Second First Dates
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jul 28, 2026
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
One bad date, shame on you. Two bad dates, shame on me ...
After four years of a self-imposed dating hiatus, Leti Maldonado is finally ready to get back on the apps. Dating wasn’t really that bad … right? When she matches with Julian Gutierrez, his profile pic rings the faintest bell. But it isn’t until their first date implodes that she remembers why: She’s been on this exact date with him before—and it’s just as awful the second time.
To make matters worse, she discovers that Julian not only lives in her apartment building ... he’s her brother’s new roommate. Suddenly, he’s everywhere: In the mailroom. In the stairwell. And witness to another one of Leti’s terrible first dates.
After one epically bad night, Julian offers to take over her dating accounts. And honestly? He can’t do any worse than she has. But as Julian’s dating app takeover draws them closer, they might just realize that true love has been right in front of them all along.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This fun but chaotic rom-com, the third in Gamez's Librarians in Love series (after Kiss Me, Maybe), finds high school librarian Leticia "Leti" Maldonado ready to jump back into dating after a four-year hiatus. When she matches on a dating app with handsome history teacher Julian Guttierez, she can't help but think he looks vaguely familiar. During their terrible first date, Leti's mortified when she realizes she's already had this exact experience with him: four years earlier, he was the blind date that made her swear off romance. Leti later learns that Julian now lives in her building as her brother Andrew's roommate. Though Julian irritates her to no end, Leti can't stop thinking about him and the way "his grin does something strange to heart." Julian offers to take over Leti's dating profile after witnessing her on yet another painfully bad first date and the two grow closer as they work together to set Leti up, bonding over their experiences on the asexuality spectrum. Their grumpy/sunshine dynamic and entertaining banter keep the pages turning, but the story occasionally feels crowded by contrived setbacks to their love and by subplots about Leti's family drama and resulting emotional baggage. It's not as strong as the others in the series, but fans will still find plenty to enjoy.
