I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Dating Game by Sandy Barker Also by this author: The Christmas Swap
Published by One More Chapter on 10th September 2021
Genres: Chicklit, Contemporary, Humour, Love & Romance
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle
The must-read romantic comedy for fans of Laura Jane Williams, Sophie Ranald and Sophie Kinsella.
‘Hilarious and highly original’Julie Houston, bestselling author of A Village Affair
Once upon a time, twelve women joined the hottest reality TV show looking for love. Except one had a secret identity . . .
Abby Jones is a serious writer. Or at least she will be, one day. Right now, she spends her time writing recaps of reality television under a secret identity.
When a recap for The Stag – the must-watch dating show – goes viral, her editor thinks she should be on set, writing the drama as it happens. The good news: the next season will be filmed in Sydney. Sun, sea and a glamorous trip abroad, this could be Abby’s big break.
The bad news: the producers don’t just want Abby to write the recaps, they want her to be on the show. Abby can’t think of anything worse than being undercover and followed around by cameras. But her career depends on it, and when she meets gorgeous producer Jack, Abby begins to wonder if this job might not be so bad after all . . .
Thank you to Rachel for letting me take part in this tour and to One More Chapter for my copy of this book via Netgalley. This is the second book I have read by Sandy.
I really loved the concept of this book. I watch some reality shows like Love Island and Married at First Sight. I admit I haven’t watched The Bachelor which I think The Stag is based on but that’s not necessary as Sandy explains how the show works in the book.
Abby is such a great main character. I really enjoyed the different ‘hats’ she was wearing. I loved the Anastasia recaps. They were sarky and so funny.
I really enjoyed meeting all the Does and seeing the girls all become friends, supporting each other and making memories. The behind the scenes of the show, seeing the ‘storylines’ etc was very entertaining. We all suspect that some things are faked on these shows so seeing this being played out through the book was interesting.
For me, the only disappointment was that the book ended rather abruptly. I knew I was getting to the end but I wanted so much more to happen. I wanted to see life after the manor. An epilogue would have been a great addition just to see what happened say 6 months later.
This book is perfect for a summer escape. Set in Sydney, the book explores the beaches, wildlife, vineyards and botanical gardens. It really gives you a sense of the area surrounding Stag Manor. I found it so easy to dip into this book in this mini heatwave we are having this week
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Thank you for being on the tour. We did release an epilogue – I think you still have time to download it again from NetGalley.
Ah I didn’t realise there was a new version. Annoyingly Netgalley doesn’t tell you if that happens. Ah I was too late it’s already archived.
I’ll send it to you as a thank you for being on the tour xx
Awww thank you. 😊