Pity Date

Pity #1

by Whitney Dineen

Faith
I should’ve known it wouldn’t work out.

In all my twenty-nine years, life has never been smooth sailing when a man was involved. Astor Hill was everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner—handsome, successful, and interested in me. Until he started cheating. The cherry on the sundae is finding out the truth less than two weeks before we’re supposed to stand up for our best friends at their wedding.

When a staggeringly good-looking and kind stranger comes to town and offers to take me to the wedding, I jump at his proposal. Who cares if he’s gay? Astor doesn’t need to know that.

Teddy
She thinks I’m gay?!

I’m taking a vacation from Hollywood and going back to Elk Lake. My grandfather hasn’t been doing well after Gram died and he needs my support. Luckily, I’m between blockbuster movies so I can make the time.

My first stop is Rosemary’s Bakery for one of the gingersnaps I remember so fondly from my childhood. The only problem is that the girl at the counter has eaten them all. After spilling my tea on me, she bursts into tears and tells me her troubles. I should be annoyed but I’m oddly charmed.

I know what it’s like to be dumped by a cheater, so I do the only thing I can think I offer to take her to the wedding to make her ex jealous. Unfortunately, with the help of the tabloids, things quickly spiral out of control…

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Rom Com, Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2023

About the author

Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries -- not always in that order.

She's a USA Today Bestselling & multi-award-winning author of romantic comedies, non-fiction humor, thrillers, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.

She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.

Gold Medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards 2017.

Silver medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016, 2019.


Finalist RONE Awards, 2016.

Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017, 2019

Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards and Top Shelf Book Awards, 2017

Reviews

[RateTheRomance · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have liked some of this author's books in the past, but unfortunately I decided to stop reading PITY DATE because of the constant weight-related jokes and mentions.

This book mentions:
- dieting in order to have a revenge body
- stopping stress-eating or your bridesmaid dress will split open
- "put down that cake"
- when the lead says she wants french fries her friend forces her to exercise instead so she will be thin for her wedding.
- "stop eating everything in sight."

So. Much. No. To. This.
Just NO.

I received a gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. And this was definitely honest!

[Susan Z (webreakforbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whitney Dineen is a MUST READ author if you love romcoms. Seriously, she is a queen!

Faith lives in small town Wisconsin (score 1 point for the midwest) and she has always been unlucky in love. It's no different today, at 29, when she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her. That is just fabulous given that they are standing up in their friends' wedding. AWKWARD!

In comes Teddy, a Hollywood star, unbeknownst to Faith. In an unlikely comedy of errors during their first meeting, with some major miscommunication thrown in, Faith thinks Teddy is gay. Spoiler alert: he's not. But as a result of the the lack of pressure, they become fast friends and he offers to be her (pity) date for the wedding.

Hilarity ensues. I never knew leg waxing could be so fun #iykyk

The ending was just BRILLIANT

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had Whitney Dineen’s books on my radar for a while now, so I was excited when she reached out for me to read her book Pity Date. YOU GUYS!!! From the very first page all the way to the end I was HOOKED! This is HILARIOUS, sweet, charming, and has such a great cast of characters that I wanted to move into the book and become friends with all of them! The tropes were great too! Normally I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope and normally I stay very far away from books with it in them but this one was so well done and felt so true to the story that I ended up loving it! And while I know this book is just now releasing but is it too early to say I want another one ASAP? Because I really do! Don’t miss this one my friends. It’s an absolute must read!

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙
❥ Friends-to-Lovers
❥ Small Town Romcoms
❥ Actor Heroes
❥ Fake Dating

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Chelsey (a_novel_idea11) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good friends to lovers and Dineen hit it out of the park with Pity Date.

When we first meet Faith and see how head over heels in love with Astor she is, we all know it'll never work out. And when Teddy Helms visits Elk Lake to spend some time with his grandfather, we all WANT him and Faith to fall madly in love and live happily ever after.

To be honest, I was expecting an enemies to lovers novel; especially after Faith is a complete mess in front of Teddy the first time she meets him, is totally rude, AND spills hot tea on him! When Teddy inadvertently suggested he was gay, I was floored. Definitely not the turn in the story I was expecting!

