e-Audio, 08:47:21
Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
Release Date: November 8, 2022
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: December 11-12, 2022
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Grief & Loss, Death of a grandmother (not depicted on page)
For Readers Interested In: Books about Books, Romance, Contemporary, AdultLove isn’t always by the books in this charming romantic comedy about a bookseller discovering how to be the main character in her story.
As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn’t anticipate inheriting her grandma’s bookstore, the Book Nook. She’s in way over her head even before the shop’s resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best–meddle.
Bestselling author Jasper Williams is a hopeless romantic. When he meets Drew at his Book Nook signing event, he becomes determined to show her the beauty of reading. He curates a book bucket list in exchange for her help exploring the local Denver scene for his current manuscript. From river rafting to local restaurants, Drew begins to connect with Jasper in a way she only thought happened in fiction.
When messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place. She’s reminded that real life isn’t always big dreams and sweeping romance. But Jasper is the plot twist she never saw coming and he’s writing a happily ever after just for them.
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I saw this was a book about books AND it was by an author I’ve read and loved before, I knew I had to get my hands on this. And man, it was not what I was expecting. The plot was amazing, but the characters left something to be desired. Funny that that’s my critique for a lot of real life novels lol
So, the fact that this was about someone falling in love with a romance author should have made this like hella romantic. And tho they had some moments, I don’t think it ever got there for me. It was But it wasn’t his fault…. It was mainly Drew. She was kind of annoying. Like I just didn’t understand her logic. But I did understand that people grieve in different ways, so I had to respect that. But still, I thought that was a little weird. I guess I was thinking along the lines of someone who actually likes to read and could do the job like marketing and learn the community and read their interests to order more for them, could be doing the job and she’s keeping that from them. (My librarian brain lol) But like why are you denying them that? As for Jasper, I LOVED him! By him being a romance author, I knew he wouldn’t disappoint! And sure enough, he didn’t. He was attentive, bright, and so sweet! I loved him. And the way he was so “for” Drew, it was the sweetest thing!
Now, this is pretty closed door. *And if not, it was to me. Nothing about them doing this stuck with me lol I’m just throwing it out there because Lordt knows how y’all hate fade to black lol But the overall romance was pretty cute. I spent a large amount of time wondering why no one ever made me a list of books to read….. How does it feel to be God’s Favorite?
The grief and sadness of this is pretty heavy, but there are some places that make it easily bearable. The grannies? Top tier entertainment lol I LOVED them! And I loved the hoops that they and her own grandma made her jump through. It cut through a lot of tension and helped me enjoy it a lot more.
This wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but it was ok. I did like the plot and pacing. As a character driven reader, I loved the MMC, but not the FMC. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was dual POV. But overall, this was cute, but I didn’t really feel any real type of way about it.
Overall, I give this
