Book-Thirsty Thursday: The Wedding Date, Jasmine Guillory

Even if you’re not necessarily a romance reader, Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date is able to pull you in and keep you reading all the way to the end.

I am not usually a romance reader, for a few reasons, but this book sounded too cute not to give a try. The Wedding Date is a fake dating romance novel featuring a fat, black woman and is written by a black woman herself. Sounds great, right?

I’m glad I listened to that impulse, because I really enjoyed The Wedding Date. (I received a digital review copy from Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, Berkley, in exchange for an honest review.)

My only complaint is that I don’t have any donuts here to eat while I write this review. I think Alexa would be appeased by the chocolate silk pie, though. There’s a lot of sweets and wine in this book, so be prepared for the cravings!

I loved how this dealt with the struggle of a long distance relationship, especially with how out of wack both of their work-life balances are. Alexa gets called out for being a workaholic by her coworker/friend and also by her boss in the end.

“Teddy, no matter what other better things I have to do, I will always freak out about work, you know that,” she says midway through the book. And damn did I identify with that.

I also really loved that it didn’t shy away from the fact that this was an interracial romance, and that black women are received completely differently than white men are, especially when they’re the only black woman in the room. I also loved that they both had friends who were willing to tell them to get their lives together and talk to each other, because lord knows they needed to.

There’s a lot of sex in this novel, but it’s all very consensual, protected and everybody had a great time, including me as a reader. They were definitely using sex to avoid talking to each other, but to find out what they weren’t talking about, you will have to read the book!

Next: 8 young adult book releases to look for in February

It’s also been picked to be Target’s Diverse Book Club book for the month of February, complete with special, signed copies at select stores! If you’re looking for a delightful contemporary romance, I highly recommend this one!