One Last First Date by Kate O'Keeffe
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Romance
Blurb (on back of book):
Cassie Dunhill and her friends make a pact to marry the next guy they each date. What could possibly go wrong?
Cassie Dunhill is sick of dating. It’s been ten years and it’s time, time to find The One. It’s either that or buy a fetching habit and veil and abandon the whole thing. But Cassie believes in love, and she’s not ready to give up yet. Cassie and her best friends make a pact that the next date they go on will be their One Last First Date. The pressure is on to find Mr. Right, and Cassie’s the first to find him: Parker Hamilton. He’s good-looking, smart, cultured—and a doctor. Despite his obvious credentials, Cassie’s not taking any chances. She’s vetted Parker so thoroughly she could offer some pointers to the CIA. Needless to say, he passes with flying colors.
Things get complicated when Will Jordan, her irritating work colleague, muscles in on her dream job and her love life. Will is a typical guy, complete with nicknames for everyone, even Cassie. His good looks and relaxed, easy nature can be distracting. But Cassie can do without that kind of distraction right now, no matter how good Will looks with his shirt off.
In the end, is there only One Last First Date?
MY OPINION: ***
**short review**
I'm gonna be honest, I only picked this one up because it was on the Free charts on Amazon Books. I've been on a constant classics binge and now that it's spring break, it was time for me to take a break, cleanse the palate, and pick up a good ol' rom-com. I knew nothing about this one or what it was about so I went in very blindly.
I'd say it was nothing special. It follows the typical rom-com formula, with a couple of twists and turns and the happily ever after we all were waiting for. I read it in a day and it was cute and entertaining for what it was, but nothing about it particularly stood out. I wasn't getting the butterflies in my stomach that I was expecting.
Cassie and her friends basically make a drunken pact that their next first date would be with the man they would marry (so they have to choose wisely). She thinks she's found the perfect man with Parker, a rich doctor with virtually no flaws (except the return of the ex he's still in love with and snobby parents). However, her work "nemesis" Will Jordan keeps popping up in her mind out of nowhere, regardless of the fact that they "hate each other." It doesn't help that her best friend wants him as her last first date.
Obviously, Will was the better choice (duh). He was definitely the perfect amount of sarcastic and caring and I love that combination in the male love interests. That one scene where he was drunk really got me and officially converted me to Team Will (though I was NEVER Team Parker). I will say that this was marketed as an enemies-to-lovers and workplace-romance but I wasn't really seeing the "enemies" aspect. It was very childish and immature in my opinion. He clearly never hated Cassie and she didn't really have any valid reasons for hating him either. It just felt forced for the trope.
From what I remember, this is not dual POV, which I think would have made it so much better. I love dual POV, especially the man's perspective, so it was disappointing.
TBH, the ending felt so rushed and was giving plot armor. I was disappointed because even the third-act conflict wasn't enough for me to raise the rating on this one.
This is a very predictable romance and nothing too special or crazy. I will say that the writing felt juvenile at times and it's definitely more of a YA-feeling than the cartoon covers that I normally read. I'm not sure if I will continue the series or not but I found it interesting enough and might be inclined to keep reading if I find myself with nothing else to read.
Main Character: Cassie
Sidekick(s): Will, friends, etc
Villain(s): Misunderstandings, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was real to life.
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