When the only three freshmen in an extremely difficult class on entrepreneurialism are thrown together to come up with an idea and pitch for the next hot app, frustrations mount and diametrically-opposed personality traits threaten to sink them before they even get started. Sara is an obsessive control freak from an upper-middle-class midwestern family who is a whiz at coding and has a strong work ethic and moral compass. Arrogant, insensitive, rich boy Braden is the epitome of white male privilege and only wants to get out from under his morally-bankrupt father’s thumb. He has the marketing savvy but knows nothing about computers. Kind, dedicated scholarship student Roberto needs to become successful in order to afford legal representation for his mother who, as an illegal immigrant, was deported to Mexico when he was a pre-teen. He can’t afford to fail the class, but refuses to compromise his ideals by continuing to promote an app that, despite the hype, doesn’t inspire romance, but plays on people’s vanity and need for validation from virtual strangers. Will they be able to work together despite their differences or will they lose the game before they’ve even begun?

Although the book is an easy read with a storyline that has great potential, it falls flat for a number of reasons. There is very little character development despite the first-person narrative from all 3 protagonists, and Braden’s personality goes from bad to worse as the story progresses. Since Sara can’t stand him, it seems improbable that she’d start dating him after a moment of sensitivity on his part. Roberto is the more likely love interest, but their relationship is never developed. So, the love triangle seems forced and devoid of chemistry. Although Roache avoids the eroticism of most New Adult novels, this book is still not geared to high school students.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Harlequin-Inkyard Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I was really excited when I saw that Kiley Roache’s new novel was available on Netgalley. I really enjoyed her debut, Frat Girl, when I read it last year and had been looking forward to reading more from her. One of the things that I most enjoyed about Frat Girl was the way that it addressed real college issues and stereotypes while still being a really entertaining book with a great message. My hopes for The Dating Game were pretty high — made even higher, possibly, by the fact that it features a main character named Sara who loves color-coordinated Post-It notes (actually me) — but unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.

I think the biggest problem that I had with this book was how unfinished it felt. The idea of the plot is good. I love the concept of a bunch of college kids struggling to come up with an idea for their class and accidentally creating a really popular app. It’s a really fun idea and I think it could have been a really fun book. But it wasn’t.

The thing is, the app is just disgusting. It’s an app like Tinder, but you get graded for your ratio of left vs. right swipes, and you get penalized if someone you match with unmatches with you. This predictably causes a bit of drama on this college campus and quickly turns into girls crying on the sidewalk because their ranking dropped when their boyfriend broke up with them. And not only is the whole idea of the app disgusting, but you should hear their ideas for advertising! “Oh, when someone’s rating starts dropping, we’ll show them ads for gym memberships and makeup.” REALLY? This isn’t even challenged.

There’s also what I’m assuming is supposed to be a big plot twist toward the end that’s just… forgive me for saying this… bad. It doesn’t make sense. It would never happen in the real world. I mean, granted, most of what happens in this book would never happen in the real world. I wish I could give some spoilers here, but this is an ARC review, so I’m trying very hard not to do that.

So, I think I’ve established that the plot is a little questionable. There were also so many mistakes! Some mistakes are to be expected in an ARC, but this was just beyond what’s normal. I’m talking about names being changed in the middle of a scene. Personalities changing. A character that wasn’t even present in a scene suddenly saying something. Typos and word usage problems. This is not what I expect from a publisher like Harlequin.

I also want to mention something that kind of bothered me every time I saw it, and that was Instafriend. At one point, a character mentions scrolling mindlessly through the blue and white screen of Instafriend. I think it’s pretty clear that they’re referring to a fictionalized Facebook. And that’s fine! Except that a few chapters later, Facebook is a thing. But so is Instafriend? It was just odd.

Now, with all of that said, you’re probably wondering why I gave this book two stars instead of one star when I so clearly disliked it. The reason is that I could hardly put it down! It’s a very readable book and if I didn’t have to do things like sleep in order to be a functional adult, I probably could have finished it in one night.

I have hopes that the finished version of this book will have gone through some rigorous edits to correct a lot of the issues I had with it. I can’t really recommend it, but I would be really interested in hearing from anyone who reads the final, published version.

I absolutely flew through this book I think the synopsis was correct in saying that it was the social network getting a romantic twist. It was definitely different than anything else I’ve ever read and I enjoyed the social aspects of it. I loved that in this day and age we could all relate in someway to this type of app that these students were creating.

