This was a cute read! I really enjoyed it being set in the book world, with both main characters loving books! It was also a nice little way for me to relive my own adventures in Italy. The way the author describes the region and the little things about Italy really took me straight back to my own visit!

As for the story, the dynamics of the main character relationship took some getting used to. The main character has a pretty negative self image, which is not the type of character I typically read. Her internal dialogue is a bit chaotic, with her consistently talking down to herself. She eventually grows out of this, but because of it, she thinks the male main character is "out to get her" for a heavy majority of the book, which I thought was unfair. While yes, he does tease her, perhaps a little aggressively, I never felt like what we saw from him was pure malice, despite what the main character would make herself believe. We only see her side of the story through much of the book, but as their ruse continues, there are many points where the reader can tell she is not giving him enough credit and is just stuck in her own head and self sabotaging. These moments especially start happening once we are in scenes with her family and during her illness. He sees far more about her than she ever gives him credit for. All in all, the main character does come around and she has a lot of growth. She finally sees that she has someone in her corner and finds the backbone to stand up to her family for walking all over her. I was really glad to see her finally accept this after reading her negative internal dialogue all book.

The book itself is well written, and the banter between the characters is great, with Ben really having some zingers that made me smile. As mentioned before, the setting of Italy is magical, and I really enjoyed the sub story of the over the top wedding and crazy moments from the wedding weekend!

The Spanish Love Deception crossed with The Hating Game. I really enjoyed this one which included some of my favorite romance tropes; fake-dating, holiday romance, workplace romance and enemies to lovers. This book had it all, laugh-out-loud moments, emotional and heartfelt scenes, two main characters that you can't help but fall in love with and a fun and hilarious scenario. This author was new to me but someone I am looking forward to reading more from.

Review is up on Goodreads and will be posted on Amazon Australia on release day. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

I had the opportunity to read The Wedding Date Disaster by Kate Mathieson as an ARC, and it was an absolute delight from start to finish.

The story centers around Gemma and Ben (Adam), whose witty banter and undeniable chemistry steal the show. Gemma is wonderfully flawed, a relatable people pleaser struggling to find her voice, except when it comes to Ben. Their interactions are electric, full of tension and humor, making them an engaging and dynamic pair.

Ben’s character is equally compelling. While he drives Gemma up the wall, his actions throughout the wedding trip reveal a depth of care and passion that is impossible to ignore. Their evolving relationship feels authentic and heartfelt, with moments that made me laugh out loud and others that made me root for them with my whole heart.

Mathieson’s writing is sharp, filled with humor, warmth, and an appreciation for the nuances of relationships. The supporting cast adds layers to the story without overshadowing the central romance, and the wedding setting provides the perfect backdrop for this enemies to lovers tale.

By the end, I was thoroughly satisfied with the happy ending and left with a smile on my face. The Wedding Date Disaster is a must-read for fans of romantic comedies and heartfelt love stories.

**Not 100% sure of how I want to rate this one. Rounding up to 3 stars for now. Rating may change. **


The Wedding Date Disaster was a quick and easy read. Ben and Gemma's story was quite interesting; business colleagues who didn't really like one another yet end up fake dating at a wedding.

This story had a ton of potential with its Italian setting and overall interesting premise. However, some parts of the story felt rough and could have been fleshed out more. I thought Ben and Gemma made great enemies, and at moments, I could feel sparks, but I wanted more. More chemistry. More heat. More change of heart. If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't really sure of Ben's intentions half of the time because he just didn't feel genuine.

Also, I was confused about Gemma's boyfriend, Adam. What guy is going to be okay with his girlfriend going to a wedding with another guy? I know he was added for conflict purposes, but he felt like an unnecessary afterthought.

I also loathed how Gemma's family treated her. They bullied and walked all over her. They were just awful! I really wanted Gemma to grow a backbone and stand up for herself.

In the end, The Wedding Date Disaster left me with a mixed bag of emotions. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. It was just kind of mid for me.

Gemma is a book editor and general doormat. Her boyfriend declines to join her for her half-sister's over the top Italian wedding, at which she'll have a servant's role, so she brings a blind date/stand-in, who happens to be her work rival. General familial abuse ensues.

3.75⭐
Romantic, non-spicy.

The setting is nice, but I wanted even more. The side characters are well-developed in that I hate them all. This was an eARc, so I don't want to comment too much on the editing, but for a book about book editors, I really hope they fix the typos and tense inconsistencies before final print.

I liked this book. It didn't blow me away or reinvent anything, but it was solid and I enjoyed it. I wish we'd seen more of Ben and his story.

Thanks NetGalley, Harper Collins and Kate Mathieson for this eARC.

Nope. Just no. The FMC is one of the worst characters and I couldn't stand anyone else. The writing wasn't good and everything was just flat. I DNF'd at 37% because I just couldn't deal with this anymore.

This book totally missed the mark for me. The premise sounded promising but the story fell flat.

To begin with, the story was far-fetched. Gemma only realised that she was a doormat/people pleaser type person at around the 78% mark. It would have made more sense if she had broken up with Adam before she left for the wedding. There was zero chemistry between Gemma and Ben and I thought all the other characters were obnoxious and awful.

Fake Dating, Enemies to lovers and a destination wedding? That's right up my alley!
Gemmas sister is getting married in Italy and her boyfriend doesn't want to/can't go with her, so she ends up going with her office enemy Ben.

