Truly one of my favorite series of all times, and book 6 is one of the strongest in this series. I cannot sing enough praises of Jasmine's work and I have already been recommending this book to patrons and telling them to keep their eyes out for when it releases!

I always enjoy Jasmine Guillory's books. They are mostly light and fun but with a light touch in addressing some more serious issues and with wonderfully diverse and inclusive well-drawn characters. This novel was no different with a little added Hollywood glamour. Quick beach read.

I'm a sucker for a "stars, they are just like us" romance and this did not disappoint! As always, Jasmine Guillory's characters and relationships ring true. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this book.

I loved the mental health representation in this book. This was a fast read and super enjoyable. I loved Ben and Anna’s relationship and how important it was for them to talk about their individual mental health journeys. The way Anna loved her body but still struggled with the opinions of others specially in Hollywood resonated with me hard (not the Hollywood portion lol). This book was sexy and the characters banter was fab.

First, thank you so much to @berkleypub & @netgalley for the digital Advanced Readers Copy of this book!

[Release date: July 13, 2021]

Second, Jasmine Guillory is a romance genius and this whole series was perfect. I love how they are intertwined ever so slightly, but we get to visit different members of the family in each book.

While We Were Dating is focused on Ben Stephens, the brother of Theo who dated Maddie in a previous book! In previous books we know Ben as the ALL TOO confident younger brother of the ultra-serious Theo. In this one, we get to know him on a different level! He finds himself working on a project for work that involves the famous actress, Anna Gardiner, and he finds himself making a connection with her that he didn’t expect.

I loved this book! I really appreciated that while we explore romance between Ben & Anna, we also explore anxiety and how it can affect your everyday life, even when you’re able to work and out on that show, your mental health can still be a battle that only you can ask for help for and overcome.

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the ARC version of While We We’re Dating in exchange for an honest review.

This book gets published on July 13th and you won’t want to miss out on it. If you enjoyed any of The Wedding Date Series, you’ll absolutely adore this book as well. Also, please do not feel pressured to have to read this series in order, they are absolutely perfect all on their own.

Review:
Jasmine Guillory has done it again with another great addition to this amazing series! If you didn’t think that it could get any better just wait until you dive into this book that continues on with Theo’s brother, Ben, who was first mentioned in The Wedding Party (Book #3).

In this book, we follow Ben who then meets Anna who is a hardworking, beautiful famous actress through his job, and off the rip, their chemistry is off the charts.

However, Anna has one thing on her mind, which is an Oscar, and her detailed plan to get one involves Ben and a fake situation-ship between the two of them. Will their chemistry be enough to show her that one can have both fame and love? Or will their chemistry create sparks that end up in flames? Make sure you all pick up this fire summer read and find out for yourself!

I thoroughly enjoyed this new addition to the series, featuring two too-good-to-be true individuals who find themselves in a fake dating situation. Ben's advertising career takes a big leap forward when he pitches a campaign to a Hollywood actress, who then insists he help oversee the project. Anna is trying to get better acting roles and reach an A-list status in the industry, despite being full-figured and down to earth. While it is obvious they are made for each other, anxiety and insecurities set in until they both finally realize what they have is special. Recommended.

While We Were Dating is another solid romance from Jasmine Guillory. The ever-expanding Wedding Date series now includes Theo's brother from The Wedding Party, and the fabulous Anna Gardiner. This is not a will-they-won't-they situation that requires a lack of communication between the characters. Instead, Guillory presents two wonderfully, fully developed characters who are emotionally intelligent, and can communicate their needs with little hesitation. I loved the exploration of anxiety, social pressure, and the support that a real partnership can bring. Well done.

Prefacing this by saying I have not read the other books in this series, only this one. I did enjoy the fake dating trope, ESPECIALLY the Hollywood aspect to the story. I also really appreciated the mental health representation, and I think the author did a great job of destigmatizing anxiety and therapy in this book.

That said, I didn't really connect to this story in any way. The character work fell a little flat throughout the first half of this book, and it was hard to connect with either of the characters because I feel their personalities were pretty surface level for a good portion of the book. The plot was very formulaic, which I won't fault this book for being as it's a typical rom-com, but this formulaic plot limits just how good the book can be. There was nothing in this book that made it stand out to me, and I will likely forget I ever read it in a few months.

