Review: The First Date by Zara Stoneley

Synopsis from Goodreads:

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Wedding Date!

Right place.
Right time.
Wrong guy …

After breaking up with her childhood sweetheart, clueless dater Rosie has found herself in a boyfriend-drought. So when she finally swipes right on a guy who seems interested, she can’t wait to meet up IRL.

Until she’s left standing alone. In a bar. Ghosted.

Enter Noah. Confident, funny … and a serial first dater. Offering to give Rosie a crash course in seduction, this could be just what she needs. Until her matchmaker turns out to be the best date she’s ever had – and Rosie wonders if she wants the fake dates to be the real ones after all …

A hilarious, heartwarming romantic comedy about what happens when the wrong guy turns up at the right time, perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Debbie Johnson.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley. It does not impact my review.

The First Date publishes April 24, 2020. 

What I Liked

-So. Much. Banter! I loved it! Rosie and Noah had such a great give and take and I smiled so much when reading their conversations. I also really enjoyed their growing friendship. I thought they complemented each other well and I definitely shipped them.

-I liked Rosie’s relationship with her mother. As I expect in a Stoneley book, the mother was a little zany, but she wasn’t quite as crazy as she could have been. I liked that her character showed a lot of growth in the story, as well.

-I was in the mood for something light and cute and The First Date was exactly that. Was it predictable? Sure. But, that didn’t hinder any of my enjoyment of the story.

What Didn’t Work for Me

-Rosie has daddy issues for days. Which is fine, but I just felt like it was brought up way too much. Her comparing Noah to her father or recounting how awful her father can make her feel about herself was brought up repeatedly in every chapter. Sometimes it felt like it came out of nowhere and didn’t really fit in context. It was a little disappointing because I found some of her issues with her father very relatable, but I was pretty over it by the end of the story. I also don’t feel like she really got any satisfying resolution to it.

Overall

Overall, I enjoyed The First Date. I loved Rosie and Noah together so much, especially their banter. I wish the daddy issues weren’t quite so prevalent, but I did like how those issues highlighted Rosie’s mother’s growth. I’m looking forward to reading more from Stoneley in the future.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars