Thank you NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me access to this ebook!
The Launch Date is Annabelle Slator's debut. It's a delightful rom-com with workplace-rivals-to-lovers tropes.
We follow Grace Hastings, a hardworking and heartbroken woman who finds herself stuck working alongside her biggest rival, the suave and seemingly superficial Eric Bancroft, to develop a new dating app focusing on real-life connections. What follows is a series of quirky, disastrous, and hilarious dates, all part of their competitive mission to win a promotion.

I honestly had a hard time getting into this book, it was a lot about the actual work they were doing and less about the romance between the characters. I have nothing against marketing but it's not my fave to read about! Anyway I liked the dates and the competition between them!

This was a sweet story. A bit slower paced than I prefer but I did enjoy it. It’s definitely a fit for fans of The Dating Game-of which I am one.

Thank you NetGalley abd publisher for this arc!

I loved this book! Slow burn. Enemies to frenemies to lovers. Great love story! It was hard to put this book down!

At the beginning of this book, Grace never stood up for herself nor recognized her talent as a marketing manager at a dating app. She found herself unworthy of love especially being demoralized by William as well as her perception was certainly skewed due to her parent's love story. Her life simply revolved around work. As she strove to get the promotion with Ditto, her demeanor completely changed. She knew that she was good at what she did and deserved better. A reader cannot help but applaud as she stood up for herself. Yes, she did cry a lot, but Yemi and Alice were by her side. It was great to see how her and Eric's witty banter turned into so much more as they finally recognized and persisted in creating a loving relationship. They were so much better together and really complimented each other as their biggest champion. That is why their presentation to gain the promotion simply exemplified that. The epilogue was perfect both professionally and personally as they pursued Ever After. This is a fun and witty read. I certainly recommend it.

I found this story to be an absolute delight, filled with humor and sharp dialogue. The tension between the heroine and hero, who clearly can’t stand each other, is both palpable and hilarious. Their rivalry reaches new heights when they are forced to work together, each determined to secure a coveted promotion. The story masterfully blends the present with flashbacks, revealing the roots of their animosity, adding depth to their dynamic.

What truly stands out is the witty, cutting dialogue. Each exchange feels like a verbal sparring match, full of quick comebacks and simmering tension. Despite their mutual dislike, the chemistry between the two is undeniable, and their interactions are often laugh-out-loud funny. As the two interact, as a reader, the hero becomes a likable person despite how the media makes him out to be a ladies' man having another woman on his arm every night. Watching them navigate their professional rivalry while confronting unresolved issues from their past adds richness to the story.

This is a fun, entertaining read for fans of enemies-to-lovers romances with clever dialogue and well-paced storytelling, I highly recommend it!

This seems to be a debut novel from this author. For a debut novel, this was really entertaining. The main characters had chemistry. The banter was great. There were some comedic scenarios that made me laugh. I love the different date they went on. The side characters had enough depth to make them part of the story. I really liked that all the characters had layers and the further you read, the more is revealed. It is not always like this with books, and it helps with character and plot development. The only thing that was a bit of a pet peeve for me was the FMC kept self sabotaging repeatedly, and it kind of made the MMC seem like the golden retriever who keeps coming back. You understand her motives, but communicating this to him vs repeatedly making the same mistake could've made for a more developed relationship. I will definitely be reading the next one by this author, as I really enjoyed this book.

I always tag the tropes. Spice level is about 1.5-2. There two scenes but very mild.

Coworkers to friends to enemies to frenemies to lovers. I truly loved every second of this book. A true slow burn where he falls first and so clearly loves her from the beginning. He comes off as a playboy but is so sweet and caring and genuinely had me saying “awwwww” aloud. I’m really excited for people to get their hands on this love story.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC.

4 ⭐️
1.5 🌶️
SLOOWWWW BURN (worth it!)

I really enjoyed this one by Annabelle Slator!!! I love an enemies to lovers book and this book did not disappoint. The relationship that formed was so believable and felt so real. And the chemistry between Grace and Eric- soooo good, I had butterflies! Also, a man that falls first is always going to be a top tier character in my book. Aside from the romance, the author did a great job creating the apps and the competition of the position they are both vying for.

I would recommend this one!!! Thanks NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC!

The Launch Date was a very fun concept, I was really looking forward to the dating app twist on the workplace romance. So often this setting feels repetitive, and I do feel like The Launch Date successfully distinguished itself as something new! Unfortunately I do feel that the execution overall was a bit lackluster for me, and the conflict was not resolved fast enough to enjoy the romance.

First, the positives: I did love Annabelle Slator's writing voice and her style of storytelling. The mystery of what happened in the past, and knowing eventually my answers would come through a timeskip / flashback was largely what kept me reading. I love that we didn't have to sit through a large text block of the main character explaining her past, and instead got to witness it. A great tool utilized perfectly to keep us hooked and keep the story moving at a good pace! I loved Grace's roommates, most of the time I enjoyed them more than Grace herself, and I loved Eric and his sister.

Where I got stuck was there was when I realized there was too much workplace and not enough dates! The dates and how they would be rated and reviewed afterwards were 100% my favorite part. I loved the way the dates functioned for them the way they would any other couple - the learning and bonding and working as a team to conquer challenges, I loved every minute. However their effect didn't last - Grace in particular would shrug off her growing fondness. Grace forcing herself back into her rivalry mindset every single day that she went to work... it really became a chore, and less believable the longer she held onto her grudge. Sadly, the balance just wasn't right for me, and then the story overall began to drag the longer she insisted she hated him - enemies to lovers in a contemporary setting has many pitfalls and blind stubbornness truly is the biggest of them all.

I rated The Launch Date a 3.5/5, rounded up to 4 for NetGalley. Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was kind of disappointing for me, especially because I had such high hopes for it. The premise sounded like such a fun time and like it could set up some really funny moments. I just found this to be a bit lackluster for me.

Given the workplace environment of this book, I thought I would get some absolutely hilarious and fun moments of the two arguing at work or about work, but that didn't happen. Or it didn't happen enough. Do you know how much iconic sass and sarcasm you could have here? Missed opportunities.

In a book like this, the characters and their personalities really have to draw me in and make me think that the two will work out even when it doesn't seem possible at first, another missed opportunity here.

And I also found the beginning to be quite slow. I don't think that all the in-depth discussions on dating apps and how they work were entirely necessary, especially because everyone (the readers) know all about that. Online dating isn't a rarity or seen as such a weird thing anymore.

This book definitely picked up (plot and character-wise) at the very end, somewhere around the last quarter mark. But it shouldn't take me to nearly the end of the book for me to feel invested.

This is definitely not a terrible book by any means, but it didn't grab me. It didn't have that special something that you look for and crave in this kind of book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my review on TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) will be up at the end of the month with my monthly wrap-up.

I found the overall concept of *The Launch Date* really intriguing, especially the enemies/competitors to lovers dynamic. I always enjoy tension in romances, and this premise had a lot of potential. However, the chronic miscommunication between the characters really killed my interest in Grace and made me feel bad for Eric. Grace dragged him along throughout the story, often treating him harshly, and I just couldn’t understand why Eric stuck around when all she did was push him away only to pull him back. While I could sympathize with Eric’s perspective at the start, by the end, his patience with Grace seemed unrealistic given all they had been through.

The pacing also felt off, with the story being longer than it needed to be. A lot of dialogue was drawn out over multiple pages, with too much inner monologue and metaphors that didn’t add much to the story. Unfortunately, it didn’t fully deliver for me, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re a fan of the miscommunication trope.

A cute workplace romance with a friends to rivals (to friends) to lovers trope reminiscent of The Hating Game. Grace and Eric have a lot of chemistry with some angst. Their relationship was a slow-burn romance. They challenged each other in their careers while also balancing their love lives. Their romance scenes were fun to read (and more open door than closed) and there were a lot of funny moments in their fake dates. And in the workplace, they really brought out the best in each other, and it was satisfying watching Grace stand up for herself. Eric is definitely the perfect book boyfriend: supportive, handsome, confident but also respectful. Something that bothered me was the epilogue - while I liked the ending, I felt like there were a lot of events career-wise that happened in between the last chapter and epilogue that were just unexplained.

This was overall a great debut novel from the author. The writing was engaging and easy to read and I truly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!

I cannot believe this is the author's debut novel! 😭

Time jumps don't normally hit for me, but the way that past scenes were sprinkled in right when I wanted to know what had happened in the past was perfect 👌. I love that Grace and Eric had such a rich history together and spanned the whole gamut of friends-to-enemies-to-lovers.

The Hating Game comparison is spot on - there is just a magnetic pull between the two characters that has you feeling the chemistry and tension throughout the entire book.

Angst level is pretty low - for some the stakes of competing for the same job might not be high enough but for me this is the perfect escapism romance.

Thank you to Netgalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of this novel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In this debut enemies to lovers, work place romance two coworkers vying for the same position are forced to work together on a brand new dating app in order to receive a promotion. They must develop and test drive a series of first dates to include in a brand new app that focuses on IRL dating and genuine connection. Too bad they also happen to be nemeses. What could possibly go wrong?

