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Bad Dates Club: An utterly hilarious and laugh-out-loud women’s fiction novel
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Expected 10 Sep 26Don't miss the next hilariously uplifting comedy novel from Mary Newnham, available to pre-order now!
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Expected publication September 10, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC! The review is personal and unaltered by external factors.
5/5
“Bad Dates Club” by Mary Newnham is a social fresco centred around the state of being a single, millennial woman in an emotionally stagnant and rather toxic dating scene. With sparkling humour, the novel is quintessentially the very definition of humour — one person’s tragedy is another’s comedy. Nonetheless, due to the very delicate and tender prose, one can see the duality of every humorous moment. There is pain, there is motivation, and, at the very core of it all, it is the undeniably charming and endearing millennial woman. The representation is exquisitely executed, and as a millennial woman myself, I couldn’t but relate to everything in this book, to an extent or another.
The plot is character driven — two flat mates, acquaintances from high school, Maddie and Violet, and their daily lives as they try to find their happy endings through (bad) dates. Maddie starts the journey with heartbreak, for in a very generation z manner, her younger boyfriend decides to ditch his entire life and try to “find” himself by travelling through Europe by van. Pathetic for a man aged 30 to do so, but alas, there’s more to this stereotype than just Oscar. He is quite well-written actually, this pathetic male side of putting everything and everyone on hold to “find” oneself being very stereotypical in this day and age. As such, Maddie finds herself on Hinge, trying to find her future husband and ends up spiralling through a serial bad dating experience. To top it all, she reconnects with an ex-boyfriend, who is also stereotypical — he replies to texts messages two or three days late, oftentimes having made Maddie feel like she wasn’t worth his time. The issue is not that he was busy, anyone could understand that, the issue is that he never realised that not texting fast in this day and age is a form of emotional neglect — by merely beginning his text with an apology, their break-up would’ve never happened. Nonetheless, Maddie perseveres, and her journey is a great read.
Violet’s situationship is pure postmodern horror and Hugh is the worst philanderer I have read in a long time — that is to say, he is so well-written that I couldn’t help myself from disliking him from his first appearance. Violet’s journey is more spiritual — she has to learn to prioritise herself, set proper boundaries, and keep her mind open to other experiences. Her character arc is more on the psychological side, yet it is as delightful and entertaining as Maddie’s, if not even more so, for it has a soothing aspect to it. Plus, the resolution with Hugh was very satisfying. Violet was a classy lady from start to finish. Special shout out to her being a redhead! I love seeing representation.
The friendship and sisterhood forming between the two girls is absolutely lovely. Like any relationship, it has its rocky moments, nonetheless, the resolution that one’s friend is always there in time of need is marvellous. There is nothing stronger in the world than female bonds.
The prose is lovely; the narration is in third person, offering the novel a tone of seriousness despite its humorous moments. I am honestly more biased towards third person narration, as it makes a literary piece proper, in my opinion. It just clicks better. There’s a dual perspective, and we get to experience both Maddie and Violet’s inner-workings. The language and vocabulary — while millennial at core too — differs between their two perspectives, which is a lovely and professional touch on the writer’s end. I genuinely found the entire prose refreshing. Postmodern, yet professional. The perfect blend for the intellectual millennial generation.
I would recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed “Funny Story” by Emily Henry, “Story of my life” by Lucy Score, and the classic “Bridget Jones's Diary” by Helen Fielding.
5/5
“Bad Dates Club” by Mary Newnham is a social fresco centred around the state of being a single, millennial woman in an emotionally stagnant and rather toxic dating scene. With sparkling humour, the novel is quintessentially the very definition of humour — one person’s tragedy is another’s comedy. Nonetheless, due to the very delicate and tender prose, one can see the duality of every humorous moment. There is pain, there is motivation, and, at the very core of it all, it is the undeniably charming and endearing millennial woman. The representation is exquisitely executed, and as a millennial woman myself, I couldn’t but relate to everything in this book, to an extent or another.
The plot is character driven — two flat mates, acquaintances from high school, Maddie and Violet, and their daily lives as they try to find their happy endings through (bad) dates. Maddie starts the journey with heartbreak, for in a very generation z manner, her younger boyfriend decides to ditch his entire life and try to “find” himself by travelling through Europe by van. Pathetic for a man aged 30 to do so, but alas, there’s more to this stereotype than just Oscar. He is quite well-written actually, this pathetic male side of putting everything and everyone on hold to “find” oneself being very stereotypical in this day and age. As such, Maddie finds herself on Hinge, trying to find her future husband and ends up spiralling through a serial bad dating experience. To top it all, she reconnects with an ex-boyfriend, who is also stereotypical — he replies to texts messages two or three days late, oftentimes having made Maddie feel like she wasn’t worth his time. The issue is not that he was busy, anyone could understand that, the issue is that he never realised that not texting fast in this day and age is a form of emotional neglect — by merely beginning his text with an apology, their break-up would’ve never happened. Nonetheless, Maddie perseveres, and her journey is a great read.
Violet’s situationship is pure postmodern horror and Hugh is the worst philanderer I have read in a long time — that is to say, he is so well-written that I couldn’t help myself from disliking him from his first appearance. Violet’s journey is more spiritual — she has to learn to prioritise herself, set proper boundaries, and keep her mind open to other experiences. Her character arc is more on the psychological side, yet it is as delightful and entertaining as Maddie’s, if not even more so, for it has a soothing aspect to it. Plus, the resolution with Hugh was very satisfying. Violet was a classy lady from start to finish. Special shout out to her being a redhead! I love seeing representation.
