Thirty-two-year-old IT consultant Tommy Godolphin has been on a series of blind dates, as he doesn’t want to be single any more. None of the dates, however, really hits the spot, and the latest one has proven a complete, if amusing, disaster. When Tommy recounts what happened to his best friend, Jacob, he expects Jacob to laugh with him as usual, but this time the man doesn’t.
Instead, Jacob challenges Tommy to go on a blind date with him, to see what, if anything, he might be doing wrong. The evening brings several surprises for them both, but in the morning, what will happen to their friendship?
I finished this only because it was short. I’m not sure I like the writing style, it felt a bit stilted, especially the dialogues, the way the characters talk didn’t feel natural and there was a general awkwardness to their interactions that didn’t make for a good narrative flow. My biggest problem, though, was the way Jacob acted and talked to Tommy during their “date.” I’d like to say it was what he said and did that put me off, but I’m self-aware enough to know that I’ve read and loved worse and that when the writing makes it work, I can easily accept the jerkiest characters and the unhealthiest dynamics. This time the writing and the characterization—Jacob’s character felt all over the place and I didn’t buy the ‘he’s an actor and playing a part’ excuse—did NOT make it work. I was literally cringing and grimacing when Jacob started I would go as far as calling their dynamic ‘abuse’, but I didn’t take the story seriously enough for that.
Okay! This short story was so much fun! It started really light and fun and it ended in a very sexy way! I also appreciate the idea presented at the beginning, which is something that could be relatable for many adults. It was a really pleasant short read.
This was odd, bad odd. Since Jacob is “role playing” during the blind date, it’s hard to say if his character is supposed to be such a huge, gaping asshole… or if that’s just the role he is playing. How he talks and how he acts towards Tommy on the date (essentially saying since he paid for the meal, he is owed sex), was super disrespectful, vulgar and just completely gross. But even the morning after, Tommy mentions “the other Jacob” making an appearance. It definitely wasn’t “a delightful and steamy short story that is close to perfection”.
Tommy works in IT and Jacob is an actor. They’re besties and besties help each other out, right? When Jacob helps Tommy out of his dating funk by suggesting that Tommy practice his skills on him things could get awkward or they get serious. Can you guess which option won out? This was predictable but also sweet.
Albeit short (only 38 pages in .pdf), I think this story is an interesting and entertaining story of the usually exploited theme of two best friends falling in love. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that theme (male/male, male/female) but sometimes the storytelling can be just so-so. But this one is pretty interesting because the idea of having "blind date" with the best friend, and role-playing (the best friend acts as stranger because he is an actor, after all) is never been explored yet. So I find it fresh and enjoyable.
This was a fun story about Tommy who seems to have bad luck on blind dates and his best friend suggests going on a blind date with him, and it turns out to be a very different experience. My only complaint is that I would have loved to see a bit of what Jacob was thinking.
★★★☆☆½ ~ 3.5 Stars After Tommy's latest blind date fiasco, long-time friend Jacob suggests that they go on a blind date. Little does Tommy know that he might just look at Jacob in a whole new way.
TOMMY’S BLIND DATE ANNE BROOKE 👎🏿🚫⭐️🚫👎🏿 17 JUN 2020
I’m with the reviewer, MICHELLE ARTHUR, ⭐️⭐️, June 10, 2019, on this one — QUOTE: “Just a lot of "huh?" on my part. Didn't really understand what AB found so sexy about writing this story, or the characters, or the situation.”
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY, AND COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU, MICHELLE ARTHUR. ONLY, my opinion is MUCH MORE HARSH, because of what ANNE BROOKE is really “PUSHING” here. IT’S SHAMEFUL REALLY. Read on (SPOILERS) if you REALLY WANT TO KNOW what we’re talking about. . .
〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️
Tommy’s best friend, Jacob, talks him into going on a blind date with him, so he can try to help Tommy figure out just what exactly it is, he may be doing, that’s making all these blind dates, that he keeps going on, go so wrong
Every time Tommy comes home after one of these yet again, perfectly awful dates, he spends the rest of the evening monopolizing what’s left of Jacob’s night, complaining to him about just how terrible this blind date, in particular, really was.
Jacob suggests a “fake/play” blind date between them.
Jacob is an actor. So, he figures he can act his way through a “fake” blind date and “play” at being a potential, previously unknown suitor, with his best friend Tommy, pretty easily — at least, that’s how he presents this whole idea to Tommy.
Jacob tells Tommy they could use it as a way to, hopefully, give Tommy some guidance as to how he can IMPROVE either his own behavior, and/or the OUTCOME of these dates so that maybe, they could at the least, turn out to be a little more tolerable.
Really, though, it’s all just a ruse for Jacob to get Tommy to go out with HIM — instead of all these other people that Tommy keeps trying to meet through one endless “blind” date, after another. Blind dates set-up by co-workers (etc) who don’t really take Tommy’s and/or the (prospective) other man’s personalities (or compatibility) into consideration.
Because honestly, having been friends for years, does make it rather hard for Jacob (and Tommy, of course) to break the ice and come out about how they actually do feel about each other. It’s hard to finally come out and suggest they might be better with each other, at least more so, than they seem to be with all these other people. They both seem to be getting no where, with their respective dating lives, since break-ups with their “once” long-term partners and are having a hard time finding the “all-elusive” perfect boyfriend — which is, of course, standing right in front of them.
However, their fake “blind date” was really ICKY, if you ask me. And, let’s face it — you did ask me. Well, for a review, anyway.
Jacob is supposed to be HELPING Tommy hone his blind date “skills.” Yet, one of the first things Jacob does, is tell Tommy that he (Jacob) will be paying for the entire expensive dinner and wine himself. After all, it was he (Jacob) that chose the restaurant as the place of their “play” date, together.
BUT . . . and there’s always a BUT, isn’t there? In RETURN for his GENEROSITY, he expects something MORE from Tommy.
In reply, Tommy tells him his payment of the debt owed for the dinner, and wine, basically depends on wether he thinks said items are UP TO HIS STANDARDS.
ICKY . . . FOR EXAMPLE — at the start of the date Tommy arrives about five minutes late and this is the interaction that ensues: “ . . . I don’t like my dates being late,” he said. “I made the effort to get here on time and I expected you to do the same. Are you always late when you see someone for the first time, Thomas? . . . “ “ . . . Yeah, I am, unless I really like the look of them. I mean what’s the point of wasting an evening if I don’t like the goods? But, after five minutes or so of checking you out, I thought I might as well give you a try. I don’t have anything else to do . . . “ “ . . . Not bad,” he said. “Like you, I think I’ll try this date out for a while, but you’d better keep my interest or I’ll just leave. I do hate being bored, almost as much as being kept waiting. Do you understand, Thomas? . . . ” (Arrogant Pr¡ck, much?)
THEN, once they went inside the restaurant, and were seated: “ . . . I’ll pay for the wine and the meal, Thomas. It’s my treat. It’s what I’m bringing to our first date together. Tell me, what are you bringing?” “ . . . What I’m bringing to our evening together depends on whether I like the food here and the wine, too, for that matter . . . ” “ . . . Then you won’t be disappointed. And, as a result, neither, I hope, will I . . . ” Nothing like a Big, Fat D¡ck Head, is there?
Just what exactly is Jacob trying to “teach” Tommy about his dating skills? That he isn’t “A§§HØLE” enough? That he doesn’t “PUT OUT” enough?
Up until then, Tommy had never slept with anyone on the first date. And he’s always told his blind dates that, right up front, and Jacob knows that.
So, is he teaching “SLUTTISM”?
It’s like Jacob is telling Tommy that, if he would “put out” on the first date, then maybe his dates would go better. (Remember, after Jacob reminded Tommy that he was basically “paying for his company by buying dinner” and in doing so, Tommy needed to, basically, be “providing something” in return.)
Or, is he telling him if he actually DID sleep with someone on the first date then, that “date” might at least think about seeing him again? (After all, that was part of the point of this fake date — to see if Tommy could “learn” how to get at least one of these blind dates, to be interested in him enough, that there might, at least, be a second date.)
Yeah, NO. JUST•PLAIN•NO.
Although, to be fair, after the dinner conversation took place, Jacob DID remind Tommy that this was just make believe and they could stop any time Tommy wanted to. Tommy didn’t want to: “ . . . You know this is a game, don’t you? he whispered, sounding more like the Jacob I knew . . . Role play, like we talked about . . . We can stop if you don’t like it, you know, Tommy. You just have to say . . . “ “ . . . “Yes,” I said. “I remember that . . . “What’s not to like?” I said at last, winking at him. “For a blind date, this is going pretty well so far, don’t you think?”
WHAT THE H€££? “Going pretty well?” What kind of “dates from hell” had Tommy been going on that he thought this was “going pretty well?”
REALLY?
