Blind Dates lacked the depth and complexity I was hoping for in a novel. I found the book to be manipulative and immature, with insane matches and incompatible dates. The writing itself was also lackluster, failing to engage me in any meaningful way. The plot was predictable and uneventful, with few engaging twists. I don't recommend this book to anyone looking for a genuine and enjoyable read.

I really like the idea of the book however execution falls short. Slow burners are great when they are engrossing, unfortunately I didn’t get that feeling from this book. It felt like it took a long time for the story to get going which in turn made the read less enjoyable for me.

A great way to start your weekend is to read about blind dates. I loved this book and thought it was a great read, perfect to escape from the world

Absolutely loved this story and the concept of the ten dates. Tom was great and I enjoyed how he grew throughout the dates.

Definitely reading it again

I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. The writing was boring and the story was just dragging on. The detail in the story was too much at times and really got away from the story line. Tom wasn’t too likeable for me and it made it hard to continue with the book.

This was a pretty good book! The cover artwork is straight to the point, the character (Tom) was okay. I wasn't completely in love with him throughout the storyline and his ARC was ok.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful book, I enjoyed it.

Not a fan of lockdown based reads as Covid was a nightmare but this book dealt with the mental after effects and loneliness well without dwelling on it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE male point of view books, and this read was refreshing and engaging. Will definitely read more by this author!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

It took quite a bit of time to get into the story. The first 25% was basically showcasing how much the main character didn’t take risks and that he missed numerous chances to be with his “soulmate” aka what a coward he is. I almost DNF the book because it kept dragging on.

I also didn’t like the writing style. I could be a little biased since I typically read a lot more female authors in this genre, but the story didn’t immerse me as much as I was expecting. But I did like what he discovered through the blind dates.

Overall 2.75 ⭐️

Tom fell for Beth and just as he was going to share his feelings, lockdown happens. Loved the story line and the characters. Will buy a copy when it's released.

I really like the idea of the book. It is always interesting to read about blind dates and dates in general. I tried to like this book hard, but unfortunately, this did not happen. I was annoyed by the main character of the book, Tom. Especially in situations with Beth.

Not my kind of read.

Imagine you get the chance to tell the love of your life how you feel and you choke. Instead of being able to follow up with them, you are sent into a months long lockdown. This is what happens to Tom after he fails to step up to his previously unrequited love Beth.

After the lockdown, and Tom’s self imposed dating hiatus, his friends devise a plan—ten blind dates, all personally curated by one of them. Along the way Tom finds that dating has really changed, it’s easy to end up going viral, friends will betray you, and lost loves may not be gone forever.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital advanced reader copy!

There is a couple of things with this book that  
Intrigued me to start reading. One thing was that this book was written by a male author and another is that this romance book was written fully in a male main character pov. You do get books that Swap between a male and female pov or a male pov romance book written by a female author. So this makes this book a bit special. 
 
I went through reading this book, half guessing what was happening, being happy when I was right, being completely shocked by certain things towards the end of the book which come to light ( I don't want to give it away). I'm not completely sold on the ending but I did want Tom to get his happy ever after somehow. I found the book related as it did discuss the pandemic and how it's hard to now socialise since we were stuck indoors the best part of two years.

This took me a while to get into, but I really enjoyed it once I did. It started picking up for me once the blind dates actually started.

This story was fun, and I really liked that it was from the perspective of someone trying to get back into the dating world after the pandemic. There's so much pain associated with the last few years, so reading something that is a more lighthearted spin on our shared experiences is always nice.

Overall I thought this was a really cute book. I liked it and I would read again. It was such a fun read.

I really loved the old school mix tap element of this book. It is fun, funny, fabulous and has a few twists than the normal meet cute book. Which was a very lovely refreshing change.

In this book we meet leading man Tom who is really a little bit in a rut with his love life due to the lockdown thanks to Covid. It has also made him feel really introverted and isn't really sure how to get himself back out there.

