All around fun and good reading for my heart. This pandemic era needs more romance novels like this one. Adult relationships and conversations all wrapped up in love. It’s so fun to read Jasmine Guillory’s books. I closed the book feeling happy & light.

Ben Stephens works hard and does not want to be tied down, so he dates a lot of women. When he meets movie star Anna Gardiner at a pitch for his advertising agency he never imagines what happens next, not only does his company land the account but Anna insists he is in charge. They work well together and Ben helps Anna when she has a family emergency. One things leads to another and he ends up playing the role of her boyfriend. But is this really just a role?

Perfect for a long weekend, vacation, or any time you want a story that leaves you smiling.

I didn't realize that this was book 6 in the series, but I don't necessarily think that you need to read the first 5 books in the series. I believe they can be read as stand-alones.

I liked the pacing of the development of Ben and Anna's relationship. They had fireworks and tons of chemistry that catapulted them into a fling that was really fun and exciting. And then when they slowed things down to get to know each other, those parts were enjoyable too. They were perfect for one another, having an ease and familiarity with each other from the beginning.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book is very similar to the other in the series. The writing is the same, the formula is the same. And sometimes that type of easy, comfort read is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Jasmine Guillory just gets better and better! I loved Anna and Ben. But, more, I loved that Jasmine never let them become tropes - they learned from each other, trusted each other, and communicated! There were times when I thought, uh oh, here comes the BIG MIS, but Jasmine never went down that path. I LOVED this book!

I love the world that Jasmine Guillory has created for each of her books. I love that there is always some connection to a past book that intertwines all the stories and keeps the reader invested.

That being said, While we were dating was one of my favorites in the series.

The love story between these two almost reminds me of the movie Notting Hill, but better.
It's funny, its sexy and it actually has a plot! LOL

I would highly recommend this one. It's going to be one of the best books of the summer!

I always enjoy reading Jasmine Guillory's books - they suck me in and immerse me in her interlinked universe. While We Were Dating was no exception. You don't have to have read any of her previous books to enjoy this one, but it is fun to see previous characters. At any rate, in this book Ben Stephens is an ad exec who end ups leading a campaign starring a famous actress, Anna Gardiner. He and Anna hit it off right away, but neither of them wants anything serious. Ben is dealing with some family issues, as is Anna; she is also dealing with crippling anxiety. I loved Ben - he was so funny and wonderful, and I especially loved his relationship with his brother Theo. I also really liked his relationship with Anna; they bring out the best in each other. At points I did get distracted by things like Ben never actually seeming to be at work - I kept worrying he would run into trouble with his boss. And while his family plotline was really interesting, it got kind of sidelined. My biggest complaint is the end - it was rushed and I thought it was too abrupt. Overall I kind of wanted more plot, or something a little beefier in this book. That being said, this is another entertaining book from Jasmine Guillory with great characters; if you liked her previous books I'd recommend picking this one up.

This was my first book by Jasmine Guillory and so I wasn't really sure what to expect heading into it. I probably should have paid more attention to the fact that it's the 6th book in the series because even though it works fine as a standalone, something happens in my brain when I jump into a series this far into it and it keeps me from fully investing.

That said, it was a very quick paced, frothy, sweet romance. I'm not really sure this is my cup of tea, but I enjoyed the time I spent with it for what it was.

When this book started, I wasn't sold on it. It felt like an insta-love kind of story, which is not one of my favorite tropes. When Simon came up with his plan *no spoilers* I was very upset with the direction the book was going (especially because it felt like super unnecessary drama). FORTUNATELY, Guillory changed the direction of the book and i was so happy she did. I really loved all the interactions with Ben and his brother, they were my favorite parts of the book. All in all, a cute little love story.

I adore Jasmine's books and this is no exception. I was really thrilled to see her take on Hollywood, and especially with a Black plus-sized heroine. I really appreciated the discussion of how Anna's career had been shaped and limited by how she was perceived by others, and her anxiety exacerbated by her skyrocketing fame. I also loved Ben and his exploration of his family and newfound sister, and the way he worked on his issues with therapy so he wouldn't repeat the mistakes his father made.

Steamy and entertaining. While it's a light read, it manages to deal with mental health in a way that isn't flippant, which I appreciate.

I love Jasmine Guillory's books and this one was no exception - she tackles real issues (mental health, the vagaries of celebrity, modern families, etc.) while also showing how sometimes love comes out of nowhere and doesn't need to be one-in-a-million, just one-at-the-right-time.

While We Were Dating is the sixth book in The Wedding Date standalone series. I was excited to jump into this book because my interest in Ben was piqued in The Wedding Party, my other favorite book in this series. In this book, Ben gets to take lead on an ad campaign starring movie star Anna Gardiner. From the moment they meet, sparks fly. As they work on the campaign together, they engage in a flirtation that leads to a fling. When Anna's agent catches wind of the fling, he proposes that they use her relationship with Ben to thrust her into the celebrity limelight. Anna and Ben have the challenge of parading their fake relationship to the public while trying not to catch feelings for one another.

