I was a tad unsure about this book, as I am not a fan of reality TV at all. That said, I am a fan of this book. I cringed and chuckled in all the right places and found myself staying up past midnight to get to the end.
Abby is a terrific character, the kind of girl that I would want as a friend. Fun, loyal, self-deprecating with a desire to make sure everyone is happy. That said, she’s not a pushover, and will happily stand up to bullies.
I’ve never been to Australia, but I think most people are familiar with the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, this made it easy to imagine that I was actually there. The other locations were left to my imagination, but most people can envisage a vineyard, I’m sure.
There’s an eclectic mix of characters, who are easily entered into Abby’s stereotypical types of Villains, Dark Horses, Miscellaneous, Fillers and Brides. Her initial judgements are spot on, but that doesn’t mean that she could have imagined the end result. For me, the romance of this story takes second place to the friendships that are formed. I particularly enjoyed Kaz, she was a breath of fresh air.
Whilst this book didn’t leave me wishing I could watch Love Island – never going to happen – or similar shows, I will certainly read more books from this author. Sandy Barker has written a fun-filled tale which takes a look at the tactical editing and background manipulations that are needed to create audience pleasing reality shows. If you fancy escaping to The Antipodes, this is a great way to travel.

This book is fun! I feel like I am in the dating show with Abby dealing with the dramas. I have a love-hate relationship with the other 11 contestants. I enjoy reading about them but sometimes I hope we have less of their drama and more on the romance between Abby and Jack.

Thank you #Netgalley for this advanced copy.

As a watcher of the bachelor franchise, I enjoyed this read. I could imagine the scenarios I was reading playing out on the screen. Abby is a writer who has a blogs about The Stag, when her editor/boss loops her into an opportunity she can't pass up. The Stag wants her to join the cast and secretly blog about the show. She was torn at first but took the leap to Australia to be a contestant on The Stag. During this time the producers are able to find her a private spot to write up her segments. Abby surprisingly develops relationships with her fellow castmates which makes it harder to keep her secret. I recommend this read to those who like the bachelor franchise and reality tv :)

I have an interesting relationship with Sandy Barker's books. I love the concepts of all her stories...however, there's something about them that just don't jive with me the way I want them to. I continue to pick up her books because I love her ideas and the synopsis of each book always interests me. In this book especially, I found the writing to be okay, but the story seemed way too long and lacked some major cutting out of unnecessary elements. This book is different than her others because it takes place on a Bachelor-style television show. As someone who doesn't care for the Bachelor at all, I do tend to enjoy movies and books that have a similar concept. I really did enjoy this part of the book. However, I didn't care for Abby, our main character at all. If you're a fan of the Bachelor series, this book would probably be the perfect read!

I love a good snappy dialogue, secret romance, girl power, and am a huge sucker for the bachelor franchise. I anticipated loving this book, but I was disappointed. Maybe it was all the unfamiliar British/Australian colloquialisms, but I don’t think it was just that. Overall, we were expected to think of Abby as this witty, cheeky gal but I didn’t find her all that quick-witted. All the other characters kept talking about how great she was, but I didn’t believe them because the author didn’t SHOW us. The book was overall not well written (felt like something I might’ve typed up for fun in high school or college) - the dialogue was awkward at times and just couldn’t capture how people actually interact in a genuine or believable manner. Everything wrapped up “too perfectly”even for a genre that thrives off of happy endings. There were relatively no stakes whatsoever, and Abby continued to have similar if not the same conversations with people over and over (eg convincing herself the entire book that Jack doesn’t like her when he is being abundantly clear that he does). If this book had been more about Abby gaining confidence (in HERSELF, not because everyone else is telling her she should be confident) and about ACTUAL female friendships (can we talk about her “best friend” Lisa who is barely present in her life and rarely gives her the time of day?) then maybe I would’ve liked it better and could’ve more easily swallowed the eye-roll worthy writing. It was just so overdone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. I wish I could’ve written a happier one!
2.5 stars rounded down to 2.

Reality dating show books a la The Bachelor are all the rage right now--The Charm Offensive, One to Watch, If the Shoe Fits--and this book had a great concept, but unfortunately less then stellar execution.

Abby writes snarky recaps of an off-brand Bachelor under a pseudonym for an online magazine, so when her boss thinks it would be great for to go on the show to get the inside scoop, she can't say no. Literally, she tried. While in the manor, Abby makes some great friends out of the other women, and catches a handsome producer's eye, as well. But what happens when the d-bag lead actually seems to be into Abby?

