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The Perfect Date
When a single mom ends up playing an unwilling fake girlfriend to a charming playboy baseball player, love suddenly turns everything upside down in this fun, heartwarming multicultural romance.
Angel Gomez has never lived by the book. A Bronx-based unwed mother by the time she was 16, Angel’s personal mission has always been to show the world that a Puerto Rican girl is not to be messed with - especially by a man. The only thing that matters to Angel, now, is providing for her son and earning enough tips at the club to complete her nursing degree along the way. Love is nowhere on her agenda.
Caleb “The Duke” Lewis is a star pitcher for the Bronx Bolts whose romantic escapades make delicious fodder for gossip columns. But lately, he’s been trying to keep a lower profile - so much so that when he meets Angel, first while she’s in her nurse uniform and the next time behind the bar, she has no idea who Duke is, fails to fall for his obvious charm, and ends up throwing a drink in his face! She is the perfect woman for Duke...to fool the tabloids into thinking he’s finally settling down. But what begins as a charade soon has Duke and Angel hurtling into a full-blown romance that rocks each of their worlds and begs the question: Is this the real deal - or are some love stories just too good to be true?
Angel Gomez has never lived by the book. A Bronx-based unwed mother by the time she was 16, Angel’s personal mission has always been to show the world that a Puerto Rican girl is not to be messed with - especially by a man. The only thing that matters to Angel, now, is providing for her son and earning enough tips at the club to complete her nursing degree along the way. Love is nowhere on her agenda.
Caleb “The Duke” Lewis is a star pitcher for the Bronx Bolts whose romantic escapades make delicious fodder for gossip columns. But lately, he’s been trying to keep a lower profile - so much so that when he meets Angel, first while she’s in her nurse uniform and the next time behind the bar, she has no idea who Duke is, fails to fall for his obvious charm, and ends up throwing a drink in his face! She is the perfect woman for Duke...to fool the tabloids into thinking he’s finally settling down. But what begins as a charade soon has Duke and Angel hurtling into a full-blown romance that rocks each of their worlds and begs the question: Is this the real deal - or are some love stories just too good to be true?
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2019
69 people are currently reading
3439 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Lozada
9 books150 followersEvelyn Alexandra Lozada is an American television personality, model and spokesperson. Lozada was one of the five main cast members in the VH1 reality series Basketball Wives throughout its run. Lozada is set to return to the cast of the sixth season of the series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 517 reviews
May 9, 2020
I have made a mistake y'all. There is no one to blame but myself. I did this. I decided to read this book. I decided to go into it expecting a cute, contemporary romance, thinking that I would enjoy it.
But, alas, it was not. And I did not.
But, there's not much to be done about it. I can't unread it. And I can't take back the hours of my life I spent reading. So, I might as well review it and get this over with.
I had a lot of issues with this book. Obviously. One such issue came from the fact that both of the main characters, Duke and Angel are total a**holes through most of the novel. They are mean and unnecessarily rude to people. It's obvious that the author meant for us to find it endearing or to show how tough and independent they are, or whatever, but it comes across as the characters being complete a**holes. Which they are. Especially Duke.
As a part of their a**holery, both characters are such woman haters and I couldn't stand it! For all that Angel talks about being a single mother and working hard as a woman and all that, she is constantly putting other women down with this holier-than-thou vibe she has going on.
And because Angel is oh so special, and is not like other girls™ Duke is also putting down other women when he's in her presence. All other women are fake or sluts or are trying way too hard. All but Angel, of course, because as her name implies, she's a perfect heaven send and is absolutely without fault and can obviously do no wrong.
That's an actual line in the book of Duke thinking about Angel. Because she's #unique and #special for not throwing herself at his feet and letting men walk all over her.
And the drama! This wasn't so much a rom-com as it was a pure, overly dramatic drama. And yes, I said 'dramatic drama', deal with it. The point is, there was so much shallow drama that I couldn't bring myself to actually care about. There was so much going on for such a short book and I didn't care for any of it!
Then there was the editing. I realize this was an ARC and that there are often mistakes in them that will be *hopefully* fixed when it's published, but the errors here really annoyed me. They might have annoyed me less if I hadn't been annoyed with the story itself already.
There were several grammar errors that the English major in me couldn't ignore. The POVs also kept randomly switching without warning or there would be time jumps without any establishing moment to let us know it happened, and it was all really confusing.
Then there was the Spanish, which was also not good.
There is so much that is wrong with that sentence in Spanish. And it's not just the fact that that's not what it really translates into. The grammar and tenses are off too. And as a native Spanish speaker, I could not let that slide. Was there no one around who spoke Spanish when they were editing it? Was Google Translate not working? I have so many questions!
I'm gonna hope these things at least, get fixed in the final draft, but honestly, I don't really care. Part of me wonders if I'm being too harsh on this one but most of me can't be bothered. I had to skim the last 25% because I just wasn't feeling it.
Needless to say, I don't recommend this one. Life is too short and the TBR too long for people to read crappy books.
**An ARC was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own**
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But, alas, it was not. And I did not.
But, there's not much to be done about it. I can't unread it. And I can't take back the hours of my life I spent reading. So, I might as well review it and get this over with.
I had a lot of issues with this book. Obviously. One such issue came from the fact that both of the main characters, Duke and Angel are total a**holes through most of the novel. They are mean and unnecessarily rude to people. It's obvious that the author meant for us to find it endearing or to show how tough and independent they are, or whatever, but it comes across as the characters being complete a**holes. Which they are. Especially Duke.
As a part of their a**holery, both characters are such woman haters and I couldn't stand it! For all that Angel talks about being a single mother and working hard as a woman and all that, she is constantly putting other women down with this holier-than-thou vibe she has going on.
And because Angel is oh so special, and is not like other girls™ Duke is also putting down other women when he's in her presence. All other women are fake or sluts or are trying way too hard. All but Angel, of course, because as her name implies, she's a perfect heaven send and is absolutely without fault and can obviously do no wrong.
"She’s not like the other women I know."
That's an actual line in the book of Duke thinking about Angel. Because she's #unique and #special for not throwing herself at his feet and letting men walk all over her.
And the drama! This wasn't so much a rom-com as it was a pure, overly dramatic drama. And yes, I said 'dramatic drama', deal with it. The point is, there was so much shallow drama that I couldn't bring myself to actually care about. There was so much going on for such a short book and I didn't care for any of it!
Then there was the editing. I realize this was an ARC and that there are often mistakes in them that will be *hopefully* fixed when it's published, but the errors here really annoyed me. They might have annoyed me less if I hadn't been annoyed with the story itself already.
There were several grammar errors that the English major in me couldn't ignore. The POVs also kept randomly switching without warning or there would be time jumps without any establishing moment to let us know it happened, and it was all really confusing.
Then there was the Spanish, which was also not good.
"Usted va a la escuela, muestran al mundo que las niñas puertorriqueñas no deben ser,” Mama said. You go to college, show the world Puerto Rican girls are not to be messed with."
There is so much that is wrong with that sentence in Spanish. And it's not just the fact that that's not what it really translates into. The grammar and tenses are off too. And as a native Spanish speaker, I could not let that slide. Was there no one around who spoke Spanish when they were editing it? Was Google Translate not working? I have so many questions!
I'm gonna hope these things at least, get fixed in the final draft, but honestly, I don't really care. Part of me wonders if I'm being too harsh on this one but most of me can't be bothered. I had to skim the last 25% because I just wasn't feeling it.
Needless to say, I don't recommend this one. Life is too short and the TBR too long for people to read crappy books.
**An ARC was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own**
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May 13, 2019
I feel like I was fooled into believing this would be a contemporary romance. It wasn't. It was a drama show.
