Okay, Save the Date is such a ridiculously cute and fun romance read. Yes, it kicks off with a bit of a farfetched premise—your fiancé calls off the engagement, and instead of grieving or running off to eat your feelings, you decide you're still going to go through with your wedding… just minus the groom. Wild, right? But somehow, this premise totally works. The main character is determined not to waste the time, money, and emotional investment she’s already poured into her dream day, so she sets off on a quirky, heartfelt mission to find someone—anyone—she already knows who’s also just looking to get married. No dating games, no long-winded love stories—just straight-up potential husband material. It’s a bit of a social experiment meets Hallmark moment, and I was absolutely here for it.

As she works her way through her "groom roster," it was honestly entertaining (and sometimes hilarious) to see which of her options seemed like actual possibilities and which ones had me cringing. I found myself rooting hard for a few of the potential matches and majorly side-eyeing others. The writing is fun, and the pacing kept me turning pages, but I have to admit the ending felt just a little anticlimactic. I was thrilled with who she ended up with—it felt right—but I was hoping for a more powerful, emotional payoff or a “wow” moment to really seal the deal. Still, this book delivered a lighthearted and original love story, and I had a great time along for the ride.

This is a new-to-me author and I liked the cover and the book description was wild.

So Emma gets left behind by her ex fiancé, he just leaves without talking to her. Which would’ve been hard for anyone to deal with but Emma has built up a you tube channel about relationships and her fiancé was in the videos so much she’s offered a book deal. So a lot led to this point and she’s unsure how it can continue without a fiancé. Or better yet - find a new one!

Can you tell there’s drama/can’t look away from the train wreck/get the popcorn? I think the beginning was a little slow to get into the crazy scheme, it’s predictable but I got to a point I couldn’t put it down.

I liked the podcast medium since that seems to be popular. Emma and Will have chemistry but he doesn’t want to ride this crazy train to wedding ville.

****Spoilers ahead****

Matt doesn’t want to be a replacement groom for a wedding planned for another guy - this is brought up frequently and makes total sense but it’s played off like he has commitment issues. I think Emma could’ve come to more terms with her mental illness with Matt and her anxiety and insecurity. I almost wish this book ended differently with a completely different guy because I don’t think Will is all that special or even worth it when he had chances.

This book came out a few months ago and is available now. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the arc copy. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

Content:
- medium language and a few F💣
- strong political preferences which can alienate readers
- lots of therapist talk
- abandonment issues, mention of cheating, anxiety, drug and alcohol use by adults
- 1 open door scene not overly graphic

A little silly but an interesting idea to have the main character try to keep her wedding date even though she did not keep her fiance.

3.5⭐️
i have a lot of mixed emotions about this book! i really enjoyed it for the most part, but it also took me a longgg time to read it. i just learned after finishing it that it’s loosely based on the authors life, which makes me inclined to rate it a little higher, but at the same time, i just wasn’t absolutely obsessed with the story. that doesn’t mean that you won’t be though!! I think that it has really great potential and that you should definitely try it if you’re interested! i did like it but it’s not my favorite book ever and that’s okay :)
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a cute and unique story line. I did find it pretty unrealistic and had a hard time connecting with any of the characters or their relationships. I did enjoy how therapy and anxiety were discussed as I think those topics very important.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It took several chapters to get invested in this book, but I ended up really enjoying it!

Save me from bad literature. The female lead, Emma, is unlikable and a bit insane. Her fiancé of 6 months dumped her, I understand why, and she decided to keep the wedding date because things were already paid for? Huh? Emma is a therapist but has no clue that all the broken relationships and now engagement, might have something to do with her? Her obsession with being married, having a husband, whatever his name might be? Good grief she's the person you meet and immediately know you will not be friends. Her brand of crazy is hard to live with, as ex-fiancé Ryan found out. She has a finite amount of time to find a fiancé, marry and make her deadline. The first dates she goes on are laughable and kind of entertaining. And then she meets poor Will.

