The Dating Game: The perfect feel-good romantic comedy to escape with

Now I'm not a fan of reality TV shows, however I certainly am of this book. Abby writes snarky reviews of these shows under the pen name of Anastasia Blabbergasted when she is pushed into being an entrant in a dating show called The Stag being filmed in Sydney, Australia. She will be undercover and write her reviews on real time. Cue 12 "Does", 6 each of British and Australian, after the hand of "The Stag, an Investment Banker.What I loved about the book is the characters, the various Does, the crew and even The Stag. Each have strengths and weaknesses, with even the worst (mostly, anyway) having redeeming features. There is a constant sense of humour to balance against the drama involved in making such a show. It won't make me actually want to watch one of these shows, but I can certainly recommend that you read this book.I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book and I also purchased it on release as the author is one of my "must buys".

I loved this perfect, feelgood summer read. The Dating Game is a gorgeous slow-burn romance with whip-smart humour threaded through every page.Abby has been coerced into taking part on a dating show in Sydney to help inform her as she writes snarky reviews of each episode as her hilarious alter-ego, Anastasia. Whilst there, her relationship builds with the handsome producer, Jack, and I was rooting for them to get together all the way through.This book isn't a simple romance though, it is also a book that testifies to the strength of female friendship even when these women are pitted against each other.Sandy Baker writes with such wit and warmth that it’s impossible not to get totally invested in this story and I frequently laughed out loud as we followed Abby and the other Does from one hideous Stag date to another. Wonderful, feelgood romcom escapism and highly recommended.

I absolutely love discovering new authors and Sandy Barker is a new author for me. I read the synopsis of ‘The Dating Game’ and it certainly sounded like just the kind of book I was looking for- a light hearted and funny romantic comedy sort of story. Well ‘The Dating Game’ certainly ticked those boxes and so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Dating Game’ but more about that in a bit.I absolutely loved the character of Abby Jones and I warmed to her from the very start. When the story starts, we learn that Abby is actually a columnist and blogger for an online tabloid and she has a specific interest in reality television. Abby doesn’t write the blog under her own name and she uses an alias. I loved Abby’s sense of humour in the way in which she describes a particular television show and the people who appear on it. As a columnist and blogger, Abby is confident and assertive but the real Abby is anything but. Abby really is a lovely lass, who deserves happiness.I was drawn into this book by the synopsis alone and the story was the icing on the cake as it were. I started reading and that was it. I just couldn’t put the book down. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I started chuckling as soon as I started reading ‘The Dating Game’ and I don’t think I stopped chuckling away to myself until long after I read the last word on the last page. I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘The Dating Game’ and I had to say goodbye to Abby. I found ‘The Dating Game’ to be a joy to read from start to finish.‘The Dating Game’ is extremely well written. Sandy Barker has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading this book felt more like a chat between friends than reading an actual book. I hope that makes sense. I loved the hilarious way in which the author describes reality television and she sends up the various personalities of the people involved. I felt as though I was part of the story and that’s thanks to Sandy’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Dating Game’ and I would recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Sandy’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

What happens when a journalist goes undercover on a reality show and has to act her way into the role? Absolutely loved The Dating Game. Abby is a wonderful character guiding the reader through her hilarious observations of the world of reality television. This smart, witty character exposes the micro-politics and behind the scenes encounters brilliantly. This is a romance novel with so many twists and turns you’ll be dizzy, and you’ll giggle your way to the end. Besides entertaining me, this was an astute observation on reality TV culture. The novel is jam packed with wit, sensitivity and humour. I could not put this novel down! A perfect feel good read.

The premise sounded interesting, and although I have not seen the show the book is based on (The Bachelor) I've seen enough reality TV shows to get the concept.The main character, Abby, was a great girl and def one you would want in your corner. She's funny, loyal and smart. She writes columns under the pseudonym Anastasia Blabbergasted, and some of those were so funny and wicked.I think it perfectly captured the behind the scenes world of a reality show. I also liked the way relationships (family and romantic) as well as friendships were explored.All of the characters were well written, even the 'villains' and this made the story feel believable.Whilst I didn't love this quite as much as Sandy's other books, I did enjoy it overall, and it's definitely worth a read.

I’m not a fan of reality tv.I think it’s too easy to forget they are real people, usually put in an impossible situation in an exotic location, and then we the public are asked to judge every move the program makers lead us to.It would appear that Sandy Barker feels the same way.So I started reading this book with reservations.But I should have trusted that Sandy would write a beautiful book, with believable characters, a great plot, and a lot of laughs as usual.Roll on the next book, I’m waiting 😁