Rating:3.75 Stars.

I have very mixed feelings about 28 Dates. I fell for Jonas and was completely rooting for him. I didn’t particularly like Caitlin’s treatment of Jonas and I found myself having a unenthusiastic attitude towards her.

Having said that, this was a relatively easy, quick read. Stacey Lynn has a nice writing flow and this is the first book that I haven’t completely loved. If I am honest, then I may have liked it more if I didn’t already have very high expectations when opening one of her books.

Alternative title: Both of us will date other people, but we will end up together because the plot says so.

28 is the third book in the Crazy love series by Stacey Lynn. Corbin and Teagan from the first book also appear in the book and they happen to be my favorite couple in the series. This review is mostly going to be a rant, but I don't feel like the book deserves a rating of less than 3 stars. I think that what bugged me the most and was the reason the ranting began is the few mentions of Jonas sexual life with the woman he decided to date after Caitlin said that he should. I wouldn't have minded as much if it was mentioned in the beginning when he was still dating the woman, but I don't want him to say during sexy times with Caitlin that he always used condoms when he was with her. I didn't even want to know that when he cut his hair and went down on her and she scratched his head he thought of the heroine. Both mentions were said after the 60% in my kindle which was just annoying and ruined some of the story for me. If it weren't for that I might have been a little more generous with my rating.

Cait dates a lot of guys in this book. Not 28, but still. Jonas is a taken man for some part of the book. If Jonas was the 28th date I would have been happy with the story. But he is just texting her with an alias. That wasn't enough for me to consider this good romance between the characters. On one hand, you have commitment-phobe Caitlin and on the other, you have Jonas who could have used his secret identity a lot more effectively.

In the end, I was expecting more than I got, so I was a little disappointed. I would have loved to see Jonas and Caitlin have some romantic moments after they got together.

I'm disappointed to say that this book was a miss for me. I felt it was predictable in the beginning, and I lacked a connection with the characters. I was surprised at how quickly they realized their feelings for each other, that seemed to come out of nowhere, especially Caitlin. Jonas was a smart, charming guy that seemed to pine over Caitlin for too long before finally making up his mind to go get his girl.

Overall, the story was too quick for me, and lacked the depth that I've come to love from Stacey Lynn's books. I'll definitely give her next one a try.

I found this second chance story to be a very enjoyable read! The storyline was well written and the characters were so well rounded that I was totally enthralled as I turned each and every page!

I really, really enjoyed 28 Dates. It was a fun and quick read that I read in one sitting. Caitlin and Jonas had the perfect friends with benefit relationship. But who exactly was it perfect for? Apparently not Jonas anymore. He want to have something real with her. Caitlin wasn’t ready for that so they tried to remain only friends.

From the outside anyone could see that they were perfect for each other. 28 Dates was a little different from the books I’ve read recently and I loved that it was. It was so refreshing to read a story where the man is the one that wants to be serious and isn’t ready to commit.

This book was such a great read! Caitlin and Jonas will make you swoon! Loved this book best in this series!

28 Dates is the third installment of the Crazy Love series by Stacey Lynn. It's a contemporary romance about friends to lovers. The plot is nice and realistic,
the characters are the next door type, quite likable and relatable. It is well written, very detailing especially at the beginning. It's not as steamy and
funny as I expected but it's an enjoyable book. It's more focused on the heroine's struggle on finding love than on the relationship between her and her friend/lover.
If you have ever used a dating app you'll definitely relate with one of the dates, I know I did. My favorite scene was Jona's surprise to Caitlin. I liked it and
I will rate it with 3 stars.

3.5 stars

Oh Jonas! You were so swoony while being a little sneaky to get what you wanted from Caitlin. I loved them together but felt like their ultimate reconciliation at the end was a little rushed. That epilogue? Perfection :)

28 Dates is a fun premise...but sad to say this was not a favorite read for me. Jonas - total dream guy. The guy that seems to only exist in books. Loved him. Adored him. Wanted to keep him. The writing pace was good and no apparent spelling or grammatical issues (thank you!) I really liked the supporting characters and their businesses a great deal. The blind dates were storybook horrifying and amusing.
My entire sticking point was from the first chapter Caitlin did not deserve or appreciate all that was Jonas. I appreciate that you have to have conflict in the story or you don't have much of a story to tell. I just would have preferred that Stacey took this from a slightly different angle so that I could root for Caitlin a little. It was realistic enough, people can be total idiots about appreciating the blessings that are right in front of them. And that is truly what this book is about.

