Cassie Everson just wants to find the right guy and settle down but all she seems to find is Mr. Wrong. After trying out a dating app she’s given up on her dream. Her best friend doesn’t give up on that dream and responds to an email on the aforementioned app on Cassie’s behalf and puts her face to face with a guy she went to high school with… a guy she doesn’t remember at all but wants to get to know better. Then life and responsibilities start knocking on her door. Will Cassie make the time for love?

Unlike some other reviewers I had zero expectations for this novel and was really happy with how much I liked it. Yes, the synopsis gives the reader the feeling this might be a lighthearted rom-com, and The Dating Charade really was not that book. However, it really delivered on a solid plot, great characters, and a ton of heart. Cassie and Jett were both such nice people that you couldn’t help but root for them to overcome all obstacles to make their dreams come true. Those obstacles may have been a little deeper than some other readers liked, but this novel packed a lot of emotion into it’s 336 pages! I read it straight through from start to finish.

Cassie works in an after school facility that helps keep teens off the streets and provides a safe environment for them to hang out in. When Star doesn’t show up one day and Cassie goes looking for her she finds Star and her sisters on the border of being thrown into foster care. Cassie dives into the deep end and offers them her home and becomes even more attached to these three girls. I thought this plot was so well written! Cassie is kind of a bleeding heart but Star and her sister’s add something to Cassie’s life that was missing and I thought this really helped bring something extra to Cassie character. Melissa Ferguson could’ve gone down the road so many other authors have tried but she chose to write something with meaning and I support that decision whole heartedly!

This novel was about love, but it wasn’t just about love between two people it was about how love creates a family, not blood. The message was beautiful. The Dating Charade may have been mis-cast by it’s publishers but don’t punish this author by not reading it because of a few mediocre reviews. I always say that you have to be in the right frame of mind to read any book and The Dating Charade was the book I needed to read at the time I read it. I hope you will give it a chance to be that book for you too. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

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