It has been a long time since a I’ve been so enamored by a romance that I have stayed up past midnight to finish it, but The Launch Date had me hooked and would not let me go!

Grace and Eric work at the same company for competing dating apps. Despite being opposites, they used to be friends, but following *an incident* they are now rivals. When the chance for a big promotion goes up, they must work together on a series of test dates to help launch this new in person dating app. As they spend more time together, Grace and Eric begin to realize they might be after the same thing after all.

I loved this book. This was a bit of a slow burn, but the tension between the two main characters is so great I didn’t even mind. While the majority of the story is told in present day, we do get flashbacks to when Grace and Eric first meet and start working together, which helps to better understand why they are so at odds now. I loved getting to know both main characters and really liked them both. I saw this book was compared to The Hating Game, which is one of my favorite contemporaries, and I definitely see why!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for a review copy.

Fun workplace, friendship-to-enemies-to-lovers romance with a bit of heart. I felt Grace could be a little immature at times but I really like Eric’s character.

I enjoyed reading The Launch Date by Annabelle Slator. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

This was such a fun workplace romance! When both Eric and Grace are up for promotion at work, their research on a new dating app not only puts them against each other but also as allys in testing out first date activities (cooking class, hiking, a gallery, yoga). It's only a matter of time before things start to heat up between them! While I would have loved a dual POV on this, I loved watching Eric and Grace go from work friends (via flashbacks) to enemies to friends to more (but let's be honest, were they ever friends?



Thank you Netgalley, and Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my review!

The Launch Date by Annabelle Slator was a fun and enjoyable enemies to lovers workplace romance.
A slow burn story with such engaging characters.
The characters were interesting. I found the story to be well paced and enjoyable throughout the whole book.

So I'm guessing workplace romances are not my favorites trope in the romance world. Launch Date has two co-workers shrouded in miscommunications, working together on a project. Grace is convinced Eric is playboy, and has avoided him after one fateful experience at the company. Grace's characters felt a bit immature at times, especially for someone seeking a BIG promotion. I also felt that Eric didn't give off love interest vibes.

This story dabbles in some fun banter and some spicy scenes. Overall, this novel had me thinking where was HR during all this stuff between them?

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon

4.25⭐
.5 🌶️
Tropes/Themes: Workplace romance, hate to love, forced proximity
Single POV 1st person

This book started off slow, and it took me a while to get into it. And when they sat down to watch the Keira Knightly version of P&P I almost took a whole star off because everyone knows that the BBC version is superior. 😤
(I legit wrote in my notes *considers giving you up* like that Rick Astley meme 😂)

Movie preferences aside, once I got into the story I really started to enjoy it. At first I felt like I was thrown into the middle of the story with her relationship to Bancroft, which I understand is the point to build tension and not give it all away at the beginning but it was a little too vague I guess.

I wasn’t a huge fan of how Grace is simultaneously super insecure but hates me and talks like every man is a piece of shit but I also have a love/hate relationship with feminism.

Amelia’s character is exceptionally written because I found myself hating her so much. So, so much. But again, that’s the point. Actually, I found all the character to be very well written.

Despite not being sure if I would enjoy this book at the beginning, I did eventually get sucked into it about 30% in. It’s a really cute premise for a book. Obviously the storyline is pretty predictable but it’s still enjoyable. The story sort of reminded me of a modernized Bridget Jones’ Diary mashed up with The Devil Wears Prada, both of which I enjoy. In the end, my biggest complaint is the lack of spice.

i fear i am going to dnf this for now. whether it be the london setting or the tone slator was going for (is this a debut?) the writing was reading really immature and i could not get past it. the quick, stilted sentences left me feeling disconnected and i wasn’t buying their “enemies” to lovers, which seemed pretty childish. i wouldn’t give up rn though and look forward to her sophomore novel 💫 i will leave my review here instead of publicly- thank you!

The Launch Date is a work place romance. The story follows Grace Hastings as she navigates a break up, self confidence issues, and Eric Bancroft.
Grace is a people pleasing, workaholic who has been dumped by an ex-boyfriend. She works for a dating app development company under a rigid and overbearing woman. This story is written primarily from Grace's point of view.
Working for the same dating app development company is Eric Bancroft. Eric is the son of a very rich and publicized man and Eric deals with the same publicity. He has a reputation. You do not get Eric's point of view in the story, so you only know what Grace's point of view allows you too.
Grace and Eric have a roller coaster ride of a story. You truly start to yell at Grace as the story goes on. The story also keeps you guessing as to what will go on between the two characters.
I enjoyed this story and loved Grace's point of view. This is definitely a workplace, friends to enemies to lovers, slow burn type of story. I do think it would have been interesting to dig into Eric's point of view a little bit. He seems like an interesting guy.

This was so cute. I loved the slow burn, coworkers to lovers, enemies to lovers and overall joy of this book. I found that the chemistry was evident from page 1, although it took a LONG time for both characters to admit their feelings. Even then, I liked that they did not dive in head first, but instead kept to their own priorities and let the relationship happen slowly, maybe too slowly. The book was so engaging and the characters were the type that I want to meet in real life. I loved the push and pull, their personalities and the fun plot. Honestly, just a very well done and enjoyable book - there was personal growth, professional growth and relationship growth - from both parties, which is always fun to see! Grace and Eric work for a dating app, they were once good friends turned enemies, who now have to work on a project together. As they go on date after date, they start to realize that they may not be enemies after all. A really fun one!

