My Date With A Pair of Gray Sweatpants

by Dakota Cockaday, Anastasia Novikova (illustrator)

Kaitlyn didn’t expect a thrift store grab bag to come with a plus-one—especially not one from the 80’s.

Over the years, Kaitlyn has become the queen of upcycling things she’s found at the thrift store. When she snags a particularly lucky grab bag with a beautiful pink dress inside for just five bucks, she thinks she’s hit the jackpot. Little does she know that tucked inside her haul is a pair of gray sweatpants that will change her life forever.

After a night of eating her emotions at the local pizza joint right before laundry day, Kaitlyn is stuck rummaging through the grab bag for something to wear to keep her warm as her stomach loudly protests the amount of dairy she just consumed. What she finds is a strangely pristine pair of men’s gray sweatpants. That night when she wears them to bed, she wakes up in the arms of Matthew, a man who vanished nearly forty years ago. Kaitlyn tries to dismiss the whole thing as a dream, but as the dreams keep happening and Matthew starts to insist she’s the one who isn’t real, she realizes she has a problem.

But unraveling a forty-year-old mystery is no easy task and time is running out just as she realizes that Matthew is bound to the sweatpants. Now it’s up to her to break the spell and bring him back for good.

Unfortunately, magic always comes at a price—and Kaitlyn must decide how much she’s willing to risk for a man she might be falling for, even if he’s stuck in another timeline.Can she break the curse and give Matthew a second chance at life—and love—or will they be separated for good?



My Date With a Pair of Gray Sweatpants is part of The Sentient Object Calendar Series, a shared series curated by some of your favorite off-the-wall Biblio Barbie, Dakota Cockaday, Holly Wilde, Luna Cantrip, Nicole Parker, Sylvia Morrow, Thea Masen, Unfortunate Reads, and Vera Valentine. It is meant for readers 18 and over who are ready to embrace a deeper experience with some unusual holidays.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Paranormal

55 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2025

About the author

Dakota Cockaday is the pen name of the most unexciting woman in the world. Dakota loves paranormal and true crime podcasts, romance books about aliens, and chicken tamales. She always wants to pet your dog or see pictures of your cat. Dakota hoards blank notebooks like it’s her job. She has no spare time, so she writes when she really should be cleaning the house. You can reach her at dakota.cockaday@gmail.com.

Reviews

[Grapie Deltaco · Rating 3 out of 5]

The villain is an evil Boy Mom with magical powers


CW: explicit sexual content, toxic parent relationship

[Urtė Caspo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Būna ir blogiau 👍

[Biblio · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so many things I love about this but especially the FMC having tummy troubles because same. I too will risk it all for a slice of the 'za knowing what it will do to me later. Such a fun story with a dash of time travel, magic and mystery! Dakota never misses! Can't wait to read more in this series!

[Poetry Drive · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally had no idea what was going to happen next. Probably one of the best SOR I’ve ever read.

If you like time-travel, evil witches, broken spells and The Princess Bride, this quick 55-page read is for you.

[ɢʀᴇʏッ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️ 3 🌶

MCs: 𝘬𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘺𝘯 ♡ 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸
🗓 International Sweat Pants Day, January 21st

...𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘻𝘢rre $3𝘹 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝑰 𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦'𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴? 𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳? 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕.

GRAY SWEATPANTS fr?!? we love gray sweatpants szn so much it be wrong not to turn it into a story right?? dakota... ma'am!! u did it justice🙌🏽 & kat giiiirl!! how dare ur guts betray u from njoying some good 'ol 🍕😆😆 this is my 1st 𝘋𝘊 story & i very much enjoyed it!! its sweet & spicy, theres humor, a little time travel, a grumpy stanley, an evil step mother (in this case matthew's mom), & ofc... the accidental $0mn0!! best way to wake up!! but thats juz me🤭 oh so lookin forward to the rest of the series!!

✨ part of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘖𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 & can be read as a standalone. this series is curated by some of our fave off-the-wall authors & is meant for readers 18 & over

[Bianca Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

I loved this book so much!! It had the same fun and quirkiness that Dakota brings to each of her books but so enjoyable in a non-magical community.
Kaitlyn reminds me to much of one of my best friends in that she knows not to eat the pizza but does anyway because of its deliciousness.
Matthew is just so adorable and definitely caught the wrong end of the stick with his family.
I would love an additional spin off with Dale and his drag costumes. I feel a sentient romance could be in his cards as well with a feather boa 😏

I can’t wait to read the next book and what happened to Matthew’s twin!

Dakota you have done it again!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Date with a Pair of Gray Sweatpants
Sentient Objects Holiday Series, Book 2

I Picked Up This Book Because: I’m in the mood for outlandish and absurd.

Media Type: eBook
Source: KindleUnlimited
Dates Read: 1/14/25 - 1/15/25
Rating: 3 Stars
Narrator(s):

The Characters:

Kaitlynn:
Matthew:


The Story:

Just okay. Characters were sweet and I'm glad things worked out for them. I'd like to know why the mom was so dang unhinged.