Out of the three main characters my favorite would have to be Roberto. He came from a Mexican background and I found it really interesting to read about his daily life. Braden annoyed me so much throughout almost the whole book. When I finally thought he was redeeming himself he turns around and makes me not be able to stand him again. Sarah I could completely relate to. She was absolutely a control freak and I am too so it was fun to see how other people viewed her.

Overall I thought this was an extremely fun, interesting, lighthearted story. It was a quick read, one I would definitely suggest reading in the summer by the beach or on vacation. If you enjoy a cute romantic book with a bit of social aspects this is definitely the book for you.

For this being a romance story, I wasn't completed sold. I was uninterested in all the relationships in the story. I did appreciate the females in the STEM industry, Overall, not a bad read, but not one I would pick up to read again.

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<p>I'll be honest, this was a strangely addicting book... but I didn't rate it higher because the plot near the end had so much potential... and then it sort of fell flat.</p>
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<p>It starts off really fun and it feels like I'm watching a PG-13 sort of rom-com style version of <em>The Social Network</em> and I was here for it! The characters are interesting and fun to follow (even if rich boy Braden really got on my nerves) and I liked getting into each of their minds. </p>
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<p>In the beginning, I had to take a moment to make sure I got acquainted with the characters since when the chapters change, it's in first person POV and that took a second to get used to. I liked reading in each of the characters' voices and I especially appreciated Roberto because he was really the only sensible one and the fact that he really cared about his family was really great.</p>
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<p>Now, when reading this story, I was all for watching the drama unfold knowing full well that the app they decide to create for a class is pretty disgusting (and Roberto says that when they're making the app, so it made it interesting--I'm a sucker for morally grey areas!). It was great seeing the inner turmoil based on the fact that the app wasn't exactly helping people. </p>
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<p>The first half of the book was fun, especially because it seemed to be leading to a big climax and what I was hoping would be a big crash and burn since the book was moving pretty fast paced and that's what it SEEMED to be leading to...</p>
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<p>HOWEVER, the big crash and burn that could've been never happened. What was meant to be a big surprise reveal just seemed like a plot that was too rushed. The last quarter of the book seemed like the author had a bit of a page limit and so the ends were tied too quickly and a bit roughly. I feel like the ending could have been paced out and had a nicer dramatic touch to it, but alas, that was not the case.</p>
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<p>What made up for the flatness was that I really enjoyed the characters (especially Roberto and Sara.). The dialogue and their inner monologues made it interesting and fun, especially with the little sub-plot romance. </p>
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<p>I especially enjoyed the female friendship between Yaz and Sara. In the beginning, the I was incredibly worried that when Yaz was introduced the author would automatically pit the two females against each other because they're in a competitive class, but I was pleasantly surprised when they actually became good friends. </p>
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<p>The other sub-plot I enjoyed was Roberto and his family (can you tell I love this man?). But I don't want to spoil it because that was one of the highlights of the book. And although I really didn't like Braden because he was a spoiled white rich kid, I did think there were some good moments with him and it really added to the interesting dynamic between the three characters!</p>
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<p>It was a strangely addicting book that fell flat but had its perks. I would recommend this to someone (if they're mentally prepared for that plateau) who enjoys a good college drama, hating on really rich guys that take their parents' money and act all high and mighty, cute cinnamon roll coding nerds that end up creating an app and getting in way over their heads, and some fun and cute moments here and there. </p>
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This was a cute book that you couldn't help but yell at the characters because you knew what they were doing was wrong, but while being in it they just couldn't see it. That is until it was too late and by then they finally figured it out and hopefully everything worked out for the best.

The main characters created or assisted in creating an app that would match only the most perfect of people, but then they could also be unmatched. Can we say recipe for disaster? But it was entertaining and disheartening to see how people were reacting because of their app, but this book was about more than that. It showed different social classes, different points of views, different options that you could choose in life, and it's those decisions that will help you become the person you are meant to be. There is a real difference between right and wrong and it's up to you to figure it out. Sure sometimes it's easy to fall into the easiness of things and the joy of money, but sometimes it's not always about that.

Overall I really liked the book. The characters were interesting and I was really rooting for them to win both with the app and in their own love lives.

The Dating Game is an interesting enough story to keep you reading but falls flat for me on many levels. While the premise of the book, three college freshman taking a class predominated by grad school students (which seems odd to me, but maybe that happens?) create the newest dating app trend. Told in all three perspectives we get an interesting look into what each was thinking when creating and eventually running the new app.

For the most part, I enjoyed this. The book is a fun read but there were some things that just didn't sit well for me.

For starters, one of our main trio seems like his character is going to in one direction to then make a complete 180 and do everything we are led to believe he hates. Without going into too much detail he is a very charming character, but defiantly not a likable one. For me at least.

