I devoured this debut novel! It was all a sweet romance should be; a bit of drama, a bit comedy, twists, and lots of love. I really enjoyed that Melissa brought out a topic that is close to my heart: fostering. I was right there with both Jett and Cassie when they found themselves parents overnight.

The kid antics are incredibly realistic and hilarious (because they weren’t happening to me), and a couple hit a little too close to home. It’s true that kids really do say the darndest things. But, if you don’t have children, don’t think you won’t relate. Melissa does a great job of pulling you into the story of a couple trying to retain normal in a topsy-turvey situation.

I cannot wait to read her next novel.

I was provided a copy of this story but was not required to post a positive review. All opinions are my own!

What I think you should know:
The Dating Charade is a romantic comedy by Melissa Ferguson, it is her debut novel.
Cassie Everson has given up on Dating when a guy who went to high school with her finds her dating profile. When her friend gives her an unexpected push she decides to give dating one more chance, until what she has been longing for, a family falls into her life.

What I think about this book:
Although the Dating Charade was called a romantic comedy I would not necessarily classify it as either one, however that does not mean that it is not a good book. I will admit I am a sucker for books with settings that I know, and this one is set in Gatlinburg, TN, a place near and dear to my heart. As a former teacher I had students that I would have taken home in a heartbeat so I was able to relate to Cassie and her love for “her” kids. Jett is a guy that every girl wants, one who will go out on a limb for you, one who will fight for you. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, but I felt like the story and details got lost at the ending I wanted more information, more time in the story. Even with the rushed ending I enjoyed the book and will happily read the next book by Ferguson.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.

Title: The Dating Charade

Author: Melissa Ferguson

Pages: 336

Genre: Christian Fiction, Rom Com

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

I’m not going to lie the first thing that drew me to this book was the Brady Bunch feels. Cassie and Jett have an awesome first date but when they each end up with three kids each they hide the kids from each other. Thinking that the other didn’t want kids.
They go through the charade pretending that nothing’s changed. But like any rom com chaos happens. I didn’t know how would feel about this book because Rom Com’s in book form have been a miss for me here lately. But after reading this one I’m willing to get back into reading them. The Gatlinburg setting was neat and not something that I remember reading in books before, and it was neat to read a book set in the place that we went on family vacations when I was child. I also look forward to reading future books by Melissa Ferguson.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

The Dating Charade was an interesting debut novel by Melissa Ferguson.
Lady has bad dating past and is about to give up on the marriage and children dream. A firefighter finds her profile and they really hit off. An additional twist is waiting for them at the end of the date.
I give this one, 3.5 stars out of five.

Was really cute and was surprised at how the romance developed. It was cute that Jet had a crush on Cassie when they were younger. The plot ends up up being crazy, heartfelt and very crazy again. I believe that is what we all want in our Romance novels though. The story I found more focused on the side plots than the romance which was interesting. Though you could definitely see why these two fit so well together!

This was such a fun story! I loved that Cassie was an independent woman with a dating escape plan. She was such a wonderful character, so caring about the teens she worked with and a fun, competitive person. I loved Jett, too, I mean who doesn't love a firefighter?! Plus how down to earth he was and how much he cared about the people he helped at his job and about his sister and her kids. There were a lot of funny, laugh-out-loud moments in this story and some wonderful quirky characters, including some funny antics by Jett's brood. I loved that they both wanted the other to love the kids for themselves and not just put up with them. There were a couple moments where they each lied about something and while I understood why they did it, it still bothered me. There were some cute romantic moments and a little bit of action. This story also dealt with some hard things but in a lighter way as Cassie dealt with kids who were in foster care and the girls she took in were abandoned while Jett's sister had a drug problem. They both attended church so there was a faith element to the story. I highly recommend this wonderful romantic comedy!

I received this ebook from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This novel was a tender read about the ups and downsof children in the foster care system than it was about a romance. Jett and Cassie the twoain characters are dating and trying to avoid the other finding out about the kids they have custody of. It is a sweet read and I enjoyed it;just was expecting more romance.

I downloaded this book because the synopsis sounded intriguing, and I'd seen it around on bookstagram.

I gave this book a fair chance, but it just wasn't entertaining to me. It's just not my cup of tea. I especially didn't appreciate the traditional gender norms and casual sexism I encountered in the first 20% of the book, but at that point, the story had also not quite picked up yet and I wasn't interested in continuing. That's why I decided to DNF it.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This is a Netgalley ARC review. All opinions are solely my own.

If you need a book to give you warm & fuzzy feelings, then this is it!! Melissa Ferguson captured so many emotions in The Dating Charade. This book covers so many current topics. I could really relate to many of the issues discussed and it really pulled at my heartstrings.

I think the beginning of the book fit the title but then it became less relevant as the entire plot was revealed.

I loved this book from the first. I thought they main characters were introduced well and it was an interesting read. It kind of began to feel slow and lagging in the middle. The romance took a bit of a backseat and I didn't like some of the lack of communication. It felt kind of teenage in that part. Nevertheless, it was a cute and fun romance and I would recommend it to someone one wants a light read with some heart. It isn't a heavy hitter and I won't feel the need to read it again but was a good clean romance with many chuckles. Just what I need sometimes.

I really enjoyed the first bit of this book. I liked Cassie and Jett.. at least at first. I did not like when the children were added to the story. I understand that it was suppose to be funny.. and don't get me wrong, there were alot of funny part with the kids but the children overpowered the romance. There was too much kids and not enough of Cassie and Jett together.

