My Blind Date With a Book
I recently wanted to mix up my reading a bit, and when brainstorming some ways to do this I came up with the idea of ordering a blind date with a book!
If you’ve never heard of this before, it’s such a fun concept. Basically, you buy a book without knowing what it is. It comes all wrapped up with just a few clues about the story, no title, no cover, no spoilers. It’s like getting a mystery present in the mail, but you know it’s going to be a book.
You can get blind dates with books in a few different places, some sellers on Pango Books offer them, there are entire Etsy shops dedicated to them, or you can grab one from Strand Bookstore (like I did!), or from The Ripped Bodice if you want something romance specific.
For this one, I went to Strand’s website, searched “blind date with a book,” and picked the one with this clue:
“The perfect wedding for a 2nd chance.”
When it arrived, the packaging was adorable, the wrapping paper had little drawings of a ring, a peach, and some vines. I had so much fun just looking at the art and trying to guess what book it might be.
When I finally opened it up, it was The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce!
Here’s how I felt about it:
⭐ 3.5 stars
This was a fun, well-written second chance romance with a great wedding chaos backdrop. The writing was strong, the setting was charming, and the family drama kept things interesting. That said, it felt like it was missing just a little extra spark of chemistry that would’ve made me swoon. Still, it was a solid, enjoyable read and I’m glad I finally picked it up.
Would I do a blind date with a book again? Absolutely. There’s something about unwrapping a mystery book that makes reading feel extra exciting, and it’s such a fun way to add something unexpected to your TBR.
In fact, this isn’t my first blind date with a book experience. In the past, I’ve gotten a thriller one (and ended up with The Perfect Marriage), as well as a sci-fi pick that turned out to be An Unkindness of Ghosts. Both were books I might not have picked up on my own which is part of the fun!
If you’ve been feeling stuck in a reading slump or just want to mix things up, I definitely recommend trying a blind date with a book. It’s such a fun way to surprise yourself, and who knows? Your next favorite read might be hiding under that wrapping paper.