Another thing that bothered me as how much was put into the fact that this app came about because of a class and yet we hardly see any evidence of this class or the teacher after the first month of the semester when creating their masterpiece.

While there were a few other minor things that bothered me the last one I will mention is the fact that all these 18/19 year old college freshman were drinking so much. Yes, I get it, underage college kids drink but these kids were getting served at bars and seemingly having no issue buying alcohol. Maybe I'm just blind to how easy it really is because I didn't drink until I was of age and still barely drink now, but it seems like it came too easily for them. If they were going to be nonchalantly drinking the entire book why not make them all newly 21 and juniors instead of freshman? Along these lines one of the main trio has an entire inner monologue on how he refuses drugs and usually leaves any place that has them in fear of being busted by the cops. He even goes on to state that he's uncomfortable around pot, that even though it's legal in California he is underage and is uncomfortable......yet he still drinks all the time.

As for the tings I liked about this book, a lot of it has me wanting to rewatch Silicon Valley sooner rather than later. I loved seeing them stressing about the code and creating this app and going through all the start up phases that it has me wanting to rewatch the show.

I also loved Roberto and his family/neighbors! They were my favorite in the book by far! It also seems like his family is the one we see the most of, which was nice.

Sara and Braden were alright for the most part, but didn't feel like they were completely thought out characters for me.

I did enjoy the three person POV and didn't have to guess as to who I was reading half way through each chapter. Each POV had it's characters voice and was easy transitions from person to person.

Overall, if you are fan of quick rom com type reads and technology then this may be one to check out. It was a fast easy read and for the most part I had fun with it. It isn't the best story and a lot of things could have been flushed out more, but taking it for what it is, I enjoyed it.

The Dating Game was a fun and quick read. Told from the three different perspectives of our main characters, Sara, Roberto, and Braden, we get a glimpse into the world of tech start-ups mixed in with some college love drama. I really enjoyed each of their voices and loved that we had three very different people, with different view points, telling the same story. They were all well developed characters individually, but I did think there was some chemistry missing for them together. The plot led us to a love triangle, which I am a sucker for, but I did not feel enough between the three of them. I could have used a little more juice. The plot wasn’t super action packed, and it was a bit predictable, but there were some really great and beautiful parts of the narrative. There is a scene where Robbie and Sara are discussing heartbreak and it really struck me. The language of the whole book was relatable and I liked reading about college aged characters in such a unique situation. Overall, it wasn’t a life changing book, but it was a cute read with an interesting premiss.

This book follows three students tasked with creating a product that is the basis of their grade in an entrepreneurial class. As the only 3 freshmen, Braden, a trust fund baby, is paired up with Sara and Robbie. They end up building a dating app that has users rate one another to show who’s truly the fairest of them all. But of course, the founders feel a bit guilty about the objectification they’re causing, and there might be a love triangle thrown in the mix, so some drama ensues.

I think my main issue with this book was how bored I was. I don’t feel like any of the characters were fleshed out enough, and I feel like the character motivations were very one dimensional. Nothing about the plot was surprising, and I questioned almost every choice made by all three characters in this book. Yet, I didn’t really care at all about what was happening for such a dramatic book.

I felt that the tension and drama were unnecessary and undeveloped, and felt that the resolution was too easy. A certain character was a pretty despicable human being, but there seemed to be no arc for his story, which left me very disappointed.

The two things I did enjoy about this book were the discussion on immigration status, as Robbie’s mother was deported ten years ago, and the aspect of building an app and a company. However, just as with everything else in this book, neither of those issues were developed enough for me to truly get the grasp I would have liked.

In short, this book fell flat for me. It had a promising concept of an app that causes the founders to think whether the money is worth the product they’re putting into the world, but didn’t satisfy me in its execution.

The Dating Game by Kiley Roache is a book about innovation and technology as a group of unlikely partners creates the next big dating app. I love the premise, and the strong woman who can code is empowering. However, the characters and the plot fell flat for me, and I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I had hoped.

The book tells the story of a group of college students who end up creating a groundbreaking dating app after being forced to work together for a class. Due to their newfound success, the group must navigate the world of business while also retaining their values. I enjoy any book about technology, especially one with capable women who can code. The story also presents some moral dilemmas as the ethics of the app are questioned. This is quick read that will interest anyone with an interest in app development.

❀ FUN CONCEPT

While the concept of the book is fun, I couldn’t find myself really enjoying any of the characters. If I had to choose, I would say Sara is my favourite since she is strong and stands up for herself. However, I feel like the characters are all very textbook. We have the smart, organized feminist, the rich and problematic player, and the nice guy with a sad home life. These characters lack dimension, and I feel like they need something more in order for me to really connect with them.

