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The Introvert's Guide #1

The Introvert's Guide to Online Dating

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With all my best friends off the market, it’s time that I, Tori Sussex, join them. So where better to find my future husband than the internet? It’s great. I get to get all the awkward stuff out of the way and already know if I’m going to like the guy before we meet in person.

It’s a shame nothing's ever that simple.

My relationship with Colton Lane, my best friend’s brother, is the very definition of complicated - dirty little no-strings-attached hook-ups we’ve somehow managed to keep secret from all our friends for the past six months. We’re bound to get caught, and if I’m serious about dating, I only have one choice: call it quits; end our little covert booty calls for good; tell him my parking space is off-limits to him.

It should be easy. It should be simple. And I’m sure it would be...if only I wasn’t in love with him.

Audible Audio

First published April 27, 2021

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About the author

Emma Hart

102 books7,508 followers
Emma Hart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels and has been translated into several different languages. She first put fingers to keys at the age of eighteen after her husband told her she read too much and should write her own.
Four years later, she's still figuring out what he meant when he said she 'read too much.'

She prides herself on writing smart smut that's filled with dry wit, snappy, sarcastic comebacks, but lots of heart... And sex. Sometimes, she kills people. (Disclaimer: In books. But if you bug her, she'll use your name for the victims.)

You can find her online at www.emmahart.org, www.facebook.com/emmahartbooks, or join her reader group at http://bit.ly/EmmaHartsHartbreakers.

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5 stars
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593 (34%)
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528 (30%)
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138 (7%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 264 reviews
Profile Image for Danielle's.
Author 1 book150 followers
April 28, 2021
I really enjoyed Tori and Coltons story. They have a love/hate relationship with benefits. Both say they don’t like each but it’s easy to hook up than admit the truth.

This can be read a standalone however it features chapters from the how too guides.

This was fun, sexy and loveable.
Profile Image for Jennifer Sellers.
156 reviews36 followers
September 14, 2021
The Introvert’s Guide to Online Dating

This is an audio book review. So, I think it is only fitting that I review both the book and narrator separately. Unfortunately, I did not care for either… at all.

First, I do want to say this book taught me a lesson. Always read the synopsis (jacket copy, summary, blurb, etc… take your pick on verbiage). This was one of the rare occasions I picked a book on title alone and decided to go with it. The whole idea of online dating (especially if the MC falls in love with someone from their life they actually hate) interests me greatly. So I jumped in thinking this was gong to be my cup of tea…

I was soooooo wrong. There is ABSOLUTELY ZERO online dating that has anything to do with the story, and our MC is in no way an introvert. I felt the book was trying too hard for shock and aww with vulgarity. It succeeded in neither.

Next is the narrator(s). Now, I acknowledge this is a hard area for me to be wowed but, I was just not feeling it. Tim did not bother me as much with his reading, but I did not care for Savannah’s reading. *shrugging shoulders* I know this is a personal preference and want to make it known that it had no effect on my rating for that very reason.

It is a very quick read. So, if you are curious, go ahead and give it a shot. I hope you like it more than I did.
Profile Image for Lisa (Remarkablylisa).
2,367 reviews1,829 followers
December 20, 2021
3.5 stars. You definitely need to read Emma's bookworm series to really enjoy this one as the majority of the cast members take up this story. I had to take some stars off because of the friend conversations that did not add to the story, them being both really stubborn and not having a conversation about their feelings, wrong assumptions, and how they got together only towards the end of the book with nothing much to add once they got together. However, it's a high rating because I liked the epilogue and seeing a HEA for other characters from the bookworm series.
Profile Image for Carole (Carole's Random Life).
1,887 reviews542 followers
August 30, 2021
This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/

I had a great time listening to this short romance! I kind of picked this book up on a bit of a whim. I was in the mood for something light and fun and I thought that this one might fit the bill. I found this to be an excellent romance and the pair of narrators were able to elevate the story to the next level. I am so glad that I took a chance on this book.

Tori and Colton do not get along with each other, at least that is what everyone thinks. They have actually been hooking up with each other for quite a while and seem to like each other pretty well when they are alone, especially between the sheets. Their friends are determined to help each of them find that special someone which might just be the push both of them needs to admit that they already have.

Tori and Colton were both wonderful characters and I really liked them together. They had fantastic chemistry with each other and it was obvious from the start that they both had feelings for each other beyond hooking up. Their group of friends was also amazing and added a lot to the overall story. It was the kind of story that easily put a smile on my face.

