Such a fun read! I loved the way things were set up and the chemistry between the characters. It was cute, funny, sexy, AND had mental health representation, definitely recommend!

I am a total sucker for a fake dating story. Throw in a celebrity/normal person relationship, and oh man - a perfect combo! 🤌🏻🤩⁣
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While We Were Dating is the best of both of those worlds. Anna Gardiner, a famous actress desperate to increase her star power to hopefully land her dream role, and what better way to do that than through some good old-fashioned tabloid fodder?? Enter Ben Stephens, hot advertising executive and the perfect candidate for a fake boyfriend! 😍 But we all know how fake relationships go…😏⁣
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I loved this book! As always Jasmine Guillory’s characters are 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻. Ben is supportive and kind, and Anna is curvy and independent and totally fierce. There’s great anxiety rep and important discussions about mental health, a sweet romantic build, and Jasmine Guillory’s signature steam. Plus Hollywood and award shows and paparazzi and glitz. It’s fun and frothy and I really enjoyed it!

What a beautiful book. Jasmine knows how to write romance. I’d read her grocery list. 10/10 you read this.

Jasmine Guillory is a master storyteller. Main characters Ben Stephens and movie star Anna Gardiner strike up a deal to help Anna land a new job: they agree to publicly date. Genuine feelings undeniably start to unfold and their relationship quickly evolves leaving the two to decide what they're really looking for in their lives. A quick, satisfying read.

Absolutely loved this book. Jasmine Guillory writes such beautiful romance. And I love how she always connects her books in the same world.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

“But last night...I didn't worry about any of that. It was just so great, and fun, and it felt like... I don't know, such a celebration. So I was crying just from relief, that I could have that joy again, that I feel so much better now, especially since there was a time when I thought I'd never be able to relax around another person again.”

This love story was just such a beautiful celebration of true, deep, authentic, vulnerable, and safe LOVE.

My favorite two tropes are fake dating and celebrity/regular person - what can I say? I love Roman Holiday and Notting Hill. 🥰🥰 The chemistry was off the CHARTS and the love scenes were…WHEW SPICY. 🔥

This one was just a pleasure and a joy to read !!!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for a complimentary copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

While We Were Dating wasn't my favorite Jasmine Guillory... But it's still a nice romance, and bonus points for the focus on anxiety and mental health.

Escape into Contemporary Romance - Shelf Awareness for Readers, February 8, 2022
Novels increasingly have been for me both escape from and heartbalm for the difficult realities that surround us right now. With Valentine's Day around the corner, these contemporary romance novels offer an escape into stories with guaranteed happy endings, even if the path to get there might be fraught.

Rachel Lynn Solomon managed to pack a full list of romance tropes into her hit novel, The Ex Talk; in her newest, Weather Girl (both Berkley, $16), she plays with the second-chances trope, as a meteorologist and a sports reporter at a local broadcast station hatch an unlikely plan to get their divorced bosses back together. Jasmine Guillory (The Wedding Party; Party of Two) plays with the "fake dating" trope in While We Were Dating (all Berkley, $16); movie star Anna Gardiner and colleague Ben Stephens really are sleeping together, after all, even though the relationship they agree to put on for the paparazzi is just for show--at least, until their feelings become all too real.

In Love and Other Disasters (Forever, $15.99), the first openly nonbinary contestant on a competitive cooking show develops unexpected (and inconvenient) feelings for another contestant. Exploring topics of identity and sexuality with heart, Anita Kelly's debut is a must for any romance reader with an interest in Top Chef-style shows (or vice versa).

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau (Berkley, $16) boasts a movie-star romance and a competitive cooking show, as hot-shot Ryan Kwok preps for his upcoming participation in a charity baking challenge by taking lessons in baking--and romance--from a local donut shop owner. The two hit it off as each navigates their respective grief over losing a parent, offering a heartwarming read for anyone who's ever thought about taking new chances in the wake of loss.

I will read everything in the Guillory-verse at this point, even my least favorite trope of all time: fake dating.

Jasmine Guillory will always be an auto-buy author for me. Her books transform me to a happy place where I can forget about what's going on in my personal life and this storyline was so different.

In all honestly, I tried really hard to finish this one. but I just. could. not. Guillory's major wins are her female characters. They're strong, independent and they inspire you to keep reading. HOWEVER, that's where it ends. The storyline is bland, predictable and redundant. I understand that these romances have to follow similar patterns to some degree but I just fail to see what would motivate me to keep picking this one up again.

Also, the men in Guillory's books are honestly THE BEST. They are smart, successful and most importantly, GENUINELY NICE FEMINIST MEN. Sometimes however, their thinking processes are hard to follow. Ben is a really nice guy, but he also seems very unrealistic at times. I understand the need to write these incredible characters, but maybe make them just a tad bit problematic so that they have a few lessons to learn at the end of the book?

All this book did was leave me very, VERY hungry for burgers. :(

I adore Jasmine Guillory so I have kind of high standards for her at this point. While this is definitely a solid romance in general, it’s not my favorite of her work even though the premise was extremely promising. Everything was good it just wasn’t great even though there were definitely strong moments of cuteness. As always, I can’t wait for her next book.

