As someone who enjoys getting caught up in the Married at First Sight (MAFS) drama (even if it’s probably staged), I was instantly drawn to the idea of a rom-com where Hannah meets her future husband at the altar. I mean, who can resist a good “is this love or a total disaster?” moment?

Hannah’s the character you want to root for: she’s adventurous, always chasing excitement, but now she’s ready for something a little more solid—like, say, a husband she’s never met. So naturally, she decides to use her best friend Jess’s dating app to find Mr. Right and meet him at the altar. Yes, just like MAFS. It’s a wild premise, and it’s exactly what pulled me into the book in the first place.

Hannah’s storyline was just what I wanted: fun, light, and full of that “what if?” energy. Her mission to find love, save her friend’s app, and dive headfirst into matrimony was the perfect blend of modern romance and swipe-right chaos. It’s the kind of plot that feels tailor-made for a beach read—something to kick back with while you wonder if this bold leap is going to end in love or awkward annulment.

But then there’s Jess, and this is where things took a bit of a turn for me. While Hannah’s off on her adventure, Jess is dealing with her own issues—mainly the fact that after 20 years of marriage, things aren’t as picture-perfect as they seem. I understand the need to add some depth, but her storyline felt like it belonged in a different book. One moment I’m enjoying Hannah’s MAFS-style antics and the next, I’m knee-deep in Jess’s marital problems, which felt more like relationship therapy than a rom-com.

The shift between the two storylines made the book feel a bit disjointed. Hannah’s romance quest was what I came for, and Jess’s subplot—while realistic—didn’t quite match the fun, carefree tone I was hoping for. It’s like flipping from MAFS to a serious documentary about the realities of long-term marriage. Not exactly the vibe I was looking for.

If you love a bit of MAFS-style drama mixed with modern dating, Married at First Swipe has you covered. Just be prepared for a side order of marital woes that can slow things down. I’m giving this one 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3—because while it had the makings of a perfect rom-com, the split focus took away some of the fun.

Unfortunately this is a DNF. There's so little narration, 35% in and the love interest is nowhere to be seen. I was really hoping for a fun light romance, but all we get is tons of Hannah and Jessie talking about finding the ONE and about the app Jessie and her husband created than any kind of romance.

So disappointing.

This book was an easy read, but I did find it a bit of a chore.

The characters were fairly interesting, and family life was written very well, but I found that by the end of the novel, I wasn't actually certain I understood it.

The concept for meeting 'the one' on a dating swipe and marrying them on your first meeting sounds intriguing, so I had assumed there would be a bit more adventure in the book.

This is a good one to read if you have some free time, but I wouldn't recommend it to my friends.

This warm and funny novel is a real feel good story of friendship and realising what is truly important in life. It’s uplifting while staying true to reality and the ups and downs of any normal relationship. A must read for lovers of the tv show Married At First Sight!

I adore Claire Frost and her witty writing style. Married at First Swipe was a beautiful read and one which I thoroughly enjoyed as it whisked me away to another world and was easy to devour and get lost among the pages.

Married at First Swipe
by Claire Frost

A fun read. About two friends hare brained scheme developing an app about blind dating that leads to the alter!

Having been unsure how this book would pan out it was really well done. Full of laugh out loud moments and written in a reasonably believable fashion.Good characters , relationships & friendships.

Honestly, I can't remember why I requested this book. I thought the cover is cute, wanted to read a romance by a British author, thought the premise was fun - why past-me, why?
Anyway, this was not working for me at all. The writing didn't flow for me, I felt no emotional connection with either of the characters. I found the whole focus of finding The One True Love really annoying. I don't mind in principle the idea of using a dating app to find your future spouse but the way it was done here, nope, it's not for me. I was willing to give it some more time but when the heroine's best friend and owner of the dating app started looking for the best match for her and went to talk to her mother first, I threw in the towel.

