First Date Challenge

by Wendy Million

Makenna has never shied away from relationships. Meet a man. Move in with him. Twist herself into a pretzel to make him happy. After one breakup too many, her best friend dares her to snap out of her cycle. The task? Go on ten first dates before seeing any of the guys a second time. Seems easy, right? Armed with an online dating app and a local bar that reminds her of her carefree college days, Makenna is going to meet the challenge head on. There's only one problem...the bartender is really cute.Please This is a novella.

Genres: Novella, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

82 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2020

About the author

Wendy Million is an award winning author whose contemporary romances about strong women and troubled men have captivated her loyal readers. She is the author of the romantic suspense series The Donaghey Brothers, and the contemporary romance When Stars Fall, Miss Matched, and the NA sports romance, Saving Us.

Writing as W. Million, she has written The Bellerive Royals, The Tucker Family Billionaires, and the Little Falls small town series. Find those here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

When not writing, Wendy enjoys spending time in or around the water. She lives in Ontario, Canada with two beautiful daughters, two cute pooches, and one handsome husband (who is grateful she doesn’t need two of those).

Sign up for her newsletter at: www.wendymillion.com to receive free bonus chapter content from all my novels.

Follow her on Instagram for bookish pictures and news: https://www.instagram.com/million.wendy/

Reviews

[Andriana Ristevska · Rating 5 out of 5]

,,It's not always easy to say what draws people together. Just your heart knows what your brain hasn't figured out yet."

After too many bad experiences with dating, Makenna gets challenged by her friend to go on ten blind dates before agreeing on a second date. Seems pretty easy, right? That's that she thought. But, after seeing the candidates from the dating app in real life, she quickly regrets agreeing on this. It seems like her luck is busy doing something else because she doesn't seem to have a single mutual thing with these men, and honestly, she barely even stays throughout the whole date.

After a few dates, the only bright thing is the bartender, Liam, who is keeling her company after the date. He is tall, handsome and with a great sense of humor. Mekenna wonders why couldn't he be one of these boring men...

This is one of the cutest, sweet, cozy and phenomenal read that I've ever read in my life. It's a novella, so it's pretty short, but believe me, it has everything that it needs in order to capture your heart!

I'm in love with Wendy's writing style! So easy, fast-paced and yet, rich and deep. You are transported into this magical world that she created, and you can almost hear the noise in the bar, Mekennas excitement about this challenge and the world stopping when she and Liam look at each other. You can hear their heartbeat through the pages!

If autumn, coziness and rain could be a book, this one would be it!

I love, love, LOVE their conversations and the messages hidden between the paragraphs. It touches really important topics, and it fills you with hope, love and magic. ✨️

,,First Date Challenge" is sweet, cozy and irresistible book that will forever stay in your heart. It's a story about how everything happens for a reason, but maybe we can't see it right away. A story about two souls who are tied by an invisible red string and will be brought together no matter what. Story about the magical world we live in, and how WE are the ones that make it magical. A story about the simple life and how we should romanticize the simplest and smallest things. Simply unforgettable! 🤍

[neele · Rating 3 out of 5]

def a cute fast read

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome book that I really enjoyed. The story and characters grabbed me from the beginning and I couldn't stop reading. I loved the characters and watching them grow together, they were well written and went well together. I found this book amazing with great word building making me feel apart of the story and watching it unfold in front of me. A definite must read for any fan and I can't wait to read more from this author!!!

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written book with strong characters in Makenna and Kai. The author does a great job building the story as she delivers a sweet, humorous romance. She moves the story quickly and smoothly and delivers an enjoyable read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Helena Mendes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is very sweet and funny, the way Kai and Makena complement each other and fall in love while being friends is great. Her dates are terrible and funny the way she reacts to them.

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

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute moments but overall nothing special.. a lot of grammatical errors, weird moments where she’d emphasise his “dark skin” which felt a little awkwardly mentioned, the way it was worded made me feel icky. Should’ve DNF’d back at 20%

[Kathy Mccalmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short romance. It is really sweet and kind of silly. the characters are great with a fun and enjoyable storyline. It will make your day.

