A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in this fun and flirty multicultural romance debut by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory—author of the Resse Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick The Proposal.THE USA TODAY BESTSELLER#5 LibraryReads Pick“A swoony rom-com brimming with humor and charm.”—Entertainment Weekly (The … rom-com brimming with humor and charm.”—Entertainment Weekly (The Must List)
“What a charming, warm, sexy gem of a novel….One of the best books I’ve read in a while.”—Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Hunger
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….
One of…
Entertainment Weekly’s “12 Romances for V-Day” • Cosmopolitan’s “2018 Anticipated Reads” • Elle’s “2018 Must Reads” • Harpers Bazaar’s “New January Must Reads” • The Fug Girls’ “Best Books of the Year” • Elle UK’s “Books to Get You Through 2018” • Nylon’s “January Must Reads” • Hello Giggles’ “New Release Recs” • Electric Lit’s “Books by WoC to Read in 2018” • Bitch Media’s “2018 Must Reads” • BookBub’s “2018 Romance Must Reads” • Bookriot’s “Must Read 2018 January Releases” • RetailMeNot’s “2018 Must Reads”
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This story has “all the feels” as millennials are so fond of saying. Two professionals (a lawyer and a doctor) meet on a malfunctioning elevator where they share introductions, brie and crackers, and a healthy dose of attraction. They decide to attend the wedding of the male protagonist’s ex–together. Alexa Monroe, chief of staff to the Berkeley Mayor, is not THAT girl, but something about Dr. Drew Nichols compels her to accept his invitation to be his fake girlfriend at this wedding. This non-date becomes, very decidedly, a date and the attraction they’ve both been rather unsuccessfully hiding from each other becomes apparent when they spend a blissful weekend together. Which may or may not become “a thing,” until it becomes necessary that they name it. Then miscommunication ensues, which brews the delicious conflict that defines The Wedding Date. Guillory is an author I’m going to pursue, because her writing style is excellent! Grab your copy of her upcoming “The Proposal” too. I know I shall.
I enjoyed this book! I was coming off a dark & twisted read, so I needed something lite to read.
I didn’t know that this was an interracial love story, but I think it touched lightly on some of the differences between the races. By no means, will this be a heavy read but it does do a pretty good job of dropping some “food for thought!
I connected Alexa & Drew! I liked the fact that she was an accomplished Black women, who was doing just fine on her own. Their story is adorable and challenging! I recommend giving this a read!!
I’ve had this book forever and I don’t know why I didn’t pick it up sooner I guess when I saw her new one I had to read this!
I loved this book such a fun story. Who knew getting stuck in an elevator would make such a cute love story. Alexa needs to get out of her comfort zone and when she needs a sexy doctor in the elevator they just clicked. Drew is having a bad week. It’s not bad enough he got stuck in an elevator he is also in his ex girl friend and best friends wedding can it get any worse? Oh yeah his date backed out now what?? Spending time with Alexa having a great time he gets this crazy idea to make this funny beautiful woman his fake girlfriend for the wedding.
Can they pull it off? Will she do it? This book was so good I didn’t want it to end. The story was a quick read in a good way now I want to read them all.
I liked these characters a lot. I liked their journey together. I liked the way they worked through their individual and shared baggage. I liked the way the author told their stories. It’s a great story. That sounds really simplistic but that’s the truth, it’s just a warm, squishy, delicious, character-driven story free from crazy angst and dramatic twists and other devices. It’s about two people who come together in an unexpected way, and how they navigate everything after that point. You can feel their chemistry and you can sense the heat between them. It’s a great story.
This was a great read! I totally enjoyed Drew and Alexa’ s story. We have a pediatric surgeon and a mayor’s chief of staff assistant and they meet in an elevator. What a great way to meet! Lol. Alexa agrees to become Drew’s fake girlfriend for a wedding that he has to attend. They have a spark, that leads to chemistry and such a strong attraction that they act upon it and continue to see each other whenever possible. Filled with mild angst, their love goes through some trials and tribulations but in the end, Drew man’s up and makes that final commitment. 4 beautiful HEA stars
The premise: Man needs a date for a wedding. Man meets strange woman while stuck in hotel elevator. Man asks woman in elevator to be his date. Woman agrees. Hijinks and romance ensue.
When I first started this novel, I immediately thought of this commercial where a guy is playing with a beagle pup. If you’ve never seen it, it’s the cutest thing ever in life! https://youtu.be/RIWrIuN7Xjo I could not get this commercial out of my head for the first several chapters (all during the actual wedding date). And the elevator scene is the cutest “meet cute” I’ve read in a while.
