Blog Tour – The Dating Game by Sandy Barker

‘Hilarious and highly original’

Julie Houston, bestselling author of A Village Affair

Once upon a time, twelve women joined the hottest reality TV show looking for love. Except one had a secret identity . . .

Abby Jones is a serious writer. Or at least she will be, one day. Right now, she spends her time writing recaps of reality television under a secret identity.

When a recap for The Stag – the must-watch dating show – goes viral, her editor thinks she should be on set, writing the drama as it happens. The good news: the next season will be filmed in Sydney. Sun, sea and a glamorous trip abroad, this could be Abby’s big break.

The bad news: the producers don’t just want Abby to write the recaps, they want her to be on the show. Abby can’t think of anything worse than being undercover and followed around by cameras. But her career depends on it, and when she meets gorgeous producer Jack, Abby begins to wonder if this job might not be so bad after all . . .

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Review

I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was a tad unsure about this book, as I am not a fan of reality TV at all.  That said, I am a fan of this book.  I cringed and chuckled in all the right places and found myself staying up past midnight to get to the end.

Abby is a terrific character, the kind of girl that I would want as a friend.  Fun, loyal, self-deprecating with a desire to make sure everyone is happy. That said, she’s not a pushover, and will happily stand up to bullies.

I’ve never been to Australia, but I think most people are familiar with the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, this made it easy to imagine that I was actually there.  The other locations were left to my imagination, but most people can envisage a vineyard, I’m sure.

There’s an eclectic mix of characters, who are easily entered into Abby’s stereotypical types of Villains, Dark Horses, Miscellaneous, Fillers and Brides.  Her initial judgements are spot on, but that doesn’t mean that she could have imagined the end result.  For me, the romance of this story takes second place to the friendships that are formed.  I particularly enjoyed Kaz, she was a breath of fresh air.

Whilst this book didn’t leave me wishing I could watch Love Island – never going to happen – or similar shows, I will certainly read more books from this author.  Sandy Barker has written a fun-filled tale which takes a look at the tactical editing and background manipulations that are needed to create audience pleasing reality shows. If you fancy escaping to The Antipodes, this is a great way to travel.

Author Bio

Sandy is a writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list, and many of her travel adventures have found homes in her novels. She’s also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob. She lives in Melbourne Australia with her partner, Ben, who she met while travelling in Greece. Their real-life love story inspired Sandy’s debut novel One Summer in Santorini, the first in the Holiday Romance series with One More Chapter, an imprint of HarperCollins.

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Disclaimer

Receiving a digital ARC does not influence my opinion of a book.  Please note, this review contains affiliate links.