‘The First Date Prophecy’ by Kate Tamberelli and Danny Tamberelli was outrageously comical (I am still slack-jawed at the events that transpire on the first date; it was hilarious and horrifying, haha) and supremely heartfelt. The pace was a little slow at times, but it did feel fitting for the slow burn of Lucy and Rudy’s romance. The narration was a superb performance by Danny Tamberelli and Mara Wilson, full of life and humor. An enjoyable read that I fully recommend.

Lucy has had one too many shitty first dates. The last one, a guy who calles himself Hashtag, was the worst in a long line of bad ones: she accidentally set his hair on fire. Maybe she should just focus on her job - being personal assistant to a bratty 25-year old YA author. Then, in the midst of New York's dating app users she spots someone who looks familiar in a way ...
Rudy, former child star and current low-paid jazz-musician and comedian, still has to deal with superfans of his childhood shows recognising him on the street and at gigs, and when you live in NYC, you meet a lot of people. He just wants to get by somehow and not constantly be reminded of his older brother, still famous actor and girlfriend thief. After a particularly uncomfortable encounter with a girl who turned out to be a die-hard fan, he decides to try dating apps again. Lucy and Rudy match and have a not completely horrible first date, until the psychic who tells them they're destined for each other drops dead in front of them. Now they have to figure out if she's right, and if they're right for each other.
This was a fun romcom! I found both Lucy and Rudy entertaining as characters and likeable enough that their "worse" traits were funny instead of annoying. I liked listening to them building a relationship on unlikely circumstances and making the best of a really weird start. I first wanted to listen to this audiobook because I really like Mara Wilson's voice acting work, but discovering one of the authors read the other part was a very nice surprise - always makes me feel like *this* is exactly how the words were meant to sound. I liked both of their voice acting. All in all, this was a cute audiobook, would read more by the authors.

A fun quick listen! A great twist on romcoms and fate, definitely something to pick up for a vacation or a weekend trip.

The only thing I started to get annoyed with were the characters themselves. Seems like a big thing I know but by the end they were so predictable I just wanted it to be done. Thus the characters feeling like they dragged on. However I definitely laughed out loud at points and truly overall enjoyed it.

"The First Date Prophecy" by Kate & Danny Tamberelli is an absolute gem! The story revolves around two people who find themselves on an unexpected and transformative first date. As their relationship and life directions are thrown into question, the book expertly delves into their journey. This relatable storyline, while occasionally veering into over-the-top scenarios, captures the essence of wild dating experiences that many of us can relate to. The book's strength lies in its refreshing approach to a classic rom-com theme, focusing on genuine, authentic experiences that bring the characters to life. "The First Date Prophecy" was such a good read. I would recommend it to anyone who digs relatability, heartwarming moments, and a touch of the extraordinary in their books. There was also a great bonus at the end about the real-life inspiration that I absolutely loved.

The narration was also excellent. I always love when an author is able to narrate their work. Though Kate didn’t narrate Lucy’s part, Mara Wilson captured the character’s spirit beautifully.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HighBridge Audio, and Kate & Danny Tamberelli for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The First Date Prophecy is a very high-concept plot of a first-date card reading that leads to a relationship. This story is more relatable for people with experience on the dating scene it is not overly romantic, instead, it is comedic. This was a 90s era, strangers to lovers, forced proximity romance. Unfortunately, the execution of the plot left me wanting more from the characters - like more insight into Lucy and Rudy's relationships or lack of relationships with their family and friends. I did enjoy the quirks of the characters as the story went along.

I know the authors narrated, but I wish another male voice was chosen. Danny Tamberelli's accent made his voice inarticulate at fast speeds and it did grate on my nerves a bit.

Thank you to Net Galley and HighBridge Audio for the advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The First Date Prophecy is a charming rom-com about Lucy and Rudy, who meet on a dating app but have an unusual first date as they decide to get a psychic reading - as you can expect, this doesn't quite go to plan.

