Review: Dater’s Handbook

Title: Dater’s Handbook
Author: Cara Lockwood
Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cassandra Barber has a history of picking bad boyfriends…and she’s ready to change all that. She turns to Dater’s Handbook, the bestselling self-help book by relationship expert Dr. Susie, to improve her ailing love life. Surely, Dr. Susie’s advice will help her choose between her two new suitors: the laid-back, fun-loving Robert, and the sophisticated, dependable George.

The two men take her on very different kinds of dates, often with hilarious results. Cass juggles the opinions of her mother and her sister as well as Dr. Susie’s rules and checklists. But is she forgetting how to listen to her own heart?

This funny, feel-good novel contains an exclusive Hallmark recipe for Lemon Elderflower Mini Bundt Cakes.

Review:

I’ll admit, I chose this book because it has Meghan Markle on the cover. This is the book based on her Hallmark movie. Having her on the cover, especially with a release date during the same week as her royal wedding, is a huge selling point for this book.

I liked this cute romance. Cass has always had bad luck with guys, so her sister insists that she read a love guide by Dr. Susie. Cass follows Dr. Susie’s instruction and ends up with a choice between two guys. Robert is sweet, funny, and romantic. George is also romantic but he is more serious. Cass has to decide which guy is right for her.

Sometimes, when a book is written about a movie or TV show, it can sound flat and robotic. One book that I read based on a TV show read like the closed captions on the show. But this one sounded like an original story. It is told from Cass’s perspective which helped the narrative. She’s quirky and sometimes makes mistakes, but that made the story funny and entertaining.

I really liked this story. I’ll definitely have to look for the movie!

Author: jilljemmett

Jill lives in Toronto, Canada. She has studied English, Creative Writing, and Publishing. Jill is the creator and content producer of Jill’s Book Blog, where she has published a blog post every day for the last four years, including 5-7 book reviews a week. She can usually be found with her nose in a book. View all posts by jilljemmett