The light and breezy tone of the majority of the book felt a bit incongruous with a couple of triggers, namely recalling a previous abusive relationship and the LI's battle of rake versus gentleman. I tend to prefer books that handle difficult topics appropriately, but in this case, it didn't seem to quite fit. I felt discomfort over Seth "ogling" Tara while she was a drunken mess. It didn't jive well with me.
Those few complaints aside, the premise of Truth and Dare leading to a month long fling was a fun idea. The banter and chemistry was sparking.
I read and listened to this book simultaneously. The narrator, Natalie Naudus, initially gave me the old valley girl stereotype vibes. At first it was a bit off-putting, but I quickly grew accustomed to it and it didn't bother me for the balance of the listen. I would have preferred dual narrators for each POV.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy and Macmillan Audio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed reading this book! It gave me such happy feels, and was such a fun read. The story was fast-paced—never boring. I smiled, laughed, and even yelled in my head, “what are you doing?!” The romance in this was written so well. Definitely a great recommended rom-com! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

"The Dating Dare" by Jayci Lee
A Sweet Mess #2
Release Date: 8.3.2021

Tara Park doesn't play the dating field, doesn't jump into bed with random people, and she doesn't do serious relationships.

That's a shame, because her best friend's new brother-in-law, Seth Kim, is a cutie with a great personality. They met at Tara's best friend's wedding.

After drinking too much at the wedding, they decide to play Truth or Dare. Tara and Seth decide to go out on four dates, since Seth is leaving for Paris in a month for a new job. Both have relationship baggage, so they enjoy the idea of hanging out with someone without any expectations with one rule --.they agree to not fall in love.

They realize that the other is pretty awesome, but neither feel ready for a commitment. When Tara learns that Seth is actually a nice guy, and not the playboy she expected, she needs to make a decision about the future.

Cute read! This was definitely a slow burn with great chemistry between Tara and Seth. This can be read as a standalone novel, although "A Sweet Mess" was a great read, too!

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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The dating dare between Tara and Seth starts off as a typical cheesy romcom but it grew up on me. Both Tara and Seth were very like-able and felt very relatable. There is a lot of angst and cracking chemistry between them but have to say the romance is closed door majorly. Also Seth who now has playboy persona is fine with opening up about his past and he was hurt by his previous relationship. A vulnerable hero who is now confident was perfect for this plot as both characters were coming from bad experiences and therefore were able to support each other well.

Whenever a main character takes a sudden flight to a foreign country when working on a regular job, it seemed like those feel-good movies which are not that normal for most folks. However, in this case, the character had to remember and plan based on her finances like most normal people and that was spot on for most. The ending was a tad too cheesy but it was cute.

4/5 Stars

Sparks fly from the moment they touch. A slightly drunken game of Truth or Dare turns into the dating dare and maybe a little bit more...

What is only suppose to be a few dates over a month for Tara and Seth turns out to be so much more. They have to look at what they have and decide if they are going to let past relationships change their future, and how it has already changed them.

This is a sweet and quick read, if you’re not into a lot of steam, this would be a good choice.

It’s also the second book in the series, can be read as a standalone, first book’s couple does make an appearance and is mentioned throughout the book.

I also HIGHLY recommend the audio for this book, the narrator did an amazing job and I really enjoyed listening to it.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for a copy of The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee.
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I loved this book - it was so cute and sweet. I enjoyed reading about these characters, seeing them grow and develop and was rooting for them throughout the novel. I loved how how they were discovering things about themselves and learning to follow their passions and their hearts. The descriptions of food were also wonderful ! Can’t wait to read more of Lee’s writing!
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CW: past relationships emotional abuse and resulting trauma, controlling behaviour of ex
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This book was super cute and adorable! I knew right away it was going to be one of those books I'd enjoy every minute the moment I started reading it. It was a five star rating.

There was nothing I disliked about this book except the fact that it ended.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing me the chance to read and review this. I will post to blog and Goodreads soon.

This one is hard for me to review, there was nothing wrong with the story but I just felt very blah while reading it. Tara and Seth's brother and best friend just got married and the two end up playing a game of truth or dare. The dare turns out to be going on 4 dates and not falling in love with the other person. In typical romcom fashion, shenanigans ensue, there is miscommunication or just lack of it in general. This one just felt very predictable to me. I will still try more from this author but this one just wasn't for me. Thank you St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy for review.

