10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston Published by Disney Hyperion Books in October 2019
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Barnes and Noble
Goodreads
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?
Note: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions shared are my own.
Ashley Elston’s books and I have a fairly amazing track record. Everything I’ve read by her thus far has been at least a 4 star read. (I think the only book I haven’t read is The Lying Woods. I really should pick up a copy of that…) It should be noted that 10 Blind Dates is different from her previous books. Her previous books all have a strong mystery in them. 10 Blind Dates, on the other hand, is definitely a YA contemporary romance. So I was a bit worried going in if her stories would be as solid as they have been without a mystery. However, pretty early on, I knew this was another great hit for me.
In 10 Blind Dates, Sophie finds herself going on ten blind dates set up by her relatives after her grandmother finds her heartbroken on her doorstep. As you can imagine a ton of shenanigans go on, and of course, her ex-boyfriend wants a second chance.
The romance in this story is solid. I knew early on who Sophie would end up with, but it didn’t stop the fun of reading it all come together. I also thought Sophie and the guy she ends up with had amazing chemistry in the story.
What truly made this story shine, however, was Sophie and her family. 10 Blind Dates may have centered around Sophie going on ten dates and all of the hilarity that occurred. (I definitely laughed out loud more than once while reading 10 Blind Dates.) However, it was primarily about Sophie reconnecting with her family again and in particular with her cousins her own age. There was obvious tension between her and her cousins from the start, and it was fun watching Sophie rediscover her relationship with them. It was exactly what I’d imagine a large extended family is like: supportive, loving, and absolutely embarrasing all at the same time.
I highly recommend reading 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston, and if you haven’t read one of her other books, I highly recommend them as well. I thought 10 Blind Dates was a hilarious YA story all about family and friends with some romance thrown in. If you read it, I hope 10 Blind Dates makes you laugh just as much as I did.
10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston will be released on October 1, 2019!
