From the author of Schooled comes a witty rom-com about one couple on the cusp of new beginnings who suddenly find themselves wrestling with the past while contemplating their future.
Will Easterly leads a great life in Chicago. The postcollege uncertainty of his twenties behind him, he’s married to Rachel Armas, love of his life, and in just a few months he’ll become a father too. But instead of feeling excited, he finds himself doubting his ability to be a good parent. Probably because his own dad walked out when Will was only a kid.
So the day Rachel comes home in tears, he jumps at the chance to bury his own insecurities and focus on her. Turns out she was just offered her dream job…in Los Angeles. Already overwhelmed by the prospect of motherhood, Rachel turns it down, leaving Will to worry she’ll come to regret the decision.
Inspired by their binge-watching of the hit reality show Date Me Now!, Will plans a date week for a weeklong road trip filled with adventures. But when Will uses the trip to go behind Rachel’s back and get involved in her career, their future together is suddenly in doubt.
4.0 stars. Cute, sweet story. Lots of grins and several truly LOL moments which I've come to expect from this author after reading "Schooled". Ted Fox, I adore you for including the movie "It's Complicated" in Will/Rachel's story. It's one of my fav movies of all times. This story starts off a little slow but once it hits its groove it's so worth the fun read. Can't wait for more.
This was a nice story which was resolved very neatly. I liked the depth of detail on the character development but, for me, the pace was very slow and it really inched along to get to a not very exciting climax.
William and Rachel have everything: a home, careers, a baby on the wag, and most importantly, each other. They have their last 'do nothing' week: a whole week of annual leave to do nothing. But when Will sees the pressures of her impending motherhood piling on Rachel, he decides to turn their week into the road trip of a lifetime.
I loved the narration of this. It is told from Will's point of view, which is something I personally haven't really seen in the romance I have read. Will is a very emotionally mature and generally lovely guy. He is so in touch with Rachel. Even more so, he is in touch with himself: he is worried about the baby too, and the impact his own difficult relationship with his father will have on his ability to parent. I really liked seeing a male character explore those insecurities. To complement, Rachel was a genuinely nice character too. Their relationship was really beautiful - their chemistry leapt off the page. The whole book just made me happy to read. It was such a feel-good, heartwarming romcom. I can safely say if this ever transfers to the big screen I will be there on opening night!
Will Easterly is married to his college sweetheart, Rachal Armas, and they are preparing to be parents in a few months. When Rachel turns down her dream job across the country, Will takes matters into his own hands. Will takes Rachel on a spur of the moment road trip across the country, it turns into an adventure on the road but also an adventure in their marriage.
This was a beautiful look at marriage and caring for your spouse above everything else. It was a great example of being spontaneous and making every moment in a marriage fun. This novel also dove deep into childhood issues, dealing with those issues as an adult and realizing that we can’t always be in control. But most of all, it showed a wonderful picture of true love.
Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the advanced reader copy of this wonderful book being published on June 25, 2024. I will definitely recommend to all of my book loving friends #NetGalley #DateWeek
I don't know about other reviewers but I liked this book from the get go. Some of it was hopelessly funny. I got a thrill from reading Will's point of view. Not much is written from their side I don't think. But anyways, I really liked the characters and the storyline. This book definitely deserves 5 stars. I appreciate the author making these characters flowed, loveable and what I call a team. Even if they don't see it at first. That's what made this book so adorable laugh out loud. Well, anyways I loved both of them Will and Rachel. They were hilarious at times. Thanks for a wonderful rom com laugh out loud wonderful character type of story. This book made my day. I finish it one because it was so delightful. A great read and one I highly recommend! 5 stars! My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Incredibly slow-paced and with many fillers, Date Week by Ted Fox is about a man who plans a date week for his pregnant wife while he gets involved in her career behind her back.
Summary: Will Easterly arranges for a road trip with his pregnant wife Rachel Armas to go down memory lane and reminisce about their love story. In the meantime, he secretly arranges for the job interview Rachel turned down because she was pregnant.
Tropes/Genres: • contemporary fiction • married couple • a baby on the way • road trip down memory lane • daddy issues
Review: I'm sorry, but this book was painfully boring. Usually, I'm fine with books that are slow-paced and character-driven. However, this book was SO SLOW and had so many filler scenes that felt so pointless. The pop culture references, which I usually do not mind, felt very unnecessary – why do I need to know that Rachel's sweatshirt was from the Eras Tour? It's such an unnecessary piece of information that serves zero purpose apart from perhaps pleasing Swifties. And by the way, I am a Swiftie. I wasn't amused.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the first 33% of this book. I found the premise interesting and was excited to see what Will had planned for the trip and what other obstacles they may face along the way. However, whatever came after that was simply a mess. The encounter with her ex Seth was actually good, and I really didn't like his vibe. I wondered what role he had to play in this book – spoiler: nothing. He didn't appear after that. The only mildly interesting character in this book merely served as the driver of Will's insecurities. SPEAKING OF INSECURITIES, Sir, your wife is already married to you and having your baby, so why are you doubting her love for you? Seriously? Lame.