Will is graced with infinite patience and good humor. He's a nice enough guy and really doesn't deserve what happens to him. There's another guy, Matt who gets dragged into the mess but escapes at the last minute. I started skipping around and read the ending at which point I was done. In this case I would have been ok without a happy ending.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#SavetheDate #NetGalley #AllisonRaskin #romance #contemporaryromance # CanaryStreetPress

I am so sorry, I had to DNF this story. the story was just not grabbing my attention and I tried in multiple occasions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for giving me a chance to read "Save the Date" in return for honest feedback.

Emma is a couples therapist with a YouTube channel and book coming out with relationship advice. She's also getting married and her fiancé has played a role in both her book and channel. But now, 6 months before her wedding, she's been dumped. She's devastated and unsure of what to do until she comes up with Project: Save the Date. She'll keep the date for her wedding but find a new groom. The thought behind it is that there's not one perfect person for you, but someone who is willing to put in the work and whom you have a connection with. Now to find the groom...

This book was cute, but ultimately I didn't enjoy it. I appreciate all the references to Emma struggling with anxiety but at times, it became a lot. I also loved the banter between Will and Emma, and you knew who she would end up with in the end. I felt like it fell flat though, and the idea of finding a different groom was far out there.

Save the Date was such a cute book about a woman who is determined to take back her love life after being dumped by her fiance. I thought that Emma had the right idea on wanting to continue on with her Save the Date plan, but just didn't really think it through before jumping into it. The love triangle she found herself in was so hard, I was rooting for one of them the entire time. One of the two didn't quite agree with her choice to do Save the Date and the other man I didn't trust from the get go but couldn't pinpoint why exactly until my feelings were confirmed. It was nice to see how she learned to find herself throughout this process. This book also showed that even therapists need advice sometimes and really reinforced that no one has their life figured out, no matter how "professional" they may seem.

Save the Date by Allison Raskin is such a fun, emotional rollercoaster! It’s the perfect mix of rom-com and real life, with characters that feel super relatable. I loved the humor, but also how the book dives into some deeper emotions too. The main characters are easy to root for, and their growth throughout the story felt really genuine.

It’s not all smooth sailing—the pacing slowed down a bit in the middle—but the ending definitely makes up for it. If you’re into feel-good romance with a little emotional depth, I’d totally recommend this!

Big thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What made Save the Date even more appealing was discovering it was loosely inspired by the author's real life. I went in blind, expecting nothing, and was met with a truly unique romantic comedy. This charming story centers on finding yourself and navigating life's unpredictable detours. The central premise—having a wedding date but no groom—was both wonderfully chaotic and surprisingly relatable, paving the way for some incredibly heartfelt, hilarious, and occasionally awkward scenes.

The public spectacle of Emma's romantic woes, and her followers' enthusiastic support as she tries to walk down the aisle, gave the rom-com a fresh, modern edge. I especially enjoyed the authentic chemistry between Emma and Will. However, it was Emma's series of other dates that truly enriched the narrative, each one revealing more about her character and showcasing her journey of growth. With sharp, witty dialogue, Save the Date is highly recommended for anyone who loves a modern, messy, and humorous love story with a touch of social media craziness.

reading Save the Date brought me back into all things wedding. The story is about a woman whose fiance broke up with her so she decided to find a new groom and go ahead with the wedding she had planned. And this is all being played out on a podcast for the public to weigh in on. While this concept is wild and hard to believe, there were some cute dating fails mixed in with the emotions of a break up. And one will they, won’t they situation that gave me all the romcom vibes. As a side note, I always love books set in LA that talk about places I know. And this one was loaded with familiar references.

I got 70% through and DNF. I felt like Emma was emotionally cheating on Matt with Will after JUST getting engaged. With his history, that crossed the line and I stopped reading. I was interested in the premise, but Emma seemed emotionally immature and shallow.

