MY REVIEW:
Jett and Cassie went to high school together and several years later meet on an online dating website. Cassie has her dates and escape plan down to a science-thanks to her friend Bree but eventually gives Jett a chance.

Suddenly Jett and his roommate Sunny find themselves trying to take care of his sisters 3 kids-2 three year old twins and young baby. Thank goodness their neighbor Sarah also helps with the kids while Jett continues to work his job as a firefighter and is thrown into the life of diapers, tantrums, and messes.

Cassie works with teenage girls at The Haven needing assistance and suddenly finds herself with custody of teenager Star and her two younger sisters. Cassie quickly realizes that working with teenagers is completely different from raising teenagers.

Some of the details of both sets of kids were so horrifying and brought me to tears-the neglect, abuse, drugs, starvation, development delays… both Jett and Cassie work hard in their separate situations to give the kids a temporary home all the while trying to date each other but not share the news about their “kids”.

I’m not sure why it took them so long to share personal details because I think they could have helped each other out more. I guess because it was a new relationship and they didn’t want to scare each other off with the news of-by the way I have custody of 3 kids now?!! It was funny how they tried explaining off the noises, dirty clothes and calls to the firehouse as neither of them wanted to tell the other about their living situation.

All the day to day drama with both of them made me laugh and cry. This author did such a great job with the struggles and horrors of foster care, trying to be a single parent, and trying to just get thru the day-loving and hating every minute of it-being exhausted but grateful at the end of the day. As a parent, I could relate to so many of the struggles, laughs and tears. I loved reading this book!

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book

Book: The Dating Charade

Author: Melissa Ferguson

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Romantic Comedy

Release Date: December 3, 2019

The Dating Charade cover Cassie Everson is an expert at escaping bad first dates. And, after years of meeting, greeting, and running from the men who try to woo her, Cassie is almost ready to retire her hopes for a husband—and children—altogether.

But fate has other plans, and Cassie’s online dating profile catches the eye of firefighter Jett Bentley. In Jett’s memory, Cassie Everson is the unreachable girl-of-legend from their high school days. Nervously, he messages her, setting off a chain of events that forces a reluctant Cassie back into the dating game.

No one is more surprised than Cassie when her first date with Jett is a knockout. But when they both go home and find three children dropped in their laps—each—they independently decide to do the right and mature thing: hide the kids from each other while sorting it all out. What could go wrong?

Melissa Ferguson’s hilarious and warmhearted debut reminds us that love can come in very small packages—and that sometimes our best-laid plans aren’t nearly as rewarding and fun as the surprises that come our way.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Melissa Ferguson lives in Bristol, Tennessee, where she is an adjunct professor at King University and pens books that make her laugh and grow. She used to have hobbies like running and backpacking the Appalachian Trail outside her door. Now she and her husband are outnumbered, and her hobbies include diaper changes, chasing toddlers in parking lots, and admiring the Appalachian Trail out her minivan window while singing “Winnie the Pooh.” She survives by Jesus, rom coms, and roughly two espresso shots a day. The Dating Charade is her first novel.