Now a USA TODAY BESTSELLER‘Dating-ish’ can be read as a standalone, is a full length 100k word novel, and is book #6 in the Knitting in the City Series.There are three things you need to know about Marie Harris: 1) She’s fed up with online dating, 2) She’s so fed up, she’s willing to forego the annoyance and consider more creative alternatives, and 3) She knows how to knit.After the most bizarre … knit.
After the most bizarre and irritating first date in the history of humankind, Marie is looking for an alternative to men. With the help of her friends, she quickly identifies a few possibilities:
Need a cuddle? Use a professional cuddler. Need affirmation? Get yourself a life coach. Need an orgasm? Try orgasm meditation! Why does she need the hassle of a romantic partner when she can meet all her needs with paid services?
But then her irritating date resurfaces. And he’s not at all the person she thought he was. And he suggests a different—and crazier—solution to her dilemma . . .
As everyone knows (or will soon come to realize), traditional relations between humans are a thing of the past. Robots are our future. And if robots are our future, then why do we need other people at all?
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It’s okay for me to love an author’s work and not love some of her characters right ? It’s feel wrong and I’m internally whining about it. I just don’t have the “I want to have coffee with her” feelings for Marie. I need to feel for a character before I cuddle with them or share my coffee time, it’s sacred. It’s not you it’s me Marie, :P. She was so focused on finding alternatives to physical love. so able to distance herself. I never felt the heart tugging struggle for this relationship from her. Matt, it took me a while to warm up to him, but I did. I wanted him to find happiness beyond his lab and cheered him on through all his blunders. ~SIgh~ I still never felt the desperation for them to get together as a couple as I have in previous books.
It all worked out in the end, it always does in Penny Reid books. I already downloaded the next book, Kat’s story. There should be some serious Chicka Chicka Boom Boom moments in this one :P. I’m off the the coffee shop to begin their adventure.
Original idea of a man who’s developing a computer program that will replace the need to date. “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” character don’t understand the messages they are sending. Cute.
YES!! When I read who Marie’s date was I screamed at my tablet, I totally knew they would have to meet and be perfect for one another. Both of them were super funny and I couldn’t wait to see how their two characters would combine. And friend to lovers is one of my favourite tropes that was an added bonus as well. Plus I am a big nerd so that was a plus too lol. I laughed so much at their jokes and the situations I never wanted the book to end. And now I am super curious at what happens in the meantime with Dan and Kat!
I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t work for me. However, it had a super cute cover!
You can check out my booktube video review at https://youtu.be/rz-txQnN3_M
or read my review on my blog at https://lisasiefert.com/book-review-dating-ish-by-penny-reid-knitting-in-the-city-book-6/
Really 4.5 stars, but I will round up. Marie Harris, journalist, goes on a date with a guy picked from a dating app, online to find out that he isn’t who he portrays himself to be. Disgusted and angry, she decides to bully him into sharing his data on dating apps. She shouldn’t be interested in this robotic scientist, Matt, but as she spends more time with him while doing research for her articles, she has a hard time convincing her body that she isn’t interested. Besides, these days, one can even hire someone with whom to cuddles and he made it clear that he is not marriage material. The characters were likable and the storyline held my interest. The bonus with Reid’s books in the same series is that the characters interact with other likable characters that are known. This book put a smile on my face many times and I couldn’t help but laugh and enjoy one part in particular where the men in the story all knew something that the women were slow to find out about. Their camaraderie and communication was entertaining.
Every time I finish a Penny Reid book I think it is my favorite. Then I read the next and it unbelievably is my new favorite. This book is my new favorite. It was a delightful listen that included laughter and a wonderful telling of a couple falling in love. Penny writes some of the most unique & witty characters. I encourage you to listen to Matt & Marie’s story.
As a lover of relationship angst and this author’s unique writing style, I’m always all in to read one of her romantic tales. Yep, she’s an author I can’t say no to. The back and forth banter, instant chemistry/attraction, quirkiness of her characters, and issues they inevitably have to work through pull me right in and don’t let go until the sweet HEA conclusion. I can’t get enough in particular of The Knitting Series, folks.
In this particular one, I was proud of the heroine for sticking to her guns and letting the hero know upfront she wouldn’t settle for anything less than a long term, meaningful relationship. For someone so smart he could conceptually build humanoid type robots, this quirky, handsome, love challenged hero kept getting his own wires crossed and let his insecurities deny what was right in front of him. Until an incident occurred that changed his perspective and got his hopes up.
