Dating Jessica Brown

by T. Ashley

Jessica Brown can write a love story. She just can’t seem to live one. At thirty-five, she’s juggling deadlines, writer’s block, and her too-honest best friend, Adrian. When he pushes her onto a dating app, Jessica expects creeps, bad wine, and worse conversations.

What she doesn’t expect is for her fiction to start bleeding into reality. The dates she invents on the page begin to show up in real life—sometimes word for word. And when she matches with Sophie, a whimsical bookseller with secrets, and Monique, a confident gentlestud with a guarded heart, Jessica realizes the universe might be turning her drafts into destiny.

Dating Jessica Brown is a witty, whimsical sapphic rom-com about bad dates, blurred lines, and the courage to risk rewriting your own ending.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 17, 2025

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love to experience an author's versatility. After reading my first book by this author, I was excited to read Dating Jessica Brown and see more of her talent in action.
I absolutely adore her writing style. This book started out in an unexpected way but with such charm and humor, I couldn't put it down! I was completely enamoured with the characters and incredibly entertained by their banter and antics. Adrian was a force to be reckoned with...but then so was Monsieur Pickles!
Jessica's story and all of the indecision tugged hard at my heartstrings for sure. I was absolutely hooked and invested in what she would ultimately decide.
Oh Chapter 16...how you shattered my heart something fierce!
I felt all of Jessica's turmoil radiating down to my core. It was that intensely written!
The ending was perfect, somewhat unexpected, and yet everything I wanted it to be! 5 stars ALL DAY!

[Christina Purefoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you believe in Magic???

Dating Jessica Brown blends magical realism with modern dating fatigue, centering a writer navigating love, agency, and the uncomfortable realization that wanting something doesn’t always mean choosing it. The premise is playful and imaginative, exploring how intention, words, and self-belief shape the paths we walk — even when we swear we’re in control. While the story has moments of insight and charm, it often lingers too long in its own cleverness, making the emotional payoff feel slower than it needs to be. Thoughtful in concept, uneven in execution, this book ultimately asks whether fate is something that happens to us — or something we quietly write ourselves.

Tropes:
• Magical realism
• Dating apps & modern love
• Fate vs free will
• Writer main character
• Love as a mirror
• “The universe is side-eyeing you” energy

Vibes:
• Introspective with moments of sass
• Cozy ideas, frustrating pacing
• Soft magic, hard lessons
• “Girl… be serious” energy
• Read when you’re questioning your own patterns

What Didn’t Fully Work for Me:
Some repetitive descriptions pulled me out of the story, and a few continuity hiccups distracted from the otherwise thoughtful themes. The pacing also felt slower than necessary for a book of this length, which dulled the impact of moments that should have landed harder.

[April Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was like a warm hug! There’s a dash of magic and whimsy, the writing is spectacular, and the characters are delightful! I got choked up a few times, but laughed repeatedly! And the ending was smooth and gentle, but just perfectly tied it up! Loved it so much!!!

[Aliya Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished Dating Jessica Brown by T. Ashley, and let me start by saying this: the woman can WRITE. Her pen game, her wordplay, her flow—top tier. She’s truly an amazing author.

BUT… the story itself was a little boring for me. Yes, it was a cute love story about following your heart and not overcomplicating things, and I loved that message. But the pacing? Whew. It dragged. It was so wordy at times that I kept zoning out.

Honestly, if my Kindle wasn’t reading it aloud through Alexa, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. Around 42% I was ready to DNF like, what is going on?!

Still, I want to be clear—T. Ashley is an incredible writer. The story just didn’t hold me the way I hoped.

I’d give it a solid 3 stars… maybe even a 2.5 if I’m being real. The ending tried to bring it back, but the dragggg made it hard.

I was really excited to read it since it was an LGBTQ book club pick and my first time reading one in that lane, especially as someone in the community. I just wish the story itself hit harder. It was a lot.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there's one thing T. Ashley does well (and there are many), it's sweet sapphic romance.

Jessica is more like Messica, at least when it comes to her love life and her self-confidence, which, babes, relatable much?? Her internal monologue had me cracking up and saying, "same girl, same!" more times than I can count. Monsieur Pickles was such a fun counterbalance to Messica's chaos, and of course, as a cat lady, I always love a good feline character! I really wasn't sure how things were going to go, nor was I sure who I was rooting for as a love interest. Monique was sure and steady; Sophie was alluring and mysterious... Ugh I just loved the entire cast of characters! This was a fun listen and I can't wait for the next story.

[Cat5 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a romance. It's a story about self-discovery for the MC to gain enough self-confidence to feel worthy of a partnership with another human. The language is full of imagery, which eventually becomes cumbersome and slows the plot. The "magic of the universe" started off feeling poetic, clever, and fun, but halfway through traps the reader securely in the MC's brain, where she is obviously unhappy and the story stalls. Eventually the MC is TOLD THE TRUTH she needs to know. This feels like such a cheat, because we spend so much time in her brain while she struggles, and she doesn't even figure it out herself. She realizes she has power over her own happiness only after someone tells her that she does.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dating Jessica Brown is easily my favorite read of the year. It’s witty, warm, and so full of life that even Pickles the cat feels like a fully realized character.

There’s a touch of magic running through these pages—sometimes literal, always in the writing.

And if that weren’t enough, it’s also one of the funniest books I’ve ever picked up.

In short: the perfect romance.

[Stacia | stacialovestoread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soooo I def thought [redacted] was gonna be a romantic interest?? And [redacted] and [redacted] are similar and could have been combined into one character.

Also. Adrian is messy as all hell and tbh, I don’t think I could handle that kind of spontaneity for real.

The author does have quite a handle on similes and metaphors. Very good use of descriptions.

[Katie Flournoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Speak with intent.

This sweet, sapphic romcom is packed full of magic. Dating Jessica Brown is fast-paced, yet poetically soft with well-rounded characters. I look forward to reading more by Author T. Ashley!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anticlimactic

This was a slow start for me and felt anticlimactic.. I'm sure we can all relate to her is someway during dating, but she was too in her head for me. This took me a long time to finish.

[Mese E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's cute, a bit quirky, read.
What I thought I knew, I didn't. Had to keep reading.

[Britney Mouers · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You’ve got a way of making everything sound like a story worth hearing.”

So cute!💕

[Amy Lynn]

This might be a soft dnf, I’m not sure yet. I’m pretty disappointed I couldn’t get into this book.

[Janesa Townsend · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to get into this book. I almost DNF, but pushed through. This is a coming of age book by a romance and some of the content didn’t hit like I thought it would.

[Mecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so hard to get through which was a bummer. The premise was right up my alley but the writing was so monotonous I almost dnf. You can tell the author is a good writer because the prose and imagery were well done but the story was boring due to the pacing. Honestly although the imagery was well done it felt like it was there just to say "hey this is something im good at" but didn't really add to the story in a meaningful way. Although the story is about Jessica finding a relationship it didn't feel like a romance and more like a self help/self discovery sort of deal because she was so indecisive about what she wanted.

[Krystal Kantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a good read. I saw someone describe it as a warm hug and that’s exactly it. It was beautifully written and just a deep breath of fresh air after a day of holding everything in. I sunk into this book in the best way. I can’t wait to look up everything this author has ever written.