Caitlin is an independent woman who has always relied on herself. Jona and her have been enjoying no strings attached fun. There’s only one problem Jona wants more but will Caitlin agree? Can she really let him go?

The Crazy Love series from author Stacey Lynn is quite enjoyable. 28 Dates is the third book and it can be read as a standalone.

Caitlin Pappas and Jonas Reeves have shared a friends with benefits relationship for over two years. Unfortunately, when Jonas decides he wants more from their time together, Caitlin breaks up with him. Caitlin believes she is unlovable and therefore unable to form a romantic bond. Simultaneously, Caitlin's boss and good friend asks her to try out his new dating app. This app is supposed to secure true love forever, so the commitment reluctant Caitlin is the perfect person to try it out.

Caitlin meets all her dates in Jonas's bar, which is a bit odd, however, his bar is where she feels the most safe. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and after six months of not sleeping together, Caitlin realizes that she loves Jonas. Jonas has always loved Caitlin.

This is a nice story, however, the pace was a bit slow from time to time. Caitlin and Jonas are a hot couple, both in and out of the bedroom. The secondary characters are quite interesting in their own right, and I liked getting to know them. Overall, a solid read.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

These books make me smile! 28 Dates is another standalone in the Crazy Love series from Stacey Lynn -- but if you read Fake Wife, we get some catching up with Teagen and Corbin. Yay!

So the prologue starts with Jonas, after two years of being FWB with Caitlin, asking her to let him take her out on an actual date. Caitlin is carrying around some major relationship baggage thanks to her parents (pretty much thinking she's unlovable) and isn't interested in dating. Even though she soon realizes she's made a huge mistake.

Six months later, Caitlin agrees to test out a new dating app that her boss/friend Trey created, hoping that she'll get over Jonas. Meanwhile, Jonas has been dating someone else, but hasn't gotten over Caitlin. I was so glad that he broke things off with Ashley before signing up for the app himself. Otherwise, he would have been a major d-bag and this book would have gone right down the drain. What follows is Jonas and Caitlin trying to rebuild their fractured friendship while Jonas -- as Michael -- is chatting with Caitlin through the app. There are clever ways that he avoids letting her know who he really is, like when "Michael" stands her up and Jonas hangs out with her at his restaurant/bar.

There's nice growth with Caitlin as she puts on her big girl panties and realizes what a great guy Jonas is, and that she misses his friendship and company just as much as being in his bed. But will she be too late?

Overall, 28 Dates is a feel-good best friends romance. Little angst, little drama. My only complaint is that the girl on the cover is not a redhead like Caitlin. (The last Crazy Love cover did not feature a tattoo Jesus like Braxton, which bugged me while I was reading it.) And I didn't really get the connection to the title -- It doesn't seem like Caitlin goes on 28 dates, either with Jonas or anyone else.

I'm still trying to figure out if Braxton and Cara from Knocked Up have any connection to these other characters, and I hope that Trey gets a book of his own! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I know that I have promoted for Stacey Lynn before, but prior to 28 Dates, her newest book, I hadn’t read her books. I am always looking for new authors. I simply love romance books, and finding new books by new authors makes my week, especially if I enjoy their voice.

28 Dates is the story of Jonas and Caitlin. From the outset, we understand that Caitlin and Jonas have a “friends with benefits” relationship. They have engaged in this type of relationship for a couple of years, and, seemingly, it has satisfied both of them. Until it doesn’t. Jonas asks for a date, and Caitlin pulls back, not wanting any further commitment. This devastates both of them, and they choose to be strictly friends, albeit strained ones.

Enter Trey, Caitlin’s friend. He is a guru app developer who creates an app that seeks to pair people in relationships, not one-night “hook-ups.” Caitlin is Trey’s personal assistant and business support, and as it has been several months since ending her FWB relationship with Jonas, Trey asks her to test the app for him. While her opinion hasn’t changed about relationships, she is still a little broken about Jonas, so she agrees to help Trey. Unbeknownst to Caitlin, Jonas too cannot move beyond his time with Caitlin. While he attempted to date someone else, he cannot forget Caitlin to move on; she is his standard. When he finds out about Caitlin’s agreement withTrey, Jonas asks Trey to be included in her app experience, as a way to win her back. Will Jonas finally get his girl? Will Caitlin accept him on a second chance? Or will she find love with someone else on one of her dates?