The friendship and sisterhood forming between the two girls is absolutely lovely. Like any relationship, it has its rocky moments, nonetheless, the resolution that one’s friend is always there in time of need is marvellous. There is nothing stronger in the world than female bonds.
The prose is lovely; the narration is in third person, offering the novel a tone of seriousness despite its humorous moments. I am honestly more biased towards third person narration, as it makes a literary piece proper, in my opinion. It just clicks better. There’s a dual perspective, and we get to experience both Maddie and Violet’s inner-workings. The language and vocabulary — while millennial at core too — differs between their two perspectives, which is a lovely and professional touch on the writer’s end. I genuinely found the entire prose refreshing. Postmodern, yet professional. The perfect blend for the intellectual millennial generation.
I would recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed “Funny Story” by Emily Henry, “Story of my life” by Lucy Score, and the classic “Bridget Jones's Diary” by Helen Fielding.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is fundamentally a novel about two women who become friends and lean on each other through the ups and downs of dating in their mid-thirties. The two main characters, Violet and Maddie, have been through the wringer when it comes to love. Maddie was dating a man-child who left to "find himself" via van life and dove back into the dating world via apps. Violet has been strung along by a man who seems to want her around but not all at the same time. The two become close while they figure out both themselves and what they really want in their lives both in terms of love and their own personal happiness.
This book started off a bit slow in my opinion and didn't make either of the main characters look too likeable. As the book went on, the story did improve. However, there were some minor things that took me out of the story a bit. The story had multiple POVs and was written sometimes in close third and other times not. It was challenging to know the POV at times and thus made me do a bit of "huh" when I was reading it.
Also, I understand I was reading an ARC but the sheer number of formatting and grammatical errors made the copy difficult to read. It interrupted the flow. Overall, the story was fine if a bit frenetic at times and a book I would say is worth a read but not something I would come back to again and again. A solid three stars.
This is fundamentally a novel about two women who become friends and lean on each other through the ups and downs of dating in their mid-thirties. The two main characters, Violet and Maddie, have been through the wringer when it comes to love. Maddie was dating a man-child who left to "find himself" via van life and dove back into the dating world via apps. Violet has been strung along by a man who seems to want her around but not all at the same time. The two become close while they figure out both themselves and what they really want in their lives both in terms of love and their own personal happiness.
This book started off a bit slow in my opinion and didn't make either of the main characters look too likeable. As the book went on, the story did improve. However, there were some minor things that took me out of the story a bit. The story had multiple POVs and was written sometimes in close third and other times not. It was challenging to know the POV at times and thus made me do a bit of "huh" when I was reading it.
Also, I understand I was reading an ARC but the sheer number of formatting and grammatical errors made the copy difficult to read. It interrupted the flow. Overall, the story was fine if a bit frenetic at times and a book I would say is worth a read but not something I would come back to again and again. A solid three stars.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
https://pinkstinx.blogspot.com
Bad Dates Club by Mary Newnham was a messy, very real look at modern dating, but it did not totally win me over. I really liked the friendship between Maddie and Violet more than romance, and honestly, that was the heart of the book for me. Their dynamic felt natural, funny, and relatable, especially with all the awkward dates, bad decisions, and “why are we like this?” moments along the way.
The book has charm, and some parts made me smile because they felt so true to the chaos of dating in your 30s. I also appreciated that it focused a lot on female friendship, personal growth, and figuring out what you want instead of just chasing romance.
That said, it took me quite a while to get into (over halfway), and the pacing felt a little uneven at times. Some scenes were really entertaining, while others just didn’t land as well for me.
★★★
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Dates Club by Mary Newnham was a messy, very real look at modern dating, but it did not totally win me over. I really liked the friendship between Maddie and Violet more than romance, and honestly, that was the heart of the book for me. Their dynamic felt natural, funny, and relatable, especially with all the awkward dates, bad decisions, and “why are we like this?” moments along the way.
The book has charm, and some parts made me smile because they felt so true to the chaos of dating in your 30s. I also appreciated that it focused a lot on female friendship, personal growth, and figuring out what you want instead of just chasing romance.
That said, it took me quite a while to get into (over halfway), and the pacing felt a little uneven at times. Some scenes were really entertaining, while others just didn’t land as well for me.
★★★
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I like the fact that they are in their 30s and not the usual 20s. Maddie & Violet have such drastic personalities & still in similar situations like
same text different font.
I am enjoying the pacing of the story. The set up is fun. Their banter, dilemma is nicely written.
The story is more focused on character growth than the plot. It is funny and serious all at right time.
It was a bit different than usual for me but the end was worth the journey.
I enjoyed it wholeheartedly.
"Nobody knows what goes on between two people. They could have their own world that nobody else understood."
Thank you Net gallery, Hodder & Stoughton and Mary Newnham for providing me with the ARC .
same text different font.
I am enjoying the pacing of the story. The set up is fun. Their banter, dilemma is nicely written.
The story is more focused on character growth than the plot. It is funny and serious all at right time.
It was a bit different than usual for me but the end was worth the journey.
I enjoyed it wholeheartedly.
"Nobody knows what goes on between two people. They could have their own world that nobody else understood."
Thank you Net gallery, Hodder & Stoughton and Mary Newnham for providing me with the ARC .
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC review
Such a refreshing take on what it is really like to date in modern London.
I laughed so much and didnt notice the time fly, as I managed to finish this in a day.
Vi and Maddie are such an unlikely pair of housemates and their dating is just as tragic. Only sad thing is that these situations are true for alot of women.
Such a refreshing take on what it is really like to date in modern London.
I laughed so much and didnt notice the time fly, as I managed to finish this in a day.
Vi and Maddie are such an unlikely pair of housemates and their dating is just as tragic. Only sad thing is that these situations are true for alot of women.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews