Okay.

So this isn’t a romance at all. That’s fine. But it’s barely romantic. I did not care about the characters’ stories, I didn’t feel chemistry between them.

The writing felt super flat.

I enjoyed the fact that the characters spoke like Black Brits, it felt comforting to me as that’s what I’m used to. I think we need more of this in written media.

I just wish the story was better. There was something missing. Like we get to the 60% mark and the characters are in the exact same place they were at the beginning of the book. No word of a lie, the resolution only comes around the 80-90% mark and by then it feels cheap. The only plus was that it was easier to read by then.


This book had ALL the potential to be something great, but it just wasn’t.

Easy to read, with a strong female character! Reminded me a lot of my early twenties, which would be the perfect audience for this book. I may not be the ‘target’ audience, however I still enjoyed reading this book. Would be great for a holiday read! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

Loved how current this story was. Tia’s story and friendships were all really authentic and relatable.

I finished this book in a day, so definitely think it would be a great holiday read.

I loved the relationship between Tia and Yvonne. It really highlighted why it is so important to have a mentor when you feel stuck in your career.

All in all, it really accurately portrayed navigating relationships, or lack there of, in your twenties.

Tia’s life was turned upside down following the long awaited return of her boyfriend from working abroad. She had to make drastic changes to her plans. Follow her and her career on her quest for love and a fulfilling life. Could she have both or would she have to pick. Tia is wise, fun and a girl you will be able to relate to.

A fun, fast paced, and very modern romance. Tia’s long time friend and not-so-secret crush has broken her heart by coming back from the States with a new girlfriend. Her journalist job is also causing her grief as she battles the everyday pressures of working with those who don’t, or can’t, relate to her life.
Luckily when she meets gorgeous Nathan online he seems to be keen to help with both her love life and her career. But modern dating is no easy ride, and in the end Tia has to decide whether to stick with those who don’t fully appreciate her, or hold out for something better.

I really didn’t enjoy this book. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters nor develop strong feelings about them.
All the slang and references seemed really immature to me.
I’m probably just the wrong audience, but a 2 star is the best I can give

When the love of her life shows up with a girlfriend, Tia decides it's time to put herself out there. Expectations of dating apps are low, so it's a surprise when she instantly connects with handsome photographer Nate. He's everything she's looking for; he makes her feel safe, seen, and desired. Tia assumes they're on the same page - the only catch? They're yet to have The Talk. In a generation that's normalised competing over who cares the least, can Tia overcome her fears and lay her cards on the table, in the pursuit of something real?

I was SOOOO happy that i got accepted for The Situationship by Taylor-Dior Rumble. Reading a book 6 months before pub date is SO exciting and i feel very grateful. This book did NOT fall short of my expectations. Being a 'situationship' girl myself - it felt so refreshing to read and I absolutely adored this book so much more than I expected. I am very sure that I have never read anything as relatable!!!! I would class this as a romance in genre, BUT... this book is so much more than just a romance. The best part of this book is the main character, Tia. She is the definition of what i'd like a strong FMC to be and I love the focus that is put on her life and relationships and her job.

This book is so refreshing in its reflection in dating. There are hardly any books (as far as I have read) so accurate to modern dating apart from Dolly Alderton's memoirs... this is definitely an ACCURATE portrayal.

The writing was incredibly easy to read. All in all, I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you're in your twenties/thirties and struggling with dating.

I raced through this book but was left feeling a bit flat - it felt like a rush to get to the end, and the "moral" of the story wasn't clear. The dialogue got quite repetitive - I lost count of how often the author relied on characters kissing their teeth

I was going to start by saying that I don’t think that I am the right audience for this book, but I have held back because isn’t that the beauty of books - that you can read about things beyond your experience, you can learn about other people’s lives and challenges and come away richer for it? It was with that thought in mind that I kept reading but I found the prose just too thin, it was like reading a teen magazine.

Ok I was educated - I looked up BBL - but I just found the whole Tia/Nate thing a bit dull and incredibly hard work - crumbs people, if you like someone let them know and get on with it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 "I'm not gonna waste time on someone who can't appreciate what's right in front of them." I absolutely adored this book so much more than I expected. I am very sure that I have never read anything as current and relatable to date!

This book follows Tia, an aspiring journalist who has fancied one of her best friends, Aaron, until unexpectedly returns from the US with a new girlfriend on arm. In an act to help her move on her close-nit friend group urge her to download tinder, and after encountering numerous guys who are more suited a jail cell, Nate messages her. The book follows the issues regarding modern dating- the will-they-wont-they, the when do I need to ask them if this is a thing and what is this thing and do they even want to have a thing, and the dreaded "talk." However, this book is so so much more than just a romance. The best part of this book is Tia herself. Who is currently working as a researcher and the struggles she faces each and every day as a black women in the workplace. The book shows the micro-aggressions, the reactions of others to such, and how much extra she had to work to get her ideas across in her job.

I will start by saying how refreshing this book in its reflection in dating. There are barley any books (as far as I have read) so accurate to modern dating where the idea of a meet cute sounds like a miracle. The book highlights the difficulties with hinge- the endless unsolicited dick pics. the men who need to touch grass, and the over-sexualised conversations. It runs though the exact conversations many of us I am sure have had with our friends- how long to wait after replying (I advocate that the entire world eradicates this, it is the biggest waste of time) and the idea of the mysterious girl who must be sophisticated and laid back. I adored and definitely appreciate how this topic was approached in this book.

This book is very much current, there is no doubt that this book isn't set now. Like, right now. I usually despise this and audibly wretch when I read the word TikTok in a book. But here, it just made sense. While reading this book, it was as if I was looking through the window into someones life. The popular culture references did not put me off at all even the mentions of Molly Mae, Hinge, and my beloved Wetherspoons (I wept reading that). However, the downside to this book being so very modern is that I don't know if I would feel the same way whilst reading it in a couple of years. However, for those in their early 20s in particular, I highly recommend (but read it now while the references still stand)

The writing was incredibly easy to read. The start of the book is usually where I can tell whether a book is going to be a good read (yes, I am judgemental) and due to the writing there were characters introduced and I knew what role they held to the story, what relation they were to Tia due to how straight to the point some parts where. Everything was introduced so well without any unnecessary over-explanation. My only issue was that the dialogue felt clunky. One word that irked me was "innit". I use this word a lot in my life, but there was just something about reading it that just didn't work for me.

All in all, I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you're in your early twenties. It is a very current read and focuses not only the issues of modern dating, but integrally, racial inequality faced in the workplace. Honestly, please read for the ending, it is absolutely perfect. I cannot explain how happy I was reading it. I genuinely could not stop smiling. Thank you netgalley for the arc!

The story centres around Tia, a 24 year old researcher and aspiring journalist from London. Career focused Tia is distraught when her will-they-won’t-they friend Aaron returns from the US with a girlfriend she and friends Luca and Hannah have heard NOTHING about. When her friends finally manage to distract Tia enough to get her on Hinge, she eventually meets Nate, a charming aspiring photographer.

Will it be Nate or Aaron? And more importantly, will her contributions at LCN be recognised with a permanent writer role?

I really enjoyed this and devoured it in 2 sittings, and did not know how this was going to end. I won’t spoil it, but I loved the ending! I would love this to be a series and I’d definitely read more by this author.

I have really mixed feelings about The Situationship. The description led me to believe I was going to read a romantic comedy, but this wasn't really the case.

In fact, the romance element of the book fell really flat for me. Tia deserved more than either of the love interests were willing to give and I didn't find either of them charismatic or deserving of our FMC's time or patience.

I enjoyed reading from the perspective of a Black woman working and thriving in journalism despite the microaggressions she faced daily. I desperately wanted her to succeed and found myself more invested in her personal growth than her love life.

I actually thought the South London slang helped set the tone and I really loved the banter between her group her friends, however, the repetitive descriptions were a little jarring at times. It was a mixed read that I couldn't really get invested in.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and I did enjoy Tia as a main character. It was so accurate for the whole concept of “situationships” in society today and the funny side of online dating.

I really wanted to love this one. I just unfortunately didn’t really connect with it, and I’m not sure if that’s because I’m Australian and all of the British slang confused me a bit, I found it quite distracting from the story. I’m sure if I understood it, it would be quite funny.

Thank you so much for the review copy!

I didn’t realise when I selected this book that it was about young adults in their mid-20s. It was enjoyable, true to life and fast-paced, and I felt Tia’s pain at being Aaron’s cast off, but I think I’d have got into it far more easily if I were 20 years younger! There’s a lot of slang and the scenarios are much more Gen Z than Gen X. Not a failing on the book’s part at all, but I think maybe the blurb could make this clearer and perhaps include a par of text so it attracts the right readers. Sorry that I’m not the target audience.

sometimes you just know a book wasnt written for you- and this was one of them. I couldnt connect to the characters or the set up unfortunately - its definitely aimed at readers 20 years younger than me with much more exciting love lives and lifestyles! I felt v old and staid reading it. So not one for me, but thanks for the chance to read it.

As someone who most definitely isn’t a member of Gen-Z (far from it), modern-day dating for the younger generation is not something I would ever claim to understand - it’s actually pretty terrifying!

I struggled with this book and after the first chapter put it down for a few weeks to read others on my list because I couldn’t relate, but that is definitely a me-thing, not a ‘this book’ thing.

There were moments in the book that were so filled with pop culture references that I knew it was aimed at someone who can really identify.

All in all it was a good book, well written, but something that spoke more to the younger generations rather than being a book I would read to sink into comfort (for me) on a Saturday night in with a glass of wine and a podcast!

I began this book with high expectations and found they fell slightly whilst reading, but the book redeemed itself in the end!

it’s important to say I’m not a huge romcom girlie so I do cringe easily but I was very grateful for the emphasis on the com rather than the rom, in this book. tia’s character was funny and relatable, the feeling of friendship was established so well and I found myself getting invested in characters.

this book is not just a fluffy chick-lit (as I thought it would be), but is surprisingly raw and sadly realistic when depicting racial inequality in the workplace- something that adds an extra layer of substance and reality to the story.

there was a lot of gen z-esque dialogue/language and that threw me off a fair bit (even though I’m gen z), but that’s definitely a personal preference thing and some others may really like that! this did lower my rating significantly because it’s just a big dislike for me 🫣

thank you to netgalley and random house, cornerstone for this digital copy to review.

Oh I just need a sequel to this book.

This book took me by surprise in the best way. I thought from the description that I’d enjoy this book but I didn’t anticipate how much I’d enjoy it.

I thought the book but just focus purely on Tia and Nate’s relationship, but I loved that Tia’s career and person story took highlight too. I adored Tia. The writing flowed, it was and easy read and I finished it so quickly.

My only complaint is the ending as I wasn’t ready for the book to finish. I wanted more on Tia & Nash’s relationship and Tia’s career but can appreciate what the author was doing (it’s just me having a personal pref for epilogues and neat endings)

My gosh I loved this book. I went in blind, only knowing the title and the cover, and it was an absolute joy.
Tia's struggles with dating/not knowing where you stand with someone is all too relatable, and I genuinely felt for her and her anxieties of not knowing where you stand. I loved the interactions with her friends, and found myself glad she had a group of such genuine, hilarious people to support her.
I appreciated that the romance did not outshine the important subject matter, the two happily co-existed within the story.
One small issue I had, which is trivial, isI did think the term "kissing their teeth" was a little overused.
Overall a refreshing, effortless read, I loved watching Tia's personal development and easily my top book of the year so far.

Very interesting read, I loved the characters and the plot, It had me guessing what would happen next. A great read.