Spoiler Free Review: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

Title: The Wedding Date

Author:Jasmine Guillory

Pub. Date: January 30th. 2018

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance

Publisher: Berkley

Format: eBook/Kindle

Buddy Read: Melanie from Meltotheany

Pages: 320

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON

   

Everyone loves a good elevator story amiright? haha! I know I do, especially when it’s one that tackles the fake dating trope. Such is the case with The Wedding Date where we meet Alexa, a young lawyer who is the Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Berkeley California as she’s visiting her sister in L.A. Alexa’s sister just so happens to be staying at the same hotel Drew Nichols our other love interest is staying in while getting ready to attend his ex girlfriend’s wedding…yeah I know, first red flag. Alexa & Drew get stuck in the elevator and pass the time eating crackers & wine from Alexa’s purse while they wait for assistance. Instant chemistry between them leads Drew to asking Alexa to help him out of a jam…can she be his date to the wedding? For Alexa who doesn’t typically do chance encounters, it’s a little out of character when she accepts to go along with the fake dating plan to help this poor handsome fella. They spend the weekend pretend dating & as one can imagine, real feelings started to spark. This all kind of had to slow down a bit when they realized Alexa has to return to Cali where she has a career she loves. Drew is bound by his pager as a Pediatric Surgeon who also loves his job. We then go on a series of weekend visits from Cali to L.A. while these two hard-working profesionals try to keep it casual (key word is try haha). We get to know Alexa a lot more through the work she has a deep passion for. Helping provide the resources in the community for underprivileged teens. We touch on white privilege and the difference in perspective when it comes to authority. This isn’t your standard fluffy contemporary, TWD has depth & Alexa is to me the definition of a phenomenal woman!

Alexa- I absolutely LOVE Alexa to pieces! No only she is she smart, curvy, and unknowingly sexy…she’s also very passionate about helping give teenagers the resources they need within their communities. Places they can go to for mentoring, culture, the arts. Most importantly giving minority teens second chances. Alexa is a woman of color who knows what racism looks like & checking Drew for his privilege is something she does not shy away from.

Drew- Not my favorite love interest, not even a smidge 😂 I seriously tried with Drew. It was almost like I had to tell myself Alexa likes him so you need to like him…NOPE! Drew is not only arrogant at times, I also feel he doesn’t appreciate Alexa. He’s also very quick to throw in the towel & go seek attention. Also, I do wish he’d shown more interest in Alexa’s work & passion that goes beyond asking how her day went or wishing her good luck. He has a very privileged perspective & after seeing Alexa take interest in helping one of his patients I just felt like she brought more to the table in compassion & just as a human being. I love my girl Alexa though lol, so whatever makes her happy!

Carlos- The BFF I wish every dude had! I legit jumped for joy when I heard Carlos was getting his own book (The Proposal) & that I had gotten approved for a galley! *hooray* I have a feeling I’m going to LOVE it! Carlos is respectful & a ride or die BFF while still telling you when you’re wrong! he put Drew in check a few times in regards to his treatment of Alexa.

Maddie- Ok so we don’t get much of this character but I still appreciate the small role she played in being there for Alexa. Nowadays it’s hella hard to find a BFF that will make sure you don’t go out looking a hot mess! it’s much easier to fine frenemies tbh but Maddie made sure her girl Alexa brough her A game when they went out & that’s what I consider #BFFGOALS

I loved how realistic & relatable Alexa & Drew’s story read, it may not be common occurrence to get stuck on an elevator with your next love interest but I’m referring to everything else. From demanding careers to issues & differences interracial couples may experience (i’m Latinx married to a black man) when getting to know each other. I appreciated this book so much for the themes that played out & the awareness it brings in regards to socioeconomic differences and the lack of resources for underprivileged teens. Second chances for teenagers who fall into bad crowds but have so much potential to do more if only there was a place they could go to for some guidance. The light that it shines on the mentality that these teens should be written off as a loss & move on was cold but so true that it hurt. I loved seeing Alexa in her career fighting for what she was passionate about. Guillory doesn’t just tell you here’s a strong woman for a protagonist, she shows you a fierce woman in her element slaying it!

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Hello Bookworms! I am re-living my experience with The Wedding Date through this review & LOVING it! Have you read this one? have it on your TBR? thinking of picking up The Proposal? How do you feel about a Carlos POV?Sound off in the comments down below <3’s!

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