Hallmark’s Blind Date Book Club is, at times, a hot mess, yet every minute of it is somehow glorious. Led by fan favorites Erin Krakow and Robert Buckley, there’s a good chunk of story to look out for and a cozy romance that’s delightful and comforting.
While the film is imperfect, and specific plot points don’t feel as fleshed out as they should be, it’s a relatively sweet story about exploring what might be new and unfamiliar. With that said, it’s hilarious (read borderline wild) how a literary agent wouldn’t be aware of the romance genre’s popularity. Sure, is it odd that a YA author wants to dive into romance—or as he calls a historical epic (?!?)—when he has commitments to other books in an established series? Perhaps. But it’s not a foreign concept in the real world or how publishing works. With this, the narrative slightly fumbles, but the romance between Kraków’s Meg Tompkins and Buckley’s Graham Sterling is adorable enough to make it worthwhile.
In Hallmark’s Blind Date Book Club, the two of them meet chaotically when a tourist assumes they’re a couple and decides to take photos of them after she helps out with theirs. Then, he visits the bookshop she inherited after her mother’s passing, and he attempts to get his indie-published book on the market. (As an indie author, I have a myriad of questions about his timeline, cover design, editing, and all that jazz, but I’ll stop myself from asking them at the moment.) After some hesitation, she decides to add it to her blind date book club (which she’s locally known for), and he sits in on their meetings.
Meg and Graham fall for each other as she gives him pointers on the story, and while it happens too quickly and without enough for viewers to hold onto, Krakow and Buckley’s chemistry helps ensure that Hallmark’s Blind Date Book Club will be engaging. There’s also the matter of the gorgeous Nantucket setting, which makes the story feel that much cozier in the process.
More so, Graham is a romance reader’s dream book boyfriend. His only flaw is that he should embrace wanting to write romance novels, and we’d all be vying for his attention left and right. Still, it’s a good thing the film doesn’t perpetuate harmful narratives about the genre because even while Meg isn’t a reader, she doesn’t dismiss it or undermine the importance of love stories. The critiques around the book Graham writes under a pseudonym focus on character motives and journeys rather than the typical arguments that state romance novels are cliches or too predictable. While some beats mention such things, the film keeps its tone neutral to showcase critique formats that aren’t dismissive of writers or their craftsmanship.
The film also features a swoon-worthy first kiss that’s worth its salt in ensuring the characters are fit for each other. It’s a cozy little spring escape that gives us lovely beats of friendship, love, and a bookshop you want to leap into the screen for.
Blind Date Book Shop is now streaming on Hallmark+.
First Featured Image | Official Poster Credit: ©Hallmark