Save the Date by Allison Raskin was an entertaining read!

When Emma’s fiancé calls off their engagement, she makes an unconventional choice: instead of canceling the wedding venue and date, she sets out to find a new groom. (Yeah, I know! WTF!) As a couples therapist dealing with her own anxiety, this daring mission is far from easy—but Emma is nothing if not determined.

The story is filled with humor, shocking moments, and heartfelt self-reflection, not only for Emma but also for those she encounters along the way. What truly hooked me was the author’s note, revealing that the inspiration for this unique premise came from her own life experience.

This book is both entertaining and thought-provoking, encouraging readers to reflect on their own relationships. It prompts us to consider what we’re willing to accept—or not—in a partner. A truly intriguing and insightful read!

The only issues I had was that Emma was a bit annoying and her thought process was a bit out there. Like c'mon really... did you really think that that would work??? IYKYK!

I had the audiobook and was at first not into it simply because the narrator as exaggerating some of the emotions and other times she fell flat. I did continue and it got better for the most part but the story itself was interesting and provocative in the sense that it was unconventional that she would find a new groom in that timeframe and not cancel her venue. SMH!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher’s for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such a cute read! This is the kind of third act breakup I like to see. I knew Emma was going to end up with Will but it was still satisfying to watch everything play out. It’s obviously a bit of an outlandish premise but knowing it’s loosely based on the authors real life is fun.

This was such a fun and cute read! The premise—getting dumped by your fiancé and deciding to still get married on the same date with someone else—might sound wild, but that’s what made it so entertaining. I honestly don’t get why some people are hating on it. It’s a fictional story with heart, humor, and a message I really relate to.

The idea that you don’t need years to build a meaningful relationship hit home for me. My husband and I moved in together after just 3 months, and now it’s been 18 years. It’s not always about how long you’ve known someone—it’s about how you connect and grow together.

I loved the main character and her voice. She felt real, flawed, and relatable. The story went in the direction it needed to, and I enjoyed the ride. Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for something sweet, thoughtful, and a little unconventional. 4 stars from me!

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read, enjoy and review this book.
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I really wanted to read this book. I’d watched Allison on buzzfeed and she was a staple in my home. I’m so glad I picked this book up. It’s so cute. It was a great debut. The book is humorous, relatable, and interesting. I had so much fun reading it. I also love how it normalizes therapy and talk of mental health. This was super cute.

This book has such potential for me. I really enjoyed the plot and the overall theme for this book; I just felt that it fell a little flat for me when she couldn't decide between two men. I'm not a huge fan of love triangles, but lately I've found ones that were well done so I was excited to read this. But when she hadn't met them until about 1/3 of the way through the book and then the chemistry didn't feel natural, I was a little hesitant about how the rest of the book was going to go. I was very happy with the end but felt like the beginning of the book was a little drawn out and the end was too short.

Thank you Netgalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Emma, a couple's therapist, was dumped by her fiancé six months before their wedding. Instead of calling it off, she decided to move forward with the wedding as planned. All she needed was a new groom.  

Overall, I enjoyed this audiobook. It gave me 90s/00s romcom movie vibes. At times, I found Emma frustrating because she was more concerned with the perception of the public. I enjoyed listening to the relationship development between Emma and Will. This was a perfect palate cleanser.

The author, Allison, narrated the book. I did not like her narration of the male characters. I found that it took away from my listening experience.

Save the Date is a novel by Allison Raskin. When couples therapist Emma Moskowitz is unceremoniously dropped by her fiancé just six months before her elaborate wedding is scheduled to take place more than her heart is broken. Her vision for her life is squashed. Her parents’ bank account has taken a hit, too. But why should her life plan disappear just because someone else decided it wasn’t his? Surely there was a compatible man with the same life goals she had. Knowing a person for a long time before marriage certainly wasn’t a guarantee of a happily ever after. She had known Ryan for years. Many people marry after a short time together. Arranged marriages have also been around forever. Perhaps Emma can really save her date, he plans for the future, and her parents’ savings.