There are many, many aspects of 28 Dates that I loved.

Jonas. Holy hotness and sweetness! He is that “every guy” kind of hero who lives for the heroine. In this case, his entire being wants Caitlin. She is the problem; he isn’t. He wants to give her the world; he wants to protect her from it; and he wants real commitment. He is the main reason why I didn’t want to stop reading this story.

“…The fire in my vision spreads to my limbs. To the inner need inside of me to want to love her. This guy would die at my own hands if I ever saw him or met him in person and I would have not one f’ing regret.”

Caitlin’s friends. For all of his singular focus, Trey protects Caitlin and provides for her when she cannot see “the forest through the trees.” Yes, she makes his life easier, but he anticipates her needs before she realizes it. This is also the case with Corbin and Teagan (Caitlin’s other best friends), although we don’t really hear from Corbin in this story. Trey is her security blanket and potential savior before Jonas takes that place.

The Friends-to-Lover’s trope. I know some readers aren’t fans of this particular trope because it seems that people are either lovers or friends. Why would that change? However, Lynn presents this trope in a way that doesn’t make it strange as Jonas and Caitlin aren’t life-long friends. They are engaged in an evolved “friends with benefits” relationship. It makes sense that Jonas wants more after spending two years committed to Caitlin. He isn’t unreasonable in wanting more, so this trope works within this story.

This leads me to my issues with the story:

Caitlin. Trust me when I say that I love a woman who knows her own mind. When a heroine makes the best choices for herself, I respect it, and I recognize we need it in romances. However, Caitlin isn’t self-reflective enough for the first ¾ of the story to recognize her issues, her reasons for forgoing relationships. Everyone around her recognizes it, but she lacks that self-knowledge. And it’s frustrating. I found her thinking redundant. After breaking Jonas’s heart and her own, it takes her must of the story PLUS several horrible dates to act upon her feelings with Jonas. I understand this is a romance, and we need to develop angst. However, it felt repetitive to the story for her to be “in the dark” about her past reflecting on her choices in the present and future. It didn’t make me a fan of hers.

Caitlin’s Past. This was the biggest issue I had with the story. We needed more understanding of Caitlin’s past. We gained a bit of it when Trey talks with Jonas, but it is largely undeveloped. An exchange with her parents or some other similar scene would have made us better understand Caitlin’s choices. Instead, the gravity of her past doesn’t weigh in heavily on her present. I wanted to feel her pain, be dug in with her on her reasons for forgoing relationships. But I didn’t fully believe her because I didn’t feel the issues as they weren’t developed enough for me.

Overall, I enjoyed reading 28 Dates by Stacey Lynn. I think it represents the current online dating culture well, and it shows us the need for our relationships to be conducted face-to-face. We can be “catfished” or stalked or turned off by people who hide behind a screen. As this story shows us, the best way to find love is right in front of you.

“It saddens me she doesn’t always realize she’s special and deserving of this and so much more. Thank God I have years to teach her. ‘You’re worth any cost.’ To my bottom line, to my profit margin, to my heart and soul. She’s worth risking everything for.”

28 Dates is book 3 in the Crazy Love series by Stacey Lynn. This is Jonas and Caitlin’s story and is a really sweet friend with benefits romance. It helps you see sometimes what you want and need is right is front of you all along. I love this author and she never disappoints with her writing. I highly recommend this book and this author!!

28 Dates
By: Stacey Lynn

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Two people one want more the others terrified!

I really enjoyed this book it kept me engrossed throughout.
When Jonas asks for more after two years and zero commitment and Caitlin isn’t having it. I really loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. Can he watch her come into his bar and date men that are wrong for her? Can he keep from breaking again and again while making sure she’s safe?

Authors Blurb: Caitlin Pappas is a lifelong commitment-phobe. The closest thing she’s had to a relationship in the last few years was a friends-with-benefits thing that fizzled out because the guy wanted more. So when she and her best friend design a new app that promises to find “the one” in 28 Dates, Caitlin is the perfect guinea pig. Little does she know that she may have already met her match. . . .

