2.5 stars

The concept and synopsis really stood out to me and I couldn't wait to pick this up. Sadly it fell a bit flat for me, I found it slow moving and there is an abundance of pop culture references that may make this seem outdated quickly. I did really enjoy the ending and the happiness everyone found.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing access to an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Emma has just been dumped by her fiancé with only 6 months to go until the wedding. She has her dress, venue, & vendors all paid for, & thought that she had her life plan all figured out. As a couples therapist with a social media following & a book deal riding on her “successful” relationship advice, she feels like she is failing in all aspects of her life. But, with the help of her family, Emma comes up with an idea: what if she could still have her wedding…by just switching out the groom?

This story was so cute & fun! It’s giving Bachelorette/27 Dresses vibes 🌹
A wild concept for sure but that’s the whole fun of this genre 😂

I think that the most fun part of this book is the fact that the author took one of her real life experiences to come up with the plot! She also got dumped by her fiancé & while she didn’t go on a quest to get married to a new man in 6 months, she & Emma have a lot in common. I loved getting to read that backstory with the author’s note at the start of the book 🥰

Save the Date by Allison Raskin follows Emma Moskowitz, a renowned couples therapist in Los Angeles. Emma has even created a following on YouTube by posting advice to couples and opening up about her relationship with her fiance, Ryan. Except Ryan just unceremoniously dumped her. 6 months before her wedding. So begins Operation: Save My Date. Why cancel the wedding when she'd be paying for it either way? It's too late for refunds, and she still wants to get married and start the next chapter of her life. As the situation with Ryan proved, it doesn't really matter how long you know someone. You could be married 60 years and want a divorce in your 80s. So instead of canceling the wedding, she attempts to find another groom to marry her instead, and she takes her YouTube fandom along with her.
I thought this book was really cute and enjoyable. The plot of the book was unlike anything I've heard before, and I appreciated the creativity. I enjoyed Emma's character development and arc in this book. Watching her journey was relatable, in a way, and inspirational. She grew into her own, and learned what was important. She learned how to listen to her own needs and desires, instead of going along with the unnecessary pressures, both from society and self-inflicted. I felt this book displayed the human experience in modern dating in a way that was funny, vulnerable and relatable all at once.
I enjoyed the various side characters and all of their quirks. I think a powerful book always dives into the supporting characters a bit, and Save the Date did exactly that. They contribute so much to who Emma is as a person, and I love she had a strong support system who helped her along her journey: from filming her videos with her, to helping her with her writing, talking her though making big decisions, and even dressing her for a live TV interview.
The ending moved fast, but I never consider it a bad thing when I'm left wanting more of a book. I love in the end who she ended up with, and I think each of them showed compromise at the end because of how much they clearly loved each other.
I thought the podcast, YouTube, and book deal elements added a fun twist and layer of modernity to the whole storyline.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book because of its creative plot, character development, and the style of writing. I was smiling and laughing throughout the book. I think many people will find this book vulnerable, honest, and relatable.

First and foremost as always thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. This was an incredibly good read! The story was beautifully written and the characters were flushed out really well! Definitely worth the read!

I really liked the idea and plot line behind this sweet romcom. A counselor and YouTube star gets dumped by her fiancé and instead of canceling the wedding she goes on the hunt for a new groom. The idea feels different and original which can be hard when it comes to romance. I like the talk of mental health and the importance of therapy that was found throughout. The banter between Emma and Will was great as well.

While I liked the idea for the plot it fell a little short for me. It was kind of slow and it felt like no much was happening.

I am obsessed with this book! It reminded me of the Ugly Truth in the best way.

Emma, a popular YouTube star and couples therapist, is going through a failed engagement less than a year before she was supposed to get married. She comes up with a crazy plan to save her wedding date and find a guy to marry proving that relationships don’t have to be a long drawn out ordeal in order to reach the alter. After a couple bad dates Emma meets Will a Podcast host who decides that while they can’t be together he can help her document her plan. Together they document Emma’s new relationship with Matt, even though they are fighting the rising tension between them.

Emma and Will are perfectly compatible from the first message they sent. The banter and jokes between the two are perfect and sweet.

I’ve been a fan of Allison Raskin for years (since the Buzzfeed era!), so when she announced she would be writing a romance novel inspired by her real life broken engagement, I knew I had to read her fiction debut.

