Adventures in Online Dating

by Julie Particka

For Alexa, the answer to everything comes down to numbers. Three sons. One divorce. One great life...except her boys are getting older and they really need a man in their lives. Enter the number twenty, as in after twenty minutes with someone she knows whether or not she wants them in her life. So, she hatches a plan to meet any man who even remotely strikes her interest—for a twenty-minute date at her favorite coffee shop. It’s the perfect plan to find her perfect match in the most efficient way possible.

Too bad coffee shop owner Marshall isn’t keen on the idea. He doesn’t want his shop to be her speed dating zone—especially since she’s made it clear he’s too young to be a contender. But Alexa finds herself drawn to Marshall in ways she can’t quantify. There’s no easy answer, and once the kids become involved, her well-ordered world threatens to fall apart—twenty minutes at a time.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2018

About the author

Julie Particka was told to get serious about her future in Junior High. Several years after getting a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, she realized being serious was over-rated and went back to her first love–writing. Now rather than spending her days in the drudgery of the lab or teaching science to high school students, she disappears into worlds of her own creation where monsters sometimes roam, but true love still conquers all.

She can most often be located in the Detroit area with her favorite minions (the ones who know her as Mom) where she is currently hatching a plot for world domination. It involves cookies for everyone, so she’s pretty sure there’s no way it can fail…except the minions keep eating the cookies.

*NOTE FROM JULIE: While I will be updating my shelf with books I have read/want to read, I won't be rating them anymore unless I really LOVED them. If I add a book, it means I liked it, so don't take a lack of rating to mean anything bad. It wouldn't be on my shelf if I wasn't willing to recommend it.*

see also Seleste deLaney

Reviews

[Fizza · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great story, romantic, funny, and highly entertaining. Alexa is a single mother raising three sons. She hasn't been able to find love after her divorce and plans to do it now. That's the thing about her, she plans everything. She wants to control every aspect of her life and hates it when things don't go according to her plans. She is a hard worker and has a successful carrier, she is beautiful and by all accounts should be able to find a good guy. Unfortunately, that's not as easy as seems. As a final attempt, she decides to try online dating in a new way. She will arrange dates for twenty minutes and if she doesn't like that guy then no point in wasting any more time on him. But can you really know someone in twenty minutes?
Marshall owns a coffee shop. Alexa is his regular customer and now she wants to use his cafe for her experiment. He is so not ok with that, he likes her and hates the thought of her dating some other guy. Unfortunately. he can't do anything about it. She is all wrong for him, at least, that's what she thinks simply because he is a few years younger than her. Maybe he can convince her to give him a chance. But will a relationship between two people who are completely opposite work? Well, find out in this cute story.
I definitely recommend this to romance fans. It's a well-written story with great characters and some swoon-worthy scenes.
P.S. I received a complimentary copy of this book.

[Ivy Deluca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a middle of the road read for me. I liked the OW/YM trope, but I wasn't quite sure I bought into their love. Do I think they'd have an affair, but seeing them get past her tendency to treat him like a child was a struggle, so in the end, I wasn't completely into their HEA. But there are some parts of the story that did work and kept me reading, enough that I wouldn't completely out another read by this author.

[Kim Lowery · Rating 3 out of 5]

The hero gets a fourth star. He was so well written. But despite that the lack was the heroine. She was too robotic. I understand why. And the end was worth sticking with it. But there wasn’t enough of them together. There was too much statistics. I never got past the fact that she was using him to the part where she loved him. That wasn’t shown to me or told to me. She was just brittle throughout. If she’d been a bit more than two dimensional it would have been so much better. The kids are well done if not really present for the first two thirds or so. Her best friend is super great at the beginning and end. It’s just that most of the book is too much running in and out of the coffee shop and serving coffee and her job and how long does it take her to make dinner anyway? The numbers thing was repetitive and not about the romance. The age gap is ten years. She’s 42, 46 at the epilogue which was hard to believe but not impossible. The difference was most of her reluctance but without very much analysis. The guy does own his own business and classic car, after all. He’s not a flake despite the purple shoes. So her missing who he really was didn’t quite fit with her observational personality.

[Paula Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Adventures in Online Dating. I must admit this is the 1st book by Julie Particka I’ve read, it’s also the 1st older woman, younger man book I’ve read.

Alexa, who likes to plan everything, comes up with the perfect way to streamline her online dating opportunities and find a man worthy of a 1st date without wasting too much of her free time away from her kids.
Marshall, the owner of Alexas favourite coffee shop has been admiring her for years. He sufferingly allows her to use his shop for her experiment.
With her plan in place and a crazy, loveable best friend Alexa gets more than she bargains for.

Sometimes the best laid plans are better with a coffee and a younger man.

I’ll definitely be looking for more of Julie’s books to read, her writing was light & easy to read, she hasn’t thrown the Thesaurus into every line to make it seem super smart like some authors like to do.
This story was a nice quick read, which I love because you’re not waiting impatiently for reading time to come back around. I knocked it off while my granddaughter had her daytime nap

[FNM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book hoping for a fun tongue in cheek sort of romance book, it is my first book by Julie Particka and I was not sure what to expect. Luckily this was exactly the type of book I was looking for!

We start of by meeting Alexa a single mum of three who likes to plan her life down to the last detail. After deciding she knows if a relationship is going anywhere after the first 20 minutes she decides to optimise her time by setting 20 minute dates one after another to help find her perfect match. Alexa herself I found to be a hard character to like and it did take a little while for me to warm up to her. In all honesty she is a little too cold and organised I guess. I know she does need to be to be able to set up these types of dates but it did make it a little bit harder to really be rooting for her when everything is seen to be so clinical. Marshall makes himself so much easier to like simply by being more open, he does know what he wants and he is not afraid to try. He did surprise me as a character by not always going in the direction I thought he would which is always a good surprise!

The story itself followed pretty much how I expected it would and at a pace that I thought was really good for the book itself. It did take me a little longer than usual to actually get into the book but I think this was due to not being able to connect with Alexa. While there are not too many ‘surprising’ moments I didn’t feel like there needed to be. Either way an enjoyable sort of Sunday afternoon read.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review

[Nicole (bookwyrm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute rom-com, even if I didn't connect to the heroine (Alexa) much. (It's not her fault; I'm not a mom, and we have different interests. For example, I loved all of the geeky quotes and references said by our hero, Marshall, even when they annoyed Alexa.) I enjoyed it even without that connection to Alexa. I had more than enough in common with Marshall for me to be rooting for the romance to work. I also really loved the way Alexa's sons were written, and I appreciate that they felt very realistic. It's nice to read a book where the kids feel appropriate for the ages they're supposed to be.

There were no unanticipated twists in this book, but that was perfectly fine. I didn't read it for twists; I read it for a sexy feel-good romance, and that's exactly what I got.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a quick read but despite that I didn’t love the main character Alexa. There was really no remarkable plot twists rather that the two main characters were on a different page from the very beginning. I didn’t love it but I also I didn’t hate it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexa is tired of being alone, a single mom to her three boys. However, the idea of online dating and meeting the guys who actually email her on there just seems like a huge waste of time. She's tried meeting people in social settings, but just never clicked with anyone. So, when her friend pushes her to meet some of the guys who've messaged her on the online dating website, Alexa comes up with a plan. Instead of giving each guy a date night full of wining and dining, she'll give each guy twenty minutes at her favorite coffee shop. After all, it shouldn't take too long to figure out whether the person you're meeting is compatible or not. However, her plans go off track when she finds herself being drawn to the coffee shop owner. A guy ten years younger and not at all compatible with her life.

This is a cute story. It kind of reminded me of Luke Danes and Lorelei Gilmore from Gilmore Girls. Marshall runs this low-key coffee shop. He's been eyeing Alexa ever since she started coming into his shop. They have a bit of banter, he hands her her coffee, and that's that. She doesn't view him as dating potential. I don't know why but they just reminded me of Luke and Lorelei for some reason. Maybe it was the whole coffee shop owner and the single mother thing. I don't know.

