Book Review: The First Date

04.06.2020

Book Review: The First Date | Zara Stoneley

I really struggled with this book. It was an easy read and once I was about halfway through I was determined to read through to the end. That said however it wasn't that enjoyable a read for me. The setup was that a woman - Rosie - fresh out of a long term relationship is stood up on a Tinder/Bumble date and meets a charmer at the bar (Noah). She wants something more steady than this handsome charmer but agrees to 'dating lessons' when he offers them. This isn't a particularly original romance novel setup but there's a twist in that, despite her obvious attraction to Noah, Rosie is determined to avoid actually dating him because he reminds her too much of her father, a charmer who has been cheating on her mother for many many years. 

I think the problem was that the book was a romantic novel but it also tried to handle quite a serious issue. For me it just didn't get the balance right. It was a very normal romance, where you could follow where the story was headed but willed it onwards nonetheless. The characters melded well together and I enjoyed their simmering sexual tension. However, the addition of the issues created by Rosie's Dad just didn't gel with the rest of the book and felt like they belonged in a story that offered a more serious exploration. At times I was pulled into the comparisons and I did begin to understand Rosie's decisions as I learned more about her Dad, but more often than not I felt that the 'Dad issue' came up at really weird times, leaving me feeling a bit uncomfortable. For example, Rosie will be considering the prospect of intimacy with Noah and will instead begin comparing it with her feelings about her Dad. I do appreciate that there's a crossover when someone in her situation is struggling with the hangover of a poor relationship with their father (not to mention a poor concept of relationships because of her parents) but I really did feel quite queasy at those moments. And they happened again and again. 

There's lots to recommend the novel and I don't think my opinion should dissuade others who enjoy Stoneley's other works or who're hankering for a romantic novel with a difference. The descriptions of Noah and his backstory are great. I wanted to know more about him and I absolutely did root for them as a couple and for him as an individual. I loved the addition of Jed and was delighted we finally got to meet him and, as a dog lover, Hugo was a boon to the story. I didn't feel like we got enough of other characters. We met Rosie's Mum in person only once and didn't get nearly enough of Bea either. Bea in particularly felt a little like she was there to serve a function rather than being a fully fleshed out character. 

As I said before I think there's certainly an audience for this book but it wasn't quite right for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.