The Dating Dare is the second book in the A Sweet Mess series by Jayci Lee. A romantic chick-lit that pulls you in and holds your attention until the very end. The Dating Dare is an adorable romance that kept me hooked the whole time I was reading. Be sure to check this one out!

I was not vibing with this book from the start but as soon we got to the hotel room scene I had to stop.

"He was a player, all right. Quite an accomplished one. Regency-rake level accomplished. She needed a damn fan to flutter on her face."

When Seth and Tara keep staring at each other as the best man and maid of honor at a wedding, they make their own afterparty at Tara's brewery (I ran to get my own beer at this juncture). A truth or dare drinking game culminates in a juicy dare: go on four dates in the month before Seth moves to Paris... and neither is allowed to fall in love.

The truth or dare gimmick was cute, but the "given up on love" perfume coming off both leads was a little strong in the characters' first scene together. Yes, I'm a romantic, but I'm also too jaded for my own good, so my first reaction to our two commitment-phobes was an unsympathetic one. However, the more I got to know the characters, that all evaporated. Tara's inventive swear words and stern inner self-talk especially kept me smiling. I found the banter and un-self-aware games they played with one another to be highly amusing, especially as their sexual tension-- no, sexual frustration--became more intense. Lee's writing on that front is an art form. Sure, our characters gave themselves a one month time limit, but this doesn't read like a fling. Their emotions are in it from the jump, and all the little interactions that prolong and amp up the tension between them are exquisite perfection. I'm always one to harp on romance pacing, and this book moved at a perfect speed for my enjoyment.

Also, the swoony romantic in me loved the second date of the four required by the dare (to be clear: I would literally drop dead of an acute case of the feels if I went on ANY of the four dates). A skiing weekend gone wrong results in Seth nursing Tara back to health, and I think there is nothing more likely to melt me into a puddle of goo than that kind of care. For those following along for my recent thriller-induced "I will never ski" rant, I take it all back. I will go if a hot man goes with me to distract me from the scaries and then offers to care for me if injured (I might even fake a sprained something or other just for that, let's be honest).

This was a complete package of a romance for me. After a brief rocky start, I was delighted to find myself cheering for these characters and waiting for them to discover the depths of their feelings as they traipse through four romantic dates and several spicy sweet non-dates. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this heart-warming book, out 8/3.

I didn't realize this was the second book in the A Sweet Mess series. This can certainly be read as a stand-alone but I think the story might benefit from reading A Sweet Mess first, as it introduced both the main characters.

I really wanted to love this book, but early on there was a very uncomfortable scene for me. Tara got really drunk after the dating dare was made, and Seth attempted to ask her where she lived to take her home. But since she was so incoherent he wasn't able to, and she didn't have her ID on her. This led to him taking Tara to his hotel room where he commented on how attractive he was and how hard it was to not do anything with her sexually. He took her puke-stained dress off of her and when she removed her undergarments, there were sexual undertones to the text, which felt icky because it would not have been consensual since she was passed out drunk. After that, it was challenging to be invested in this book and Seth as a hero.

I liked the snippets with Tara's family and Aubrey and Landon from the first book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Libro.FM for the advanced readers and listening copies in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the sweet, cheesy rom-com I needed after reading a couple of heavier books. Seth and Tara are attracted to each other (I mean, it's obvious from basically the first page), but neither want a relationship. So, they decide to go on 4 dates before Seth leaves for Paris. I really liked Tara. She was snarky and sassy, and she brewed beer for her family's brewery. Both characters were damaged and flawed, and I thought that was written really well. At some point, I was kept thinking "we get it, they are both hot and attracted to each other. Give me something else." Which is why I docked it half a star. I felt like it took a little while to get to the essence of their characters and their motivations, but once I did, I flew through the rest of the book. If you are looking for a good rom-com, this will be one to check out.

I wanted to like this more than I did- largely because I enjoyed the Sweet Mess, where we first met Tara and Seth. as minor characters. Now though, they are the focus of a trope-y rom com. A drunken game of Truth or Dare leads to four dates where they've pledged not to fall in love. You know what's going to happen. Some of it is funny, other parts are cringeworthy. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Might not have been for me but that doesn't mean other readers won't enjoy it.