With that being said, I wish we could have seen these two interact a bit more on a personal level. A lot of their time together was spend bumping uglies. I never fully felt like they had anything in common. In fact, a lot of their differences were pointed out and never fully addressed. I'm still confused on how Marshall could leave her house in such a complete mess after watching the boys for her while we had a work event. I mean, it didn't even appear that he tried to clean up their fun party night and she wound up staying up the whole night cleaning up the mess... and it never gets addressed. Maybe I'm just weird but that really bothered me. He didn't even acknowledge that he'd completely dropped the ball, and she didn't bring it up to him. It was things like that that made me wonder if these two were even on the same page with anything other than sex.

I did really like this story though. I thought as a whole it was a cute and sweet romance. The epilogue brought a few tears to my eyes. I think that epilogue was the best part of the whole story.

favorite quote...
"I learned the hard way that life comes at you faster than you can possible imagine, and I'm not willing to waste time planning when I could spend it living."

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexa has decided that her three sons need a male influence, and opts for online dating, which does not prove ideal. Marshall, the hot barista, is rather entertained by her endeavour but he wishes she would think of him. Alas, Alexa made it clear that at 32, he’s ten years older than her, and not on her radar, even though her hormones negate her assertions.

The premise was pure catnip for me, and after reading an excerpt, I knew I needed that book, and ADVENTURES IN ONLINE DATING did not disappoint! Alexa and Marshall are delightful characters, as are Alexa’s sons – all very well defined and genuine. Alexa’s stubbornness to see Marshall as a potential mate grated a bit, but I understood her hesitation. He does act like an overgrown boy sometimes, but then again she is extremely serious and honestly needs someone like him in his life. What a relief to have a hero who is a good guy, and who is handsome and sexy; this is the proof that you don’t need a bad boy for a good romance. I also liked the fact that Alexa’s ex is not the devil incarnate, and I do wish more authors took that road with writing heroines; it’s a nice change. I very much appreciated that Marshall understood her concerns without being demanding, even though it was hurting him that Alexa kept pushing him away because she it didn’t fit with her agenda. Alexa is a numbers person, she’s an actuary, and romance and attraction baffle her logical mind.

Julie Particka possesses a lovely flowing writing style, and I loved how each character had a distinctive voice in the dialogues. Peyton, Alexa’s friend, is entirely different from Alexa and it shows in their conversations. I loved how the romance progressed, even with Alexa’s indecision, but I honestly couldn’t understand how they could stand their short trysts! Which made me like Marshall even more, because he was so different from those male protagonists I dislike so much. I enjoyed ADVENTURES IN ONLINE DATING very much, and I’m looking forward to reading more of Ms. Particka’s novels because I was seriously impressed with her way of writing a convincing romance that really appealed to me.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexa is a divorced mother with three boys, she has not dated in a very long time and one of the reasons is her set of questions that are set to equal a perfect match for her with her boys. Alexa plans and arranges everything in her life along with her boys. When going into her favorite coffee house owned by Marshall, he overhears her talking to her best friend agreeing with the dates for 20 minutes in the afternoon at his coffee shop. He disagrees with her plan at is not embarrassed that he is caught overhearing their conversation. Really he wants to date her but does not know how to ask her out. Now she comes up with a compromise in paying for the use of the table and he agrees. After a few dates, he begins to talk to her and finds out that none of them have made her list and he asks to take her questions and actually scores all of the marks that are the highest. Her problem though is that she is ten years older than him and feels it would not work and he would not be good for her boys. Weeks go by and she still has not found anyone he actually steps up in front of a jerk and she likes it. One night they go out just on a business dinner and later when she goes back to his place she knows it can’t be anything more with his kitchen with star wars, doctor who, vinyl pop, and two video chairs in the front room. He is like a large version of a teenage boy. My wife says I still act like that at times after 40 years of marriage and being 59. Back to the review. She likes him and would like to be with him but she makes him feel like it is only a booty call. When she finds out that her eldest boy has talked to him about some questions instead of her she goes off the rails. Now you have to read the story to find out what happens. A good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Kathleen Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! And Marshall is my new favourite book boyfriend! While i couldn't understand or click with Alexa straightaway (hey I'm not a mum. Or a numbers person or organisation Very analytical) when I did connect with her I understood her motives. And mostly forgave her. Especially after all the times I smacked my head over things she said or thought. Or judgements. Judgements she was wrong about!