He wasn’t alone in his knuckleheaded ways. She had a tendency to withdraw and suffer in silence rather than confront him with what she was feeling. The result led to misunderstandings and unresolved feelings of unrequited love.
There are some eye raising trends talked about in this book where you pay someone to fill emotional/physical needs of touch and intimacy in lieu of a partner/companion. Personal cuddlers were one thing. Some of the other services were just plain bizarre to me personally.
It is always a hoot to spend time again with this circle of friends and their soulmates in this romantic, steamy at times series. I can’t get enough of this posse of likable, always have each other’s backs compadres.
P.S. There is a scene where heroine sees the hero laughing/kissing OW as he gets off the elevator on his way to his apartment. After seeing the look on heroine’s face, he sends the OW home.
(These comments are based on a Kindle Unlimited edition. This is not a detailed ARC review.)
Yes! This is what I needed. Marie is amazing and so competent and still struggling to find a guy. Online dating is the worst! And then Matt! He started out dry and awkward but then he becomes amazing.
I did still have lingering bad feelings for Greg and Fiona, but luckily they were at a minimum in this book.
This book started out hilarious and didn’t stop. It is the perfect book to read for any single woman. I mean I have a new line when I want to date someone, but they can’t seem to get it, “Step back from the stupid dehydrated horse.” You need to read the book, but it makes sense when you do. This book also made me want to look into a professional cuddler as well as the other professionals she was looking into. This is the book that I just totally wondered how the author can always seem to write characters that have so much “me” in them! It’s like she knows exactly how my mind works! Some fun things at the beginning of each chapter was some kind of AI or other technology that seems way out there, but from asking the author on Facebook, all of it is true, which in some of the chapters is kind of scary to think of. Another thing I love about Reid’s stories is that there always seems to be someone talking about books to someone, or giving them a book, etc. I just love it! They’re so my people! One moment that is totally relatable is when Marie thinks about how she’s so happy for her friends, but it’s also hard to not be jealous or sad for yourself. Like in the movie Bridesmaids, how she felt when her best friend tells her she’s engaged. She’s happy, but it still hits her. And then there is the line about how when you tell a single person there is someone out there for them, it’s like telling an X-Files fan that you have proof of aliens, but no way to show them the evidence. The last term I have to say that I’m stealing for my own use is “whore-mones”. Yep, it’s a perfect way to phrase it. Marie and her horrible blind date are one of my favorites in this world and I loved this book to death!
I just finished reading the funniest romance book ever. What a pleasant surprise to find the heart-warming, yet hilarious characters in Penny Reid’s book, Dating-ish. I don’t read many books a second time, but I’m definitely holding on to this one to read again.
I don’t want to spoil it if you haven’t read it, and even if you are not a romance book reader, trust me, you’ll fall in love with this book. I certainly did!
Matt and Marie definitely do not get off to a good start. A funny first date through a dating services that ends with her running out was not what I expected and it certainly takes her a while to move on from it! But time and days spent together lead to unrequited feeling that make it hard to be around him. A lot of funny situations and computer jokes make it the perfect easy to read story and the happily ever after is just as it should be. I love Marie and Matt, but it’s definitely not as exciting as the previous stories. Don’t let that stop you from reading it, it’s not a story that should be skipped. It’s just a little different. Nevertheless, it’s still a five star read for me and I’m diving straight into Kat and Dan!
(Read May 2017)
5+ STARS!!
After reading the 5th book in this series (Happily Ever Ninja,) the last sentence in my review was, “I think Man-Child Matt needs his own book.” When Penny Reid announced Marie’s love interest for Dating-ish, the Hallelujah Chorus started playing in my head! Rightly-so, because this book was heavenly.
Oh, how I love a slow-burn romance. Since I enjoy the reward of delayed gratification, the slower development of Matt and Marie’s love story hit all the right marks. Penny did a wonderful job in creating anticipation, while allowing a true friendship between the couple to develop and emerge. Thus, allowing a heartfelt and believable pairing of two somewhat opposite individuals. With romantic comedy being my favorite sub-genre, there are very few authors who incite the spectrum of emotions that Penny Reid does with most of her books. What I found lacking for me in Beard Science came back full force in this outing – an achingly romantic pull to two realistically written characters whose wedding I want to be invited to. Combine that with Reid’s trademark intelligence and humor, and “ta-da,” another example of rom-com perfection.
Not as engaging as some of her others.
