An enjoyable but predictable rom-com. If you need a book that delivers in a fun quick way look no further than this one. Loved the characters and the plot.

Everything a feel-good story should have!

This was my first Jaci Burton book and I really enjoyed it, even though I haven't read the first one in this interconnected series. The characters were both light and funny, with nice chemistry between them. And the plot was a sweet delightful from start to finish, with lots of tropes that I really enjoy reading.

A fun and lighthearted romantic comedy. There were a few cute scenes as Tara and Seth began their dates. I thought it was really cute the way they orchestrated ways of meeting up with each other for 'non dates' just so they could hang out together. They made a great pair and it was fun watching them fall in love.
There is plenty of angst, romance and comedy in this feel-good romantic story.

I went into this not sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. I found Tara and Seth to be charming and likable characters and I loved their chemistry. Their banter was entertaining and the food descriptions were absolutely amazing! (3.5/5 stars)

What I Liked:
This was a fabulous sequel to A Sweet Mess! They flowed together SO well.
Such an interesting trope - daring each other not to date and slowly quickly falling for each other.
STEAMY
The narrator of this audiobook was fabulous.
I loved the characters and I loved their relationship.

What I Didn't Like/Wanted More Of:
Really predictable (but what romances aren't honestly?)
The characters seemed too much like the same person.

You Should Read if You Like:
Cheesy romances

I enjoyed The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee. It was entertaining, it was sweet, but in the end, it wasn't really memorable for me. It was good, not great, and I wanted it to be great after experiencing A Sweet Mess, the first book in the series.

Although Tara and Seth are attracted to each other, Seth is leaving town in a month, and Tara is not looking for a relationship. But they decide to date until Seth needs to leave. I really enjoyed them falling for each other. But what keeps this from being a 4 or 5 star for me is that they would complain that the other doesn't communicate, and then they wouldn't communicate. They both had the same compliant. And then they were freaking out because real feelings were developing, which I know is scary sometimes, but it felt like they dealt with all of this a little immaturely.

This book was cute. Tara and Seth are attracted to each other but they both have sworn off love forever. With Seth leaving for Paris in a month, a quick fling relationship should be easy for the two. The beginning was meh, the middle was great, even if a bit insta-lovey. The constant need to not care about one another yet be all over one another was just annoying after a point.

I have been terrible at reading my ARC's this year. I have so many now that it is kind of nerve-wracking and stress inducing. I have been wanting to read this one since I saw the cover. I am just one of those people who picks a book up based on the cover and sometimes never even reads the description. This is one of those.

Tara attends the wedding of her best friend and runs into Seth, her best friends new brother in law. Tara and Seth have both had such terrible times with love that neither are open to falling in love. Seth is set to leave in a month to head to a new life in Paris. They decide there is no harm to a dating dare of four dates and the deal to not fall in love with each other. However, with every Rom-Com things don't go according to plan and their dates are interrupted and they find that they want to spend more and more time together. Will they open up to true love or go their separate ways?

I really liked this book. I knew from the beginning how this book would end. That's why I love rom-coms there are always comedy and happy endings. This book was such a light read. I blew through it. It is very PG-13, things are implied, but not detailed. I haven't read any of Jayci Lee's books before, but I cant wait to see what else she has out there. I rate this book a three out of five stars. I just find that I read so many rom-coms that I cant rate them all 5's. This was a really good book just wouldn't make the top of my Rom-com list. I do recommend for others to read as well if you are looking for a light read.

I did receive this book as an ARC from Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to read it.

I read this second book in Jayci Lee's A Sweet Mess romance series without having read the first, and it works fine as a standalone (romance series do usually work this way) - and I'm glad I didn't bother reading the first one, because as it turns out, I found The Dating Dare to be pretty mediocre.

The plot is fine, as cheesy as the premise kind of is (I don't mind a cheesy premise though, honestly!), but the prose was just clumsy and unappealing. I wasn't interested in the characters and didn't feel enough chemistry between them, and what else is there, really, in a romance novel?

Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Dating dare by Jayci Lee

There is a saying that, "Like calls to like" which is most definitely the case with commit phobic Tara Park and Seth Kim who give in to their mutual attraction on the conditionality that they can go on four dates but they can't fall in love.

The Dating Dare is a cute rom-com with a great premise and a decent reflection of Korean influences in the dialogue and culture. I enjoyed the emphasis placed on the role of family and the familial bonds created with Set and Landon and Tara and her brothers (I smell spin-offs). I also relished the fact that Tara's job as a master brewer was highly unconventional and totally badas*.

I had high hopes for The Dating Dare but there were some elements that dropped the ball for me. The dialogue felt very stiff and the inner monologues of Seth and Tara were eerily similar. I have no problem with the "I want to love but am afraid of getting my heart broken" but I think my issue stems from the transition between friends to something more. The communication was sorely lacking and while I agree attraction and lust are starters, they cannot be all that fuels love. Any opportunity for a slither of emotions was quickly shot down not allowing an emotional connection to form which was slightly disappointing to me.

