***ARC Provided by the Author/Publisher via NetGalley***

Alexa and Drew have a hilarious and charming first meeting and, the book continues on like this...as if it was as light and fun as the champagne she has with her while they are trapped in the elevator.

There are some issues, and there are some moments of seriousness and moments that are definitely tense and heartbreaking, but overall the book has a light, fun, bubbly feel to it.

I think it is the style of the writing. The author is a new voice and for someone writing her debut novel, Ms. Guillory has a strong style that is also well plotted with a believable story arc and dialogue that works for all of her characters. I liked the supporting cast, her sister especially, and I enjoyed the people I met in the story.

I also liked the way the interracial aspects were handled. As a reality in Alexa's life, and as something that she considers that Drew didn't, at least not at first. But, there was no blame on either side...it was a fact of life, and a difference between them, but not one that caused issues for them in a way that didn't feel authentic.

I enjoyed this title and I recommend it.

Elevators and crackers & cheese are the best formula for a great love story. Add doughnuts and it’ll be perfect.
What did you love best about this story?

I loved how Alexa and Drew’s love story started. Drew was arriving to the hotel of a nightmare of a wedding that he was invited—he had history with the broom and bride and he was dateless—and Alexa was coming to visit her sister who was staying in that same hotel. Fate was on their side the moment the elevator stopped and they didn’t have much of a choice than to talk to each other while waiting for the car to started moving up again. Those few minutes were perfect. They were carefree, funny and talked without expectations, without pressure, and that encouraged Drew to ask Alexa to be his date for the wedding.

They had the best time during the event, laughing and talking and touching each other, and the attraction was there—because you know, she was a beautiful, funny, smart woman and he was a handsome, caring and also smart man—and why the hell not, they ended up having the best night of their lives.

But when they were back to reality, to their successful jobs in different cities, they thought it was great to see each other once more, and the again, and again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I am between Drew and Alexa. I loved both so much and I am so happy to being able to read (or listen to) both their POVs. I gotta be honest, I wanted to smack both their heads with their lack of communication, but I understand why that happened, especially with Alexa. I relate to her in so many aspects, and I would have done what she did, but I am glad Drew had the balls to accept his mistakes and come back to Alexa—twice…sort of—because he really loved her and what he had with her.

"She pushed him onto his back and enjoyed the sensation of the warm, firm skin of his chest under her fingers. It wasn’t like she’d forgotten how much she liked having sex with him—that was impossible to forget. But somehow, she’d forgotten how free she felt with him. How she could relax enough to lie naked on his bed in only a leather jacket and high heels and wait for him. She’d never been this confident with anyone else."
Would you consider the audio edition of The Wedding Date to be better than the print version?

I am sure the narration of Janina made this book 200% better. I loved how she transmitted all the emotions of the characters in her performance, making this story more entertaining. I kept thinking that The Wedding Date would be great in a movie, and I am sure it was because of audiobook experience.

Have you listened to any of Janina Edwards’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first audiobook of Janina’s, and I gotta say, I loved her voice, it was soft and smooth and I loved her inflections, especially when Drew and Alexa were talking.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! I literally couldn’t stop the audio once I started it because the story was catching, the characters were lovely and the ending was the best!!

DNF @ 20%

It’s not you, it’s me.

I’ve heard so many good things about this book, but sadly, I just didn’t connect with it. The meet cute with Alexa and Drew was sweet, but I found their dialogue during many of their scenes together stiff and unnatural. Their chemistry improved leading up to the wedding date, but not enough to hold my interest. Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me.

Title: The Wedding Date
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:

"The Wedding Date" by Jasmine Guillory

My Thoughts...

This was one quite interesting story that will keep you turning the pages to see what was coming next. It was definitely a story where Dr. Drew Nichols did get on my nerves with his stubbornness a few times in the way he handled things with Alexa Monroe. Yes, there were many ups and down but aren't there in many relationships...especially with they are a bi-racial couple. However, all in all the story did come out come out giving the reader a well written story that was entertaining and funny. I did feel that this story was somewhat predictable but still a good read. One thing for sure these characters loved to eat. To check out what all that is about you will have to pick up 'The Wedding Date' and see for yourself how well this author brings out this story of a interracial relationship where 'love wan't part of the deal.'

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

I almost didn't pick this book up, but then Ari came screaming into my DMs about how wonderful this book was. So, I guess I have Ari to thank for for picking up The Wedding Date. This book was just absolutely precious, and I had a lovely time reading it. If you like fake-dating, diversity and all things swoony romance, then The Wedding Date definitely needs to be on your TBRs.

For me, what takes a romance novel to the next level are the characters. I connected so much with the characters in this book. I was enamored by both Alexa and Drew. They are both very admirable, passionate and hardworking, so it was easy for me to see how the two easily clicked together as a couple. I was particularly a huge fan of Alexa. She works at the mayor's office as his chief of staff and is so passionate about her job and her projects. I loved that she was someone who put 100% into the things that she loved. Drew was also equally lovable. He is a pediatric doctor who was, for the most part, an adorable dork. He's been burned in the past with relationships, so he doesn't always fully involve himself emotionally, but the guy has such a good heart. His kindness and respect for Alexa were especially qualities I loved about him.

The two of them meet in an elevator the day before Drew's ex's wedding, and he somehow convinces Alexa to be his fake date at the wedding. What follows is a super sweet, bantery and, most importantly, shippy romance between two stubborn characters who don't expect to fall in love! It's not an easy romance by any means. They have obstacles in their way in the form of the distance between them, their unwillingness to admit their feelings for each other, and some lack of communication. But they slowly worked their way through their obstacles as most real-life couples do. I enjoyed watching the progression of their swoony and sexy relationship and was totally rooting for their happiness. The Wedding Date also does a great job at addressing conversations about race. If you didn't realize, Alexa is black and Drew is white, so there are cultural differences that crop up between the two. The author does a brilliant job at weaving the themes into the story through the various thought-provoking conversations Alexa and Drew have over the course of the book. 

Anyways, as you can tell, I very much enjoyed The Wedding Date. It was such a blast to read for me, and I loved that it's a book that made me happy. Books like The Wedding Date make me fall in love with the romance genre all over again. Jasmine Guillory is also most definitely going into my auto-read authors list!

Loved this super diverse take on a modern romance with a super fun and funny meet-cute.

I’m torn about how I felt about this romance.

There were things I liked about it. Both the main characters are decent people with typical hang ups: Alexa can be awkward around men and has body image issues, while Drew has a fear of commitment (and, yes, he can be a bit of a jerk because of it). They’ve got a great meet cute that involves getting stuck in a hotel elevator, where Drew asks Alexa to be his plus one at his ex’s wedding to avoid him having to go alone. Their interactions as a couple are mostly sweet, barring the bumps in the road due to their personal issues, which sometimes cause them not to communicate well (pretty typical for a romance novel). They get over those issues eventually, and the book has a nice HEA ending.

But . . . the story was a bit simple and kind of left me wanting more. Alexa and Drew had some challenges as a couple that could have been explored to add depth to the story. For one thing, they live in different parts of California. But even though both characters complain about being separated, they’ve got careers and money that allow them to travel, so their long-distance romance seems more like an inconvenience than a real problem. Beyond that, though, is that they are an interracial couple—Alexa is black, and Drew is white. That’s still not all that common in mainstream romance novels, and I think it could have been explored more deeply in the story. Race definitely does come up, it’s not ignored, but when it does, things seemed to be smoothed over relatively quickly. Maybe that’s in part because Alexa mostly spends time in Drew’s world, rather than him being forced into hers; black people are used to navigating the white world, but the opposite isn’t true, so having Drew interact more with Alexa’s black friends and family could have given the author more to explore.

