"When a friendly game of Truth or Dare leads to an uncomplicated four-date arrangement with Seth, Tara can’t say she minds. But their dates, while sweet and sexy, have a tendency to hit roadblocks. Thankfully, their non-dates and chance meetings get frequent and heated."

I like a good romance and this premise sounded fun ... but it just didn't live up to its potential. The writing was fine and the story was okay, but I just couldn't figure out if this was supposed to be a cozy romance or a steamy romance. Tara is written as a sweet girl whose swear words are things like "goose berries", but then shifts to much raunchier descriptions of sexual encounters with Seth. It felt a bit jarring. The narration, however, was quite good.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this in exchange for a honest review

4/5 ⭐️
Aaaww the premise of this was super cute and I loved this book!! I glad that it had a happy ending! I was kinda scared there for a bit towards the end haha

A very engaging book. I am happy to have discovered Jayci Lee via NetGalley and will definitely look for other books by this author.

Review to come. for The Dating Dare ( A Sweet Mess #2) by Jayci Lee

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy!

This book had all the potential to be a winner for me: convenient relationship, no strings attached, AND there's a cute bakery? But this one fell a little flat for me.

It started strong with some great banter, and I loved the idea of the dare, but the tension didn't make sense to me. It felt like it was building nicely in the beginning, but I don't think Lee established enough of a let's-date-because-it's-convenient-but we-can't-be-together scenario. Yes, there was a deadline, and yes, they had both been hurt in the past, but Tara hiding the entire relationship from everyone in her life seemed like an unnecessary extreme.

Don't get me wrong, the chemistry between the main couple was great, but I think they fell in love too quickly and I didn't understand <i> why </i> they couldn't be together. Despite the dare, they were both crazy into each other, and while past pain definitely lingers, it seemed a little silly that they couldn't move past it and admit they're feelings.

What I LOVED about this book was the narrator. This was my second book narrated by Natalie Naudus and I've come to love their reading style. Their pacing, speed, and inflection was fantastic, and I know I'm certainly going to be looking out for their narration in the future.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Romcons are not my to go genre in books, but I did enjoy this one.
It was a cute story. Both main characters were pleasant and I did like their chemistry together.
Was it a bit predictable? Yes, it was. But at the same time who doesn't like a good predictable love story? I sure do.
I am a fan of the narrator! I always enjoy her voice and pace and was happy to discover she also was the narrator of The Dating Dare.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. I love him so much. I recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a sweet rom-com with a touch of spice. Nothing too crazy but amazing banter and tension!

This was pretty good as far as rom-coms go. I didn't read the first in the series, but the 2nd features different characters so it didn't make a difference. Honestly, this would have only received 2 stars if it weren't for the adorably romantic ending. I am a sucker for a good happy-ending and this definitely delivered that and saved this for me. I did end up enjoying it in the end, but found it to be a bit over the top. I found the dialogue to be a bit cheesy and overdone, and wished it would have been a bit more humorous and a little less sexual. I definitely thought there was way too many sexual scenes and not enough romantic scenes for people who just met and had only gone on a few dates. I have a hard time enjoying rom-coms if they are rushed and the love doesn't feel believable and this definitely had that feel to it. Their love connection was almost instant - but not in a good way. It felt like they jumped into it so quickly that I didn't have a chance to get to know them as a couple and didn't get to pine over their love for each other because they were immediately lusting over each other every time they laid eyes on each other. The ending was definitely predictable as well, but I didn't mind because it was set in the most romantic place on earth: Paris! I thought the ending was quite cute (but again - could have focused on just the love and less on the lust). I think being hyper-focused on the lust and less on the love really hurt this novel and I hope in Jayci Lee's next one she'll try to make the love feel more believable.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Tara and Seth’s story! So cute, I chuckled out loud a few times. Nice, easy read perfect for the beach.

This was a cute/quick listen romance! Loved the characters. Little hot, little cheesy - but a fun read for sure. Thank you!

This book fell flat for me. I liked Tara and Seth separately, but I didn’t feel their connection. The narration was good, even though the dialogue was awkward.

This one just wasn’t for me.

Jayci Lee is the greatest rom com author ever!! Love all of her books - and especially like that she uses Korean characters in every book.

Unfortunately, this book was a did not finish for me. I was turned off by the over the top characters, behaviour and aggressive sexual language before even finishing the first chapter - I kept going, but I just had to stop at around 30%.