I loved Alexa and Drew! She’s black, he’s white, and there are some cultural differences the author brings out, but this is a ROMANCE front and center. I love that; there are just enough references to make this feel real for its setting (American, but contemporary, progressive CA) and to ensure if there’s a movie made out of this, you know what the cast should look like. (And I hope to see this on screen–it’s been a while since “Something New” and this would make a great Rom-Com.) After I was done, I was looking for a book 2 with these characters. Not yet. However, I am looking forward to The Proposal which I think features Carlos, Drew’s work BFF, whom I also loved! (I dare anyone not to).
The story is sexy, fun, and full of food! I was craving a donut for the entire book! (Thank goodness it only took a few days to read.) These people seem to be eating amazing food all the time–I love that! But they definitely work it off, too. *wink* This is not even close to a YA book IMO.
For the writer side of me, the writing is good. This has dual POVs, which can be tricky, but they are also very different voices and separated with evident breaks. Although there was one instance where the POVs got put in the same section, and it was slightly confusing. In general, I wasn’t stopping to “mind edit” as I sometimes do for novels. And that’s a great thing, because the story is a page-turner.
So, get a box of donuts, take a weekend, and read this one! It’s as cute as James Franco with a lap full of puppies!
I love that the characters EAT in this. Like this is something that I never realized was missing in romance books!
The Wedding Date is the first book I read by the lovely Jasmine Guillory, and it will not be my last. I enjoyed reading this Romantic Comedy/Contemporary Romance book and look forward to diving into the next book.
Jasmine Guillory brings two characters together, Drew and Alexa, in a very awkward situation where they both get stuck in an elevator. Drew needs a date for the wedding he’s part of and doesn’t want to end up going alone. He ends up asking Alexa who he met in the elevator. They end up having to pretend they are in a relationship since Drew said Alexa is his girlfriend. After the wedding though Drew and Alexa ends up seeing each other quite a bit. There is a lot of flying back and forth to Berkley to Los Angeles and vice versa. This is when it gets tricky, and readers find out more about Drew and Alexa. Alexa is a successful, beautiful African American woman working as the Chief of Staff for the Mayor. She never thought that a handsome doctor like Drew would ask her out. Then there is Drew with his difficulty of keeping a relationship due to him not wanting to have one. He’s always breaking up with the women he dates after so long due to his reasons.
I enjoyed reading this romantic comedy/contemporary romance book and loved how Jasmine wrote about the difficulties and triumphs between Alexa and Drew. Poor Alexa is not sure most of the time in the book on what she and Drew are, and she tends to lack confidence in herself when it comes to being with Drew. Drew was completely confused in the book on how he felt, even though there were moments of jealousy. I wish these two would’ve had the talk before they started hooking up, but they didn’t. The long-distance relationship makes it difficult for them to be together, which Jasmine brought up situations that could break them away from each other.
There were times that Alexa drove me crazy on her confidence in herself. She didn’t see Drew going out with her, even though he always let her know he loved how she looked and didn’t want her to change one bit. Drew drove me crazy too on how he put off the status between him and Alexa. Although, the drama was crazy at times the banter and humor between the two were what kept me intrigued into reading their book. The first moment they met in the elevator at the hotel, they were adorable together.
I loved how the author had Alexa and Drew come together and overcome all the challenges that they were faced with as far as a long-distance relationship and other items. I look forward to reading the next book, which involves Carlos.
Now I’m onto other review books at this time until I receive Carlos book, The Proposal from my local library.
Story Rating: 4 stars
Steaminess Rating: 3.5 stars
Standalone or part of series: Part of series, but can be read as a standalone.
Do I recommend this book? Yes.
Will I read other books from the author? Yes.
Tropes/Elements: Fake/Pretend Relationship at first; Interracial Relationship
Hero: Pediatric Doctor; Has issues with keeping a relationship
Heroine: Chief of Staff for the Mayor; Lawyer; Low Confidence/Self-of-Esteem
If I could have given it less than one star, I would have! Has anyone ever finished and liked this book? The dialogue (and writing in general) were so awful that I had to put the book down and walk away.
This was a very solid debut for Jasmine Guillory. As a woman of color I’m LOVING the diversity in this story and the wonderful array of characters. It’s very hard to get diversity in mainstream romance and this book gives me hope. Anyway, enough with the public service announcement. This was a funny, romantic and cute story. Drew and Alexa were a cute couple. They had hot chemistry in and out the bedroom. As expected there was a little drama mainly due to miscommunication. This is the kind of book you read on a rainy day ( I did) or after a heavy, emotional read. The writing was good,the story flowed, the plot held my attention. I will be checking out more books from this author in the future
If I’m being totally honest, the Wedding Date sat around on my shelves and TBR far longer than it should’ve. I was super excited to read it when I first got it and then, well, you know how it goes. Too many books, too little reading time. Once I finally did pick it up, I realized what I’d been missing and didn’t waste any time in devouring it.
