Book Summary and Reviews of The Dating Game by Ally Zetterberg

Reader Reviews

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Marquita_S

Loved This book!
I loved this book from beginning to end. It was an easy read with just the right amount of love and unexpected twists. It kept me engaged throughout without being overly graphic. The twisted relationship added just enough to the story without overshadowing the plot. This was a very satisfying read.

Susan_W1

Are You a Gamer?
This book was thought provoking on many levels. On one level it addresses the basic insecurities of dating; no matter how old you are or how successful you were, thinking about your dating days brings back memories. Some people won't relate to dating being a game as Tilda attacks it, I'm certainly too old to consider dating like a game. However, it was very entertaining, and it gave me a lot to think about.

It made me wonder if in 2026 there are a lot of people who attack dating in this way, but not to this extreme, of course.

Kathleen_G

A Thriller That Plays by Its Own Rules
The Dating Game was such an entertaining blend of dark humor, suspense, and clever social commentary. Tilda is one of those characters who shouldn't be likable, yet I found myself fascinated by the way her mind works. Her unique perspective and obsession with rules kept me turning the pages, even when I questioned nearly every decision she made. The board game theme added a fresh twist that set this thriller apart from others I've read. While the story occasionally stretched believability, the witty writing and fast pace more than made up for it. If you enjoy darkly funny thrillers with quirky, morally complicated characters and plenty of unexpected turns, this is definitely worth picking up. It was an original, addictive read that stayed with me long after I finished.

Supertalya

Chaotic, Fun, and Impossible to Put Down
The Dating Game by Ally Zetterberg was such a zany, wild read with my new favorite main character, Tilda. She is clearly neurodivergent and immediately gets pulled into some chaotic situations that hooked me right away. Tilda is a board game designer, and she is great at it because of how her brain works. She is also trying to fulfill her late mother's wishes by finding friendship and love for herself, which she approaches very literally, treating life like a game with carefully planned moves. Things spiral when she ends up with a dead body and has to cover it up, and from there it is one unbelievable situation after another. I could not put this book down because I needed to know how she would get out of everything. I was rooting for her the whole time, even though I probably shouldn't have been. Monaco, the beautiful setting felt like another character. I loved the sharp, satirical take on wealth, class, consent, and dating culture.

Leslie_T

Mixed feelings
I am not sure how I feel about this book and the character. It was certainly unusual. I have a feeling that both will grow on me. Tilda was such a flawed character, but so interesting. There was an instance when a new character suddenly appeared without any introduction. I even went back a few chapters believing I had missed some pages. So that is something I hope the author works on in future works. I am recommending this to anyone who likes their characters on the messy/insane side.

Catherine_S

Worth the Read
Starting out, it's hard to like such an unlikeable character as Tilda who unremorsefully exhibits such bad behavior. As the story progresses, however, the author provides insight to readers so that might see Tilda as a more sympathetic character. She is painfully honest and direct and sees the world so differently than do others. Much of her behavior – although truly unorthodox and maybe psychopathic – is in response to others' bad behaviors.

Tilda is a game designer; over the years she has gained extensive experience successfully developing all types of board games and uses her skills to create a well-organized plan for her games: Friendship, Love, Endgame, and Revenge. Her inspiration for these games comes from her own new experiences with a handful of characters she tries to befriend and date. As her efforts with friendship and love are thwarted, she turns to the final endgame – revenge.

No matter how you feel about Tilda, the book is intriguing. We learn about board games and how they are engineered to satisfy the consumer base. We learn about Monaco and the people who live there. And then there are the bad dating behaviors -- easily relatable to many. To me, the most entertaining aspect of the book may be the impressions that Tilda has in making her way through life. Painfully direct and honest, she says whatever she thinks and the inner conversation is delightfully refreshing.
This book is worth a read – it's different, it's fast-paced and (darkly) funny at times, and ends with a bit of salvation for the characters. The author provides a tidy ending with a Post-Revenge wrap up. It might be suitable for a book club discussion if readers can get past the initial impressions of Tilda.

...12 more reader reviews