I was excited about this book because it is recommended for fans of The Hating Game. In the beginning, it resembled a lot like The HG and I was so happy. But from about 30% into this book, it diverged from the HG. It is a sweet read but I think it is too slow to compare it to the HG. Nonetheless it is a great romcom in its own right. I highly recommend it to slow-burn romance fans! (But not nevessarily the Hating Game fans)

I could hardly put it down! This book kept me awake until 3:30am.

The Launch Date by Annabelle Slator is a sexy enemies-to-lovers novel that restored my faith in the trope. Sworn enemies, Grace and Eric are forced to work together on the launch of a new dating app. Making partnerships with various brands around the city, the pair go together to test out the date ideas before they are used as part of the brand launch. Slowly, we learn how they came to be sworn enemies, figure out the dynamics of their rivalry, and discover alongside them that maybe they actually just make a really great team.

I thought this was a well written, compelling read. I was able to believe in the dynamic between the two and get wrapped up in their story as it unfolded, in all it´s (tense, frustrating and ultimately sexy) glory.

Grace as a character was a little frustrating as our narrator at times and her communication was extremely poor and immature, and there was also a scene with an ex-boyfriend which I found a little over the top, but all-in-all it was a really enjoyable read!


Tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, office romance, billionaire romance, fake dating (kinda), only one bed.

OMG. OH MY GOD. OMG!!! LITERALLY OBSESSED!!! I'm always a sucker for enemies to lovers and add in workplace romance? YES PLEASE! LOVED ITTTT!

Two of my favorite tropes collided in this book: enemies to lovers and workplace romance! I jumped in without hesitation, and while the initial chapters were heavy with technical terms—think algorithms and marketing lingo for dating apps—it quickly transitioned into the good stuff. Once the core story kicked off, featuring two rivals forced to work together, attend dates they’d rather avoid, and compete for a coveted promotion while exchanging sharp insults and fiery glares, I was completely hooked.
The slow-burn tension between Grace and Eric was masterfully done, blending push-pull banter with moments of genuine vulnerability. Their dynamic begins with a foundation of friendship that crumbles when Eric makes an unforgivable mistake, sparking a six-month rivalry. But when their CEO dangles a management position as a prize, contingent on them attending a series of dates together—think hiking, pottery, yoga, and more—they agree to a temporary ceasefire.
What follows is a beautifully paced evolution of their relationship. Grace begins to see past Eric’s polished, cocky persona and discovers layers of depth: he’s not the heartless womanizer she thought he was, but someone with his own struggles and insecurities. Meanwhile, Eric chips away at Grace’s emotional walls, proving he’s more than the enemy she once painted him to be. Their growing connection challenges both of them to rethink their priorities, but the stakes are high—Grace can’t afford to let her guard down after being burned in the past. If this isn’t just a battle for a promotion but also for her heart, can she trust him enough to risk everything? Or will she lose more than she bargained for?

This debut is equal parts witty, romantic, and heartfelt—a must-read for anyone who loves a smartly crafted romance. I can’t wait to see what this author does next!
Big thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing a digital review copy of this fantastic debut in exchange for my honest review.

Oh… my…god.
This book was incredible the troupes worked so well together. I loved the enemies to lovers aspect as well as a workplace romance. It was the perfect slow burn and slowly finding out different pieces of each other and how a simple misunderstanding could have meant things were so different.

Highly highly recommend this book!!’

Loved it! 4.5 ⭐️ full review pending - will update asap. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC

What an utterly fantastic debut. ‘The Launch Date’ is such a gem that will be a book that will be a comfort re-read in the years to come. It was beautifully paced and plotted with characters that leapt off the page. I devoured this book until well past my bedtime.

Colleagues Grace Hastings and Eric Bancroft were once friends until six months ago it turned hostile. Yet their intense rivalry has resulted in their best work which their boss has noticed. Now they're assigned to work together on a new project while competing for the same promotion.

I adored Grace and Eric and their slow-burn reconciliation. They had such a great chemistry and were perfect for bringing the best in each other. While Grace will frustrate with her push/pull and lack of communication with poor Eric, and her inability to stand up for herself with her boss Susie, it was completely understandable. I loved the slow reveal of the events that ended their friendship as well as how Grace’s self esteem issues and anxiety played into it (though perhaps the Will storyline could’ve had more clues earlier). I also loved Eric and how he has everyone (including Grace) pre-judging him for his family’s wealth and appearances in the tabloids instead of getting to know the real him.

Lately I have been finding books are too much of a trope soup checkbox list with the same hackneyed application that I can predict. Oh, look they’re ’enemies’ so it’s endless chapters of childish office pranks (that would never fly in the real world along - thank god Grace and Eric were not like that) with endless internal monologues about how hot they find each other. What makes ‘The Launch Date’ a cut above so many workplace romances are its authenticity and applying tropes subtly and realistically (the first time I've liked/appreciated 'only one bed' - well played Annabelle Slator!). You could tell the author knew what marketing managers do, and how the tech app world works to fictionalise it in a way that feels realistic and subtle.

I also loved instead of endless past chapters, we just had snippets seamlessly folded in of Grace reminiscing what happened to their friendship.

An utterly charming British rom com that left a smile on my face after I finished.

Thanks to Random House UK/Transworld/Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a fun story! I loved the workplace dynamic and the banter between the two. It was a sweet love story!

I think where it fell off me for me is that wasn’t really enemies to lovers, it was more there was a misunderstanding that led to them not getting along.

Despite that, it was a fun read and I read it a day! It was engaging and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys workplace romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

I'm furious that this is the only book listed on Slator's Goodreads profile as I was desperate to hoover up more of her work!
This was fun and witty and gave me a taste of that yearning that I've been craving all year. Both Grace and Eric were gorgeous characters to follow and I loved Grace's character development.

