This book was a pleasant surprise! Definitely a rom com and nostalgic as advertised. It featured a unique set of main characters who don’t have it all together, which is sort of rare. It was fun to watch them grow together, even though there were definitely moments where I couldn’t relate to their lifestyles. The book wasn’t especially romantic or steamy, but was still a feel good read and you can tell that the authors know each other very well. The relationship between the main characters felt very comfortable and worn in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

This was such a fun read! I absolutely loved this story and read it in one day! I couldn't put it down. The story made me laugh out loud and was just a pleasure to read!

The story is about Lucy, an aspiring author who is stuck doing odd Craigslist jobs to make ends meet and Rudy, a former child actor, who make a match on a dating website. After several days of getting to know each other via text messages, they agree to a first date at a nice restaurant. What Rudy doesn't mention is that there is a psychic there for the evening.

During their reading, the psychic predicts that they are destined to be together and will only find success together - and promptly drops dead on her crystal ball. What happens next is for you to discover on your own. I just adored this book and thought it was clever and funny and entertaining all the way!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

As soon as I started this I was getting similar vibes to The Big Sick, the semi-autobiographical movie from Emily V. Gordon (who I happen to have been friends with about 20 years ago) and now-husband Kumail Nanjiani. When I came to write this review I saw that this book actually has a blurb from Emily and Kumail, which I found delightful. I'm just the right age to love this book, I think, as an early 80s baby who mostly came of age in the 90s, and I loved all the nostalgia here. I also found both Lucy and Rudy very funny and relatable in different ways. Lucy (based on Kate Tamberelli who has also written as Katelyn Detweiler) is a 30-year old aspiring writer living in Brooklyn and scraping by financially while also become a complete pro at first dates but seeing a dwindling return in the form of second or third dates. One night during a marathon swiping session on HeartThrobs (aka Tinder), she accidentally swipes the wrong way on Rudy, a guy who intrigues her and who she soon recognizes as Rudy Riziero, star of a show she loved growing up (based on Danny Tamberelli). In an incredibly relatable scene, she overdrafts her bank account to get a VIP account on the app so that she can backtrack and try for a match, only to find that he isn't really active. After a pretty bad date, Rudy finds himself on HeartThrobs a few days later and matches with Lucy, which turns into a series of flirtations DMs. They go on a date at a restaurant with an in-house psychic who calls herself the Oldest Psychic in New York, and while she's giving telling them their fortune in the midst of a super awkward first date, she dies. This sets them on a path to figure out if she was onto something about the importance of the two of them as a pair, and they start as friends, then grow into more. This was just really charming overall and I liked reading the authors' note about what was based on real life (basically everything up to the first date) and what diverged. I hope they collaborate again - their combined voice is funny and warm.

I was really excited to read this book. I was a big fan of Danny Tamberelli growing up. The book has a lot of nostalgia thrown in there. However as a romantic comedy book, I felt the romance and connection was just lacking a bit. As well as the pacing was a little slow at times. But the comedy aspect was pretty good. I also like that is was told in dual pov.
Good book for if want a little 90s nostalgia but wouldn't recommend based on romance alone.
3.5 stars

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Cute read with some laugh out loud moments. A former child star and an aspiring author meet on a dating app and… well, their first date is interesting to say the least. Having some doozy blind dates of my own in the past, I appreciated all the funny first date stories told in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The First Date Prophecy to come out June 27, 2023.

This was fun but also very forgettable. Honestly, the banter at the beginning was kind of off-putting, it had weird undertones that I didn't vibe with. The book definitely came through on the fun and uplifting side, but I wouldn't read again.

THE GOOD:

A sweet, happy-ending tale that leaves you with a smile on your face! Kate and Rudy are two awkward New Yorkers ready to finally find their true love match.

Such a very refreshing and uplifting journey! You'll ride along to witness Kate and Rudy's unusual courtship (at least unusual in our 21st Century world), rooting for them every step of the way.

This tale will especially appeal to those who appreciate a dash of '90's nostalgia or plenty of in-jokes about Brooklyn and it's colorful residents.

THE BAD:

The beginning seemed more Com than Rom, with a spiky, almost bitter, undertone that was a bit off-putting at first. But, thankfully, it eventually phased over to that sweet Rom Com optimism that we all know and love.

A few too many F Bombs to pass the "recommend the book to Mom test. And a couple of sex scenes, while not overly graphic, do push the envelope a bit for those who prefer the fade-to-black variety.

CONCLUSION:

Highly recommend this fresh, authentic, and very real-feeling romantic comedy. This one definitely has more meat on it's bones than the typical Rom Com, and this reader loves it for that!

A fun and quirky rom-com loosely based on the authors' own story. I found Rudy and Lucy to both be incredibly likable and was rooting for them the whole time. The side characters in the story were also interesting and enjoyable.

I won’t lie— I requested this book because I was a huge fan of Danny Tamberelli growing up. “The First Date Prophecy” started off strong, but I found it dragging as it went on. I did enjoy the connections between the writing and Tamberelli’s career.

This book was so much fun!!!

I can tell the authors pulled from real life experience but still had a good time with the plot. Loved!

2.5 stars. This wasn't for me. It starts off pretty funny, quirky, endearing even. Then it quickly becomes tiring and sooooo slow. Rudy and Lucy don't really have their lives together and I fail to see how that makes them desirable to each other. Or anyone. Friendship? Yes. Romantic Relationship? No.

It starts like any romcom - a blind date gone bad (and definitely weird). And Lucy is definitely left at rock bottom (which she definitely didn't expect).

"Tonight, I feel lots of things, none of them good. Mortified. Miserable. Hopeless. I desperately want to find the spin, the carefree ha-ha narrative that's my standard... But the spin isn't coming to me this time."

It's time for a change, and that means Rudy the ex-tv star (whose pov is actually written by a 90s star himself).

This story is lots of fun, and definitely a nostalgia trip through the 90s, a slow-burn love story that's worth the time.

This book was great!! I loved the humor throughout and the refreshing dose of realism. I found myself not wanting to put it down and had to finish it! Perfect for people of a certain age, wishing for a bit of nostalgia ;)

The First Date Prophecy is a fun rom-com -- wacky and zany but with enough realism to ground it in believability. As a longtime fan of Danny Tamberelli, it was fun to find all the little connections to his acting, music, and comedy life, and as a big fan of YA lit and rom-coms, there were plenty of familiar touches with new twists. It has enough spice to keep adult readers invested, but will also be safe on my high school classroom shelves. The alternating perspectives were fun and added depth, and I really liked the Myrtles! Spin-off for them? :) An enjoyable read I can recommend to friends and students!