It was a light, fluffy read and it was absolutely enjoyable. So if you get the chance to read it and have a few hours to spare I say pick it up. But if you are looking for something with more meaning then skip this one.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I didn't realize it was Christian fiction until after I'd requested it (I really was just sucked in by the cover), so when I DID realize this... I wasn't as enthusiastic about reading it as I had originally been. HOWEVER, it is LOOSELY Christian fiction. I didn't have a problem with it. Cassie and Jett both have their lives unexpectedly turned upside down after meeting one another. A successful date seems promising for both of them, but their personal lives are about to take a major turn as both become responsible for three children... each. It's difficult and both are scared of scaring the other off but are more scared of screwing things up with these kids.

I thought it was great. A little slow at times and I feel like it kind of glazed over both topics of these cases when it could've given more insight on it, but it was a light read with something to talk about woven into the pages.

Great story!
This book had my emotions everywhere and that's why I LOVED IT! The characters were amazing and so was the story. I would definitely recommend it.

I really enjoyed this. However, my biggest issue with this novel is how it was marketed. I thought it was just going to be a cute, bumbling romantic comedy between this kind firefighter and a cynical woman sick of online dating. So imagine my surprise when it instead heavily focused on the guy and the girl trying to handle these children that have suddenly come into each one's care. I really liked the dynamic of trying to maintain their relationship while also keeping the children secret from the other because each is convinced that the other doesn't like/want children. But I was not prepared for that to be a part of the story.

So I started this book while I was in Gatliburg around Christmas, and this book took place in Gatliburg at Christmas! So I was extra excited about that! This is one of those love stories where if they were just honest with each other and communicated properly in the beginning, there probably wouldn’t be much of a story. But that is how life is, isn’t it??

This one started out really good for me, and then quickly sizzled. I will say that the books focuses a lot on the children and it has a lot of serious issues it brings up with addiction, neglect, emotional issues, fostering, adoption, infertility, etc. So this isn’t really a romcom in my eyes. It also isn’t really a romance novel either. There was hardly any page time between Jett and Cassie and zero romantic scenes.

Bottom Line: This one was just ok for me. I wanted more steam. I wanted more laughs. The author made a lot of attempts to make funny scenes, but it was laugh out loud funny. If you want a love story minus all the steam and romance, this would definitely be more your speed.

**I received a copy of The Dating Charade from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

What a wonderful story we got from this book was it made me laugh, cry and almost crumble at times as I read through this journey by the wonderful new author to me Melissa Ferguson. This book had a little bit of everything you want in a great read that will keep you glued to every word and then still wanting more. If this was the author's debut book I am so excited for what is to come in the future as the writing and the ease of this read was so much to my liking.

I was anticipating this novel with equal parts eagerness and trepidation. Eagerness, because I’m always on the lookout for a great romcom; trepidation, because there were aspects of this story that had very real potential to annoy me rather than entertain. My verdict? I’m so glad I took the risk. Not only was it an entertaining and engaging read, but there is a serious, heart-tugging story at its core.

There were two things in particular that caused my trepidation. The first was that I wondered how believable it would be for Cassie and Jett to find themselves suddenly responsible for three children each. Second was the fact that they would hide it from each other—even more so if that became the basis for the humour. You know, near misses, ridiculous explanations to cover up the truth. That kind of thing. Definitely NOT the kind of humour I’m looking for.

As it turned out, my fears were unfounded. Not only was it entirely believable (though still quite a coincidence) that Cassie and Jett suddenly found themselves the sole guardian of three children each, but the children’s situation was never made light of, despite the humorous tone to the rest of the story. In fact, the story gave me a deeper appreciation of the complicated emotions children in foster care (and the adults who become their carers) deal with.

And as for the whole hiding it from each other thing—I completely understood why they didn’t mention their respective situations to start with, and I loved that it played out from there in such an unpredictable way, including the way it changed both Cassie and Jett. I don’t want to give anything away, so I won’t say any more than that. The romance did take a back-seat at times, but I think the author stayed true to the story rather than writing to preconceived genre expectations.

My one slight criticism was that I felt the resolution was a little out of left field—almost as though there was a scene or two missing. But in all other ways, this was an excellent debut, and I’m looking forward to whatever’s next from Melissa Ferguson.

As cute as the premise was, I just couldn’t get into it... the characters didn’t interest or engage me and I felt myself cringing at the budding romance. Who gives a potential romantic interest a completed police check for vetting? Not a fan.

As the blurb suggests, The Dating Charade is warmhearted and a fun rom-com story. However, that only lasted for maybe the first 15-20% of the book and then it got more serious.

Serious is totally fine, don’t get me wrong. However, there wasn’t enough balance for me between the funny things, the cute romance things, and the serious things. The vibe of the book was more serious than hilarious, though still warmhearted.

I thought Cassie and Jett were realistic and well developed characters. I liked that they both were written with strong values and stuck to them. Cassie is this vibrant and witty young woman while Jett is this gentleman yet fun guy. Both are over the dating scene until they come across each other’s profiles. This is where it’s really fun and warmhearted.

However, they both find themselves in a situation where they’re taking care of three kids. Jett is suddenly taking care of his niece and nephews while Cassie takes in three girls from the nonprofit she runs. This is where I thought the fun and funny parts would come in, but again it was more serious than anything else. Which makes total sense, since the books deals with some aspects of adoption and foster care. But I still wanted more fun I guess.

For a debut book, Ferguson’s writing was really good. She was able to easily give me a sense of Cassie and Jett’s personality, though not really any of the other characters. Everything made sense and flowed fairly well together.

While not what I wanted or expected, it wasn’t a bad read and I don’t regret reading it.