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

[SEng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accepting her friends dare, Makenna embarks on trying to go on 10 first dates before seeing any of the men a second time. I really love the premise of this story that brings her closer to Kai the cute bartender. I enjoyed this fun, flirty, entertaining romance. I received an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nikki Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short fun read - 10 first dates over 10 weeks.
Featuring a whole lot of duds, embarrassments, friendships and some chemistry.

[Emily Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good! went by fast

[Samantha]

I received an ARC from the author thru Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving my review. This is a short story of how the attempt to have 10 dates with other men brought Makenna and Kai together. It is humorous and light hearted. While Makenna may be there trying to meet someone new, she seems to now have 10 chances to see the hot bartender again. It makes for enjoyable story to read.

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

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a book that will have you laughing out loud and leave you giggling and smiling like a Cheshire Cat then this is the book for you.

The chemistry is electric and the banter is witty and flows naturally and once you add in the secondary characters you get the perfect rom com.

This review has been voluntarily submitted for your consideration.

[Maya Turnbull · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute little read!

[Misty Donohue · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute

This was a quick and fun read. It was lighthearted and funny. I couldn’t put it down once I started. There were some really good lessons for everyone in this book. A must read.

[Anonymous 5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading something by this author. What a wonderfully written romantic comedy! The story and characters were quite realistic. A delightful and unique story and full of great moments, this book will pull you right in and keep you engaged and smiling all the way through. The author does a great job of bringing the story to life with great characters that are lovable and endearing. Loved this story and I definitely recommend it!

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

[Amber Christiansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really sweet romance with plenty of humor. I enjoyed reading and experiencing Makenna's journey of self discovery and growth with her while she went on all her first dates, some much worse than others.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review, but my opinions are my own.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Life’s too short to deny ourselves happiness when we find it because we’re afraid of whatever comes next. You get on the bus, you ride the wave, you jump off the cliff. Because the truth is, you might not fall. You might find your wings and soar.”

✔️novella
✔️strangers to friends to lovers
✔️no breakup

I wasn’t sure if I would like this going in (I am usually not a big fan of books where one of the MCs is dating someone(s) else throughout the story UNLESS it is a why choose romance) but I was willing to give it a try because I like other books by this author and it is a very quick read. I will say that my expectations were exceeded and I actually really enjoyed it. Yes, the FMC goes on first dates with ten other men throughout the story, but aside from one that turned into a new friendship, the others were really a waste of her time and she knew that none of them would turn into a second date. The one positive of these dates for her was getting to see her new friend (the MMC) who is the bartender at the bar where she meets her dates.

This is a slow burn, where two strangers become friends and then more. The character growth that the FMC goes through is satisfying to watch unfold, and it was fun getting to see it all come together at the end. There is one chapter that includes a spicy scene (it is in the epilogue, there is a one year time jump) but it doesn’t feel out of place, it feels like the natural progression of their relationship (because they don’t get together until the end of the main story). Their HEA is so sweet to see and everything felt like it was tied up in the perfect way.

[XenyMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You’ve got my heart. I’m hoping you’ll keep it forever.”

This was a super cute, sweet, quick read about getting to know yourself, what you want, and learning to set boundaries.

Makenna is on a first date challenge set by her best friend where she has to go on 10 dates and not accept a second date from any of the men until she goes on all 10. While she was waiting for her first date, she met Kai, who was the bartender at the bar she selected.

Kai and McKenna quickly became friends and he would help her get through her encounters with her dates. By date 6, Mackena realized that she had started to develop feelings for Kai because, on all of her dates, she just kept comparing the guys to Kai.

I swear Kai deserves book boyfriend of the year award because not only did he help Makenna find herself and identify what she wants in a partner and how to say no to what she doesn't want, but he also sat there through all her dates with a smile on his face while pining for her until she finally accepted that he was the one for her.

Quote: “Life’s too short to deny ourselves happiness when we find it because we’re afraid of whatever comes next. You get on the bus, you ride the wave, you jump off the cliff. Because the truth is, you might not fall. You might find your wings and soar.”

