The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee is the second in the A Sweet Mess series. It works just fine as a standalone though because I finished it and had no idea there was a first story. This is the story of Tara and Seth and the dating dare he proposes to fill some time before he leaves the country for a new job in Paris. Tara is not one to commit to a relationship and Seth is a playboy, so these two enjoying each others company for a few weeks before he leaves seems like the perfect plan. The thing is, these two have amazing chemistry and the pull of their attraction would appear to foil their dare. The book is fun, flirty, and steamy! Totally enjoyable!

This is a series of standalone novels from what I can tell. Even though this story is tied to events from the previous story it really doesn’t give much away. You can actually read them as there own standalone stories. I really liked the characters in the dating dare. I thought I’d find Tara annoying with how strong willed and stubborn she seemed at the start but I was very wrong. The characters have the perfect chemistry and witty banter to make this a really fun light romance. It’s definitely a quicker read because you really don’t want to put it down.

I highly recommend this story for as a fun romance for book lovers

4.5 stars

I really loved this book. This was a cute friends with benefits to lovers story. Tara and Seth see each other at a wedding and they know each other from the respective bride and groom. The banter there is great and made me laugh out loud! There was one particular line I loved from Seth early on in the book, "will you catch me if I swoon?" I had to reread that section again because I loved it so much.

While Tara and Seth each have their own insecurities to face, I loved seeing their connection deepen over time and opening up to each other more. Even though one of the terms of the dating dare was that they wouldn't fall in love, that went out the window. Their dates were really sweet as well.

I swooned over the sweetness of this book. Would definitely recommend!

II enjoyed this story so much; it was such a delightful read. I loved the characters of Tara and Seth. Tara is a fiercely independent woman and Seth appears to be a womanizing play-boy. Tara finds him attractive and figures they could have some fun together; without emotions getting tangled into the equation. What starts out as a dare morphs into something so much rarer than then "norm". Tara gets scared and pushes Seth away. Can they figure things out and work their way back to each other? Or will they always wonder "what if"? Excellent writing and characters. I felt like a "fly on the wall"; immersed in the story.

What a fun love story! Tara and Seth have such a connection from the get go that I knew I was going to love this book. Botu of them are looking for a type of summer fling and use a dating game as their fool proof way to have it. It was a fail from the beginning because these two didn't stand a chance of not falling in love. So much fun banter and the dates and non dates were so much fun. This was a great read. I plan on reading the first book in this series for sure after reading this one.

Quick enjoyable read.
The Dating Dare was a cute, sweet, fun feel good romance. Best friend of the Bride meets little brother of the groom. Both have baggage from past relationships. You could definitely feel the chemistry.

Book 2 in the series but read well as a standalone. I don't feel like I was missing anything having not read the first book. It's written in 3rd person pov so I didn't connect with the characters as well as I might have.

I'd recommend it for anyone who enjoys mainstream contemporary romance.

This was a pretty lax book to read. Usually, I get very anxious when I don't immediately finish a book or if I spread the book out but with the plot of this book, it was actually pretty easy. This book was well thought out and pretty humorous as well! it was very easy to visualize the characters in the book and the details helped a lot. I just wish there was an epilogue but nonetheless a nice calm read!

Tara's best friend just got married to Seth's younger brother. Neither Tara nor Seth are interested in a relationship but he cannot keep his eyes off of her. When he convinces her, on a dare, to go out with him on four dates, hilarity follows.
Opinion
I absolutely loved this book and its predecessor, A Sweet Mess. Jayci Lee has the ability to write a book that will keep you in stitches and enrapt in the plot. This book is an awesome, fun read and I certainly hope there will be more in the series.
I listened to the audiobook and loved it. The narrator did a great job of expressing what was happening in the plot with a tone that kept me quite entertained.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

So funny! I think I smiled most of the book. Tara and Seth are great characters with cool jobs and serious about not falling in love. The supporting characters are interesting too. I loved the story. Thanks for all the smiles!

While celebrating her best friend’s wedding, Tara Park couldn’t believe that the groom’s brother, Seth, was staring at her from across the room. Tara preferred to keep her life uncomplicated, and having Seth Kim ogling her at the reception was not in her plans. So, in her usual direct manner, she confronted him about it, which led to a simple game of Truth or Dare, where Tara agreed to have four dates with Seth, with the caveat that they couldn’t fall in love with each other. Knowing Seth was leaving for Paris in a month for his new job as a fashion photographer, and that she was busy working in the family brewery, Tara felt that Seth’s dare was a safe bet, plus she was have some fun before her best friend returned from her honeymoon.