One other thing that was a little strange about this book was how the sex scenes were handled. I’ve read romances where it’s mostly kissing with the sex (if there is any) left behind closed doors, and I’ve read plenty of romances that don’t shy away from getting down and dirty. But this book occupies a weird middle ground where the reader gets foreplay, only for the scene to fade out at the juicy parts, and then fade back in for more rolling around in bed before it fades back out again . . . And rinse and repeat, because these two go at it like bunnies at times. In fact, I kind of wish the author had left out some of the sort-of sex scenes and just had Alexa and Drew have more conversations about themselves and their lives, so the reader would get a stronger sense of them connecting and falling in love.

Readers who are looking for a light, fluffy romance to read will probably enjoy this book, but anyone looking for a more substantial story might want to skip it.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

A charming, well-written debut with endearing and funny characters!

If you need a bit of cheering up or want to read something light and fun after a long day, this is the perfect book.

It is a bit predictable but most books in this genre are. I mean, if the lovers didn’t end up together as you expect them too then it wouldn’t be much of a romance would it? What is great about this story are the characters. Predictably, they are attractive, successful people but they are also really amazing together. The chemistry is wonderful between “Alexa” and “Drew” and their story is highly entertaining. I even got a little teary at the end.

Great writing, especially the dialogue and overall, an enjoyable heart-warming read. Oh and not too sugary. I hate mushy, saccharine romance and this one hit the mark perfectly!

Rating… B

*Thanks to the author and Netgalley for my copy of The Wedding date in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars <3

The Wedding Date was exactly what I needed and even more.The writing was beautiful and the story refreshing.The Wedding Date was fast paced and lighthearted!

I adored Alexa and Drew.Alexa is smart and funny.Drew is charming,sweet,cute and kind.I really like how they met and I enjoyed that they start first as friends.They have some flirty,funny and sweet moments. Their romance felt realistic and I enjoyed it a lot!They make smile all the time!!

This is my first book from Jasmine Guillory and I'm planning to read more books by her!The writing was flawless and the story lovely!

I had requested this book months ago and by the time it came time to read it for review I had forgotten why lol And the dreaded hype machine was in full swing so I was kind of reluctant to read it but I’m glad I ignored my misgivings because this was a fun book.

Alexa and Drew are staying at the same hotel and have their meet cute when a power outage leaves them stuck in the elevator. They have an instant, flirty rapport and Drew takes a chance and asks Alexa to be his fake girlfriend at his ex’s &amp; bf’s wedding where he is a groomsman. Alexa, who never has anything this exciting happen to her, says yes to the elevator hottie.

Alexa, is a smart, ambitious Chief of Staff for Berkeley’s (CA) mayor, while Drew is a pediatrician in LA. It’s so refreshing to see two characters who have their own stuff going on and respect each others careers and the time commitment they entail. Even though they live in different cities, they keep flying out to each other to spend weekends together while never really defining where this is going.

Their romance is so fun and light. When they are together, it’s easy and just a joy to be there with them. You can easily see why they keep coming back for more.

Drew is a commitment-phobe and Alexa is kind of reserved when it comes to dating/sex. Thinking Drew is a once in a lifetime fling, she lets herself go and doesn’t worry about how her body jiggles, or how her ample boobs sag. Alexa is every woman and so relatable! They are also an interracial couple – Alexa is black while Drew is white and the author doesn’t shy away from some awkward moments like when Drew takes her to a party where she is the only black person or when all his ex’s appear to be tall, thin, blond, white girls but neither is it a big factor in their relationship.

But as the weekends start to add up and they actually come to need each other to lean on, things get more personal and they both start to panic and react to perceived slights as an excuse to bolt without really taking to each other. This is a minor complaint but I did start to get irritated when they would make assumptions and not let each other explain – instead retreating to their homes. Even well meaning friends couldn’t get through to these two. (awesome supporting characters btw)



Drew is convinced that Alexa will see that he is indeed an asshole (he’s not) and Alexa is trying to cut off the eventual “sorry, it’s not you – it’s me” break up speech.