Jonas Reeves has tried his best to move on after Caitlin didn’t want take things to the next level. Now they really are just friends . . . without benefits. Caitlin’s even a regular at his bar, The Dirty Martini. But when he learns that Caitlin plans to beta-test a new dating app on his home turf, Jonas senses a golden opportunity to win her heart. Even if he has to slide into her DMs to do it. . . .

This is a fun, hot, romantic must read book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

Caitlin is a commitment phoebe. Jonas just wants to love her. The story is lighthearted and funny. It tells a charming tale of how far one guy is willing to go to win the girl he loves. It also explores all the weird and creepy sides of dating using technology. The characters are witty and fun and gives plenty of opportunities to laugh.

28 Dates by Stacey Lynn is a deliciously tempting contemporary romance between Caitlin and Jonas. It's about a friends with benefits relationship between these two that has grown into more. Jonas wants more and wants to pursue a relationship yet Caitlin was a serious commitment-phobe. The story started just as their FWB relationship ended after a couple of years. That's how the 28 days gets started and it's a unique plot idea. Caitlin really loved Jonas yet had a hard time committing to a relationship. Jonas really only wanted Caitlin. I loved the secondary character ( Trey) who was a great character that was a bridge to bringing these two back together. There is some angst, drama, humorous dialogue, emotional feels, rollercoaster moments, steamy scenes and the sweet and beautiful chemistry between Caitlin and Jonas that made 28 Days a wonderful 2nd chance romance read.


My Rating: 4.5 stars ******

I thought 28 Dates by Stacey Lynn was a good “coming into her own” story for Caitlin. She had to look inside herself and really look at what it was she wanted. What was it that was keeping her from commitment and was it something she could let go of a let herself love and be loved?

I understand Caitlin felt “safe” at Jonas’ bar, but my heart hurt for him to have to go through that, knowing how he felt for her. That had to feel like a knife in the chest every time she met someone there. I thought that was pretty callous of her.

I loved “Michael’s” texts. The silly Star Wars jokes, all to brighten her day. I really started to pull for Caitlin and root for her and Jonas once she began to open her eyes and really look at what she had, what she lost, what she wanted. I understood her fears and celebrated when she found her strength to not only admit it but go for it! Caitlin’s final date, her first date, did me in. My heart was overfilled with happiness.

2.5 stars

I wanted to like it more, but it for me there was just too much relationship angst where the characters, Caitlin and Jonas, spend over three-quarters of the book apart. It also wasn't quite what I was expecting based on the blurb, but I did like the gender-swap of Caitlin being the one with commitment issues, but her reasons for being so are quite serious and were totally glossed over and not fully acknowledged in this book.

I liked the writing, the concept and all the elements of 28 Dates, but the it just never clicked for me - the story didn't pull me in enough and I didn't connect with the characters because I didn't know enough about them; I needed more background and emotional connection. The sweetest part about 28 Dates was the epilogue and the only reason for a bump up to 2.5 stars.

I like the idea that 28 Dates was going for, but for me personally it just didn't quite work.

And it's just a personal pet peeve when the cover does not match the characters at all, which I found issue with for Knocked Up as well.

I fell in love with Jonas when Caitlin broke his heart. They had a friends with benefits relationship, but fell for her. When he asks to take her out on one date, she turns him down and he realizes that he is done. He wants more and she is willing/able to give it to him. As he walks out, she realizes that she made a mistake, but her fear stops her from telliing him.
Six months later, she is finally ready to go back into the bar that he owns, but things are stilted between them. He is dating a woman and her best friend just talked her into using his new dating app. She chooses Jonas' bar to meet all of her dates, because she feels safe there. He agree, but doesn't realize how hard it will be.
In an effort to show her what they could have, Jonas creates a profile and starts talking with Caitlin. He did break up with his girlfriend first, so there is no cheating. She really likes 'Michael', but he is evasive when she asks him personal questions. He is evasive because he doesn't want to lie outright.
She is so scared to open her heart because her past had some really nasty parts to it and she doesn't think she is good enough. When she finds out he is Michael it could ruin any trust between them. Jonas was such a sweet man. He truly cared for Caitlin and even hated hurting his girlfriend, but he knew he couldn't string her along. Caitlin was a strong character, but she was flawed. What happened to her should never happen to anyone, and she didn't cope well. Is there a happy ending for Jonas and Caitlin, or are they doomed to be friends, or worse yet, nothing?
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.