With the necessity of suspending one's belief in reality to the extreme, the book has to be excellent. And this one just didn't hit that mark. It has plot holes galore and leaves some questions unanswered (what about Abby's expose???) where it felt like the author just gave up. While I've read and enjoyed other books by Sandy Barker, the tone and voice of this one was not my favorite. Abby's recaps of the show also didn't hit their mark for humor, and were either, at times, a little mean, or just not funny. It's a lot of pressure to put on yourself to be funny, and I think the author took a risk there that didn't pay off.

Thanks to the publisher for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars - 5/10

Thank you, @netgalley @harpercollinsuk @onemorechapterhc for this delightful rom-com!
Abby writes recaps of the popular reality-TV show The Stag (think The Bachelor) and her boss decides to send her to the set to get a behind-the-scenes look...as a contestant! I enjoyed the peek behind the curtain of reality TV, and I especially enjoyed Abby juggling between a man who she definitely doesn't want attention from, and a man she does want attention from! And am I the only one who thinks a guy getting jealous is just the cutest thing ever? 😍😍😍😍 If you want a cute, light read, with low steam - this is the book for you!

While I know that reality TV isn’t quite real, I was not prepared for the revelations I found in Sandy Barker’s latest romcom, “The Dating Game”. The deception begins right from the start, with the contestants for the show, known as the Does, arriving one by one in chauffer driven limousines, fresh from their fabulous lives in the outside world. Or so the makers of the show would have us believe. In reality, the Does are already billeted within the walls of The Manor, and the chauffer is merely taking them on laps of the driveway.

But the scam is about to be blown right open by our girl, Abbey. Roped into the muck-raking assignment by the lifestyle mag she writes a weekly column for, this intrepid reporter goes deep undercover. She infiltrates the ranks of the Does to get the inside dirt on what really goes on when the cameras stop rolling. Abbey sends intelligence to the outside world from a secret location, hidden within the bowels of The Manor. Her missives take the form of weekly recaps, written under the pseudonym of her acid-penned alter ego, Anastasia Blabbergasted. However, this double agent has a secret mission of her own; to write an in-depth exposé on the exploitative nature of contests like The Stag, and so launch her career as a serious investigative journalist. But when things start to get real, with friendship and true love at stake, Abbey considers aborting the mission she was forced to accept.

Sandy Barker’s romance novels are always light-hearted and fun, and this one is no exception. The passages where Anastasia recounts the goings on at The Manor are hilarious and insightful, but the biggest surprise of all was the genuine camaraderie and friendships between the competitors. A fun and entertaining good time read, from a writer who always offers an escapist delight.

Honestly there are just way too many characters it felt impossible to keep up and just be able to immerse myself in the book. I didn’t really get the point and this only added to distraction. The premise overall was nice though

The Dating Game is a quick and easy read, but there isn't much substance to it. The romance is blah, and to be honest I was hoping it would end because the partner was insecure and annoying. My biggest hand up was our main character's alter-ego Anastasia is supposed to have a sharp wit. Sadly, nothing she wrote was all that witty, and definitely not sharp or snarky at all.

Thank youth NetGalley for the free ARC for an honest review.

As a confirmed fan of reality TV dating shows, this was right up my alley. It's cute, it's fun. It's not the most groundbreaking thing I've ever read, but I think that anyone who enjoys these types of shows will absolutely find something to love in this book.

Abby is a gossip columnist who writes under a pseudonym and she is invited to participate as a contestant on a dating show called The Stag after producers read one of her recaps. I enjoyed watching Abby try to form friendships with the women in the house while reconciling the fact that she couldn't really separate herself from her alter ego as much as she wanted to. Especially because she really had no interest in the Stag.

My only issues with this book or that there were so many plot points I was looking forward to that had no payoff. Little things that I really thought were going to come back into play later. Just kind of never reappeared. While I do love the wordy and fun, verbose writing style, I really kind of wish there had been a better payoff.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC.

Abby writes a seriously funny recap of The Stag, a fictitious British version of The Bachelor, under the pseudonyms Anastasia Blabbergasted, while still trying to make her way as a serious journalist. Her boss and the show's producer send her to be an undercover contestant on a season of The Stag set in Australia. She's hopeful this assignment will yield a behind the scenes expose that catapults her career.