So now the couples therapist, you tube personality, and budding author has a plan and is sharing it with her followers. She has gone on a dating site to see if there is such a like minded person, and meets podcast producer Will Stoll. The attraction is strong, they click in so many ways, except for the one that means so much to Emma. Will has no interest in sliding into the role of groom in a wedding planned for another. But he does make sure he remains a part of Emma’s life by proposing a shared podcast.

This is a fun story that takes a bit of a serious look at dating and meeting your person in today’s society as well as addressing the question of soul mates. Is there really “the one”? I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it.

1 star! ⭐️ Huge thanks to Harlequin Audio & NetGalley for the ALC 💌 (I wish I could return it and get back my sanity though)

OH. MY. GOD. What did I just put myself through?? This book felt like getting stuck in a never-ending conversation with someone who thinks they're deep and quirky when really they're just loud and unbearable.

The FMC??? Was actually INSANE. Like I get it, heartbreak sucks, but sis was out here trying to REPLACE HER GROOM like it’s a pair of shoes she lost at a party. Therapist?? Where??? More like walking red flag with a license.

And don’t even get me started on Will and Matt. Like okay Will, you're the lesser evil here, but let’s not act like you weren’t being emotionally manipulated into being part of this circus. And Matt? Bro blinked and caught feelings. Then turned around and still wasn’t over his ex??? WHAT ARE WE EVEN DOING HERE.

And THEN—brace yourself—girl literally hopped from Will to Matt’s and then BACK TO WILL at 95% like this is musical chairs and she’s choosing who gets the last rose. Disgusting. I wanted to crawl inside the audiobook and unlisten.

THE NARRATION? No offense to Allison Raskin but her voice made me want to sprint into traffic. It felt like she was trying to convince me that Emma was likable and spoiler alert: SHE’S NOT. Not even a little.

Also… why did this book feel like a TikTok therapist went rogue and turned into a wedding-obsessed maniac?? Your fiancé left you?? I get it. But that doesn’t mean go marry the next warm body that walks by. And you’re gonna try and gaslight ME into rooting for it? Babe. No.

The worst part? I COULD HAVE DNF’d. I COULD HAVE BEEN FREE. But noooo, I had hope. Foolish, stupid hope. Now I’m just bitter and 4.5 hours older.

Final thoughts?
This book tried to be a clever romcom, but it felt like being trapped in a therapy session led by your most annoying group project partner. It’s messy, cringe, unrealistic, and full of secondhand embarrassment. Like girl you are THIRTY, not thirteen.

I’m actually jealous—yes, jealous—of everyone who DNF’d this. You all deserve peace.
Me? I need therapy now.

Hard pass.
Throw it in the fire. And then block the ashes.

CW (from me, because you deserve to know):
- Cheating-adjacent emotional whiplash
- Weird obsession with marriage validation
- Emotional manipulation
- Honestly? Just a toxic spiral pretending to be “growth”

The only Save the Date I needed was the one warning me to RUN.

Save the Date is a deeply personal and engaging novel, written by Allison Raskin and narrated by the author herself. Based on her own life experiences, it’s a story that’s both vulnerable and witty, with a powerful takeaway: you don’t have to give up on love just because someone gave up on you.

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel at first. The book begins with an author’s note explaining how the story came to be, and while I appreciate when writers explore personal trauma through fiction, I wasn’t immediately sure how it would translate into a full narrative. But it didn’t take long for the story—and especially the main character, Emma Moskowitz—to win me over.

Yes, there were a few moments where I paused and questioned where things were going, but far more often I found myself laughing out loud and fully immersed in Emma’s journey. She’s quirky, emotionally raw, and completely relatable. Her struggle with self-doubt and the belief that she’s somehow the reason for her failed relationships felt so honest. I saw pieces of myself in her, and that connection made her all the more real.

Emma is reeling from the betrayal of her fiancé, and throughout the story, she tries to figure out who she is, what she wants, and whether she’s truly worthy of love (spoiler: she is!). Whether it was Tony, Tim, Rob, Will, or Matt—whoever it might have been—I just wanted her to find the kind of love that made her feel seen, valued, and whole.

