Thank you to the publisher for giving me an e-arc copy for an honest review.

The launch date is a friends to enemies to lovers trope set in London where both the FMC and MMC work at a dating app company but for rival apps.

I enjoyed the rivals element of this book a lot, it added a lot more tension to the budding romance between the characters and how that tension then turned into their lust for each other.

I really liked the premise of this book and how it’s a unique romance where all characters have some level of relating to.

My only gripe is that I felt the first half dragged a but and I was getting bored of the FMC not standing up for herself as well as not finding out what happened between the main character for them to become enemies. I feel like knowing that earlier would have made the book better to read as you could understand the character tension more.

Otherwise I did enjoy this book and I liked how selfless both characters were at the end.

I can’t quite believe that The Launch Date is Annabelle Slator’s debut! This is one of those rare contemporary romances that leaves you feeling totally giddy as you read it. It’s got the most relatable FMC and an absolute dream of an MMC. You will not want to miss this one, gosh I loved it.

Grace Hastings is in a rut. Her career is stagnating, her boss is a leech, and she feels like a fraud working for Fate, a dating app whose ethos she no longer believes in. And don’t even get her started on the state of her love life. So when the company’s CEO offers her an opportunity for a big promotion and the chance to work on the launch of a dating app that she actually cares about, Grace can’t believe her luck.
That is, until she discovers that she must test drive a series of ‘first dates’ with her competition for the job: notorious socialite playboy and Grace’s biggest work rival, Eric Bancroft. But Grace refuses to give up her dream job because of a man. And besides, how romantic can a handful of fake dates with your biggest rival really be?

I’m not even sure to start with explaining how much I thoroughly enjoyed this one. So let’s try this:
📱 it’s characters - they’re incredible! Grace is so very real and so very relatable. She’s works so hard but has lost her spark and so to watch her regain it and find the confidence to root for herself and what she wants was incredible. I adored Eric, you can tell early on just how much he cared for Grace and honestly the man is a dream. I enjoyed how we got to see a lot of different sides to him. I loved the side characters too, especially Grace’s roommates Yemi and Alice.
🩷 the evolving relationship between Grace and Eric- This was a wonderful slow burn read that worked so well. Grace and Eric’s relationship was pretty complex in that they’d been work friends and allies, to not getting along (though one sided here) to learning to be friends again which evolved into more. And you know what it all felt so very real and believable; it just worked and you couldn’t help but root from them even as things got messy.
📱The Dates - I really enjoyed all the different dates the pair went on throughout the book. There was so much humour in these, as well as them giving Grace and Eric a chance to open up to one another.

If you enjoyed The Hating Game you’ll love The Launch Date and though these two can be held up as being similar (in the best way) The Launch Date is totally unique and an absolute dream! I cannot wait to see what Slator writes next.

I loved this one, it was easy to read with fleshed out characters and enemies to lovers romance that was cute and funny in abundance.

Romance🥰🖤💞:
So, first off, their relationship is cute in the beginning 😍. The fact that they use each other's second names? Lol 😂, and honestly, I found it to be a nice touch that made their banter even funnier 😆. The snarky🐊 remarks between the characters? Definitely one of my favorite parts ✨. But... I feel like the rivalry angle didn’t come across as strong as it could’ve 🤔. It wasn’t so much a rivalry as it was just Grace thinking things about Eric and what she thought he might feel 😅.

Plot😵🌟💯:
The plot was a bit of a rollercoaster 🎢, and in a good way 👍. It was refreshing, and you could tell the characters had a lot going on beneath the surface 🌊. That said, I don’t know if the whole “rivalry” was really portrayed in the way I expected 🤷‍♀️. There was a lot of internal dialogue from Grace, but not much external action🔪 to back up the tension that was supposedly there 😬 in my opinion. Still, I didn’t mind too much because the plot kept me hooked in other ways 🔥. The twist about the past? I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say I guessed it fairly early on 🤫 I don't even know if it was a twist – the hints were kinda obvious 🔍.

Characters🥴🙈👥:
I did enjoy watching Grace develop 💪, and Eric's vibe adds a cool layer to the dynamic 😎. I just wish the rivalry part had been shown a bit more clearly 🤔.

Overall, this book is definitely a fun, light read with enough romance and snark to keep you smiling throughout 😄. If you love playful banter and a bit of internal drama, you’ll probably enjoy it.

Thanks Netgalley and the author🥳🌟🔥

I’m not usually a romance consumer. Whether it’s books or films, it’s not something I’m drawn too.
But every so often, I like to pick up a Rom-com for a change of pace. We all need a palette cleanser, a break from the norm and this one did exactly what I wanted.
For a genre that is flooded with books, The Launch Date is a stand out.
The characters have depth, the story line is good, it’s a well fleshed out book from start to finish.
The story flows well, it doesn’t feel forced, the whole situation feels like a natural progression.
This is one I’ll remember for a long time to come, A good, solid book.

The Launch Date is an office romance coming out from Penguin that looks a lot of fun. Grace Hastings is in a rut in her career and she no longer feels like she should be working on the dating app, Fate, as she no longer believes in their ethos. So when the CEO offers her the chance at a promotion onto a new dating app she likes the sound of? It sounds amazing! Until she realises that she’ll have to go on test dates with her work rival, Eric. She won’t let him stop her though, as it’s not like dates with an enemy can be romantic…right?

I was able to get my hands on an early digital copy of this book through NetGalley, so thanks to the publisher for granting me the e-book.

This was a pretty fun read.

The book starts off with Grace telling herself she deserves to be where she is in the middle of a meeting where Eric is also presenting and is pissing her off. You’re immediately shown how their relationship works, and as the book goes on you see how it used to be as well as how it improves with them having to work together.

I will admit that it didn’t seem to take many dates for Grace to start getting the feels again. Actually, that seems to have happened from date 1. But despite that, I still had a really good time.

This book is single-perspective from Grace’s POV, which is something I really appreciate in both romance and chick-lit. It means we get to spend all our time with her and see how her feelings change as well as her dealing with her dreams and her job. Grace was a pretty likeable character. She’s had some bad luck in the past and starts off as a bit of a doormat but as you begin to understand why…oof. You do feel for her.

There is also a little bit of smut in this book. Not that much and it wasn’t that spicy overall, but there’s still some if that’s what you’re looking for in your romance.

In my opinion, this was definitely one of those fun rom-coms, but one that seems to have taken some inspiration from The Hating Game. There’s a scene where Grace has to visit Eric’s flat and my brain immediately shot to THG but it’s definitely not copying from it or anything. They’re just similar in that you have two co-workers who don’t like each other competing for the same job and falling in love. The vibes were pretty different overall, but I think if you like one, you’ll probably like the other.

A fun book overall.

REVIEW
cw: misogyny, mentions of childhood bullying, workplace bullying, parental abandonment, cheating, and depression. Mentions of parental infidelity

When imposter syndrome-ridden Grace Hastings is offered the opportunity to earn a huge promotion, only one person stands in her way. Notorious socialite playboy Eric Bancroft was her friend until a misunderstanding a few months ago. Now he's what stands in her way from getting her dream job. But to get it, she has to test-drive dates for a brand-new dating app. With Eric. In doing so Grace begins to realise they're not as different as she thought.

This was definitely a book of two halves for me. I found the first half a bit of a slog if I'm totally honest. However, even though I thought Eric was pretty obvious about his attraction to Grace, I did begin to enjoy the simmering chemistry between them in the second third, and the story really came together in the final few chapters.
Grace was the stereotypical 'messy' girl with a quirky wardrobe, while Eric was effortlessly tailored to perfection and had connections with most of London's elite. Grace was also a bit of a doormat, and pretty much oblivious. About everything. I felt like the only way Eric's feelings could have been more obvious would be if he'd waved a banner and shouted it from the top of their office building. And Grace probably still would have misconstrued his intentions. I liked Eric a lot, and I felt for him more and more as the story progressed as it often felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, in spite of his privileged background. He seemed to have a lot more layers than Grace, and I loved how much he cared about his sister, Iris.
I found the intermingled flashbacks enlightening, but I think I'd have preferred each one to have been set in a separate chapter rather than in the middle of chapters, as they sometimes took me out of the current storyline.
The date ideas were fun, and, while the events at El Turo made me cackle, my favourite was the yoga. I loved the delicacy and palpable tension of each of their interactions as well as the subtext as they finally came to their truce. As for the following chapters, I loved that Eric slowly grew bolder in expressing himself. The hotel chapters were both sweet and sensual. However, I found Grace frustrating the following morning. Seriously, she was SO oblivious. So many times. That said, while it was an excruciatingly slow burn, I do think the payoff was worth the wait. The main reason the story flourished in the final third was because Grace and Eric finally started to communicate effectively.
I liked Alice and Yemi, Grace’s flatmates. They were funny, supportive, and had great advice. And THANK GOODNESS for Yemi trying to get Grace to use her head in chapter twenty-eight. I loved it when Grace FINALLY stood up to her boss, Susie. It was SO satisfying. Susie was AWFUL for most of the story, but I appreciated it when we finally discovered a little bit of what she'd been dealing with (even though that didn't excuse her behaviour). As for the revelation at the end of chapter twenty-eight? Woah! Grace's ex, William, was such an awful misogynist, but I appreciated Grace's reaction when she finally discovered his true colours. Meanwhile, Jack was SO sweet, and I would love him to find his own HEA *hints*
Ultimately, my biggest issue with this book was that as soon as it was likened to The Hating Game, it was setting itself up to such a high standard, and, for me, it fell short. It was always going to be almost impossible to live up to that kind of hype. While there were some really sweet moments, The Launch Date ultimately lacked the biting, snarky banter and palpable chemistry that truly elevates the enemies-to-lovers trope. Still, I LOVED the final few chapters and the epilogue was adorable.
While the pacing was slow at times I really loved the final third of the story, and while not perfect, this was a sound debut. I'd happily read more from this author.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️. 5
Heat Rating: 🔥 .5

*Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own*

Review submitted to B&N and Waterstones but awaiting moderation

Oh, this book! My heart! You know when you just find the most brilliant rom com that you can’t put down? There’s no greater feeling 🤌🏻

I stayed up til ridiculous o’clock last night just binge-reading because I was so obsessed with Grace and Eric 🥹 everything about it was perfect and it has very quickly made its way onto my list of comfort reads.

What to expect:

🩷 Rivals to lovers
💻 Workplace romance
👀 Forced proximity
❤️‍🔥 Slow burn
✨ Fake dating
🔥 Sizzling chemistry
🗣️ Exceptional banter
🌶️ A dash of spice

Don’t miss out on this one. It’s truly incredible and I had the best time reading it!

Oooh this was good.
Having just watched and loved the book to movie version of the hating game(trying to tell myself I wouldnt) I was into this from the blurb and hoping it would give me the same feels. And oh goody it sure did.
The wit and humour suited me down the ground and the tropes didn't seem overdone or cliche. They managed to only add to the story.
Each of our characters had their own flaws and issues. Both had hidden things going on behind the characters fronts they show to the world.
Grace and Eric are rivals. And all of a sudden need to bring their skills together. But they are both fighting for the promotion in their dating app jobs. Now they are asked to test the dating on with dates themselves. And ooh it continues to get better and better with each page,date, interaction.

into workplace rivalry - earning Eric the nickname “Wankcroft” from Grace. When tasked with launching a new in-person dating app, they must test the dates themselves, pitching a launch plan for the lead role.

I love what we are first told of Grace and Eric and their characters. But quickly see there is soooooo much more to them. And Eric and his sister had me melting more than a little.
Loved this book.
A definite read for all lovers of this genre. Keep them coming please Annabelle.

This is Annabelle's debut book, and I have to say that I am already excited for future books! I loved the writing style, and the pacing was so good. This book follows Grace and Eric, who are both up for the same promotion, and they must test drive fake dates together. I loved this book from start to finish, I loved the characters, and I loved their fake dates! This book is perfect for fans of The Hating Game

Grace, a Marketing Manager at Fate, a true-love-focused dating app, is close to burning out, stuck in her career, and reeling from a bad breakup. Meanwhile, Eric Bancroft, a socialite working at Fate’s sister “swipe” app, lands the same role without the grind.

Initially work friends, their relationship has soured into workplace rivalry - earning Eric the nickname “Wankcroft” from Grace. When tasked with launching a new in-person dating app, they must test the dates themselves, pitching a launch plan for the lead role.

There’s a lot of big romance authors I’m just not a fan of - and I think it’s mostly American humour not hitting the way I want it to and I felt so much more in touch with the more British style quick-witted nature Grace has had me chuckling throughout. The dynamic between Grace and Eric is quickly established within the book and is believable from the get-go, and I loved Eric's soft and respectful pining through through the story, and Grace's confidence establishing itself through the book with the end lobby scene.

I also liked that there were lots of tropes but none of them were too strong or overdone as sometimes when it focuses on one it verges into a bit cheesy: enemies to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity, slow burn, fake dating.

Thanks for the advanced review copy #NetGalley and Penguin

Grace & Eric ❤️

💕Grace and Eric work for the same holding.company, for rival dating apps. Hers is all about finding the happily ever after, his is about the hookup.

💕When the pair are given a joint project to work on to develop a set of dates that users can tap into, things about their past come to the surface and truths are revealed.

✏️There’s a fair amount of rivalry between Grace and Eric, but it all feeds into the slow burn of the storyline. With a single POV, we see things from Grace’s perspective but it would have been nice to get some of Eric’s thoughts too! Set in London, with supportive friends, her horrible ex and exploitative female boss, the fun dates the two go on make for good reading.

Read courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher
My rating 4/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The Launch Date ended up being the fun, steamy and full of feels rom-come than I needed. I've never read The Hating Game, but plot wise it is very similar to the movie, so if that kind of 'rivals to lovers where they both like each other but don't act on it' is your kinda jam, I would 100% check this out.

My only gripe with this really was the miscommunication... it's 2025 guys, we must be able to find some other way to keep our characters apart by now. It wasn't as prevalent as in other books, and it certainly wasn't the only thing keeping them apart, but I really do just detest it as a trope, so it's use did let the story down for me a little... Now onto the good stuff though.

The story is told solely from the POV of Grace Hastings, who works at 'fate' the dating app where people go to find their one true love... Grace's dream job, or so she thought until she was dumped by her fiance and dumped on by her boss. She's someone who has all the anger and fight when it comes to standing up for others, but is terrible at standing up for herself, that is until the chance arises to creep out from under the shadow of her boss and show what she is truly capable of. The only problem? It means working with, and against, her rival Eric Bancroft. Eric works for a rival app whose visitors are more likely to look for a one night stand than one true love, something that Eric seems to be the king of himself. I thought Slator did a really great job of making Eric a character you really like and care about, especially when you consider he doesn't get a POV. She gives you just enough to empathise with him, whilst still being wary thanks to something that happened in his and Grace's past, but we know from page one how smitten he is with her.

Both of these characters were broken in their own way. Grace afraid she will never get out from the shadow of her boss, and still reeling from the break-up of her last relationship. She's almost anti-romance, afraid it will never work for her, and that's one of the reasons why she tries so hard to keep Eric at arms length. And Eric, seeming party playboy, with a fresh woman on his arm at every event, but the truth of him couldn't be more different. Caring, loving, someone who looks after his sister when his parents decide she's become too much... he's someone who know's what he wants but is afraid that he simply can't ever have it.

The banter between these just took off from their first interaction, and it's clear early on that they have some history, something from their past they are ignoring/running from. Their tension screams off the page, and Slator really gives us the goods when it comes to their scenes together. There were so many where I thought they were going to kiss, or fuck, but Slator makes it wondrously slow burn and absolutely worth the wait. The idea to set this around 'love' based apps was clever enough, but to have these two rivals going on dates, having to work together whilst going up for the same job... it was *chefs kiss* for the humour and tension alone, but she also gives us the chance to watch them fall in love. It's definitely a he fell first kind of romance, and this is shown mostly through the flashbacks we get at the start of some of the chapters, but Eric absolutely isn't alone in the feelings department, it just takes Grace a little longer to get there.

It's one of those rom-coms where the whole book is centered around romance, not just of the two MC's, but the workplace they're in and their jobs. So if you like your books where the focus is solely on the romance I would definitely recommend giving this ago. Don't get me wrong, we have the plot of Grace and Eric going on the dates to test out a new app, them both going for the same job, but it's like they're the sun and the rest of the story just circles around them, never really leaving their orbit. But that just adds an intensity to the story, and especially to the romance unfurling between these two characters. We get a true deep dive into their lives, the good and the bad, meaning we get invested in the outcome, and boy was I invested in these two.

Perfect for fans of rivals to lovers, slow burn romance and workplace romance. Grace and Eric were both brilliantly brought to life and I loved every tension filled second spent with them both.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Grace Hastings is stuck. Her career at Fate, a dating app she no longer believes in, is going nowhere, her boss is unbearable, and her love life is non-existent. So when the company’s CEO offers her a shot at her dream job (working on a new app that actually aligns with her values) she jumps at the chance. The only catch? She has to test-run a series of first dates with her biggest rival, Eric Bancroft, the charming but insufferable playboy who’s competing for the same promotion. But fake dates don’t lead to real feelings - right?

This was a fun take on the workplace enemies to lovers trope, with great chemistry between Grace and Eric. Their banter and tension made the fake dating setup entertaining, and I really enjoyed the way their dynamic evolved throughout the book.

My only real criticism is that I didn’t always vibe with Grace’s character - there were moments where she frustrated me, which did take away from my overall enjoyment. The pacing was spot on, making this a perfect, lighthearted read.

If you’re looking for a fun, well-paced romcom with strong chemistry and a fresh spin on classic tropes, The Launch Date is definitely one to add to your summer 2025 reading list. I’ll be recommending this as a great beach read!

I thought I was deep into a reading slump until I received the eARC for this workplace enemies to lovers romance. Then I read the entire thing in two days (whilst also working full time).
I really enjoyed the layers this story has. The characters have their history and their relationship wasn't always as charged as it is at the beginning of this novel. Little by little the reader is let into their history and learns about all the intricate details of their dynamics.
Other than that the story, the characters and the writing made for a very enjoyable, binge-worthy novel.

★★★★★

💌 rivals to lovers
🤳🏼 he falls first & harder
💌 workplace romance
🤳🏼 slow burn
💌 forced proximity

This is such an amazing debut from Annabelle Slator - it’s a rivals to lovers workplace romance, sort of second chance, and the angst and the pining is just 🤌🏼 perfection I love it 👏🏼

This is very British and I forget how refreshing it is to read something I relate to so much! It’s set in central London, they work in a tech startup, it’s a public school boys club, there are sweaty tubes and bustling cafes and every single bit of it is my life 🥹 I related to the characters and their experiences so much, and it made me love it even more.

Grace and Eric are perfect, I truly think they’re made for each other. They challenge & support each other in the way that only really special people can. I loved watching their relationship evolve from colleagues to enemies to tentative friends and finally lovers - and their slow burn was so so good! When they finally got together I honestly shed a tear of happiness, these two are everything 🫶🏼

I love a work place romance and when you throw in enemies to lovers I already know I am going to love it so when I read the synopsis for this one I knew I wanted to read it.

I enjoyed the story of each character even though we only got one POV, Grace's journey of self-discovery was a joy to follow and I was invested in the couple.

The only thing that fell a little short for me was the spicy scenes, they just didn't work for me, I love a spicy scene but I am equally happy with closed door and I think in this case maybe that's what it should have been as the scenes ended up taking away from romance and investment I had in the couple.

A cute workplace romance. I loved the push, pull and chemistry between Grace and Eric. The intrigue was there as to why they went from lovers to enemies and some of the fake dates they had to go on were hilarious.

At first i thought I couldn’t engage with the book with all the jargon in marketing and dating apps but that was only a couple of chapters and then the rest flowed well.

I enjoyed Graces character development from being a doormat to standing up for herself and Eric just seemed so dreamy. Overall if you want a cute workplace romance this is a great read.

Out 13th February, perfect for a Valentines read.

In this witty and fun rom-com debut from Annabelle Slator, rival coworkers become reluctant daters after they're forced to work together on a brand-new dating app in hopes of winning a promotion.

This was so fun!! I loved the dynamic between Eric and Grace from the off but it only got better and better as the book went on. I enjoyed the dating app behind the scenes and love knowing that the author did actually herself work in the dating app world!

The chemistry between Eric and Grace was electric.

I rated this 3.5 stars.

I had very conflicting feelings about this book and eventually I settled on a 3 star rating.

I did think it was fun, flying through it in a day. Pacing wise, it went quite quickly. However, I did feel like the way the couple was set up as 'enemies' who had history already wasn't done particularly well. The fact that they had been friends before their rivalry isn't really mentioned until 30-40% of the way through which made the timeline of their relationship seem quite muddy.

Character-wise, while I did enjoy Grace'c character development in the end, she was a doormat for most of the novel. Not in a oh-she-takes-on-a-little-extra-work sort of way but in a this-is-a-serious-HR- violation sort of way.

The Launch Date took a lot of it's beats from The Hating Game in a way that I found a little distracting but if you like workplace romances this one will be right up your alley.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc!