4 Stars! This was such a cute book. I loved the main characters, Eric & Grace, and the enemies to lovers & workplace romance trope. Considering this is from a first time author, she did amazing. The only downside I had was it took me awhile to get into it and at times I felt a little unsure of how the main characters were feeling. Did they say something in anger or was it tongue in cheek? Snarky banter is my favorite kind & this has plenty. It has an HEA ending, a few ‘sexy times’, love/hate relationship, some misunderstandings and workplace drama. I really enjoyed this book & it’s worth checking out! I’d recommend!
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

A satisfying friends-turned-rivals-turned-truce-holding-colleagues love story with THE HATING GAME banter to make us laugh and see that there’s definitely something juicy between them that’s behind all those barbs.

Characters to care about, slow-build steam that’s worth the wait, and perfectly-paced peeling back of layers make this one hard to put down. So just go ahead and binge it— a good night’s sleep is for quitters, anyway.

For fans of:
Alisha Rai’s THE RIGHT SWIPE
Lynn Painter’s THE LOVE WAGER
Suzanne Park’s LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT
Falon Ballard’s JUST MY TYPE

The Launch Date is the debut novel by Annabelle Slator. It centers on Grace, a diligent yet heartbroken woman who must collaborate with her former friend-turned-rival, Eric, on a work project.

As they develop a new dating app, they’re thrust into "on-the-job" training that leads to a series of unexpected trial dates. Throughout the process, Grace and Eric must navigate their unresolved tensions to deliver their presentation.

Will they set aside their grudges and work together, or will their animosity get in the way?

This story offers a charming twist on the office romance trope. The writing is engaging, and the timeline shifts are well-executed. While some sections felt a bit slower, it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. In the end, the compelling characters and their journey make for a delightful read that is perfect for any romance reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers Avon and Harper Voyager for the digital advanced reader copy of this novel.

Rating: 3.75/5 (rounded to 4/5 for Goodreads)

Tropes: Enemies to lovers; forced proximity; slow-burn; office romance; slow-burn

If you like work nemesis books, you’ll enjoy this one! It had some good banter and plot lines. It’s a good book for a rainy day at home.

The Launch Date is a friends to rivals to friends to lovers rom com. Yes it goes back and forth so many times it makes your head spin. The main character Grace, while I did want to root for her, I also wanted to just shake her at times. I honestly felt like throwing my kindle across the room. Talk about angst! Grace and Eric are rivals at a dating app company. They have to come together to work on a new dating app to be eligible for a promotion. It gives off major “The Hating Game” vibes and I loved “The Hating Game”.The pacing of this book was a bit tough for me. There is an incident that we don’t find out what it was until halfway through the book and could have been cleared up with an earlier conversation. I definitely understand the author’s choices to make it more angsty/mysterious but was at times annoying. Also for that reason the book has a lot of flashbacks to explain the characters previous friendship and falling out as well as Grace’s previous relationship with an exboyfriend. It was disjointed for me and a little hard to follow. Overall I liked the book and the ending is great (once you get past the throwing kindle stage around 70%). It’s a good spicy rom com.

In this book:
Workplace romance
Friends to rivals to lovers
He falls first
Forced proximity
London

Thank you NetGalley, Annabelle Slator, and Avon for an advanced digital copy of this book.

If you are a fan of the Hating Game, you will absolutely love The Launch Date. I enjoyed how natural Grace and Eric's relationship progressed. I also was so happy about their communication between each other. The job competition, her demanding boss, and the practice dates all kept me wanting to read more. The ending was so sweet, and I am so glad that Grace and Eric get to have their happily ever after. The Launch Date was a wonderfully written slow burn enemies to lovers! I can't wait to read other books from the author :)

I really liked this book, I thought the storyline was interesting and unique with really fun characters. I loved the banter between the characters and I would love to read more from this author.

The Launch Date is captivating, witty, heart felt and swoon worthy. It's hard to believe that this is Slator's debut novel, when her precision in acing the rom-com formula suggests she's been writing them for years. The slow reveal of Eric and Grace's shared history is SO smart and kept me on my toes. The tension and chemistry between these two is so thick that I could feel it in the air as I read. The sub-plots were beautifully executed and interesting, and city/workplace setting was like a train that kept everything chugging along. It was incredibly hard to set this one down, and when I inevitably had to- I gushed about it to whoever was around. The Launch Date is a rom-com that feels like a real rom-com!

This was super cute and I really loved. I loved both the lead characters. The Hating Game is a good comp to this title

Adorable! A charming rom-com that had me smiling and eagerly awaiting Grace’s and Eric’s transition from former friends and current enemies/workplace foes to lovers. There is fun banter throughout and the concept of Grace and Eric beta testing the perfect dates for the launch of a new app was done well though I wish there had been even more dates portrayed. Overall, a delightful romance! 4.5 stars.

Thank you very much to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

this was pretty darn cute! solid debut, i would definitely be interested in reading more from her. i feel like the tropes were troping this time around what with it being an enemies to lovers workplace romance and all, but that’s my cup of tea!! the steam was light and this was a fairly quick read- i think i read it in two solid sittings.

This was such a treat! I absolutely loved the banter between Eric and Grace. Anyone who loved the Hating Game is going to adore The Launch Date. This is an incredible debut novel by Annabelle Slator and I can't wait to see what she does next!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read an ARC!

First off, I usually stick within the genre of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. However, recently I have been adventuring into romance.

This book was really good and a must read for anyone who loves romance. I want to point out that it's not really enemies-to-lovers but more friends-to-enemies-to-lovers.

The only reason I took a point off was because the book focuses more on the companies the main characters work for and not the romance side of the book. While idea of the book was great, I felt it would be more interesting to see more about the dates the characters go on and why they choose them.

Overall such a good book. Thank you again publisher and author!

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.