Save the Date is charming, funny, and self-effacing. Featuring Emma Moskowitz, a couples/marriage therapist whose career and self image are thrown into uncertainty when her fiancé leaves her out of the blue. This novel centers around her harebrained plan to keep her original wedding date and start a search to find a new groom in time to start the life she wants to build for herself.

Outside of her practice as a therapist, Emma has a YouTube channel (cleverly named “Neutral Third Party”) where she shares her thoughts on relationships and her belief that love is not about finding “the one,” but about making commitments to and with someone with whom you share enough chemistry and compatibility to build a life together. She decides to put this belief to the test, and in the process finds friendship, love, and a newfound sense of confidence.

I loved how close Emma is with her flawed but loving family and how open and honest she is about her anxiety and quirks. The mental health representation in this novel was very strong, though the writing could probably have benefited from a bit more editing, especially in the first third. Once I got into the story though, I absolutely flew through this novel, rooting for Emma, her love interest(s), and for a happily ever after—which we get in a very satisfying ending.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a romcom and an unconventional love story with great banter, a strong heroine, and mental health representation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Save the Date was a mixed bag for me. It felt very cinematic, which was both a benefit and a detriment. By cinematic, I mean it felt like I was possibly reading the script for a movie, and they had to cut out some of the character development to fit a run time. The premise is what hooked me: Emma, a successful couples therapist, gets abruptly left months before her wedding, and instead of blowing up her whole life (primarily her career), she decides to pivot and find a replacement groom. Where it lost me was with some of the abrupt jumps. It felt rushed, and I wanted more character development with the supporting cast of characters. Specifically, with the men Emma dates, and those relationships. It also didn’t help that there were the constant reminders of Emma’s mental health issues. (What happened to normalizing and not stigmatizing?) It was established that she has anxiety that is part of who she is; we don’t need the constant reminders. To be fair, my view may be skewed because I am a therapist, and I have strong feelings about people having an illness and not being the illness. Also, some of the therapy talk felt like therapy-talk-over-explaining.
In the end, it was a fun, light read that followed some familiar (comfortable) romance tropes, and that was a good thing. I’d recommend it as a light beach read. Hopefully, it will be a film; I could see that being very entertaining and one I’d love to see.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Save the Date is a romantic comedy about plowing forward with finding love and creating—not waiting for-- your opportunity for a romantic second chance. Allison Raskin’s book is loosely based on her own experience with a traumatic break-up, and therefore she brings her unique perspective to this entertaining read.

The story centers around a family therapist, Emma, who has a book deal and is an online creator. Her Fiancé ends up breaking up with her close to their wedding date. To “save the date”, Emma must quickly find a new groom. Emma does what every self-respecting woman would do (Said with a great deal of sarcasm), she blogs about her need for a groom. Now, she has two men vying for the opportunity. They are vastly different, and Emma must decide which path will make her happy and fulfilled. One of the prospective grooms will acquiesce to her prescribed timeline; he is a genuinely kind person but Emma doesn’t feel much connection with him. She feels fully herself with the second prospect, but he doesn’t want to rush and force their relationship based on a predetermined deadline.

Emma’s character is an open book via her frequent internal monologue. Her anxiety spills out at every opportunity. The story is a mash-up of rom-com and a self-reflective women’s fiction. I found the premise a bit odd, but the story is light and easy to read. A good literary palate cleanser if you will. The end is cute and worth the read. The one downside for me was the author’s need to insert unnecessary political digs into her characters’ dialogue.

3.5 stars

Allison Raskin's "Save the Date" is a fun and heartfelt read that dives into the ups and downs of heartbreak. Raskin does an amazing job of making the tough moments feel real and relatable. Her vulnerability in sharing a fictional version of herself really brings the characters to life and adds a lot of depth to the story. You can really feel the emotions and connect with the journey the characters go through.

On top of that, Raskin's unique comedic voice is a standout. The witty banter between the characters is hilarious and keeps things light, even when the story gets heavy. Her humor is sharp and super relatable, making "Save the Date" a joy to read. Overall, this book is a great mix of humor and heartfelt storytelling, and it's definitely worth picking up.