Angel is a single mother on her way to getting her nursing certification. Duke is a baseball star whose career is on the line.
In the blurb ‘sparks’ are mentioned between these two. I saw no sparks and that really dissapointed me. If I'm supposed to be rooting for a couple, they have to have some kind of chemistry.
I also never felt a connection with any of the characters. In the beginning Angel is very impulsive and short tempered. I'm usually very understanding when it comes to characters making stupid decisions, because we'll, none of us are perfect and you can't expect a character to be. But after making stupid decision after stupid decision, I just couldn't.
Duke, frankly, came across as a serious jerk. And that's it. That's his whole personality.
There was hardly any character development and the only person I did like was Angel's best friend, Gabriella.
This was rushed and the ending was abrupt and the whole book lacked emotional depth.
Maybe I'm being too harsh but I really wanted to love this because, come on! Look at that adorable cover!! But no. The cover and title was completely misleading.
_______
Buddy read with Beatrice
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Angel is a single mother on her way to getting her nursing certification. Duke is a baseball star whose career is on the line.
In the blurb ‘sparks’ are mentioned between these two. I saw no sparks and that really dissapointed me. If I'm supposed to be rooting for a couple, they have to have some kind of chemistry.
I also never felt a connection with any of the characters. In the beginning Angel is very impulsive and short tempered. I'm usually very understanding when it comes to characters making stupid decisions, because we'll, none of us are perfect and you can't expect a character to be. But after making stupid decision after stupid decision, I just couldn't.
Duke, frankly, came across as a serious jerk. And that's it. That's his whole personality.
There was hardly any character development and the only person I did like was Angel's best friend, Gabriella.
This was rushed and the ending was abrupt and the whole book lacked emotional depth.
Maybe I'm being too harsh but I really wanted to love this because, come on! Look at that adorable cover!! But no. The cover and title was completely misleading.
_______
Buddy read with Beatrice
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 2, 2019
Thank you St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I buddy read this with the lovely Azrah and we're both frustrated. Definitely check out her review! :)
Well...that was disappointing. Don't let the cover deceive you it's gonna be a fluffy and cute romance novel. IT'S NOT and I am so frustrated because it's loaded with drama, the relationship between the characters is toxic and the hero is HORRIBLE. Having diverse characters aren't enough for me to like the book, the heroine and her son saved this book.
LIKES
* The heroine. Angel Gomez is a fighter. She's a student nurse and I admire her perseverance. Sometimes she's quick-tempered but it's understandable because it's tough balancing her job, studies and raising an asthmatic kid. Everyday she has to deal w/ her pervert and sexist bosses just to provide their daily expenses and her son's medicine. It's pretty stressful but she handles it like a champ.
*The heroine's son. Jose is an adorable kid. He's a huge fan of Duke and it's impossible to hate this child. He's lovely, gentle and cute. Angel raised him well and I love how passionate he is on baseball in spite of his condition.
DISLIKES :
* The hero. Caleb "Duke" Lewis is an arrogant, stubborn and condescending guy. He's a trash and I don't like how he treats Angel. He's very rude and there are couple of times he left her hanging. I'm more irritated when he said that her boring life needs to be boosted. THE. AUDACITY. OF. THIS. GUY. Good thing the heroine is merciful but if I were her, I'll dump him without second thoughts.
* The drama. Like I mentioned, it's filled with it and I'm stressed! It's way over the top. Duke's ex, Regina and his father loves stirring trouble. Don't get me started with Dr. Collins, Angel's boss. That dude deserves to be on jail for sexual harassment.
* The writing style. It's engaging and quick-paced but it's choppy. The scenes abruptly shifts from one point to another and it's confusing. I thought I was reading Angel's part and I didn't realize I was on Duke's.
This book needs polishing and unfortunately I don't recommend it. It'll only stress you out and too bad it has a lot of potential.
I buddy read this with the lovely Azrah and we're both frustrated. Definitely check out her review! :)
Well...that was disappointing. Don't let the cover deceive you it's gonna be a fluffy and cute romance novel. IT'S NOT and I am so frustrated because it's loaded with drama, the relationship between the characters is toxic and the hero is HORRIBLE. Having diverse characters aren't enough for me to like the book, the heroine and her son saved this book.
LIKES
* The heroine. Angel Gomez is a fighter. She's a student nurse and I admire her perseverance. Sometimes she's quick-tempered but it's understandable because it's tough balancing her job, studies and raising an asthmatic kid. Everyday she has to deal w/ her pervert and sexist bosses just to provide their daily expenses and her son's medicine. It's pretty stressful but she handles it like a champ.
*The heroine's son. Jose is an adorable kid. He's a huge fan of Duke and it's impossible to hate this child. He's lovely, gentle and cute. Angel raised him well and I love how passionate he is on baseball in spite of his condition.
DISLIKES :
* The hero. Caleb "Duke" Lewis is an arrogant, stubborn and condescending guy. He's a trash and I don't like how he treats Angel. He's very rude and there are couple of times he left her hanging. I'm more irritated when he said that her boring life needs to be boosted. THE. AUDACITY. OF. THIS. GUY. Good thing the heroine is merciful but if I were her, I'll dump him without second thoughts.
* The drama. Like I mentioned, it's filled with it and I'm stressed! It's way over the top. Duke's ex, Regina and his father loves stirring trouble. Don't get me started with Dr. Collins, Angel's boss. That dude deserves to be on jail for sexual harassment.
* The writing style. It's engaging and quick-paced but it's choppy. The scenes abruptly shifts from one point to another and it's confusing. I thought I was reading Angel's part and I didn't realize I was on Duke's.
This book needs polishing and unfortunately I don't recommend it. It'll only stress you out and too bad it has a lot of potential.
February 25, 2019
I was super excited to read The Perfect Date by Evelyn Lozada. I mean look at that cover! Super cute :).
Unfortunately, this wasn't the best romantic read. I feel like this book was more of a drama than a rom-com?
I also wasn't a fan of Duke or Angel. Angel has a serious temper and blows up over everything. Duke was also annoying to me. He is recovering from a shooting and is a baseball player... he ignores everything the doctor's tell him and plays on his ankle. I just was more annoyed with the characters then rooting for his love story? Ugh...
Additionally, I think it may have been due to the advanced arc but the transitions into the different characters POV was confusing. There wasn't any chapter breaks/etc to break up the changes.
In my opinion, this wasn't a very memorable story and was super disappointed.
It was lacking emotion, depth, and overall characters that you can connect with!
Not sure if I was the right audience for this book but just fell extremely flat for me :(.
2.5 stars for The Perfect Date
Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 6/11/19
Published to Goodreads: 2/24/19
Unfortunately, this wasn't the best romantic read. I feel like this book was more of a drama than a rom-com?
I also wasn't a fan of Duke or Angel. Angel has a serious temper and blows up over everything. Duke was also annoying to me. He is recovering from a shooting and is a baseball player... he ignores everything the doctor's tell him and plays on his ankle. I just was more annoyed with the characters then rooting for his love story? Ugh...
Additionally, I think it may have been due to the advanced arc but the transitions into the different characters POV was confusing. There wasn't any chapter breaks/etc to break up the changes.
In my opinion, this wasn't a very memorable story and was super disappointed.
It was lacking emotion, depth, and overall characters that you can connect with!
Not sure if I was the right audience for this book but just fell extremely flat for me :(.
2.5 stars for The Perfect Date
Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 6/11/19
Published to Goodreads: 2/24/19
March 12, 2019
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
Good lord. I have never read a book in recent memory that was pretty much panned by all of the readers who posted reviews for it. I wish I had looked at Goodreads before applying for this book via NetGalley. I wanted some romance reads and I was thrilled that this book was a romance read with two POC as the romantic leads. I also really loved the cover too.