But Marshall! Perfect book boyfriend! He's a sweetheart. I want to keep him. Hes strong, but not douchy alpha. He's smart enough to run his business and be passionate about it. He's adorable with the movie lines and being a fun guy. But he's still responsible, despite what Alexa thinks. He's actually living life, but not being a man ho about it either. He knows what he wants. Hes the perfect balance for Alexa who seems to plan out EVERYTHING. Except her her happiness.

So Marshall is the guy that runs the local coffee shop that Alexa goes to. And he has a thing for Alexa. Only problem? Alexa doesn't seem seem to see it, though she does admit he's good looking, plus her mouth always spouts out things without thinking when he's there. She doesn't see beyond the purple shoes, movie quotes and nerdy awesomeness. And the fact he's younger. And now she wants to bring her Online dates to his coffee shop? There's more to Marshall than what Alexa sees on the surface, if she gives him a chance. And show her what she's looking for may not be what she needs.

Oh and dis i mention Peyton? Best friend ever. Sometimes you need that friend that is telling you the truth, and will show you tough love but will ALWAYS be the shoulder you can cry on. And will eviscerate anyone who will hurt you

[Stacy J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is how books should be written. There were so many feelings in this book. There were parts I laughed at, swooned for, cried and was so angry I wanted to throw my kindle across the room.

Alexa is a divorced woman who's whole life runs on numbers. She tried to take the emotions out of things and think critically. This is where the whole 20 minute date comes into play. She is a woman who thinks as long as she sticks to the plan she will be happy. She is getting upset that men are not playing be her rules. I really felt bad for her, she is a woman who just wants to be happy, and her kids to be happy but she is just going about it wrong.

Marshall is a younger man who has been interested in Alexa since the first day he met her but is rebuffed every time he mentions it. He has to sit and watch her go through these 20 minutes dates and he hates it.

I have to say I LOVED Marshall. He in my mind was the perfect man. He knew when to be an adult but he also knew when to have fun and not take life so seriously. He was exactly what Alexa needed. He was a genuinely good man that Alexa wasn't giving a chance. I loved the movie quotes and how he was with her kids.

There were parts of this book that I was very frustrated with. Alexa wanted to be happy and be this great mom, but her strict regimented rules were making everyone unhappy. As a reader you found joy in her the same time Marshall did and you wanted her to have more of that.

[Cee · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own*
2.5 stars

The idea of this book is super cute. Online dating is so prevalent nowadays, that I wanted to see what a book would feature it like. Yet, this book doesn't feature online dating too much-- just in the beginning really... what I think it should have highlighted was her 20 minute dates since "20 minutes" is a common theme throughout the book.

I started off really liking this book. It is cute, we've got some characters with personality and different types of lives with problems, and takes place mostly in a coffee shop. The thing is, I don't believe in this couple at all. I need more than chemistry during sex to like a couple and that is all they had. No common interests and nothing really changes between them to show they will work better together. While I liked Marshall more of the two, I had big issues with both of them, which I can't really can't get into without potentially spoiling the book.
The characters and the romance just didn't have the depth I was hoping for nor did the resolution actually feel like one.

So, I feel like it was easy to read and it wasn't until the end when I realized what was happen that I wanted to stop reading the book. Some people might really like this since it is lighter and sex-heavy, it just ended up not being my kind of book.

[Laura Cunha · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://leiturasdelaura.blogspot.com/...

SPOILER FREE

Esse mês eu fiquei doente, e como sempre faço quando fico doente, preciso de leituras que me façam ficar feliz e tranquila (não é a toa que tive problemas com March). Então, passei alguns dias lendo um livro erótico por dia. Sim, estou atrasada nessas resenhas por motivo já explicado.

Foi assim que li Adventures in Online Dating da autora americana Julie Particka. O livro traz a história da pseudo atuária Alexa, divorciada, mãe de 3 filhos, e que desde a separação não conseguiu um novo namorado que preste. (pseudo porque eu sou atuária e posso atestar que a descrição não é lá das mais corretas)

Como acontece na mente de alguns autores, porque atuária tem a ver com números, Alexa desenvolve um algoritmo para melhorar a seleção de pretendentes num aplicativo de encontros online, e ela faz um esquema na Coffee shop local para ver um homem diferente a cada 20 minutos. Claro que nenhum dos que aparecem conseguem ser mais interessantes do que o dono da Coffee shop, Marshall, que não pode ser cogitado pelo fato de ser mais novo do que Alexa.

Apesar das cenas que realmente interessam no livro serem boas, meu problema com esse volume é o preconceito e as motivações. Porque veja bem, a motivação de Alexa ao buscar um namorado não é se satisfazer, não, é buscar um modelo masculino para os filhos. Que isso seja um pré requisito é uma coisa, que seja motivação é outra completamente diferente. E tem o problema do preconceito. Marshall é descartado por ser mais novo, mas não é que ele seja universitário, adolescente, ou algo problemático do gênero (considerando que a personagem tem mais de 40 anos), o cara é dono do próprio negócio e já está na segunda metade dos 30 anos. O maior problema dele é que ele é nerd.

Como assim você descarta um cara legal, independente financeiramente e gostoso porque ele curte videogame e faz citação de filmes?

Gente, eu sou casada com um cara desses, e eu faço citação de filme também.

Fiquei muito danada da vida. Achei um absurdo e um desserviço.

[Elizabeth Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5 Stars**

Alexa is a divorced single mother of three, sure she'll never find love again. But then she devises a plan, using her favorite coffee shop as the setting, to meet men that garner some interest from her. Twenty minutes is all she'll need to know if she wants them to be a part of her life. It's the most efficient way to find the love of her life.

Marshall, the coffee shop owner, disagrees. He doesn't want her to use his place, and it may, okay, it does, have to do with the fact Alexa has said he's too young to be an option. He refuses to let her throw away what he knows they can have without getting his twenty minutes first.

Alexa knows, at least in her mind, that Marshall isn't the one for her, his age being a factor, but her heart is another matter entirely. As they begin spending time together, she no longer sees their age difference, but how he makes her feel instead.

Can Marshall show Alexa they're meant to be? Will Alexa take a chance on them? Is a HEA possible?

One-click now and follow along as two people open their hearts to what could be.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.**

[Dawn Cunningham Roether · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a single mother looking for a male figure for her boys. She begins speed dating at the local coffee shop and catches the interest of the owner.

This was a simple contemporary romance story with an HEA. I had a real hard time at the beginning and nearly gave up on the book. I powered through and became invested at about 70%. I had a hard time with the dialogue and confused as to the town of the characters during conversations. It wasn't very descriptive and I found myself rereading the paragraphs once I realized which direction the dialogue was taking. I think with a few tweaks this could be a great read. I was eager to read this story after reading the blurb, and was disappointed once I started it due to the lack of good description. I will say, I was really counting on this to be more about her actual dating experiences, rather her developing relationship with the coffee shop owner. Cute story. I got feels when Brendan the 13 yo son had a heart to heart talk with his mom. I loved how Marshall the H was so invested in the h, Alexa.

[Suzette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this story is not the typical romance novel. Marshal and Alexa’s relationship is typical of the many challenges most couples face in real life. Alexa is divorced with 3 children and trying to put her life back together. Typography a single mom, her children are her priority which does not leave much time for dating or sex. Coupled with that she has boys who are becoming teenagers and they are a foreign species to her. She decides it is time to find a compatible male to share their lives. Unknown to her Marshall, her barista, has been keeping an eye on her for a while. As her adventures in speed dating begins in his coffee shop he decides to throw his hat in the ring and the fun begins.

