The Dating Charade

Half Zany, Sweet Rom-Com; Half Family Drama

De: Melissa Ferguson

Narrado por: Kevin Kilpatrick, Liz Stanislawski

Read the debut that started it all for beloved rom-com author Melissa Ferguson. With her signature blend of laugh-out-loud banter, tender family moments, and wholesome romance, Ferguson proves why readers fell in love with her from the very first page.

"Melissa Ferguson is a sparkling new voice in contemporary rom-com. Though her novel tackles meaningful struggles--social work, child abandonment, adoption--it's also fresh, flirty, and laugh-out-loud funny." --Lauren Denton, author of The Hideaway

Cassie Everson is an expert at escaping bad first dates. And, after years of meeting, greeting, and running from the men who try to woo her, Cassie is almost ready to retire her hopes for a husband--and children--altogether.

But fate has other plans, and Cassie's online dating profile catches the eye of firefighter Jett Bentley. In Jett's memory, Cassie Everson is the unreachable girl-of-legend from their high school days. Nervously, he messages her, setting off a chain of events that forces a reluctant Cassie back into the dating game.

No one is more surprised than Cassie when her first date with Jett is a knockout--but when Cassie finds herself caring for three sisters in an emergency foster placement, she decides to hide them from Jett to avoid scaring him off. When Jett's sister's addiction issues land her three children at his home, he decides the last thing Cassie needs to know about is his family drama.

Neither dares to tell the other about their unexpected and possibly permanent family members for fear of scaring away their potential soulmate, especially since they both listed "no kids" on their profiles! With six children between them and secrets mounting, can Cassie and Jett find a way forward?

Melissa Ferguson's warmhearted debut reminds us that love can come in very small packages--and that sometimes our best-laid plans aren't nearly as rewarding and fun as the surprises that come our way.

"The Dating Charade will keep you smiling the entire read . . . an absolute treat!" --Katherine Reay, author of The Printed Letter Bookshop

The Dating Charade is You've Got Mail meets Cheaper by the Dozen, perfect for readers who love stories about family, second chances, romance without the spice, and the surprises that change our lives forever. The Dating Charade also includes discussion questions--making it a delightful pick for your next book club.

Tropes:

• Firefighter love interest
• Surrogate parents
• Slow burn

For more from Melissa Ferguson, check out Meet Me in the Margins, How to Plot a Payback, and The Perfect Rom-Com!

Overall, pretty good

The story was one that I have t encountered before. The romance took a long time and was a background player to some very serious topics in real life society. Both MC’s are strong, smart and focused people.
I liked the male narrator more than the female.

Good

If your a parent (bio parent or not) you can relate to the situations in this story. My kids are all grown but this story reminded me of good and sad memories. Worth the read.

I loved it!!!!

Like romance? This is for you! Have (or are close to) a kid? This is for you! I was doubled over at all the little day to day mishaps and mayhem these kids get into and watching two previously non-parents deal with it. As a young mom, I loved every minute. And in between laughing so hard that I worried my toddler, a sweet romance formed between the two main characters. I will definitely be coming back for more with this author!

Charming and fun

I fell in love with these characters and was rooting for them the entire time. This was a perfect first audio book of the year for me. Can’t wait to listen to more from this author.

Binge Listened 💯

So awesome 👏 I binge listened to the whole book within a twenty-hour hour time slot.

The narration is terrible!!

It ruined the story because it was so bad!! I’ll avoid these narrators( especially the male) going forward.

Brilliantly funny and poignant story

I first read and then listened to The Dating Charade on Audible. While traveling weekly I always have a book to listen to. I thoroughly enjoyed this book both ways, but I really loved the audio. While I don't want to spoil the story, it has so many great aspects to it; a love story, comedy (had me laughing out loud), and yet, deals with difficult issues that are prevalent in today's society. I found myself listening in parking lots after I arrived at my destination, not wanting to wait to see what happens next. This is not just a fluff romantic comedy. The author writes deeper than that, which makes this book worth reading even more!

Awesome story

The book itself was fantastic, loved the unpredictable, heart-capturing story line and believable characters.

Heartwarming and well-writen

Enjoyed this book on a road trip. It is well written. I loved the main character. I would like a sequel to it or even a prequel as I felt like I wanted to know more about everyone in the book.

Cute and sweet, but a bit lacking

(Contains some light spoilers)
The story was cute and sweet. If you’re looking for a hot-and-heavy romance, this isn’t it, but it is heartwarming. There were a few aspects to the story that weren’t included that I wish had been. Jett’s initial message to Cassie on the dating website is nowhere to be found. When the audio started in on his reading Cassie’s reply, I was confused and rewound to see if I had inadvertently missed something, but, no, I hadn’t. This seemed like a strange omission, and I would have liked to have been privy to how he had started out their correspondence. I was never quite clear on what Sarah did for work (prior to becoming a paramedic) that allowed her to watch Jett’s kids so often. Then towards the end, it is never explained how Trina has managed to be driving around with her kids when they had supposedly been with Sarah while Jett was at work. Nor are we told what happened with Star’s uncle that led to her and her sisters’ being returned to Cassie. Given the detailed struggles that Jett and Cassie had gone through with their respective kids, it seemed like these parts of the story were simply glossed over in the interest of wrapping it up quickly. As for the performances, Kevin Kilpatrick’s voice was a little too high when he was reading male dialogue, making him sound a bit whiny. Liz Stanislawski didn’t differentiate between male and female voices, so it was often confusing as to who was talking. Furthermore, she repeatedly mispronounced several very common words, like “vaguely” and “tulle.” All in all it was a fun listen, but I don’t think I will be seeking out other books written by this author or read by these narrators.