The Dating Charade

By: Melissa Ferguson

Narrated by: Kevin Kilpatrick, Liz Stanislawski

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

Just when you think you’ve met your match...the charade begins.

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 they both go home and find three children dropped in their laps - each - they independently decide to do the right and mature thing: hide the kids from each other while sorting it all out. What could go wrong?

Melissa Ferguson’s hilarious and 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. 

“A heartwarming charmer.” (Sheila Roberts, USA Today best-selling author of the Moonlight Harbor series) 

“The Dating Charade will keep you smiling the entire read. Ferguson not only delights us with new love, with all its attendant mishaps and misunderstandings, but she takes us deeper in the hearts and minds of vulnerable children as Cassie and Jett work out their families - then their dating lives. An absolute treat!” (Katherine Reay, best-selling author of The Printed Letter Bookshop) 

“The Dating Charade is hilarious and heartwarming with characters you truly care about, super fun plot twists and turns, snappy prose, and a sweet romance you’re rooting for.” (Rachel Linden, best-selling author of The Enlightenment of Bees)

©2019 Melissa Ferguson (P)2019 Thomas Nelson

Not your usual romcom

I will start by saying that this is not my usual genre of recreational reading. That being said, I was engrossed shortly after it began. I started it yesterday and just finished this morning. While it is humorous, it does tackle some pretty serious material and had me challenging some preconceptions of my own. Melissa explores yje hard things that can either destroy us or make us grow. I can't wait to see what she does next.

Skip this one

I enjoyed Melissa Ferguson’s other books so much but this one was a grit my teeth and get through it. Don’t waste your credit. The reader reads the text as if it’s one long run on sentence. The story dragged out without the development of a real plot or depth of emotion. It was anti-climatic as I could have told you how it would end.

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!

Binge Listened 💯

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

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.

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.

Awesome story

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

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!

Cute, Sweet, & Fun

This book is nothing but one obstacle after another keeping these two apart lol

This book is clean with a barely there kiss, some cutesy innuendo and a solid kiss at the end but it was still a good story that I very much enjoyed!

I had never heard of either of the narrators Kevin Kilpatrick and Liz Stanislawski.

I very much enjoyed his voice and performance. I liked her voice but she needs to improve on her breathing and mouth noises so they don’t get picked up by her mic. Solid performance with room for improvement

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.