I just love books about dating and relationships and I highly recommend this book to all my friends who are single and dating in their 30s and those who just recently got out of a relationship.

This is a good book to read if you’re in search of finding the Vice President of your life - aka your life partner.

So our female lead is a couple’s therapist with a huge online following. Months before her wedding, her fiance blindsided her and called the wedding off. But with all the money they spent on the wedding, she decided to keep her original wedding date and go through with the wedding. She just needed to find the groom!

And that is pretty much the plot. The main argument of the book is that there is no “The One”. Everybody can fall in love with anyone as long as someone is willing to give their time, effort, and commitment.

I love books about dating! It opens up so many conversations about relationships. With the female lead being a couples therapist, the conversations about marriage felt like relationship tips. I mean granted finding someone to marry in 6 months is a little out there for me but that’s also one of the book’s argument: your time together in a relationship doesn’t determine the success of your marriage.

Anyhoo, it definitely was an interesting plot and I flew through this one so quickly. The author was also the narrator of the audiobook so I mostly finished this via audio because I love it when the author narrates their own book!

Thank you @htp_hive for the free book! Thank you @netgalley for the audiobook!!

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

I love how the idea for this book hatched from the author’s real life, I think it brings an extra layer to the story. It was a fun book chalked full of great relationship advice and ah ha moments. I love seeing characters grow and evolve and this story definitely had lots of that. Great read!

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Emma is a couples therapist and is writing a book on relationship advice, she is engaged and getting married in six months. But out of nowhere her fiancée just ended things leaving Emma’s world shattered. Her credibility on understanding relationships is now in jeopardy and that can harm her book deal, her private practice and her online creator status. So she must pick up the pieces of her heart and life and move on.

So Operation “Save The Date” was born. Emma is keeping her wedding in six months, she just now needs to find a groom in the SoCal dating scene. After a few dates that didn’t make it past the end of the night.

Emma tries online dating. She connects with Will, a podcast producer. They immediately hit it off and Emma can see a future with him. But when she shares her plans, he makes it clear he’s isn’t interested in being a replacement groom. So with Emma not wanting to abandon her plan they friendship zone their feelings. But Emma’s story sparks an idea for Will and they start a podcast featuring Operation Save The Date.

In the meantime the clock is clicking down and Emma needs to find a groom. Enters Matt a recently divorced fiance guy, he wants a wife and kids. Emma and Matt align on their goals and get engaged quickly. But Emma is still working with Will and she feels herself being pulled from in multiple directions.

Read this one to see how it all unfolds.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“One person falling out of love with you doesn’t make you unlovable: it makes you human,” she wrote. “When things don’t work out, all you can do is try again. And then maybe a third, fourth and fifth time because you owe it to yourself to not give up.”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Broken Engagement - Six Months Before Wedding
* Couples Therapist FMC
* Operation Save My Date - Hunt For a New Groom
* Two Groom Prospects - Mini Love Triangle
* Podcast Producer (Will)
* Recently Divorced Finance Guy (Matt)
* Personal Growth & Self Discovery
* Anxiety & Mental Health Rep
* Great Banter & LOL Moments
* Slow Burn & Closed Door

Emma Moskowitz has just been dumped by her fiancé, only six months
before their wedding day. However, instead of canceling the venue, the caterer, and the flowers, she resolves to find someone to marry on her planned wedding day! — Thus begins Operation Save the Date.

This is a charming, lighthearted romance with humorous moments throughout. Emma, a couples therapist dealing with anxiety, provides a fun perspective on the daunting world of dating. I wish it had been written in the first person; that would have made it feel more intimate, though. Will, a podcaster and potential husband, contributes witty banter and sexual tension. I should mention that this is not a particularly spicy read; it focuses more on Emma's journey to discover what it means to find the right person for her, evoking all the warm and fuzzy feelings.


🎧 The author narrates the audiobook, and when I learned that the story is based on one of her own breakups, I felt a connection while listening to her, as if I wanted to hug her.

Thank you @harlequinbooks @htpbooks and @allisonraskin for this gifted ebook.
Thank you #harlequinaudio for the gifted audiobook via #NetGalley.

Sorry had to DNF this one. The narrator is fine, but the character seems so focus on how to uphold herself as an influencer instead of a therapist. I get having to re-write your book filled with gush is hard, but it was harder to hear the frantic of it all. The political bit was meh. While I get the sentiment, but not sure how it's applicable to the book moving forward. DNF about 30%

If you love closed for romance this one is a perfect book for you. I absolutely fell in love with the characters and there times were I just chuckled.

Do you have to be in love to get married?

