e-Audio, 10:21:38
Narrated by: Janina Edwards
Release Date: July 13, 2021
Published by: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Read from: August 17-18, 2021
The Wedding Date, #6
Source: Overdrive Audio
TW: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, (Non-Serious) Hospitalized Parent
For Readers Interested In: Contemporary Romance, Realistic Fiction, Fake Dating, AdultTwo people realize that it’s no longer an act when they veer off-script in this sizzling romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory.
Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama he’s trying to ignore and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star Anna Gardiner, however, it’s hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she’s also down to earth and considerate, and he can’t help flirting a little…
Anna Gardiner is on a mission: to make herself a household name, and this ad campaign will be a great distraction while she waits to hear if she’s booked her next movie. However, she didn’t expect Ben Stephens to be her biggest distraction. She knows mixing business with pleasure never works out, but why not indulge in a harmless flirtation?
But their lighthearted banter takes a turn for the serious when Ben helps Anna in a family emergency, and they reveal truths about themselves to each other, truths they’ve barely shared with those closest to them.
When the opportunity comes to turn their real-life fling into something more for the Hollywood spotlight, will Ben be content to play the background role in Anna’s life and leave when the cameras stop rolling? Or could he be the leading man she needs to craft their own Hollywood ending?
*MY THOUGHTS*
Since the first book in this series all the rest have been a hit or miss for me. And this one was a bit of a miss. I wanted so much more from this book. I thought since it had a celebrity, I was going to get a glitzy, whirlwind romance, but what I got instead was a road trip.
Ben works in advertising and this project he’s been working on is the biggest account he’s ever landed. The person they have for the ad is none other than the stunning actress, Anna Gardiner. As they work together to make the ad come alive, they get closer and closer. Until suddenly they’ve shared more than they thought with each other. But once they’re caught together, they make the decision to fake date to help boost Anna’s image. But what does Ben get out of that? And will that be ok with the two of them once it’s all said and done?
Ok, so lets get to what I didn’t like. THE ROMANCE. It was so boring. I wanted it to be so much of a whirlwind that I was jealous because I’d never know what it was like to be with a celebrity. But it was nothing like that. And when it finally was, it wasn’t real! And let’s be honesty, the hottest part of this romance was the car ride to the hotel room. I wanted more of The Wedding Party glitz and glam. I understand that their personalities are just different, but this could have used more pizazz. And the overall spice was a 2 like classic Guillory with a little more than fade to black.
The reason I gave it 3 stars still was the story telling and the representation that was shown. As a Black woman with anxiety, I understood SO MUCH of this side of Anna. And then when she mentioned that her parents always said “all she needed was prayer” or something like that, I felt for her. Black families are so quick to pass off mental health struggles as something that can be pushed away or dealt with by prayer and I felt so bad for her. I have been there and it is not fun. Unfortunately the family diversity with Ben fell SO. SHORT. Absolutely nothing happened plot wise with her and I felt like it was just something for him to “do” while he was with Anna. It turns out it was another way to introduce a new character. Who knows if there will be a book with this new person now. We shall see.
This wasn’t what I wanted this book to be lol It sounds so weird when I say it like that because I didn’t write it, but Idk how else to say it. This book needed some more glitter and personality. I was hoping for a huge celebrity when we got like B list instead. Hopefully things will be back to “normal” in the next book! (Is there one? Please say yes. I don’t want to leave off on this one!)
Overall, I give this
