SECOND FIRST DATES

A school librarian can’t seem to shake a bad first date, especially after he offers to help her get back into the dating scene.

Leticia Maldonado has come out of a four-year dating hiatus, only for her new attempts at dating to crash and burn with the man who prompted the original timeout. High school teacher Julian Gutierrez, a walking ray of sunshine, made a bad impression on Leti years ago when their first date went awry. She doesn’t recognize him on the dating apps when she’s ready to get back in the saddle, leading to a strange sense of déjà vu when their second first date also ends up a disaster. Unfortunately, it seems like the universe is determined to keep Julian in Leti’s orbit. She discovers that not only do they work at the same school, but he’s her brother’s new roommate. Repeated run-ins turn into an unlikely friendship, and when Julian bears witness to another first date gone wrong, he offers to be her wingman of sorts. He says he’ll weed through her dating profile and pick her matches. It’s a crazy idea, but Leti is quickly losing faith in the modern dating scene. Leti and Julian’s romance is a slow burn as they navigate the minefield of complex family dynamics, explorations of sexual identity, career demands, and their own poor first impressions of one another. What starts as a vulnerable commentary on what it means to date in the 21st century, however, quickly devolves into chaos. Leti’s family treats her horribly, which makes her rude and dishonest behavior toward Julian feel especially pointed. It’s also strange that Leti doesn’t recognize Julian from their awful first date, though it was the catalyst to her having given up on dating for years. Immaturity and miscommunication dominate the second half of the book, dragging down a promising beginning.

What starts as a strong commentary on modern dating turns into a disappointment.