What a fun idea for a book. Emma’s fiancé breaks up with her and she decides to keep her wedding date and find a groom! I loved the anxiety rep. Sometimes Emma’s monologues were a little cringy but overall I enjoyed this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book because I love how the book was wrote and the genre. I will read this book anytime.

At first the premise seemed appealing. Relationship expert gets dumped 6 months before her wedding.
But then I thought about it more and it irked me. The date is just that, a date. It can be changed. But Emma was hell Bent on finding a replacement groom to save the date. That’s not being interested in forever, that's being interested for show and the wedding hoopla.
It was an ok read and I probably delved too deep into the psyche of the plot but I think too many people are too concerned about the wedding day than the marriage.

In this semiautobiographical rom-com novel, readers follow couples therapist Emma Moskowitz when everything seems to collapse on her after her fiance dumps her six months before the wedding. Her private practice, her content creation job, and her book deal all seem to hinge on her relationship status and her broken heart. Deciding to keep her wedding date and switch out her groom, Emma publicly shares her journey online, but her husband hunt gets complicated when Will, a charming podcast producer not interested in being a replacement, and Matt, a recent and kind divorcee ready to settle down again, become contenders for her rapidly approaching wedding day. Funny, unorthodox, and complicated, readers will really enjoy the character dynamics and Emma’s growth over the course of the book as her understanding of herself and her relationships changes. The tropes in this book add a nice layer to the romance and mental health elements, and while they are prominent, they do not overwhelm the story. With the right amounts of heart and humor, this book has a great emotional storyline and well-written characters that readers will empathize with, and the atmosphere and charm of this book will really pull readers into this unique romance novel.

DNF @ 23%.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Canary Street Press for a copy of this ebook.

I really wanted to enjoy this one but this definitely felt like it wasn't going to be the book for me. I thought the premise was so fun and fresh! I loved the fact that it seemed a little off the wall and strange but my main issue was with our FMC. Emma was extremely unlikable. It seems like she was more upset about the fact that she wasn't getting married than about the guy himself. I thought the writing was good and I appreciated that this is closed door (which is something I am actively seeking at this time). This book just didn't land for me the way I was hoping it would. I feel like I would try other books from this author in the future, this one was just a bit of a miss for me. I also appreciated the mental health rep. I think you would enjoy this book if you like a quirky slightly quirky FMC.

2.5 stars rounded up

After Emma's fiance walks out on her with no warning or explanation, she's forced to face being alone (AGAIN!) as well as the complete derailment of the way she thought her life was going to go. She's a couples' therapist with a book deal all about relationships, and she's now got to tell the world she can't actually make her own work? How can she possibly be all the way back at square one? She's wasted so much time...and now she has to start all over. Or does she? She has a wedding date, venue and dress. Really all she needs is a willing guy to step in for the actual marriage part. Thus begins Operation: Save My Date, a project to find her a new husband in 5 months. No problem!

I've read a lot of reviews of this book that bash Emma for just swapping out one guy with another, as though all potential life partners are interchangeable and easily replaceable. To those readers, I say: DID YOU READ THE BOOK? Her whole family thinks she's bonkers, and she scares multiple guys away by being up front about her plan. She faces a lot of backlash online (because she decides to document the whole thing with a podcast) and fears her career is going to go up in flames. It's not like she's approaching things with some deluded fantasy she's going to meet and marry her soul mate in that short amount of time. She's very clear about turning the "everyone has only ONE true love" narrative on its head by suggesting that you can make a relationship work and be happy and fulfilled with someone who's willing to work on it the same way you are....she's up-front with all the men she goes out with about what she's doing. Is it unconventional and slightly desperate? Of course! She's well aware it is. So I felt like these criticisms missed the point.

Having said that, Emma was hard to "like." She's more mad her fiance left her than she is that he's gone. She doesn't seem to miss HIM at all. She talks a lot about all the work she's done on herself over the years (therapists need therapy too, don'tcha know), but doesn't once take an internal look for her part in why their relationship didn't work out. She comes across as really whiny and spoiled. I understand she's grieving the loss of the picture in her head of how she thought her life would be and that people don't always think or behave rationally when faced with that. But Emma, as written, was really hard to sympathize with. There are difficult, complex, flawed characters you can read about and still appreciate and even respect, but Emma wasn't one of them for me.

