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paulabrandon's review
4.0
Nice, atmospheric story about a girl who meets the boy of her dreams....in her dreams! I liked how this kept things pretty simple, with some good spooky moments and an exciting ending. It had some potent allusions to the cycle of domestic violence, too. If Heath hadn't died and started invading the dreams of impressionable teenage girls, he would definitely have grown up to be an abusive boyfriend/husband!
rjdenney's review against another edition
5.0
they need to re-release this book!
it would get so much more attention!
fucking epic.
One of the best books I have ever read!
- R.D.
it would get so much more attention!
fucking epic.
One of the best books I have ever read!
- R.D.
beckywiththegoodscare's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
pantehnreads's review
4.0
I gotta say that I really enjoyed this one. Was well written and cool premise. It was very Nightmare on Elm Street meets Beverly Hills 90210. The characters did not annoy me as usual. The protagonist was likeable and relatable plus there was some diversity (latinx secondary character) which is rarely seen in these types of books.
belle_north's review
3.0
I much prefered this to 'The Waitress'. Felt like a regular abusive relationship, just dreamed up. Yikes.
decembermagpie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
liamunderwood's review
3.5
I've previously read Sinclair Smith's contribution to 13 Tales of Horror (which I thought was okay) and The Waitress (which I also thought was okay) so didn't have too many expectations for Dream Date. I actually found myself rather enjoying this.
The protagonist, Katie, is likeable enough and of course I appreciated the similarities of the plot here with A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - one of my all-time favourite films. For a Point Horror book, I found it both surprising and admirable how well this book handles abusive relationships and toxic masculinity. Having such an astute protagonist really helps drive this point.
I also enjoyed the ambiguity, which I think could have been played with a little further, but I do like the result here. There are a couple of moments that stray into silly territory, and I don't think Smith has the best handle on throwing in horror elements, but the creepy nature of dream hunk Heath works insidiously so if anything I didn't really need the more overt moments of horror. I also really prefer the Point Horror books that flirt with the supernatural, so I found Dream Date to be a good fun read and I'm certainly now way more excited for Sinclair Smith's next Point Horror entry.
3.5/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) The Dead Game - 4/5
3) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
4) Cape Fear - 3.5/5
5) Nightmare Hall - The Silent Scream - 3.5/5
6) Dream Date - 3.5/5
7) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
8) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
9) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
10) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
11) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
12) Nightmare Hall - The Scream Team - 3.5/5
13) April Fools - 3.5/5
14) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
15) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
16) Freeze Tag - 3/5
17) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
18) The Accident - 3/5
19) The Vampire's Promise - 3/5
20) Funhouse - 3/5
21) The Stranger - 3/5
22) Nightmare Hall - Deadly Attraction - 3/5
23) The Window - 3/5
24) Nightmare Hall - Guilty - 3/5
25) The Invitation - 2.5/5
26) Nightmare Hall - The Wish 2.5/5
27) Help Wanted - 2.5/5
28) The Perfume - 2.5/5
29) The Train - 2.5/5
30) The Waitress - 2.5/5
31) The Snowman - 2.5/5
32) Nightmare Hall - The Roommate - 2.5/5
33) Beach House - 2.5/5
34) The Mall - 2.5/5
35) The Boyfriend - 2/5
36) The Fever - 2/5
37) The Cemetery - 2/5
38) Mother's Helper - 2/5
39) The Baby-Sitter III - 2/5
40) The Phantom - 2/5
41) The Dead Girlfriend - 2/5
42) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
43) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
44) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
45) Beach Party - 1/5
The protagonist, Katie, is likeable enough and of course I appreciated the similarities of the plot here with A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - one of my all-time favourite films. For a Point Horror book, I found it both surprising and admirable how well this book handles abusive relationships and toxic masculinity. Having such an astute protagonist really helps drive this point.
I also enjoyed the ambiguity, which I think could have been played with a little further, but I do like the result here. There are a couple of moments that stray into silly territory, and I don't think Smith has the best handle on throwing in horror elements, but the creepy nature of dream hunk Heath works insidiously so if anything I didn't really need the more overt moments of horror. I also really prefer the Point Horror books that flirt with the supernatural, so I found Dream Date to be a good fun read and I'm certainly now way more excited for Sinclair Smith's next Point Horror entry.
3.5/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) The Dead Game - 4/5
3) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
4) Cape Fear - 3.5/5
5) Nightmare Hall - The Silent Scream - 3.5/5
6) Dream Date - 3.5/5
7) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
8) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
9) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
10) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
11) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
12) Nightmare Hall - The Scream Team - 3.5/5
13) April Fools - 3.5/5
14) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
15) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
16) Freeze Tag - 3/5
17) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
18) The Accident - 3/5
19) The Vampire's Promise - 3/5
20) Funhouse - 3/5
21) The Stranger - 3/5
22) Nightmare Hall - Deadly Attraction - 3/5
23) The Window - 3/5
24) Nightmare Hall - Guilty - 3/5
25) The Invitation - 2.5/5
26) Nightmare Hall - The Wish 2.5/5
27) Help Wanted - 2.5/5
28) The Perfume - 2.5/5
29) The Train - 2.5/5
30) The Waitress - 2.5/5
31) The Snowman - 2.5/5
32) Nightmare Hall - The Roommate - 2.5/5
33) Beach House - 2.5/5
34) The Mall - 2.5/5
35) The Boyfriend - 2/5
36) The Fever - 2/5
37) The Cemetery - 2/5
38) Mother's Helper - 2/5
39) The Baby-Sitter III - 2/5
40) The Phantom - 2/5
41) The Dead Girlfriend - 2/5
42) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
43) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
44) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
45) Beach Party - 1/5
katrina_ingram's review
3.0
Childhood favourite but not so great reading as an adult as it’s very teen focussed with instalove. I do see where my love of hot villains started though
b_for_book's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5