I simply love Penny Reid’s books! All the random factoids that you can learn are beyond my expectations. Marie is an absolutely lovely soul, with a big heart and a big brain. And Matt… Oh how I wanted to cuddle him and give him the love he deserves! I love the characters in this series.
What can I say about this book? It was wonderful. It was spot on about the dating world, and Marie was a character I could truly identify with. This series has been and will always be one of my favorites. I can reread these books at any time. I am looking forward to the next book, but at the same time I am a bit sad that this series will be coming to an end. I definitely recommend this book, this series and this amazing author.
Very intelligent and very funny
Book 6 in the Knitting in the City series, while it can be read as a standalone, for maximum enjoyment, I recommend reading the series in order.
Marie and Matt meet on a blind date through a dating website. Sounds like a typical kind of set-up, right? But, as it turns out, so very, very wrong. Marie (a journalist) initially thinks Matt is a weirdo, but when she finds out the truth, she decides to blackmail Matt into providing data for an article she’s working on setting up an antagonistic relationship that quickly develops into more as the two get to know each other.
I love intelligent, sassy women and Marie is a perfect example, but she’s not without her vulnerabilities while Matt is loveable as the geeky, sexy professor who makes it clear that he’s not interested in a relationship. Watching the two of them dance around their physical attraction while trying to remain friends was highly entertaining and of course I enjoyed the appearances by so many of the characters that have been involved in the series along the the way.
From the chapter headings which give descriptions of real-life robots and programs either already in existence or being designed, to the quirky, very human characters and the intelligent, funny and sometimes touching storyline, this is one of my favorite books so far for the year. 5 wonderful, quirky stars.
B2B Kelly
Loved it!!
Dating-ish is perfect! Can that be my review? I don’t even know what to say about this book… It is smart and funny and so touching and emotional. It is such an amazing story that I didn’t want to put the book down for ordinary things like going to work or feeding my family!
“Why are you crying, Marie?
I didn’t know. I honestly had no idea. Feelings? Whoremones? Maybe a nearby, but as of yet unseen onion?”
I’ve read most of the books in this series. Marie has been there, strong and sweet, always ready to be relied upon when her friends are in need. In Dating-ish we get to read her story. Marie just wants to find the Right man, her happily ever after.
“He was so handsome. I held my breath because I was afraid my feelings were going to fall out of me, tumble all over the inside of the cab, and make a mess of my makeup.”
Dating-ish left me with such a book-hangover that I just couldn’t even think about liking the next book I tried to read. Nothing could stand up to it.
5 “You are my person” stars!
Oh my word what a great book! I love that when you read a Penny Reid book, you are not getting a cookie cutter story. No way, no how. Her writing is smart, witty, informative and I look forward to each book because you never know what you’re going to get. I mean she’s writing about robots in this one, how freaking cool is that?! I embrace the weird. Group hug!
Before I get into all the things that I love about Matt and Marie’s journey, can I just say, I love these Knitting in the City characters!! I love their friendship with each other, and even though changes have occurred in each of their lives, they still love and look out for each other, no matter what. They’re one big happy knitting tribe! I’m Team Greg all the way. I don’t know why, but that man just does it for me.
While reading, my emotions were going up and down. Marie is looking for the “right person” and Matt is pretty much married to his job. He’s also not that well versed with the whole people thing, poor guy. I would get butterflies when Matt and Marie were trying to find their way around each other (yeah, their first encounter did not go well…at all). Then my heart would break for them and then I would want to shake them! I just wanted them to open up and be together without all the tip-toeing around their feelings for each other.
“My love is worth a lot. A. Lot. Because I know I’m awesome.” Yes you are Marie!
But when they finally found their way, ahmahgah it was all kinds of amazing and perfect! I finished the story with a great big smile and a side of warm fuzzies. It’s truly a great story.
“Goodness, how I love this man. This funny, sweet, amazing, remarkable man. I loved how he made me feel, like I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known, both inside and out.” *sniff* I love Matt too!
Side note-Holy moly guacamole I can’t wait for Kat and Dan’s story! I’m all chanting Kat and Dan, Kat and Dan, Kat and Dan!!
Another Penny Reid hit out of the ball park! Her tag line is smarter romance and this book proves it. I would have never thought a book about robots would be sexy but Penny Reid makes being smart sexy! Matt and Marie have an amazing love story. It is defiantly a slow burn kind of love story and it is so much fun to read. Not only do we get to see Matt and Marie fall in love but we get to catch up with all the Knitting in the City crew! This book has feeling and depth that will surprise you with each turn of the page.So get ready to read robots, relationships and romance!