So charming and in the holiday spirit! Could not put it down! Perfect and fluffy read for the holiday season!
The characters became well-developed throughout the story, and the read was not only cute in the romance aspect, there were parts I could easily laugh with!
Is it predictable? Well... not going to disappoint, but yeah, it is. But that made for a great happy ending that I enjoyed nonetheless!
Would totally recommend this one for a nice Christmas read for young a

I reallyyy enjoyed this one. The only thing was it was pretty predictable, I figured out the ending about 20% in. But it was still really good and the perfect read for Christmas. I absolutely loved the couple and I wish we got to see more of them together.

This is the cutest holiday romance. I had a ship from the start and I was so happy that thread kept going throughout the book. I love the themes of family, friendship, and love. I could totally read this book every December!

10 Blind Dates is fun holiday read. After a recent breakup, Sophie is challenged by her large family to venture out on 10 blind dates before New Years Eve. Along the way, she learns about love, family, and herself. I really enjoyed this cute story. Highly recommend to YA romcom readers. Thanks Disney Book Group and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

Thanks Net Galley for the preview!

I loved how fun this book was-a quick and sweet read! I loved the premise and the fun characters that jumped off the page. Sophie was an easy character to relate to and her narrating felt honest and engaging. The dates could have gotten redundant but there were many creative and funky ideas and ways they could go south. Will definitely recommend this to a friend!

4.5 stars.
Well, this one just knocked me over the head with the adorbs! If you're looking for a super-cute, fluffy but not silly holiday romance, you NEED to pick up 10 BLIND DATES by Ashley Elston. It's like the perfect cup of hot cocoa and marshmallows on a snowy Christmas Day.

Sophie is a senior in high school who has it all - a loving family, a great boyfriend, and the grades to get into all the colleges she's been working so hard for. And she thought her boyfriend was on board with this plan - so much so that after circumstances force her parents to be away during the Christmas holidays, Sophie elects to stay with her grandparents nearby so that she can spend more time with Griffin. But after Sophie finds out in the worst way possible that Griffin wants to break up, her holiday seems to be ruined. Her plucky grandmother Nonna and her huge extended Italian family, though, see this as a great opportunity to get her out there. The plan: Sophie goes out on one blind date every day until New Year's Eve, and one member of her family gets to choose the guy and the date. Admittedly, Sophie thinks this is looney-tunes, but her grandmother convinces her it will help her get through the holiday and it will make her laugh.

And laugh you will. While there are some dates that are cute and sweet (a snowball fight with her cousin's friend at the Festival of Lights), there are others that are just plain weird and disastrous(ending up as Mary in a Living Nativity scene with a handsy freshman date). But between the dates, we see a lot about Sophie and her family - in particular, her cousins Olivia and Charlie, and their friend Wes. The four of them used to be the Fab Four until Sophie moved away, and it's not until Sophie gets back there that she realizes what a rift this has caused between them - and her extended family. I loved this part of the book - the slow development and understanding of how friendships need to change and adapt.

I also loved the huge family aspect of this book - I have a large family and the holidays are always crazy, but not like this family. These people are in each other's business ALL THE TIME - and yet, you know most of their intentions are good and you can see how important these connections are to them, I loved how Elston built these relationships, although I would have liked to have a family tree because I couldn't always keep everyone straight. I also liked seeing Sophie's relationship with her sister Margot, who is on bedrest as she prepares to deliver - it's mostly through texts, but you can see how close they are and how much they matter to one another. If nothing else, the family part of this book is written so authentically that you will feel wrapped in its warmth.

But I've left the romance part for last, because I really really liked it. Between the dates, you would think Sophie wouldn't have time for an actual romance, but she does, and it's done so darn naturally and cutely and OMG this guy is a total book boyfriend. I really don't want to say anything more - if you're good at guessing, you'll call it from the beginning, but it doesn't even matter because the journey is so much fun. There are legitimate swoons here.

