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Really enjoyed this. Funny, yet thought-provoking. A slow starter but well worth the wait.

Tom will admit he’s always been an old-school romantic, creating mixed tapes for his friends and those he has a crush on (Beth), and the pandemic gave him the perfect opportunity to revert to type and enjoy his own company while imagining how those he cares for (Beth) might react to his tapes. Thing is, once lockdown eases, he’s still in that mindset, not ready to go dating again, especially since his heart really wasn’t in it during his last relationship with Larissa.

His best friend Marcus moves away, Tom loses his job, and it’s understandable for him to retreat into his shell, continuing his own personal lockdown. It takes a seemingly friendly intervention by his remaining buddies and sister to get him “back out there�, and he agrees to go on ten blinds dates that Adam, Allison and sister Sarah set up for him.
I say a seemingly friendly intervention because it transpires that someone may have an ulterior motive for steering him away from what could be his perfect partner (Beth). Uh-oh!

The dates are eventful, to the point of going viral � and not in a good way for Tom. After each one, he spills all to ex Larissa in the park, where no matter what, he always seems to find her there watching the ducks. (Curiouser and curiouser)

Tom enjoys the dates to a certain extent, but he still has thoughts of Beth, with whom he has blown his chances spectacularly when she shared her feelings with him and he� choked, a reaction she took to be a rejection. Consequently, you can understand why he constantly chides himself for wasting that opportunity, and tries to make the best of things.

While the dates aren’t all successful, Tom has his moment, but it’s short-lived and you might almost think inevitable since you know how he feels about Beth. Things take an awkward turn and not in Tom’s favour; suffice to say the saying “good guys come last� seems fitting to describe him. Is he doomed to be alone forever?

Blind Dates is an amusing yet poignant story told from Tom’s perspective as he navigates the dating market while still holding a light for someone out of his reach. It shows how the pandemic affects him, and how the world has changed as a result. Tom is a likeable man, a tad geeky with his mixed tapes obsession, but an overall nice guy.

Thanks to the author and Hera Books for my copy.