Wow, I am completely blown away by this story. It's was funny, sexy and smart. The idea is not an original one but the writing is. Also I would like to say how refreshing it was to see non-blonde lead in a romance novel, even more so that she was a woman of color. The Wedding Date was so much fun, I loved every second. The characters were strong and interesting, and their connection felt genuine and sexy.

I really enjoyed this book! It was an charming and easy read, perfect for a weekend in or a snow day. I was impressed by the wit and the depth of Guillory's writing and how she was able to broach social and racial issues while still keeping the story entertaining and funny. I can definitely see a book like this being turned into a romantic comedy, one I'd enjoy watching. My only criticism is that the plot was a little too drawn out; it could have been wrapped up a little bit quicker, but overall a fun read!

This book had a cute concept: girl meets boy in elevator, they have chemistry. Girl becomes boy's date to a wedding. HOWEVER. I felt like this book took FOREVER to read. It could've been a lot shorter but have the same impact. One can only handle so many missed connections. Likable characters though, and apart from the length, it was fairly enjoyable.

*Disclosure: I was given a free electronic galley of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Oh my goodness, where to begin? First off, I don’t often laugh at books. But within less than 10 minutes, I was already laughing and fell in love with this book. The characters have so much charm and are extremely witty.
Take Alexa, a woman who knows what she wants and what she’s after. Then there’s Drew, who has sworn off girls with his bad luck. Neither of them are the relationship type. Alexa, shy of her body and insecure about other things, but not with Drew. Drew on the other hand just doesn’t know what he wants when it comes to women. All do that changes when they meet in that elevator. Their chemistry was practically oozing off the pages. The supporting characters were great as well in every aspect, cheering the main couple on in every way possible, pushing them closer together. Every character is a gem.
While this was a “cheesy” (ha, get my pun?) romance novel, I loved every second of it. Their ‘relationship’ seemed perfect from the start, and you’ll be rooting for them from the first few pages. Sure there are some ups and downs, but that’s any relationship. Considering they both don’t know what they want, I’m not surprised there were more downs. The sex seemed to be fantastic too. While from the very beginning the book’s ending seemed predictable, what happens in between wasn’t as much. Jasmine does a FANTASTIC job bringing these characters to life. This book has so much character, charm and emotions, you’re in for a ride.

Absolutely charming, fresh, fun, and compulsively readable -- I can't wait to recommend this one to readers.

I can’t remember if I’ve ever used this word in a review before, but every time I think back to reading author Jasmine Guillory’s debut novel The Wedding Date, “precious” is the first word that pops in my mind. This book reminds me of the way romance novels were before so many of them became edgy and dark and laden with gratuitous sex. Oh, don’t get me wrong . . . there is sex and it is hot, but we do get through several chapters before an instant attraction turns into something more.
When our couple Alexa Monroe and Drew Nichols get stuck in an elevator together, my first thought was “Oh no! Here it comes — the “sex in the elevator” formula. Not so with Alexa and Drew. Instead of stripping each other naked and having multiple orgasms, they actually have cheese and crackers and a conversation in which Drew reveals that he is dateless for his best friend’s wedding. Shamelessly playing on Alexa’s sympathy, Drew persuades her to save him from disaster by taking the place of his missing date. From that point, the author makes readers fall in love with these characters as they fall in love with each other.
Both Alexa and Drew are successful and career-minded and they live in different cities, but that doesn’t prevent them from embarking on a long distance relationship that is complicated and, at times, hilarious. The author adeptly creates two very likable characters who have flaws and insecurities as do we all. Alexa finds herself wondering what Drew could possibly see in her and Drew fears that his disastrous history with commitment will cause him to hurt a nice woman he really cares about. Of course, there will be bumps in the road, but I think readers will love the relationship they build with their quirky personalities and lively banter.
The Wedding Date is an engaging and well-written debut novel that will make you want to keep your eye on Jasmine Guillory. She takes a story that’s been done before and gives it a twist that will have you hooked from the cheese and crackers to the satisfying conclusion. If you are in the mood for a romance novel that is truly romantic, then treat yourself to a copy of this book when it publishes in January 2018. You won’t be disappointed!

I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested an ARC of this book because Roxane Gay raved about it, and then Nicole Cliffe raved about it, and then I knew I had to read it. This is a sweet, funny, sexy contemporary romance about a mismatched couple who first meet when the elevator gets stuck, leaving them to split a bottle of champagne and some nice cheese. Drew is a pediatric surgeon, Alexa is high up in Berkely city hall. He's in town for his ex's wedding, and can't handle the idea of going by himself, so he asks Alexa on a whim. She says yes before her nerves can say no, and while it may be a fake relationship, the sparks are real.

I adored Alexa, she felt extremely real to me (especially her insecurities), and I loved that the realities of an interracial relationship weren't treated as This Is A Very Important Lesson, but rather as part of Alexa's reality, and something she can't dance around. Drew sounded cute but also, like, a bit dense about how good he has it as a hot smart white guy.