This book was so funny! I loved that the author took a real life experience of being left by her fiancé and said "what if the wedding still happens with another groom." What a great way to use real life to inspire fiction! Emma and her family dynamic is hysterical, and her quest for a groom is full of fun. Allison Raskin uses her real life relationship coach knowledge to write a compelling and funny story

4⭐️ A funny and unique romcom! In this book, the FMC is suddenly left by her fiancé, but turns lemons into lemonade by embarking on a journey to find another groom in time for her original wedding date. The writing is witty and has a great sense of humor, and the FMC Emma was easy to root for. The mental health and therapy components added depth to the story, though it maintained an overall lighthearted tone. It took a while for the plot to pick up, but I think this was realistic to the story being told, and ultimately, I liked the direction things went in. Overall, this was a delightful read, though not necessarily one that will stick with me for a long time.

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing a digital Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cozy ROMCOMs are my jam, I love everything about them! This one was slightly different than other that I read. You see a lot of “cold feet” grooms, or cheated on spouses, or last-minute left at the altar. But you don’t see the bride trying to find someone else to be the groom at an already planned wedding. That’s what I really loved about this book; do you think she can pull this off?
Being an couple’s therapist and popular online creator for so long who give relationship advice and you have the “perfect relationship”, even in the midst of a book deal that encompasses how great your relationship, all for it to just cave in around you. How do you come back from that? Well, you start to look for that stand in. Problem is now she has two men to choose from. Does she choose someone?
Overall, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars, it really was a fun and exciting read for me, and I had a blast reading it!


I could not review on amazon at this time, it would not allow me to post a review. But i am happy to go back and post it when I am able.

2.5⭐️
I think Save the Date was maybe just not the book for me. There were definitely redeeming qualities by the end but I kind of disagreed with the whole premise and didn’t love any of the characters except Will. The MC Emma was relatable only in the most basic sense that she had anxiety but she was really annoying and for being a therapist was horrible at figuring out what she wanted. All the guys had 4 letter basic names (Ryan, Will, Matt) and that felt super uncreative to me. I could go on but you get the picture.

On the other hand, I did like the podcast elements and Will and Emma’s chemistry. Also, Emma’s overbearing sister felt relatively relatable.

Overall, this book was way too long to have so many story lines that felt not fleshed out or finished in the end.

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital advanced copy of this book!

This book was an ejoyable read. It took me a bit longer to get into it, but once I did it was great. I enjoyed the humor in it and would highly recommend to anyone.

At this point I’m unfortunately still unable to DNF a book but I came darn close on this one.

I’m sorry but the main character was pretty insufferable and I fundamentally disagreed with the entire premise of the book. As someone who values their marriage and put a lot into planning their wedding, I can’t imagine swapping out the groom 6 months prior after my fiance left me. Her being a couples therapist honestly makes this worse and a big reason I don’t think therapists should be so easily trusted. For a woman who had supposedly put so much work into herself it was certainly not showing. She didn’t represent a strong female to me at all but rather insecure and heavily dependent on others perception of her.

While I strongly disagreed with the storyline and disliked the main character, the political statements alone were enough for me to rate this book amongst my worst of the year. I can’t stand when authors push their own agenda-please leave books alone they are my one safe space!!!! To speak about a group of people so derogatorily is a huge turn off and I’m making sure to never read a book by this author again.

Thanks for the ARC but in the end it was a no thanks.

I really enjoyed this book. Raskin mirroring of her own personal experience as a “what if” she tried to find a new groom was such an interesting take on the romcom genre. Emma is such a relatable character and there are major minor character stand outs, looking at you Allan. The banter between Emma and Will made me giggle and I was rooting for them the whole time.

This was such a cute and quick beach read! It was a little predictable, but still very enjoyable. Loved how her confidence in love grew.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the arc of this book.

What a fun journey! This is a perfect springtime romcom to add to your TBR! The entire premise is unique, Allison’s voice is a hilarious breath of fresh air, and I need this to be a movie ASAP! I was rooting for Emma from page 1 and can’t wait for you all to read this too!

I had never heard of Allison Raskin or her background before picking up this book.

Cute story with an interesting premise. I thought a lot of the conversations were witty.

My favorite quote “ No one’s story was ever truly over until they were dead. And maybe not even then!”

A fun easy read perfect for a little escape.

3.5 stars

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.