Emma Moskowitz doesn’t think so. As a YouTube personality and couples therapist she is setting out to document her journey of simply finding a groom so she can keep her wedding deposit. I mean that’s one way to get over a broken engagement.

While hilarious this book was also insightful and a thoughtful reflection of modern dating. From parental happily ever after, to love at first sight. How long does it take to know someone is the one? The only problem is what if she has feelings for her podcast host, and maybe not her potential husband? Is a happily ever after a choice or chemistry and compatibility?

This book was so adorable! I think this was an excellent spin on the authors tragic real life experience. What better way to stick it to the man than turn a profit on a disaster. Executed perfectly I really enjoyed listening to this book while working. One of my coworkers is already setting her preorder after hearing me talk about it.

Overall, I give this 4 stars! It's a sweet, romantic comedy and takes a fun approach to what would otherwise be a tremendously sad life event (extremely impressive considering this is loosely based on the author herself going through that). I feel like this book is marketed as a love triangle, but it shouldn't be - there really isn't one at all. It was very obvious who our FMC should end up with (and wanted to end up with). The other man who made up the supposed "love triangle" was just.. there. Still a very fun read and I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you to The Hive and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

Read this if you like:
- romantic comedy
- strong family dynamics
- closed door romance
- progressive perspective
- mental health representation

I listened to this on audio and the audiobook narration was great! The narrator used different voices for character dialogue and was very clear in pronunciation. My only critique is that when the narrator did male voices, the volume dropped which made it rather difficult to listen to while driving (had to keep turning up the volume to hear the male speaking parts, then getting deafened right afterwards when the FMC replied).

This delightful springtime romcom had me hooked from the first chapter with its unique and heartfelt premise. Loosely inspired by Allison Raskin’s real life, Save the Date follows a couples therapist who suddenly finds herself dumped by her fiancé—but decides to keep the wedding date anyway. What follows is a hilarious, touching journey of self-discovery, healing, and unexpected romance.

The story perfectly blends humor and heart. As a therapist, the FMC brings a fresh, introspective lens to the romcom world, and watching her navigate love, loss, and what it really means to commit to someone (including herself) was deeply satisfying. There are two love interests in the mix, adding just enough romantic tension to keep things fun without feeling overdone. The friends-to-lovers element was sweet and natural, and the closed-door spice kept it all charming and clean while still giving you those warm fuzzies.

One of the biggest highlights for me was the audiobook—narrated by Raskin herself! Her voice fit the tone perfectly and added such a personal, authentic layer to the experience. You can really feel the emotion behind the words, making the listen even more enjoyable.

If you’re in the mood for a smart, funny, and emotionally rich romcom with a fresh take on love and second chances, Save the Date is definitely one to add to your TBR.

I LOVED the voice in this book! The humor was amazing and I truly connected with the anxious mind/actions of Emma.

I thought the premise of this book was so unique and I was bought in even more from the author's note when I learned about her own personal experience through it all.

I thought the situations and the thought processes through them were all very relatable.

Emma is messy throughout the book so to have such a beautiful wrapped up ending felt weird to me.

This is the perfect giggly book snack! Such a short read, but packed with so much emotion and journey.

I didn't love the narrator of this audiobook and really wished we had at least 1 male voiceover artist to do the men's voices.

Save the Date is a very fun, funny take on a romcom! This story would have made for a perfect romcom movie in the early 2000s. I used to watch Allison Raskin's videos for Just Between Us on Buzzfeed, and if you are a fan of her humor, this book will be a treat. This book has a lot of heart in it, likely because it is inspired from Raskin's own experiences with an ex-fiance. When Emma's fiance leaves her six months before the wedding, she comes up with a plan to find a new guy to marry instead on the same day. Besides being a couples therapist, Emma is a popular content creator who included her ex-fiance in videos, so she feels she has to share her plan to "save the date" with the world. After some dating mishaps with old flings, friends, and on dating apps, she finds herself caught between a podcaster she feels a spark with but who doesn't like her deadline, and a business guy who is 100% ready to settle down. The characters are all very distinct and quirky, and I found the plot to be really compelling: I needed to keep reading to find out if Emma was really going to go through with this!

This book certainly leans more women's fiction at times, since it isn't a traditionally plotted romance with two people you know are going to get together - Emma spends time with a couple different guys. The focus is much more on Emma's journey, realizing what and who she wants. Although the chemistry is definitely there with the guy she ends up with. Since Emma is a relationship therapist, there's a strong presence of therapy language in here, and I like how the book seemed to be saying that even therapists don't always have everything figured out in their personal lives. I need more people to read this book and talk about it!! Save the Date left me with all kinds of thoughts & feelings about relationships and marriage and finding "the one" and the idea of soulmates and what it takes to make things work out with someone.

