The Dating Charade (2019) — A Celebrate Lit Tour: An Excerpt + My Thoughts

About the Book

Book: The Dating Charade

Author: Melissa Ferguson

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Romantic Comedy

Release Date: December 3, 2019

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.

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About the Author

Melissa Ferguson lives in Bristol, Tennessee, where she is an adjunct professor at King University and pens books that make her laugh and grow. She used to have hobbies like running and backpacking the Appalachian Trail outside her door. Now she and her husband are outnumbered, and her hobbies include diaper changes, chasing toddlers in parking lots, and admiring the Appalachian Trail out her minivan window while singing “Winnie the Pooh.” She survives by Jesus, rom coms, and roughly two espresso shots a day. The Dating Charade is her first novel.

Read an Excerpt

You can read an excerpt from Melissa Ferguson’s The Dating Charade here.

My Thoughts

I’m blown away that The Dating Charade is a debut novel because it reads like one penned by an expert, well-published author. I thoroughly loved every minute spent reading this book. The plot is highly engaging. One minute I was laughing hysterically, the next I was bawling like a blubbering baby. The characters are superb. I 1000% related to Cassie — to her ideals, to her naivety, to her well-meaning intentions, and to her insecurities and total fails. Jett is a swoony heartthrob who made me laugh so hard. I was rooting for him from the first moment he appears in the story. And, the themes in this novel are so thoughtful and timely. The Dating Charade is a true #MustRead story that I cannot recommend enough!

As I mentioned above, I really related to Cassie’s character. Cassie works with teen girls and has wanted to be a mother for as long as she can remember. Because Cassie loves kids, and because she is so naturally good with her girls from Girls Haven, she foolishly believes she is natural parent material. To Cassie’s way of thinking because she loves kids and is good with them parenting for her will be easy. I had to chuckle several times. Not at Cassie, but because once upon a time I was Cassie. Eight years ago I was pregnant with my one and only child. I knew with every fiber of my being that I was prime parent material. You see, in my family, I was called the baby whisperer. I adored children and had the canny ability to calm any child down. As a high school teacher who was really good at her job, I also knew how to speak teen. And, like Cassie, I had wanted to be a mom since I was a toddler. Naturally, all of this meant I was destined to be an excellent mom. Then I had my daughter and realized that I knew NOTHING and that I stunk real bad at the mom thing. It did not come naturally to me at all. It became very clear to me very quickly after my child was born that parenting is no joke and should never be entered into willy nilly. Like me, Cassie learns this lesson in spades and it was hilarious and heartbreaking to watch her receive her education.

The Dating Charade is a superb debut jam-packed with so much goodness I could not put this book down. I could go on and on in this review about the wonderfulness of this book, but I don’t want to spoil a thing. Suffice to say, The Dating Charade is a novel you need to get ASAP. Purchase your copy today. You will not be disappointed that you did!

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, via Celebrate Lit and NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.