The Dating Dare was such a swoon worthy cute book! I haven’t read A Sweet Mess yet, and I definitely plan to now. I loved the banter between Tara and Seth and it was really refreshing to feel their angst and constant snarky remarks without cursing.⁣
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I curse like a sailor, so in no way am I a prude; but sometimes it’s just nice to read an enemies to lovers where you feel the angst and humor without a ton of cursing.⁣
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This book had me cracking up, smiling and swooning so many times. I adored how thoughtful and attentive Seth was, especially for being known as a playboy. Tara was so sassy and always had the wittiest combats. They both had these really awesome careers and were so supportive of each other. Their chemistry was perfection. I adored it. Ooh and the desserts, I’m still craving sweets after reading this. 🧁 ⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
Thank you @stmartinspress for an ARC for my honest review! #bookstagram #books #romance #thedatingdare #romcom #netgalley

THE DATING DARE by Jayci Lee twice since I was approved for the book in February. The first time, I was so excited to learn Tara's (and Seth's) story, I forgot to take notes. (Not that I took many notes the second time either)

For this being a book about a brewery manager and a fashion photographer, there's a lot of description about food. Is Jayci Lee a food writer in her non-romance writing life? A chef? I just wanted to eat all the things mentioned.

While not in many scenes in A SWEET MESS, Tara made an impression, and I was excited when I learned she was the female protagonist in THE DATING DARE (it's a standalone novel).

It's an instant attraction, intense courtship (essentially takes place over a month). There's are super cute moments (my favorite is their interrupted park picnic). Yet both protagonists have to overcome the ghosts of past relationships before they can invest themselves in this new relationship with each other. Love it.

THE DATING DARE is being released on August 3, 2021 from @smpromance/ @stmartinspress. Checkout the pre-order campaign. (Also is it too soon to ask to read Alex and Justine's book?)

Thank you to the author, and publisher for the review copy via NetGalley.

CW: mentions of mental, and emotional abuse in previous relationships

Rom - coms are always a hit or a miss for me - unless the plot has the perfect balance of emotions with hilarious banter, they just never can work for me.

And sadly, that’s exactly what happened with The Dating Dare as well. While on paper, or rather the blurb, the premise of the plot seems intriguing. Imagine two commitment wary individuals attracted to each other, make a deal to go on four dates before breaking it off without any emotional entanglements.

Sounds good enough, especially when you, as a reader just know how perfect they would be for each other.

But right off the bat, it seems that both characters, and their connection with each other seemed forced. Maybe they just weren’t the best fit for this exact plot? I don’t know. Because I couldn’t connect with Tara, our commitment phobic sarcastic heroine nor could I connect with Seth, our affable, charming hero.

Nor could I see them connecting with each other, which to be honest was a disappointment, because well, like I said at the beginning, the plot honestly was something that actually spoke to me.

This is the second book in a series. It works as a stand alone, but I found myself wishing I read the first book earlier. I like the gender role switch in terms of who was usually chasing whom. A fun, quick read.

This was an extremely cute book! Jayci Lee did it again with the second book in her "A Sweet Mess" series with The Dating Dare.

Tara doesn't do love. Seth and Tara meet at Tara's bestfriend Aubrey's wedding (Seth is the grooms brother). In a night of drinking Tara agrees to go on four dates with Seth without falling in love with him. Knowing this is a romance, you know that isn't going to happen! The chemistry is great between these two and I loved the small town California vibe.

This is definitely a light rom-com and you can't help but love all the times Seth and Tara spend together. Even though both Seth and Tara come with previous relationship issues It was nice to see them genuinely enjoy each other's company. Yes the book was full of cliches, but it was still cute and fun to read. I found myself rooting for the couple the entire time.

I love that this book was set in a cozy small town and quickly finding that small town stories are a favourite of mine. Though this book is the second in the series, you don't need to read it to understand what is going on. All in all this was a great and fun book!

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you’re looking for a light hearted breezy romance book, then this is your book. The characters were lovable and a bit cheesy at times. It was a fun book, perfect for on the beach
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

This is a cute contemporary romance. The subgenre is multicultural romance since the characters are from Korean immigrant families but this is not a dominate topic within the narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC provided.

Our main character doesn't do relationships, and she may not even do one-night stands. But, things seem to take a turn while playing a game of Truth or Dare. Her best friends new brother-in-law may not be the way to go, but she isn't upset by it.

This book gets a bit steamy, and has the ups and down romances do.