What will happen when two friends-turned-rivals have to go on practice date to win a promotion?

The Launch Date is a lovely and exciting story about Grace's feud with Eric over a promotion which will save her from her boss who treates her as a PA.

I really enjoyed the characters and the relationship and how they both developed individually and together. I couldn't put this down and I couldn't stop thinking about this book when I wasn't reading it.

"I am enough. I belong here."

Yes. Yes. And I hope Slator is already writing a new book.

Sometimes when I love the premise of a romance story, I worry that the focus of romantic tension between the characters will shove all the others aspects to the side. This book however, if you are looking for a well-rounded romance that brings the chemistry and tension whilst still developing other plots in the story.

I really enjoyed the writing style and the pacing of the story. It was enjoyable to see how the tension was building, how scenes added to quick moments of tension and chemistry and it overall creating a really good slow burn romance throughout the story. I loved how the romance was able to play alongside and build off of the arcs the reader was given was the dating company (I really liked the business and dating app side of the story!).

The two main romantic leads, loved them. I loved that we had snippets of their previous interactions - these moments were not overwhelming in the story and definitely added to the present plot. Their dialogue and scenes together were really well paced, I found the humour between them to feel quite natural and their characters bounced off of each well in all their scenes. The romance, the slow burn was so good. I wasn't expecting a slow burn, but I really enjoyed the teasing and the tension building of the story - it definitely added to the overall relationship between the characters and the story's romance.

Overall, a very enjoyable well-rounded romance! If you are looking for a slow burn, workplace romance, please pick this up!

Thank you to Transworld Publishers for sending me a copy, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Such a good rom-com, I loved it! I had high expectations after reading the synopsis and learning that the author used to work for a dating up, and this book ticked all my boxes! I really enjoyed Annabelle's writing, the story was well paced, relatable and realistic, sprinkled with perfect British humour, and with well developed characters.

I really liked Grace, she was very relatable and had great character growth through the story, I really enjoyed how she found her confidence to stand up for herself and got the motivation back towards her job. Eric was perfect, and he obviously had loved Grace from the start! I enjoyed the throwback chapters, and getting to see how they first became friends while also seeing them get close again. I found them to be quite mature, which I really appreciated. There were some swoony scenes along with some longing and angst that always left me wanting more! I liked the setting of the story, all the different dates they went to, and the resolution of the book. Overall it was a great book and I loved it! What a good debut!

Thank you to Penguin Random House UK, Annabelle Slator, and NetGalley for inviting me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The ideal rom-com! And by that, I really do mean it’s the perfect blend of rom and com. The plot itself was fresh and fun, in a contemporary London setting. We have a relatable heroine, a swoony hero (who you KNOW has loved the FMC the whole time), and dare I say the best use of the one-bed trope I’ve seen in a long time? IT MADE SO MUCH SENSE WITHIN THE STORY! What a fantastic debut — I LOVE Annabelle’s writing and cannot wait to read what she creates next. 🥹🩷

I READ THIS BOOK IN ONE SITTING
There is nothing I love MORE than a book that makes me laugh out loud. I was on a train and multiple times, I caught myself.
You will fall head over heels in love with the British Rom-com. Us brits, do it best.
I can’t wait for my physical copy to come!!!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This was amazing!what a page turner!quick,funny and easy read!I enjoyed it so much I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting! Definitely recommend!

I loved this book!! Definitely one of my highlights of the year. Eric and Grace are such a great duo to read and there were so many moments I found I was laughing to myself.

LOVED THIS! The perfect enemies to lovers romance with amazing characters and a slow burn that had me on the edge of my seat. Grace was such a great main character, I loved her little quips and personality. Eric was equally as entertaining as a love interest, I particularly loved his back story and closed off attitude for everyone but Grace. This book featured all the tropes I loved in a romance and the story felt natural and not forced at all. I took my time reading this, I didn’t want it to end nor did I want to stop reading about Grace and Eric’s romance. A real treat to read.

If there’s two things I love in romance books, it’s workplace rivals and fake dating. As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to read it immediately!

The Launch Date follows Grace and Eric, former friends turned rivals who are competing for a promotion at the dating app company they both work for. As preparation for their final interviews, they must find companies to partner with to create dates for the app users to go on. Grace and Eric reluctantly agree to test the dates out together, and, you can see where this is going, right?!

First off, I love Annabelle Slator’s writing. It was sharp and witty, and I lost count of how many times this book made me snort laugh! The British humour was right up my street.

As for the characters, I loved their push and pull dynamic, sizzling chemistry and fantastic banter. It was so much fun following them on their dates, and seeing them warm up to each other. Their slow-burn romance was slightly torturous, but SO worth it. I am very picky and have a very low cringe tolerance for spice, but the intimate scenes in this book were so well-written and very hot 🥵 I also felt that the characters both had a lot of depth to them, and had great development throughout the book.

As well as enjoying the romance, I also loved seeing Eric and Grace become friends again. Six months prior to the events of this book, they stopped talking, for reasons that are explained later on in the story. Their friendship was so genuine and sweet, and I loved how they were always there and looking out for each other.

I always love some grittier topics in my romances, and The Launch Date delivered! Both of the main characters have got a lot on their plates, from difficult parental relationships, demanding bosses, and horrible exes. These issues were explored well, and made the characters more relatable.

The plot was engaging and the pacing was consistent. I devoured this book in two sittings, and I was so satisfied with how it ended. The epilogue felt so perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will be recommending this sexy, witty and heartwarming romance to everyone, and I can’t wait to read whatever Annabelle Slator writes next!