Book Review: No More Bad Dates (High Tea) by Kate O'Keeffe

No More Bad Dates is the first book in the High Tea series by Kate O'Keeffe, but it is clear that at least some of the characters were secondary characters in previous series by the author. It still works as a stand alone, but fans of the author might have  a more engaging read.

Twenty-five-year-old Sophie McCarthy’s career is virtually nonexistent, her family expects her to “do something important” with her life, and she’s totally sick of dating the wrong guys: the self-absorbed, the arrogant, the borderline criminally insane. After she’s unceremoniously dumped during the vows at her boss’s wedding, she and her two equally disappointed-in-love best friends agree to help each other find decent guys to date. Together, they form the No More Bad Dates Pact: stop dating the wrong guys and start dating the right ones—weirdos and jerks need not apply. When Sophie’s roommate Jason Christie—a.k.a. doctor-in-training and serial nurse-dater—joins the pact, he vows to weed out the bad ones for her. But with his rejection of every guy Sophie meets, she begins to wonder if he’s got an ulterior motive. And anyway, why does she always have so much more fun with Jason than with the guys she’s actually trying to date? While desperately seeking her “happy for now,” could Sophie stumble into her “happily ever after?”
No More Bad Dates is a story that focuses more on the journey than the destination. Sophie is sick of bad dates, tired of being talked down to by her siblings, and just wants to figure out what she wants. She loves her job, and her friends, but thinks that she should want more- mostly because other people keep expecting her to. Jason is her roomate, friend, and a serial dater. I like that they are real friends from the start, not friends because they want more- but real friends. I loved the secondary characters- the friends and extended family are great and really keep the story moving and entertaining. The bad dates were terrifying and funny in their own way- and also realistic in terms of some of the people that are out there. I found the story to be more about Sophie figuring out what she wants from life- and figuring out how to get there than about her relationship with Jason. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and will appeal to a variety of readers, it just was not what I was expecting. I would have liked to have seen some of the story from Jason's point of view, even though I know many readers are not as fond of that as I am. I just like knowing what is going from both sides- especially when feeling as in question. I enjoyed the read, and think it will appeal to a wide range of new adult and adult romance readers. 

No More Bad Dates is fun and sweet with plenty of humor and feels. 

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