This was a nice quick listen (thank you NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this audiobook), but somehow it just didn't hit the mark for me. The characters were ok - Rudy, a former child star who is struggling living in the shadow of his A list brother; Lucy, an aspiring writer who is working as an assistant for a demanding YA author - but I did sadly struggle to connect with them as a couple. I think if the authors had focused on keeping this book as a comedy, they would have been ok, but the romance didn't shine through for me at all, it felt forced a lot of the time.

The concept of the book was great, and I think if it had been tweaked just slightly, it might have been able to work, but it felt slow and the characters rambled on a lot. It started off quite strong, but it just lost its way somewhere along the line.

I think this book will appeal to those looking for something light and funny, but if you are after a big romantic love story, this just isn't it. There was nothing massively wrong with it, it just didn't wow me, hence the 3 star rating.

I am thankful to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC audiobook. I enjoy audiobooks a great deal and this is mainly how I read books. Unfortunately I could not get into this one. When the female narrator spoke I enjoyed it however the male character just seemed to ramble. The concept is great and maybe I would have liked it more had I read it. Yet I am wondering if the authors wrote all of the book together or each took a viewpoint which would also explain how disjointed the story was.
I am sure many people will enjoy this book but it is not for me.

Super interesting story! I wasn’t sure how this would play out but it was super cute and funny! I didn’t really love the narrators. The cadence was off. I tried different speeds but then the female narrator was too fast. Overall I liked the story but would’ve preferred different narrators.

I do love rom coms and I think this one was written well, but I had trouble liking the characters. They were not the kind of people I would want to get to know and (as is often the case) the story is centered around what a mess each of the two are at the beginning. Not the "we all have problems" kind of mess, but more of a personally deeply flawed kind of mess. Having said that I think this book WILL appeal to most rom com lovers -- it's funny, things work out, etc. I just need the characters I read about to be more interesting to me than these were.

3.75. - This is not bad. I think I may not be the audience for it though. It’s a bit heavier on the com than rom. Something about it felt disconnected for me. I love the premise, the writing is not bad. This just feels more like a 90s family sitcom version of a romance. That’s not bad, just not my thing I think. I couldn’t connect to the characters or the couple.

“The First Date Prophecy” is a charming and funny tale with an unusual premise: the fortune teller’s prediction that this couple—Lucy and Rudy—will succeed only if they work together, made on their very first date. Readers will discover that here is much more to the date, but no spoilers here. I loved the alternating narrators and the very real tone of the book, which may be due to the fact that the story is based on the authors’ actual relationship (explained in the acknowledgements at the end of the book). The audiobook is lively and entertaining; a perfect rom-com! Thanks to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Sweet, a bit more rom than com story, but ultimately a love story. First dates are never easy as first impressions are forever burned into our brains. When Rudy and Lucy are matched on an app and have their first date things both right and wrong. He is trying to move forward from his childhood acting success and be treated like the adult he now is, but is stuck. Lucy isn’t having a lot of success in her career or dating life. When they are an ominous reading by a psychic, they are left with a lot of questions. They decide to see if they can make it work and this find their forever love story together. This is a semi-autobiographical accounting of the authors romance. Enjoyable story and narration.

Thank you NetGalley and to the author for letting me listen to this audio book. I loved it! The story was so fun and I enjoyed the narrators. I literally laughed out loud at some moments. Definitely recommend this romcom!

I'm giving this a generous 3.

While there is nothing extremely wrong with this book, I just really struggled to get into it. I felt that it was moving extraordinarily slow for a genre (rom-com) that usually keeps things energetic and exciting throughout. I will add that I had an audio copy which I was listening to on x1.5 speed and then x2 speed because I just wanted to get to the end.

As I've said, it was just a bit of a slog. I really loved the concept of this book and was very excited to listen to it but I can't say I walked away feeling impressed. I do think this would work better as a movie as perhaps that could fix the pacing issue I found.