I received this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 rounded up to 4. Tara and Seth are not looking for anything serious. Tara is focusing on her brewery and Seth leaves for Paris in 4 weeks to pursue his photography career. Playing truth or dare Seth dares Tara to go on 4 dates with her and not fall in love. She accepts but tells him he can’t fall in love with her either. I did not realize this was part of a series or I wouldn’t have asked for it on netgalley. That being said though this follows a different set of characters than the first book in the series did. It still kind of ruined the first book for me, though I may still go back and read it just because after reading some of the descriptions of the desserts from the bakery I really wanted more. The descriptions of the Kimchi fried rice and the desserts made me want to try the food so bad. At first I was really enjoying the banter between the two characters. I felt like I had a smile permanently glued to my face. I really enjoyed the second date they went on but the third date was too cheesy for me. I could definitely see this being made into a hallmark movie though.

Read this book in one seating. I loved both Seth and Tara. Their chemistry was so insane but also very believable. I understood why they were so attracted to each other and also understood their hang ups.

This book was cute. I really enjoyed it, and for anyone who read Sonia Hartl’s “Heartbreak for Hire”, I found the main character here (Tara) very similar to H4H’s Brinkley!

I loved Tara and Seth – their banter, their attraction, and their inability to keep their hands off each other. I also loved that they had emotional and traumatic baggage that they had been unable to get rid of from their pasts, and were afraid to reveal to anyone.

Attraction aside, both Tara and Seth were too afraid to enter into any real dating scenario, but intrigued crossed their path when Seth suggested a dating dare, where they go on four dates – but they aren’t allowed to fall in love with each other. You’ll have to read it to find out what happens, but I will say that things are complicated by his new job, which he’ll have to move to Paris for in a month.

The only thing that I wish had been different is that as great as the dialogue and internal monologues were for both Seth and Tara, their conversations with other people sometimes felt a bit off and unnatural. Honestly, I’d recommend both the book and the ebook to anyone looking for a cute enemies-to-lovers/proximity romance read. Lee’s ability to come up with creative alternatives for swear words kept me laughing, too!

TW- past abusive relationship

I found this book to be an enjoyable and light read. I enjoyed the cute date scenarios and the funny sayings in replace of swearing. I did, however, find it a bit hard to really connect with the characters and would have liked a bit more character building.

The Dating Dare is a sweet read. Tara and Seth both have the anti-relationship thing down when it comes to anything serious. Both have these awkward times in this one that I did not hate. Tara and Seth's chemistry grew on me the more I read. I love the banter and how they grew closer. It is a cute read filled with heart. Seth is sweet and a little lost. Tara is a little stubborn and never has seen her worth. I love what Seth brings out in Tara. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Libro.fm for my copies of The Dating Dare. All thoughts are my own.

We know how much I love Romance, so I was excited to read The Dating Dare. This is the second book in the A Sweet Mess series but I didn’t read the first book, so you can read them out of order. I’ve found I really love to listen to RomComs on audio because they’re quick and joyful. I enjoyed the audio production of this book but sadly it didn’t work for me.

Synopsis: “No serious relationships. This is the one rule Tara Park made for herself and it has been working swimmingly, thank you very much. The occasional fling is fine, especially since she’s busy with Weldon Brewery. But when Seth Kim, temptation personified and her best friend’s new brother-in-law walks into her life, Tara might be willing to bend her golden rule…but only for four dates—the four dates she agreed to after a few good rounds of beer and a game of truth or dare. It’ll be fun. No biggie.Seth Kim can’t believe Tara agreed to his dating dare. He’s leaving for a new job in Paris in a month and a no-strings attached fling seemed like a nice little distraction for both… But their secret dates, while sweet and sexy, always hit roadblocks straight out of a romantic comedy. Thankfully, their non-dates and chance meetings are smoother, frequent, and heated. However, the more Seth sees of Tara, the less willing he is to let her go—and what was supposed to be a fun little game turns into something that neither of them are ready for.But sometimes, the best things in life are the ones we never see coming.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

A Female Brewer—I loved that Tara owned a brewery! I feel like so many female leads in romcoms have jobs at bakeries so this was a nice change of pace.

The Pace—This wasn’t too long or too short. It moved nicely on audio!

What Didn’t Work:

The Plot—It was a little too cheesy and predictable for me. Sometimes that’s what I look for in a romcom but it didn’t really feel like there was much substance to the issues, besides the characters having negative relationships in the past.

The Lack of Tension—I love banter and tension between characters and a dare seemed like the perfect set up. But for me, it just felt like Tara and Seth were staying away from each other as a plot device, because the characters words and actions supported their attraction.

TW/CW: mention of emotional intimate partner abuse

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Steam Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 3/5