This just wasn't for me. I found the narrator to be really choppy.
The main character was dumped by her fiancee and she's determined to keep her wedding date and just find a new groom.
I got a kick out of the parents but that was about it for me.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

First and foremost as always thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. This was an incredibly good read! The story was beautifully written and the characters were flushed out really well! Definitely worth the read!

I enjoyed this RomCom. I also instantly connected to the main character, Emma. I liked seeing anxiety portrayed (not in a stressful way) in a book, it was a way I connected because I also have anxious moments! But overall this book is Emma figuring out which of the two guys that have offered to step in when her fiancé calls off the wedding after everything is planned. This book dives into the challenges after a difficult break up but its done in a way of hope and not a downer of a book! Thank you Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to listen to this great book! It is a RomCom, but its also so much more and I think many people will connect to it.

Thank you @canarystreetpress and @htphive for my free copy and @harlequinaudio for the alc 💖.

🗓️ Out April 8, 2025

✨What it is about:
A couples therapist and an online personality, Emma is dumped by her fiancé six months before their planned wedding. With everything tied to her status as a relationship expert, she decides to attempt to find a new groom and stick to her wedding plans. ✨

💭My thoughts:
Going through a fiancé leaving you months before your wedding is tough (I know from experience), so I’d like to commend the writer for writing this story, as the inspiration for this premise came straight from her own life. When it happened to me, I couldn’t and didn’t want to think about anything at all, let alone write a fun book inspired by it. So, kudos Ms. Raskin! 👏.( It turned out to be one of the best things that has ever happened to me, by the way).
This was a quirky, heartwarming read. Emma’s journey of keeping up appearances while dealing with heartbreak, and the chaos of her “Save the Date” project was wacky, funny and emotional. Her job as a couples therapist and online creator added extra pressure, making her struggles even more relatable.
As Emma searched for “the one”, she faced a tough choice between Matt, the safe and sweet guy, and Will, the unpredictable and fiery one. I kept turning the pages to see who she’d choose (which I correctly predicted). 🎧This was narrated by the author too and she did a fantastic job—clear, natural, and engaging!

3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Read if you like:
🗓️Modern love in the digital era
🗓️Stories of self discovery
🗓️Second chance romance
🗓️Love triangle
🗓️Closed door romance

⚠️CW: Anxiety, broken engagement, mentions of infidelity, divorce, some political talk.

I hate not finishing a book, but unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I really didn’t like the MC or the first ex she met up with. I tried to stick it out, but the unlikability was too much to handle.

The premise for this debut sounded a little bananas with a Jewish LA therapist who has GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), getting dumped by her fiance but still vowing to find a man to marry on the wedding date she has planned a few months away.

Emma knows her plan might be a bit unorthodox but she is determined not to let this setback derail her overall life goals. When she meets Will and everything seems to be great things go awry when he can't get on board with her plan. He does, however want to help her do a podcast about her journey, leading to lots of forced proximity and sexual tension.

Funny, full of great family and friend side characters and lots of relatable mental health rep (anxiety and therapy), this was a standout first foray into contemporary romance based loosely off the author's own life story. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: fade to black

Wow! I was a bit skeptical about the premise presented in the summary (which funny enough, most of the characters in the book are as well) but I really enjoyed this.
I'm familiar with the author from Tiktok (and even earlier on from Buzzfeed days), and remember seeing her initial video about her fiance leaving her. I felt a lot of empathy for her and was pleasantly surprised to see her turn that former heartbreak into a romantic comedy. I came into this super interested and I enjoyed it! The pacing was nice, I liked all of the main and supporting characters, and I was pretty happy with the overall conclusion (the character ended up with who I wanted her to be with LOL). I thought the narration was done well, and for a character based off of herself, it made sense to me that the author would narrate it.
I think the only part I really didn't enjoy is a very minor detail at the end that's a big spoiler, so I'll keep hush about it for now! But definitely a fun read that'd I recommend to my friends!

I thought this book was great and a bit quirky. I know the book tries to make Emma seem like she has some sort of anxiety, but to me her fears seem natural and she pushes through so it isn’t like they prevent her from living her life. Thus, I would say she has rational concerns but manages them in a healthy way. I don’t think all personal nuances have to be labeled or called anxiety. That said, her goal to find a replacement groom is certainly different but her journey is entertaining. This is a solid 3.5 star book. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the arc.

Omg I love Emma. I will admit i thought she was a little crazy for wanting to keep her wedding date and replace the groom after her fiance leaves her out of the blue but it was definitely interesting. I love her journey of self acceptance and taking a chance. She was a little to relatable but in a good way

4.5 starts and the audiobook was amazing