career is virtually nonexistent, her family expects her to do “something worthwhile” and she’s totally sick of dating the wrong guys. I loved following Sophie’s journey to fix all of these.

No More Bad Dates is a cute, easy to read rom com based in New Zealand. I loved the storyline and all the characters were so much fun.

I look forward to reading more from this author. This book is part of a new series which actually follows on from a previous series. I can’t wait to read them all! If you want a light heartwarming book, this one’s for you!

Sophie’s best friends are Erin and Darcy. Sophie’s last boyfriend-Andrew had dumped Sophie at her boss Bailey’s wedding and hooked up with another girl while there. Sophie was the Barista at Cozy Cottage cafe. But her family expects her to do something big with her life. As her siblings have seemed to do.
Sophie feels like she sucks at picking men to date. One night at karaoke Erin and Darcy said they sucked at picking nice guys to date also. Sophie liked Happy For Now - she liked the sound of that.Nothing too serious , nothing permanent. Just ...happy for now. Sophie said “Girls? How about we make a pact we’re only dating the good guys. No more jerks, no more creeps with weird shoe fetishes ``'' No more weirdos obsessed with sea life, and definitely no more jerks who dump us at weddings. Darcy said with a smile “ The No More bad Date Club.” Sophie’s roommate was Jason and he worked crazy hours as a trainee doctor. Jason was Sophie’s BFF and was always looking out for her. Jason offered to help figure out if guys were worthy of her. And her two friends. He had a point, he knows how guys think. They were three women navigating the dating warfare landscape. Having a guy friend might give them an advantage. Jason said “You are serious about this huh? You want to meet the right guy.” Jason seems to reject every guy Sophie meets for one reason or another. Sophie realizes she has feelings for jason and must hide them as Jason is a serial nurse dater.
This book had me laughing a lot. I advise you to read the first book in the series for a smoother read. Sophie and jason have some good chemistry that they don’t seem to realize. I think it took a bit too long for the actual romance to get going. I really enjoyed the plot. I loved the relationship between Sopie, Erin, and Darcy. I liked the characters a lot and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend it.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Katie O'Keefe for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I believe thisis.part of a series but not sure. It reads well as a stand alone. The romance is slow coming and I found the idea of vetting the guys sort of silly. Jason and Sophie are both nice. I did feel bad for Sophie about her siblings riding her about her job. Do what you love!! This .is much more chick lit than romance. 3 stars

This book definitely has a rom com/chick lit feel to it, but with a HEA included. I thought it was pretty funny in places, although from a romance reader perspective, the actual relationship between Sophie and Jason sits on the back burner for so long.

The dating pact takes up a lot of the book. Sometimes the dates seemed a little OTT but I think that’s in keeping with the vibe of this book. I can’t imagine a guy agreeing to a “vetting” process, so I wasn’t always onboard with the premise, I guess?

The book has Sophie question a lot about her career goals and such, and I appreciated that because she realises she’s happy in her own niche. Also loved the friendship between Sophie, Darcy, and Erin. I think I just needed more of the romance because it felt underdeveloped.

A few other things; okay not to be judgmental, but I found it odd that no one in this book use profanity. It’s all “darn” and “heck” and I just don’t know people in their 20s who talk like that?? Also this book has some totally unnecessary fatphobia—little comments here and there about not wanting to gain weight from eating too much cake plus the whole “feeder” joke and wanting to “fatten up” someone hinges on the idea that fattening up is a bad thing. It’s disappointing. I guess I’ve just lost all tolerance for this in books.

Not sure if this author is for me, but others may enjoy the kisses only chick lit feel of this.

I write this review taking into account the spirit in which the book was written: this is a rom-com, not meant to be serious, intended to provide lighthearted fluff and giggles to the readers. This book succeeds in that endeavor. This book is a light, quick romp into the world of chicklit. Similar to Sophie's goals of a Mr. Right for Now, this book is simply a "right for now" read. It's not literature; it's a fun ladies read.

There was a lot to giggle at with this book: the vetting process yielded some laughs; Sophie's relationship her roommate, Jason, was hysterical; the dates were both cringe- and laugh-worthy; and Sophie's father was a cute gem.

There were some misses with this book, though. For example, the whole premise of the No More Bad Dates pact. If the ladies simply wanted a Mr. Right for Now, why even both vetting? Who gives a crap if a guy has weird habits if he's just a present-day distraction. I didn't understand that at all. Also, the weird habits that were disclosed during the vetting process were entirely unrealistic. I understand that this is part of the book's charm: it's not meant to be taken seriously or literally. It still annoyed me the teensiest bit, though.

My favorite theme of this book is the "career" theme. I relate to Sophie in so many ways. I'm doing a job well below my training and skill set, and for far less money than I've ever made in my life. But I prefer it. It keeps me sane, happy, comfortable, and stress-free. I appreciated this aspect of the book.

Overall, I give this book a 3 star review. It succeeds at its goal, and it provided me a nice, mindless couple of hours. It's an average chick lit read, and I would recommend it to anyone who'd like to cleanse their palate in between more serious reads.

From a scale of 1 to 10 (this is a rating of how present these components were, NOT how good or bad they were):
Romance - 5 (the book didn't set up a lot of big, sweeping romantic gestures)
Smut - 0 (this is sweet chick lit, not smut)
Humor - 8 (very cute, flirty, witty, and silly)
Cat and Mouse - 2 (not much chase)
Rich man / Poor woman theme - 3
Sexy setting - 0 (this is sweet chick lit , not sexy)

No More Bad Dates was laugh out loud funny. I laughed at almost every turn. The characters were well developed, and it’s indicative of an author who knows how to tell a story. The characters and their backstories were well fleshed out. I felt invested in both the story and the characters. But, I was disappointed with the romance aspect.

