Thank you Netgalley, R.J. Groves and R.J. Groves for the ARC of Save the Date.
This was a great way to spend a day. The story was everything a romance should be and even more.
The book is about Andie who is a seamstress that makes wedding dresses and the brother of one of her customers. Neither of them was looking for love but the best love stories start out that way.
This is from an author whom I have not read before but I will read more now. Thank you for taking me away for a day into the great tale you wrote!

Andie and Taylor Will liven up your Kindle. They both have a lot of baggage from past relationships and aren't looking for another one. They are thrown together a lot because she is the bridal gown seamstress for his sister and he is paying for the wedding. They both have trust issues and she is insecure so this all adds to the drama. He is very wealthy and he never misses a chance to remind you of that fact. The book is a good read and the characters are well developed. He's definitely an alpha male who is hard to like at times. Lots of drama but chemistry wins out in the end. I read an arc via NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

An e-ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

This book was actually addictive. I couldn’t put it down and was so invested in both MCs’ past relationships as well as how they’d improve and find their way to each other. This book is perfect for fans of a. Alpha male b. Enemies to ~lovers~ to lovers c. Great character growth.

There was ONE line in the book that felt it could be understood as fatphobic via the hero’s POV but I think it was just a poorly worded sentence. There are also the “not like other girls” idea which it annoying especially when the heroine is insecure about her body (but she has an average puggy body). These issues weren’t suffocating to me but they did happen and if that bothers you, you’ve been warned.

This was REALLY NICE.

The main characters in this romance start off on the wrong foot and continue to bicker from there. It's definitely like rivals-to-lovers but only with the snark and none of the history. The banter was entertaining.

There were also multiple awkward moments between the characters which I appreciated. A couple times the awkwardness felt forced, though.

My only issue was with the relationship development. Everything was going alright but "love" was thrown in too early. The characters were still grappling with like. I feel like love could have been saved for the end or the epilogue

The conflict at the end was valid but I feel like it was dragged on for too long. The time spent apart was too long to be believable.

I really liked the romance, though. Ignoring the "love" part and it was really nice with good pacing.

A wonderful love story that keeps you spell-bound for hours. The plot is unique and there are some twists and turns along the way. The characters are well developed with great lines. Your emotions will ride along the highs and lows. Grab a cuppa and relax. Enjoy!

A wonderfully lighthearted contemporary romance between a quirky wedding dress seamstress and a grumpy billionaire. The book cover and blurb originally sucked me in and I'm so glad it did. I thoroughly enjoyed Save the Date and look forward to reading more from author R.J. Groves. A definite 4 stars in my book.

With so many books out there, I don't want to waste my time on titles that are run-of-the-mill. Save the Date is a well-written story that really doesn't go anywhere. I liked the plot and the slow-burn of anticipation between the two main characters.

This book is so cute and such a good read.It tells the story of Andie a wedding dress seamstress and billionaire brother of one of her customer's. So they all not looking for a relationship but because they have to spend time together they end up falling for each other. Enjoyed this book so much. Recommended it and totally would read again. It's written so well and the characters are lovable. Huge thanks to the publisher for my eArc

Andie Grey has always dreamt of a wedding. She's been so sure she will one day marry that she has booked a venue for her every two years. However, when she finally thinks things are going to happen, she is faced with the betrayal of her fiance. Working at a wedding dress salon is especially har after that.
But when she meets the grumpy brother of one of the brides things start to look up.

I think this was a nice little book but not super memorable. I did like the characters and how they tried to overcome their hardships. The writing was goon and engaging, so I will look into this author more in the future.

There were many scenes that I really enjoyed but the overall story wasn’t very memorable. I hadn’t before read from this author and I look forward to potentially reading more from them in the future.

This was a new author for me, but the blurb sucked me and the story was simply amazing! I couldn't put it down!

Andie is a seamstress at shop that sells wedding dresses and has always dreamed of her Happily Ever After. She continually books and rebooks the perfect venue, but she never has a groom to take there - and she recently had to end an engagement. She then meets Taylor, the brother of a happy bride-to-be in need of a dress. Taylor has also been burned before and he definitely doesn't believe in marriage...or any type of commitment, for that matter.