The Dating Dare, the second in a series, was a fun read, with both Tara and Seth having strong personalities that hid an incredible amount of baggage, and I really enjoyed seeing how they played off one another. Both Tara and Seth have great family support, and I loved that, with Tara’s work at the brewery surrounded by her family helping to keep her grounded. Not intending on any spoilers here, but this book has the expected and always delightful HEA.

This was a sweet fun read! When two people who aren't looking for commitment decide to go on 4 dates and not fall in love with each other, nothing can go wrong, right?? This was a cute, fun read when I was looking for something light, and I enjoyed the characters and story. I haven't read book one in this series, and while I could tell I missed a fun first book with characters returning here, it was still good as a standalone. And now I'll have to go check out book 1!

This is the second book in a series following A Sweet Mess. Now we find Tara, who doesn’t do serious relationships. At Aubrey and Landon’s (from book 1) wedding, Tara ends up in a game of Truth or Dare with Seth the grooms brother. Pretty soon they have an uncomplicated 4 date arrangement, since Seth is moving to Paris in a month. They learn fairly quickly though that the uses dates might not be as uncomplicated as they promised, even though they both say they aren’t in the market for anything serious.
This was a pretty typical romance. I liked the dates that Seth came up with. They were pretty creative! Nothing really blew me out of the water with this one. It was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. It was ok but 🤷🏻‍♀️

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first book in the series. It felt a little too melodramatic, and it seemed like it was missing conflict. I felt like it needed more stakes than both of the characters’ relationship baggage. Similar to “A Sweet Mess” I enjoyed the food and drink descriptions and a couple of the dates the characters went on were very sweet. It was just an OK read for me.

This is a great read for a beach vacation, or if you're looking for something delightful but not too serious!

I wouldn't call it the best of the romances I've read recently. The story is all about two people daring each other NOT to fall for the other, but it's clear from the very first few pages that they already have. So it leaves a little bit to be desired in that aspect.

But it is a fun romp!

The Dating Dare is the second book in the A Sweet Mess series. This book is told from dual points of view from Seth Kim and Tara.

Seth and Tara meet at Landon and Aubrey's wedding when Seth is the best man and Tara is the maid of honor. They start playing truth or dare and Seth dares Tara to go out on 4 dates him without falling in love with him. Tara still lives with her overprotective parents, so she is hiding going on the dates with Seth.

While they are on their dates feelings start to develop. However when their time is up and he is to move what will happen with their relationship. Will they decide they want to be together? Or will they move on in their lives without the other.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press/St Martin's Griffin for an ARC of The Dating Dare in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Dating Dare was such a sweet romance - Tara and Seth make a deal to go on four dates over the month that Seth will be in town housesitting, and they add in the caveat that neither is allowed to fall in love with the other. Can you guess what happens??
Although predictable, I enjoyed this romance. Tara and her family run a brewery, and for me, an avid beer taster/drinker, that was an extra bonus to read about! I have not read the previous book (A Sweet Mess) but I will definitely add it to be TBR! It came out earlier in August and I finally got around to finishing it recently.

I didn’t really enjoy this book. The characters were kind of frustrating and I really didn’t get their motivations.

Okay so I thought this was really cute. I was noticing small little Korean influences at the beginning of the book and I was like “oh are these characters Korean?!” And I LOVED that. My husband is Korean and before we got together, I did not know much about the culture so I love when authors drop their culture into books like this.

Also allllll of the food omg don’t get me started. It made me STARVING.

But I enjoyed the characters and really believed in their chemistry. I’m not really a fan of the “don’t fall in love with me” type of trope, but I didn’t mind this one!

Very cheeky typical boy and girl meet and don't like each other to then fall in love. It is a similar plot line as many of this genre are, but I still love a good romantic comedy love story. Perfect read for summer, vacation and by the pool

This was a good read, it was predictable in the best way. I enjoyed the chemistry between Tara and Seth and I really loved the attitude they had about their situation.

My favourite part of it was how they were handled the dare. They didn't deny their attraction or really try to fight it, they really had a 'let's enjoy it while we can' spirit about it all. I think that attitude specifically is why I felt their conflict was handled so well.

It felt mature, which was refreshing, but overall it was a pretty average romance novel. It's also fade to black, which isn't my preference, but I think was the right call for this book.