Will and Rachel are such unlikeable characters. Don't get me wrong. I started the book liking them, and they just became more and more unlikeable as the story went on. I think their struggles with their families are fair, but they are just so annoying, especially Rachel. While Will's struggles with whether he would be a good father are discussed fairly well in this story, Rachel merely comes across as annoying. I mean, she's still friendly with her ex who was so clearly still hung up on her despite being engaged, and she didn't even stop him from talking about their past, which included having sex on school grounds. Is that supposed to be funny now? Because it's not.
There are also many random scenes in this book that don't even make sense or contribute to the story. The main storyline is this married couple going on a road trip to reminisce their love story, all while the husband secretly arranges for a job interview his wife passed up because she was pregnant. In the end, there was a ton of random stuff like Will being high because Rachel thought buying him edibles was a good idea. And for some reason, they thought it was a good idea to try and hijack someone's dinner reservation on a ferry. Somehow, this is all supposed to be cute. They really aren't. There were even some random comments about race, climate change and whatever that's irrelevant to the story. It just made me wonder why the heck they're even there when they have nothing to do with the main storyline.
However, one good part about this book post-33% was when Will finally confronted his father. I think that scene is powerful, logically, even though it was so underwhelming for me because of how unenjoyable the bulk of the book had been. The build-up wasn't there, so I couldn't really feel the impact of that scene. It was just so sudden, but I'll add it as a plus point for effort! The tattoo scene was also quite sweet; reading about that small piece of their history was nice.
Overall, this book wasn't worth my time. There are just too many random scenes and the characters weren't likeable. By the way, the book description says it's a rom-com, but it doesn't feel like one at all. It would've been better if the book focused on the storyline instead of dumping random fillers. However, some people may enjoy this book, so if you're keen, it doesn't hurt to give it a shot!
This is another long overdue review of a book I accessed via NetGalley. The story follows Will and Rachel, a couple on the brink of parenthood, as they embark on a spontaneous road trip to reconnect before their lives change forever. Will, grappling with his own insecurities about fatherhood, plans the trip to support Rachel, who has just turned down her dream job. However, his well-intentioned surprise takes unexpected turns, leading to both comedic and poignant moments.
What I appreciated most was the depth of the characters. Will's internal struggles and his efforts to understand Rachel's perspective felt real and relatable. The narrative, told from Will's point of view, offered a refreshing take on the rom-com genre, providing insight into the male experience in relationships. The humor in the book was enjoyable. Yet, beneath the humor, there was a genuine exploration of love, trust, and personal growth. The pacing was steady, with enough twists to keep me engaged enough without feeling rushed.
If you're looking for a romantic comedy that's both entertaining and emotionally resonant, Date Week is a good choice. It's a reminder that sometimes, the best adventures are the ones that bring us closer to the people we love.
I don't know about other reviewers but I liked this book from the get go. Some of it was hopelessly funny. I was delighted to read from Will's point of view. Not much is written from their side I don't think. But anyways, I really liked the characters and the storyline. This book definitely deserves 5 stars. I appreciate the author making these characters flawed, loveable and what I call a team. Even if they don't see it at first. That's what made this book so adorable laugh out loud. Well, anyways I loved both of them Will and Rachel. They were hilarious at times. Thanks for a wonderful rom com laugh out loud wonderful character type of story. This book made my day. I finished it one day because it was so delightful. A great read and one I highly recommend! 5 stars! My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. D
This was a cute and sweet - and surprisingly funny - tale about a hapless man and his near-perfect wife and how their marriage survives his overreaching. Sound like a recipe you've encountered before? It is. But don't let that deter you, because Fox has done a very nice job making this story feel fun and fresh enough that even though it's not new ground, it's still a pleasant place to tread.
I really loved the neurotic self-deprecation combined with the witty snarkiness here - both Will and Rachel are human and real and flawed, but trying to navigate the new ground of her pregnancy and the offer of a dream job across the country. Their road trip is as goofy and rom-com-trope filled as you'd expect, and it's a hilarious and fun journey that I happily engaged in from the comfort of my living room.
The narration is well done and perfectly captures the emotion and humor of their situations, and I really liked the way things came together in the end. This was a fun book that kept me heartily entertained.
I received this book as an ARC from Goodreads. I did think it started a little slow for me but I found myself becoming more interested in the two main characters as the book progressed. They are a young married couple who are facing some major challenges or I guess changes in their lives. She is not very happy in her current job and they are expecting their first baby. They both also have challenging pasts with their family situations. He surprises her with a road trip vacation so they have some alone time before the baby is born. This book chronicles their week long road trip along with the internal questions and doubts they are both facing. The ending was somewhat predictable but I did really enjoy the book overall and found it entertaining. I would call it a light summer read.
I don't think I could love this book any more than I did! Ted Fox's first novel Schooled was so funny and refreshing, and Date Week definitely delivered the same level of humor and heart.
