10 Blind Dates - Review by Khadijah.

 

Book Summary:

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?

Review:

My first thought about this book was that it had one of the best familial bonding that I have ever read in a YA contemporary, but that's honestly the only good thing about it... Well ok, I guess I am being unfair, the MC's cousin Charlie was hilarious and was the main reason why I remained entertained throughout the book, so were most of her other family members, but they were not important enough for me to remember individual names. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it or anything, but that's the problem, I don't really feel anything about this book. 

That being said here is my list of all the things I don't like about this book in no particular order:

1. The romance - Considering the fact that this book is literally a romance I feel like there should have been a lot more effort put into building up the characters' relationship; instead, it felt like the author just threw the love interest into as many scenes as possible and expected me to fabricate their non-existent chemistry. Like how is it possible that I felt more chemistry with the first date guy than the love interest when he was only in one chapter???? Spoiler highlight to read: I also felt like Wes was such a boring person. I feel like the book would have been much better if the characteristics of Charlie and Wes were switched, but that might just be because I have a soft spot for love interests who are also the comic relief. (Hello Jack from "Tweet Cute"!).
2. So so so many missed opportunities - As is clear in the title and description the MC had to go on 1o different dates every night. Considering how ludicrous her situation was I don't know how for most of the dates the funniest part of them was when she was being seen off by her family. Out of all her dates I only actually laughed at 2!!! Only 2!!! And even those were not dwelled upon for long enough. Seriously this book could have been bumped up a couple of stars if I felt like the dates, which are literally what the book is named after, were a bigger and funnier part of the story. Even though the dates should have been more important, I also feel like the author could have gone the other way and spent less time on the boring dates and instead used the extra pages to showcase more familial bonding and Sophie's hilarious family, but noooooo. This book had not 1, but 2 things that could have made it hilarious, but instead of playing those up and adding in more jokes, the pages were filled with a useless, chemistry less, boring, and forced romance. Ugh!!!!
3. The Main Character - I don't have much to say other than Sophie was a whiny brat who was literally the most yawn-inducing character in the book.
4. Emotional Cheating? - Possible spoiler highlight to read: One of my least favorite things is when the love interest is in a relationship with someone who is not the MC, but then admits, in the end, that they were in love with the MC while they were still in the previous relationship. In this case though, I am not entirely sure whether Wes tried to pursue Sophie, or even liked her, while he was still in a relationship, but it was irritating to see Sophie trying to pursue him when I was still unsure whether he was still in a relationship or not. I also hate how the girl who Wes was with was always portrayed in a bad light as if that was an excuse for him to go running off with another girl.

Overall I give this book 3/5 stars because it was decent enough and Charlie is bae.

Age Rating: 13 - There are a couple of kisses, and porn and adult toys are illuded to in one scene (neither are explicitly mentioned by name).