❀ SIMPLISTIC PLOT

I also had a couple of issues with the plot. Similar to the character situation, it isn’t memorable, and the simplicity makes the story predictable. On top of this, I feel like there is random drama thrown in for a chapter or two, just for the sake of it, but never fully explored. The ending is also far-fetched, and I had trouble believing that many of the events would actually occur. The book has potential, but I think it could have been better executed.

The Dating Game is a story by Kiley Roache about technological innovation, and I enjoyed the concept of young app developers. However, the characters and the plot are a bit too plain for me, and I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I had anticipated. I don’t hate the novel, but I feel as though it could have been better.

I loved the bright cover of this book. Looking through my shelves and getting ready to plan rainbow shelves or rainbow book stacks I realized I have very VERY little yellow books.

This was a cute little quick read for me. It was perfect for me at the moment because I could sit down and just quickly zip through it. It was not a hard book to focus on or look for some hidden meaning.
There was of course that love triangle but it is called the Dating Game, It is kinda expected lol.

I loved that it was a college setting. I also liked that even though I already had it figured out and it is a type of book that is predictable, it was still pretty enjoyable.

The Dating Game has such a great permise but it's just so--flat. Everything proceeds exactly like you'd expect and there's nothing here to make it memorable. With more depth in terms of plot and characterization, this could have been amazing. Instead it just is, and it is too little and far too forgettable.

2/5 stars
I was so excited for this book. The premised sounded promising. Three college kids come together in a class to create the next big app. Unfortunately, it fell so flat. While the general story like was tolerable, sometimes even enjoyable, the characters were hardly more than sketches of people. They had no emotional depth and showed no personal growth until the epilogue. Most of the normal clichés are ideals in this book. The characters are shallow and over dramatic, except for Robbie, the only tolerable character in the book. I thought about setting this book down about every other chapter. When I first read the premise, I expected the teacher to have a hand in directing the students, but I was wrong. He on about 10 pages total. Apparently, the kids ran with it all on their own with no help, i.e. unrealistic. Additionally, noting really happens in the book. There are so many time jumps. For the first half it was literally them coding, a 3 week jump, them still coding, and repeat. No life outside the project was shown and that left Robbie, Sara, and Braden feeling 2-dimenional and flat. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this book to anyone.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I have mixed feelings on this one.
Overall, I enjoyed The Dating Game. I liked the characters, the plot, and once I started reading it was hard to put down. However, the characters and their relationships didn’t feel fully developed.
I think part of that issue was the time jumps between chapters. A chapter would end, and I expected the next one would pick up at the same spot from a different perspective. Instead, it’d be the next day or a few weeks later. It seemed like opportunities to build the characters were missed in favor of sticking to the timeline of the app events.
The relationships were also a source of mixed feelings. On the one hand, I liked how it turned out. On the other, I thought it might a different direction, and all three would get together. As much as I like Robbie and Sara, it definitely followed the cliché route – you could see a love triangle coming from the first paragraph of the description.
It was a fun, enjoyable book overall, but I think it had a chance to be better.

Wickedly smart and enjoyable, I was hooked from the start. I found the premise refreshing and the characters intriguing. I enjoyed it very much.

Cute read, but I wanted more. I really liked the idea; it was current and real. I liked the tech aspect and ethical questions. I even liked the characters, I guess I really wanted to see the characters more fleshed out, and have the story go more in depth. The pacing was off for me, because at times I was bored, but at the same time topics/relationships were rushed through. It was all kind of superficial, surface layer, and I wanted it to dig deeper. In the end it was a cute book, with a lot more potential. I will definitely look for future works by this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cute little contemporary. It accurately captured the college vibe and I loved the tech aspects of it. While the characters aren't my all time favorites I was Invested in their relationships and I thought the love triangle played out pretty realistically. Overall this was fun and fast and I had a blast reading it.

This book was a fun, easy read. I enjoyed the character of Sara whose dream was to become a strong female tech entrepreneur, a group that is incredibly underrepresented in Silicon Valley. Overall, I thought the book was a little slow to start and had a bit too much exposition (we know from the synopsis that the 3 main characters are going to create a dating app, but that doesn’t happen until about a third of the way through). I loved how the book was told through the perspectives of the different characters.

This was very entertaining and it has definitely sparked an interest in coding. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of The Dating Game.

A quick YA read that was entertaining, but is forgettable. I found myself struggling to keep reading at times because I found it difficult to care about the characters.