I’m really pleased to be one of today’s stops on the blog tour for ‘The Dating Game’.
‘Hilarious and highly original’
Julie Houston, bestselling author of A Village Affair
Once upon a time, twelve women joined the hottest reality TV show looking for love. Except one had a secret identity . . .
Abby Jones is a serious writer. Or at least she will be, one day. Right now, she spends her time writing recaps of reality television under a secret identity.
When a recap for The Stag – the must-watch dating show – goes viral, her editor thinks she should be on set, writing the drama as it happens. The good news: the next season will be filmed in Sydney. Sun, sea and a glamorous trip abroad, this could be Abby’s big break.
The bad news: the producers don’t just want Abby to write the recaps, they want her to be on the show. Abby can’t think of anything worse than being undercover and followed around by cameras. But her career depends on it, and when she meets gorgeous producer Jack, Abby begins to wonder if this job might not be so bad after all . . .
Author Bio
Sandy is a writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list, and many of her travel adventures have found homes in her novels. She’s also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob. She lives in Melbourne Australia with her partner, Ben, who she met while travelling in Greece. Their real-life love story inspired Sandy’s debut novel One Summer in Santorini, the first in the Holiday Romance series with One More Chapter, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Follow Sandy:
https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthor
https://sandybarker.com/https://www.instagram.com/sandybarkerauthor/
Review-
This is a unique twist on the reality culture that so many of us find ourselves gripped by in these times!
Central character Abby writes undercover to provide acerbic recaps on reality tv show ‘The Stag’; a dating game where ‘unsuspecting’ Does are put through their paces in order to win the love interest of the stag himself.
When Abby is asked to participate undercover on the Australian version of the show in order to gain a deeper insight into what goes on behind the scenes, even she is unprepared for the task that lies ahead.
The story hooks the reader from the off as Abby writes a scathing synopsis of the characters in the UK version of the show, grouping them into such categories as Villains, Dark Horses and Fillers purely based on first impressions. As the story unfolds, it’s interesting to see how her perspective on the does in the Australian version changes as she comes to recognise them all as individuals and not just stereotypes.
There is an abundance of humour throughout, as well as a smattering of real-life, actual romance, as Abby finds herself falling for Jack, one of the production crew.
If you’re a fan of reality television, this book will be right up your street!
With thanks to the author, One More Chapter and @rararesources for the opportunity to participate in the tour. Further stops can be found here:
Pickled Thoughts and Pinot 