Will is a man on the cusp of becoming a father for the first time, and he's madly in love with his wife Rachel. She's pretty enamored of him, too, but he has doubts about whether he's worthy of her. They set out on a Midwestern road trip with some fun travel stops you don't read about in every other road-trip novel, which I loved. There are beautiful emotional journeys for both Will and Rachel alongside their physical journey.
Their relationship was adorable, the interactions they have along the way were relatable and realistic and hilarious, and I just loved every word of this novel.
A sweet and humorous look into how a marriage bond can grow over time as each spouse is changed by their everyday lives. Author, Ted Fox, captures this journey of how self-discovery in main character’s Will & Rachel, isn’t always just about oneself. This is a light hearted view of a relationship in the trenches together and what love looks like along the way. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of this book. As others have mentioned, It did have a few slow moving scenes but overall the author left me smiling.
*I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Will and Rachel are awaiting the birth of their first child and both have so much going on in their respective heads. Some things they share with each other, some they keep to themselves. When they have a week to spend off together before their lives changes forever, Will plans an entire weeklong road trip filled with adventures for them. All is going well until Will decides that he is going to fix things rather than just listen to his wife. Never a good idea, but it all leads to a lovely happily ending.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I enjoyed the 1st 30% of the book. There was a good amount of character development and I liked both of the characters. I was looking forward to seeing what happened on their trip. There was so much filler that made it even slower it was hard to keep going. I kept hoping that it would pick up and I'd like the book better but it was just slow paced and boring. While the synopsis of the book says it's a Rom Com, it did not sound or read like one. Once we finally got to the climax it wasn't much of one. Had I not been reading an advanced reader copy, I would have stopped at 40% but finished it so that I could give my review.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.
Thank you to @NetGalley for letting me listen to the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
This book had me crying, if you have a relationship issues with your dad this might hit you right in the feels. I loved the humor and the trip through my home state (Michigan). It reminds me of my trip through the UP with my own husband. It was cute story and I know the stress of becoming first time parents. Navigating adult life, parenthood and having hard conversations with your loved ones. The narrator was fantastic as well. I want to check out this author in the future.
This was a bit slow, but with some standout, laugh out loud moments. And a lot of references to Taylor Swift that will one day be dated but that I loved. Great to read a rom-com from the male point of view. While this book is now available, I was honored to read an ARC of this book via NetGalley and the author/publisher. All opinions are my own. 👀
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This book was surprisingly and very relatable as a parent and all the fears about being enough as a parent. I related to these characters so much and felt their fears and feelings of inadequacy. I really enjoyed this reading experience.
Two annoying people, married and expecting, self-centered and smug about just about everything. The premise was cute but the characters are so shallow, it all falls apart. Then the author has to wave his politics all over the place.
At 30% thought about marking this one as a DNF. Decided to push through. The not-so-confident-man-figure in books is not really my cup of tea. The best part was the 0.5s of the dog named Katie.
A sweet rom com with lovable characters and a story of self discovery and addressing our pasts. I enjoyed this second chance at love between these two characters
Although I enjoyed the local color of this romp through the Midwest—Chicago, Mackinac island, Ann Arbor, Nashville—it was just a bit too slapstick for me. The love story and seeing the tension of the build up to parenthood through the man’s eyes was fresh.
I'm fairly sure this is my first read by this author - and a very good read it is too!
Will Easterly's life is finally coming together; his studying years are well behind him and he enjoys his job but, most of all, he adores his wife, Rachel, and they are expecting their first baby. How could life get any better? Then Rachel is offered the job of her dreams, but it's in L.A. - quite some distance from their home in Chicago and, with the pregnancy and all, she turns it down but Will can't let it go. He plans a week's break for them both, culminating in an interview for the very job Rachel decided not to go for ... but he hasn't told her anything about it. He will, of course - when the time is right ...
I began reading this one and couldn't get into it; sometimes it depends on what my previous read was so I laid it aside and came back to it and spent the rest of the book wondering what my problem was! I think we've all been in Will's position at some point in our lives, agreeing to something on someone else's behalf, convincing ourselves that we'll spill all 'when the time is right' - but what if that never happens? I loved Willl and Rachel's Date Week; so much happening and a very entertaining read. Highly enjoyable, one I'm happy to recommend and give 4.5*.
This was a very enjoyable read. I really appreciated a contemporary rom-com that was about a long term couple reconnecting and on a journey of discovery on what they really want before their first child is born. This is so different than romances of people getting together for the first time.
I think this was all a great example of communication in a relationship. With the exception of the 3rd act conflict. When Rachel learns of Will's alternative interest on taking this trip she completely refuses to discuss with him and leaves, this seemed out of character considering all the communication and discussions they had up to that point.
Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for an advanced audio book for review
A man who has doubts about becoming a father does his best to be a supportive husband, only to have his big plan massively backfire. And if you're a Swifty, she's an important theme.
Date Week takes a humorous look at the bond of marriage and how the spouses change. While I loved the premise of the book and had high hopes for it, it moved rather slow for my liking, I would have rated it higher had it been faster paced.
*I received an advance reader audio copy of this book from NetGalley