I really liked both Alexa and Drew. From their meet cute to their fake relationship to their attempts at making it something real, I was totally sucked in. The characters were great and totally relatable. I particularly enjoyed the parts dealing with race and privilege. They were important but not overly heavy and fit in quite nicely with the romance. This is why own voices books are so very important. I love my romance books, but I also really appreciate it when I get to take a little something more away from my reading.
The Wedding Date was a great debut! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jasmine’s second book, The Proposal, released earlier this month and I can’t wait to make time to read it, too. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take me months to get to it. I’m excited to read more from her.
I devoured this book! If it weren’t for needing to feed my kids, I would have gone through it in one sitting. LOL! Alexa and Drew’s “meet cute” is the start of a romantic, endearing and realistic journey of love. I highly recommend.
Of the many things I loved about this book, perhaps one of my top favorites is how little the racial differences between Drew and Alexa matter to them. When they meet in the elevator and as their relationship progresses, race is not a factor in how they feel about each other. It’s almost as if it doesn’t occur to them that it should be an issue.
In fact, Alexa’s race seems to never show up on Drew’s radar until she brings it up. Only then does he become aware, and his increased awareness is not about the two of them together but rather about any discomforts or concerns Alexa has. Love is love, you know?
What do become factors in this love affair are Drew’s reputation as a two-month guy and Alexa’s worries over that. He isn’t known for commitment, and Alexa – understandably – does not want to commit to him if he is going to maintain his traditional trajectory.
Jasmine Guillory tells a romance that will keep you entertained as well as make you feel a gamut of emotions. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will feel romantic heat. No, this is not a Christian Grey kind of thing, but Guillory does show how two people connect during one night of hot sexy time fun. Drew and Alexa get to know each other through their sexual intimacy, and their desire to please impacts the other parts of their relationship.
I just loved this book so much. I loved how Alexa and Drew interacted with each other, with their coworkers, and with their friends. I loved that they are both professionally successful and aim to stay that way, When it comes to love, compromise is necessary, of course, but your job must be a priority, too.
Please give this book a read, and then please come back here and let me know what you thought. I just adore it!
Thanks to Bookish First for the advanced copy. Give me a good romance romp of a novel any time. This was a wonderful way to enjoy some reading time. The book is honest, sexy and true to life. The characters were REAL. You could identify with them. The two main characters interacted well and fit together well. The transgression of their relationship was what does really happen in life. Advise from their friends along the way, was advise real people receive from friends and family.. The plot was believable. The story line made sense. It could have happened to anyone. It did end as expected but you would not have wanted it to end any other way. Waiting for more from Jasmine Guillory. I really liked the book.
What an excellent way to start a series! Olivia and Drew are perfect for each other! Their chemistry is out of this world. I absolutely love that they struggle with communication. They have real human parts to their relationship. It makes the characters super relatable. Tremendous read!
This book was a good solid read. I’d totally try another future book by this author!
You can check out my booktube video review at https://youtu.be/mTm30gziRIs
or read my review on my blog at https://lisasiefert.com/book-review-the-wedding-date-by-jasmine-guillory/
I have become a HUGE fan of her books. Thanks and keep them coming.
I loved this book! From cover to cover!
“The Wedding Date” is the first in Jasmine Guillory’s series. Drew and Alexa have a chance meeting in which they become each other’s wedding date. I loved the chemistry between the two of them as they navigated what being wedding dates would look like. I also enjoyed getting to see the background story of Carlos although I had met him in “The Proposal”. Jasmine Guillory writes fun loving characters that I immediately want to know more about!
This was a fun love story with two likable, relatable protagonists. I enjoyed reading about the Alexa and Drew and liked how the story developed. The premise was right out of the “How to Write a Romantic Comedy Manual” but the author made it work and I spent some sleepless nights as I read one more chapter because I needed to see what happened next. I like the fact that there was mixture of races and cultures represented in the book and enough shown of Alexa and Drew working to convey they are professionals who know how to do their jobs. The only drawback for me was Alexa’s self esteem issues when it came to her personal life. I know that people all feel a little less confident when opening themselves up personally but I think it would have been better if she was not so insecure. This is a small concern however and did not detract from my enjoyment of the book overall. I fully recommend this book and will be looking for other books to read from this author