I'd say this book is for the ones who enjoyed The Spanish Love Deception and The Hating Game, as it's been giving me those vibes.
This book was a really quick read, it was funny, it was cute, it had lots of banter...it had a little bit of everything.
Gemmas family dynamic was a bit weird (you'll get it once you read it) and I could totally understand her insecurities, but I loved how she finally started standing up for herself near the end of the book, and with the help of her former nemesis as well. Ben was a great guy and I especially loved how he took care of her when she was sick and how he stood up for her and made her stand up for herself as well. <3
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. :)

Listen.. I should've known something was up when the FMC was all "yeah, he thought I was his assistant because I'm a woman, ugh, men. I'm such a feminist!" because it reminded me heavily of a book I'd read and DNFd earlier in the year that was written by a raging Republican who wanted to make her FMC seem like a feminist who didn't let anyone step on her only for her to turn out to be an obedient housewife. I also wasn't fond of the attitude of the MMC towards the FMC. Honestly I wouldn't have given him the time of day on a blind date if I were her. Their chemistry did not make sense to me, and not to mention this book was very.. AI positive. Icky. All this, and come to find out this author is an islamophobe! Do not waste your time.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and OMC for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I think there was good opportunity for this book but it didn’t quite hit the mark. There were a lot of chances for small changes that would have enhanced the book. While I liked the main characters they ended up being pretty flat.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was lovely and the characters were well written.
The start of it was a bit slow but once you got into it the story was cute.
I felt the ending was a bit too fast and rushed - but I adored the story nonetheless.

I just read the most fun romcom. The Wedding Date Disaster was such a heartwarming and fun read. A five star review!

I really enjoyed the premise of this story. I also enjoyed the setting. Unfortunately the two main characters just could not hold it all together. There a was a severe lack of chemistry after no sparks in the beginning. They both were too backhanded and secretive in small ways. I never found a way to connect to with them or even like either of them really. This was just a bust.

When I started reading this book I honestly wasn't sure if I will be able to finish it. The first half of the book presented the main character as an unlikable female who is trying to be liked by everyone while constantly judging everyone around her. It felt like the author was trying to force a point of view on to the reader making I a slow and dry start. Somewhere in the middle the book becomes very enjoyable. This author writes well making the read really smooth. I believe that with some edits and cuts in the first half this couple be a real hit.

While I’m a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, The Wedding Disaster Date didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

From the start, I struggled to get into the story due to the oddly intense focus on the designer clothes at Peacock Press. It felt out of place and disrupted the flow of the narrative, making it hard to fully engage with the book.

The resolution between the FMC and her family also felt rushed and unrealistic. Given the deep trauma they caused her over the years, her quick forgiveness seemed too sudden and didn’t feel earned.

On a more positive note, I appreciated the literary references and the witty humor scattered throughout the book, though I could have done without the mention of J.K. Rowling.

Overall, the book did have enough charm to keep me reading. It’s a quick, easy read and could still be enjoyable for those who enjoy more complex relationship dynamics.

I am loving all these light hearted cutesy books that make me feel like I’m in high school again and reading about love the first time.

Gemma Evans is a hard working editor at Peacock Press, who has just been passed over for a promotion over her work nemesis, Ben McDonald. To top it all off, her sister, Lulu, is getting married at a luxurious villa in Italy and her long-term, very practical partner, Adam, decides not to join Gemma at the wedding as he's trying to prepare for his new job. Gemma enlists her friend to help her find a fake date for the wedding who could stand in as Adam to avoid further disdain from her family. Gemma is beside herself when none other than Ben shows up to be her +1.

The Wedding Date Disaster has fake dating, family strife, and workplace rivalry, all while Gemma works to transform herself from an emotional doormat into a self-assured whole person.

I had some challenges with the book at the beginning where there was an intense focus on the designer clothing that was going on at Peacock Press, which felt a bit out of place, but I think was there to show Gemma's general discomfort and feeling like she didn't fit in. However, I really had some challenges with the events with Lulu and some of the tasks and ways Lulu and Gemma's family treated her were just excruciating. It made the resolution at the end feel too quick for a lifetime of being put last in everyone's eyes.

I did appreciate seeing Ben pull Gemma out of her shell and the enemies to lovers romance absolutely sucked me in. However, there are some HP references in there that I really wish had been replaced by something else just given how JK has fully tainted that franchise.

Overall, this is a fun, quick book with a lovely romance element, but some challenges meant it wasn't quite a home run for me. Thank you so much to HarperCollins One More Chapter and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Oh this book could’ve been so good. It could’ve been an about a girl learning to have a backbone and a fake-dating situation that helped her do so. It had such great potential. Sadly, this book was majority dialogue with the female main character getting kinda bullied by her family. The backbone eventually came, but not until around 80-90% of the way through. I would’ve been able to overlook that, but I couldn’t overlook the cheating that happened the entire book. I think emotional cheating is a thing, and this book had that heavily incorporated (along with a kiss that then made her feel like she was actually cheating). This isn’t a terrible story by any means, and if you’re looking for an easy read with banter and a humor filled fake-dating relationship, then this is a good one to pick up. Just avoid if cheating or bad relationships with family members bother you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Absolutely brilliant book!
I am a big fan of this author and love the writing style!
I cant wait to read more!

I really needed Gemma to have a backbone because she definitely did not have one. This book was a confusing one on whether i liked it or not. I didn't like how judgmental gemma was towards everyone and just not a very likable character. ALSO she had a BOYFRIEND and she still kissed another guy twice???? wild to me. Gemma shouldv'e either broken up with her boyfriend or just control yourself and dont cheat on your partner?? It was interesting and i don't know if im the biggest fan.