‘The wedding date disaster’ is a fun romcom, easy to binge because of the great writing style. I love that the story includes many of my favourite tropes: enemies to lovers, fake dating and forced proximity. The fmc’s character development from people pleaser to standing up for herself was really interesting. The story's setting is amazing and perfect for a cute summer read. I would definitely recommend this book to all readers who are searching for a slow burn, enemies to lovers romcom with amazing banter!

Thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was very average. Apologies, but the main characters were all unlikeable, the female ends up cheating on her boyfriend the entire book and the man just comes across quite arrogant. I really want to like it but it just wasn’t for me.

The Wedding Date Disaster by Kate R. Mathieson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date: January 30, 2025 (tomorrow!)

The Wedding Date Disaster is a banter filled romantic comedy that that will have you laughing out loud! Gemma’s sister is getting married in Tuscany, but her boyfriend can’t be her plus one because he is busy. When her coworker sets her up with a blind date, Gemma thinks that she is saved from humiliation. Much to her dismay, the blind date is her workplace nemesis Ben.

I loved Ben. Was he a jerk at the beginning? Yes, but he turned out to be the perfect book boyfriend. The way he stood up for Gemma and pushed her out of her comfort zone.

I hate to say it, but Gemma was slightly annoying to me. Yes, her family was toxic, but she NEEDED to stand up for herself. And her boyfriend? He’s worse than stale toast. They were more like business partners than an actual couple. However, she grew throughout the book and I loved watching it. She learned how to stand up for herself and not accept how people were treating her. She wasn’t perfect at the end and I really appreciated that. It made the characters more relatable and showed that you can always work on yourself, but there is always room for improvement.

Now, let’s talk about the kiss. When you read it, you’ll know which one I’m talking about. I have never seen or read pre-kiss chemistry like this. It was SO GOOD! Truly swoon-worthy.

Honestly, I had fun with this one and I enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and One More Page for a copy of The Wedding Date Disaster!

This was a fun read! The banter was wow chefs kiss! This book was such an entertaining one like that. This has the tropes like, Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Family Drama, Slow Burn & Forced Proximity.

Gemma really needed a backbone in such situations that I literally shouted to her. She let everyone walk all over her, and it was tough to watch. Her family is Horrible as well as her boyfriend! The chemistry between Gemma and Ben? As I said, Chef's kiss. watching Gemma finally realize her worth and take charge was good but I anticipated it earlier than in the end.

When Gemma Evans loses a promotion to her workplace nemesis, she sees her perfect future start to crumble. The cherry on top of this whole disaster is an invitation to her half-sister Lulu's four-day Italian wedding, to which her boyfriend can't make it, meaning Gemma has less than two weeks to find *someone* to act as a stand in. When a co-worker sets her up with a blind date to fill said role, Gemma is horrified to find that the man who came to her rescue is the very same one who essentially stole her job - Ben McDonald.

Enemies-to-lovers with a side of destination wedding sounded like such a fun adventure, and while this was mostly an enjoyable read, there were a few things that just didn't sit right with me. Ben comes across as downright cruel at the start, and Gemma's family isn't much better, but by the end the story was able to polish everyone up a bit and give us the expected happily ever after. Overall if you're a fan of workplace romance and fake-dating with a sprinkle of spice, this might just be the book for you!

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gemma knows that bad things come in threes - so after Ben, her office nemesis gets the promotion she has been working for she is just waiting for the next two things to come. The second things that happens is that she then finds out her half sister is getting married in Italy (she's in Australia) and she has to bring a date but her boyfriend refuses to go so she's forced to ask a work friend to help her find a fake boyfriend. And then, the third bad thing hits because when she shows up at the airport to fly Italy her fake boyfriend turns out to be Ben!

There were a lot of cute things about this book and it was definitely a fun read but it pushed the boundaries of what I can accept as believable (I know romances generally push this boundary but this went a bit farther). The story was totally enjoyable and I was engrossed but then everything was suddenly wrapped up at the end with a bow - it all just got a wee bit too formulaic for me. The "everything is a disaster" to "everything is perfect" pacing gave me whiplash!

3.75 stars

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the ARC to review

The Wedding Date Disaster is a light and sometimes funny a enemies-to-lovers/fake dating romance story. The setting is beautiful Italy, and there's some great banter between the two main characters, Gemma and Ben.

Adding to the heart of the story are themes of people-pleasing and family dynamics, which add some depth to the book. The book is great for fans of slow-burn romance.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for a review.