This was just the beginning of the surprises for me. So many romance novels follow a formula and it was fun that Dineen breaks the mold. Things I was expecting to happen never came to fruition and other scenarios that weren't even on my radar took center stage. It was fun, fast paced, and exciting.

Teddy was such an amazing individual and I hope there are celebrities out there that are able to stay that humble and true to their roots. It took me a bit to connect with Faith, but once she emerged from her breakup fog and we got to know her, she was easy to love.

All in all, this was super fun and I'll be excited to see where the series goes.

Thank you to the author for the advanced copy.

[T Rojo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once again fooled by a cute cover.

Book was too goofy for my taste, Faith acted like a child. She meets Teddy and just decides he’s gay? On what grounds? Because he’s nice? Faith also seemed to have an underlying eating disorder? She was constantly talking about eating too much a not fitting into clothes.

Book is supposed to be a “tribute” to 90’s rom-coms, I get It, but those themes don’t really work in 2023.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pity Date is everything you could ask for from a rom-com! Romance, humor, lots of sweet moments, supportive best friends, a cute small town, and, of course, DRAMA! I adored this novel from beginning to end. 

I liked the two perspectives so we could see both sides of the story, and how Faith and Teddy were trying to fight their attraction to each other due to being hurt in the past. They were both great characters and I loved their connection and banter. The waxing scene was super funny, but I will leave it at that! I liked all the supporting characters and it was easy to get angry at the "villains" because they were so awful. I especially loved Teddy's grandfather Theo. He was just so great and it made me miss my paternal grandfather. Also, I wish I could go to Rosemary's for some delicious sounding desserts! I also love that there was positive LGBTQ+ representation from Teddy's best friend and her partner.

I've been recently obsessed with The Other Two and the way people chase fame in this story reminded me of that show. Teddy's situation reminded me a bit of Pat's from the show, since she couldn't go out in public without being hounded by the press and all her fans. There's also all the rumors that make their way onto social media before you can blink!

My only "critique" is totally minor. The title of the song "And We Danced" (by the Hooters) was written as "And They Danced." I was all confused because I had a particular song in my head and kept questioning if that was the right one. Turns out later, it was. :) I just get weird about little details like that.

If you need a light and entertaining summer read, give this one a try! I even got teary-eyed at the end. I already can't wait to read Pity Party, which features one of the side characters from this book.

Movie casting suggestions:

Faith: Molly Gordon
Anna: Rachel Hilson
Teddy: Tom Brittney
Astor: Mason Dye
Lindsey: Victoria Justice
Theo: F. Murray Abraham (I loved him so much in White Lotus!)
GG: Michael Learned
Terri: Emily Rios

Originally posted at Chick Lit Central.

[Maria]

I'm not going to rate this because I didn't even get halfway through, I just want to say that assuming a man is gay just because he has watched rom coms is weird. Maybe this gets explained better later in the book, but I decided I didn't feel like continuing during this scene so I don't know.

Also, Faith is described as having awful awful luck with men, then goes to describe a small number of very normal rejections and breakups (including elementary school). I just rolled my eyes too many times. This book isn't for me.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whitney Dineen’s books draw me in right away and make me keep reading all night long. Her characters become your best friends, and they’re so relatable. There’s so much humor in her books that I laugh out loud in public, looking like a lunatic, but I don’t care! It’s so refreshing to have characters that aren’t perfect and are OK with it. Looking forward to the next one.



I received a copy from the author for an honest review.

[Terri Zumbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been waiting for PITY DATE to come out and when it did, I was totally into it from the first page. The teaser gives a good sense of the story, but it can’t adequately convey how really well written this book is.

I don’t know how Whitney Dineen gets the humor so right for her characters. In this book, it’s Faith that is so effortlessly funny, sweet, self depreciating, and unable to hide her emotions. Teddy just goes along with her perfectly. While he’s a big star, he’s humble and more about the people around him than himself.

The story has some conflicts you can see coming, and others you can’t. What doesn’t change is in spite of the conflicts, these two never compromise their good character and I really love that in this book. I can’t wait to read more stories in the Pity series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[nikkyireads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed a lot of things about this one. The main characters were very down to earth and likable (with the exception of Astor and Lindsey). I liked the plot, and the misunderstanding over Theo's sexuality had me chuckling. I was a little worried near the end when Lindsey showed up and concerned things wouldn't work out. I'm glad we got a HEA!