The book was easy to read, and there were some pretty funny parts. So I might check out future books by this author because I liked the writing, but I hope her next MC is someone I'd actually want to be friends with and not someone I'd actively avoid in real life.

**Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Canary Street Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!"*

⭐ | 1 star - DNF at 18%

I found the concept of this book interesting/unique, but unfortunately, I could not get through it. Within the first 10% of the book, the FMC - who is a therapist - made several disparaging remarks about how her clients are awful and "whiny". Considering the author is a mental health advocate who went to grad school for counselling, I could not get past her writing that. Even as an attempt at humor, that seems wildly disrespectful. I found the choices the FMC made to be legitimately bonkers, especially considering she is meant to be a therapist, to the point that I couldn't suspend my disbelief any longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for the eARC.

Unfortunately, I wanted to like "Save the Date" more than I did. The premise seemed really good, but the main character, Emma, didn't really click for me. I was thrilled when she met Will and wanted to see her grow into the realization that that connection was worth changing her mind for. But she was so focused on wanting what she wanted that she almost lost a good thing.

It seemed like too often, the pressure of her audience and professional life were more of a driving force than a true sense of what she really wanted and needed out of life.

I know the whole story was about the journey to discover all of that. But somehow, it fell a bit flat for me. Emma took things to extremes to such an extent that it was hard to be invested in the outcome after a while.

At least, that's the way I felt. I hope others like the story much more than I did!

Thank you to Allison Raskin, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for giving me a copy of Save the Date by Allison Raskin in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited to get this ebook because of the plot synopsis. I thought it sounded like it would be a fun rom-com- a sort of Meet Cute/Marriage of Convenience combo pack. It really wasn't. In fact, it was more frustrating to read than comical. A marriage councilor that thinks she can just jump back into an old relationship and turn it into a life commitment? Frankly, I may have been able to suspend that disbelief if the comedy had been there, but she couldn't even try to renew things with the first guy without lighting up a joint. Excuse me? I don't usually give up a book I'm having a hard time enjoying until at least the hundred page count to be fair, but I just couldn't with this one. Barely in and it seems the main themes are 'keep reminding us the MC has anxiety' and 'well, what's a serious conversation without marijuana'... Sorry, I'm moving on.

This was a fun rom com with an interesting premise, great banter, and swoon worthy moments. At times it was predictable but I enjoyed those aspects of it!

If you like the bachelor you will like this book. It’s a different take on a rom com where the bride is looking for a groom.

The concept for this story is what drew me in and seeing the author’s note that is was inspired by real life experience kept me reading.
Overall, I enjoyed my reading experience. There was some fun banter and I really liked Will - their chemistry was off the charts. On the other hand, at times, I had a hard time with the FMC. I felt like I understood her and where she was coming from with her life goals and having a plan, but sometimes her actions were hard to swallow. Also, Matt was kind of meh… a one dimensional character. There wasn’t even a spark, so it bothered me that she still was pushing forward. On the upside, the story was predicable enough that I knew what was going to happen, so I read until the end to get that happy ending. In conclusion, my feelings for this one are mixed, but there is definitely an audience for this. The story does have a positive message about moving on and forging your own path in the wake of heartbreak. I would recommend this book for anyone that needs an uplifting read after having gone through a bad or unexpected breakup.
Many thanks to Harper Collins Canada (link provided via email) and NetGalley for a digital copy of the book. The opinions expressed are given freely and are honest and my own.

Although I know this book is loosely based on her real life - the breakup with the main character really happened to the author but how they handled the situation was different - it made for an interesting plot line. I felt like it's a unique story that hasn't been done before, which makes it stand out in a world of romance books that are all reminiscent of others. Character wise, I really enjoyed the main character and her family. However, where the book didn't work for me was with the two guys she was re-dating. I felt like the time between the two was very unbalanced and knowing how the book ends, the time spent with the guys feels even more unbalanced. If this section of the story had been written differently, I feel like this could have been a solidi four or five star read for me.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Save the Date was a perfect beach read. It was predictable- but that’s ok. I liked the banter between the characters. I could see this being made in to a rom com or a Hallmark movie. It checked all the boxes of a nice and light easy read.

Definitely worth checking out!

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. The whole premise is far fetched and a little ridiculous but still seemed like a fun read. I got a little frustrated with the character at times for not seeing what was so obviously right in front of her, but overall it was a fun, quick read with a happy and predictable ending.

I’d been putting this one off due to a reading rut, but I brought it on a flight home from Phoenix and ended up finishing it before landing. I didn’t expect to connect with Emma so deeply — her anxiety, relationship fears, and emotional spirals felt incredibly true to life. I found myself tearing up when she did, which isn’t something that happens often when I read. Her relationship with Wil was a particular highlight: tender, honest, and refreshingly complex. This wasn’t always a light or easy read, but it was a validating one. I’m really glad I picked it up when I did.

This was a hard one to get through, and in the end I couldn’t finish it. I got to about 25% and sadly gave up. The FMC was such a reg flag for me, how are you a couples therapist and you think “Hm, I just got dumped by my fiancé, but I’m still gonna go through with my wedding. Let me see if I can get a replacement groom!” At first I thought this was going to be a unique and fun read, but it became clear that it was going to be an extremely awkward and cringey read. It felt as if it was trying to be a light and funny read but came off too serious to me.

*Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press and Allison Raskin for the ARC!*

This was my first read from this author and I’m excited to read more!

This was a cute read even though it was a little silly! Definitely a unique plot

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Okay, Save the Date is such a ridiculously cute and fun romance read. Yes, it kicks off with a bit of a farfetched premise—your fiancé calls off the engagement, and instead of grieving or running off to eat your feelings, you decide you're still going to go through with your wedding… just minus the groom. Wild, right? But somehow, this premise totally works. The main character is determined not to waste the time, money, and emotional investment she’s already poured into her dream day, so she sets off on a quirky, heartfelt mission to find someone—anyone—she already knows who’s also just looking to get married. No dating games, no long-winded love stories—just straight-up potential husband material. It’s a bit of a social experiment meets Hallmark moment, and I was absolutely here for it.

As she works her way through her "groom roster," it was honestly entertaining (and sometimes hilarious) to see which of her options seemed like actual possibilities and which ones had me cringing. I found myself rooting hard for a few of the potential matches and majorly side-eyeing others. The writing is fun, and the pacing kept me turning pages, but I have to admit the ending felt just a little anticlimactic. I was thrilled with who she ended up with—it felt right—but I was hoping for a more powerful, emotional payoff or a “wow” moment to really seal the deal. Still, this book delivered a lighthearted and original love story, and I had a great time along for the ride.

This is a new-to-me author and I liked the cover and the book description was wild.

So Emma gets left behind by her ex fiancé, he just leaves without talking to her. Which would’ve been hard for anyone to deal with but Emma has built up a you tube channel about relationships and her fiancé was in the videos so much she’s offered a book deal. So a lot led to this point and she’s unsure how it can continue without a fiancé. Or better yet - find a new one!

Can you tell there’s drama/can’t look away from the train wreck/get the popcorn? I think the beginning was a little slow to get into the crazy scheme, it’s predictable but I got to a point I couldn’t put it down.

I liked the podcast medium since that seems to be popular. Emma and Will have chemistry but he doesn’t want to ride this crazy train to wedding ville.

****Spoilers ahead****

Matt doesn’t want to be a replacement groom for a wedding planned for another guy - this is brought up frequently and makes total sense but it’s played off like he has commitment issues. I think Emma could’ve come to more terms with her mental illness with Matt and her anxiety and insecurity. I almost wish this book ended differently with a completely different guy because I don’t think Will is all that special or even worth it when he had chances.

This book came out a few months ago and is available now. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the arc copy. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

Content:
- medium language and a few F💣
- strong political preferences which can alienate readers
- lots of therapist talk
- abandonment issues, mention of cheating, anxiety, drug and alcohol use by adults
- 1 open door scene not overly graphic