The “No Bad Dates Pact” took up too much space in the novel, leaving no room for the actual real romance to develop—which was disheartening.

I waited for the entirety of the story for the “big get-together, and I wanted it to happen so bad. It was less slow-burn and more it just took too long. I really enjoyed this book don’t get me wrong, it’s solid in all the areas that mattered, except for the romance. Most readers won’t want to wait until 90+ percent for the main characters to reveal their love to each other—even if it plays out well.

Despite that, you get the standard HEA, and the ending is pretty satisfying. I just needed more romance. However, the author is worth a read. She’s a solid storyteller.

Reommended for people who like their romance with less mush.

This was a delightful take on the friends-to-lovers theme. The dialogue was cute and witty. I found myself smiling as I read it. The overall plot was pretty predictable, but the fun was in how it got there. I just enjoyed reading about this group of friends helping each other figure out if someone would be a good or bad date for their friend.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This was more chic lite then romance. I was not a fan of Sophie, I found her annoying, she comes across as ungrateful even though she says shes not 100 times when her siblings offer her the unpaid internships. This was not for me. I was hoping with a title like No More Bad Dates there would be some funny and interesting horrible dates but there wasn't.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance read, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

This is a well written story with some interestng characters and is told in first person by the main female character Sophie. I would not categorize it as a romance but rather Chick Lit.

It is Sophie's story about how she finds her forever love and its a LONG journey thru lots of duds of date. The idea behind no more bad dates is that her friends vet her dates after the 1st meeting but before the actual first date. The friends are her besties and roommate Jason.

Sophie is a fun character and if I liked Chick Lit this would be a wonderful story but I like romance and some hot scenes and this book has nothing more than a kiss here or there. In fact when Sophie finds her guy, they only kiss and confess their feelings at 96% of the story. It was very frustating for me.

That said if you want a feel good, girlfriend type of book you will love it. But if you want romance then you will be very disapointed.

Actually more like 2.5 stars..
The dialogue is a bit stilted at times, especially the beleaguered “me’thinkst’ from the heroine’s brother and the references to other books - there’s a point a character is explaining how their friend rescues dogs and the heroine literally thinks I’ve known this for years, it’s just clearing explaining for the reader.. The banter between the hero and heroine just never quite reached what it could have been, especially with hyping the hero as super charming.
With that said, the internal dialogue could be quite funny, and though the bad dates were more extremely weird than relatable jerks, it was a quick, entertaining read. There was a point towards the end where the heroine and her friends were trying to talk her out of the hero though that it did feel like they thought “dateless” was the worst thing you could be, and she was SO LUCKY (on repeat) to have snagged a date with a former rugby player, and she’d be and idiot to let him slip through her fingers. It just started feeling like her bad dates are just because she’s apparently very desperate and has apparently pretty low self esteem. It shocked her so much that a guy actually went out of his way to see her - just a normal girl! And she never actually stood up to her family but the hero made them all say they have faith in her instead of her addressing her issues with them. Even her saving her job seemed to come a lot from other people, when she just would have given up and was worried her siblings would force her in to an unpaid internship. Which is nice of the hero and friends to do so much for her, but with Sophie being pretty useless through a lot of the book it was a bit hard for me to like/root for the heroine. I would have liked to see her become a bit more empowered at some point or in some aspect of her life. She didn’t even take a chance on the hero, he told her he loved her first.
And the ‘dream job’ didn’t feel like it. She never mentioned why she loved it or found her spot, she just went from no direction and being stuck in her job to loving her new-ish job as a manager for the same bosses at a place she already worked. And being the “bravest person” the hero - a doctor - knows for trying to increase business at a cafe with music. It’s great that the hero’s love is shown by having faith in her and seeing her as brave, but would be better if she actually did something brave, like change something when she got stuck or stood up to her family instead of leaving the room during interventions or going on interviews for jobs she doesn’t want, and taking an unpaid internship she really didn’t want either,. Or by chasing her dream like the hero said she did, but I didn’t feel like she did at all.. She didn’t go after the job at all, it was handed to her without having to ask her boss, go on an interview, even think of the idea herself. And it didn’t feel like she sorted through what she really wanted to be doing either.
All she did was test out different places and tell a marketing exec that she never came up with the first step of marketing which is a USP, and Sophie’s big idea was mostly implemented by her friends anyways. Also, when Sophie thinks that the least her bosses could do is keep an unprofitable business open so that “her life doesn’t implode” that seemed super self cantered. She still had her barista job, but apparently expects them to keep this business open for her? And she didn’t even acknowledge the entitlement, or that it was a gut reaction, it seemed like she thought that was a legitimate reaction.
And the penultimate weekend when it was closing down in 2 days. It’s the day before closing and what? Are they selling the building? Just leaving it empty and closed while it’s listed or they figure it out when they could be offsetting costs if they stayed open? I would have found it more believable to have not made the decision to close, because they hadn’t actually taken any steps towards closing apparently when it was supposed to happen the next day. And then for those 2 days with Sophie’s ideas (which was basically music) to generate enough of a ‘furor’ that they had to reopen a cafe they apparently had sitting there waiting for 5 months, that felt unrealistic too.

I received an advanced reader's copy of No More Bad Dates by Kate O'Keeffe from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had read another book by Kate O'Keeffe previously and enjoyed it so I did have high hopes for No More Bad Dates and, happily, was NOT disappointed!

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I found it to be well written. The primary characters' romantic start was both cute and subtly showcased their chemistry, then No More Bad Dates just got warmer from there. I enjoyed the well-crafted characters, the witty banter, and the pacing of the novel. The plot moved along steadily and kept me engrossed from start to finish.

All in all, a good read!