Book Review: "While We Were Dating" by Jasmine Guillory
“While We Were Dating” by Jasmine Guillory
Bookshop | Kindle
Publisher Synopsis: Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama he's trying to ignore and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star, Anna Gardiner, however, it's hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she's also down to earth and considerate, and he can't help flirting a little...
Anna Gardiner is on a mission: to make herself a household name, and this ad campaign will be a great distraction while she waits to hear if she's booked her next movie. However, she didn't expect Ben Stephens to be her biggest distraction. She knows mixing business with pleasure never works out, but why not indulge in a harmless flirtation?
But their light-hearted banter takes a turn for the serious when Ben helps Anna in a family emergency, and they reveal truths about themselves to each other, truths they've barely shared with those closest to them.
When the opportunity comes to turn their real-life fling into something more for the Hollywood spotlight, will Ben be content to play the background role in Anna's life and leave when the cameras stop rolling? Or could he be the leading man she needs to craft their own Hollywood ending?
Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Trigger Warnings: anxiety/depression
Review: While I can’t say this was my favorite Jasmine Guillory novel, it did snap me out of my reading slump. One perk of being unemployed for (…checks notes…) nearly 5 months is the amount of books I powered through—it was truly insane. When I first resumed a 9-to-5 life, my cup of ambition did not extend to extracurricular reading. But, a few weeks later, I found myself picking up Jasmine Guillory’s latest and rejoining the finely drawn world she’s created.
This lovely romance novel centers on Ben (brother of Theo, from “The Wedding Party”) as he gets a big break to lead an ad campaign…at the behest of its celeb star, Anna Gardiner. Of course, Anna and Ben are super attracted to one another, and crazy circumstances lead to them road tripping from San Francisco to Palm Springs, hijinks ensue…
I’m a big Jasmine Guillory fan, but I have to caveat that this book isn’t surprising at all. Of course Ben and Anna have some steamy sex, some obstacles land in their way, and there are some communication issues—but there’s ultimately a happy ending here. Although “While We Were Dating” is a bit formulaic if you’ve read Guillory’s other novels, it’s a sweet, well-written romance that’s perfect for a summer weekend. I also typically enjoy “famous person dates non-famous person” as a romance trope, and I appreciate how nuanced Ben and Anna’s characters were—I didn’t find them at all stereotypical.
TL;DR: A fun, if a bit formulaic, romance from the Jasmine Guillory universe. No major plot surprises here, but you’ll appreciate the nuanced way in which she writes her A-list celeb and ad-man player protagonists.
If you liked this, try:
“Seven Days in June” by Tia Williams (Bookshop | Kindle | My Review)
“Party of Two” by Jasmine Guillory (Bookshop | Kindle | Elizabeth’s review)
“Snapped” by Alexa Martin (Bookshop | Kindle | Elizabeth’s review)
“If I Never Met You” by Mhairi McFarlane (Bookshop | Kindle | My Review)
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