Emma is an 32 year old couples therapist. She’s engaged to Ryan, is happy and in love and is writing her first book. Everything seems perfect until out of the blue, Ryan breaks up with her. What is she supposed to do now? The venue and date have already been set but now she’s missing a groom? Enter Operation Save the Date! Her wacky plan is to find a new groom (for realsies) and still keep her wedding on track. The theory being a good relationship isn’t based on the length of time being together. She meets Will, a podcaster, on an app and they hit it off but he flinches at the thought of immediately marching down the wedding path. Then there’s recently divorced Matt. He’s hunky and he’s ready to jump all in. Emma starts working with Will on a podcast about her plan. Is that a good idea when she still has feelings for him? Will she end up marrying Matt? Or will she end up with Will?
Emma Moskowitz is a very unlikable heroine. I know you have to suspend disbelief a bit when reading fiction but this was really unrealistic and felt rushed and underdeveloped in many plot points. Very little was really developed in between any of the relationships and then you throw in her parents’ relationship to tie it all up at the end.

This was an e-arc awarded to me via NetGalley for my honest opinion.

I almost DNF'd this as the main character was getting on my nerves. I felt like telling her to just shut up a few times. I admit I did skim through the first half but enjoyed the second half much more.

I normally like a good rom-com but this woman was so focused on getting married by the date of her scheduled wedding after the groom-to-be dumped her that she went to extremes looking for Mr. Right.

There were some funny moments and dialogue but truthfully not my cup of tea. I rate this a 2-1/2 stars, but other, perhaps younger women may enjoy it more than I did.
Release date is April 8, 2025

I found a few genuine surprises in Raskin's Save the Date, even as a reader of her prior works who therefore knew the story's origins.
There's something here for recovering hopeless romantics, who are learning to let go of anxieties and the endless rumination that can come with the pursuit of love.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ebook copy of this book! This is an interesting concept for a romcom: Emma, a couple's therapist (and she never lets us forget it), is left by her fiance a few months before her wedding. In an attempt to not be devastated, she come sup with a plan to carry on with the wedding as planned. The. problem is that she just needs a new groom. From there we see Emma go on a few dates, make some fumbles, and eventually fall into a bit of a love triangle. Although short, this was a funny book that aimed to explore how "ready" folks in a partnership actually need to be to get married. While I really enjoyed the plot and the characters, it was really grating to constantly have relationship and mental health tidbits dropped throughout this book. I'm a psychologist myself, so don't get me wrong, tips correcting misinformation, clarifying things in the field, and correcting harmful language is important. But the way it's done in this book is too much and comes off as pretentious at times, like Emma's character is really trying to provide she knows her stuff and that her job is her primary identity as a person. Again, as someone in mental health myself, I get it. But knowing that Raskin got her master's in counseling after completing her work at Buzzfeed, paired with the note at the beginning of this book that a lot of this was based on her own experience, does make me think that a lot was projected in this book.

Anyway, overall, a fun, easy read. Not a pass but also not something you need to run to the store to pick up.

Allison Raskin's Save the Date is advertised as a quirky rom-com. I will say I love the premise and saw the absolute potential for this being an amazing book; sadly, I was disappointed in the final product.

The book is about FMC Emma gets dumped by her fiancé out of the blue and she then embarks on a journey through the heartbreak; instead of moving on, she decides to keep her wedding date and just find a new groom. In the foreword, Allison did open up and say this book was based on her own experience with being left after already planning a wedding; she didn't swap grooms, but the "left before the altar" is real life for her.

Overall, I found the book slow paced and very dry, I had to keep stopping and starting back up again - I even read another triology during a pause. The narration is single POV and maybe that would have helped break up the constant spirals of Emma's stream of consciousness. I felt like Emma/the author was fact-telling rather than story-telling, felt very clinical, which makes sense since the FMC is a therapist. I did try to push through but had to DNF at 22%.

FMC Emma seemed a little unhinged as a therapist. Her idea for swapping grooms also came from a place of insecurity and approval seeking from her social media fans - saving face for her practice and book deal. IMO she wasn't very likeable and was trying too hard to be funny/quirky.

I never thought a friends to enemies to lovers romance could bring tears to my eyes, but these characters got me. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this book as someone who doesn't usually like romance, but this book should be on everyone's summer reading list.