The story is filled with warmth, laughter and fun. There is plenty of sexy escapades and witty banter. The author explores the dynamics of a older woman dating a younger man, how society views it and the insecurities a woman can face as she struggles with her age. It is a wonderful story of family and how it can be anything we want it to be.

[Lita Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventures in Online Dating by Julie Particka is a cute story of Alexa a forty something divorcee and mother or 3 boys. She is at the point in her life where she feels the boys need a father figure so she comes up with a hair brain scheme to find someone to fill the position. Since her life is numbers she come up with 20 minute speed dating at her favorite coffee shop. The owner Marshall thinks her ideal is crazy but since she makes him an offer he couldn't refuse he let her use his shop. The interaction between the two has always been friendly but Marshall would like more. Alexa doesn't think of Marshall in that way, with the age difference and his maturity level. I really enjoyed their journey to finding each other. A grown folks tale with real life problems. Oh and the sex was hot. This was my first time reading this author and I will be reading other books from her. 4 stars for me.

[Bette Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining funny, quick read that is perfect for an afternoon escape. Great writing and characters will leave you with a happy feeling. Loved the fun storyline!

Alexa is a serious organized single mom of 3 rambunctious boys. She's worried that her sons need a man's influence on a more consistent basis than they are getting from their father so she sets out on a plan to find a boyfriend via online dating. She meets all her "dates" in a local cafe. Only problem is the cafe owner, Marshall, has had his eye on Alexa for some time now. Watching all the men coming through the cafe has him going crazy. Alexa won't give him the time of day since he doesn't fit her perfect picture of the man she's looking for. He's younger, dresses casually, and seems to take a laid back view on life. He's determined to show her that he's exactly the kind of man she needs and what fun life could be if she'd give them a chance.

Recommended read.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute story! I loved Alexa and all her neuroses. She would blurt out whatever popped in her head, had numbers and statistics coming out the wazoo, and plans taking over her life. But she was cute and funny, a refreshing single mom in her early forties. Throw in Marshall, a younger stud who is wise beyond his years and that provides lots of entertainment. I loved how he went for her and pursued her, and then how she kept staying one step ahead. Definitely a great cat and mouse game. But together they worked and balanced each other out. Her three boys were awesome. I loved how they worked together to show their mom how they felt and wanted her to be happy. She was truly blessed with those three. The epilogue was so sweet and brought a teary smile to my face. I would love a glimpse into what came right after that scene.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

[Sadie Anjum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good romance story and Julie Particka's Adventures in Online Dating certainly delivered that and so much more! The story focuses on Alexa McIntyre, a forty something successful business woman who begins online dating to search for her Mister right! Obsessed with statistics and doing things by the book, she arranges her dates to last between twenty minutes. Alexa sets up base at a local coffee shop owned by the thirty something, "geeky" Marshall Calloway. Marshall secretly crushes on Alexa so isn't too happy about her using his coffee shop as her dating base. Alexa falls for Marshall, though he's the polar opposite of what she is seeking making the situation extremely difficult between them both.
The chemistry between both characters is electrifying! Particka very cleverly captures the perils of online dating in a fun and light-hearted way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to any reader out there!

[Leslie Ooten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was just okay. I had a hard time getting into the story, the writing didn't capture my attention the way I would have liked. I knew this was going to be an older woman/younger man story, but I didn't realize how much I wasn't going to like them as a couple. Alexa was a single mom, and she was set in her ways. I wasn't a fan of her "20 minute" rule. I understand instant attraction, but you can't know everything about a person in 20 minutes. Even after she agrees to go out with Marshall, I felt like there were times she treated him like a kid, not an equal. I liked Marshall, and thought he was a good guy, I just didn't buy them as a couple. This was a first for me from this author, but I would be willing to read her again.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

[Delacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty solid read. It had some amusing parts, and was not dramatic. Alexa is a divorcee who is more scarred and scared after her marriage break down than first expected. Our h has come to rely on planning, structure and research in pretty much every aspect of her life. Our H Marshall is on the flip side in not wanting to make lots of long term plans and is viewed as immature by the h. Alexa starts of on her own version of speed dating and the story roles from there. I really liked the story showed WHY they worked well together, how they complemented each other and brought out the best in each other. Overall, a good story. *I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books, on 11/17/18/

Loved!