All in all, while I loved the tropes and the mental health rep, the characters just fell very flat to me, and I didn't find this story memorable or connectable in any grand way. 3.5 stars for a very average, down the road book.

Who doesn’t love a fake relationship trope? And then we get a fake HOLLYWOOD relationship…sign me up! While We Were Dating gave me ALL the feels. I loved how the relationship unfolded between Anna and Ben, it was cute to see how they were surprised by their feelings for each other. I also appreciated the way the author handled anxiety and therapy, and used this story to normalize what can be considered taboo especially in BIPOC communities. This book was an absolute delight to read and Ms. Guillory did not hold back on the romance or the steamy love scenes. She continues to give us fun, sexy romances and I’m already ready for the next book!

While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory is a fun, upbeat read. I particularly liked the part where her characters in The Proposal made a cameo appearance. Highly recommended.

I loved this one so much I refuse to read a single review about it. A fat protagonist, a man so charming i pined for a fictional character, fake dating, only one room left, the conflict doesn’t come from simple misunderstandings. I fell in love with Ben immediately, much faster than Anna did. The only thing I can do is gush about this one.

It is steamy, plenty of sex scenes both closed and open door. Satisfying. I would love to see both of them again.

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley #whileweweredating

Jasmine Guillory is not a writer for me. I’m not sure how she managed to squeeze another book in this series but she did. I did like party of two more than her others but her books are a 2-3 star read for me. I feel like nothing exciting happens in her books.

While this was not my favorite in this series, it is still a solid addition to the series. It took me a little longer to get into it, and took longer to read that the other titles in the series, but I still very much enjoyed it. I'm guessing the next book in the series will be about Dawn and I am looking forward to reading it!

I always love Jasmine Guillory books and this was no exception. She always gives her characters full rich backstories that help you fully understand them. I felt like both main characters were people I liked and I also love how she try’s to connect her different characters in different books.

Jasmine Guillory is one of the best authors to ever write! Another story I did not want to end. Ben and Anna are now my second favorite couple in her books. The story starts with Ben just trying to make his way at work and impress a client and ends with him learning value life lessons about himself and the people around him. Anna knows what she wants and how she thinks she will accomplish it, but sometimes life just has other plans. I love how the feelings of loss, love, and mental health were address. The characters are people I wish I knew and could spend time with. I can't wait to see which character gets an entire book next! I vote for Simon or Dawn I have a feeling there is a lot of interesting story to tell there.

Jasmine Guillory writes another engaging and modern romance, focusing on two star-crossed lovers. No, not Romeo and Juliet. A movie star in the entertainment industry, Anna Gardiner, and a colleague leading the advertising campaign she's shooting, Ben Stephens are vulnerable characters who make mistakes (and learn from them!) while engaging in a sexy and romantic relationship that sometimes involve amusing shenanigans (and a lot of smiles on my end). I appreciate how the relationship occurs in context of their families, with family members increasing the depth of their relationship. This adventure is fun, warm and comforting. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read this book.

Beyond delightful. A welcome addition to the Guillory-verse with sparkling main characters. Love the cover, too!

•Ben Stephens is in advertising, and when he gets the opportunity of his career to pitch a new ad campaign he knows this could be a tipping point in his professional life.. but little did he know it could also be the catalyst to change everything else too.

•When gorgeous, movie star Anna Gardiner walks into the pitch meeting, something shifts. After coming back from a very difficult personal year, Anna knows what she wants in her career.

New National ad campaign ✅

Good press leading up to a movie premier ✅

Opportunity to star in a new film that may lead to the Oscars ✅

•Anna knows what it takes to make it to the top, and to stay there. What she doesn’t want is any kind of distractions from her plans. And sweet, charming, funny Ben Stephens is just that. A delicious distraction.

•At times while reading this story, I would get a little frustrated with Anna. She was so guarded, and inflexible at best. But the character who swept me off my feet and had me swooning for days? Wonderful Ben. I loved his character throughout the entire story and I was rooting for him from page one!

A copy of this book was gifted by the publisher & author in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts & opinions are all my own. Thank you to Berkeley Romance, Netgalley, & especially Jasmine Guillroy for the ARC.

Jasmine Guillory seems incapable of writing a bad book. All her characters feel so real and distinct, yet she knows romance tropes inside and out. I'm building a small romance collection at my library and looking most forward to introducing readers to her.