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy

Grace Hastings and Eric Bancroft work for a gaming and dating app company called Fate. Grace is the Marketing Manager. Grace’s boss, Susie, dumps her own work on her which keeps Grace in the office late every day. Grace recently had a breakup with her fiancé leaving her depressed and stressed.

When the big boss says he will be creating a new app, he expects Grace to work with Eric on it. Eric is handsome, well-dressed, wealthy, arrogant and condescending. They will have to have dates doing various things like hiking, yoga, etc. The person who does the better job will get a new title/promotion. This added stress is the last thing Grace needs but she tries to set aside her frustration and work with Eric.

They agree to some “dates” like hiking and ceramics making. Very impersonal but it does open them up to talking about themselves. This help them to lose some of the animosity toward one another.

This book is fast-paced with lots of app-related terminology that I didn’t always understand but it showed the author was up-to-date on the subject. I liked Grace and loved Eric. Their relationship grew and became quite hot. There are funny things too so I hope that readers will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I ate this book up! It was exactly what I wanted it to be. I love a good rivals to lovers in the workplace. I absolutely loved the slow burn and tension the two main characters had. Admittedly, I sometimes have a hard time with British romance novels because they just read a little different. This one 100% worked for me though. I personally loved that it was fully in Grace’s pov. I loved her and her growth in this book.
There is some miscommunication but I don’t always mind that in romance books if it’s done well. I will say I didn’t love that Eric said what he said even if it was to throw another guy off. For me, it didn’t really seem like something his character would ever say. Despite that, I really loved Eric. The patience of this man was *chef’s kiss*. I would also like to add that this was an absolutely amazing debut from this author. I will definitely be reading any future books they put out!

If you enjoy a slow burn workplace romance or you enjoyed The Hating Game then I highly recommend this! 🩷

4 stars – A fun, flirty rivals-to-lovers rom-com!

Annabelle Slator’s The Launch Date is a sparkling debut full of workplace hijinks, laugh-out-loud banter, and sizzling chemistry. If you love rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity, and a hero who turns out to be way more than just a charming playboy, this one’s for you!

Grace Hastings thought working at the dating app Fate would be a dream, but between her toxic boss, a stalled career, and a recent brutal breakup, she’s feeling like a fraud. When she’s offered a shot at a major promotion by launching a new IRL dating app, she jumps at the chance—only to find out she has to compete for it. Her rival? Eric Bancroft, a notorious socialite with charm to spare and a reputation for never taking anything seriously. To prove the app’s concept, they have to go on a series of first dates together, from disastrous hikes to steamy yoga sessions. But as their competition heats up, so do their feelings, and Grace realizes there’s a lot more to Eric than she thought.

I loved the sharp banter, the undeniable chemistry, and the deeper emotional layers both characters bring to the story. Grace’s struggles with imposter syndrome and self-worth felt real and relatable, and Eric? He’s the perfect mix of infuriating and irresistible. While the third-act conflict felt a bit predictable, it didn’t take away from the overall charm of the book.

A fantastic rom-com debut—I can’t wait to see what Annabelle Slator writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC!

This was good enemies-to-lovers romance that also kinda had hints of friends to lovers and second chance romance.

I really liked the main characters' banter and groove but their work lives took over so much of the plot which felt boring to me.

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

A fun read- not what I expected at all- but in a good way! I felt all the feels and really enjoyed the way the story flowed. It felt like I was part of the story!

Definitely would recommend to any readers!

I also loved the trial fake/real dates the two went on in order to ensure the dating experiences met the needs of their clientele. The chemistry during those dates was palpable and easy to see that they had history and the possibility of more in their future.

I really loved this debut novel! The story follows two colleagues, Grace and Eric, who used to be friends, but after an unfortunate event and miscommunication became rivals. They have to go on “fake” dates to research locations for a dating app feature, and they are competing for the same promotion at a dating app business.
I loved everything about this book: it was funny, it was swoony, charming, frustrating and lovely! I was rooting for Grace from the start, but then both of them by the end. The characters were lovable and relatable, there’s a lot of good banter and their world seemed so cozy. I really didn’t want it to end!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy!!

This drew me in from the start. Grace was so relatable, who hasn’t had imposter syndrome! Her navigating rough her insecurities, feelings, work and love dramas kept me hooked. The chemistry with Eric was great and I could not wait to see how things turned out for them an enjoyable 4 🌟

What’s not to love?
Workplace romance ✅
Rivals to lovers ✅
Tension ✅
I thought this books was great and an easy read! The characters could have had more development but I loved the story and I thought the premise was very well written. The plot was different than other fake dating, workplace romance books and i enjoyed that I hadn’t read anything like this before. The main characters have to work together when developing a dating app at the same time work against each other at the end to see who’s presentation is chosen.
Thanks NetGalley and Annabelle Slator for giving me and ARC of this book!

4/5 ⭐️

This was cute! It's "The Hating Game" but they are rival coworkers working together on a dating app. Eric and Grace had great chemistry - it's a slowwwww burn. I do wish there had been more moments of build up and tension between them, I got kind of bored in parts. There was also too much info about the dating app stuff. I wasn't surprised when I read at the end that Slator had worked at Bumble. It got too in the weeds for me.

I would recommend it, it's a strong debut.

Thank you to NetGalley, Annabelle Slator, and Avon and Harper Voyager for my early access to this.