I know that Alpha heroes are hot right now (especially billionaires) and generally I'm okay with them. But Taylor is not an Alpha - he's an Alpha-hole. Despite having oodles of money, he insists on shortchanging someone who's barely surviving on minimum wage (the heroine, no less!) and spends much of the book being very unpleasant to Andie.

The bit where I nearly DNFed was at the end of their first date. I'll admit that this affected my judgement for the other 75% of the book. Taylor thrusts a kiss on Andie (after we've established that she does NOT like this guy) so she slaps him. Then this happens: 'Oh Andie,' he said, his tone cold, distant. She swallowed again, and her fingers tightened around the keys in her hand. 'You shouldn't have done that.'

To be honest, this scene sounds like the start of an episode of a crime procedural. But I guess this kind of hero must appeal to some readers, even if it is very off-putting to me. I wish the cover and blurb had hinted at this in some way.

This book deserves all the stars. It was so romantic and kind of cliche but not too cliche. It was such a beautiful story and it really came down to the last few pages to see what happened. it was so well-written and gosh, I just loved it. It was the romance I needed.

I had a hard time relating to these characters, their thought and emotions, insta-love and insta-hate at the same time, wedding obsessed heroine, felt forced and over the top. The writing itself is good and well-paced, but the characters across the board lacked emotional subtlety and felt like gender stereotypes rather than three-dimensional people. And then there were things that just felt so out of touch with how people would usually act: I just can't imagine a guy telling his future brother-in-law to pony up for the wedding dress because he wants to get laid, not matter how close friends these guys are. I can still see how others may enjoy this book since the writing does flow smoothly and compels you to want to know what happens next, but I you're in the mood for a character-driven read, this one will miss the mark.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The more I think about "Save the Date," the more insufferable I find it to be. As a young girl, Andie Gray attended a wedding at Darlington Vineyard and instantly fell in love with its magic. Now older, she's made sure to have a date reserved there every two years, with or without a groom. It is revealed she has done this at least four times; eight years holding out hope that she will marry at this location. She thinks she has finally hit the jackpot with her Joseph, her fiance, but five months before the wedding, she discovers he's not who he said and calls off the wedding. She swears she has given up on love (and her venue!) but is that still the case after Taylor Ballin waltzes through her door? Andie, a seamstress at a bridal shop, is supposed to help his sister, Lily, pick and tailor a wedding dress, not put up with her older, good-looking brother who is paying for the dress and the wedding. Taylor comes with his own baggage after suffering heartbreak nearly a decade ago. Afraid that women are simply interested in him for his wealth, he's determined to not let anyone else get close enough to hurt him again and until Andie enters his life, he's been doing a great job. It should be easy for neither of them to see each other ever again after Taylor pays for the dress but nothing is ever that simple.

For lack of a better word, there was too much of everything in the novel. From Andie's ex and her lack of funds mentioned on nearly page, from Taylor's wealth mentioned all the time. How awkward and uncomfortable is it to discuss your financial situation with someone you barely know? How awkward and uncomfortable must you feel to have someone keep offering to throw money at you? Taylor even arrives at the bridal shop to chisel Andie down on the price of the dress, as if she's the one setting it, cutting into her commission because he's so determined to not feel taken advantage of. The two characters have serious trust issues so there is also a lot of miscommunication because neither of them are willing to talk it out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy. This book is scheduled for release on October 20th, 2020.

****Save the Date by Australian author R. J. Groves is a totally enjoyable romance about Andie, a wedding dress seamstress and Taylor, the brother of one of her shop’s brides. Neither one is looking for a relationship, but they do end up spending a lot of time together because of his sister’s coming nuptials. The thing that struck me about the way this story is constructed is that the angst portrayed as the pair agonize over a most unwelcome but extremely strong attraction actually often is humorous. They are fighting preconceived notions about each other based on previous relationships, and neither one is very forthcoming with information so the misunderstanding is prolonged. The writing is good and the Australian punctuation was not a problem. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Highly recommend.