I'd recommend this to fans of Christina Lauren's contemporary romances any day.

Well I loved this book. Honestly I started it thinking it was just another romantic comedy book. I had no expectations. While it was a romance it ended up being so much more. I loved the deepness that the diversity and Alexa’s project brought to the story. Plus I LOVE a good fake relationship story. Seriously. It’s one of my favorite things.

I now see why all of the reviewers and librarians are raving about The Wedding Date. It is phenomenal. I received an early eArc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Interestingly enough there were some surprises for me in this book which I will not reveal as they would be spoilery. I will say that there are some things that I normally would have avoided in a book, but, I found that they work for The Wedding Date and they are part of what makes this book so good. I want to take a different approach to reviewing The Wedding Date. I have been taking Italian lessons from an Italian guy that is actually from a small village outside of Firenze (Florence, Italy) and part of how I practice Italian verbally is to describe books that I am reading. We started out today's lesson where he asked me in Italian what book I am currently reading and I respond in Italian.

I have found that a lot of what American's talk about do not translate to Italian very well. This was the same with trying to translate the title The Wedding Date as the noun "date" is not something that exists in Italian. We had a pretty interesting conversation where I tried to explain that it was not date, as in the specific day of the year, but, date as in the person the guy was taking to the wedding. I had to backpedal and actually go into more detail so we could decide which words would be the closest to translating the title to Italian. He laughed as I tried to describe how Alexa was not really his "date" but really a fake date and how Alexa and Drew met. The topic may have been done before, but, this author's take on the topic was original, fun and well done. He was intrigued by what I was trying to describe and we found that there literally were no words that translated to Italian but the closest was Il Giorno del Matrimonio which actually is The Wedding Day and anyone who has read this book knows it is so much more. It tells how a "non-date" becomes so much more and all of the things that go into making a relationship work, especially a long distance relationship with two successful, busy professionals. I hope that one day The Wedding Date is translated into Italian so that I can use it for practice with my instructor and see how the story translates so many concepts that seem American but really happen everywhere but maybe we all just have different words to describe it. Review can also be seen at Lady Techie's Book Musings http://LadyTechiesbookmusings.blogspo....

I absolutely loved this synopsis and was quite eager to get to this story.

I love love loved Alexa and Drew. She’s smart and driven. He’s charming and charming. Together they’re all sort of flirting and banter and sweetness. I loved their weekends together. And can we please get a book about Carlos? He was fantastic.

Plot wise, it was what I expected: a lot of them speculating about what the other is feeling or thinking, but not actually asking. The problems that Alexa and Drew have are pretty much all due to a lack of communication. In the book’s defense, Drew is open about his relationships and I totally get Alexa’s reluctance, but still.

I did love the mentions about race and creepy guys and the fact that Alexa wasn’t a stick thin blonde. Her and Drew are both very likable characters and it was easy to love the last chapters and the epilogue.

**Huge thanks to Berkley for providing the arc free of charge**

I adored The Wedding Date and highly recommend it for contemporary readers who like a sweet and heartwarming story of two passionate people who meet each other in the oddest circumstance and find love through it. Alexa was a woman of my heart; she’s confident in her work environment and does her job well, but her love life wasn’t really going anywhere. Drew is the kind of guy to date a girl and break it off with her just when things were going well. They have instant chemistry and find themselves drawn towards the other, despite living across the state of California.

The book starts with Alexa and Drew getting stuck in an elevator and laughing over cheese and wine. The dialogue started out a bit clunky at first and awkward, but I got used to it after a couple of chapters. It really sets the tone for a light and flirty atmosphere. Drew has the great idea of getting Alexa to be his wedding date (hence the title, aha) for one of his exe’s weddings. She readily agrees (because come on? Hot guy asking you for help?) and their relationship begins from there.

“Come to the wedding, be my sandwich, protect me from poisoning and disaster. It’ll be your good deed for the year. And it’s only May – look at you, getting your good deed for the year done before the year is even half over!”

The book is told through the alternating limited third person POV’s of Alexa and Drew. I really adored Alexa as a character. She’s hard-working, but has self-doubts when she compares herself to skinnier women or the all-American blond looks. (Which, I understand on such an emotional level.) But she finds that she just has to be with the right person to make those doubts go away. She’s the mayor’s chief of staff and wants to create an arts program for at-risk teens – a program close to her heart. Alexa’s thoughts can also be pretty darn hilarious and I just related to her so much.

“Wait, should she really be eating this doughnut if she was going to have to be in a cocktail dress in a few hours? Shouldn’t she be drinking vitamin water or green juice or something?
Eh. She took another bite and went back to her emails.”

