What if the secret to finding true love on a dating app was meeting them IRL first?
In this witty and fun rom-com debut from Annabelle Slator, rival coworkers become reluctant daters after they're forced to work together on a brand-new dating app in hopes of winning a promotion-perfect for fans of Sally Thorne's The Hating Game.
Grace Hastings's dream job at the popular "true love" dating app, Fate, has turned into a nightmare. Her boss is a leech, her career is stagnating, and her fiancé has just brutally dumped her. Her hope for finding her own love story is waning, and she feels like a fraud for promoting a concept she no longer believes in. When the company's CEO offers her an opportunity to earn a big promotion, she resolves to fight her imposter syndrome to show she deserves a seat at the table.
The opportunity? To launch a brand-new app focusing on IRL dating and genuine connection.
The problem? She must develop and test-drive a series of "first dates" with the other person gunning for the job: notorious socialite playboy and Grace's biggest work rival, Eric Bancroft.
During their disastrous hikes, dangerous cooking classes, and steamy yoga sessions, they begin to realize their stark differences may just be surface level and Eric might just be the perfect person to challenge Grace's perceptions of love, dating culture, and self-worth.
In this witty and fun rom-com debut from Annabelle Slator, rival coworkers become reluctant daters after they're forced to work together on a brand-new dating app in hopes of winning a promotion-perfect for fans of Sally Thorne's The Hating Game.
Grace Hastings's dream job at the popular "true love" dating app, Fate, has turned into a nightmare. Her boss is a leech, her career is stagnating, and her fiancé has just brutally dumped her. Her hope for finding her own love story is waning, and she feels like a fraud for promoting a concept she no longer believes in. When the company's CEO offers her an opportunity to earn a big promotion, she resolves to fight her imposter syndrome to show she deserves a seat at the table.
The opportunity? To launch a brand-new app focusing on IRL dating and genuine connection.
The problem? She must develop and test-drive a series of "first dates" with the other person gunning for the job: notorious socialite playboy and Grace's biggest work rival, Eric Bancroft.
During their disastrous hikes, dangerous cooking classes, and steamy yoga sessions, they begin to realize their stark differences may just be surface level and Eric might just be the perfect person to challenge Grace's perceptions of love, dating culture, and self-worth.
"Flirty and full of heart, Annabelle Slator's debut is a dream date in book form. With a deeply relatable heroine who recovers her faith in romance amid enemies-to-lovers tension and workplace hijinks, The Launch Date has everything." - Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Roughest Draft
"Whoop, whoop! A sensational debut rom-com has landed! This debut has everything you could want: a fabulously funny and relatable leading lady and a swoon-worthy man with just the right amount of brood. Prepare to fall in love with Eric and Grace as they battle it out for a promotion and try very hard not to fall in love. The Launch Date is a witty, sparkly, and hilarious book for fans of The Hating Game. Prepare to put Annabelle Slator on auto-buy." - Lizzy Dent, author of The Summer Job
"Slator makes her debut with a deliciously smart and fun rom-com that cheekily channels the dryly witty charm of Bridget Jones's Diary while also demonstrating her own mastery of snappy banter and sizzling sexual chemistry. With its thoughtful characterization and important message about embracing one's own sense of self-worth, this is an absolute delight." - Booklist (starred review)
"The Launch Date is a gorgeous, rivals to lovers workplace romcom with a tension-fueled setup, incredible banter and a heroine and hero I fell for on page one. It's the perfect blend of sweet and sexy, it's so uplifting and it left me with a huge smile on my face. Grace is a fabulous heroine, and everyone honestly needs an Eric Bancroft in their life - there were a couple of places where I felt my heart might actually be melting." - Cressida McLaughlin, author of The Secret Christmas Bookshop
"The Launch Date is a witty, banter-filled romance with palpable tension and heaps of charm, a workplace romance perfect for weekend bingeing" - Nadia El-Fassi, author of Best Hex Ever
"The Launch Date is what rom-com dreams are made of! With a swoony hero and a relatable heroine, the chemistry between the two is magical and sexy. I couldn't put it down! I adored this phenomenal debut!" - Katie Holt, author of Not in my Book
"Whoop, whoop! A sensational debut rom-com has landed! This debut has everything you could want: a fabulously funny and relatable leading lady and a swoon-worthy man with just the right amount of brood. Prepare to fall in love with Eric and Grace as they battle it out for a promotion and try very hard not to fall in love. The Launch Date is a witty, sparkly, and hilarious book for fans of The Hating Game. Prepare to put Annabelle Slator on auto-buy." - Lizzy Dent, author of The Summer Job
"Slator makes her debut with a deliciously smart and fun rom-com that cheekily channels the dryly witty charm of Bridget Jones's Diary while also demonstrating her own mastery of snappy banter and sizzling sexual chemistry. With its thoughtful characterization and important message about embracing one's own sense of self-worth, this is an absolute delight." - Booklist (starred review)
"The Launch Date is a gorgeous, rivals to lovers workplace romcom with a tension-fueled setup, incredible banter and a heroine and hero I fell for on page one. It's the perfect blend of sweet and sexy, it's so uplifting and it left me with a huge smile on my face. Grace is a fabulous heroine, and everyone honestly needs an Eric Bancroft in their life - there were a couple of places where I felt my heart might actually be melting." - Cressida McLaughlin, author of The Secret Christmas Bookshop
"The Launch Date is a witty, banter-filled romance with palpable tension and heaps of charm, a workplace romance perfect for weekend bingeing" - Nadia El-Fassi, author of Best Hex Ever
"The Launch Date is what rom-com dreams are made of! With a swoony hero and a relatable heroine, the chemistry between the two is magical and sexy. I couldn't put it down! I adored this phenomenal debut!" - Katie Holt, author of Not in my Book