Title: The Launch Date
Author: Annabelle Slator
Length: 416 pages
Genre: Contemporary romance, sub-genre: enemies to lovers.
Is this book part of a series? No
I discovered this book via… Netgalley working with Avon and Harper Voyager
Publish Date: February 11th, 2025
Summary (courtesy of Goodreads):
What if the secret to finding true love on a dating app was meeting them IRL first?
In this witty and fun rom-com debut from Annabelle Slator, rival coworkers become reluctant daters after they’re forced to work together on a brand-new dating app in hopes of winning a promotion—perfect for fans of Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game.
Grace Hastings’s dream job at the popular “true love” dating app, Fate, has turned into a nightmare. Her boss is a leech, her career is stagnating, and her fiancé has just brutally dumped her. Her hope for finding her own love story is waning, and she feels like a fraud for promoting a concept she no longer believes in. When the company’s CEO offers her an opportunity to earn a big promotion, she resolves to fight her imposter syndrome to show she deserves a seat at the table.
The opportunity? To launch a brand-new app focusing on IRL dating and genuine connection.
The problem? She must develop and test-drive a series of “first dates” with the other person gunning for the job: notorious socialite playboy and Grace’s biggest work rival, Eric Bancroft.
During their disastrous hikes, dangerous cooking classes, and steamy yoga sessions, they begin to realize their stark differences may just be surface level and Eric might just be the perfect person to challenge Grace’s perceptions of love, dating culture, and self-worth.
My thoughts:
Please be advised, there might be some light spoilers here.
This was a hard one for me. I actually had to take a few days to consider my feelings on it. The first twenty percent of the book was torturous. I couldn’t get a good handle on the male lead, the female lead was far too weak (and we never really knew why, just that big things happened), and the boss reads like an overdone asian drama villian. There were several times I wanted to DNF, but I at least try to get to the fourty percent mark with any book before doing so. I am glad I continued.
As the two spend more time together, you see more of not only their personalities but their but their past. You learn more about the big break up Grace went through and why it might have been tramatic for her, making her earlier behavior make much more sense. Plus, the reason that Grace and Eric’s relationship soured, and why they were most bitter. As the story progressed I found myself liking the characters more, and the different dates were fantastic. Roughly the next seventy percent of the book was amazing to me, even if the pacing between the two parts of the was choppy.
The last ten percent of the book was good, but felt rushed. We have a big, fabulous glow-up for Grace, and she even talks to her boss. But it’s like the woman didn’t even know she was being toxic. As soon as she’s called out she becomes an entirely different person- a decent person. I get it, we learned earlier that the boss was having her own dificulties but the instant change in character seemed a bit unrealistic honestly. Eric, on the other hand, never truly seems to change so much as let his guard down again. I enjoyed seeing the different parts of him, and his interactions both with his sister and with Grace.
Once the two called a truce, the chemistry between them was interesting and realistic. I found myself really invested in every interaction. The banter between the two and the dates scenario brings a levity that’s needed here so as not to get too overwhelming. For me, this was a slow start but quickly grew to be a fun, fast read. The pacing in the second half definitely picks up. For me this is a three star book.
As far as adult content goes, there is language, light sexual contact, emotional abuse, bullying, and (very little) violence. I’t geared toward a new adult/ adult audience, I think.
I was lucky enough to recieve an eARC of this book from Netgalley, working with Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. This has no baring on the opinions above. My thanks!
The book comes out February 11th! Is it on your TBR?
Happy Reading! See you next time,
Gwen
