Lucy and Rudy's love story is inspired by true events- the real life love of Kate (also known as Katelyn Detweiler in the YA space) and Danny Tamberelli (former child star of Nickelodeon and beyond)! I was born in 1990 and love all things pop culture, so obviously shows like All That and Pete and Pete had a huge impact on me. Kate has been writing books and working as an agent for a long time now, but this is Danny's debut, and I really enjoyed reading the magic-laced romance of Brooklyn they give us.

When Lucy and Rudy meet on an online dating app, they are both excited about their first date, but apprehensive due to both of their past experiences. As an homage to a legendary cold opener for their first text exchange, Rudy references a fortune teller, which later plays into their fated first date. For better or worse, they find out they are indeed fated, in the opinion of the fortune teller at least. When catastrophe strikes, the nuance of their fortune is lost in translation, and what remains of the Prophecy is the journey to see exactly what will come of its premonition.

I really loved the dual perspective of this book and instantly felt the voices of both author distinctly. The novel read easily and comfortably, if at sometimes the pace did drag a bit. I think about 35 pages could have been trimmed and we would have gotten the same result- some of the B character aspects weren't necessary for me. Both the male and female main characters were likably flawed and realistic, which was so great.

Overall, this was a fun read and indeed nostalgic! I am grateful to have been able to read it early, and definitely feel its a perfect summer pick for many of my milennial friends out there!

This book made me LAUGH so much. The comedy was so well done, while also keeping the romantic elements sweet and swoony. And I loved the added 90s nostalgia. Kate and Danny are a romcom writing duo to watch!

I just struggled to get into this book, there is too much build up to who the characters are without them meeting, so many quirky and different characters for me to digest all at once and I felt like I wanted the book to hurry up which is not an enjoyable read for me.

As an aspiring author, the heroine can write about happy endings for her characters but hasn't found her own. Undeterred, the heroine still hopes to meet her significant other in the world, especially by using online dating. The former child star hero is ready for a relationship after being done with the single life. The heroine and the hero are matched online, and their first date ends up
with a psychic's prophecy that makes them question fate and destiny.

This is a contemporary romance that is written by the married couple of Danny and Kate Tamberelli. The married authors enriched the book with situations that are based on their own real-life experiences. This book brings some quirkiness and '90s nostalgia that makes it entertaining. I liked the progression of the couple's relationship, though there were certain actions taken that I didn't like even if they were necessary in the story. Overall, an enjoyably nostalgic romance book.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

Lucy is perpetually single, with a string of bad first dates behind her, when she stumbles across Rudy on a dating app. Rudy happens to be a former 90s child star who she hasn't thought about in decades, but enjoyed as a kid. She decides to swipe right and they start an easy banter back and forth, finally taking things offline with a first date at a restaurant with an in-house psychic. The psychic gives the two an intense reading before dropping dead on the table in front of them. Wary of bad juju from disobeying the Great Elvira's prophecy that promised great success, but only together, they embark on a relationship that threatens to make two skeptics believers in destiny.

This was such a fun read! It was such a fresh concept and story that felt new and exciting. I loved the dual-POV and banter between the MCs - there were many laugh-out-loud moments and nostalgia galore. There were also a lot of deep moments, that instantly transported you to that feeling of unsettledness when all your friends are moving on with their lives and you feel stuck. It was also cool to explore the trajectory of a child star-turned-normal adult - this is a perspective that we don't get to see too often, so it was interesting to hear that from someone who lived that and was able to infuse that real world experience onto the page. Overall, this was a light, fun romance with lots of hijinks, laughs, great side characters, and a lot of heart.

TW: Death on the page, mention of cheating

3.5 stars (recensione in italiano dopo quella in inglese)

<i>Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This book drew me in immediately: title, cover, plot. And I'm glad I read it, because I don't remember laughing so often (and so hard) reading a novel. Some scenes are truly hilarious (and borderline cringe-worthy from how awkward they are) and the fresh and funny style of both authors is perfect for this kind of storytelling.
The only problem I had is that for the first half I felt disoriented, a bit like the characters who don't quite know which way to go. On one hand, that's a good thing, because I empathised with them; on the other hand, I felt like the plot didn't move at all and I struggled to continue reading. Things only got interesting after the second half, when there finally starts to be some conflict between the protagonists.

