jhumbles's review against another edition

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3.0

I think this book did okay.
It had a nice storyline that I was interested in finding out more about. I found this to be generally entertaining to read, though there were times when I did skim certain details, particularly of the High Tea places mentioned. There was only so many times I could read the food/decor descriptions...

Another thing that put me off was how the main character would often talk to the reader like you were her friend. It felt a little cringey and unsubtle, too much like it was giving you all of the information, instead of making you work things out for yourself.
‘It’s strange, but our fingers hooked together feels somehow right, like they fit. See? I said it’s strange.’
It probably works for some but it was too much for me.

Overall, an enjoyable book but not too much going on to keep me hooked. I mainly kept reading to find out how Jason and Sophie got together (because it was obvious that they were going to - not that that’s a bad thing).

X Cringey inner dialogue
X Unsubtle information drops
X Too many restaurant/cafe related descriptions
:) HEA
:) Interesting storyline
:) Jason

read_with_steph's review against another edition

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3.0

The best word to describe this book is enjoyable. I certainly enjoyed reading it, am glad I read it, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a light romance read. However, there is not much more to say about the book. The premise is one I am unfamiliar with (the idea that friends decide that they will vet all of each other's potential dates) but seemed so far-fetched that I couldn't quite buy into it. It seemed like an idea that was created for the purpose of writing a book and not because it would actually happen. But, props for a creative new idea. However, once you get past the premise, nothing feels particularly *new* about this book, and it's quite predictable (friends-to-lovers romance). If you can get this book from the library, certainly give it a spin, but it's not a book I would reread and therefore merit purchasing.

pippa_01's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5 ⭐️

booksreviewsandprocrastination's review against another edition

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4.0

I liked it a lot!

This is not one of my favourites, when it comes to rom-coms, but it was pretty close. It was a pretty good feel-good book, that improved my mood heavily when I was reading [b:Blood & Honey|40550366|Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove, #2)|Shelby Mahurin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580922495l/40550366._SY75_.jpg|62967372]. That book is depressing. Honestly. *shakes head*

Anyway, that book will be dealt with in it's own review, so let's get back to the book in question.

So, I loved the waitressing, barista-ing (I have no idea what the actual word for that will be), managing part of this. It shows you the struggles of keeping open a small business that has a lot of competition. It's not easy, and sometimes you have to make sacrifices. I'm glad everything worked out in the end though!

The roommate trope is one of my favourites (you might have guessed, I love BBC Sherlock fanfiction). The best book I've read in this trope is [b:The Flatshare|36478784|The Flatshare|Beth O'Leary|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552471375l/36478784._SY75_.jpg|58189559] (I just loved that book). And this book didn't disappoint a lot on that front.

The friends-to-lovers transition doesn't happen till the very end, so it requires quite a bit of patience. Especially since Sophie is horrible at realising feelings. That part dragged on for a lot, and I was running out of patience with her.

The friends were awesome, but I don't think I'm interested enough to continue with their books. Or the prequels.

The dating pact was really good, and the constant bad dates reminded me a lot of [b:Would Like to Meet|44284639|Would Like to Meet|Rachel Winters|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551814458l/44284639._SY75_.jpg|68800197], though that had had a lot more dates. There were like only 3? or maybe 4, in this book.

I liked it, and I recommend it to anyone who likes romance, pining, seemingly unrequited feelings, protagonists who don't know what feelings they're feeling, waitressing & barista-ing & managing, slight roommate trope, and stories with bad dates.

dazedmari's review against another edition

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5.0

I was able to read this book for free from BookBub. If you don't know about BookBub, they give you daily deals on books on your favorite selected genres. I was able to get a lot of stuff from my Wish List for $1 to $2 via email. I don't remember ever paying for more than $10 on anything.

They also have an audiobook branch called Chirp. I think it's a great alternative to Audible. There's no monthly subscription, just daily deals similar to BookBub. There are a lot of titles that were on my Wish List for a cheaper price. FTC: I am not paid to say this, I just want to let my viewers know one of the sources where I get my books to review from.