I absolutely loved this book! I’m a sucker for a good destination romance, especially one with an enemies-to-lovers and fake dating trope, and "The Wedding Date Disaster" by Kate Mathieson delivered it all.

The story introduces us to Gemma, an optimistic and hard-working woman who is on the verge of securing a long-awaited promotion - until her dreams are dashed when the job goes to her new arch-nemesis, Ben. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gemma receives a last-minute invitation to her almost-estranged sister’s wedding, taking place halfway across the world... in just two weeks. To make matters worse, her boyfriend of a year can’t join her on such short notice because, well, work (and priorities!).

Desperate not to show up alone, Gemma enlists a colleague to help her find a fake date for the wedding. But when she arrives at the airport, she’s horrified to discover her “date” is none other than Ben.

What follows is a romantic adventure set against the stunning backdrop of the Tuscan countryside. As Gemma and Ben put aside their differences and get to know each other, their chemistry and banter are undeniable. With her family offering their approval of the “relationship,” Gemma must face the ultimate question: Can she stop putting everyone else first and finally choose what’s best for herself?

This is a delightful romcom, brimming with charm and humor. The chemistry between Gemma and Ben is electric, and the “will-they-won’t-they” tension keeps you hooked until the very end. It’s a relatively quick and satisfying read, perfect for a holiday escape or a cozy, rainy day.

I like romances for the escapism. Whatever the trope, I want it to be a read that provides the brain vacation for however long I’m in the story.

This story isn’t big on vacation unless you’re caught with that family member couple who secretly despise each other and make everyone miserable, but you secretly understand why they act like they do because their family are awful. That feeling? That’s this book. I didn’t like either character. I hate the Gemma’s family acted. Zero escapism. I need a rom-com now.

The beginning of this book really put me off - I didn't like either of the main characters and wasn't hooked into their story. However, it definitely improved by the middle section once the chemistry and banter started! Throughout the book the writing felt a bit inconsistent - some parts really shone, while others were a bit clumsy. I enjoyed how the relationship and dialogue developed, but the ending felt rushed and cliched. Overall, it's a cute romance - but not a stand out for me.

I absolutely loved Gemma and Ben’s story!! Not only was the slow burn amazing but the character development we saw in Gemma was one of my favorites. Gemma was someone who always said yes, always helped no matter how it affected her, and didn’t push very hard for herself, seeing her character grow and change and become confident was wonderful to see. I definitely recommend!!

I really enjoyed Gemma and Ben's story. The slow burn really worked and I enjoyed the will they won't they right up the end. Gemma does act and behave a bit randomly throughout as definitely spaces out a lot!

Gemma's character arc from being too nice and unable to say no to the strong character at the end was great to see. Her friendships made sense and Ruby was just the best random side character! Looking forward to her card readings in her book!

The cheating (with permission) on the boyfriend was a bit of a bad plotline but I also could understand her getting swept up into it.

The only thing that let it down for me was the inconsistencies with the character being British. A few different things like her saying they met at kindergarten aged 5 (when you'd be at school or preschool in the UK at that age), use of American English like garbage bags and other names for things. The plot line about her not getting his banter was also a bit strange as UK humour is brutal compared to Aussie humour (having lived in both countries too). Some of the Aussie English was also changed like calling them flip flops. Just those little details are the only reason it wasn't higher rated for me. Otherwise I loved it and the change for the characters

2.5 stars. This book had fun and entertaining moments, was well written, and I liked the Italy setting. However, I did not like that Gemma was still with her bofriend but fake dating Ben at the wedding and was kissing him... but she has a real boyfriend??? It didn't really make sense why she would need a fake boyfriend if she has a real one? (I couldn't get over it) Gemma is treated terribly by her family and she lets them bully her and walk all over her which really infuriates me. Also, Ben is kind of a jerk and isn't very nice.

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Fake Dating
Workplace Romance
Destination Romance
Slow Burn

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exhcange for my honest review!

The Wedding Date Disaster by Kate Mathieson is a fun and fast-paced romantic comedy full of awkward moments and unexpected twists. Gemma Evans’ world is turned upside down when she’s passed over for a promotion in favor of her office nemesis, Ben McDonald. As if that wasn’t enough, she’s forced to attend a family wedding in Italy without a date. Determined not to go alone, she arranges a blind date, only to find out it’s none other than Ben himself. What follows is a delightful mix of comedic tension, misunderstandings, and undeniable chemistry. Mathieson delivers a charming story about facing your fears, handling life’s curveballs, and maybe even finding love where you least expect it. Perfect for readers who enjoy humor-filled romances with a dash of rivalry.