I read a LOT of romance. I love mushy rom coms, I love mushy love stories, I love hot and heavy steamy romance - this was none of that. The characters and how they are presented are un-likeable from the minute you meet them, and what I think was meant to be written as “hot and heavy steam” is actually written as aggressive and borderline inappropriate; there should be a trigger warning for people who have been in relationships that had verbal sexual assault because the language is SO aggressive (and NOT in a cute way, or even an appropriate sexual way). This language is completely appropriate in a romance if there is consent given that the woman agrees to participate in a conversation so abrasive- the fact that the male persists to talk this way when the woman clearly lets him know she isn’t comfortable (or is written to be perceived that way) turned me off instantly.

This book was just okay. I don’t feel like is was anything to get excited about. There was so much miscommunication throughout the story that I was frustrated reading it because they could have gotten together much sooner than they did.

The concept of this book was intriguing, but it really fell flat. After reading 2 books by the author, I don’t think Jayci Lee is an author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book.

Trigger Warning - past partner abuse discussed.

What happens when you put two people together that are very attracted together but also very broken from past relations? The dating dare, in which one dares the other to go on 4 dates with them without strings and not fall for each other…

…Of course they fall for each other, but that’s where the real dare begins. Do they dare to do the work and look into themselves to let them make this 4 date arrangement into something more permanent?

Both Tara and Seth have a history of partner abuse that tarnishes their views on relationships and love. They both had so much to work on that at points I found this romance hard to read. There was a lot of self sabotaging and generalizing about the opposite sex or partners. I did find it interesting that both he male and female leads used casual relationships to both boost their self esteem and to erect a barrier from getting hurt again.

I listen the audiobook and read along and found that the audiobook glossed over any of the discussion of partner abuse and that a listener without a print copy would be given a very whitewashed version of the characters past. Our narrator also did not have a very definitive male voice for Seth’s parts. Her pacing and expression was on point for the reading.

This was not an easy read/ listen for me. The characters underlying issues made it difficult for me to truly enjoy their journey to the HEA. I respect that there are people out there that need stories like this to relate to, but for myself, it just wasn’t the light hearted story I was hoping for.

The Dating Dare by Jenna MacGregor is scheduled to release August 3rd, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and the audiobook from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.



#TheDatingDare #JayciLee #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

I enjoyed this cute romcom. I think maybe the trope of “I don’t really want a serious commitment, let’s just have a fling” isn’t really my favorite kind of romance. I understand though, the characters don’t want to be vulnerable to each other for their own personal reasons. It takes some experience and a grand gesture to get past that hurdle.
I thought this book was romantic, funny, and steamy. It also dealt with some mental health issues and past relationship concerns that were a little intense. I felt like that could have been handled a little more delicately instead of the way it was discussed between the characters but at the same time, maybe discussing abruptly fit their personalities. Both Tara and Seth are witty and snarky with each other. I love when they talk about Disney World. Peter Pan’s Flight is one of my favorite Magic Kingdom rides. And when Tara says she’d wear Minnie Ears, now that’s my kinda girl.

Thank you to @macmillanaudio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Beautiful woman meets handsome man. There is sparks. Guess what no one has any self doubt. These people are about 15% of the population

A steamy romance between two people that do not want to fall in love. After a drunken dare to 4 dates Tara and Seth start on a journey of desire and denying it as long as possible to save yourself from hurt. A game of cat and mouse ensues and it's fun to watch them figure out whether or not love is worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of the audiobook. Absolutely loved this story. Tara and Seth were enjoyable to read, every other character was likable. It was fun following their love story. The only downside was I felt like the audiobook would have been better if Seth’s perspective was read by a male narrator.

The light and breezy tone of the majority of the book felt a bit incongruous with a couple of triggers, namely recalling a previous abusive relationship and the LI's battle of rake versus gentleman. I tend to prefer books that handle difficult topics appropriately, but in this case, it didn't seem to quite fit. I felt discomfort over Seth "ogling" Tara while she was a drunken mess. It didn't jive well with me.
Those few complaints aside, the premise of Truth and Dare leading to a month long fling was a fun idea. The banter and chemistry was sparking.
I read and listened to this book simultaneously. The narrator, Natalie Naudus, initially gave me the old valley girl stereotype vibes. At first it was a bit off-putting, but I quickly grew accustomed to it and it didn't bother me for the balance of the listen. I would have preferred dual narrators for each POV.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy and Macmillan Audio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.