Déjà Date by Susan Hatler
Series: Better Date Than Never, #9
Published by Hatco Publishing on February 22, 2015
Genre: Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary
115 pages
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Find on Goodreads
Get it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vjXg4k

Melinda Morgan commits to running her favorite neighborhood bakery when the owner, who’s like a second dad to her, falls ill. Then she finds out his adventurous son, Nate Carter, is back in town. Nate was Melinda’s first kiss and greatest heartbreak all rolled into one, yet he’s still as charming as ever.

When Melinda learns Nate’s dad is selling his bakery, she realizes her dream to own the bakery herself. But in order to access her inheritance funds, she must first complete her father’s Carpe Diem list, which challenges her to take risks she normally wouldn’t—like only dating someone who leaves her breathless.

Nate wants a second chance with her and she finds him nearly impossible to resist. Could he be the key to completing her dad’s list and saving the bakery? And can he help her do both without breaking her heart all over again?

Review

This story is about Melinda who had a tough childhood as she was alienated at school because she’s kind of fat and doesn’t belong to their so-called standards. She had a dog that she really really loved but died when she was just fourteen then a few days after that, her best friend and first kiss took off without saying goodbye then her dad died while on his adventure ride on a hot air balloon. Then a couple of years after that, she got laid off from her job as a customer service representative (which she really doesn’t like) and she’s been scouting for some new work when she found out about Bernie’s health condition. Bernie is the owner of Bernie’s Bakeshop which is like her second home. She offered help on running the business while he’s resting for two weeks. Then, her first kiss came back.

I’m always a sucker for a bad boy especially if he’s wearing a hot black leather jacket, and Nate (Melinda’s first kiss) fits the bill. The moment he was introduced, he already got my attention. I don’t usually fall for sugary description of the character unless it’s perfectly written but dang! This Nate guy is just hot ok, it doesn’t even help that he has the same name with my book fling Nate Peters who’s from Kirsty Moseley’s Enjoying The Chase haha.

Déjà date is just a short read but it didn’t feel that way because the main leads were properly introduced and their character buildup was perfect. It started well and ended so well too, but I was expecting an engagement haha. But oh well, they have all the time in the world anyway.

For Melinda, I can absolutely relate to her character and I understand all of her concerns and why she’s so scared to take chances. She lost Nate, then her previous dog and her dad at such a young age which left her feeling alone. Plus, it didn’t help that she was always the odd girl out in school so she didn’t have friends but only Nate. She was determined to change all that and now she’s far from that pudgy girl in high school, but because of her perfect looks now, people find her intimidating which really didn’t help her find some good friends. It’s just so great that Mary Ann made a lot of effort to really get close to her, then came Avery and then finally had some other good friends. She was also able to overcome her fears about taking chances on Nate, all thanks to her dad’s Carpe Diem list that she needs to accomplish in order to get her inheritance. Aside from that, I also like that she adores dogs *wink.

Nate on the other hand may look like a sexy bad boy in his leather jacket and motorcycle but deep inside, he’s actually a nice person. He’s also one of those who loves adventure (a trait he got from his mother) but totally adores his family even if his dad and his mother have broken up a long time ago. I hate it when a guy leaves the girl without even saying goodbye and then suddenly comes back and expects for a second chance just because he says sorry. And yep, Nate just did that. But I can’t hate the guy even if I want to, well, what can I say? The guy is just too hot to handle haha. But seriously, after hearing his reasons, I kind of understand why he did it. But even so, he should have atleast written a letter explaining everything, or even just a simple goodbye. Oh well, atleast he’s back *wink. Besides that, I also love his positivity about his and Melinda’s future. You see, I’m used to heroines daydreaming about their happy ending with the hero so when Nate told her that their love story is going to be like her parents, I was touched. 

So far, I don’t have any issues about this story unless you include the knowledge that it’s short. The conflict was very realistic and I love that Nate, despite being dumped, wasn’t bitter about it and continued to love her despite all her issues and helped her overcome them. But I would also like to give Mary Ann a shout out for being a very good friend to Melinda and for also helping her to be brave in facing her weakness and to realize what’s really important.

It was my first time from Susan Hatler and I have to say that I’m impressed. Her writing style was so good and so smooth. That said, I can’t wait to read the other books in the series, especially the next one.  Besides that, I kind of like the cover. Wait till you see the other books in the series, their covers we’re quite catchy too *wink.

Despite the short number of pages, I have to say that this book didn’t fail to give a really good story of love and overcoming your fears. It’s the 9th book of the Better Date than Never series but as I’ve only read this particular book in the series, I guess it’s safe to say that it’s standalone. Oh, scratch that. I’ve just read a note in this story from the author and it seems like Melinda was mentioned in the previous books. But even if that’s the case, I didn’t find anything from this story that made me confused, so I guess it’s still standalone, hahaha. 

Overall, this is a good romantic story from Susan Hatler that despite it being short, it still managed to get my full attention. For now, I am giving this one a 4.5 star rating.

Favorite Line

“Being alive isn’t enough. You have to LIVE, too.“

Challenges

• 2017 New To Me
• 2017 Mount TBR Reading
• 2017 eBooks Reading
• 2017 You Read How Many Books?
• 2017 Review Writing

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