Omg! These characters, especially Emma, found their way into my heart and took up residence there. Emma is so relatable and as a neurodivergent woman I found myself remembering my own dating history and cringing quite a bit. I always thought I was a bit too much, but my husband apparently thinks I'm just right for him and that's what this story is all about. I had the delightful opportunity to listen to the audiobook, narrated by the author, and I would highly recommend it as a fantastic way to enjoy this special love story. It's going on my favorites shelf.

Enjoyed the story but had a hard time with the random spaces in between words and sentences. A few sentences were confusing to read but I did enjoy the overall story.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this arc.

I looooooved Allison Raskin back in her Buzzfeed days, so this was very fun to recieve as an arc!

This was a fun read, but there were definitely times I wished for deeper character development and to feel more connected to the characters. The premise was fun!

"One person falling out of love with you doesn't make you unlovable: it makes you human," she wrote. "When things don't work out, all you can do is try again. And then maybe a third, fourth and fifth time because you owe it to yourself to not give up."

I give Allison Raskin major kudos on this book because it was inspired by a broken engagement in her own life, and I'm so impressed by the bravery and vulnerability she displayed! The premise behind this book hooked me, but the pacing and even some of Emma's character traits had it falling a little flat for me. It did get better once Will and Matt entered the story, though, and I really think this author has a lot of potential! I appreciated the banter and chemistry between Will and Emma, but I wish the ending hadn't felt so rushed. I think watching their relationship develop a bit more would have been great and added to the story and character development, but for a debut romcom, this was still a great start!

I hope to read more from this author in the future and to see how her writing continues to develop!

I really wanted to like this book, I kept trying to get into it, it took me a few tries before I just ended up quitting on the book.
Normally I have a high tolerance for ignoring unbelievable things, it's part of the escapism but I just had a hard time believing the couples counselor couldn't see the signs of a bad relationship.
I found the book to have wildly different views on relationships and that's okay but this book just wasn't for me.
DNF'd at 47%

This whole premise is wild but walking through the idea with the characters was fascinating and thought provoking and enlightening. Once I got into the story it was so hard to put the book down -- I had to know how it ended. And the end.... I was nervous for it but so perfectly satisfying.

Save the Date was a cute book about what happens when a woman reaches that taboo age of needing to get married. I won't lie... at first I was VERY worried. The story has a cute plot, the characters are adorable, and it provided some empowerment. The story takes a turn, and I found that plot twist, if you will, to be my favorite part! Great story.

"Save the Date" by Allison Raskin starts with a fun premise, but quickly veers into territory that felt a bit over the top and predictable. The idea of a therapist scrambling to find a new groom just to keep up appearances is entertaining in theory, but in practice, it came off as a little too far fetched for me. There are definitely some light, funny moments, and the writing flows well, but the plot felt like something I’d seen before, just with a modern, social-media twist. I struggled to fully connect with Emma’s journey, and while I appreciated the underlying themes of self discovery, the story didn’t leave much of a lasting impression.A decent pick if you're looking for a quick, romcom.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book in preview in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed the characters and plot of the story! I would love to read more books by this author when given the opportunity to do so!

I don't know, it didn't convince me. I recently read a book with a similar plot, a possible bride looking for a possible husband. I also find it a bit ridiculous that her career is at risk because of her marriage, ok that she has a private life and professional life in symbiosis, but it seems absurd to me. Thanks to Netgalley and the author, and to the publisher for giving me a preview of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

BOOK REVIEW ✨

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Save the Date by Allison Raskin

“You are cordially invited to the wedding of Emma Moskowitz and… someone…”

Rating: 1⭐️ (DNF’ed at 73%)
Genre: Romance
Yes, no, or maybe: No…

First off, I want to say I do not normally rate or review books I DNF. Since this was an ARC from NetGalley (thank you NetGalley!), and I was asked to write an honest review, here it is:

Let’s start with a positive! This was a fantastic concept! Girl gets left by fiancé, girl says “forget you!!!”, and girl finds new fiancé to marry because marriage can be about commitment not necessarily about love. This had the potential to be a fun, cheesy (in a great way) rom-com! Unfortunately it fell flat… like a pancake… that got ran over… by a semi…

Why did I DNF this book????
It was clear this author and I had very different views of marriage… which is fine! I respect people who go into marriage with clear expectations that this is a partnership of mutual respect and commitment, not necessarily “true love”. So from the beginning I was like okay! I can roll with this! Then we find out that our FMC is a marriage and family counselor! Makes perfect sense, she has a practical mindset about marriage. Then she starts dating guys to find a new fiancé… the first guy is a bit clingy and comes on too strong (he was in instalove) and she said she has the “ick” from him… okay… so you want someone to marry you in a few months, this guys is all for it, and instead of being honest and saying you didn’t think it’d work… she lies to him and says she’s changed her mind about getting married??? Great communication from a supposed counselor… then sparks fly with guy #2, he says no to her proposal, so she moves on. She finds a super nice and handsome divorced man who agrees to her proposal (yay victory!) but she can’t stop thinking about guy #2…. Her NEW FIANCÉ confides in her that his last wife cheated on him and that’s why they separated… SHE PRECEDES TO EMOTIONALLY CHEAT ON HER NEW FIANCÉ WITH GUY #2!!!!!! Like what???? That’s messed up…. The moment I finally decided to DNF was when the I read “Emma suddenly understood why so many people had affairs. Not being allowed to kiss someone really did make you want to kiss them even more.” YIKES! The cheating tropes is not for me.

