review: the wedding date by jasmine guillory

A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in a fun and flirty debut novel.

Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn't normally do. But there's something about Drew Nichols that's too hard to resist.

On the eve of his ex's wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend...

After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she's the mayor's chief of staff. Too bad they can't stop thinking about the other...

They're just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century--or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want. ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Review: I had requested this book months ago and by the time it came time to read it for review I had forgotten why lol And the dreaded hype machine was in full swing so I was kind of reluctant to read it but I’m glad I ignored my misgivings because this was a fun book.

Alexa and Drew are staying at the same hotel and have their meet cute when a power outage leaves them stuck in the elevator. They have an instant, flirty rapport and Drew takes a chance and asks Alexa to be his fake girlfriend at his ex’s & bf’s wedding where he is a groomsman. Alexa, who never has anything this exciting happen to her, says yes to the elevator hottie.

Alexa, is a smart, ambitious Chief of Staff for Berkeley’s (CA) mayor, while Drew is a pediatrician in LA. It’s so refreshing to see two characters who have their own stuff going on and respect each others careers and the time commitment they entail. Even though they live in different cities, they keep flying out to each other to spend weekends together while never really defining where this is going.

Their romance is so fun and light. When they are together, it’s easy and just a joy to be there with them. You can easily see why they keep coming back for more.

Drew is a commitment-phobe and Alexa is kind of reserved when it comes to dating/sex. Thinking Drew is a once in a lifetime fling, she lets herself go and doesn’t worry about how her body jiggles, or how her ample boobs sag. Alexa is every woman and so relatable! They are also an interracial couple – Alexa is black while Drew is white and the author doesn’t shy away from some awkward moments like when Drew takes her to a party where she is the only black person or when all his ex’s appear to be tall, thin, blond, white girls but neither is it a big factor in their relationship.

But as the weekends start to add up and they actually come to need each other to lean on, things get more personal and they both start to panic and react to perceived slights as an excuse to bolt without really taking to each other. This is a minor complaint but I did start to get irritated when they would make assumptions and not let each other explain – instead retreating to their homes. Even well meaning friends couldn’t get through to these two. (awesome supporting characters btw)

Drew is convinced that Alexa will see that he is indeed an asshole (he’s not) and Alexa is trying to cut off the eventual “sorry, it’s not you – it’s me” break up speech.

It just happened a little too often for me and I was starting to get frustrated but it wasn’t a deal breaker and there’s so much more to love with these two with their witty banter and slow slide to their eventual HEA.

I really enjoyed this one! Perfect when you're looking for a fun, flirty romance for Valentine's Day.