REVIEW: Experiments in Offline Dating by Kat Mackenzie

Experiments in Offline Dating by Kat Mackenzie: Maya heads to Ireland determined to make her second podcast season about dating without apps. She’s expecting awkward introductions, terrible dates, and plenty of material for the show. What she doesn’t expect is to meet Tadhg, have the worst date of her life, and then discover he’s going to be her companion for the rest of her matchmaking adventure.

EXPERIMENTS IN OFFLINE DATING by Kat Mackenzie was a sharp, funny enemies-to-lovers romance about a podcaster testing the world of offline dating, a grumpy sheep farmer who gets off to a spectacularly bad start with her, and a matchmaking adventure that forces them to spend a lot more time together than either planned.

Maya’s personality was a huge part of the fun for me. She’s quick-witted, self-aware, and very comfortable turning her own dating disasters into entertainment. But underneath the humor is someone who genuinely wants to understand why relationships haven’t worked for her. Tadhg is exactly the kind of grumpy hero who makes an enemies-to-lovers romance work. He’s surly, stubborn, and not remotely impressed by Maya’s approach to dating. But the more time she spends with him, the more she realizes there’s a lot more underneath that rough exterior.

And their chemistry? The verbal sparring was definitely one of my favorite parts. Maya and Tadhg have no problem pushing each other’s buttons. I loved watching the irritation shift as they began noticing the things about each other that weren’t so easy to dismiss.

And their chemistry? The verbal sparring was definitely one of my favorite parts. Maya and Tadhg have no problem pushing each other’s buttons. I loved watching the irritation shift as they began noticing the things about each other that weren’t so easy to dismiss. Once they’re traveling together the forced proximity gives them plenty of time to move beyond their disastrous first impression. Maya gets to see a different side of Tadhg, while Tadhg discovers there’s much more to Maya than the dating experiments that brought them together.

Tropes & Vibes
⚔️ Enemies to lovers
🗺️ Forced proximity
😏 Grumpy hero
🐑 Sheep farmer hero
🇮🇪 Ireland setting
🧳 Travel romance
😂 Banter

EXPERIMENTS IN OFFLINE DATING was such a fun combination of travel, dating disasters, witty banter, and enemies-to-lovers chemistry. Add the Irish countryside and plenty of verbal sparring, and this was a entertaining story from start to finish.

Book Info:

Publication: August 25, 2026 | Avon |

Maya Davis is chronically terrible at dating. So much so that she’s turned her catastrophic dating experiments into a full-time job. Hellbent on dating “offline” for her second podcast season, Maya travels to Ireland to meet the world-renowned local matchmaker, and gets set up on a slew of horribly funny meet-ups that are exactly the type of comedy gold she was looking for.

At the town’s annual Matchmaking Festival, Maya wins a blind date with a surly local sheep farmer. But while she’s had every bad date in the book, nothing could have prepared her for the apocalyptic, full-body-cringe that is the worst date of her life!

All she wants to do is forget it ever happened, but when the mischievous matchmaker talks her into a whirlwind dating adventure, he fails to mention that it’s with the one person in Ireland that she just can’t stand – her blind date catastrophe!

Trapped together, Maya and Tadhg journey across picturesque landscapes and green countryside until their constant verbal sparring feels increasingly like chemistry. And the more time they spend together, the more Maya begins to wonder if perhaps she’s not so catastrophic at love after all.

Brimming with humor and delicious tension, this heartfelt travel romance is the perfect escape!