His friends and family decide that they are going to help him get back into the dating game and so they decide to se up 10 dates for him to go on. There is a lot that he needs to learn and there is alot of disasterous dates along the way. But is the love of his life been right under his nose all along?

This is the first book that I have read by Gordon Macmillan. But I look forward to reading more in the future.

Blind Dates
By Gorgon Macmillan

After the lockdown due to the pandemic Tom is a bit of a hermit. He blew it with the girl he likes and other than work he doesn’t really leave his flat.
So his friends and sister decide to stage an intervention and set Tom up on 10 blind dates.
Some of the dates are ok, some not so much, but at least Tom is out of his flat right?!?
The questions is, will one of the ten be ‘the one’?

This book was cute. Tom was likeable and it was interesting to read a romance that is written by a male. Toms love of romcoms and making mixed tapes gave him a slightly awkward, quirky feel which I loved.
The dates were cute and fun but the constant drone about the girl he let get away got kinda annoying. I’m not the biggest fan of the not telling people how you really feel/miscommunication trope. The second half of the book made up for this though!

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a unique, easy read with a couple of twists that were unexpected!

Well, let me say, that I love Gordon's writing style, Songs for your mother was an absolute heart breaking favourite of mine and a tough act to follow, Luckily he didn't try and this book has a very different feel and direction. We do bump into some ties from his first book in a tasteful and creative way.
We follow Tom on his journey post lockdown back into the dating world after an intervention from his friends. As a single woman I can identify with some of the conundrums presented here. It's nice to know that men also worry about their fertile days coming to an end, as do women.
He has to complete a set number of dates, which take place around London. I really must visit Waterstones on Piccadilly. I giggled when he went speed dating, something I have tried myself and failed at. I loved the reference to the Gilmore Girls. Team Jess and Logan all the way.
Is there music in this book? For sure, in fact our Tom has an old school stereo left behind by his dad on which many a mixed tape is created. Boy, I remember those, I am sure readers of a certain age can all tell a mixed take story, does anyone remember sitting by the deck waiting for a favourite song to play on the radio that we could record? Pat Sharp anyone? He was my Sunday Chart Hero on BFBS Radio.
Running a Coffee shop with Convoluted coffee orders made me laugh, I am definitely one of those people who order an Oat or Coconut Milk Latte with Vanilla or Caramel and cause all kinds of confusions and delays.
There are so many lough out loud moments and many omg what? moments in this book. I fully recommend it t anyone dating, or remembers dating and the drama it can bring. Now, here's waiting for Gordons next book.

This book was such a delight to read! From just the description, I was entirely intrigued. Tom is in his mid-thirties and very single. He hasn’t been on a date since before London’s lockdowns due to Covid, so his friends stage an intervention where they present him with the ultimate dating idea: collectively they’ve planned 10 blind dates for Tom to go on with hopes of finding the one. Throughout the story, Tom navigates not only the blind dates his friends have planned for him, but also lingering feelings from his past relationships/crushes.

I think this is the first romance I’ve read entirely from the male perspective, and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it. However, Tom was a pretty likable character and had an awkward charm about him that I loved reading about during his dates. The only thing I didn’t entirely love about this book was the slight miscommunication trope between Tom and his friend Beth, but that’s just a personal preference.

I really enjoyed reading this advanced copy, and I know others will see its charm as well! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hera Books for an advanced copy of this ebook!

Tom is floundering in his life, especially with relationships, and post pandemic lockdowns he is even more of a recluse. His friends decide to step in and make him undertake 10 blind dates to jump start his life.

At first I thought this was going to go one way, but then slowly you could see why Tom was the way he was. It was touching and heartbreaking when you realise what is going on, or has gone on. He can be utterly frustrating at times, especially when you could easily see "SHES RIGHT THERE DO SOMETHING TOM!' but it was relatable. Blind Dates was surprisingly poignant in bits which I think made this book a wonderful read, and who hasn't floundered in their life paralysed with making decisions out of fear, but that fear causes the very think you don't want to happen, to happen.