✨ Enemies to Lovers
✨ Fake Dating
✨ He Falls First
✨ Family Drama
✨ Love Triangle (with permission? kinda?)

This one was cute, there were a ton of HP references, which is super weird given it's 2025 and I'm not really into the love triangle thing, but other than that it was a cute. enemies to lovers, workplace romance set at a wedding in another country. If the HP references were removed I would 100% buy a physical copy.

Can a certified people pleaser find confidence and true happiness at an over-the-top destination wedding with her sworn enemy? 💐

3.5 ⭐️ This one was a bit of a conundrum for me, because I’m not a big fan of enemies to lovers when everyone is just downright mean, but I liked it when all was said and done. You have to read well over 60% of the book for our FMC, Gemma, to give a literal single inch to our MMC, Ben, which was way too far into the book in my opinion. I didn’t find Gemma all that likable given she was a total doormat (never my fave) and treated Ben terribly when he was nothing but nice to her. I also think the wedding and nasty stepsister/family were way too front and center for most of the book. The parts between just the MCs without all of the “extra” I really enjoyed, but the overall balance between the two storylines was really off for me. Ben was nice and lovely and taught Gemma valuable lessons, and this would have rated higher for me with more of them and the Italian countryside and less of the family/wedding/stepsister dramatics.

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 1/30/2025.

This book just wasn’t my vibe. The main character didn’t feel real to me—her actions didn’t make sense, and she came across as super two-dimensional. Her entire personality boiled down to being a people pleaser who’d do whatever anyone asked of her. And that’s it. Her whole character arc was basically just about learning to say no, which didn’t leave much room for nuance or depth.

On top of that, the plot didn’t work for me either. She already has a boyfriend, yet somehow still ropes in a fake boyfriend for this destination wedding? Make it make sense!

Overall I liked the book, the story and the writing. I though Gemma’s character was interesting, her family dynamics were a hot mess making for some funny interactions, and her relationship with Ben was actually good for her. In his own way, he’s looking out for her, even if she doesn’t see it and hates him for it at first.

But there were a few things I just couldn’t let go of. The biggest one being that she was still with her boyfriend while fake dating Ben at the wedding, kissing included. That was really icky to me and went on for too long. Another one is that at least two or three times the book makes a reference to romance books by belittling them and that’s ridiculous (and weird for a book that was under the romance section on Netgalley…). The book could have been a solid 4 stars but these only took it down to 3 stars.

This book gave me the vibes of Anyone But You Meets Hating Game but both characters were extremely insufferable and annoying. Gemma barely had any growth and Ben is an asshole throughout the entirety of the book. One thing I did like about the book is the setting in Italy but besides that there was nothing redeemable about this one.

💗A Slow-Burn Delight with Italian Charm ✈️

Kate Mathieson's "The Wedding Date Disaster" is a charming and witty slow-burn romance that will transport you to the beautiful landscapes of Italy. This delightful story follows Gemma Evans as she navigates a career setback, a family wedding, and an unexpected fake-dating scenario with her workplace nemesis.

Plot Summary:
When Gemma Evans is passed over for a promotion and forced to attend a family wedding in Italy with a stand-in date, she finds herself in a predicament she never anticipated. Her fake date turns out to be none other than her work nemesis, Ben McDonald, leading to a series of hilarious and heartwarming encounters against the backdrop of the Italian countryside.

My Thoughts:
This book is the epitome of a slow burn, and I savored every moment! The witty banter between Gemma and Ben was an absolute highlight, and their evolving relationship kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Gemma's journey of self-discovery and learning to prioritize her own needs resonated deeply. I found myself highlighting passage after passage that showcased her growth and Ben's insightful observations.

While the story focuses primarily on Gemma and Ben, I did find myself wanting to know more about the intriguing side characters. However, the author's vivid descriptions of Italy's beauty and food more than compensated for this minor detail. I felt like I was right there with Gemma, experiencing the sights, sounds, and flavors of Italy!

Tropes:
* 🤜🏽 Enemies-to-lovers
* 🎭 Fake dating
* ✈️ Destination romance
* 💼 Workplace romance
* 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family drama

Final Thoughts:
"The Wedding Date Disaster" is a delightful and heartwarming story that's perfect for fans of slow-burn romances and anyone who dreams of escaping to the Italian countryside. With its charming characters, witty banter, and a touch of self-discovery, this book is sure to leave you with a smile on your face.

Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