I know Jacob was just trying to, FINALLY, get Tommy into bed after all those years of pining for him but, this was just PLAIN UGLY.
Didn’t like the scenes they were playing out, as “practice” blind dates — AT ALL.
YUCKY . . . ICKY . . . The only thing they both were “playing” at was being A§§HØLE§. To paraphrase a quote I’ve heard before:
“ARROGANT A§§HØLE§.”
Instead of playing this out with the harshness of a (basically) “put out or get out” type of scene — I think maybe, something more along the lines of . . . “I’ve been wanting to meet you for so long, I just can’t believe I finally talked your sister into introducing us . . . “ would have been a better way of getting Tommy to know just how much Jacob really thought/felt about him and what he really, truly wanted to happen between them.
I’m no author, obviously, but really, this was just wrong . . .
Playing like you’re teaching someone “better dating skills” by telling him you “expect him to re-pay you” for the expense of the dinner, and drinks that you, yourself arranged and thus, are paying for — BEFORE you even get around to ordering, yet — ?
What’s that? Fair warning? Be careful what you order, because you’ll be paying me back, big time?
So, ANNE BROOKE, just what DID you find so sexy about writing this story, or the characters, or the situation?
••• NO ••• JUST ••• PLAIN ••• NO •••
MTULIPK Yeah, I know, quite a lot to say about a book that’s only 25 pages. OOPS ‼️‼️‼️
I normally do not read short stories like this. I just needed a break from my normal reads. This was adorable. It could have been a great actual book instead.
I really liked the characters & the concept. I’ve reached a point where long, detailed descriptions of sex are tedious but this managed to be sexy without being boring.
Anne Brooke is a brilliantly luminous writer in a variety of genres and people should be reading her stuff. Something that is unique to Brooke's writing is her ability to interest me in things I would have thought I would dislike. This has happened on more than one occasion and has me seeking out everything she has published. Which is the only reason I would purchase a book with this title and read my way through it. It also has to count for the Diverse Reading Challenge (google it) because this story certainly stretched my comfort zone.
Tommy and Jacob, two gay men, have been best friends since forever and a day. Jacob's most recent relationship has ended a few months before the story begins. Tommy has been going out on a series of very unsatisfactory blind dates. His latest was a doozy. I found myself wondering, if they are both gay and they have been each other's best friend, why the heck haven't they fallen in love yet?
Evidently, Jacob had the same though and proposes himself as Tommy's next blind date. Jacob is an actor and so he promises to be someone else for the date. It happens and it happens. And I am left hoping these two crazy kids make it work forever.
As always, no detail is wasted, every word counts to make me care about two people and what happens to them.
This was a short but sweet best friends to lovers story, Tommy is sick of poor blind dates so best friend Jacob offers to show him how good it could be
Very good short m/m romance about a guy who's been on a series of spectacularly unsuccessful blind dates when his actor best friend suggests that they go out on a blind date together, so he can evaluate his friend's blind date technique... Something that was nice about this story is that the guys were very average blokes - no amazing bodies or model looks to be seen.
Very short but totally adorable as disheartened Tommy bemoans to his best friend Jacob of yet another miserable blind date, he swears that he's done! Jacob, on the other hand, decides to show Tommy a decent date and that's where Tommy's mind get blown and some deeper feelings emerge. A sweet short tale, very enjoyable and, at times, amusing.
Not the romantic little interlude I expected. I thought Tommy would finally get some actual wooing but Jacob's behavior on the "blind date" was odd, not endearing. If they weren't already friends, Tommy should've been as put off as he'd been with all his other dates.
A short story about a guy (Tommy) who has a blind date with his best friend (Jacob). The simple plot is simply told. Don’t expect surprises or twists or even great depths of character. This book is a pleasant, untaxing way to spend an hour or so. There’s a little bit of sex too!
I liked the idea of a friend coaching the other on blind dates. Was expecting something a bit different which might explain the slight felling of misgivings I had when Jacob basically puts on a completely different persona on their date. The dynamic threw me a bit.
Loved the story. It would have been so much better if we'd had Jacob's POV as clearly Jacob had been waiting a long time for this relationship to happen!
Quelques pages drôles et sexy...Rien de bien transcendant mais cette courte histoire a su offir la légereté dont j'avais besoin. J'aurais aimé avoir le point de vue de Jacob, dommage !
Tommy doesn't have much luck with blind dates so his best friend Jacob decides to help him out! This is hot and spicey as the two besties get together.