So pro, this is short, around 280 pages. So I was able to finish this pretty quickly between my screaming at the character of Angel and feeling appalled and repulsed by the character of Duke.
Con, everything else. Let's get to it shall we?
So "The Perfect Date" should not even be in the same sentence with other romance reads like "The Wedding Date" and "The Kiss Quotient." Those books were fantastic, and this book just reads as a how many ways can a woman's life be terrible.
Angel Gomez is going through nursing school while bartending trying to provide for her son, Jose. Caleb "The Duke" Lewis, known as Duke throughout this story plays for the Yankees (he's a pitcher) who is still recovering from being shot in the ankle that left one of his team members dead and him dealing with a lot of angst and anger over the incident. These two have a "messed up cute" when Angel is at the clinic dealing with her son who is suffering from an asthma attack and Duke is there trying to keep it hidden that he is seeing a doctor about his ankle. There's some long winded explanations about why Duke doesn't want anyone to know that his ankle is still not doing that great.
Angel and Duke meet again when she's bartending and he asks if she's a stripper and can he see her [redacted]. I maybe full body shuddered. Angel throws a drink, gets fired, and poor Duke feels bad. Though his agent and friend think she was asking for it due to how she was dressed.
Can I also bring up that before all that mess with Angel and Duke meeting again, that Angel walks in on her boss having sex with the hostess and it's graphically explained what is happening and I could feel my insides trying to climb into one another?
There's no development to these characters by the way. The whole way we get to the "romance" portion of the evening made my head hurt. Angel is of course just attracted to Duke though he propositioned her and thought she was a stripper.
I felt sorry for Angel, sorry for her son, and despised Duke and his terrible father. Duke at several points in this romance puts his hands on Angel and I started wishing that the book ended with his death.
Duke's father and that whole plot point just made me sigh. Along with Duke and the plot point with his ex Regina that had me disgusted.
I really wish that this could have just been a more rags to riches romance with a woman learning about being thrust into the celebrity sphere and maybe focusing on the lack of privacy, money, etc. This whole book read very soap operaish at times and not in the good way either.
The writing was not great.
The flow was not great either. I am assuming that when the final book is published we are going to have some page breaks or paragraph breaks between dialogue. A few times I realized that we had switched over to Duke and we were still not following Angel's POV. That said, the book doesn't move forward much at all. Took to more than the half way point for things to get revealed.
I feel so dirty right now. I should have put up a gif of a thumbs down and been done with this review.
Good lord. I have never read a book in recent memory that was pretty much panned by all of the readers who posted reviews for it. I wish I had looked at Goodreads before applying for this book via NetGalley. I wanted some romance reads and I was thrilled that this book was a romance read with two POC as the romantic leads. I also really loved the cover too.
So pro, this is short, around 280 pages. So I was able to finish this pretty quickly between my screaming at the character of Angel and feeling appalled and repulsed by the character of Duke.
Con, everything else. Let's get to it shall we?
So "The Perfect Date" should not even be in the same sentence with other romance reads like "The Wedding Date" and "The Kiss Quotient." Those books were fantastic, and this book just reads as a how many ways can a woman's life be terrible.
Angel Gomez is going through nursing school while bartending trying to provide for her son, Jose. Caleb "The Duke" Lewis, known as Duke throughout this story plays for the Yankees (he's a pitcher) who is still recovering from being shot in the ankle that left one of his team members dead and him dealing with a lot of angst and anger over the incident. These two have a "messed up cute" when Angel is at the clinic dealing with her son who is suffering from an asthma attack and Duke is there trying to keep it hidden that he is seeing a doctor about his ankle. There's some long winded explanations about why Duke doesn't want anyone to know that his ankle is still not doing that great.
Angel and Duke meet again when she's bartending and he asks if she's a stripper and can he see her [redacted]. I maybe full body shuddered. Angel throws a drink, gets fired, and poor Duke feels bad. Though his agent and friend think she was asking for it due to how she was dressed.
Can I also bring up that before all that mess with Angel and Duke meeting again, that Angel walks in on her boss having sex with the hostess and it's graphically explained what is happening and I could feel my insides trying to climb into one another?
There's no development to these characters by the way. The whole way we get to the "romance" portion of the evening made my head hurt. Angel is of course just attracted to Duke though he propositioned her and thought she was a stripper.
I felt sorry for Angel, sorry for her son, and despised Duke and his terrible father. Duke at several points in this romance puts his hands on Angel and I started wishing that the book ended with his death.
Duke's father and that whole plot point just made me sigh. Along with Duke and the plot point with his ex Regina that had me disgusted.
I really wish that this could have just been a more rags to riches romance with a woman learning about being thrust into the celebrity sphere and maybe focusing on the lack of privacy, money, etc. This whole book read very soap operaish at times and not in the good way either.
The writing was not great.
"He was staring at her.
So, she stammered. You are the Duke.
And you are the nurse. Not a stripper.
Ha ha. Very funny."
"The music suddenly changed, became louder. His mood lightened.
He was ready to dance, let off some steam and watch Angel move those hips and shake that ass.
Looking at her glistening skin and alert eyes, he suddenly had a strong urge to unpin her hair and run his fingers through it, let her long curls fly around free.
She finer than every woman in here."
"A couple of the women squeezed his popped muscles, oohing and aahing, but Angel simply hoisted her glass at him.
Impressive, she said, her eyebrow arched.
Oh duke, you must be so excited. It's almost time for you to start playing again, isn't it? one of the younger women asked--the girlfriend of a rookie who was already at spring training.
He turned up the charm. I'm a playa all the time, am I right?
She giggled. I guess. For an old guy.
Ooh, ouch. Kicked me right in the nuts with that one.
Well, a hot old guy...Does that make you feel better?
Almost as good as if you had that hot little ass pressed against me.
It was like out of a cartoon, the silence that followed.
He could swear a needle screeched across a vinyl record and a circle of faces whipped from Duke to Angel and back."
The flow was not great either. I am assuming that when the final book is published we are going to have some page breaks or paragraph breaks between dialogue. A few times I realized that we had switched over to Duke and we were still not following Angel's POV. That said, the book doesn't move forward much at all. Took to more than the half way point for things to get revealed.
I feel so dirty right now. I should have put up a gif of a thumbs down and been done with this review.
July 30, 2022
The internalized misogyny is real strong with this one. Honestly, I got the ick pretty early on but decided to stick it out because, after reading the reviews I thought, “there’s no way this book is THAT bad”. But it’s worse 🥴
What was supposed to be a cute and fluffy read left me feeling pretty disturbed.
I DNF’d it at 51%.
What was supposed to be a cute and fluffy read left me feeling pretty disturbed.
I DNF’d it at 51%.
June 8, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.
There are usually two veins in any story that draws me in as a reader. First, strong characterization and second, situations that evoke a ballroom of emotions that connect me with the characters. In The Perfect Date I didn't really like Angel or Duke and wish they had never met. If I were Angel's friend, I would probably advise that she's surrounded by disgusting men( like her boss, Frank and Dr.Collins who both expect sexual favors from her) and that Duke is no better. Duke is a cliched baseball player hiding his medical problems and hoping Angel will play the part of his girlfriend to stem the media frenzy around his career. Oh so many things proceed to worsen for the couple and I became so turned off by the way in which the author tried to smokescreen some serious issues.
So the only emotional response I was feeling by the end of this ARC was anger and frustration. In some ways this is exactly the reason why Fifty Shades never worked for me. I just cannot buy into sex and loneliness turning into a "love story. " Especially when the male protagonists, such as Duke, actually exhibit signs of violent behavior and physical abuse towards the female protagonist.
