The Dating Game by Jayci Lee
Rating: 3 out of 5

Thank you @netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Dating Date comes out August 3, 2021.

Plot overview: Tara and Seth strike up a dating game challenge the night of Tara’s best friend’s wedding. Since Seth is moving away to Paris at the end of the month for a new job, he challenges Tara to go on 4 dates with him. The catch? They can’t fall in love with each other.

Reaction: Overall, I loved the premise. I am a sucker for dating challenges. Instantly, I liked Seth and Tara. I wanted to root for them, but as I kept reading I realized that their relationship was lacking something. And I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what that something was. Then I realized that the most important part of any relationship is the beginning build up (you know: the steamy looks, the hidden touches, the eye contact, the longing, the getting to know each other, the butterflies, etc). Seth and Tara did not have build up. They kinda just were.

Also, I was a bit confused on how they knew each other, they spoke like they had a prior relationship of some sort. Their interactions overall confused me at the beginning of the book. Until, I realized this book was part of a series. Do yourself a favor, and read the first book. I promise it will help.

For me, Seth and Tara had so much potential but I didn’t like that their chemistry was constantly told to me instead of shown over the period of the book. From the first page they wanted to jump each other’s bones. And that’s fine, but I didn’t see their chemistry. It wasn’t there for me. I didn’t understand this intense lust they shared for each other. Where did it come from? Was it a glance that pushed boundaries? None of that was shown and I was confused by it all.

I recommend you read this novel with a glass of Pinot Grigio on a nice summer night :)

The Dating Dare is a cute multicultural read! I enjoy the banter between the hero and heroine and particularly enjoyed the insights into how familial pressures influence relationship choices.

Cute- but didn’t love! I had some issues with the plot lines and character development. MCs weren’t fully developed in my opinion, but still a fast and sweet read!

Neither Tara nor Seth are looking for anything serious so while drinking at Tara's brewery after a wedding they were both in, Seth proposes a fun dare: for Tara to go on 4 dates with him and to not fall in love with him. Ha, we all know how that's going to end up. Problem is, this fling comes along with an end-date as Seth starts a new job in Paris in less than a month. The shenanigans that Seth and Tara get up to over the next month are pure, heart-warming, and steamy but will either admit that they broke the dare?

****
Holy dandelions did I love this book!

So there really never was a chance that I wouldn't like this book because a) cute romance novel b) I come from a brewing family and c) TARA AND SETH ARE SO FREAKING CUTE

Right off the bat, I was hooked by Jayci's writing style. The distinct voice between Tara and Seth gave me somewhere between Helena Hunting and Christina Lauren vibes and I am here for that.

To me, the difference between a mediocre rom com and a good one is in the relationship trajectory and I really bought in that Seth and Tara's arc could happen in real life. They simply met at a wedding, had a fling, and became serious. That happens all the time! I also got a glimpse of how the feelings-side of the relationship progressed beyond physical attraction so their love for each other felt feasible.

I'm going to have to go back and read the first book in this book family!

This story started right from the first page, pulling me into a so-clearly-tension-filled dynamic between Tara and Seth on the night of their friend's/brother's wedding. Their relationship grew and you got to see both perspectives, which I really enjoy in romance novels.

It was a quick, easy, and fun read - though the one slightly cheesy thing about it was the fact that the characters literally referred to their arrangement as the Dating Dare. I get that that's the title and the plot of the story, but it felt a bit immature for the characters to be referencing it as such.

Awesome story of love conquering all and the trials and tribulations that can go with overingcoming baggage from past relationships.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Dating Dare features Tara Park and Seth Kim, two individuals who have been deeply scarred from past relationships. Seth is Tara's best friend's new brother-in-law and the characters immediately hit it off at the wedding. Due to Seth's limited time in town, they both agree that a short fling will not be a problem. They plan to go on exactly four dates, with the one rule being no falling in love with each other.

This book was cliché, cute, and a simply happy read. I typically read novels with more angst, but this was a refreshingly light read. In my opinion, it is sometimes a bit too cheesy, but if you are looking for a low-angst, genuine love story with likeable characters this is the book for you.

3.5 stars
1/5 angst

Cute book and perfect for a beach read! It's fun, total girly, cheesy, but still a cute and lovable story.
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars. I adore the cover for this book. It’s subtle yet over the top at the same time. Also, I Tara gets to wear pants on the cover (I’m amazed at how few heroines get to wear pants on the cover of their books). This was my first book by Jayci Lee and I have already checked out the first in the series so I can go back and read that one.

I liked both Tara and Seth. I felt Tara’s struggle of being in her late 20s and still living with her parents. Seth is literally my ideal man. He was nurturing, knew how to apologize, and was artsy with a job offer in Paris. This is an own voices romance with both main characters being Korean. I loved how seamlessly Korean-American culture was included in the book. I liked that Jayci didn’t feel the need to explain the cultural elements like the familial titles, and instead just had them there as a cultural marker.

I did struggle with the instant attraction and the very fast pace of their courtship. I acknowledge that this is the second in a series and I have not read the first book. Clearly they knew each other prior to this start of the book, and maybe there was some interactions and tension between the pair in that book that led up to their immediate love in this book, but there was just a lot going on very quickly from the start of this book. I also struggled with the ending, because while I personally would love to have their ending, I felt like it wrapped up Seth’s storyline but didn’t give the same closure to Tara’s.

Like I said, I am planning on going back and reading the first one in the series and my opinion on this book may change when I have the lead-up to the story. If a third book comes out in the series I will happily read it.

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

I received this ARC for an honest review. Sorry this story was not for me. I didn’t connect with it at all.

The chemistry between Seth and Tara was off the charts. There were some truly memorable laugh out loud moments and the prom scene melted my heart. Highly enjoyable!

I didn't know this was a sequel to another book, and found The Dating Dare satisfied just fine as a stand alone. The lead characters, Tara and Seth, fall into the dynamics of a rom-com, and this makes for a obvious beach read. However, there seemed a constant repetitiveness of phrases mimicking the short time they had together before Seth needed to leave for Paris. Their emotions were over the top from the beginning, and had very little room to build the tension. This followed a predictable storyline of a Hallmark movie.

While I’m a huge rom com fan, this book was just okay for me. I could appreciate that it was a quick and easy read and even enjoy the cheesiness but it just felt a little forced and not developed super well.

I did not expect to love as much as I did. It's the sequel to A Sweet Mess, and follows Aubrey's best friend, Tara, along with Landon's brother Seth. As the story begins, Seth and Tara make a deal to go on 4 dates and spend their time together until Seth has to leave for Paris in a month. Easy enough, right. Yeah, well not really, especially when feelings get involved and time is ticking until Seth leaves.

I really loved the two main characters of this book. Tara was very relatable and humorous, but not to the point where it was annoying, which I tend to find with a lot of books. The author did a really good job of creating a realistic character, which is what I really want in a contemporary book. Seth was also a very enjoyable character, and I loved his infatuation with Tara, and how he never tried to hide it. I loved the characters on their own, but together? OH MY GOD. THE CHEMISTRY!! It started on page one and help up all throughout the book. I truly loved the execution of their relationship throughout the story, and I never found myself bored with it. This pure was just pure entertainment, it kept me turning pages, and that's ultimately the main thing I look for in a book.

The only reason I gave this 4 stars is just because of the level of the writing at times. In the beginning especially, the book the writing was definitely not at the level of some romantic comedy's I've read. It was definitely still readable for me, but I didn't find it to be very amazing writing. However, I found it bothering me less as I read, and when I was almost done I wasn't even noticing it anymore. So I'm not sure if I adjusted to it, or if it just simply got better. Overall, the writing issue really wasn't too big of a deal to me, because the plot was just so captivating that I wanted to read it, no matter the level of the writing.

I also love the cover!! Really makes me want to buy a copy of my own when it comes out!

Thank you @stmartinspress for an early copy of this, I adored it!

Have you ever played truth or dare? If so, what did you choose?

Jayci Lee’s The Dating Dare introduces us to Seth and Tara who decide to take on a dating dare. They decide to go on four dates with each other and have a fling. The dare? They’re not supposed to fall in love with each other. After swearing off love, that should be easy, right? Think again. It ends up being pretty tough when Tara learns that Seth isn’t the playboy she thought he was & he actually is one of the nice guys. But with their futures taking different paths, is this all a game, or is it more?

This had so much adorable cheese, I was grinning the whole time while reading this. Be sure to check this one out in August!

So much fun! What a fun book to read. Tara and Seth were so much fun. Going along for the ride as they navigate “ The Dating Dare” was funny, romantic, healing, and you seriously couldn’t cheer loud enough for these two to recognize their feelings!
This is my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. A quick, fun read !

I found this to be a very predicable romcom. I do think it would be a great beach read or even book club pick.
Thank you to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Dating Dare can be read as a standalone but is also the sequel to A Sweet Mess. I really enjoyed ASM and found TDD to be a great sequel. I think the first book appealed to me slightly more, but I still had a good time reading this one. Tara and Seth were both secondary characters in A Sweet Mess, and The Dating Dare revolves around them as individuals and a couple. With only a month left in the states, Seth proposes a dare in which he and Tara go out on four dates. They were both looking for something light that would not result in heartbreak. Both Tara and Seth had built a wall for self-preservation following horrible relationships. The story really flushes out their pasts and shows remarkable improvement to confidence and individuality for each character.

The book was fun and easy to read while touching on some heavier topics such as emotional abuse and manipulation. What started as a date ended up being a healing relationship for Tara and Seth. I was so happy to see them get a HEA.

I received this book in exchange of a honest review. A book club, beach, vacation read. Rom-com fiction at its best. This tale has your rooting for the characters you’ve come to care about amongst the pages. This is a sweet love story. The trope ('let's date but not fall in love') is not my favorite by nature but the characters Lee creates are strong enough to overcome it. I love the way Lee created solid families and backstories for both main characters. Neither are perfect humans and that makes them both incredibly believable

A book club, beach, vacation read. Rom-com fiction at its best. This tale has your rooting for the characters you’ve come to care about amongst the pages.