It just happened a little too often for me and I was starting to get frustrated but it wasn’t a deal breaker and there’s so much more to love with these two with their witty banter and slow slide to their eventual HEA.

I really enjoyed this one! Perfect when you're looking for a fun, flirty romance for Valentine's Day.

After his date cancels on him last minute for his ex's wedding, a wedding in which he's also a groomsman, fate steps in and traps Drew in an elevator with Alexa. While waiting for rescue, the two strike up a rapport that has Drew asking Alexa to be his plus one to the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself.

Normally, Alexa would never have dreamed of agreeing to go to a wedding with a stranger, but something in the air had her readily agreeing to accompany Drew to the wedding. Of course there's no expectations and it could never go past the one evening. Or could it?

As the night rolls along, both Drew and Alexa are reluctant to see it end, and from there they begin a long distance relationship. But can they build anything more solid between them if "The End" is always looming in the background? And, more importantly, do they want to?

I thought that The Wedding Date started out really promising and for the most part delivered a sweet, romantic read about two people trying to make it work despite all the obstacles in their way.

I loved that Jasmine Guillory made it about the relationship and working with what the characters have in order to keep the relationship afloat. It was never about Alexa or Drew giving up anything to be together even though they live in different parts of the state and could only see each other on the weekends. I like that it didn't feel like either character sacrificed a major part of themselves to be together because how could something like that possibly work out in the end?

I also liked that Jasmine Guillory touches upon Alexa and Drew being different race, and touches upon Alexa image of herself (her body), but these aren't things that necessarily define them, or impugn upon their growing relationship. They are two people who enjoy each other's company and want to spend time together.

The thing that comes between them, essentially, is the fact that neither has wanted to take that huge commitment step, and especially in Drew's case, has run once things start to get too serious.

I did think that the uniqueness of the "meet cute" in the beginning didn't hold up as much as the story progressed and I would have liked that feeling to have remained throughout the entire story. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this read.

Review & Giveaway: THE WEDDING DATE by Jasmine Guillory https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-azA
Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 4 Stars

This debut novel is a fun, flirty take on the “wedding date” story. Alexa and Drew are witty and sexy people caught up in their careers, trying to come to terms with finding the perfect partner. Alexa is an intelligent and accomplished woman, so I cringed a few times when her behavior was a little immature. The same could be said about Drew. That didn’t ruin this lovely romance. I liked how it was a realistic look at the trials of a long-distance romance. I enjoyed this sexy romance.

*Review copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

~*~*~*~

I am so in love with this one. For a debut author she has done a wonderful job!! I went into this completely blind and fell completely in love, I so didn't want to be at work I needed to finish this as soon as possible.



Not knowing how this was going to go I went in knowing it was supposed to be a strangers to lovers story and I can't tell you how much I loved the book and it's take on this genre. Written in a way that a woman like me can see herself in the story I was so happy to read it. Alexa was a fun relateable character who had a lot going on and wanted just a little fun for herself, and Drew as just trying to not look like the loser at the wedding. Their meet cue was hilarious and made me actually laugh out loud. I loved Alexa's reaction to realizing Drew was in the elevator because who hasn't done that same thing more than once??



From that moment on I was hooked, the story flew by, unfolding slowly as each character meet more of themselves as well as the other in ways they never thought they would. I enjoyed that even though race was a factor it wasn't THE factor in their situation-ship. Race played a part in some ways and it was hilarious to watch Drew come to terms with it several times throughout the book. I loved that Alexa had the thought that we have all had, it's not the first time we have been the only black girl in the room and we have to be super aware of how we carry ourselves.



I really enjoyed their conversations, their friendships and how fun and funny their respective best friends are. Alexa has a great group of friends that have her back while also pushing her to be more than she would normally allow herself to be. I love that she has such a passion for her job, that she's happy in so many aspects of her life but just this one at the moment doesn't bring her joy. Drew also has amazing friendships and I love that his best friend never let him go down as an idiot. While he also has a great career, he's afraid of commitment and this are they dating, not dating is she isn't she is girlfriend is throwing him for a loop.



There are moments within the novel that I wish were more fleshed out, as in why Drew had the thoughts he did on relationships. I wish we also got a bit more background on the sisters and their familial relationship, beyond talking about their parents in the past neither character mentioned them ever again. While I liked the intimate scenes eventually; I felt at first that it was kind of a half finished scene since we saw the beginning but everything happened off screen then we met back up with them after. However once you realized it's being told from the perspective of each character and how they are speak is how they share the intimacy. Alexa had a few flaws in that she liked to jump to conclusions about things and wasn't really mature in her thinking about confronting things head on. She would let things go unchallenged because she was afraid of the answer when more often than not it would solve the issue. Drew was blind a few times to how his actions could affect her, and even how the words of his friends would really hurt because he choose to be seen as the good guy instead of sharing the full truth.



Beyond those few moments I loved this novel. I got home after I started it at work and told myself I was only going to read a few more pages, next thing I knew it was 130 am and I had finished the book. I loved it and would highly recommend it.



★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you loved this one I highly recommend other pretend lovers/ Rom-Com books including:

Delaney's Desert Sheikh by Brenda Jackson
Rent-A-Dad bu Judy Christenberry

Let me know if you have any other recommendations in the comments down below and of course Happy Reading my loves,

Jasmine Guillory's debut novel, The Wedding Date, is a delightfully sweet romance that I just DEVOURED. I connected with these magnetic characters and their relatable love story immediately. With smart dialogue and a storyline packed with humor, social relevance and blissful romance, it's hard to believe this is a debut at all.

It was so refreshing to read about characters who aren't emotionally stunted or carrying around trunk loads of broken baggage. This story follows an LA doctor and a San Francisco mayoral chief-of-staff through an exceedingly authentic course of events after they meet in a broken elevator. Alexa agrees to play pretend for one evening as Drew's plus one for his friend's wedding. Their dynamic is instantly captivating while never feeling forced or manufactured or insta-love-ish. (Sure, that's a thing.) Their chemistry is delicious, their romance is perfection, but with the two of them refusing to label whatever it is that's growing between them combined with the distance between their homes, complications soon arise.

I love a story that isn't over the top and The Wedding Date NEVER ventures in that direction. The progression of events in this book is a very natural one, the conflict completely legitimate. There's no contrived drama, no nonsense, nothing OTT. It gets complicated in the way life gets complicated, but it stays true to the characters and the tone of the entire book. That certainly doesn't mean this book lacks emotional depth by any means because, oh, the feels! This book is deliciously sweet, beautifully romantic, unexpectedly moving, and when things get tough, it nails you right in the chest. It's so well done what Jasmine Guillory does with this story and I absolutely adored it.

The Wedding Date was perfection, a story so sweet, my teeth hurt, but a romance so sensual and enthralling, my heart wanted to burst. I have so much appreciation for an author who keeps it real. I also love a story that's sexy without being raunchy. There's certainly a time and place for steamy sex scenes, but as with everything else that makes up this novel, the sex scenes are done just right; they're never forced, never over the top. The Wedding Date is all so perfectly right, so delightfully sweet, so full of heart and I enjoyed every bit of it.

This is a quick read romance that I received through Net Galley . By chance two people meet in a stuck elevator, he needs a date for a wedding that weekend, she agrees to be his date. They begin to see each other without any commitment. After a series of bumps in their relationship something more happens.

In case you live under a rock—or have never read any of my reviews—fake relationships are the apple to my pie. There is absolutely nothing I love more than a fun and romantic fake relationship story with lovable characters, a bunch of it’s-getting-hot-in-here moments and even more falling-off-my-chair-from-all-the-swooning moments. You could say my expectations for books containing a fake relationship are beyond sky-high. Well… guess what?! The Wedding Date just surpassed all of those expectations and became one of my favorite books containing a fake couple AND one of my all-time favorite books.

Alexa and Drew met in an elevator. As life would have it, the elevator got stuck while Alexa was on her way to her sister’s hotel room and while Drew was on his way to his hotel room. From the get-go the connection between them was undeniable. They talked, bantered, laughed and had a great time while stuck in that elevator. Too soon it was time for them to go back to their respective rooms but Drew couldn’t just let her go so he asked her to go to his ex’s wedding. Alexa couldn’t say no and suddenly they were pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend for the weekend. But how can you walk away from an amazing weekend like the one they had and go back to normality? You can’t!! And so their relationship… or whatever… started.

I AM SO IN LOVE WITH ALEXA. I love her. I want to be like her. I want her skin. I want her intelligence. I want her social skills. I want her boyfriend. I really do have a girl crush like they say in that one song I can’t stop listening to. She is amazing, there is no other way to describe her. From the beginning she put a humongous grin on my face because I could relate to a lot of things she said. She broke my heart when I read her thoughts about not being skinny/blonde/tall enough for Drew to like her and then she pieced my heart back together when all of those thoughts flew out the window and she was her beautiful, confident, polite self even in a room full of people she didn’t know and she never pretended to be anyone else. Alexa is one of those character you just can’t help but love because they are so true to themselves.

I am also so in love with Drew. Except from those couple of moments where I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until he came to his senses. He—like I’ve said a million and one times before in my fake relationships reviews—is everything I could ask for in a male character. He is confident without being cocky, fun, intelligent (he’s a doctor!), hardworking and sends donuts instead of flowers (it can’t get better than that!). Drew has some issues when it comes to relationships getting serious. He dates from a month or two and then tells his girlfriend at the time that they should just stay friends. That may or may not be the reason I wanted to shake him until he came to his senses but you’ll have to pick up this book if you want to know the truth.

I rarely mention if a book is too graphic or not but I know some of y’all are not really into the very graphic sex scenes so I’m going to talk a bit about that. You know how in some movies they do that fade to black thing when things are getting hot? The same happens in this book. Kind of. It implies something happened and you know exactly what happened without all the details which I absolutely loved. It’s still cheeks-blushing-tomato-red steamy though!

I can’t believe this is Jasmine Guillory’s first book. That woman is talented with a capital T. I’m looking forward to her upcoming books and I know she will have an amazing career as an author. Definitely keep an eye out for her!

In a nutshell The Wedding Date is a beautiful book about a long distance relationship, a fake relationship, real love, a white guy with commitment issues, donuts, beautiful San Francisco and shiny Los Angeles, a curvy black woman, an elevator and coffee in the mornings. If that doesn’t make you want to immediately pick up this book then I don’t know what will… just kidding. It would mean I didn’t do a great job but I’m crossing my fingers you at least add it to your TBR list after reading this review! That would be a win!

A lovely debut by Ms. Guillory. Alexa a woman of color and Drew a caucasian man ends up in an elevator that stop working. Alexa is off to see her sister and he is in the Berkley area for a wedding. Right away sparks fly with a beginning flirtation in the elevator. Alexa finds out Drew is in town to go an ex girlfriend wedding and her groom happens to have been a close friend to him in the past. He has not date and ask Alexa if she would go with him. What ensues after that is how easily they played off of each other at the wedding with just knowing each other two days prior the wedding. Just when both of them things this is going to be a one night stand they find themselves flying back and forth him from Los Angeles and her from Berkley to see each other. In the opening scenes I felt the sparks of them in the elevator to the wedding scenes where they togetherness felt so natural. As with these rom com they a few misunderstanding amongst them before they both realize this relationship is more than a fling but possible the real thing. Loved Drew's doctor friend Carlos who was a great comedy relief along with Alexa friend Maddie and her co-worker Theo. Review on goodreads and amazon.com

I really don't know why I didn't enjoy this book, but it didn't click with me. I thought it fell flat and I wasn't surprised at anything that happened.

The Wedding Date was sweet and sexy. This was a basic stand in date for a wedding story where your leading characters fall in love with each other. This story was Funny, Witty, and Charming. Really Enjoyed.