Goodreads review 08/06/ 9
Publication Date 11/06/19
There are usually two veins in any story that draws me in as a reader. First, strong characterization and second, situations that evoke a ballroom of emotions that connect me with the characters. In The Perfect Date I didn't really like Angel or Duke and wish they had never met. If I were Angel's friend, I would probably advise that she's surrounded by disgusting men( like her boss, Frank and Dr.Collins who both expect sexual favors from her) and that Duke is no better. Duke is a cliched baseball player hiding his medical problems and hoping Angel will play the part of his girlfriend to stem the media frenzy around his career. Oh so many things proceed to worsen for the couple and I became so turned off by the way in which the author tried to smokescreen some serious issues.
So the only emotional response I was feeling by the end of this ARC was anger and frustration. In some ways this is exactly the reason why Fifty Shades never worked for me. I just cannot buy into sex and loneliness turning into a "love story. " Especially when the male protagonists, such as Duke, actually exhibit signs of violent behavior and physical abuse towards the female protagonist.
Goodreads review 08/06/ 9
Publication Date 11/06/19
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2019
1.5 stars
I’m not sure what I just read but it didn’t live up to the blurb or the sweetness of that cover, the two things that drew me in to requesting this ARC. I am going to keep this short as I don’t have a lot to say that isn’t critical. The story and characters were a hot mess. I couldn’t stand the male MC, I wanted to like Angel but she grated over time. The story felt like a parody-but-serious take on the real housewives of somewhere with more drama than you can imagine. In addition, there were also some factual inaccuracies that grated.
*EDITED ONE DAY AFTER FINISHING*
This book is still on my mind for the wrong reasons and so I went to look at who the author was and not only was this co-written with a professional writer but the main author is on a TV series called Basketball Wives. Call my review validated, I did not know this when I wrote the above review.
I’m not sure what I just read but it didn’t live up to the blurb or the sweetness of that cover, the two things that drew me in to requesting this ARC. I am going to keep this short as I don’t have a lot to say that isn’t critical. The story and characters were a hot mess. I couldn’t stand the male MC, I wanted to like Angel but she grated over time. The story felt like a parody-but-serious take on the real housewives of somewhere with more drama than you can imagine. In addition, there were also some factual inaccuracies that grated.
*EDITED ONE DAY AFTER FINISHING*
This book is still on my mind for the wrong reasons and so I went to look at who the author was and not only was this co-written with a professional writer but the main author is on a TV series called Basketball Wives. Call my review validated, I did not know this when I wrote the above review.
May 16, 2019
On my blog.
Rep: black mc, Latina mc
CWs: sexual assault
Galley provided by publisher
This book is not a romance. It may look like a romance, it may market itself like a romance. But it’s not. It’s more like if you took the show Hit the Floor, made it baseball rather than basketball, fed it steroids and turned it into a book.
The blurb for this book is misleading, because literally nothing it says actually happens. We start the book introduced to Angel, a hardworking mother of one small boy, who is close to completing her exams to be a nurse. And I thought, great, here’s a heroine I’m going to love. Then we’re introduced to Duke, a misogynistic arsehole who plays baseball. Which is when I thought, yeah I’m gonna have a problem with this.
Ultimately, what got me down about this book was the sheer amount of misogyny in it. Duke and his friends are forever making inappropriate remarks about the women around them, like:
So like. She’s asking for it but also she isn’t like those girls who just sleep around with everyone, she’s actually sexy? Is that what we’re saying here?
And this was early on. This was immediately after the “meet-cute” where Duke asks Angel if she would strip for him so he can see her tits. She, understandably, chucks a drink in his face. And then this. So when I say I was fuming the whole time I read this book, I mean it.
If that had been part of Duke’s character development (and done well) maybe, maybe, I could have come to like him. It wasn’t, so I didn’t.
But not only is this just kind of excused and brushed under the rug, he later shows up at her work and follows her. When she’s clearly said go away. And then she ends up kissing him? Peak romance here. That’s totally gonna work.
And then, it turns out, Angel has some lovely internalised misogyny going on! It wasn’t really on the page, but I got distinct vibes of her looking down on every other woman she met. I mean, sure, a lot of them were also written as awful women themselves (maybe the author needs to kind of confront that herself too), but god the girl hating got so tiring.
So, individually, they’re pretty dislikeable characters. Together, they’re hardly any better. There’s some mess where Duke’s ex is having sex with his friend (who is married) at his friend’s party. Angel walks in, Duke’s ex then goes on to accuse her of being the one sleeping with the friend. Everyone, including Duke, believes the ex. Later on, the ex leaks a sex tape of her and Duke he didn’t know had been filmed, and Angel then makes that all about herself (with some admittedly understandable concerns, sure, but not the time!). They just don’t have any sort of chemistry or trust.
Oh and then it turns out the ex was straight up blackmailing Duke’s dad because she had a video which apparently showed him shooting his best friend (only it wasn’t him, she knew this, and was blackmailing the actual culprit too!). So you can see why I’m calling this less a romance and more a soap opera.
Finally, there is a sexual assault scene between the creepy doctor that Angel is doing her exam with, and Angel. He basically makes her feel up his dick but then we get this, frankly horrifyingly damaging, statement that:
As if anything like that isn’t damaging anyway.
Turns out the least of my problems was how little I liked the writing.
Rep: black mc, Latina mc
CWs: sexual assault
Galley provided by publisher
This book is not a romance. It may look like a romance, it may market itself like a romance. But it’s not. It’s more like if you took the show Hit the Floor, made it baseball rather than basketball, fed it steroids and turned it into a book.
The blurb for this book is misleading, because literally nothing it says actually happens. We start the book introduced to Angel, a hardworking mother of one small boy, who is close to completing her exams to be a nurse. And I thought, great, here’s a heroine I’m going to love. Then we’re introduced to Duke, a misogynistic arsehole who plays baseball. Which is when I thought, yeah I’m gonna have a problem with this.
Ultimately, what got me down about this book was the sheer amount of misogyny in it. Duke and his friends are forever making inappropriate remarks about the women around them, like:
“C’mon, you were hitting on her. She should be used to it. She’s fucking dressed like a tramp. Obviously she wants the attention.” “She’s no thot. That nurse is sexy as hell.”
So like. She’s asking for it but also she isn’t like those girls who just sleep around with everyone, she’s actually sexy? Is that what we’re saying here?
And this was early on. This was immediately after the “meet-cute” where Duke asks Angel if she would strip for him so he can see her tits. She, understandably, chucks a drink in his face. And then this. So when I say I was fuming the whole time I read this book, I mean it.
If that had been part of Duke’s character development (and done well) maybe, maybe, I could have come to like him. It wasn’t, so I didn’t.
But not only is this just kind of excused and brushed under the rug, he later shows up at her work and follows her. When she’s clearly said go away. And then she ends up kissing him? Peak romance here. That’s totally gonna work.
And then, it turns out, Angel has some lovely internalised misogyny going on! It wasn’t really on the page, but I got distinct vibes of her looking down on every other woman she met. I mean, sure, a lot of them were also written as awful women themselves (maybe the author needs to kind of confront that herself too), but god the girl hating got so tiring.
So, individually, they’re pretty dislikeable characters. Together, they’re hardly any better. There’s some mess where Duke’s ex is having sex with his friend (who is married) at his friend’s party. Angel walks in, Duke’s ex then goes on to accuse her of being the one sleeping with the friend. Everyone, including Duke, believes the ex. Later on, the ex leaks a sex tape of her and Duke he didn’t know had been filmed, and Angel then makes that all about herself (with some admittedly understandable concerns, sure, but not the time!). They just don’t have any sort of chemistry or trust.
Oh and then it turns out the ex was straight up blackmailing Duke’s dad because she had a video which apparently showed him shooting his best friend (only it wasn’t him, she knew this, and was blackmailing the actual culprit too!). So you can see why I’m calling this less a romance and more a soap opera.
Finally, there is a sexual assault scene between the creepy doctor that Angel is doing her exam with, and Angel. He basically makes her feel up his dick but then we get this, frankly horrifyingly damaging, statement that:
[she’d] broke free before the man could do any real damage.
As if anything like that isn’t damaging anyway.
Turns out the least of my problems was how little I liked the writing.
February 17, 2019
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Skip this book! I really thought I would like this story but as I read on, the star rating went lower and lower. I was going to settle on at least two stars because this book offers a good amount of diversity but nope. There's not one likable character in this whole book except maybe the child. Angel is studying for the nursing exam and The Duke is a baseball player who is recovering from a shooting. Angel has a serious temper and she blows up at the drop of a hat. She does have an excuse with BOTH her bosses being sexist jerks but otherwise, it's too much and too quickly. The Duke ignores the advice of doctors and keeps playing on his messed up ankle and the people he hangs out with are all terrible. It's not even until the very final pages that you're even contemplating liking or rooting for the characters. The villain of this book doesn't even get a satisfying finish nor are they fleshed out enough in the first place.
It's not a straight romcom about fake dating. It's a complicated drama that isn't well thought out or established well enough to get excited about it. The characters haven't known each other long enough to get into the situations they do and actually care what happens.
The editing in this book is NOT good. The transitions between character POVs is terrible and lacking clarity in every chapter. I found myself having to go back multiple times because I didn't realize the setting had changed after a couple sentences. Dual POVs is fine with me in books but there's literally no spacing or chapter breaks to discern between them. There needed to be more build-up to the proposition of fake-dating as well as the time between fake-dating and real dating. It was all too much too soon. Very little about this book will stand out as memorable. The only good thing about this book is that it was a quick read. Definitely do not recommend.
Skip this book! I really thought I would like this story but as I read on, the star rating went lower and lower. I was going to settle on at least two stars because this book offers a good amount of diversity but nope. There's not one likable character in this whole book except maybe the child. Angel is studying for the nursing exam and The Duke is a baseball player who is recovering from a shooting. Angel has a serious temper and she blows up at the drop of a hat. She does have an excuse with BOTH her bosses being sexist jerks but otherwise, it's too much and too quickly. The Duke ignores the advice of doctors and keeps playing on his messed up ankle and the people he hangs out with are all terrible. It's not even until the very final pages that you're even contemplating liking or rooting for the characters. The villain of this book doesn't even get a satisfying finish nor are they fleshed out enough in the first place.
It's not a straight romcom about fake dating. It's a complicated drama that isn't well thought out or established well enough to get excited about it. The characters haven't known each other long enough to get into the situations they do and actually care what happens.
The editing in this book is NOT good. The transitions between character POVs is terrible and lacking clarity in every chapter. I found myself having to go back multiple times because I didn't realize the setting had changed after a couple sentences. Dual POVs is fine with me in books but there's literally no spacing or chapter breaks to discern between them. There needed to be more build-up to the proposition of fake-dating as well as the time between fake-dating and real dating. It was all too much too soon. Very little about this book will stand out as memorable. The only good thing about this book is that it was a quick read. Definitely do not recommend.
June 20, 2019
I have recently been into sports romances and I am always up for a fake girlfriend story. Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. I didn’t connect with either of the characters or buy into their romances. I’m disappointed because this sounded like it was going to be a really good read
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book
February 24, 2019
Edited to add: This book was an ARC provided in return for an honest and fair review.
This book surprised me because it was both a traditional romance and a surprisingly real depiction of what life is like among people with a lot of money. (For those looking for a sweet romance, know that there is some ugliness to this world that can be offputting.) Angel was very admirable, trying to balance her life priorities and deal with some major challenges. Duke is, frankly, immature and has very poor judgment. However, unlike the other famous/wannabe friends he hangs around with, Duke has a good heart,. Part of this book is Duke growing up. and recognizing that Angel represents not just love, but true happiness leading a decent life. He isn't worthy of her, but becomes so.
Some of the awful people in the book really ring true -- they are either narcissists or suffering from major cases of arrested development. It's easy to see that they are poisoning Duke with their warped selfishness, and that's another interesting element of the plot.
This book is a little rough around the edges -- I feel like a little bit more editing could have made it smoother. However, it was interesting, in particular the depiction of Duke's world.
This book surprised me because it was both a traditional romance and a surprisingly real depiction of what life is like among people with a lot of money. (For those looking for a sweet romance, know that there is some ugliness to this world that can be offputting.) Angel was very admirable, trying to balance her life priorities and deal with some major challenges. Duke is, frankly, immature and has very poor judgment. However, unlike the other famous/wannabe friends he hangs around with, Duke has a good heart,. Part of this book is Duke growing up. and recognizing that Angel represents not just love, but true happiness leading a decent life. He isn't worthy of her, but becomes so.
Some of the awful people in the book really ring true -- they are either narcissists or suffering from major cases of arrested development. It's easy to see that they are poisoning Duke with their warped selfishness, and that's another interesting element of the plot.
This book is a little rough around the edges -- I feel like a little bit more editing could have made it smoother. However, it was interesting, in particular the depiction of Duke's world.
June 10, 2019
I'm going to blame myself for this one since I went into The Perfect Date with the expectations of enjoying a cute and fun contemporary romance. I wasn't prepared for the drama and cattiness that I read instead and it made the book less than enjoyable for me.
I don't even feel like getting into a long rant over what I didn't like about this book, and there wasn't much that I did enjoy, but overall it just wasn't the book for me. The romance got buried under all of the drama happening and that drama is also what had me unable to connect to either character. Honestly they both seemed like jerks to me and I really didn't appreciate how the author went so hard with the whole "Every female is a bitch - other than the heroine, of course" thing. I've read it before, it seems to be a trend, but it's not one I appreciate.
Bottom line, I didn't like it but I would never tell other readers not to try a book that seems interesting to them. So if the blurb intrigues you and you're ready for some drama llamas, this may be the book for you.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
I don't even feel like getting into a long rant over what I didn't like about this book, and there wasn't much that I did enjoy, but overall it just wasn't the book for me. The romance got buried under all of the drama happening and that drama is also what had me unable to connect to either character. Honestly they both seemed like jerks to me and I really didn't appreciate how the author went so hard with the whole "Every female is a bitch - other than the heroine, of course" thing. I've read it before, it seems to be a trend, but it's not one I appreciate.
Bottom line, I didn't like it but I would never tell other readers not to try a book that seems interesting to them. So if the blurb intrigues you and you're ready for some drama llamas, this may be the book for you.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
July 4, 2019
I read Evelyn Lozada's
The Perfect Date
on a whim, basically as a romantic palate cleanser. The plot was banal, the love interest was an ass sometimes, and the whole mystery aspect didn't make a lot of sense.
But overall, it's a fast read.
But overall, it's a fast read.
May 5, 2019
What the fuck. My eyes are bleeding. I'm back to my naive teenage years thinking guys who are mean and treat you like shit are soooo swoonworthy.
Seriously. I once had half my calf bitten off by a dog and it wasn't as painful as reading this book smh
Seriously. I once had half my calf bitten off by a dog and it wasn't as painful as reading this book smh
February 18, 2019
I don't think I've ever given a book a rating this low. I love romances with baseball/football/sports components, but this was not something I would recommend. Y'all, it was bad. BAD.