In my opinion, this book is not romantic, it’s a HUGE red flag.

Again thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

When Emma's fiancé abruptly calls off the wedding and leaves Emma in a lurch, she approaches the wedding with the only possible solution, to replace the groom. Can Emma prove to her followers and clients that love is a choice and not the socially constructed idea that it seems or is she doomed to be alone with planned wedding and no groom?

Save the Date, is a hopeful and realistic look at dating at "a certain age." The main character, a jilted marriage counselor, tries to salvage her wedding plans by finding a groom and experimenting with a self arranged marriage. The spark she finds is not with the person she expected. A great and reflective story on making a match and what is needed in a happy relationship.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5 stars)
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Save the Date offers a thoughtful and realistic take on post-breakup emotions and the sometimes messy path to healing. I appreciated the storyline, especially how it reflected the reality that not everyone takes the time to process a breakup before jumping into the next thing. The book explores that emotional rush and the consequences that can follow with honesty and relatability.

While there were moments where I wished for a deeper emotional connection or more character development, overall it was an engaging and heartfelt read. If you're looking for a contemporary story that explores love, healing, and personal growth, this one is worth checking out.

Emma is left by her fiance a couple of months before the wedding and instead of taking the time to heal and mourn what could have been, she tries to find another groom. I wouldn't call this a rom-com, the plot leans much more contemporary fiction. Much of what she goes through felt very real and frustrating. At the beginning of the book you learn that the author went through something similar and while I am glad that she decided to not do what her character does, having this background made for a very uninteresting and slow start. It's not until a quarter of the book the plot gets going.

While I did enjoy this and thought 99% of the book was well done, the ending threw the message of the book out the window. Why have Emma attempt to find a groomsman, ultimately fail but then succeed at the last minute? It felt silly and unnecessary.

This book was okay - Emma is attempting to recover from being dumped (6 months prior to the wedding) by trying to rush to find someone else to marry still in that time frame. She then has this very intense desire to discuss it all and document it on social media; and well - she makes some REALLY questionable choices and decisions along the way. There are a lot of really cute moments, but there's a lot of moments that make you cringe as well. It was overall funny and really well documented about how to turn pain into something better!

I also highly recommend reading the authors note - as having an understanding of where the story came from and how it was mostly lived by the author? That made it really special!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I typically enjoy books where romance is a subplot, and I base my ratings on how a book made me feel and whether I’d read it again. From what I’ve gathered, I won’t be revisiting this one, even though I did enjoy parts of the storyline.

The FMC tended to overexplain, and there were a lot of random facts about her past thrown in to justify her actions. I get why they were included, but they kind of interrupted the flow for me. It felt like the timeline kept getting pulled off course.

This definitely seemed like a book written for a very specific audience, and unfortunately, it didn’t quite land for me. That said, I really appreciated how well the author stepped into her characters’ shoes—it’s clear she put a lot of heart into them, and I think that’s one of the best ways to connect with readers.

However, I personally didn’t enjoy the political elements that were woven in. I read to escape, and the heavy focus on that early on made it hard for me to get into the story.

In the end, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Sorry for the low rating, but now that I know how it ends, I don’t feel the need to read it again.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Save the Date was a really fun and engaging story. I read it quickly because I wanted to see what would happen next. While I wasn’t shocked by the outcome (it is a romcom after all), I felt it was satisfying. The whole premise is a little ridiculous, but I love the way it was presented. Emma is a marriage counselor and sets out to prove her hypothesis - and I think she does.

THIS THERAPIST NEEDS THERAPY

Save My Date opens with an intriguing premise: if only Emma could find a new groom by her planned wedding day, nothing else in her life would have to change. What follows is her impulsive mission to find someone—anyone—willing to marry her, simply to avoid the stress of canceling her wedding.

As a therapist, one might expect Emma to handle this life crisis with a bit more clarity. However, she seems to detach from reality, throwing herself into the dating scene not in search of genuine connection, but with the singular goal of finding a placeholder groom. Instead of focusing on one potential relationship, she rapidly cycles through dates in a frantic, almost whimsical attempt to secure a husband.

While the main storyline lacked the emotional depth and romantic development typically found in the romance genre, the subplot involving Emma’s parents and their evolving marriage proved to be a highlight. Their journey added emotional weight and maturity to the narrative, and ultimately became the reason I continued reading. That portion of the story delivered a rewarding and heartfelt payoff.

Overall, the book leaned more toward women’s fiction than romance. The animated and lighthearted cover art may mislead readers into expecting a traditional romantic comedy, which this story is not. While some elements were engaging, the premise fell short for me, and the main character’s motivations made it difficult to fully invest in her journey.

Save the Date is a story of Emma, a relationship therapist and rising youtuber. She has built her career and youtube platform around her successful relationships and has even procured a book deal out of it. However, she has recently undergone a surprising breakup from her fiance. With her wedding date six months away and staying on her calendar. Emma has conceived a plan to meet a new man and marry him to continue her life’s trajectory as she sees it. Hence, operation "Save the Date", is born.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for an ARC of this book in which I had the pleasure of reading.