To be honest, I always think I don't like the fake dating trope. But then I read books like this and they prove me wrong! I think what made the fake dating scenario work for me in this book was the fact that it doesn't happen until a little later in the book. We get to see Anna and Ben's relationship develop and the heat turns up in the bedroom before they begin their fake relationship. I felt like it was more believable that they would agree to it because they already had a connection.

I liked the pacing of the development of Ben and Anna's relationship. They had fireworks and tons of chemistry that catapulted them into a fling that was really fun and exciting. And then when they slowed things down to get to know each other, those parts were enjoyable too. They were perfect for one another, having an ease and familiarity with each other from the beginning.

The focus on mental health in this book is important to highlight. Anna suffers from anxiety and Ben made her feel seen and safe. I loved that he was open to talking about it and knew what she needed. And at those points that he didn't know what he needed, he asked her instead of making assumptions.

The glitz and glamour of Hollywood, movie making, and being a celebrity is always a fun backdrop for books. This book was an awesome mix of fun, steam, and all the feels. It's my favorite book in the series!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: anxiety, panic attacks

Love Jasmine Guillory, love exploring the world of her characters and seeing where they overlap. she does such a lovely job of exploring different ways love and romance can go well and go astray for many reasons. It's fun! If you like her other books, this one will not disappoint.

Jasmine Guillory has become one of my favorite author's over the last few years. The only way for me to describe this book is a warm hug. The characters aren't without flaws, but they're smart, which is incredibly refreshing to read. What a treat!

Thank-you to Netgalley for the advance readers copy!

This is the first time i pick up one of Jasmine Guillory's book series and i don't regret it all! I cannot wait to read the rest of the books.

While We Were Dating is a very fun, steamy, fast paced romance. Written in third person point of view, following Ben who has never bothered with serious relationships until he lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star Anna Gardner. After Ben drives Anna from San Francisco to Palm Springs because of a family emergency, they reveal things about each other that they have never talked to anyone about.

Loved how body image and mental health in the acting industry were portrayed in the book and how hard it can be for a woman when dealing with these issues. Anna is always judged by directors because she is bigger than other actresses, she has to deal with waiting to see if she booked her next movie because of the color of her skin.
The author wrote about these issues without going too deep into them but as a reader i got to really care for her.

The romance was intense and steamy and the way it was written made me not put the book down. Anna and Ben had really good chemistry and developed very well throughout the whole novel. It was predictable at times, the fake relationship part caught me off guard but loved the outcome and glad it wasn't like every other novel!

Now Anna annoyed me because of her lack of communication and not making up her mind! Another thing that annoyed me was how these characters had sex all the damn time, i mean it was cool in the beginning but then towards the end it was too much! got bored after a while but loved this fun story.

Jasmine Guillory has a way of writing romance that packs a quick and swoony read that I typically love. There are so many great couples she’s written about that I really care for and felt myself rooting for them to be together.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book. Ben is an over the top cinnamon roll and I really love seeing him be sweet and caring and swooping in like a hero.

When it gets to the actual “faking dating” trope, the book started to lose me. It didn’t make sense to me. Most fake dating tropes are exactly that: two platonic individuals who are pretending to date for their own personal gain. This one...wasn’t fake dating? But it was supposed to be? I spent a lot of the book just being like...what is going on here, exactly?

There were some plot lines to establish emotional intimacy that I didn’t necessarily buy into. The character’s inner dialogue kept emphasizing “hey this is important” but their actions didn’t make me really believe it.

Overall all, it was not a fave of Jasmine Guillory’s, but I love her writing style so I still liked it.

Thank you, Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC. Review is my own.

Wow! This was a great addition to the series! I have always loved all the characters in this series, but there's just something about these two that really tugs on my heart-strings.

I liked this one! Some of Guillory's romances have worked better than others for me, and this was one of the more effective ones. The barriers to happiness were real but not so huge that the happy-ever-after you expect from romance seemed impossible. The characters were likeable. I've had trouble committing to books during #quarantimes and this was the first book I managed to read in one sitting in a long time.

<b> thank you so much NetGalley for providing an ARC of While We Were Dating </b>

<b> rating: </b> 4.5 stars

this book was so good!! i've always been a sucker for fake dating, but despite being a cliche trope, it's so wonderfully executed in this novel that i don't even care that it's cliche. besides that, the whole fame aspect gives a different kind of twist to the book that makes it 10 x more interesting.

watching ben and anna go from work acquaintances to friends (with benefits!) to fake dating to falling in love was just IMMACULATE, i loved every second i was reading. you're never bored while reading, and not to mention how nice the dialogue flows in this book.

besides the romance, ben and anna are amazing main characters. the way the mental health struggle is depicted in this novel is so incredibly well written, and its written in such a casual way that lowers the stigma around mental health--which is something i love.

<b> tws: </b> anxiety, panic attacks