January 5, 2023
Misogyny? In my “feminist” rom-com? It’s more likely than you think.
This is the worst book I’ve ever read and I’ve literally had to read Michel Foucault for school multiple times.
This is the worst book I’ve ever read and I’ve literally had to read Michel Foucault for school multiple times.
August 21, 2021
I'm embarrassed by the fact that this review is two years overdue (and yes, that's absolutely my bad) but once I decided to pick this up yesterday, it didn't take long for me to realise why I never finished reading it in the first place. This went from zero to cringefest so fast that it left me feeling whiplash wondering how the hell everything spiralled downhill so quickly. I'm really struggling to find something I liked about this book but right now I'm wishing that I DNF'd it, and the only reason I didn't is that it's an ARC. I guess the cover is quite cute but aside from that, it's a lot of *yikes*.
The book started out okay—there were some weird inconsistencies with the writing but I thought that it would get better, plus, I did like the first glimpse we got of Angel and her son, Jose. Jose is a sweet and precocious child and you could tell Angel really wanted to give her son a better life. She's undoubtedly a hardworking single mum and I did appreciate that about her character. She also had a decent support system in the form of her best friend, Gabriela, who I did like whenever she appeared on the pages. In my opinion, Gabriela and Jose were the two best characters in the book, and perhaps it's because they had very little page time compared to the other very unlikeable hot messes in this.
To say that I struggled to like 99% of the characters would be a massive understatement, which made it very difficult to buy into the story but especially the romance. There was simply nothing there! From the moment our H/H meet at the clinic where Angel works through to the very end of the book, I could not find one reason why these two should be together because their "relationship" was a toxic dumpster fire that never should've happened. My bitter feelings were definitely influenced by the fact that I did not like them as individuals. Angel is a hardworking mum but she was disappointingly judgemental and selfish to the point it became irritating. It also didn't help that the writing was so repetitive and she had the same thoughts until the very end, so there was no development to her character. Duke is probably one of the worst heroes I've ever read in a book—if you want me to NOT root for a hero, make them like Duke. He was a condescending, egotistical, misogynistic asshole, and he was one of the main reasons I never finished in the first place. Some of the things that came out of his mouth were just... laughably shocking! I don't know how we readers were expected to root for or feel empathetic towards a character who was a major dillweed for a big chunk of the book. The other characters were awful caricatures of playboy athletes, their gold-digging hangers-on, and crass family members and agents who treat everyone like they're beneath them. There really were very few positive things for me to latch on to!
As I mentioned, the writing was repetitive but it was also very clunky and awkward. It didn't flow well and that wasn't helped by the fact that we would get alternating POVs within chapters. I enjoy books that have alternating views, especially in romances where we get to see what our H/H think and feel, but it's usually done in alternating chapters. I really didn't enjoy reading changing POVs within one chapter, especially because there was little to distinguish between the perspectives, not to mention the change was always done so abruptly. I realise this is an ARC and so that particular issue could've been fixed in the final copy (through proper formatting), but it was just a jarring experience that compounded the many struggles I already had reading this.
Overall, this was so incredibly disappointing. I was really fooled by the cuteness of this cover and the promise of a sweet fake-dating romance and got nothing of the sort! I really don't know how this is titled 'The Perfect Date'? Honestly, if you consider the Duke the perfect date, I'd be pretty concerned and ask if you were okay. Oof, I definitely wish I could get back the hours I spent reading this because it was not worth it!
The book started out okay—there were some weird inconsistencies with the writing but I thought that it would get better, plus, I did like the first glimpse we got of Angel and her son, Jose. Jose is a sweet and precocious child and you could tell Angel really wanted to give her son a better life. She's undoubtedly a hardworking single mum and I did appreciate that about her character. She also had a decent support system in the form of her best friend, Gabriela, who I did like whenever she appeared on the pages. In my opinion, Gabriela and Jose were the two best characters in the book, and perhaps it's because they had very little page time compared to the other very unlikeable hot messes in this.
To say that I struggled to like 99% of the characters would be a massive understatement, which made it very difficult to buy into the story but especially the romance. There was simply nothing there! From the moment our H/H meet at the clinic where Angel works through to the very end of the book, I could not find one reason why these two should be together because their "relationship" was a toxic dumpster fire that never should've happened. My bitter feelings were definitely influenced by the fact that I did not like them as individuals. Angel is a hardworking mum but she was disappointingly judgemental and selfish to the point it became irritating. It also didn't help that the writing was so repetitive and she had the same thoughts until the very end, so there was no development to her character. Duke is probably one of the worst heroes I've ever read in a book—if you want me to NOT root for a hero, make them like Duke. He was a condescending, egotistical, misogynistic asshole, and he was one of the main reasons I never finished in the first place. Some of the things that came out of his mouth were just... laughably shocking! I don't know how we readers were expected to root for or feel empathetic towards a character who was a major dillweed for a big chunk of the book. The other characters were awful caricatures of playboy athletes, their gold-digging hangers-on, and crass family members and agents who treat everyone like they're beneath them. There really were very few positive things for me to latch on to!
As I mentioned, the writing was repetitive but it was also very clunky and awkward. It didn't flow well and that wasn't helped by the fact that we would get alternating POVs within chapters. I enjoy books that have alternating views, especially in romances where we get to see what our H/H think and feel, but it's usually done in alternating chapters. I really didn't enjoy reading changing POVs within one chapter, especially because there was little to distinguish between the perspectives, not to mention the change was always done so abruptly. I realise this is an ARC and so that particular issue could've been fixed in the final copy (through proper formatting), but it was just a jarring experience that compounded the many struggles I already had reading this.
Overall, this was so incredibly disappointing. I was really fooled by the cuteness of this cover and the promise of a sweet fake-dating romance and got nothing of the sort! I really don't know how this is titled 'The Perfect Date'? Honestly, if you consider the Duke the perfect date, I'd be pretty concerned and ask if you were okay. Oof, I definitely wish I could get back the hours I spent reading this because it was not worth it!
June 13, 2019
I was a little dubious going into this book. The cover is adorable and the synopsis makes the book sound so good. But I read a few reviews before starting and to say they were mixed would be generous. Still, I received this book in exchange for a fair review, so I was prepared to be open minded. Then I saw that the author quoted herself in the acknowledgments… I’ve read thousands of books, and that’s the first time I’ve ever seen that, so I braced myself from there.
THE PERFECT DATE follows Angel, a hard-working single mom attempting to keep her head above water and finish nursing school and Caleb “The Duke” Lewis, a professional baseball player. They meet in a community clinic where Angel is bringing her son for an emergency breathing treatment; Duke is there getting his ankle looked at. Yes, the professional baseball player, worth millions of dollars, decides to bribe a community clinic doctor with $1500 to wrap his ankle instead of going to a private athletic trainer or therapist. Umm. What?
The whole book pretty much unravels from there. Besides the ridiculous and poorly researched baseball facts, the writing was clunky, the scene switches were abrupt, and both main characters were unlikable in the extreme. To make matters worse, I’ve never read a more inconsistently characterize heroine than Angel. One minute she’s so angry and full of fire, then we switch to Duke’s POV and she’s all fresh-faced innocence and “not like other girls.” Spare me.
I gave up on this book at 42% when we meet the other baseball girlfriends and wives whose vapid and shallow conversations made it impossible to continue torturing myself. I could feel the drama ramping up (baseball drama, fake dating drama, money drama, doctor drama) and I just wasn’t invested enough to put myself through all of that extra drama in a very, very short book. Plus Duke has basically been a self-serving jerk the whole story and set Angel up for humiliation (ignorance does not excuse him) at the party.