[Savanna Hamrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It starts off where Makenna goes to the pub Kai works at and goes to sit on one of the stools to wait for her date, Kai shows up in front of her and it’s sparks flying and they get to talking. They have banter, easy going talks, amazing eye contact, laughs. Kai helps Makenna fly and learn to say no to people. After the 10 dates are finished that’s when Makenna gets really good advice from her last date and she goes to the pub which is shut down for the time being and her and Kai have there first and second kiss. Epilogue ends the story where Kai takes Makenna to meet his Mum and Dad in England; they have been dating for a year and living together for 6 months. Kai takes Makenna to his favorite spot (the ocean cliff) where he made an important decision and it led to Makenna…. He tells her all the things he knows about her and pulls out a black box with a ruby sparkling ring and gets down on one knee and ask her to marry him💍 of course she said yes! I mean who wouldn’t🥹 this is a good short novella with only one spice scene but it’s not really spicy more vanilla but it’s a good story.

[gemma.louise.xx.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

After her engagement ends Makenna’s best friend suggests she goes on 10 blind dates with 10 different guys before committing to any second dates. While waiting for her first date to arrive she meets bartender Kai and they strike up a friendship. As the weeks and dates progress, Makenna and Kai grow closer. Has the right guy been in front of her the whole time?

Ok so this was a really short (84 pages) novella but it was perfect! There was banter and flirting and chemistry between them from the start. And the dates were so real! It was like I was reading my friends recaps on their disaster stories!

[Alli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was cute, but I felt like the author wrote an outline, fleshed out about 30% of it, and called it done. It was a whole lot of telling that something happened, and not so much showing.

There was a paragraph that said, "Ten dates in ten weeks and... I'd learned a lot about myself and what I was willing and able to accept from a man;" when I read that, I was all: reeeeeeeally?! I don't remember seeing that happen!

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an almost perfect short story. As someone that does not usually read short stories and finds I usually want them longer I felt this met all my wants in the story. I wish we had seen a little bit more of the relationship after the fact between Makenna and Kai, however I enjoyed the parts the story hit on and the ending was extremely satisfying. It did not feel like an insta-love story and instead a realistic side of developing feelings.

[Geraldine Streit · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is not much to review. The story is ok but in my opinion it’s lacking of passion and humour.i was hoping for some really awful but with a funny sarcastic twist. Unfortunately the description of those dates are almost clinical.

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

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet story about learing ourselves and growing and how that effects everything in our lives. McKenna is sweet and kind and caring and a bit of a pushover. Kai is sweet and loving and wise. Very cute book.

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

[Autumn Payne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m kind of glad this book was a novella… there were so many things I didn’t like about this book. The concept was solid, the chemistry also solid. The writing was not as solid. The book kept going from first to third person randomly, like in the middle of a sentence. Also, I the book was clean until the epilogue, like at that point why include anything

[Nicole Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute novella. The characters had great chemistry and I enjoyed the fast paced story telling. The only criticism I had, was that there were a few grammatical errors where it would switch between first and third person. It didn't interfere with the story though and I was able to look past it. Overall it was a great book. I read it in one sitting as I simply couldn't put it down.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay book. It only takes an hour to read at most. The characters were likeable, the storyline was short so I’m glad it was kept as a novella. Slightly cringy at times, and the ending was bleh. But the writing was better than some of the KU books I’ve read soooo

Wouldn’t recommend but wouldn’t warn someone against reading it either.

[Bre S · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Finished in one sitting and absolutely loved Kai!!!! It’s a novella so it’s fast paced but it was still detailed and easy to follow. I personally just wanted a little bit more in the epilogue, but I still very much enjoyed this book.

[Confidentlyinthe.clouds Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

awwwww

Now this was absolutely adorable,

Her best friend challenges her to ten dates with no second dates unless she really likes the person.

The bartender is so freaking sweet
What a cute novella

Definitely recommend

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

a cute & quick fun little read!
who know the love of your life is right infront of you when you’re chasing dates. this proves you don’t always need an app to find your true love because they can be right where you least expect it!