"The Dating Game", by Sandy Barker, has a familiar premise: a woman joins the popular dating show undercover. While I feel like I've read books like this before, there were a few differences. First, Abby is a reporter who writes very popular articles about "The Stag" game show in Australia. Second, Abby begins to fall in love with one of the show producers, Jack (in stead of the lead of the show like other books have done). Finally, no one in the cast really wants to "win" because the bachelor is a jerk.

I really enjoyed the friendships between the women and the developing relationship between Abby and Jack, but overall, this book didn't feel original enough. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I have never watched those reality dating shows but this book actually made me want to. I just enjoyed this story so much and the romance between Abby and Jack is lovely but also the friends Abby makes along the way are fun to see too. The book almost makes me want to watch The Bachelor …. ALMOST.

3.5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I absolutely loved Abby's character and really enjoyed the story. At the same time, I kind of stopped caring about the romance element of it by the end. I liked it at the start but I was never really rooting for Abby and her love interest and I really wish that we'd gotten an epilogue or something to end with because I found Abby's friendships and career more interesting than her love life.

Why the romance element didn't work for me?
Honestly, the love interest wasn't that interesting by the end. And we got some nice interactions but there was never anything that made me invested in him as a character and without me interested in him as a character, it was really difficult to care about him when it came to Abby and his relationship. (I won't name who the love interest is because I can't remember if he's mentioned in the blurb or not but it's pretty predictable.)

But the friendships and female characters! Those were fun to read about! About Becca...she was nice and all but Barker spent so much time focusing on her friendship with Abby that wasn't quite necessary. There were more interesting characters in my opinion.

Overall, while I did enjoy this, I think my problem is that with the expectation of Abby, most of the secondary characters were more interesting than characters Barker liked to focus on. I did enjoy this and I would recommend it as long as you're okay with not rooting for the romance because everything else is far more interesting in my opinion!

This book is a satire on a certain type of reality TV show - a modern phenomenon which I have never been tempted to watch. That being said, I can imagine that the whole manipulation of the "contestants" and the "storyline" is true to life as TV companies strive to maximise their viewing figures.

Many parts of the writing are very witty and amusing although some incidents and events are a bit cliched. An amusing holiday read.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

What a fun book! Abby is an undercover journalist who writes snarky recaps of the reality tv dating show The Stag (The Bachelor to US fans). She thinks the show is totally fake and literally has the best snarky recaps which she publishes under a pen name. Only problem is one of those recaps goes viral, and now production and her boss want her to go on the show undercover as a contestant. She is a firm believer that nobody can actually fall in love on one of these shows… or can they? What I loved most about this book, besides the belly laughs and incredible scenes, was experiencing Abby’s date in first person and then reading her hilarious recap of that episode, which shows the duality. This book reminded me of Miss Congeniality in a way with all those women and Abby, our heroine as the undercover doe. If you are looking for a laugh out loud romcom this is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley, publishers and to the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Abby as she joins a reality dating show as a contestant and also a secret recap writer for the show.

One thing I like about this book is the concept, with currently binge reading Love Island each night, this book is the perfect pairing. We get to see romance, drama and friendships and its a cute read to check out.

I liked that we have a protagonist who has a great single mum and shows about the struggles of growing up on a lower income, she also sticks up for her friends which is important.

I wish the book focused more on the dating side of Abby in the show (not just in her recaps) as I think it would have been really interesting to see the concept and make more of a judgement on Daniel’s character, especially since the game is a big part of the book and it made the passing feel off.

But as much as I like the concept, I did struggle with liking the character and the main love story and I just felt like something was missing.

As a The Bachelor fan, this book was right up my ally! This will appeal to fans of One to Watch by Kate Staymon-London as well.

Abigail Jones aka Abby aka Anastasia writes recaps of reality TV, including Britain’s popular dating show The Stag, under her pseudonym Anastasia. Her latest post draws the attention of the producers. She is asked told by her boss to go undercover as a contestant to get an inside scoop. In a meet cute made for romantic comedies, she runs into sexy producer Jack. Going undercover as a contestant will push Abby to her limits as she balances between the three “personalities” she has.

As expected, the book is full of likeable and unlikeable characters with tons of drama. My favorite Abigail personality is Anastasia with her snarky comments and spot-on commentary of all the contestants. I usually ship the MC with the star of the dating show, but not this time!

The ending felt incomplete and left me underwhelmed. An epilogue with a post from Anastasia would have been the perfect ending and would have given me the closure I was looking for. It was still a good read and I would still recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars ✨

If you love reality tv and are looking for your drama fix in-between love island episodes - this is your book. ‘The Dating Game’ is based around a version of ‘The Bachelor’ and a gossip column writer Abigail.

The first page of this book contains an author’s note warning you that there is an obscene amount of characters in this book and let me tell you - she is not joking. I believe if you are reading on the formatted kindle/e-reader editions there is a function that will allow you to click on a character and it will tell you about them, (I hope this works as this would be incredibly useful!) however this wasn’t finished in my ARC copy. If you are reading in a physical copy or without this function - take notes. Trust me.

The concept of this book was intriguing, and I really enjoyed the dynamics of the girls in the manor and all the varying personalities that emerged. Having Abby as both a contestant and writing her recaps allowed us to see the day’s events from her perspective, and then her watching herself on the screen too, which led to some interesting scenes. It was a clever way to tie in both the cast and crew, and allowed for a lot of funny behind-the-scenes moments that I enjoyed. (ps - Anyone else used to watch UnREAL? getting similar vibes!)

Unfortunately, I had a few gripes. Although I liked Jack as a match for Abby, I just was missing the SIZZLE! They were cute enough, and they worked great together. I just felt like I was waiting for the tension, and... it never came. It just felt a little juvenile 😬 Abby’s entire personality crisis was a little irritating. She was constantly referring to herself as ‘Doe Abby’, or this is ‘Anastasia not me’ and honestly I couldn’t tell much difference between Doe Abby and Abigail 🤷‍♀️ Anastasia however, was incredibly witty and hilarious. Her recaps were very entertaining, although sporadic; random throughout the book and sometimes just repeating what the author had already written. It was a little messy at times, and I think that persona could have been utilised better.

A good summer read filled with friendships, drama and fun, but a little lacking on the romance for my taste.

I was given a free copy of this novel by NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review.
In this endearing novel, Abigail Jones or ‘Undercover Abby’ joins the cast of the British/Australian Reality TV show The Stag. ie the Bachelor. In attempt to maintain and enhance her writing career Abby juggles three personas as she describes the interactions between the Stag and the Does, all rivals for his affection , in snarky episode summaries for her online magazine employer under the pseudonym Anastasia Blabbbergasted.
Throughout the filming, Doe Abby forms friendships with other does, untangles behind the scenes webs of intrigue, and tries to avoid the advances of Daniel ‘The Stag’ while Abigail finds a love of her own. I highly recommend this thoughtful, humorous novel to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance! I look forward to reading other novels by the talented Sandy Barker.

The idea behind this book is just great! Especially with me reading this while watching season 7 of love island, it feels like a fun insight to the behind the scenes of a show like that when the cameras aren't rolling. I really enjoyed reading about the does and dickhead Daniel and can definitely see myself falling for a guy like Jack or even Harry. Would definitely recommend this book! Just want to know what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

I am a huge fan of The Bachelor, so this book really intrigued me. Abby basically goes undercover in a Bachelor- like show called The Stag, and I loved the idea of this. What really made this book for me is the funny journalist ways of Abby that made it so much fun to read. The romance honestly took a backseat to the humor and friendships for me.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reality dating shows or liked “One to Watch”. This book reminded me of that one a lot.

What a hilarious story! It actually reminded me a bit of Miss Congeniality, which is a movie that I absolutely LOVE! Abby is such a relatable character. If you're a bit quirky yourself, you will definitely be able to identify with her. Also, I desperately want to visit Sydney after reading this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author, for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic book, good pace and well written. Fantastic characters and a great story that ends with them together.
A great way to spend an afternoon in the garden.

A fun rom com set in the world of reality TV. Abby is a writer who is asked to take part in an Australian reality show, The Stag, in order to write an inside scoop. The story follows her relationships with the other female contestants (the Does), the Stag Daniel and the attractive Australian producer Jack.

I enjoyed the book, the pace was perfect and the writing was easy to follow. I loved the insights into "behind the scenes", how people were manipulated to get a good TV show, and Abby's relationships with some of her other Does were lovely. I did think it ended too abruptly though, I needed a bit more closure - perhaps an epilogue explaining what happened to everyone after the book would have been ideal.

This was a fun endearing read, there was a lot that I enjoyed,

From the plot perspective, I'll always read books that are loosely based on the bachelor, even though I'm not an avid watcher, these books still make for entertaining reads. I liked Abby a lot, I liked that while she wasn't a pathetic mess, but strong willed and caring and snarky. It was the relationships with the other Does that really kept the story moving. I think I would've liked to those bonds fleshed out a bit more. Perhaps there were just too many characters to really keep it straight. The Abby/Becca relationship was the strongest, and I liked Kaz a lot too, but with Daphne and Justine and etc etc the others became too much that you only saw snippets of them and their real personalities towards the end of their appearances that you just didn't really care. Same goes for Lisa, there were just too many.

Perhaps it was just the ARC version but also keeping the recaps straight from what Abby wanted to write or what she was thinking was at times very confusing to follow. I wish the book had had a smidgen more depth, where we maybe saw fallout of people finding out who she was, but I felt like it was all tied up a little too neatly that Abby never really transformed, which again, because of the focus of the female relationships maybe it was not that big of a deal but I think the book missed reaching it's full potential.

Also, Jack was pretty lackluster - his jealousy and insecurity made me not care about them at all.

Writing under and funneling her confidence into her alter ego/pen name, Anastasia, Abby Jones heads a gossip article covering The Stag, a top reality dating show. Anastasia is supposed to be a means to an end, padding Abby’s pocket while she yearns for serious investigative journalism. The last thing plain, self-conscious Abby expects is when her editor demands she go undercover on The Stag as a contestant. From nearly being eaten by an elevator and rescued by the charming crew man, Jack, to being whisked into an Australian manor with eleven agenda-minded women, and one gorgeous, but twatty bachelor, Abby’s world is turned topsy turvy. Can she navigate bullies, friendships, a second alter ego for the show, writing as Anastasia while in the thick of it, and a growing attraction to a man not on the menu? It’s difficult to be one woman, let alone three.

The Dating Game is a cheeky, charming roller coaster adventure of reality dating television and friendships. Abby’s PG Belle de Jour narration makes for high entertainment. A sweet, slow-burn, budding romance sets the stage for heart flutters throughout. Barker has crafted a thoughtfully hilarious, heartfelt romcom. A brilliantly developed, beautifully humorous romance. The hot-blooded American in me needs more Jack and Abby.

What a cute romcom! Set in the world of reality television shows this book reads like a bachelor episode. I was really captivated by the main characters and couldn’t wait for them to end up together.

3.5 stars.

"One to Watch" was one of my favorite books of 2020, so I was really excited to try another storyline based on a reality tv show.

Writer Abby hoped to be an investigative journalist but her most successful work is a weekly recap of "The Stag" -- a British version of the Bachelor. Thanks to the success of her article, she is given a spot as a contestant on the show to get the "behind the scenes" of how the show comes together.

I was promised wit & sass and while Abby and her budding relationship with producer Jack was entertaining, it missed the mark for me (with the caveat that this was an ARC that wasn't formatted properly so sometimes it was hard to follow the dialog, which is definitely the strongest point of this book).

Overall, a cute read you'll enjoy if you like reality TV shows! Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This was a hilarious look at reality dating shows and what happens when the cameras aren't rolling. The characters were well-written and hilarious. There were times I was laughing out loud while reading! I love the details of Australia and where the scenes in the show were shot - I never would have known those tidbits about the Sydney Opera House! This rom-com ends as you expect, but the journey along the way is very entertaining! Definitely grab this one!

Thank you to Net Galley for the free copy to use in my review. All opinions are my own.

Abigail is an aspiring journalist whose anonymous online persona as a snarky reviewer for a The Bachelor-esque reality dating show goes viral. The producers hire her to write the recaps for an upcoming season in Sydney and promise to provide her with exclusive insider info. The catch? She has to be a contestant on the show.

The writing was too on the nose/over-explanatory for me - there's a scene towards the end where two characters literally recap what they've just discussed in case the reader hadn't caught on. Abby's self deprecation was too much, to the point where I just felt sorry for her and couldn't really empathize, or even like her.

Also, her attraction to Jack confused me. Sure, who doesn't love a hot Australian, but it's hard to understand the appeal when he's pretty vanilla.

Regardless, this was an enjoyable, quick read and I looked forward to reading it whenever I had free time. I love the peek behind the curtain of reality shows and the general cozy, fun vibe. It's a great beach read or light read.

3.5 / 5