Kiley RoacheRecensioni

6.5/10, another preachy book, this time about sexism and feminism, I'm not a fan of books that like to overtly push their messages to me.

“I’ve only ever been loved like a Top 40 song—the latest hit, the hot new thing. Something fleeting, bubbly and fun; nothing serious. But just once, I’d like to be loved like a poignant, timeless ballad.”

out of this entire book this was the one quote that stood out to me the most. it was one of those quotes that i instantly needed to highlight because it made me feel something. i think everyone has had a thought similar to this at least once in their lives.

the overall book left me kind of disappointed because i had such high hopes for it. the idea of having a murder mystery in a content house really intrigued me and excited me to read but the characters seemed quite flat to me and one dimensional.

it also felt unrealistic at times where i was expecting more realism due to its more modern feel. however, i did enjoy reading it and there were moments of the book that had me feeling that same initial excitement when i first marked this as a to be read

I'm surprised that this book hasn't gathered more momentum, as it is definitely glossy, timely, and intriguing. I really enjoyed this, and it's definitely a great choice for a YA thriller. The audio production, featuring 6 voice actors, was excellent, although I might have followed the print with more ease in terms of keeping all of the influencers separate. I have zero interest in TikTok and this confirms that! Fun read.

The Dating Game details the ups and downs of 3 college freshmen as they develop the new “it” app for on-campus dating for the notoriously difficult future entrepreneur class. Love, drama, and laughs ensue in this fun and quick read from Kiley Roache, perfect book for a single sitting.

Things I Liked
I love having college settings in books. The characters have more freedom and independence and let the situations be more mature and dramatic.

Girls in STEM fields is always a plus as well - and the genuine and supportive friendship between Sara and Yaz was wonderful.

Roberto was most definitely my favorite character and I loved him with everything in my heart. He is so kind and really just a perfect person. And he has one of the most beautiful inner monologues about lost love that was so supremely lovely. His relationship with his dad wonderful too. They have such a tight knit relationship after Roberto’s mom was deported when he was younger - it’s a horrible reality that is not shied away from in the story.

Things I Didn’t Like
I get the whole point of the story is a dating app, but I unfortunately wasn’t really sold on any of the romances in the story. I didn’t even mind that there was a bit of a love triangle because I genuinely hate one couple/thought they had no chemistry and thought the other wasn’t given enough buildup so I was largely uninvested.

Braden is the worst! He is the embodiment of white male privilege and arrogance and he sucks as a human being.

The Dating Game is a easy to read story that will entertain and frustrate you at the same time. While I didn’t love the romances - and that is definitely a bigger part of the story - I thought that the story did have some wonderful character moments, especially from Roberto, that made me enjoy it.

I received a copy of the book from Inkyard Press via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

*I won a copy of this via Goodreads Giveaways*

The sociologist in me loved this book. It features Cassie Davis, a high school student from Indiana, who comes up with an interesting way to earn the first year of a scholarship to a prestigious college. Conduct a social experiment in order to conduct research on culture inside a frat house, social norms within Greek organizations, and potentially disband the frat. What she doesn't anticipate is the far reaching effects, both on her personal life, and the lives of the fraternity brothers.

My own college experience was far removed from Cassie's. I didn't go to any frat parties, I only had a few friends. But I could definitely still relate on some levels. I lived in coed dorms all four years, so there was the general banter between all of us, that's similar to the banter between Cassie and her "brothers".

My sophmore year of college I had a roomate much like Leighton. Complete with Louis Vuitton luggage, and the haughty attitude that said she felt she was much too good to be sharing a room with the likes of me. I endured the riduculous screeching of her sorority sisters when they stopped by our room and I happened to be there. Frat boys sleeping over, and the ridiculous drama that came with too much drinking, (Hers, not mine) Needless to say, I had a single room for the remainder of my college life because the experiences with this roomate were not ones I wanted to suffer through again.

Cassie as a character is probably not too much like me personally, other than studying sociology and gender issues. I'm not a girly girl, and she seems to be one, at least on some level. But I do like her edginess. She stands up for what she feels is right, and doesn't give a fuck about it.

So much so that at one point she almost blows her entire experiment when she bursts out of an interview room to talk to one of the subjects after the recount a painful experience. The researcher in me was thinking "Oh no, what are you doing?!?! The other part was thinking "I probably would have done the same thing.

The author does a nice job of intermixing formal writing, for the research parts of the story, and the parts that deal with some of the heavier subject matter when the characters are discussing feminism, and keeping it real, and genuine. Although I really could have done without the use of the word "fuckbois". That's just an annoying textspeak term to me, but I see why she used it.

As Cassie gets more involved both with pledging, and with her project, you can tell that its going to be difficult to see how this all will turn out. She gets personally involved, which I know would be hard not to do, social experiment or not. But, because of the experiment, her experiences and friendships are based on mistruths.

The "relationship" she has with Connor is stereotypical. He only wants one thing, and turns into an ass when she says no. Her relationship with Jordan is sweeter. Though I didn't find it overly ridiculous, like it could have been. It felt just right.

I also really liked Duncan's character. He's the perfect mixture of a macho football player but someone who also cares about people. Cassie really seems to have an impact on him, as is apparent in one of his last scenes in the book.

The serious subjects of the book are important, and dealt with well. This also gave me some serious laughs. Since this is an ARC, I can't quote directly, because I can't compare with the finished book, but lets just say there is a scene where the frat brothers talk about "laying eggs" that had me laughing pretty hard.

The twist from Peter at the end isn't really one I had expected, but I definitely appreciated it. On the level of the impact of Cassie's influence, and on a personal level, I agreed with what he had to say.

Given that Cassie has to propose a new project each year to maintain her scholarship, I think there's room for Roache to continue with these characters and I wouldn't be disappointed to see more of them, but I imagine it'd be difficult to maintain the quality and keep it fresh like this was.

Cassie is going to a prestigious college on a full scholarship. The catch is that she is conducting a sociology experiment into how females are treated by Greek letter fraternities, and she must infiltrate the most popular fraternity on campus to expose them. As she gets to know her frat brothers, and begins to feel the pressure of her study sponsors to reveal the dirt on them, Cassie begins to have second thoughts. Full of stereotypical college hijinx, mixed with romance, this was a great read. Recommended as a mature YA read for high school students.