The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

The Wedding Date
by Jasmine Guillory
Read: December 23 -25, 2017
Published: January 30, 2018 by Berkley
Source: NetGalley (Thank you!)
Category: Contemporary Romance, Adult, Fake Wedding Dates, Elevators, 
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

Book Descriptions: 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...
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The Wedding Date was delightful from start to finish. I am not generally a fan of the "we're saying it's just 'hanging out' but really we're falling in love and can't admit it" setups. I need more assurance than that. And true, I wanted to smack Dr. Drew Nichols a time or two. But overall Dr. Nick and this book won me over. I think that is because of how much I liked our MC Alexa Monroe - the mayor's chief of staff and all around real-world badass making a difference in her community (well, in her fictional world). 

I also adored how natural Alexa and Drew's romance felt. From insecurities to working through misunderstandings to learning each others lives and favorite foods (this story basically revolves around their meals), Alexa and Drew's romance grew in a way that seemed natural. Plus it was super swoony from their first meeting in the elevator, and I could definitely understand their connection. Alexa is black and Drew is white and they talk about being an interracial couple, including ways they view the world differently. For instance, Alexa asks Drew if she's going to be the only black person at the engagement party they attend at the start of the book, and it's something Drew hasn't even thought about before that moment. I appreciated those small moments of reality and honesty in this story. 

The Wedding Date is a book you should put on your radar and make sure to pick up a copy when it releases at the end of the month. 

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Standalone - I'd love to read more from this author