Overall, I am incredibly disappointed. I was really hoping to make it to at least 50%, and maybe if the writing had been better, I would have been able to overcome my distaste, but it wasn’t. Moving on with my life! Hopefully, this book connects with someone else, it just didn’t with me.
**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**
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THE PERFECT DATE follows Angel, a hard-working single mom attempting to keep her head above water and finish nursing school and Caleb “The Duke” Lewis, a professional baseball player. They meet in a community clinic where Angel is bringing her son for an emergency breathing treatment; Duke is there getting his ankle looked at. Yes, the professional baseball player, worth millions of dollars, decides to bribe a community clinic doctor with $1500 to wrap his ankle instead of going to a private athletic trainer or therapist. Umm. What?
The whole book pretty much unravels from there. Besides the ridiculous and poorly researched baseball facts, the writing was clunky, the scene switches were abrupt, and both main characters were unlikable in the extreme. To make matters worse, I’ve never read a more inconsistently characterize heroine than Angel. One minute she’s so angry and full of fire, then we switch to Duke’s POV and she’s all fresh-faced innocence and “not like other girls.” Spare me.
I gave up on this book at 42% when we meet the other baseball girlfriends and wives whose vapid and shallow conversations made it impossible to continue torturing myself. I could feel the drama ramping up (baseball drama, fake dating drama, money drama, doctor drama) and I just wasn’t invested enough to put myself through all of that extra drama in a very, very short book. Plus Duke has basically been a self-serving jerk the whole story and set Angel up for humiliation (ignorance does not excuse him) at the party.
Overall, I am incredibly disappointed. I was really hoping to make it to at least 50%, and maybe if the writing had been better, I would have been able to overcome my distaste, but it wasn’t. Moving on with my life! Hopefully, this book connects with someone else, it just didn’t with me.
**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**
Find/Follow me on Twitter Instagram and my blog !!
June 13, 2023
I just found everyone in this book unlikeable except maybe Gabriela and Jose. But the main couple annoyed me to no end. They seemed like they just hated each other and had no respect for each other, as well as just NO COMMUNICATION which is my #1 least favourite thing in books (and life tbh). The book also felt kind of misogynistic to me, although to some extent it was like that to show how “different” Duke was…but like for the most part he also had some of that in him? And was still friends with awful people? 🤷♀️
Anyway 2 ⭐️ it was quick and I’m glad I read it, even if I didn’t adore it.
EDIT it seems like the general consensus is similar to mine and someone said “the internalized misogyny is real with this one” and that’s a perfect encapsulation of how I’m feeling so I’m just going to borrow that line 😂
Anyway 2 ⭐️ it was quick and I’m glad I read it, even if I didn’t adore it.
EDIT it seems like the general consensus is similar to mine and someone said “the internalized misogyny is real with this one” and that’s a perfect encapsulation of how I’m feeling so I’m just going to borrow that line 😂
March 22, 2019
This was a fast paced contemporary romance. I appreciated that the subject matter was a mixture of both light and humorous and more serious.
I found the formatting to be a little difficult to follow as there were no scene breaks between the two POVs. Hopefully, that was only because this was an ARC. Also, I felt that too much of the internal dialogue was in italics and it was distracting.
In general, I enjoyed this book and all the drama it contained!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
I found the formatting to be a little difficult to follow as there were no scene breaks between the two POVs. Hopefully, that was only because this was an ARC. Also, I felt that too much of the internal dialogue was in italics and it was distracting.
In general, I enjoyed this book and all the drama it contained!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
October 30, 2019
2.5 Stars
The story of Angel, a single mother and nursing student, and Duke, a star pitcher for a ML baseball team. Angel reluctantly agrees to pretend to be Duke‘s girlfriend to help fix his bad boy image. The Perfect Date had the chance to be a great fake dating hate to love romance. But the mediocre writing, lackluster plot, and character development, failed tvo deliver the sparks needed to believe Angel and Duke‘s budding romance.
Full review on blog: http://www.melaninatedbookshelf.com/t...
*received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
The story of Angel, a single mother and nursing student, and Duke, a star pitcher for a ML baseball team. Angel reluctantly agrees to pretend to be Duke‘s girlfriend to help fix his bad boy image. The Perfect Date had the chance to be a great fake dating hate to love romance. But the mediocre writing, lackluster plot, and character development, failed tvo deliver the sparks needed to believe Angel and Duke‘s budding romance.
Full review on blog: http://www.melaninatedbookshelf.com/t...
*received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
February 24, 2019
I received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A full in depth review of my rating will be written. I need to get my thoughts in order and draft the review. Essentially, The Perfect Date is everything I didn’t want in a book, with a love interest who was troublingly sexist and never improved. We should not condone this behavior, let alone dismiss it and then present the person as a love interest.
A full in depth review of my rating will be written. I need to get my thoughts in order and draft the review. Essentially, The Perfect Date is everything I didn’t want in a book, with a love interest who was troublingly sexist and never improved. We should not condone this behavior, let alone dismiss it and then present the person as a love interest.
September 17, 2023
I really thought this book had potential, based on the cover and the synopsis on the back cover. I was wrong. The storyline was so confusing and hard to follow at times, with different character POVs jumping around and lots of drama that didn’t feel super necessary to the overall plot. The main characters bothered me to no end - especially their “relationship”. I’ve never been so irritated by fictional characters before. I didn’t enjoy the writing, as a whole, and i found the dialogue felt a bit forced in some scenes as well. The only reason this book even gets 1 star is because I did appreciate that the story was centred around POCs and a working single-mother, which is not typical of most romance novels.
June 8, 2019
This is a fake to real romance but with lots of mean attitudes and behaviour.
Angel Gomez may have become a single Mum whilst only sixteen years old but she's determined to do the best for herself and, more importantly, for her son. She's studying to become a nurse, currently on placement in an emergency clinic and also working in a cocktail bar to help pay the bills. She has lots of sass - and needs it. However, she lives up to her name in many ways but has no time for love or romance. She is extremely worried about her young son's asthma, so much so that she's actually writing the final paper for her nursing degree concerning the horrendous difference in death rates for children with asthma depending on their ethnicity.
Caleb Lewis is nicknamed 'The Duke' and is a star pitcher for the Bronx Bolts. He's had a terrible year after being shot in a gangland shoot out which also resulted in the death of his best friend and team mate. As situations develop which have her pretending to be his girlfriend to enable him to explain visits to the clinic without confessing that his injury isn't fully healed, romance starts to blossom but his attitude and her concerns over her son both put strains on their potential relationship. Add in to that unexpected money worries for him, his father's secrets and what really happened in the shoot out and it definitely isn't just a romance!
There are some humorous moments in this story which also has a significant element of suspense. It is an engaging read though with characters who seem nastily real, often somewhat derogatory in their comments and attitudes because they are portrayed warts and all. Both main characters have others trying to push them to do things which they don't want to but will the pressure be too irresistible? The story is a part of their life journeys and whilst the romance is a key element, there is also a developing of the rights and wrongs of decisions made by various characters. If sexual harassment is a trigger for you, avoid this book - though the perpetrator does get caught. You're never quite certain how these will be resolved but I will say it has a heartwarming happy ending and I found it an easy, relaxing read though I don't think I'd relate well to anyone at all like either of the main characters at the start of the story! If sexual harassment is a trigger for you, avoid this book - though the perpetrator does get caught.
I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.
Angel Gomez may have become a single Mum whilst only sixteen years old but she's determined to do the best for herself and, more importantly, for her son. She's studying to become a nurse, currently on placement in an emergency clinic and also working in a cocktail bar to help pay the bills. She has lots of sass - and needs it. However, she lives up to her name in many ways but has no time for love or romance. She is extremely worried about her young son's asthma, so much so that she's actually writing the final paper for her nursing degree concerning the horrendous difference in death rates for children with asthma depending on their ethnicity.