10 Blind Dates was totally the YA book I needed to get me out of a YA rut. Read it, read it fast, and enjoy it through the holidays. It's totally a book I would leave under a tree for a friend.

Did you know that the rom-com is back? Well, it’s back! And Ashley Elston is right on trend with 10 Blind Dates. After an unexpected breakup, 17-year-old Sophie lets members of her eccentric extended family set her up on ten blind dates during Christmas vacation. I fell head over heels for Ashley Elston’s remarkable The Lying Woods, and I’m ready for a date with her newest novel!

What a fun book this turned out to be. I haven’t read too many books by Ashley Elston but I’m going to need to change that.

This book follows Sophie who thought she’d be spending the holidays with her boyfriend but ends up being dumped, and spending the holidays with her family instead. When she arrives at her grandparents house heartbroken and miserable, her family members decide to set her up on 10 blind dates. Each date was unique and so much fun to read.

This is such a sweet and adorable book to read during the holiday season.

A super cute, light, romantic read that's a perfect cure to the blues, 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston embodies all the things I love about the YA contemporary romance genre.

While some may find it a little early to read a book set at Christmas, I was so excited when I read the summary. Christmas is one of my absolute favorite holidays, and growing up in Florida has always made me want a little White Christmas. Of course 10 Blind Dates, being set in Louisiana, isn't exactly filled with snow flurries and icicles, but the true heart of Christmas, family, is front and center.

While the cast is big, and could've used a Family Tree to keep track of all the aunts, uncles, and cousins, Elston captures what family is: love, acceptance, and security. Sophie may be experiencing the worst heartbreak, but her family is there for her, whether or not their good intentions come to fruition.

A delight to read, full of heart and humor, 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston is the feel-good Christmas romance that you can read all year long!

Review will be posted on 11/19/19

Sophie imagined a really wonderful Christmas break, but when she overhears her boyfriend, Griffin, saying he needs a break from their relationship, things start to fall apart. To make matters worse, Sophie's parents are spending Christmas with Sophie's older sister, who is pregnant and not doing well at all. In turn, Sophie is spending the holidays with her grandmother and extended family. Her beloved grandmother, Nonna, finds out that Sophie and Griffin are over and she sees how upset Sophie is. Sophie's Nonna has devised a plan that while Sophie is there on Christmas break each family member will set her up with a nice boy to go out with. What could go wrong, right? She might even meet someone nice! Or maybe things will go disastrously wrong. 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston is the perfect holiday read; it's just like snuggling up with your favorite Hallmark Christmas movie.

Sophie is a delightful character in 10 Blind Dates. I loved her relationship with her grandmother and enjoyed every second of her holiday at her house. Each extended family member was very entertaining and I loved the relationship she shared with them all, even annoying Aunt Patrice. What was most heartwarming was the relationship with her Nonna. I love when YA novels have characters that appreciate and spend time with their grandparents and in this case, I enjoyed every aspect of Sophie's relationship with her Nonna. I also especially appreciated her many references to Italian-American culture; if you are Italian, you will love this as well.

All the fun (and not so fun) dates that Sophie went on added to the Christmas spirit of 10 Blind Dates. The date with the live nativity scene had me cringing and laughing out loud. When all is said and done, Sophie needs to decide what is right for her and if Griffin is someone she still even wants. While figuring all this out, Sophie is reconnecting with family, especially her cousins, and the holidays is the perfect time for this.

10 Blind Dates is such a fun holiday read and one that is reminiscent of a feel-good Christmas movie. I didn't mind the overly saccharine parts though as this was exactly the kind of read that I was looking for. So, if you love a cute Christmas tale filled with family, romance, and fun, you must check out 10 Blind Dates this holiday season.

This book was the perfect book to read leading up to the holiday season. The story follows Sophie who has recently broken up with her boyfriend. As her large family tries to help her get over him, she goes on 10 blind dates with boys, on dates that her various family members have set up.
Although she goes on these dates, this book is more about Sophie rediscovering her family and what is important in her life.
It was a fairly simple book, but very enjoyable!

A cute, predictable Christmas story. There are not very many teen Christmas books so this was a welcome addition. Sophie could often be a bit whiney but I loved her big family and the shenanigans that unfolded at every get together. i also loved the relationship between her and Maggie. This storyline was the real heart of this story. I was less invested in her romantic life. The blind dates were amusing but the romance seemed a bit forced and predictable.

This book was just not my cup of tea. The protagonist agrees to let her (in my opinion, meddlesome and irritating) family set her up on a variety of blind dates, all of which read jarringly. It reads like it's for a younger audience, not for teens, and although I think the book was going for a feel good Hallmark channel love story vibe, it felt stale to me. I will admit I already don't particularly love teenage slice of life stories, but 10 Blind Dates didn't deliver on the positives of that setup for me. Wouldn't recommend.

I adored this cute YA contemporary love story “10 Blind dates” by Ashley Elston for a story about self-discovery, family and most of all love. This is a great holiday read about Sophie and her over-protective parents. Spending Christmas in Louisiana may have Sophie dreaming of something else with long-term boyfriend Griffin, except he has other plans. Her huge extended family tries to help her out - consoling her broken heart where each of the family members set up Sophie with a blind date. Each of the dates are as hilarious as the next. Just as we would expect it, Griffin has a change of heart, but will Sophie fall for it this time?
I absolutely love this heartwarming story and a delightful holiday read. I cannot wait to watch the Netflix adaptation of this amazing book! All the thumbs and stars for this read for me.

I really enjoyed this book! It was the perfect balance between laugh out loud moments and heartfelt moments where I had tears in my eyes. It's the perfect book to promote to teens while on Christmas break which is when it takes place! Definitely a fun read!

I was happily surprised to find a cute holiday rom-com, heavier on the com than the rom. If you love Hallmark Christmas movies, this one is for you!

After Sophie overhears her boyfriend tell someone he’s thinking of breaking up with her, she preemptively dumps him. Then her large and meddling family sets her up on a bunch of blind dates.

Positives: Sophie’s large Sicilian extended family was fun and there were a bunch of genuinely funny moments on her dates. There was a subplot about the main character’s older sister and her pregnancy complications that balanced out the comedy but definitely stressed me out. And I had no idea this was a Christmas themed book, which was a complete surprise – but a good one (oops #2: I did not see that tiny mistletoe on the cover until just now.)

Things I Liked Less: Ten dates was a LOT. It was clear (to me) from the start who Sophie was going to end up with and the problem with all the dates was that you didn’t get to see that relationship enough. Plus there was some stalker-y/creepy behavior from guys that didn’t get called out enough for my liking.

But all in all, if you’re looking for a funny book with a big family and a little romance, and/or if you love cute holiday themed books, this could be a great fit for you!

10 Blind Dates was my first holiday read of the year! I'm happy to report it was heartwarming and absolutely adorable. I loved the family dynamics! Most of the characters in this book were related, and I really enjoyed seeing how they interacted with each other. There were so many aunts, uncles, and cousins! It would've been easy to get lost in the chaos, but there was something comforting about it too.

I do have a couple of issues... the first one being the number of blind dates Sophie goes on. It was pretty obvious from the beginning who she would end up with, so after a certain point the dates started to feel like a waste of time. I would've liked to see their relationship develop a little more, but it's just a brief blip at the end. Additionally, her relationship with Griffin was weird. He was a stalker, and I really wish that had been addressed. He messaged her nonstop after the breakup, commented on what she was doing with other guys, and showed up unexpectedly on multiple occasions (even going so far as to reach out to one of her cousins for information about where she'd be). It was icky. He was icky.

