ARC Review: 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on December 6, 2019 | 0 Comments


ARC Review: 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston
Published by Disney Hyperion (10.1.2019)
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Format: ARC, 336 pages
Source: From Publisher


3.5 Stars

Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.

Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.

When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available.

This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever... or is it?

My thoughts

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of contemporary and I rarely read it. Actually, this was my first contemporary romance all year, oops. I needed a break from my High Fantasy rut (and reading slump) and this was just the book for it since it’s set at Christmastime! It’s not something I’d usually have looked twice at, but Disney sent me a copy a while back, and then it showed up in my suggestions when I was looking for a contemp for a change of pace, so I picked it up on a whim!

I didn’t LOVE it or anything, but I did enjoy it! It was cute and fluffy and sometimes that’s just what I need. Even though it’s not something that will stick with me, I enjoyed it while I was reading. I’m not usually a fan of the boy next door trope but this one was super cute!

I thought the idea for 10 blind dates to cheer Sophie up after her breakup was super adorable and fun. That was really what kept me interested – the writing wasn’t anything special (kind of bland, really), and other than the dates, there was nothing overly exciting to hold my interest. In the beginning, I was a little bored. I didn’t really care about Sophie’s aunt (or was it sister? I honestly can’t remember, that’s how much I cared oops) having her baby. So I kind of skimmed those parts, sorry. The dates were really the only thing I cared about.

The breakup did strike home, though. It brought back that feeling of a breakup. It also shed light on the question of: Are things just getting stale, or is it time to move on? There was a part where Griffin said they used to have that much fun in the beginning, and it was just the excitement of a new first date. It’s sad that it happens, and it can definitely be hard to keep things fresh. That part hit me hard!

Sophie’s dates were pretty funny. I liked that a couple of them were absolutely ridiculous! I personally have never been on a blind date, or had a date go horribly wrong, so I enjoyed living vicariously (which, to be honest, is the only way I’d want to live that lol). I also liked the strong sense of family this book had, and that they were all betting on her dates and everyone was getting super into it. Totally cute!

In the end, I did enjoy the sweet romance between Sophie and Wes. It was cute that he’d been trying to tell her how he felt to no avail, and that they finally got together. Overall, this book was just that: cute and fluffy. It was an easy read, too – I finished it in one sitting! It probably won’t leave a lasting impression with me, since I’m not a huge fan of contemp, but I would definitely recommend it to avid contemp readers!

Overall Assessment

Plot: 4/5
Premise: 4/5
Writing style: 3/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Characters: 3/5
Pace: 4/5
Feels: 2/5
Cover: 2/5
Overall rating: 3.5/5

Jessi (Geo)

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