Oh, shush. I admit I really enjoyed reading The Wedding Date. Don’t get me wrong; it’s absolute trash. But it’s like Twilight, something draws you in.
Fortunately, The Wedding Date is a very fast read, so the malaise passes quickly. I received this ARC as part of a BookishFirst raffle. If you’ve read my To Read pile post, you’ll know I cursed winning this. I won’t get the hours back spent reading the book, but I have enjoyed myself more than I expected. Even if the bar was low.
Let’s start with what I liked with The Wedding Date. It was entertaining and fast to read. Oh, and the cover is gorgeous. Seriously, the cover art is what caught my eye. Then I read the blurb (OK, not too bad). First chapter? I didn’t finish it.
That accidentally makes a great segue into what I didn’t like. Actually, plot summary first. A woman visiting her sister in a swanky San Francisco hotel gets stuck in an elevator with a hot doctor who’s in need of a date to his ex’s wedding that weekend. You can guess where it goes from there.
So what didn’t I like? I’m going to ignore the general plot because it’s a trashy romance, so it’s assumed you know I didn’t like that.
Fancy crackers and cheese. They are what stopped me with the First Look. Alexa takes a rather expensive bottle of champagne to celebrate her sister’s promotion. Also smuggled in her handbag were fancy crackers and cheese, with a cheese knife. This was into The Fairmont hotel in San Francisco. It’s on Nob Hill. That hotel is intimidatingly expensive. Not somewhere you’d smuggle fancy crackers.
Next was the unnecessary references to race. Drew is the white, hot doctor. I’m pre-writing this at 60% in, and so far there’s been no required mention of race. Alexa’s sister was the first black woman to be made partner in ten years. First, it’s only ten years. And we never learn if that’s significant. Alexa was concerned being the only black guest at the wedding. No one else cared. Bill made a token reference but was more interested in her boobs. She had some, and the bridal party was all tiny and flat-chested. Update: there was a serious discussion of police reactions to race on page 217. Let’s make that one race reference that aided the narrative. Even the second racist creep didn’t add to the story.
There were a couple of other things like the only food being junk. I’m sure doctors would eat more than burgers, fries, and tacos. Oh, and Alexa has a chip on her shoulder about money. Carlos must be a jerk because he drives a red BMW (in LA). And a few other references to prices. Alexa and Drew spend more than 50% of their time together in the bedroom. I skimmed those.
The final point is more a curiosity than a complaint. Do women really behave like that? Oh, my best friend gave me terrible advice that resulted in a fight. So let’s depend on her again for next time. The insecurity about body image and looks. And then the jealousy. If the women in The Wedding Date reflect life outside my bubble, I’m staying here. It’s more sane.
Now I’m off to watch a dozen TED Talks before this slippery slope gets me watching The Bachelor.
Fortunately, The Wedding Date is a very fast read, so the malaise passes quickly. I received this ARC as part of a BookishFirst raffle. If you’ve read my To Read pile post, you’ll know I cursed winning this. I won’t get the hours back spent reading the book, but I have enjoyed myself more than I expected. Even if the bar was low.
Let’s start with what I liked with The Wedding Date. It was entertaining and fast to read. Oh, and the cover is gorgeous. Seriously, the cover art is what caught my eye. Then I read the blurb (OK, not too bad). First chapter? I didn’t finish it.
That accidentally makes a great segue into what I didn’t like. Actually, plot summary first. A woman visiting her sister in a swanky San Francisco hotel gets stuck in an elevator with a hot doctor who’s in need of a date to his ex’s wedding that weekend. You can guess where it goes from there.
So what didn’t I like? I’m going to ignore the general plot because it’s a trashy romance, so it’s assumed you know I didn’t like that.
Fancy crackers and cheese. They are what stopped me with the First Look. Alexa takes a rather expensive bottle of champagne to celebrate her sister’s promotion. Also smuggled in her handbag were fancy crackers and cheese, with a cheese knife. This was into The Fairmont hotel in San Francisco. It’s on Nob Hill. That hotel is intimidatingly expensive. Not somewhere you’d smuggle fancy crackers.
Next was the unnecessary references to race. Drew is the white, hot doctor. I’m pre-writing this at 60% in, and so far there’s been no required mention of race. Alexa’s sister was the first black woman to be made partner in ten years. First, it’s only ten years. And we never learn if that’s significant. Alexa was concerned being the only black guest at the wedding. No one else cared. Bill made a token reference but was more interested in her boobs. She had some, and the bridal party was all tiny and flat-chested. Update: there was a serious discussion of police reactions to race on page 217. Let’s make that one race reference that aided the narrative. Even the second racist creep didn’t add to the story.
There were a couple of other things like the only food being junk. I’m sure doctors would eat more than burgers, fries, and tacos. Oh, and Alexa has a chip on her shoulder about money. Carlos must be a jerk because he drives a red BMW (in LA). And a few other references to prices. Alexa and Drew spend more than 50% of their time together in the bedroom. I skimmed those.
The final point is more a curiosity than a complaint. Do women really behave like that? Oh, my best friend gave me terrible advice that resulted in a fight. So let’s depend on her again for next time. The insecurity about body image and looks. And then the jealousy. If the women in The Wedding Date reflect life outside my bubble, I’m staying here. It’s more sane.
Now I’m off to watch a dozen TED Talks before this slippery slope gets me watching The Bachelor.