✨️Small Town
✨️ Fake Dating
✨️ Friends to Lovers
✨️ Slow Burn
✨️ Famous MMC

[Brooke Tate · Rating 2 out of 5]

*sigh* this had SO much potential. Storyline and characters were great at first. But then they started basically encouraging an eating disorder and continuously made statements about race that didn’t sit well with me. It also got super corny at the end. Yuck I cannot🤢😵‍💫

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little rom-com perfect for a road trip! It brought back a lot of nostalgia for me having spent my summers at a lake cabin in Wisconsin. Will definitely read this author again!

[Jennifer Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dual POV
LOL moments
Teddy the actor- the story revolves more on who he is vs him actually being on set acting
Faith the baker: strong heroine
Side characters are well developed

Faith cheated on- doesn’t know who Teddy is - assumes he is gay.

Teddy cheated on - just wanted to get away to the town he grew up in and to take care of his grandfather.

The story was good and VERY predictable. I don’t mind when a STORY is predictable or even written a zillion times from other authors. But this particular one started to drag for me around the 75% mark. It just lost its zest.

Good light read for the beach.

[Camryn O'Conner · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down. there was a lot wrong here to be honest but the weirdest was probably him pretending to be gay for 70% of the book + the body shaming

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute start to a promising new series. While it took me awhile to get into it, I think readers will enjoy this upbeat romcom. The Seven Brides for Seven Mothers and the Gamble On Love series are two of my across the board favorites and Pity Date had a different tone/style. However, I very much got into the end of the book and am really excited for the next book about Missy!!!

[Cassy Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book at first, Faith is quirky, and honest, and really fun. But as I got further into the book I found a lot of things lacking. The romance was very underdeveloped. There is very little on the page that shows the growing attraction/flirtation between Faith and Teddy so that by the time they admitted their feelings for each other, I didn’t believe it. The dialogue was cheesy, and the conflicts from the two exes was completely cliche. I did love Theo, and Anna was fine, but I just didn’t buy that she wouldn’t put up more of a fight when her fiancé’s best friend was caught cheating on her best friend. The whole story needed more fleshing out.

[CB · Rating 3 out of 5]

REVIEW
Score: 3/5
POV: Dual
Heat Level: 0/5
Tropes: friends to lovers (?); famous MMC; Small Town

Let me start off by saying the positives - both MCs are very likable. I feel like that’s typically rare for me to find as I usually favor one over the other. But I really liked Teddy & Faith. Also all the side characters are great.
Another positive is that this book was actually funny. I laughed numerous times.
Now for the negatives- for me a book that is “clean”, no sex, but is an adult romance is a negative. In my opinion, as an adult, there’s going to be sex in our romantic relationships. And this is a romance. So that was pretty disappointing and pretty unexpected.
The 3rd act breakup was also a negative for me due to the subject. Don’t want to put a spoiler but it was like a backwards trope of a trope I don’t like.
There were also some typos, etc.
so overall it was still a good read. It was funny and cute and the characters were all super likable but I won’t reread this & I’m unsure if I’d reach anything else by this author just because I don’t prefer “clean” romances. Now maybe that’s just this series. So I’ll dig more about future books of hers before reading.
3/5

[Becky of Becky's Bookshelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pity Date is first in the new Pity Series by Whitney Dineen. Faith has just found out that her boyfriend of one year is cheating on her, and not about to ask to marry her as she thought. Teddy is a Hollywood star who comes to Elk Lake to visit his grandfather and ends up saying he will take her to best friend’s wedding.

The town of Elk Lake Wisconsin was filled with great people and I loved the ambiance. Rosemary’s Bakery where Faith worked was a delightful place to eat amazing baked goods, gossip and find what Hollywood star is back in town. The characters were endearing and I enjoyed getting to know them better. Though this is a rom-com the author weaves in real life problems that touch all of us. The story felt real.

The great characters, interesting story and wonderful setting made this a great read. I am thrilled this is the first book in the series and look forward to visiting with my new friends in Elk Lake once again.
Thank you to the publisher for my copy. All thoughts are my own.
The story is clean, but for mature audiences.

[SurvivalWhorror · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to start off by thanking Whitney Dineen, the publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC read!!

I actually really enjoyed this book from start to finish! We follow Faith along who is known to have horrible luck with men but thinks her luck changed around with Astor only to find out he is a no good piece of crap who's been cheating on her for a month. Of course Faith is a mess after finding this out and here comes Teddy to the rescue... only Faith thinks he's gay and Teddy is confused on why the heck she thinks that!

Side note, I wish it was written a little differently when it comes to why Faith thought Teddy was gay as she only came to that assumption because he was helpful, which is an odd thing to jump to. But anyways...

Teddy is an indie actor who was broken up with because he was not a big enough star, only to have a big break on a movie, bet his ex is kicking herself now! Teddy decides to head to Elk Lake as his Grandpa Theo is having a really rough time after losing his wife, Teddy wants to help him fix up his house and see how his Grandpa truly is doing.

I really enjoyed the main characters' friends in this book, we love supportive queens and kings!

I won't say too much about this book because I don't want to give anything away, I think it was very cute overall!! There were moments in this book that actually made me laugh out loud! I really loved the Gilmore Girls references and I found the characters were likeable, the only thing I would change is adding some spice in this book. I suggest checking out more from this author and I will do so as well! :)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faith is a small town girl and Teddy is a up and coming new movie star. They are fresh out of bad cheating break ups. Teddy is in Faith's small town visiting his grandfather. He meets Faith at the bakery that she owns. He happens to run into her post breakup stuffing her face with cookies (relatable) and she spills his hot tea on him. What a way to meet! He learns that she could use a date to her best friends wedding and offers to take her so she doesn't have to go with her cheating ex. Also, they figure it's the perfect chance to show him what he's missing. Did I mention that Faith interprets something that Teddy says wrong and infers that he's gay?! He goes along with it for awhile because Faith really needs a friend right now. He doesn't want to take advantage of her vulnerability and he hasn't even dated since his breakup either. Then they both start to have feelings for each other and he has to figure out a way to tell her he's not really gay so they can have the chance to move forward in their relationship.

This books was such a sweet, delightful, funny and feel good read. I found myself racing to the end to find out how Faith's and Teddy's love story played out.

The only thing I would say that it needed more of is SPICE. That is a personal preference of mine though. I always like my romance books to be served with a healthy side of spice.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Whitney Dineen, and the publisher for the ARC of this book. :)

[Jackie Uhrmacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Faith is excited to watch her best friend, Anna, walk down the aisle, she can't wait for her turn. She just knows her boyfriend Astor is going to pop the question! She's so confident she has Anna do some recon. Anna discovers Astor does have big plans for Faith, they're just of the breaking up variety, not ones with wedding bells.

Teddy has finally hit it big in Hollywood, but he still has a void in his heart. He wants to share his life with someone special and raise a family, but the woman he thought he'd do that with cared more about stardom than love. Still nursing his broken heart two years later, Teddy decides to visit his grandpa in the town where he used to spend his summers. The moment he steps foot in that small Wisconsan town, he's greeted by a woman shoveling cookies in her face, and before he knows it, he's a goner. The only problem is, she thinks he's gay.

I really loved the plot of Pity Date. There were so many fun interactions between Faith and Teddy, and there were no huge miscommunications to muddle their relationship...except for the tiny one where he let her think he was into dudes. It's played off really well, and I loved how accepting Faith was when he came clean.

Pity Date kept me entertained from start to finish. The author knows how to keep the reader engaged and kept any romantic scenes fade to black. The reason why I give the book 3.5 to 4 stars is in the way Teddy talks. It reminded me of 80 year-old man. He was a great character. He just didn't seem like a young man. I had to rearrange some of the things he said in my head to keep from imagining this as an age gap romance.

Even with him old-timey lingo, though, I felt like he was a great hero for our suffering heroine!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Leanne Boyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the plot of the story and characters until it had a surprise pregnancy twist near end of the book (around 75% of the book finished). At that point it all felt very rushed, but it also made me feel that the author just wanted to quickly add in something to shock her readers. Instead of doing that for me, it just annoyed me significantly. It was so unnecessary in my opinion because it happened too close to the end. I feel it would have been better to introduce a twist like that in the middle of the book instead. I also didn’t like how Faith started treating Teddy during that scenario. If I say anymore I’ll spoil it, you would have to read it yourself to understand what I mean. Overall, I enjoyed the story until the pregnancy scenario. It just bothered me so much that I had to decrease the rating from a 4 star down to a 3 star read.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all: thank you, thank you, thank you Whitney Dineen for this amazing book. I loved it so much.

As a romance fan, this author is one of my must reads and Pity Date has to be my favorite so far.

You will love Faith and Teddy, they are cute, down to earth, believable characters and W.Dineen has created such a sweet world for them that I would love to live in Elk Lake, Wisconsin, too.

Please make a movie of this 5 star story: two lovable main characters (a movie star and a baker), so many great secondary characters and three insufferable ones, a small town with a real community ... You have it all.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Hallmark movie in the making!

This was such a fun and sweet love story. I loved the two main characters, Faith and Teddy, though I felt their story was rushed in a couple of spots. I wanted a little more!

The secondary characters in this book were also really great. I loved Faith and Teddy’s relationships with their grandparents and with their best friends.

Overall, this book was fairly fast-paced. Everything moved pretty quickly. I absolutely loved the story but some parts moved too fast and I would have loved a few more pages.

Overall, a great read! Thank you Whitney for the advanced ebook! I’m so happy I got to read this.

This is for you if you love:
- small town romance
- celebrity romance
- close-knit family/friend relationships
- friends-to-lovers

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kind of rom-com perfection!

I loved everything about this book: from the small-town setting to all the characters (except for the desginated “villains,” of course!).

While for the most part, this story is a lighthearted rom-com with the perfect mix of smiles and swoons (Faith and Teddy are just too adorable together!), it also tackles some heavier real-world issues and packs quite an emotional punch. And I truly appreciated the strong friendships between Faith and Anna (and her family) as well as between Teddy and Terri, and I would love to adopt every single one of them!

Can’t wait for the next book in the series!

[Patricia Baxes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohmigod—What a terrific read! Whitney Dineen has gifted us with a truly heartfelt story that will have you laughing and crying…and needing a large tumbler of something deliciously numbing. What a story! The storyline is amazing; the characters are really something; the plot twists and turns truly make you want to spit nails…but best of all is that fabulous HEA. Absolutely stellar on all counts. You really don’t want to miss this one, so grab your copy today! (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and was totally blown away…loved it!!) ❤️❤️❤️

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some reviews of this book are really harsh. As an avid reader, EVERY word counts. Faith truly thought Teddy was gay because of HIS response to her question. Did it cause a lie yes; but in fairness to the author, that was the catch for a pretty cool start to a friendship.

I almost didn’t read this book and I’m pretty sure it’s my first read by this author. I’m so glad I ignored those poor reviews!

A great story to enjoy!

[The Flipped Page (Susan K) · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute, sweet, with a bit of spice romance

Romance, sweet, contemporary, some drinking and bit of mention of sex;
Faith and Teddy’s romance is a fun rebound romance that has lots of great moments. Humor, sorrow, hardship, fun and a few curveballs before they get together. Loved their small mints that built their relationship. Friends first, then a sweet fall that almost wasn’t.

[kattt_n · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book from Whitney Dineen. I'm always a sucker for small-town romance and the cover and the blurb attracted me into reading this book.

This story revolves around Faith Reynolds and Teddy Helms- a baker and a Hollywood actor.

Located in Elk Lake, WI.
Faith is a local baker and Teddy is visiting his grandpa who lives there.
Both got cheated on by their exes.
Faith thought Teddy was gay (and this plot went on forever).
Both of their exes make an appearance, and Lindsey (Teddy's) tried to trap him with a baby (conflict at the end of the book).
Epilogued HEA.

Overall, it was an OK read for me. I was enjoying it but I was just not a fan of the pretending to be gay plotline and definitely not a fan of the whole Lindsey arc. But the epilogue was really cute.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Shelly | VixenReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a really fast read. It wasn’t terrible but I also feel it’s not going to be very memorable. The concept was cute though.
The characters were fine but I just didn’t feel a connection to them.