Delightful as always! Jasmine Guillory is so talented at making wonderful heroines who you can’t help rooting for! Will always recommend her books.

again, the fake dating trope is one of my favorites. it never lets down time and time again and for those of you who are South Asian, this was almost like if Om Shanti Om was a fun, funny romcom. I loved it and Jasmine Guillory hit another home run with this!

Jasmine Guillory does it again! A fast paced, feel good story that kept me engaged the whole time. Thank you!

While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory

I read this on the beach, and while it served its purpose for that, I didn’t really love it. Personally, I like a little more drama and mess in my romance novels (judge me if you want 🤷🏾‍♀️) and this book was lacking in that department for me. I did appreciate them talking about mental health and therapy, though.

I also want to note that I haven’t read the series so maybe that played a part even though it’s a stand alone story.

While We Were Dating is the sixth book in Jasmine Guillory's Adult Romance series, The Wedding Date. If you are unfamiliar with this series, they are all companion novels with some connecting characters. You can read them in any order, or as standalones.

In this installment, we follow Ben Stephens, who is the younger brother of Theo Stephens, the leading man of The Wedding Party. Ben, who is known as a bit of a ladies man, works for an ad agency. When he is sent to pitch an important ad campaign featuring movie star, Anna Gardiner, he's nervous. Turns out, he had nothing to worry about. Ben is charming and he knocks it out of the park; making a great first impression with Anna.

Anna is at a turning point in her career. She is popular and well-known, but she really wants to get to that next level. She views this ad campaign as a great distraction while she waits for her latest movie to drop. She's anxious about what the reception to her role will be, but she remains hopeful that amazing things will come from it.

After Ben's company wins the campaign, Anna makes sure Ben is the lead on the project. He could be just the right kind of distraction she needs. Anna generally doesn't mix business with pleasure, but there's always room for exceptions.

Due to an unusual set of circumstances, Ben and Anna spend quite a bit of one-on-one time together and their light flirty banter quickly evolves into something more. As the two are forced into a bit of a fake-dating relationship in order to aide Anna's image, the lines blur even further. Is it real, or is it not? It's so hard to tell in Hollywood.

I had a lot of fun with this one. I enjoyed Ben and Anna so much. Both of their characters worked for me and their banter together was adorable. As with the earlier books in the series, I appreciate how Guillory included some important real life issues. Her characters are never just laser focused on love and romance. They always have issues they are working through and for me, I feel like they always grow in a satisfying way.

In this one, Anna's celebrity was interesting to read about. I think frequently about how anxiety-inducing it must be to live that sort of fishbowl lifestyle. It must be challenging and exhausting to separate who you really are from all that constant chatter.

Ben is a breath of fresh air in Anna's life. He's a sincere person, who having worked in the past as a back-up dancer, is used to the buzz and craziness that comes with the entertainment business. He doesn't get blinded by all that. He just sees Anna.

While I felt this one was wrapped up a little abruptly, I'm still very happy with the ending. My heart is full and I've got a big ole smile on my face!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I will definitely continue to pick up anything else Guillory chooses to write. She's got her own style and I'm here for it!

When I finished "While We Were Dating," I said aloud "this book is SO GOOD," sat basking in the perfection of the novel, and then immediately put the first five books in the series on hold at my local library. This novel is an absolute gem and Jasmine Guillory has me HOOKED. I can't believe I have waited this long to read one of her novels, but "While We Were Dating" has immediately catapulted her to the top of my can't miss authors list. This book has something for everyone, the fake dating trope, frank discussion of mental health, spicy romance scenes, laugh-out-loud moments, and a cast of supporting characters that are just as charismatic and well-written as our leads. Every single page of this novel is so well-crafted and well-executed that it truly was a delight to read. I was so invested in Ben and Anna and could not read quickly enough to see how their story would end.

Fate throws Ben Stephens and Anna Gardiner together when they collaborate on a high-profile ad campaign. Ben unexpectedly finds himself leading his company's pitch after his bosses find themselves delayed on the way to the meeting. He finds himself not only nervous to be pitching such an important project, but also a little starstruck when Anna Gardiner, the actress who will be leading the campaign, shows up to attend the meeting. She is impressed with his good looks and his sharp wit as he outlines a campaign she feels sure will help catapult her back to stardom.

As their professional relationship grows they find it impossible to ignore the chemistry that is developing between the two of them. When Ben steps up to help Anna through a family emergency she can't help but open up to the kind, gentle-hearted man who goes out of his way to make her life a little easier. She shares her struggles with anxiety, her desire to regain her old confidence, and her plan to unlock the next level of stardom for herself as she gears up to promote a high-profile film, and works to land her next big role. As her agent makes it clear that she needs a leading man to help keep her name in the press and raise interest in her professional life, Anna turns to Ben and proposes that they turn their casual fling into something a little more serious for the paparazzi. Ben can't refuse any opportunity to spend more time with Anna, and as they take their physical and emotional relationship to the next level, the only question he's left with is how he can make it out of this "relationship" without breaking his heart in the process.

You will not find a novel that is more well-rounded or more well-executed than this one. The writing is superb, the chemistry between Anna and Ben is palpable, and Guillory does an excellent job of adding depth by examining both Anna and Ben's mental health struggles and how that affects their ability to open up to one another. "While We Were Dating" is truly a must-read for fans of the romance genre.

I have loved Guillory’s books in the past but this one was harder to engage with than others - I never really got a grip on the characters