Regarding these two, I liked them a lot: I found them funny, three-dimensional and original. They grow together, they get to know each other, they are honest with each other (except for Rudy's final choice, which I found a bit forced precisely because of the relationship of trust they have built up) and they bring out the best in each other even in the worst situations. And maybe it really is fate if they found each other like this: two very different people, but sharing tastes and thoughts and weaknesses.
I also loved the secondary characters, specifically Lucy's neighbors. They are hilarious!

I didn't know this was a story partially based on the authors' (nor did I know who Danny Tamberelli was, sorry), but I find it adorable that they embroidered a novel on it.

Easy to read, fun and flirty. And who doesn't love an opening story about eating nothing but chocolate for a week.
I did find the book quite wordy, our protagonist never leaves anything unsaid, which is part of her charm, but it can be quite draining at times.
A good way to pass the time, fast paced.

I definitely found myself laughing out loud during many parts of this book. That being said, despite it being based off of a true story, I found it so far-fetched and so hard to imagine that it detracted from my enjoyment of it. The romance part is cute, the characters are fine - nothing too exciting or terrible. The book was enjoyable, but not incredible. I did not find myself invested in the story, characters or romance.
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

The Tamberellis' "The First Date Prophecy" is an adorable delight! The semi-autobiographical rom-com sucks you in from start to finish and avoids much of the clunkiness of other romance novels.

I think it really helps that the authors kept the story close to their actual lives and didn't overly embellish or lean on too many tropes that weren't realistic. The psychic doesn't predict anything literal or too dramatic - no deaths or lottery wins. Both main characters aren't perfect but aren't full of devastating flaws either so the reader can relate to them just enough.

I liked the way it switched between both perspectives and shared just enough outside info about each character's life to round them out. In the third act, the conflict was resolved quickly and without too much trauma too.

Five stars! I hope this leads to future collaborations between the two, maybe a Hulu series even.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did not finish this book. I read about 30% of this book and was very border. Neither of the main characters were very interesting to me.

Thank you for the ARC.

This was such a refreshing rom-com! The title and cover drew me in, then I saw who who wrote it and just knew it would be a fun read! Danny Tamberelli, a Nickelodeon star from the 90s, wrote this book with his actual wife, Kate, AND it includes some autobiographical elements from their own love story! For all you 90s kids out there, I think you’ll find this book positively steeped in nostalgia. So fun!

I thought the plot of this book was so unique! And knowing that it’s somewhat autobiographical made it that much more interesting to me. I really enjoyed the beginning and the ending of this book, but I felt like the middle got a little bit slow for me. The part where they try to figure out what to do about the prophecy felt a little bit jumbled, but it did all come together in the end! I loved the characters… Lucy and Rudy both felt very relatable and sweet. And the whole book was so funny - a good balance of physical comedy, cynical humor, and fun banter.

Overall, I enjoyed this one! If you like dual-POV, unique romcoms, with a smidge of spice and a lot of nostalgia, the First Date Prophecy might be for you!

Kate and Danny Tamberelli have hit upon a successful method of writing a rom-com, a little bit of “write what you know” mixed with “let’s make this bonkers and fun.” They take their IRL dating app meet cute as the basis for Lucy and Rudy’s story and turn it into a wild, interesting story complete with Brooklyn comedy gigs, insane jobs found on craig’s list, the world’s oldest psychic, and the titular first date prophecy that sets in motion the rest of the book.

This novel is just plain fun. There are important conversations about what it means to feel like an adult, finding your footing in the world, complicated family relationships. But the prophecy and the sort-of-quest Lucy and Rudy go on as a result, falling for each other along the way make for a very enjoyable read. Their weird humors and outlooks on life match, and I can only assume that comes from Kate and Danny having a similar connection in real life. Lucy and Rudy are fun together and apart, and the supporting characters are distinct and vivid. I particularly loved Lucy’s landlords/second parents, Estelle and Frank. I want to be them when I grow up.

This book also touches a lot on what it means to be a normal person after finding huge stardom as a child actor. We hear a lot about the kids who sputter out, who don’t find peace and normalcy and end up in tabloids. Rudy’s life, based a lot on Danny’s, gives us the other perspective, the kid who had to choose between Hollywood and “a normal life,” who wonders if he made the right choice. Every time Rudy laments that people only want to talk to him because of his past, I felt guilty. That was me! I wanted to read this book because Danny Tamberelli from Pete and Pete and All That wrote it! But I think he’d forgive me, because I really liked it and I’d read another book they write simply because they’re good at it, no past fame needed.

Co-authors Kate Tamberelli and Danny Tamberelli mine their lives in the funny and charming The First Date Prophecy, the story of two lonely people finding each other.

Aspiring author Lucy has spent eight years going on dates which go nowhere. Former child and teen actor Rudy's love life has consisted of casual flings, after his now superstar brother (and former co-star) moved in on his girlfriend. After some slight machinations by Lucy to match with Rudy on a dating app, they quickly hit it off. However their first date goes awry when a psychic dies just after telling them they're destined to be together.

Is their connection destiny, or only because they feel compelled to be together because of the psychic's prophecy?

This book had me laughing one chapter, and then tugging my heatstrings another. There was so much depth to Lucy and Rudy's characterisation which were relatable. Lucy and Rudy were the sorts of characters that made me wish I could hang out with them in one of those dive bars. Lucy is funny and witty, and no matter what life throws at her, she picks herself up and sees the funny side of things. Rudy is an easygoing and laid back guy, who also has a fun sense of humour masking baggage he carries from his TV days, and his complicated relationship with his brother. Yet both of them admit to loneliness or not being enough (or being 'too much').

It was refreshing how honest and candid they were with each other, and how they would bring the best in each other as well as hold each other to account if they were being fake out of politeness. I do love a good slow-burn and this was written perfectly, starting with their friendship and getting to properly know each other before going any further.

I'm a sucker for a celebrity romance, so it was special to read one by someone with lived experience. However, I am intrigued by the authors' choice to use their lives and personalities to create Rudy and Lucy, right down to Rudy's physical description (I had no idea who Danny Tamberelli is so I googled him before reading). Even the first messages Lucy and Rudy exchange are word for word what they sent each other (explained in the author's note). That aside (and that is not a complaint), I think 'The First Date Prophecy' is the perfect, heartwarming and funny slow-burn rom com to curl up on the couch with. I could easily see this adapted as a movie.

Like Lucy and Rudy being fabulous collaborators I think the Kate and Danny Tamberelli are onto a good thing here. More, please!

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I just loved this book. I laughed out loud so many times and read it all with a smile on my face. Dating at 30 is hard, especially when you have a lot of baggage and Lucy is no exception. If you want a fun easy read be sure to place this book in your beach bag!

As a child of the 90s I loved the idea of this book but the execution fell a little flat for me. Good premise but overall a story that had trouble grabbing me. I think that part of it was the almost too casual writing style. Which is OK sometimes but sort of off-putting after awhile. Pretty cute but not that interesting.

A truly great romance that almost reads like a normal fiction book in the way the characters discuss their pasts, their struggles, and the concepts of destiny and fate. I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would and was grinning ear and laughing out loud on multiple occasions. A book about creating one’s own destiny/fate and not letting past insecurities and struggles get in the way.

While there was nothing wrong with this book, it just didn’t hold my interest as well as I wanted it to. The story was unique and fun, but felt a little too biographical for me to fully enjoy. Worth the read; but I don’t think I’ll revisit this one.

Our story follows Lucy and Rudy as they are down on their dating luck, and find each other on a dating app, similar to Tinder. There is no immediate bolt of lightning strike in their romance, but there is definitely a shock. This story is a comedy-romance, as it feels more comedy than romance heavy. The personal elements to the story give the characters more depth, and the supporting characters are equally entertaining.
I really enjoyed reading about a former child star as they navigate their 20s and 30s, in dating and their professional career.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It felt less "cookie cutter" than other romances I have read. I would definitely read more from this author or author duo!

Know that this is based on a true story and be kind, That said this tale of Rudy and Lucy was a bit too chaotic and madcap for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

Unfortunately this novel wasn’t for me because I found it too quirky and slapstick-comedy for my taste. I was expecting for the plot to move from less comedic to more earnest towards the middle but it wasn’t happening. Perhaps I’d go back to this when I’m in the mood for something very light.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.