After being dumped by her boyfriend, Grace Hastings believes that the idea of finding a true love match is a pipe dream, which makes working on a dating app a challenge to say the least. She spends her days creating marketing plans for a concept she no longer believes in. To top it all off, she suffers from imposter syndrome. But that’s not going to stop her from getting a seat at the table. I really admired her resolve and work ethic. Her character arc is beautifully written. She starts off the novel unsure and afraid to assert herself with her boss, but by the end she discovers she has the power to go after her passions and stand up for herself.

Eric Bancroft comes from wealth and privilege. Never seen with the same woman twice, he is the ultimate playboy. He’s anxious to get the Head of Marketing Position for the new dating app, Ditto. But can his playboy charms get him the role? Eric can be an ass, but he’s a charming ass. Ms. Slayer does a great job of balancing that line. While there’s competition between the pair, there’s never any real animosity and that’s challenging to do with an enemies to lovers trope, but Ms. Slator navigates this beautifully. Ms. Slator hits all the right notes. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel.

The chemistry between the two is off the charts and the witty banter helps give the novel the right pacing.
The pair grow closer as they continue to work together and they both let down their guards. We see the vulnerable, caring side that Eric hides behind his cavalier facade. I liked seeing them on their dates, which start off pretty disastrously. Between a sprained ankle and a minor stab wound, you’d think these two will kill each other by the end of this project, but in fact these moments help them to bond even more. Eric and Grace bring out the best in each other. He supports her passion project and encourages her to keep pursuing her idea for a new app. It gave me all the feels.

There were so many memorable, funny moments throughout the story. Here are some of favorite quotes:

“It would be fitting to die here, like this: she died how she lived, trying so hard to get somewhere but not quite reaching the peak.”

“Well, I’ve never eaten dinner with someone who committed a knife crime against me, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

“Sooo, what I’m hearing is . . . you think I’m pretty?” His smile flashes triumphantly in the warm, humming light. I raise my eyebrows and stare at him in carb-fuelled disbelief. “That’s the one thing you got from my speech?”

“You really think you’ve got my number, don’t you?” I smush my ruined vase back into a ball. “I do, actually. It’s saved in my phone under Spawn of Satan.”

I’m so excited to see what comes next from this author.

The past few months have been filled of debut author rom-coms for me, and I’m loving every minute of it! What a great debut novel from Annabelle Slator! “The Launch Date” was fun and witty, with equal parts swoon!

Grab this one if you love:
***Friends to enemies to lovers trope
***Workplace romance
***He falls first
***The build-up that delivers!
***The chemistry! The flirting!
***A yummy MMC

And the scene when it finally happens?!? Wooooweeee!

Definitely grab this is one when it hits bookshelves in February! I can’t wait to read what Annabelle writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley & Avon and Harper Voyager from the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

This was a cute, very modern slow burn love story involving online dating/dating apps. Grace was such a relatable character- we could've been friends IRL! I was rooting for her and Eric as well.

thank you to netgalley for the arc to read this book!

ੈ♡˳ rating: four of five stars

ੈ♡˳ thoughts:
this book was super cute! it was also very short, not novella short but definitely a one day read if you have the time. it only took me about 4 hours to read the entire thing and that's with a nap in between. the e-book was about 200 pages, so something short and sweet to take your mind off things. eric and grace, the two main characters, are coworkers turned friends turned enemies turned rivals turned friends turned lovers, and the author somehow managed to fit all of that into one very short book. they both work for opposite dating apps, i would say grace's is the equiv of hinge and eric the equiv of tinder but are coming together to make their own dating app.

2/5 on the spice, their is one open door scene but it's nothing to write home about.

ੈ♡˳ tropes
ꕥ enemies to lovers
ꕥ second chance
ꕥ workplace romance
ꕥ he falls first

ੈ♡˳ fave quotes
“ೃ⁀➷ no quotes because an arc is always subject to change!

◡̈ ◡̈ ◡̈

Okay so I am a huge fan of the Hating Game. So when a book promises to be like that I’m expecting lovely snarky banter between the two love interests. Where the lovely couple fall for each other in a beautiful way. This book though wasn’t it. The first few chapters were boring. Dating apps and fighting for a job was boring. I almost gave up. But I felt maybe it will get better. The story really picked up steam in the last 30% of the book. Which by the way was a long book. And the romance was a bit off for me from the beginning. The ending was unexpectedly odd. Overall, it was an okay romance book. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

I am so excited to be reading this book. My full review to follow!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

If you're a fan of the Hating Game and love workplace frenemies romance, this is the book for you! It is a bit of a slow burn but you can't help but root for Grace and Eric the whole time. A quick and enjoyable read.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!