Also, I'm writing this during National Book Lover's Day. So Happy Book Lover's Day to whoever's reading this :)

"No More Bad Dates" is the first book in the High Tea Series by Kate O'Keefe. I've rated this read, five stars our five. I wish I could give it more. And shower it with a confetti of stars.

I think Kate O'Keefe is an Indie author (I'm not too sure) but I love how in this copy, there were no typos whatsoever. Zero. I think the editor and her did a great job in bringing this book together with no typos. I typically get small typos when I get my hands on free books, so I'm always wary. But I'm so happy that there were no print mistakes in my digital copy!

The chemistry in all of the characters felt authentic and real. They feel like real people you'd interact with or watch in a television series. I love it when authors are able to produce that kind of authenticity. Because you get to care about the characters instantly and you get attached to them and be involved in their actions and thought process.

Also, I consider myself, partly asexual (haven't really quite figured out my sexual orientation, but I digress), so most lovey-dovey stuff usually makes me cringe, but this book didn't. So if you're one of those people who don't like their romance stuff overly sweet, then this book is for you.

O'Keefe's writing style is simple yet unique. She inserts banters and humor on almost every page. And when I read something funny in most books I've read, I smile for like a nanosecond, but with her book, I find myself actually clutching my sides.

I already know that people are going to already rate this book low, just because it's in the romantic comedy department. But it's a very well-written book. And it's the perfect, light summer read.

The cover that she chose for this edition, is also very, very pretty and catchy. I love the vibrant colors that pop, and the vector silhouette characters. It made me want to pick up the book right away, and the fact that it's free, of course, made me want to jump on it to grab it.

Final word, as silly as this sounds, this book made me want to believe in romance again (almost, I'm still disillusioned).


You might enjoy this book if you're into any of the categories below:
Tags: romance, humor, no erotic scenes, feel-good, they were each other's crush all along, supportive friends, break up, dating, summer read, light read, strictly kissing and hand-holding, hot doctors, beach reads

littlefawn's review against another edition

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2.0

I have mixed feelings about this book.
Some parts of it were funny, some cute, others cringe worthy.
Sophie has bad relationships and creates a middle school pact to help her find mr right now, but eventually falls in love with her roommate, who has feelings for her but wasn't very good at expressing said feelings.
On top of that, Sophie has family and workplace drama. It just seems like too much at one time, at least it the way this book was written.
And all the hashtags and dot coms. I just could not get on board with that.
After everything the book is 2.5 stars at best.

minbyrnes's review against another edition

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3.0

I actually thought the book was pretty enjoyable. It was a fun (I had a lot of fun laughing and making fun of the characters) and fast read. It’s cute if you’re into this sort of thing (and I guess I kind of am).

The idea of the pact seems pretty silly in my opinion. I mean, minor spoilers(?), but all the guys passed the vetting process and most still ended up being weirdos so what was the point? Clearly the friends weren’t that great at telling apart the ‘bad’ guys from the ‘good’ ones.

And ooooh I wasn’t a big fan of Sophie’s voice and internal monologue. The way she found out about how (again, spoilers?) she was in love with Jason was kinda strange. It was so abrupt and when she told herself she was in love with him I was like, “whoa there, sister. What?” There was some background information given later about how she’d crushed on him when they first met but I didn’t understand how she went from not thinking about him in that way at all (or at least it wasn’t properly shown) to being so into him she couldn’t date another perfectly good guy after Jason told her he “had faith in her”. Jason’s a nice guy and all but a girl really realized she was in love when all we got was the bare minimum.

While I was reading this I thought this would make a cute romcom movie because seeing their interactions without knowing Sophie’s thoughts would have made it much more believable. Reading her thoughts made her feelings somehow less real because it changed so quickly I just didn’t buy it.

Overall, a cute but pretty weak story. Will probably read the other books in the series because I’m in the mood for something like this and they’re all on kindle unlimited.

If you like lighthearted romances and just want to pass the time reading something quick and fun you’ll probably enjoy this.

srk001's review against another edition

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3.0

I was dissapointed by the latter half, but overall enjoyed it

muninn972's review against another edition

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3.0

A lot cheesy but still funny. I almost gave up on this book because it was really sappy at the beginning. I stuck with it and enjoyed the interaction between Soph and Jas. Some of those dating situations were OMG hilarious.
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