This is a fun, light book. Just the thing for summer. If you love (or love to hate) The Bachelor and its "most dramatic rose ceremony yet!", you'll probably enjoy this one.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

A fun and enjoyable book which takes a tongue in cheek look at the world of reality TV. I loved the main character of Abigail along with her alter egos of Abby and Anastasia. She’s funny, witty, clever, a good friend and daughter and has ambitions to be respected writer and journalist. Readers of shows such as Love Island will love this story and, even though I have never watched it, I could still enjoy the book. From the first time Jack, the producer of the reality tv show, appears in the story I’m sure everyone was willing them to get together and live happily ever but will the show get in their way? You’ll have to read it to find out……

I resonated with Abby a lot. Before I switched to teaching full-time, I wanted to be a serious writer or journalist. I loved this book and can't wait to do a more in-depth review closer to pub date on my bookstagram account @meetcuteromancebooks.

If you are a fan of reality tv dating shows then this book is for you! The Dating Game follows Abby, a gossip columnist, who writes under a pseudonym about the reality show The Stag. When the producers of The Stag read one of Abby’s latest recaps, they decide to invite Abby to be a contestant on the show to give her a behind the scenes access. Having reluctantly agreed to be on the show, Abby struggles to separate her true self from her alter ego as she forms friendships with not only the women in the house but also the crew especially one individual in particular.

I liked the character of Abby as she grows throughout the show process and learns more about herself. There was a lot of characters to keep up with and having the cast list as a reference in the book helped. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves reality tv dating shows.

Thank you @netgalley and publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

A really fun story that desperately needed more editing.

Sandy Barker had such an interesting voice. The Dating Game is essentially about Abby Jones, a journalist who writes witty recaps for The Stag (AKA, this book's version of The Bachelor). She gets tons of clicks daily, and now that a new season of the show is about to start, the producers actually want Abby to participate as a contestant! She will go undercover to get all the juicy gossip directly from the source.

The thing is, Abby couldn't be less interested in this season's Stag (The Bachelor) and is actually falling head over heels for the gorgeous Aussie producer Jack. They both have a ton to prove in order to keep their jobs and actually move on to what they actually want to be doing - him to open a production company with his brother Harry, and her to become a serious investigating journalist.

The thing is... SO many things are promised here and there's so little payoff! Entire plot points are abandoned mid-book, and the romance couldn't be more unfulfilling. It's quite a wordy book, and if it wasn't for the quirky laid back writing style this would be a two-star book for me.

One other positive point is that The Dating Game has some interesting bits about female friendship, and a fun twist ending to the reality show. Unfortunately, the conclusion was just very messy. It's clear that although Sandy Barker is an accomplished writer, this book clearly needed a better editor.

I really enjoyed this book but I wouldn't really call it a romance or even a romcom. While good, the romance is such a relatively small part of the story. It focuses more on Abby, her place in the show, and the other contestants. The cast of side characters was so fun and it was really interesting to see Abby interact with them all. Definitely a fun read perfect for any fan of the bachelor (or not; I hate that show).

I haven't read any Sandy Barker books before but I decided that I would give this book a try and it was ok,. Just not the kind of book I normally read. If you love the dating reality shows, this book is for you . Unfortunately, they aren't something that I tend to watch.
Abby is the main character who is a journalist to go on a reality dating show and from this you meet the contestants and gives you an idea of what goes on behind the scenes on the dating shows. It was missing romance though in my opinion and it fell a bit flat. I struggled with the number of characters in the book but there is a warning at the beginning to explain there is many characters but I really struggled to keep up.
Thankyou to Netgalley, One More Chapter and Sandy Barker for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun book!! I loved the premise and the characters (although there were a LOT of them.) The writing was breezy, giving it a fast pace. I look forward to reading the next book by this author!

Thank you netgalley for this ARC. Even though I am not a huge bachelor/bachelorette fan, I get the concept and thought this book sounded interesting to get a behind the scenes imagined world. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and would have helped to access a who's who guide at the beginning, I read the book on my kindle so didn't see the list until the end. The main character is a writer who under a pseudonym covers the show and writes hilarious commentary on the contestants, when she goes undercover as one of the contestants she can have a insider view on the commentary. It was a bit tough on the kindle to understand in the articles, when the main character was talking as an aside or if it was actually the article she submitted since it often switched back and forth. I felt like it got long toward the end and then rushed to wrap it all up. A solid three stars.