By the end, I was fully on Team Emma. I was rooting for her healing, her happiness, and her growth. Save the Date surprised me in the best way, and I’m so glad I gave it a chance.

Huge thanks to Allison Raskin, NetGalley, and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

Just want to start off by saying I decided to not finish this book around 27%.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and the whole plot of finding a new husband by her original wedding date. What really turned me off though was the fact that multiple times negative political talk was included. She also mentioned about making fun of people who follow Jesus. That is an immediate turnoff for me. I don’t normally ever DNF a book, yet this one was a must.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an ALC of this audiobook.

I didn't love this, 2.5 rounded up. I did not connect with the FMC, I thought the premise was interesting, but the execution did not pull me in. The connection or lack there of with different love interests and dates throughout were not compelling and the wrap up to the HEA was not super smooth for me. I wanted to like this more, but it was not a favorite.

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.

I enjoyed the family dynamic in this story but it jumped around too much for me. Listening to it was difficult and I found myself having to go back quite a few times. I also found Emma to be a little annoying.

This story is about finding true love in the face of the downs in life. I love the banter between her and her one! This MFC demonstrates life with a mental disorder (anxiety) along with her finding love (not only for another BUT herself!). It allows for growth mindset, second chances, and standing up for yourself! I enjoyed every second listening to this story!

I started off this audiobook not excited. I felt like the third person pov was too much with repeating their names multiple times.

It did grow on me and I was intrigued by this save the date process for herself.

Going through Emma’s story and seeing how she was going to try and save her wedding date was definitely a lot of ups and downs but it was a cute story.

In the end I’m glad Emma came to a great conclusion and was happy.

I got this book as an Audio ARC from Netgalley.

The concept of this story is a lot. A woman gets left by her fiance in advance of their wedding. She decides she's going to keep the wedding date and find a new groom. Keep in mind, she's a relationship therapist with an online following. This gets mixed reviews but ultimately people in her life are supportive.

This is definitely a "it's about the journey" book. I think there's only one way it can end, and it does that. However, it immediately back tracks on that ending and I really debated removing a star for that.

My biggest issue with this as an audiobook was the narration. The narrator was fine for the main character parts (which I think based on the prologue was roughly based on herself anyways) but she was so bad at the male parts. These are guys that are supposed to be sexy and funny (and they are written that way) but the way they are read and the "guy voice" used were so creepy. I had to think about the words and if those sounded creepy or it was just the way it was being read. It really took me out of the story.

This was such a cute romantic comedy about finding yourself and learning to roll with life’s unexpected detours. The premise—having a wedding date but no groom—was both chaotic and oddly relatable, and it set the stage for some heartfelt, funny, and sometimes cringe-y moments.

Emma’s journey reminded me a lot of Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan. Like that book, Emma’s romantic drama is put on public display, and her followers rally behind her in her quest to make it down the aisle. The dynamic added a fun, modern twist to the typical rom-com structure.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Emma and Will—it felt natural and earned. But what made the story even more engaging were the other dates Emma went on. Each interaction revealed more about her character and highlighted her growth over the course of the book.

I listened to the audiobook, and while it wasn’t a standout performance for me, it was still enjoyable enough to carry the story.

If you like messy, modern love stories with heart, humor, and a bit of social media chaos, this one’s worth a listen.

As someone who is going through a divorce they didn't see coming, a lot of this story hit close to home. It was nice to have that kind of representation and to see a character going through a similar situation. That being said, it was also hard for me to read because it was like reliving some of what happened to me through Emma's story.

It was definitely a predictable book for me. I knew as soon as she met Will what would happen with them but I love a good predictable ending.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this one. I could relate to Emma throughout the whole book in certain ways. We're both super anxious and overthink things that are happening. I hope I get a happy ending to my story as Emma got in hers.

Well, this audiobook was fun! The Narrator was great, it is not a duet, just a Solo narrator, I mean the Author being the narrator! Like wow, this one was the first time I listened to a Book narrated by the author herself. Loved the Banter, the getting to know you part of the book. Even though it was the two meant for each other in the beginning, it clearly changes and it was fun and quirky! I am sure this won't be the last book I read or listen to by this author. Thank You, Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to listen.