As for the audio-narration, I enjoyed Mara Wilson a lot more than I enjoyed Danny Tambarelli. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I just preferred her voice. Having said that, they were both solid narrators and I think if I had to suggest this to someone I would tell them to listen to it on audiobook rather than read it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio copy of this book!

This was a light, amusing listen with great narrators. I sometimes had a hard time connecting with the characters, but it has a funny concept and I liked the fact that it was loosely based on a true story. My favorite part was the afterword where the author describes his real-life romance and how portions of the book were inspired by it.

A 3.5 stars rounded up for me in this meet cute RomCom. Former child star goes on a blind date using a dating app and finds someone that is honest with him. That catches his attention and the rest of the date hooks him. I’ll admit that this was a slow starter for me and that is the reason for the .5. Once the story got rolling I found it charming especially in the instances where the families come into play and anything dealing with Elvira. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was really fun. I loved Lucy and Ruby’s first date and the prophecy given to them by Elvira and how they then dive into trying to see if their romance could fulfill the prophecy. The romance in this book was so sweet and overall this book was fun and had a very interesting and different premise.

The First Date Prophecy soundly falls in the contemporary romantic comedy genre. It's a unique twist on forced proximity but make it less forced and more voluntary. The two main characters learn via a great mystical psychic that they may be destined to be together. Mind you, this takes place after a pretty rough first date where just about everything that could go wrong does. On top of that, there is absolutely no spark to speak of. In spite of that, they set out to see if maybe they can find out what their destined connection may be.

I listened to the audiobook of The First Date Prophecy and enjoyed the dual POV narration by Mara Wilson and one of the co-authors, Danny Tamberelli. Mara Wilson is one of my favorite narrators and she once again delivers an excellent performance. Author-turned-narrators make me slightly nervous. I've found it can be hit or miss, but Danny Tamberelli really impressed me. When executed well, I enjoy authors who narrate because it really gives a feel for the voice of the character.

You can expect outlandish first dates set up through dating apps, somewhat struggling thirty-somethings living in Brooklyn, New York, and a touch of mysticism that launches two characters into finding their way through it all together.

The most interesting facet of this particular book is the inspiration taken from the co-authors' lives. Written by a former child star and dubbed as semi-autobiographical, The First Date Prophecy is a mix of the outlandish and the realistic side of the NYC dating scene and was a well-rounded and balanced story - an overall pleasant read.

This was such a sweet story with a really unique premise. Lucy (a rom-com writer) and Rudy (a former child star) match on a dating app and on their first date they go see a psychic, who goes into a huge trance and proclaims a prophecy about their future. The rest of the book Lucy and Rudy test out that prophecy to see if it was true.
I enjoyed this, Lucy and Rudy were such great, fun characters that you rooted for. The authors are Danny and Katy Tamberelli who are married. Danny was a child actor and this story is loosely based on their own first date.
Thank you to Netgalley and HighBridge Audio for the Advanced Listener copy. The author Danny Tamberelli narrates with Mara Wilson, and they did a wonderful job.

When Brooklyn-based aspiring writer Lucy Minninger and former child star Rudy Riziero match online, they're eager to meet. It doesn't go quite as planned when the psychic at the restaurant dies immediately after declaring that they're destined to be together and do something great. Is happily ever after still in the cards for these two thirty-somethings?

After that unconventional first date, they both wondered whether they should be doing something life-changing together. That led to Rudy inviting Lucy on his comedy and music gigs, and Lucy inviting him on her hilarious Craigslist gigs as well. The question arose whether their potential relationship was hinging on a prophecy alone or if they actually had a connection.

Lucy had a lot to figure out, working part-time for a best-selling YA author whilst having her own rejected manuscripts. Rudy, being a former child star, felt he had a lot to prove to himself and his family. He was also dealing with past hurts. I loved what they came up with in the end. I absolutely loved the epilogue.

I love that some parts of this story are based on true events the co-authors went through. Danny Tamberelli did the male narration on the audiobook, and I loved how it felt like I was listening to a story from a friend, not a refined script.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.