[Neapolitan670 📚🖤 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know but hear me out, given all the dark/pitch books I read it’s sometimes fun to totally throw a book in that’s out there. It’s literally under an hour read.

This book is the title, after a trip to a thrift store our FMC Kaitlyn has a dream of a night of passion with a man she has never met. This happens a few times until they figure out why.

I’m not giving you anymore than this as it’s such a quick read. I really enjoyed it for what it was 🥰

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Once again, pleasantly surprised!! This author took a more fantastical route and I really enjoyed the MMC’s backstory. Not your average sentient object romance.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why was this unironically good?

[Kimbot the Destroyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have been a pretty normal short story if dude hadn't been cursed to be sweatpants. "I am a pair of pants" part was surprisingly incidental. The sex scenes were just okay. The actual story was good for what we have come to expect from sentient object romance. The cover art is perfection.

[Lynn_G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird and clever and totally not what I expected. Can’t wait to find out what happened to Matthew’s twin.

[bookwh0rebryce · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cute!

this was adorable! very quick, fun, and silly read! also spicy, which is always a plus hehe! now i gotta read the brother’s story!!! i hope they find each other 🥹

[Jess Croft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why do I keep doing this to myself?

2.75/5 horny sweatpants

Could have been weirder. Confused by the description of the sweatpant man. If you're going to bang a pair of sweatpants really lean into them being sweatpants.

Also with how much she mentioned stomach issues I totally thought she was going to shit herself in the pants. I guess someone would be into that.

Good luck sweatpant man, may you always be cozy and warm.

[Robyn G · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have Sentient grey sweatpants
Some time travelling and it's written by Dakota Cockaday??
What's not to love??
I loved this so much you have some mystery and some magic and it was so easy and before I knew it I was at the end and looking forward to finding out more!
This series of unusual holidays are going to be a favourite i can tell!

[Frida · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️ stars for cursed pants, a unique premise, and my ever-growing fear of not washing "new" clothing first 😅

When I picked this up, I knew I was in for some unhinged nonsense, and let me tell you—it delivered. A dude trapped in a pair of gray sweatpants? Absolutely, yes. Mathew is out here living (well… existing) the most unfortunate paranormal romance plot ever, and Kaitlyn, our thrift-store-shopping, despite her tummy-issues pizza-eating heroine, is just trying to get through life without questioning why her loungewear is suddenly haunted.

The opening? Fantastic. The moment they met? I was HOOKED. There was tension, humour, spice, and just enough weirdness to make me rub my hands together like a goblin. Kaitlyn starts dreaming about Mathew the second she wears the pants, which is definitely not in the thrift store return policy, but I was invested.

And then… things got a little murky.

Now, I get it—this is a novella. There's only so much room to explain why a man is trapped in sweatpants. But considering this is tied to another story, I really needed just a bit more background to Matthew and Michael. A handful of extra sentences could have rounded things out beautifully.

But let’s be real—this book does exactly what it promises. It’s short, it’s ridiculous, and it commits hard to the bit. Would I have loved more details? Yes. Did I still have fun? Also yes.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Date with a Pair of Gray Sweatpants by Dakota Cockaday is part of The Sentient Object Holiday Series. This is a series that Multiple authors contribute to. Usually I avoid books with this trope… not because I dislike it but I didn’t think I could get into it. But I’m a huge fan of the author so I thought I would give it a chance. I’m so glad I did, this read had everything I enjoy from the other books I’ve read by the author including a cat that has to get involved in things. I really enjoyed the characters of Kat and Matthew. I thought they worked well together and everything just flowed with added sweet spiciness. It was just a fun, interesting read. Plus I thought the epilogue was cute and I really liked it. In the end I thought the story was throughout and written well, even though I do still have some questions. Would highly recommend picking this up if you like quick reads, time travel, an animal sidekick, a spicy fun time read or are just a fan of the author. Looking forward to more.

Final review:
4 out of 5 stars

[Michelle Lebron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time travel and gray sweatpants! You go from thrift shop to thrift shop 🤣 and find a pair of gray sweatpants. Once you put them on to sleep, they transport you to another time, and you wake up in the arms of a wonderful man who makes sure you are completely satisfied. This is the case for our FMC, who struggles with stomach issues and loves making her own clothes. Mystery and time travel are everything in this story—I got hooked, and now I can’t wait for the second part, which will continue the story. Instead of the pants, this time it will involve a t-shirt. Dakota never disappoints with their stories; they’re always some of my favorites.

[Shane McCammon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a trip, I was hesitant about the premise but thought I'd give it a shot and I loved it!