Another experience that the author added was the microaggressions Alexa faced as a black woman. The experiences were faced head-on and it’s really refreshing to see characters who don’t shy away from the subject. I love that she’s not afraid to tell Drew her thoughts, such as the discrepancy between behavior of adults for black and white at-risk teens (which he never really considered before). There was a scene where she asked if she would be the only black person at a party and he’s just like, “Wow, I hadn’t thought about that.” But Drew does learn and really listens to Alexa. Yay for men respecting their significant others and balanced relationships!

It took me a while to soften up to Drew. He’s a pediatric surgeon who likes to date around but is completely afraid of commitment. This all goes to test with Alexa, who he has a deep connection with. His character’s just very carefree with relationships, and that kind of made the book drag on a bit (although their texting dialogue was so cute!). As Alexa finds herself falling in love with Drew, he thinks their relationship is too good and is trying to give reasons to keep it going despite the fact that it’s usually near the time he breaks up with a girl.

“From the moment he’d first touched her, it had felt like she’d belonged there by his side, smiling at him, joking with him, confiding in him, listening to him, being silent with him. Everything about this had felt real from the beginning, even when he barely knew her.”

The conflict near the end of the book was a bit formulaic, and since the whole book was sort of a build-up to it, I felt it was quite underwhelming. But despite it all, I do enjoy the fact that both characters were willing to see their faults. Despite their charming and witty dialogue, they can also have mature conversations that resolves issues. Oh, another thing is that I wanted more sexy times. There’s always a fade-to-black when things are getting spicy. 😛 But of course, that’s just me.

The Wedding Date is just the date I would like for a sunny afternoon on a comfy couch or bed. Alexa is extremely relatable as she finds herself drawn towards an adventure with the charming Drew. Their relationship was extremely sweet and wholesome, making for an excellent contemporary romance that readers are bound to enjoy.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for the review copy!

A romantic comedy refreshing featuring an interracial couple who have a meet cute in an elevator and spend an unlikely weekend together. I enjoyed the banter between the characters and their struggle to balance their professional responsibilities and desire to be together. Misunderstandings ensue, but the Alexa and Drew are equal in the relationship. Readers will find themselves rooting for the characters. A winning debut.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory is charming, sweet, and downright adorable! I had trouble believing this was a debut novel- it was so well written and a pleasure to read!

Alexa and Drew meet in an unconventional way. They’re stuck together in an elevator. Being stuck together leads to them going to a wedding together. After that, this couple just can’t seem to get enough of each other. Drew is a pediatric surgeon from LA and Alexa lives close to San Fransisco as the mayor’s chief of staff. Both have important jobs and busy lives, but they can’t seem to stop seeing one another. They figure out a way to make it work. Although nothing is defined with them, you can tell (even if they can’t) that they starting to fall. It’s just unclear how this will work between them…

Alexa is a refreshing heroine. She is spunky, fun, independent, and career driven. I loved her personality. Drew was also a fun guy- he was sweet, charming, and smart. These two truly were a fantastic match! Even if they didn’t see how perfect they were for each other at first, as a reader, I could see it! Their love story was fast paced and light, and also felt realistic. I adored them both and their connection.

I love a good, swoony romance, and The Wedding Date really hit the spot for me! I found this book highly entertaining, flirty, fun, and sweet as can be. I recommend it and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

What a delightful read! I gobbled it up. The leads are compelling and modern. They have serious careers and friendships that they care about. Romance is a part of their lives, but neither spends their whole day mooning about finding The One in a way that I find refreshingly realistic. And big points for having both nuanced discussions of race, class, body-anxiety, and privilege alongside some very steamy scenes. I have never been a big romance reader, but I loved this charming and warm book.

Thank you; however, this book was hard to finish. I did not connect with the characters and point of view was choppy. Please advise if you want me to still publish a formal review.

I don't usually read romance of any sort but Roxane Gay said this was good, so I read it. Heh. It was pretty good. And I appreciated that it had characteristics (interracial romance, two career minded single folks) that I think aren't that present in most contemporary romance fiction.

I appreciated the fact that this was an interracial couple and that issues of race were addressed in the book. I love any sort of fake romance story, and this was a great example of how that trope works. It did get a little old with every weekend being some kind of misunderstanding or just not talking about things, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Attractive cover. Fun story. Drew needs a plus one for his ex's wedding. Then he is lucky enough to get trapped in an elevator with Alexa - and her cheese and crackers. What is supposed to be a one weekend thing turns into a long distance thing and then a real thing. I liked the African-American heroine and white hero.

A fake date, initiated in a stalled elevator becomes something much more. Often funny and with interesting and loveable characters.

I received an ARC copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Really cute romance! Loved Drew and Alexa as a couple. And loved how the author portrayed Alexa as a real person, insecurities and all. The reading can get a little slow in some parts (the disagreements Alexa and Drew have every other weekend) and quick in others. But I did always want to return to reading. Don't read this book if you are trying to diet. The characters are eating CONSTANTLY! And eating delicious crap that's bad for you- but if you're okay with getting a craving for donuts, go for it.