The Dating Pact

LoveReading Says

Ellie is left adrift when her best friend Hannah sets off to Australia. Taking her share of their house deposit, Ellie has to move back in with her family above their flower shop, working overtime as a nurse, her goal of owning her own home seeming impossibly out of reach. Alex King comes from an acting dynasty, has had a privileged life but a bad breakup, betrayal and the resulting tabloid storm has left him determined to shape his own path out of the spotlight as a director in a London theatre.

A chance encounter sees Ellie and Alex hit it off with a Notting Hill-esque paparazzi furore in the East End. Their instant connection leads to a proposition: a fake dating arrangement giving Ellie the independence she craves, whilst helping boost ticket sales for Alex’s play as well as giving him a date to his brother’s wedding.

The Dating Pact feels like the best 90’s rom-coms brought right up-to-date with modern real-life pressures and a cast of relatable characters. The ending is just as iconic as any classic rom-com too, and I love the depth of the main characters. Ellie’s confidence and determination in the face of scrutiny about her size, concerns for her family and their business as well as approaching burnout from her work at The Royal Hospital make her a heroine that I was cheering for from the sidelines.

I was laughing at her quick thinking, cringing with her during the awkward moments and my heart was breaking for her during knockbacks and tales of past bad experiences that have left her wary of falling for anyone. Alex is the good looking, tall romantic interest that we love to see, but his time with Ellie teaches him about himself, makes him aware of his privileges and his strained family relationships while helping him to realise what it is he wants out of life.

Another way that makes The Dating Pact feel thoroughly modern, is that no one had to give anything up or change themselves for the other. In finding love Alex and Ellie cemented who they are as individuals, their relationship providing the last 5% of confidence needed for them both to be fully themselves.

I flew through this charming book, half wishing I was reading it on the beach or in a hammock while soaking up the luxury Bahamas setting. 

About The Dating Pact

When Ellie bluffs her way into a high-end party with her best friend, the last thing she expects is to end up going home with infamous actor Alex King, because he's too drunk to remember what hotel he's staying in. But when the paparazzi catch them together the morning after, their new friendship suddenly becomes the tabloids' front page.

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