review. The Dating Dare follows Tara (who is the bff from A Sweet) and Seth (the brother of the love interest in A Sweet Mess). The story starts off at the wedding of the couple from A Sweet Mess. Tara tells Seth to stop staring at her and they are immediately flirting and the attraction between them is obvious. The issue is that both Seth and Tara have sworn off of serious relationships because they were both hurt very badly in their first serious relationships in college. So, Seth dares Tara to go on four dates with him and not fall in love with him while he’s house sitting for his brother, before he leaves to move to Paris. Obviously the two fall in love, but not without some bumps in the road.
I liked this book. It was a fun romance that had great sexual tension and flirting. The lead up and tension to the pair finally having sex was excellent. They kept finding themselves out in public or in other places where it wasn’t really appropriate to get naked and I thought that was a funny, but good way to build up the anticipation of them finally getting together. I didn’t love that both Seth and Tara had the same emotional issues. I don’t know why I didn’t like that though. There was just something about it that had me rolling my eyes a little bit. I also didn’t love that they didn’t really talk about any of those things until after they finally mended things after the third act break up.
Overall, I had fun reading this book. Their dates were fun and sweet. It was a bit funny to see them try to keep things between them a secret. I liked the familiar setting of Wheldon. And I was happy to see them end up together at the end of the book.

While this had its sweet moments, the main characters spent way too much time in their own heads. It became exhausting and dragged down my enjoyment of the story. I thought the “betting someone to date them” situation was a bit weird. Overall, it was cute and lighthearted, just not for me.

Jaci Lee. You have done it again, sis. The Dating Dare had me smiling and laughing out loud. This is my second book by this author and won’t be my last. It is so well written and an all around feel good story. Put it at the top of your TBR!

This was a cute, light read. I loved the banter and the fake love affair turned real aspect. It was a great summer read, and one that ended with that feel good feeling.

I didn't realize this was a sequel, but it reads just as well as a standalone book. Overall, it was just ok for me. I love "rom com" love stories, so it wasn't bad enough for me to stop reading. However, I did start skimming and flipping pages just past the halfway point of the book.

I think I was bothered by a few things. One, the author provided great detail like they really knew what they were talking about when it came to certain things (like the main character's beer brewing), but she had a character order a "cup of americano". Nobody has ever ordered an americano like that. 🤦‍♀️ Ok, that's personal. The other stuff that just got old was that the characters had the same thoughts on repeat for like 85% of the book. By the time I made it to 50% of the book, I was over it. Maybe I just don't relate to the extremity of their past heartbreak, but I was tired of hearing about how they swore off love over and over and over again.

It's a cute book and maybe I'm just not the right audience for it, but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

I appreciated the witty writing style and was immediately immersed in this story. It was a great escape read. Tara and Seth were interesting characters and I enjoyed their story.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed A Sweet Mess, so when I had the opportunity to read and listen to The Dating Dare, I knew I had to grab it!! Big thank you to @libro.fm and @netgalley for my #alc & #eARC of this in exchange for my honest review!!
If you haven’t read A Sweet Mess, don’t worry! The Dating Dare can be read as a standalone book, but A Sweet Mess was fab so go grab it!! I really enjoyed the story line for The Dating Dare!! Seth & Tara were both such great characters and I really enjoyed their similar background stories. Tara’s storyline was really great!! I loved how close she was with her family, and that she worked as a master brewer at her family’s brewery!! I’m hoping we’ll get to get a closer look at her brothers soon!! Oh and the steam in this one is 🔥🔥🔥🥵 which is just how I like my romances!!
Overall this was a great follow up to A Sweet Mess and I’m hoping we’ll get to read more in this series!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

I didn't love it nor did I hate it. I typically enjoy romance books but at points, this one felt like it was dragging a bit much. The plot had lots of potential, I mean who doesn't like the fake dating trope? The middle section to me felt really repetitive with the characters seeming to have the same thoughts/worries over and over about the relationship occurring. Neither love interest was my favorite character. However, I did enjoy her family and their relationship with Tara was nice. Overall the book could have either been shorter or more plot points I feel could have been added because it felt stagnant at some points. If you are a huge romance fan you may like this book more than I did. I did enjoy the ending and I would call it satisfactory.

I struggled a little bit with the first part of this book. Like I was behind but of what I couldn’t tell. Around the 40% mark it started to get much better and I was able to enjoy the characters more. It’s a friends to lovers trope where there is mutual pining and even some care giving. There is witty banter and lots of sweet moments with a few steamy moments tossed in closer towards the end. I’m not a big fan of fade to black in my romance though so that was a little bit of a let down for me…but not a negative for the book, just a preference. The characters are engaging and the story was good. I liked watching their relationship grow once it picked up.

I read this book so you don’t have to. Unless you enjoy lots of descriptive detail on every single thing the characters eat and drink in this book, then maybe you will like it. I had to force myself to finish this book. The premise is cute - a game of truth or dare leads to an agreement of 4 dates before Seth moves to Paris. The storyline had lots of potential, but fell flat.

The chapters went on and on about inconsequential things and Tara and Seth’s behaviors were annoying. I just could not connect with any of them and it made for a very slow read.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

This book was incredibly adorable. I really enjoyed seeing the romance between Seth and Tara bloom. I liked how they each had to deal with a past that prevented them from forming a future together. I also enjoyed how they brought out the best in each other and there ending was so cute and perfect for them. I also enjoyed the idea of the dating dare even though we all knew they would never stick to those rules. Overall a fun quick read can't wait to read more by this author.

I wanted so badly to love this book, but now, a few weeks removed, I couldn't even really tell you what happened. I found the characters kinda flat, and the relationship honestly lacked a lot of chemistry for me. The whole book felt flat, and while I had no major issues with it, I'll probably never think about it again.

Due to a family illness, and unexpected events, I am very far behind in writing my reviews.I found my self reading one book after another without writing the review -- that was a big mistake. I really enjoyed this book, and I happily gave it 4 stars.

This is a sexy rom-com that alternates perspective between the two main characters. I liked both Tara and Seth, but the way it was written with the alternating POV the story felt kind of slow and repetitive. I really wanted to love this one - the summary and premise sounded cute - but ultimately it just didn't quite click for me.

This ia a cheesy romance, it's funny and cute. Really enjoyed the characters and Jaci Lee's writing! It is absolutely perfect for a night by the fireplace with a glass of wine in your hand. Perfect if you're looking for something light and funny.

This was a GOOD read. I don't think I'd write home about the chemistry or the premise, but really enjoyed the banter and romance.

I wasn’t aware that this book was part of a series, so for me I was reading the characters for the first time and the relationship and feelings felt too rushed to be perceived as real or relatable. The emphasis on the physical side of the relationship felt a little too much and a little cringe. When the dialogue was not about that, it felt better to read.

I loved the premise of this book, and I was really excited to read it. However, the writing felt so laxed and often times the FMC would describe herself from the male gaze, which made her descriptions and thoughts a little cringeworthy to read.

Tara Park is a girl who does not want to get serious with anyone. In walks Seth Kim, who is dead set on changing this. He dares Tara, who loves a challenge, to go on no more than four dates with him. Seth is convinced he can charm Tara into staying with him.

To complicate matters more, Seth is taking a job overseas in a month and the further along he and Tara dates, the more he doesn't want to move. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Seth. Can he pass on his career or pass on Tara?

This is a delightful and funny rom-com that will be sure to tickle your heart!

Recently I read A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee and because I enjoyed it so much, I decided to dive immediately into it's sequel called A Dating Dare.
Guess what? I loved it even more.

As I stated in my review for the first book, I started the series with low expectations, and I ended up appreciating it so much that I hope the author will continue giving us new books featuring characters we already got to know (for example, Tara has brothers who would make awesome MCs or that girl who works in bakery).

The writing style was very good, easy to follow and it felt kind of... comfortable.

The characters I liked even better then our first MCs, from A Sweet Mess.
Being honest is one of great sides of Tara's personality and I found her so relatable.
It was also a blast to read about her siblings and their brothers-sister relationship.

Seth is a brother of Landon who we already met in the prequel, so we were kind of familiar with his background.
Once again, honest and that up front approach is what got me to like him.

The book is written in first person, following our MCs POVs.
Both of views sound similar, which can sometimes be a miss, but here I didn't mind it.

As for the plot itself, it was good, although at some point it felt like Seth and Tara only hung out with each other, even though their whole dating dare started with an aim to have only 3 dates.

This is another love story where couple get together early in the book and then conflicts happen and they have to figure out how to be together for real.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, I do recommend it, and I hope the series will grow.