Caleb Lewis is nicknamed 'The Duke' and is a star pitcher for the Bronx Bolts. He's had a terrible year after being shot in a gangland shoot out which also resulted in the death of his best friend and team mate. As situations develop which have her pretending to be his girlfriend to enable him to explain visits to the clinic without confessing that his injury isn't fully healed, romance starts to blossom but his attitude and her concerns over her son both put strains on their potential relationship. Add in to that unexpected money worries for him, his father's secrets and what really happened in the shoot out and it definitely isn't just a romance!
There are some humorous moments in this story which also has a significant element of suspense. It is an engaging read though with characters who seem nastily real, often somewhat derogatory in their comments and attitudes because they are portrayed warts and all. Both main characters have others trying to push them to do things which they don't want to but will the pressure be too irresistible? The story is a part of their life journeys and whilst the romance is a key element, there is also a developing of the rights and wrongs of decisions made by various characters. If sexual harassment is a trigger for you, avoid this book - though the perpetrator does get caught. You're never quite certain how these will be resolved but I will say it has a heartwarming happy ending and I found it an easy, relaxing read though I don't think I'd relate well to anyone at all like either of the main characters at the start of the story! If sexual harassment is a trigger for you, avoid this book - though the perpetrator does get caught.
I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.
June 11, 2019
DNF at 32%
Kudos to Angelica who perfectly captured my feelings about the book, here, glad to see I didn't miss anything by giving up part way.
Angel Gomez is a single mom, nurse, part-time bartender studying to get a better life for herself and her son who suffers from asthma.
Caleb Lewis is a baseball player nursing an ankle injury following a shooting, seeking medical assistance on the down-low.
I didn't like either character, it all seemed like a cookie-cutter single-mom meets famous sports star, right down to the mom being a nurse (have you got the idea? She's called Angel and she's a nurse - ie perfect, nurturing, above all other women) working two jobs and having a sick kid (do all nurses have sick kids, is it like a prerequisite?). Duke on the other hand allegedly has a bad reputation but honestly he doesn't seem to do anything to deserve it. There's a lot of casual misogyny but also women putting women down. When Angel is supposed to be studying for her final exams (or something) but is clearly wavering towards going to a party thrown by a reality TV star (who just happens to send her a fancy dress and shoes to wear so she doesn't feel out of place) instead (I didn't stick around to see what she was going to do about her sick kid) I decided to bail.
Not the sweet, charming romance I was hoping for.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Kudos to Angelica who perfectly captured my feelings about the book, here, glad to see I didn't miss anything by giving up part way.
Angel Gomez is a single mom, nurse, part-time bartender studying to get a better life for herself and her son who suffers from asthma.
Caleb Lewis is a baseball player nursing an ankle injury following a shooting, seeking medical assistance on the down-low.
I didn't like either character, it all seemed like a cookie-cutter single-mom meets famous sports star, right down to the mom being a nurse (have you got the idea? She's called Angel and she's a nurse - ie perfect, nurturing, above all other women) working two jobs and having a sick kid (do all nurses have sick kids, is it like a prerequisite?). Duke on the other hand allegedly has a bad reputation but honestly he doesn't seem to do anything to deserve it. There's a lot of casual misogyny but also women putting women down. When Angel is supposed to be studying for her final exams (or something) but is clearly wavering towards going to a party thrown by a reality TV star (who just happens to send her a fancy dress and shoes to wear so she doesn't feel out of place) instead (I didn't stick around to see what she was going to do about her sick kid) I decided to bail.
Not the sweet, charming romance I was hoping for.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
January 13, 2022
I'm kinda confused why this has gotten as much hate as it has. I know people have said it's because the mains are assholes, there is nothing but drama, and there is misogyny but....
Angel is not so much an asshole as an over worked, underpaid, single mom with more stress in her life than she can handle and zero fucks to give for other people's bullshit.
The Duke is kinda a dick but not the controlling alpha hole I anticipated based on how much hate he has been getting. Honestly, my biggest problem with his character is an unexamined problem with alcoholism.
The drama is very dramatic, I will grant you that. There is blackmail, sexual harassment, health scares, and crooked doctors but I also finished a book last week where a woman was abducted by a Russian oligarch involved in sex trafficking and two weeks before that the main character walked in on her boyfriend's office party with strippers and PCP - so it's kinda hard to judge it honestly.
Lastly, the misogyny. There is some "Not Like Other Girls" going on. Angel thinks about how some women would probably love to be romanced by a millionaire and never have to work again but that's not her. And, Duke thinks she is not like gold diggers he has met before, but she also isn't the only good woman in the book. Her fellow nursing student friend and the ladies at the salon are all good women supporting her. The book really only has a problem with women who do coke or use sex to get ahead, and while I can't make a moral judgment on people who make those decisions, it didn't come off as gender based discrimination. Like, she is just as pissed when she thinks Duke is going to make a really dumb decision.
My only real issue with the book is the passing comment about a man being extorted for sex and sexual favors for which he gets called a pussy and no one recognizes as assault.
Any way, like I said, this book is fine. A little dramatic but not exactly Days of Our Lives. Main characters are kinda dickish but mostly stressed and ain't got time for this shit.
Angel is not so much an asshole as an over worked, underpaid, single mom with more stress in her life than she can handle and zero fucks to give for other people's bullshit.
The Duke is kinda a dick but not the controlling alpha hole I anticipated based on how much hate he has been getting. Honestly, my biggest problem with his character is an unexamined problem with alcoholism.
The drama is very dramatic, I will grant you that. There is blackmail, sexual harassment, health scares, and crooked doctors but I also finished a book last week where a woman was abducted by a Russian oligarch involved in sex trafficking and two weeks before that the main character walked in on her boyfriend's office party with strippers and PCP - so it's kinda hard to judge it honestly.
Lastly, the misogyny. There is some "Not Like Other Girls" going on. Angel thinks about how some women would probably love to be romanced by a millionaire and never have to work again but that's not her. And, Duke thinks she is not like gold diggers he has met before, but she also isn't the only good woman in the book. Her fellow nursing student friend and the ladies at the salon are all good women supporting her. The book really only has a problem with women who do coke or use sex to get ahead, and while I can't make a moral judgment on people who make those decisions, it didn't come off as gender based discrimination. Like, she is just as pissed when she thinks Duke is going to make a really dumb decision.
My only real issue with the book is the passing comment about a man being extorted for sex and sexual favors for which he gets called a pussy and no one recognizes as assault.
Any way, like I said, this book is fine. A little dramatic but not exactly Days of Our Lives. Main characters are kinda dickish but mostly stressed and ain't got time for this shit.
July 23, 2020
SUCH a good book. This whole story was so engaging and enjoyable- as opposed to some other books I’ve been reading lately! The main characters had such a good romance arc and just... had some serious CHEMISTRY. I was so delighted to read and finish this. The story was so casually written, which was a change of pace for me, but I loved the style Lozada writes with. There was no unnecessary paragraphs, no filler, nothing for me to dislike. But most of all, the main character was SO feminist, which I loved. She was so strong and real, and really felt great to read about someone that’s so strong. All in all, an amazing, easy read.
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May 18, 2019I read 35 pages and highlighted 9 things I did not like, including other women being trashed multiple times, insensitive references to disability and disordered eating - this book is not my jam. Maybe it gets better but I’m not going to read any further. So there won’t be a formal blog review. No grade. DNF.
July 10, 2025
Fake to real romance that I thought I would connect to a little more than I did as a Puerto Rican but there was a a lot of drama and cattiness and defensiveness that overshadowed the connection for me.
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