Savannah Peachwood and Tim Paige did a phenomenal job with the narration of this book. I thought they both did a great job capturing their characters. They were able to add a lot of emotion and even some humor to the story and I thought that their voices fit well together. I believe that their narration added to my overall enjoyment of this story.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. This was a really fun romance with characters that were easy to fall for. I plan to read a lot more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via NetGalley.
Profile Image for Kate.
848 reviews106 followers
May 7, 2021
2.5 stars

I enjoyed parts of it, like mutual pining and a bit of angst typically associated with FWB (or in this case...enemies with benefits? not really enemies either, maybe...people with a strong antagonistic relationship based on unresolved sexual tension and stuff xD ?).

Still, I feel like almost nothing happened in this book, like I read it and it's already out of sight, out of mind. The only thing I remember is Tori and Colt bickering like kids for 90% of their interactions. And don't get me wrong, I DO enjoy some bickering, but here it felt like bickering for bickering's sake.

I didn't find out enough about the characters to know that they're different and/or too alike to stand each other peacefully. There wasn't enough build up to have the sexual tension that would explain why they feel the need to be so outwardly hostile to each other.

In conclusion - as has become the case for me with this author, this couple was way more lit when they were just side characters in another story. It was fine but that's it - it was just. fine.
Profile Image for Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction.
1,007 reviews824 followers
September 14, 2021
Disclaimer: I received this book in audio format at no cost from the publisher/author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I am leaving a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

I have read and adored several books from Emma Hart prior to this one but this book really didn't work for me. So many things were problematic to me that I just didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

I really love the author's writing style in terms of banter and dialogue. It's witty and funny, which I love. This was a really cute book but it was a little underdeveloped for my liking. The entire story lacked depth. There was basically no real plot. There also wasn't any real conflict in the story. Other than them realizing that they were probably in love and then one conversation cleared that up. And it felt like the entire story petered out after that anyway. Like, there was almost no point in continuing after that because nothing else really happens. There was no real resolution. The ending of this book was so anticlimactic that I was pretty much sitting there listening to the audiobook waiting for more that never came. It didn't even feel like there was an ending, sadly. There was an epilogue, but it wasn't even about the main couple in the story. The entire epilogue focused on two side characters getting engaged and provided no resolution for the main characters whatsoever. It was a good scene, don't get me wrong. It just probably shouldn't have been the epilogue of this book unless the author was going to add more for the main couple. I kind of felt cheated after reading it.

The characters had no real identities. I could not connect with them one bit. They were flat and forgettable, sadly. I think that one of the reasons for this is because the reader doesn't get to know the characters. When the story starts, the main couple has been hooking up for months. The reader doesn't get to experience the "getting to know you" phase at all. I think that took a lot of the emotional connection to the characters away. The only character that I felt had any real identity was Tori's grandmother, and I think that is only because she was so quirky and eccentric. None of the other characters seemed to stand out in any distinctive way. And there were SO many side characters that I could not keep track of them. And reading this I got the sense that I was missing something important with regard to the side characters. Like I started reading in the middle of a series and missed all of the character development. This is the first book in this series, but after starting this book and being totally confused I checked and see that there are at least four books prior to this one in two different series with these side characters in them. So yeah, no wonder I had no idea who was who and what the hell was going on. I even checked the author's website for a reading order before I started this book and there is just basically a list in publication order. It doesn't clarify what characters from which books or series overlap with others. I don't mind reading series out of order if there is more than one series that interconnects, but if I feel like I am seriously missing something then I feel like the writing needs improvement. A series should be able to stand on its own, even if it interconnects with other books. The reader shouldn't have to feel like they are on the wrong side of an inside joke. So yeah, that kind of irked me. Another reason why I just didn't feel connected to any of the characters. There wasn't any real character development. There just wasn't enough there to make the reader care about these characters.

I felt that the title of the book was a bit misleading. Or perhaps that it doesn't quite fit the story perfectly. There is very little online dating in the book. The main characters have been hooking up for months when their friends try to intervene in their dating lives. Tori's friends set her up on a date and then she goes on a date with another guy from a dating website and Colton's sister makes him an account on a dating website and he goes out with one woman from the site. The story really isn't about online dating. The main couple doesn't meet through online dating and they barely dabble in online dating. And then there is the introvert label. Tori is anything but introverted. I have no idea why that is even in the title of the book or the series other than the fact that it sounds cool. Tori goes out with her friends, visits her grandmother regularly in a nursing facility, goes on dates, goes to the grocery store on a date, and she even gets up and does karaoke at one point in the book. Not really the definition of someone that is introverted. It just seems so deceiving to title your book and series something that doesn't even apply to the character or story.

Overall, this was a disappointing read for me. I enjoy Hart's witty banter and funny situations but that wasn't enough to save this one for me. The story mechanics needed so much work. I will read this author again since I have enjoyed some of her other titles but I can't say that I would recommend this one.


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Profile Image for Alaina.
6,541 reviews214 followers
September 8, 2021
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Introvert's Guide to Online Dating was a pretty easy romcom to listen to. In it, you will meet Colton and Tori. They are definitely friends with benefits but they sneak around their friends instead of just letting them know what was going on. Of course, they find out because their feelings for one another were pretty freaking obvious to anyone who isn't, or is, blind.

The romance had enough drama in it that I wasn't completely annoyed with how the characters were handling things. I'll admit, though, that I did just want them to come out clean with their feelings pretty early one. The whole love/hate thing was just weird since we already knew they had amazing chemistry together. But I guess I can't really complain since the sexual tension was just as yummy (to me).

In the end, this was a very quick book to devour. It gave you characters that were pretty easy to like and eventually fall in love with. Plus, the ending was pretty freaking cute and all I'm going to say is - I think there's some baby fever (for a certain character).
Profile Image for Sherri Bryant.
1,248 reviews41 followers
March 23, 2024
This story was so disappointing. There was too much profanity and over the top sexually graphic scenes that bordered on obscene and didn’t drive the story forward.

I was expecting a story about introverts and their experiences with online dating, but the focus kept shifting to characters from the author’s Bookworm series. If I wanted to read about those characters, I would have just read that series instead.

Unfortunately, I am not looking forward to the rest of this series.
Profile Image for Mindy Lou's Book Review.
2,762 reviews710 followers
August 19, 2021
This was a fun, shorter audiobook. An enemies to lovers trope that was also part secret relationship. This is book one in the series but I'm wondering if it's a spinoff of another series. It felt more like there was some small bit of story I missed out on. It didn't make it hard to enjoy but I am interested in seeing how these two really started out. The narrators were great. Savannah Peachwood is one of my favorite narrators. I will definitely be checking out book 2 and 3.
Profile Image for Angie Leonie.
310 reviews18 followers
January 21, 2022
Angst in petty form I'll take this please and thank you. A great romp of a story which begins a new series 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾.
Profile Image for Bree Hill.
873 reviews579 followers
February 1, 2022
I was just saying…I may begin book 1 in Emma Hart’s Bookworm series after finishing this book…something felt a bit weird. I believe the Bookworm series may need to be read before this one.
This one was okay. Not my new favorite Emma Hart but not bad.
Profile Image for Books I Flove.
677 reviews36 followers
April 27, 2021
Yaaaay, here is Tori’s and Colton’s story!! We could sense something was going on between these two for a while now 😏 so frenemies with benefits here we come!
Tori and Colton still bicker with each other, and they drive themselves crazy. But is that all they do? Or can there be more?
This book is full of fun, sass, laughter, love and also a bit hurt! It’s an absolute enjoyable read, which I recommend a lot!

I kindly received an arc from the author and voluntarily left a review
Profile Image for Kiret.
707 reviews
September 22, 2021
To be very honest, this book was a disaster.

There was no online dating and no way in hell was the main character an introvert.

This was just really bad and the audiobook narration only made it worse. I didn't care for the story or any of the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Erin Lewis.
4,793 reviews182 followers
April 27, 2021
4.5 star review The Introverts Guide To Online Dating (The Introvert’s Guide #1) by Emma Hart

Emma Hart is a relatively new author to me. The Introverts Guide To Online Dating was a fun, quirky story that was entertaining with characters whose story you cannot help but fall for. I loved the blurb for this book.

Tori Sussex is the last woman standing in her group of girlfriends, they have all found love and now she has decided to seek love out online.

However things are complicated as she has been engaging in a secret covert friends with benefits relationship with Colton Lane, her best friends brother for the last six months. Not to mention she is in love with Colton. What follows is a fun story that had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions and ticked the boxes for me.

The Introvert’s Guide to Online Dating is a great example romantic comedy. A fun read that ticked the boxes for me. Not only did I love Tori and Colton but the secondary characters (particularly the grandparents) were just as entertaining. Looking forward to reading more from Ms. Hart when time permits.
Profile Image for Amy [Book Addict Reviews].
2,299 reviews163 followers
April 25, 2021
Tori and Colton are friends, well technically friends with benefits. However, they have been hiding that from their friends for the past few months. There is a ton of chemistry between them, but neither one of them wants to admit they feel something more for the other.

When Tori starts online dating, thanks to the push from her friends, she knows that she should cut things off with Colton. She can’t continue to be his fwb forever, especially when she wants more. Online dating is hard when you already have feelings for someone else though.

I loved Tori and Colton. I loved their friendship, I loved their chemistry. Though, I just wanted to knock some sense into them so they would finally admit their feelings for each other. There is just a natural, easy going feeling to their entire relationship and it just made everything feel so effortless between them.

I loved jumping back into the town of White Peak and getting to spend more time with this fantastic group of characters and getting to know even more of them and get little updates of previous characters.

If you’re looking for a friends to lovers rom com this is one to check out.
Profile Image for Samantha (WLABB).
3,704 reviews270 followers
November 27, 2021
This was lots of fun, as all Hart's books are, but there were times that Tori drove me batty. Thank goodness Colton took the time to have a conversation and acknowledge his feelings. I really loved Colton and thought he as a great match for Tori. The sparring between the two was amusing, but I LOVED when they got real with each other. The ending was super sweet for all of us who have read other stories in this world, and I love that Hart let's us revisit those couples, time and time again.

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Profile Image for Marina.
397 reviews7 followers
May 2, 2021
I really didn't like this one. The main characters are so unlikeable, immature and kinda toxic. They are so not good for each other, not even as friends.
Profile Image for Kahea.
2,110 reviews117 followers
April 26, 2021
***4 Stars***

Oh Tori and Colt...you both had me laughing while rolling my eyes A LOT throughout this book.

Not that I didn’t know that would happen because after all the time spent with them in The Bookworms Guide Series I already knew that they would take the term “oil and water” to a whole new level...and boy did they ever.

I cannot deny that I loved them both. They are both all about being their for their friends and family ~ even when they drive them beyond insanity ~ and truly do love hard in all things. And the chemistry between them was HAWT ~ talk about being passionate, even when that passion pushed their bantering into something that toed the line into being more mean than just biting. But they worked. On a crazy level, they just worked and I’m very thankful that they have the friends around them that they do because I was seriously wishing I could reach into the Kindle and do a ton of Gibbs smacking.

This was another fun read from the White Peak crew. I loved hanging out with everyone and just getting to see how those who are couple up are doing in their relationships and seeing how their friendships have become stronger. And then there are the grandparents...I honestly hope I’m that ornery when I’m their age *BSEG* though I could probably do without the chickens and ducks.

~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~
Profile Image for maggieandteddy.
1,123 reviews140 followers
August 20, 2021
Very witty dialogue. The characters were a little annoying. Tori and Colton are secretly frenemies with benefits , but fight like cats and dogs. Colton is Tori's brother's best friend.
I listened to the audio . The narrators were great. Savannah Peachwood and Tim Paige.
I would reco this for someone under 25.
Profile Image for Sofia (Bookish Wanderess).
1,009 reviews672 followers
January 17, 2022
*3,5 stars*

This was a fast and entertaining read, which was exactly what I needed when I picked it up. While it was good, it wasn't anything memorable. It has a frenemies-to- lovers relationship which is a trope I love, it has good banter, it is a little steamy and it has sweet moments. The main problem with this is that it had way TOO MANY side characters for such a short novella.
Profile Image for Tania's Book Blog.
1,639 reviews19 followers
May 12, 2021
These two were hilarious and yet so stubborn!! Colton and Tori had an arrangement even though they always snapped at each other. They thought they were being discreet but the joke was on them lol. They eventually stopped fighting the amazing chemistry and gave in. It was a great read and as usual the secondary characters were a bonus.
Profile Image for Ruth.
696 reviews287 followers
Shelved as 'abgebrochen'
June 13, 2021
Bei 15% abgebrochen. Es wird zwar als neue Reihe deklariert, aber es tauchen so unfassbar viele Figuren aus einer anderen Emma Hart-Reihe auf, die ich nicht gelesen habe, dass ich völlig verwirrt war.
Profile Image for Jodie | GeauxGetLit.
695 reviews98 followers
October 4, 2021
This wasn’t exactly what I thought when I went into this book blindly. It was an extremely short read and it basically really had nothing to do about being an introvert in dating. It was more like taking your booty call into a relationship. With multiple sex scenes.
Profile Image for Lisa Mandina.
2,019 reviews480 followers
April 27, 2021
So the only thing about this that might have been a little misleading in the title is that there isn’t really that much online dating going on. Other than that, this was a quick, hilarious read! And honestly, I was only 10% into the book when I already decided that I wanted Colton for myself. He was funny, and definitely I liked how he took charge when they had their little booty calls to begin with. As usual with Hart’s stories, and especially this interconnected series, we got to enjoy the crazy antics of the grandparents as they added ducks and chickens to the home they lived in, as well as enjoyed all their arts and crafts and other activities that were set up for them.

This had a part I really loved, how the main characters’ friends told them that they were being stupid, and how they figured out how to fix things at the end in a perfectly normal and reasonable and realistic way. As always I love this author’s stories.

Review first published on Lisa Loves Literature.
Profile Image for Luna  Reader.
626 reviews6 followers
February 24, 2023
Tori and Colten were acting oh so shady in the last bookworm book so i was curious, turns out i was right. Its a fun easy fast read
Profile Image for Reckless Readers.
1,707 reviews87 followers
May 5, 2021
I usually really love Emma Hart's books. I read all of the books in the Bookworm's series, which is what introduces the characters in this series. This book just felt like an exact replica of every book in the Bookworm's series. Emma Hart's characters all have the exact same formula- snarky heroine, hero who can banter back with them, a crazy aunt or grandma, and some hilarious situations. Now, normally I don't mind the similarities because they're always entertaining, but this one was just way too similar. It's all of the aforementioned things, PLUS all of the exact same situations at the nursing home and while all of that is funny in the Bookworm's books, it's a bit overdone now and I'm ready to move on. All of the similarities made it a bit difficult to get through because I felt like I'd already read it three other times.

Tori was also a bit on the immature side and I definitely would NOT call her an introvert. There was literally nothing shy or homebody-like about this girl. As someone who is a bit of an introvert, I can definitely say that I would call her an extrovert almost to the extreme. She had her funny moments that had me laughing out loud, but more often than not I cringed at how rude she was.

Colton was a bit better in some ways. He really wasn't all that memorable to me, unfortunately. I thought he was a saint for putting up with Tori and her ridiculousness most of the time. Other times, I thought he was really sweet, but I wanted to shake him and just be like HAVE A CONVERSATION, MAN! But, the book would end not even 50% in if that happened, so there's that.

The other thing I didn't like about this book was the very little online dating that was going on. Considering that it's in the title, I expected there to be an influx of that, but honestly? It was just background noise for the tension between Colton and Tori. There was very little of it and almost no emphasis. That's a huge pet peeve of mine when a book is supposed to be centered around a theme, but then the theme just gets dropped. It's almost like the theme was put in there just to draw readers in since it's a very specific and popular trope.

Overall, this book would be good if you haven't read the Bookworm's series. If you have, it might be a little redundant for you. I can't really recommend or NOT recommend because of that.

ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review

**Review by Jaime**
Profile Image for Stacy.
1,194 reviews4 followers
September 8, 2021
Tori's best friend is pushing her to get a boyfriend, with the rest of her friends settled down. However, Tori has been secretly sleeping with her best friend's brother, Colton, for the past 6 months. Colton's sister has also been pushing him to try online dating. Will Tori and Colton admit their feelings to each other or give up their hook-ups to give online dating a go?

This story is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. I really did not get any impression of the characters in this book having a personality; they just want to have sex and razz their friends.. Based on the title, Tori is apparently an introvert, but I never got that opinion from anything she did in the book, apart from one instance of talking about how she didn't like people showing up at her door unannounced. Also, the online dating mentioned in the title barely happened, too. In fact, there wasn't much of a plot to the story at all. Tori and Colton's constant bickering was seriously exhausting.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.
Profile Image for Laura.
2,419 reviews115 followers
May 6, 2021
***ARC Provided by the Author***

Tori and Colton were a blast. I loved that both of them thought that they could have a friends with benefits relationship and that no one in their mutual group of friends would know.

But, that fits right in with them also not being all that aware of their own feelings when it comes to one another...so, right in character.

I also loved the secondary characters (the names for the animals make me laugh every time, even though they are the worst puns) and the friends, and the relationship with the main characters.

This title is light and it's funny, but it's also got a lot of heart and characters that you genuinely like and enjoy, and the humor is balanced well with the romance and the more serious moments.

I enjoyed and recommend this title.
May 30, 2021
***spoilers here and there***

https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2021...

No lie I’ve been waiting to read this book about Colton and Tori because I knew they had a thing for each other. But they were both denying their feelings for each other through hate. When in reality they didn’t even hate each other. In the end they liked each other.

& after the blind date or whatever It was things happened between them. But they both was denying it because they both were scared Of what the other might say and both didn’t realize that they both wanted to be with each other.

I’m glad that they figured things out and ended up with each other as they should!!!
Profile Image for Libbey.
245 reviews
December 9, 2022
It was good the story made me laught but it wasnt super special. Average writing. It was enjoyable on my rides to and from work
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