Synopsis: Drew is every mothers fantasy and he knows it. He is tall, attractive and a doctor. But he sucks at relationships. He invariably does something wrong and the woman ends up hating his guts. So what does Doctor Drew prescribe for this ailment? A steady diet of dating, but nothing serious. He doesn’t do girlfriends. Unfortunately for Dr. Drew, this also means he doesnt have anyone to bring as his date to the wedding of his ex-girlfriend and good friend where he’s serving as a groomsmen. Alexa Monroe is the thirty year old chief of staff to the mayor of Berkley. She’s smart, lawyer smart, and passionate about serving her community. So it’s just Drew’s luck when he gets stuck in an elevator with Alexa a few days before the wedding and sparks fly. Why not ask Alexa to be his date? For her part, Alexa impulsively agrees, because she needs to have a bit more fun in her life and because she thinks Drew is hella sexy. For two busy professionals 500 miles apart, can the charade be something more? Do either of them want it to be?
The Wedding Date was a cute and easy read, though somewhat boring. Why? Because nothing happens. It’s just a play by play of the early days of a relationship where the love interests like each other, but they aren’t sure if the other person likes them as much as they like them. I think more disappointing, is that this book had potential to address some complicated themes, like interracial relationships and the school to prison pipeline but they were brushed over. And I get it, those are tough topics and this is a lighthearted romance novel after all, but if you’re gonna bring the grit don’t gloss over it. I think the author had a hard time balancing the complexities of what would be real world dynamics with the goal of writing something lighthearted and fun. The author also committed the romance novel cardinal sin (why do so many authors do this?!) of having the plot driver be a miscommunication/lack of communication/assumptions between the main characters when simply talking would have resolves the issues. However, I give big props (and half a star) to the author for recognizing this and explaining it:
“I was scared! Is that what you want to hear? Okay, fine: I was scared to talk to him! I was scared I would pour out my heart and he would tell me he hoped we could stay friends. I was scared I would see in his face when I started talking that he felt sorry for me, I was scared I’d lay myself bare for nothing, and I was scared I would reveal my whole self to him and he would avert his eyes.” She sighed. “I was scared.”
All in all, this was an okay read. I didn’t laugh out loud but it was entertaining for a couple of hours. Like The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Steam Rating: 2/5. There is sex in this book but the author glosses over the details for the most part. Not enough detail or eroticism to get my panties in a twist.