The dates themselves were super fun, and I'm actually a little jealous of her adventures! I'm happy I was able to live vicariously through her, if only for a few hours. The family hijinks and shenanigans, the betting pool, and the dating activities had me laughing out loud and grinning like a fool! It was also nice that some of her previous dates popped up sporadically throughout the rest of the book. 10 Blind Dates was never boring, and even managed to surprise me a time or two. A few of her dates were really lovely, while others were a train wreck you couldn't look away from.

Sophie's family was probably my favorite thing about this book! They all live near each other, so her grandmother's house is always full of people and food (really, really good food). This book made me crave a cannoli! Everyone wanted to participate in Sophie's blind dates, because they wanted to see her smile and have fun. They were invested in her happiness, which was sweet and made my heart feel full. It's not a perfect family, but the love is there and that's what matters. I really liked the relationship between the Fab Four, and wish they'd been able to do more together as a group. They're included on a few of the dates, but I think more isolated moments with them would have been fun! Charlie is hilarious, Olivia is a fierce friend, and Wes is very much The Boy Next Door.

I thought all of the dates were creative and believable, and I'm happy Sophie was willing to take the time she needed to sort through her feelings. She didn't waver whenever Griffin claimed he wanted her back, but she was internally conflicted over what to do. Her emotions and responses felt honest and relatable, but she was also willing to admit when something wasn't working. She gave herself some much needed room to breathe, and she remembered what it was like to be surrounded by people who loved her.

The side story with her sister was stressful! It added another emotional layer to the story, and some long-distance driving. I don't want to give too much away, because it was fun trying to guess what Sophie's dates would be before she went on them, but Sara's choice was my favorite! Also, I wish the characters had been fleshed out just a smidge more, but it wasn't a huge issue. There was so much good to focus us! Simply put, 10 Blind Dates was a fun and entertaining read that I enjoyed immensely!

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on October 17, 2019.

The cover is perfect. Festive, beautiful photography and design. I enjoyed 10 Blind Dates because of the bond Sophie has with her family. They are a large Italian bunch jammed into one home for Christmas, and taking bets on Sophie's dating life. There were so many healthy dynamics illustrated, including post partum recovery, cousin love and close bonds with parents, grandparents and extended relatives.

Her neighbor Wes is kind, considerate, and takes good care of the main character as she braves a break up as well as a few sketchy blind date situations. A well rounded plot and endearing characters make this a heart warming, light read. I didn't enjoy her evil cousins or their date activity. I wish the love interest hadn't been all but settled until a little further into the book, to build suspense. My only two small complaints. Overall, a fun read!

Parental content: underage drinking, mention of pornography and nudity

This was such an enjoyable read. The storyline was fun, the characters relatable, the way the family all rallied around Sophie was exceptional, definitely a story to recommend to our YA readers and adults. Looking forward to more from the author.

4.5 Stars

10 BLIND DATES is one of those stories that is just pure fun to read! It's full of heart, a huge extended family with plenty of theatrics, ten blind dates, and a girl who is trying to find herself again and possibly reconnect with the boy next door. Definitely recommended to YA contemporary fans!

It's been a while since I've read this type of story. There's some heartache and there's a bit of a family scare, but there's no serious life disasters. Nothing to make you bawl your eyes out. It is, though, still a story about life and figuring things out. Here it comes with an over-loving, boisterous family that brought so much entertainment and laughs that I couldn't help loving them (the board and the bets!!!). There are also fabulous characters, including the protagonist Sophie. I loved her as well as the other members of the fab four (her two cousins and their best friend next door). The family love, antics, and friendship was my favorite part of this story. The dates were fun and also cringe worthy at times, with a few shocking moments. And it all ends with family, best friends, and sweet romance. Just the way it should.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This was entertaining and just a feel good read. Lovable characters, sweet romance, overboard family dynamics, with plenty of heart. Loved it!

Content: A few mild swear words, some drinking references, some suggestive parts, but pretty much clean.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Rockstar Book Tours, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.