This is not at all a romance! I think getting this out of the way first then enables you to read the book for what it really is - the tale of two best friends and how they are both affected by this decision to use one's app to find the other's groom whom she'll meet at the altar. As such, it follows upon the lives of Hannah and Jess, and not on the marriage bit, the romance bit, and even the groom is a bit of an afterthought in there.
Still, I did enjoy seeing where this was going and how, despite the slow pace and the almost entirely dialogue pages that make up this book (I guess that's the author's voice?)
Don't go in expecting a romance, or even seeing anything about this marriage mentioned in the title (misleading title, more like clickbait than anything else!), and sit down with a chick-lit about women and their relationships on the backdrop of their BFF friendship

The idea of marrying someone you’ve never met let alone someone you’ve never seen or really know anything about is a rather scary prospect to say the least! But that’s exactly what Hannah and Toby are about to do…

I have to say it did feel a little weird sharing a name with one of the main characters but as that was about all we shared I was able to see her as a character in her own right. I wouldn’t say I especially warmed to her or Jess but I did like them and become quite familiar with them. G - Ma on the other hand was one of my favourite characters and I’d have loved to hear more of her anecdotes and stories - there aren’t enough older people in stories!!

Overall I enjoyed this book, it was a nice easy read to settle down with in an evening with a hot chocolate before bed. It’s also definitely bumped St Lucia up the holiday wish list and has spurred me on for a few different bits!

I think this book has such an interesting plot - her best friend finding her a husband on the dating app and they don't meet until they get to the altar at the wedding. I think this book was really entertaining and I had a fun time reading it but definitely don't think it'll be one that will stick with me and make me want to reread it again in the future. But definitely one to try if you're in a slump and want something fun and silly to read with an over the top/unrealistic plot.

Married at First Swipe has a very fun and original premise and I found the title and the cover very eye catching. I'll start saying that this story was okay, but I was expecting a lighter story and more fun situations. But, the story turned out to be quite serious and not only focused on the actual marriage of two strangers but everything going on with the creator of the app that facilitated this and her family struggles.

It doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the story, as it sometimes resonated a lot with me and I wanted to know how everything was going to end. But there was something missing, I found it a little too slow maybe.

I'm sad to report that I tried to read this book and it didn't work for me. I struggled a lot with the writing. It wasn't as captivating as I hoped it to be and didn't capture my attention. Plus it was all over the place. I hope others will enjoy it more than me, but sadly we didn't hit it off.

A cute, light read that doesn’t take much concentration or focus. A really quick read that is amusing, even heart warming at times. A book showing the search for ‘The One’ in a modern world.
I think best keep expectations low and enjoy for what it is.

This took the miscommunication trope to a whole new universe. I don’t think I’ve ever known a set of characters avoid conversations as much as these ones did. I only continued as I’m on a mission to clear my NetGalley TBR.

This was overall a very fun and light hearted romance. I will recommend it To others and look forward to reading more from Claire Frost in the future.

A really comedic and lovely story-line, with fantastic characters. A perfect escapism and very light-hearted for readers who don't always want something too heavy.

As someone who is a regular user of dating apps, I was really looking forward to reading this novel. Unfortunately, it didn't really do it for me. I struggled to engage with Jess and Hannah's story and ended up skim reading the end just to finish it. I have read other Claire Frost novels so will give her next book another try.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

The blurb really intrigued me, but unfortunately I didn't love this book. I found Hannah rather unlikeable and the story just never seemed to pick up pace.

This was a fun escapism read and was very appropriate for modern dating times with all the apps and tv shows that people use these days to find their perfect partner/husband. Jess and Hannah are two best friends who work together to form the company save the date dating app and how Hannah has the idea that a blind date wedding might save the company and volunteers to be the one to try this out. The story also explores how when sometimes when you are trying to look for the perfect match or run your own business etc that you can lose sight of what is going on around you and the things that make you happy or that make a relationship what it is.