The Dating Dare is a light sweet book. I love the plot. Two people pretend they’re not attracted to each other and fight it, only to succumb to their feelings. The banter between the characters was good. I liked the dialogue and interaction. This is a great choice for whiling away an afternoon of reading. It’s escapism from reality into a world where you know things will end satisfactorily.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, A Sweet Mess, and was excited to see Tara get her story. This was a cute, cheesy romance with lots of banter but unfortunately this just didn’t work for me. There was way to much inner dialogue and the enemies to lovers just never quite for there. I also struggled with how this book started (a very drunk girl and awkward misunderstanding) and a little too much steamy talk.

Overall it wasn’t t for me but I think I’d you like cheesy, steamy books this will be up your alley.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC of this book!

I unfortunately don't have a lot to say about this book other than it was OK. It was a sweet romance with some good banter and a cute ending, but I really struggled to connect with our main characters, Seth and Tara. Also, I haven't read the first book in this series and I think that hurt my enjoyment. This is a standalone, so you don't necessarily have to, but I think having some more backstory would have helped me cared a bit more about the characters and understand their personal struggles. I wasn't completely sold on the conflict and would have like a little more character development.

Rating: 3 stars

First of all I didn't know that this was a series, but thankfully this can be read as a standalone. I want to start by saying I overall enjoyed this book. It was a sweet and fluffy read, great for the beach. However, I found it really hard to connect with both Tara and Seth. And maybe it's because of some sections of the book that I felt were very unnecessary. It was pages and pages and pages of inner dialog, which I usually don't mind, but this was over-bearing. Another thing that bothered me was that it tried to be enemies to lovers, but it just didn't quite get there. Finally I thought this book was hard to get through. I picked it up and put it down multiple times and found it hard to just get into the story. Maybe dark romance has ruined me forever. Overall, I thought It was cute, fluffy, cheesy, and predictable. It’s perfect beach read, both cheesy and predictable

⭐⭐⭐

I did not realize this was book 2 in a series when I requested this. It is not anyone's fault but my own. I like to blindly request based on covers sometimes for romcoms because I like to be surprised. So, I do wish I would have read the first book in the series. I think I would have connected to the characters faster. I thought this was a cute story with a fun plot, and I would recommend this for readers that enjoy rom-coms!

Both Tara and Seth suffered heartbreak during college and were convinced that they wouldn't fall in love again. The story itself was okay. There were parts that I found a little odd. A 28 year old women still lives at home (as do her older brothers) and she has a 2 AM curfew? I knew Seth was Korean. I had to look up "oppa" to find that this is a Korean word and so Tara's family must also be Korean. I liked that Seth rediscovered his love for art with Tara.

This is light, fluffy book with little substance. The premise is outlandish but reasonably cute. It's low conflict to the point of boredom. It felt like reading a first draft of a fanfic.

I absolutely loved this book
Tara and Seth where seriously just the cutest things ever.
I liked how they started to slowly fall in love with each other after there very fun and sweet dating dares.
Tara really got on my nerves at times when she would talk herself out of her feeling for Seth, but then towards the end you find out why and it made me like her a little more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for letting me read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The one thing I did really enjoy was the representation in this book and the way Tara and Seth absolutely defy gender stereotypes.

Take a lactose pill before consuming because this book is ALL THE CHEESE. Unfortunately this just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with or understand the romance whatsoever and I didn't particularly enjoy the writing style. The plot was extremely predictable.

Tara and Seth have a unique dynamic: Not the being the best man/maid of honor duo we know and love, but the best friend's brother-in-law. They have known each other for years and while it started as an enemies-to-lovers dynamic, it quickly reveals itself to be friends-to-lovers. The amount that these two care about each other is completely transparent and lovely to read. Seth wears his heart on his sleeve, despite previous heartbreak. Tara is a little more reserved, but when she loves, she loves deeply. The different dates that we were taken along were unique, hilarious, and realistic in their flaws (kids interrupting, injury, etc). I found this very easy to get into the story and can not wait to hear what other people think and love about Tara and Seth.

Wouldn’t Re-Read 3.5*
Both H and h are handsome/beautiful, he’s confident and cocky whilst she’s confident and snarky. Both have been burnt by past relationships and won’t risk their hearts but think it’s smart to fool around with each other in secret before the H leaves the country. Plot had a few holes and didn’t really work for me, though I did find the actual dates romantic.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book. I loved how they slowly realized they were falling for each other. I would love to go on the Paris date with my love.