The title is a bit misleading, though--Alexa spends only about a hot minute--or maybe twenty hot minutes--actually trying her online dating plan. (Okay, it's longer than that. But Ms. Particka doesn't spend too much time dwelling on the details of that disaster, and rightly so, before focusing on the growing relationship-like thing between Alexa and Marshall.) It is the catalyst that gets Alexa and Marshall together, though, so there is that--but if you're looking for a blow-by-blow description of failed internet dates, that's not here.

And you won't miss it. The few dates we get details of are enough...I'm still cringing.

(Apparently, online dating is not for the faint of heart. Which explains why I've never gone through with it.)

Ms. Particka did a great job of showing why Alexa didn't think she and Marshall would work--not just the age difference, but her other reasons seemed fairly valid too--and even though I really, really wanted them to be together (and not just because we saw Marshall's POV, but that had a lot to do with it) it did almost feel as if everything was resolved pretty quickly and easily at the end. Again, not really complaining--I wanted them together, but kinda also wanted Alexa to suffer/sacrifice a bit more than it seemed like she did. I know, I'm cruel. But I can't help but think Marshall deserved it...

But that epilogue? Gave me all the feels. OMG, absolutely loved. I hope Ms. Particka writes more for this line!

Rating: 4 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book thinking I would love it. The blurb was so interesting and unique.

This storyline was interesting and unique, though. Twenty-minute dates is all Alexa needs to figure out if a guy is worth a second date. But Alexa was so stuck in her statistics and her dismissal of Marshall, I couldn’t ever get over how she treated him, even up until the very end. I honestly didn’t even want them to end up together because of it. Marshall could have done better.

The saving graces in this book were Marshall and Brenden. Marshall is funny, successful, and patient. Brenden was surprisingly insightful for a 13-year-old boy and I loved how he beat his mom at her own game: statistics.

[Carole Mckee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome.

A great thing about this book is how real and in depth the characters are. I personally have never done online dating, but I can imagine it must be quite an experience. Alexa tries it but it isn't working out very well for her. She is a woman who plans everything and keeps her life neat and tidy. Along comes Marshall, who just seems to wing it when it comes to everything in life. He lives in the "now" rather than the future. As Alexa continues her perfect p!an to find a suitable man for herself and her three sons, her planning gets in the way of the perfect man standing in front of her. Good story, and an enjoyable read. I loved it.

[Tracie Simister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this Book a rating of 5 ✩’s
Title: Adventures in Online Dating
Series: Standalone
Genre: RomCom
Author: Julie Particka
Format: Kindle Edition
Published on: Nov 12, 2018

I voluntarily received a Courtesy Copy of this book from AuthorsPal and am choosing to leave a review.
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What I liked/Didn’t Like: My first book by this author and it was funny, Witty, Easy to read and full of fun. I loved the authors writing style and her characters descriptions and attitudes. I will be looking to read more from her in the near future

[Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a refreshing change of pace from most of the romances I read. I love the fact that Alexa is over 40 and I love the fact that Marshall was a little younger. It was also refreshing that Alexa was not just consumed with bitterness about her ex-husband's wandering spirit and less that constant presence in their children's lives. I look forward to reading more books from Julie Particka.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

[Dramirez1987 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

This book was cute, I was looking for something with an older woman and younger man dynamic and while I would have preferred one without kids being involved I still surprisingly enjoyed this.

Some of the chemistry seemed forced as well as some of the steamy scenes. But that’s just my own personal opinion.

I did appreciate how the author delved into explaining and setting up the issue of bringing another man to met her kids because that was really helpful to further understand Alexa.

[Katrina Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading this one and plenty of laughs from start to finish; engaging characters, entertaining storyline and defined world, etc. My one and only issue was the way in which Alexa tended to treat Marshall like a child at times...it was frustrating but everything else made up for this so definitely a good read.

Please note that an ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.