The FMC is sweet and has the same stomach problems that I do as well as the same lack of self control (worth it!) the MMC is a dream literally. Coming together in her dreams. I try to so hard to spoil anything but read it so we can talk about it! Go read the description the. Go read the book

Please

[addy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read many sentient object romances, but this one has to be my favorite so far! It was silly, cute, spicy, and overall fun to read! Our FMC is relatable as hell as someone with tummy troubles amongst other things lol. The MMC is hot to me somehow even though he is sweatpants 🤷‍♀️ I think it’s the way he talks to her. ANYWAY it was good 👍 maybe a good intro to sentient object romance if you don’t want something TOO out there but just weird enough lol

Thank you Dakota for having me on your ARC team! I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Nel L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun story from this author! Who doesn’t love grey sweatpants on a man? Now imagine your hot man WAS the sweatpants?!! Poor Mathew is cursed by his witch mom who wants Mathew to stay with her forever. Kaitlyn finds grey sweatpants at a thrift store and starts dreaming of Mathew. Kaitlyn struggles to find a way to save Mathew. Kaitlyn has a cat named Stanley, who I wish had more of a story line as in other of the authors stories. This story is short, sweet and fun to read!!

[volatilisanguis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella! have mixed feelings about sentient object romance in general (the consent issue really hangs me up). But this one is so well done. It's probably more sentient object-adjacent with a dash of time travel, so take note voracious sentient object fans! The main character is a really lovely sewist named Kaitlyn who enjoys scouring her local Thrift Store named "Thrift Store." The supporting cast, while sparse...as in it's one person, Dale, is great. But what I really like is how Dakota handles the whole abusive mom/witch and wraps it into the plot. It's both real but also not triggering (at least for me). Also kudos to the boxes that cue avoiding the main book trigger (animal loss).

[Kayla Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot - 5/5
Characters - 5/5
Spice - 🌶️🌶️

Dakota does it once again. My Date with a Pair of Gray Sweatpants follows the very relatable, Kaitlyn, as she buys herself a pair of thrift store sweatpants following a bad bout of stomach pain after eating pizza (of which all us IBS girlies know is a big no-no). She begins to have vivid dreams of a man and her getting it on and we discover he is the cursed sweatpants themselves. I quickly fell in love with this story and consider this the gold standard for all sentient romances in the future.

For anyone who is on the fence about reading a sentient romance, know this is done with a mostly human MMC, who just so happens to be cursed into sweatpants. This is a must, must, MUST read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

imagine buying a pair of sweatpants that teleport to another time. Kaitlyn goes back to 1987 and meets Matthew, a guy who keeps reliving the same day over and over. He's about to propose to his girlfriend, but his mom does a spell to bind him to the sweatpants!!!!! Can Kaitlyn break the spell?? Will Matthew want to stay with her???

[Nicole B West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I don't read sentient objects stories or anything involving time travel. Not yucking anyone's yum, just not my thing. I do, however, love Dakota Cockaday so I gave it a try. It was actually pretty dang good. Besides, who doesn't love a medaling cat sidekick?! Seriously, the interfering animals are my favorite part of all of her stories. If you're on the fence about this book, I suggest giving it a try. It will surprise you.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairly vanilla in terms of smut. But I enjoyed the cliffhanger at the end.

I greatly appreciated the warning of animal death at the chapter start where it happened, and then the next warning when it ended so that it could be skipped. I didn’t skip it and I sobbed. I should’ve skipped it. But that is entirely on myself.

[Dog Eared Reads (Jen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a couple sentient object romances and while the jury is still out on how I feel about them in general, My Date With A Pair of Gray Sweatpants was super cute and cozy.

The story follows Kaitlyn as she tries to figure out what is going on with this pair of sweatpants she picked up at a thrift store. There’s a little bit of time travel, curses, possible witches and a bit of spice. It is very short, but it is also very cute and I’m hoping we get to see more of Kaitlyn, Matthew (and Dale!) in My Date With A White Tee Shirt.

As always, thank you to Dakota for letting me be a part of your ARC team!

[Mattiehatter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes all you need is a grey pair of sweats

I did receive this as an ARC from the author, but by the time I had the mental bandwidth to read it release day was already upon us (thanks to life, the loss of my own dog, and covid).

This was a cute, fun, quick, and unhinged read. I appreciate the heads up in the chapter for the dog's last day. I read that part and it healed me a little.

[Sam Blevins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gray Sweatpants... Enough said!

This was my first experience with a sentient object story so not entirely sure what to expect. Knowing the author was Dakota Cockaday meant to expect something definitely interesting AND an interfering animal. Enter the grumpy cat, Stanley who is an expert at making biscuits and napping on pants!

This was definitely a fun super quick read with some time travel and grey sweatpants.

Likes:
-Stanley, the cat
-time travel to the past
-the dream spice!

Dislikes
-wanted to see more of the transition process to the future for Matthew
- Wanted to know what really happened to the people in the past (supposedly you will find out in another book in the series!)

Sidenote: Author does mention a timeline miscalculation at the end of the book.

[Jennifer Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for the earc, all opinions are my own.

Kaitlyn and her friend go to the thrift store for the scrap grab bags to make him a new drag outfit. What she finds at the bottom of the bag is a nice, clean, not worn at all pair of gray sweats. That night she decides to wear them since her clothes are in the wash, and she's transported to the 80s and into Matthews bed. After a few instances she discovers that he's stuck in a loop due to the pants and she needs to free him.

This has a few spicy scenes but definitely leans more horror? A fun, quick read.