Overall this could be labeled as a cheesy rom-com but I did enjoy the cultural representation, strong familial bonds, and the unwavering friendship between the couples.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've been in a slump for a few months, of course until I finally got a chance to read this book. Tara and Seth are Maid of Honor and Best man to Aubrey (Tara's Best Friend) and Landon (Seth's Brother) wedding (from the first book). Seth is planning to move to Paris, so the two decide to date for the next month and think they can with out falling for each other.

I especially loved the banter and interaction between Seth and Tara, as well as all of the supporting characters throughout the story. The flow was great, as well as the growth of the characters. I hope Tara's brother's Jack and Alex will get books in the future.

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This was such a fun read. I loved the banter between the characters. They had great chemistry and I’m always a fan of enemies to lovers! I think both characters were well written and had great story arcs.
This is an adorable romcom!

The Dating Dare is the second book in the Sweet Mess series by Jayci Lee. I was sent this book by NetGalley, but realizing it was book number 2, I had to read the first book, A Sweet Mess. I loved A Sweet Mess and had high hopes going into The Dating Dare, but was nervous as second books can sometimes flop.

I think I like The Dating Dare better than the first book. We meet Tara and Seth in the first book, but follow them as the main characters in this book. On a whim or a dare Seth challenges Tara to four dates with no strings attached. A month for them to keep each other company, but at the end no strings or expectations.

Over the month we watch this sweet romance blossom and all bets are off by date number four. The characters become vulnerable and fearful of what possibilities may arise from this dare.

This was a quick, fun read. I was pulled in from the first chapter, I was rooting for the characters and the potential of a relationship and happiness. I couldn't get enough of the story, I was sad when the book ended because I wanted to keep following the characters and to see what else was coming for them. I highly recommend this book and this series.

A typical, girl who swears off dating, finds herself falling for a guy she never would have dated. Tara accepts Seth's dare of 4 dates before he leaves for Paris on a work assignment and the back and forth begins of will they or won't they make it as a couple. While it is a common plot, it still is a decent quick chick lit read.

review. The Dating Dare follows Tara (who is the bff from A Sweet) and Seth (the brother of the love interest in A Sweet Mess). The story starts off at the wedding of the couple from A Sweet Mess. Tara tells Seth to stop staring at her and they are immediately flirting and the attraction between them is obvious. The issue is that both Seth and Tara have sworn off of serious relationships because they were both hurt very badly in their first serious relationships in college. So, Seth dares Tara to go on four dates with him and not fall in love with him while he’s house sitting for his brother, before he leaves to move to Paris. Obviously the two fall in love, but not without some bumps in the road.
I liked this book. It was a fun romance that had great sexual tension and flirting. The lead up and tension to the pair finally having sex was excellent. They kept finding themselves out in public or in other places where it wasn’t really appropriate to get naked and I thought that was a funny, but good way to build up the anticipation of them finally getting together. I didn’t love that both Seth and Tara had the same emotional issues. I don’t know why I didn’t like that though. There was just something about it that had me rolling my eyes a little bit. I also didn’t love that they didn’t really talk about any of those things until after they finally mended things after the third act break up.
Overall, I had fun reading this book. Their dates were fun and sweet. It was a bit funny to see them try to keep things between them a secret. I liked the familiar setting of Wheldon. And I was happy to see them end up together at the end of the book.

While this had its sweet moments, the main characters spent way too much time in their own heads. It became exhausting and dragged down my enjoyment of the story. I thought the “betting someone to date them” situation was a bit weird. Overall, it was cute and lighthearted, just not for me.

Jaci Lee. You have done it again, sis. The Dating Dare had me smiling and laughing out loud. This is my second book by this author and won’t be my last. It is so well written and an all around feel good story. Put it at the top of your TBR!

This was a cute, light read. I loved the banter and the fake love affair turned real aspect. It was a great summer read, and one that ended with that feel good feeling.

I didn't realize this was a sequel, but it reads just as well as a standalone book. Overall, it was just ok for me. I love "rom com" love stories, so it wasn't bad enough for me to stop reading. However, I did start skimming and flipping pages just past the halfway point of the book.

I think I was bothered by a few things. One, the author provided great detail like they really knew what they were talking about when it came to certain things (like the main character's beer brewing), but she had a character order a "cup of americano". Nobody has ever ordered an americano like that. 🤦‍♀️ Ok, that's personal. The other stuff that just got old was that the characters had the same thoughts on repeat for like 85% of the book. By the time I made it to 50% of the book, I was over it. Maybe I just don't relate to the extremity of their past heartbreak, but I was tired of hearing about how they swore off love over and over and over again.

It's a cute book and maybe I'm just not the right audience for it, but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

I appreciated the witty writing style and was immediately immersed in this story. It was a great escape read. Tara and Seth were interesting characters and I enjoyed their story.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.