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lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
3.0
This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Only You has a lot of humor, flirty dialogues and characters who think they should stay far away from anything that resembles love...
Romantic comedy at is finest - Only You fits the bill, for sure. Between the whirlwind romance, the reluctant couple, the dragon-lady mother-in-law from hell and the fact that Holly didn't really trust anyone, everything seemed to indicate that there were too many obstacles in the way of happiness for Kevin and Holly. While there is a lot of fun and lightness in Only You, there are some more serious themes explored as well. Like the fact that Holly's parents were killed in a car accident when she was only five. Or how her grandmother, who raised her and her cousin Melanie has dementia and lives in a home for senior people with health problems.
And Kevin has seen his share of difficult situations, home from several tours overseas in the army, he just wants to have a nice, quiet life in his hometown. Close to his sister and friends, and - unfortunately - also close to his meddling mother. Next-door romances with mature characters always work well for me, and Only You was a sweet, quick read that hit the right spot. I kind of do wish there had been a little more exploration of Melanie's bitchiness, though, even if I suspect she will show up in a future Bachelor Brotherhood story very soon.
Only you is the kind of story you can read either at home or at the beach. You'll have some great laughs, some nice romantic moments, and even a few toe-curling hotness times. Written in third person point of view, past tense, from both Kevin's and Holly's perspective, the story is evenly paced, and moves forward nicely. Covering one month, the romance was fast, but still managed to make me believe in its potential.
Her face burned at the thought of their mouths touching the same utensil. Her eyes shifted to his mouth and she suddenly wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Would he hold her tightly to his chest like he had moments ago? Oh, my God. she had just turned into every clichéd woman she'd made fun of since high school.
"It was a long drive from San Diego, Mom. I wanted to be fresh when I saw you."
"Fresh? I saw you covered in slime when you came from my body. How could anything be less fresh than that?"
"Mom. That definitely falls under TMI." He was going to be traumatized by that mental image for weeks to come.
"Love is a very precious gift, Holly. Some people are fickle, falling in and out of love. But that's not really love." She waved her free hand back and forth. "But once you find real love, something so deep it sinks to your toes, a love that fills you so completely it makes you a better person than you were without him - once you find that love, don't let it go."
Only You has a lot of humor, flirty dialogues and characters who think they should stay far away from anything that resembles love...
Romantic comedy at is finest - Only You fits the bill, for sure. Between the whirlwind romance, the reluctant couple, the dragon-lady mother-in-law from hell and the fact that Holly didn't really trust anyone, everything seemed to indicate that there were too many obstacles in the way of happiness for Kevin and Holly. While there is a lot of fun and lightness in Only You, there are some more serious themes explored as well. Like the fact that Holly's parents were killed in a car accident when she was only five. Or how her grandmother, who raised her and her cousin Melanie has dementia and lives in a home for senior people with health problems.
And Kevin has seen his share of difficult situations, home from several tours overseas in the army, he just wants to have a nice, quiet life in his hometown. Close to his sister and friends, and - unfortunately - also close to his meddling mother. Next-door romances with mature characters always work well for me, and Only You was a sweet, quick read that hit the right spot. I kind of do wish there had been a little more exploration of Melanie's bitchiness, though, even if I suspect she will show up in a future Bachelor Brotherhood story very soon.
Only you is the kind of story you can read either at home or at the beach. You'll have some great laughs, some nice romantic moments, and even a few toe-curling hotness times. Written in third person point of view, past tense, from both Kevin's and Holly's perspective, the story is evenly paced, and moves forward nicely. Covering one month, the romance was fast, but still managed to make me believe in its potential.
Her face burned at the thought of their mouths touching the same utensil. Her eyes shifted to his mouth and she suddenly wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Would he hold her tightly to his chest like he had moments ago? Oh, my God. she had just turned into every clichéd woman she'd made fun of since high school.
"It was a long drive from San Diego, Mom. I wanted to be fresh when I saw you."
"Fresh? I saw you covered in slime when you came from my body. How could anything be less fresh than that?"
"Mom. That definitely falls under TMI." He was going to be traumatized by that mental image for weeks to come.
"Love is a very precious gift, Holly. Some people are fickle, falling in and out of love. But that's not really love." She waved her free hand back and forth. "But once you find real love, something so deep it sinks to your toes, a love that fills you so completely it makes you a better person than you were without him - once you find that love, don't let it go."
agrutle's review
5.0
Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the book in exchange for a honest review!
I was invited to read this book by Forever and I accepted before I really knew what this book was about. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I inhaled it in a matter of hours.
Kevin trusted his sister to buy him a house he could flip and make some money on. What he got could be loosely called a house. It was falling down, boards on the front porch rotted out and everything needing something done to it. He's back home and while its a crappy house he's got to make due with it. He's decided to also take a break from women, all of his relationships in the past have been with women who are a little crazy.
Holly doesn't deal well with relationships, not just romantic ones. Her parents died young and she spent the rest of her childhood with her grandmother with cousin. Now her grandmother has dementia and is slowly slipping away from them. Her cousin doesn't want to accept that her grandmother isn't the woman they grew up with, Their new neighbor might cause some issues with her self imposed ban on dating. He's funny, sexy and breaks down the barriers that she's built. There is only one problem, what will his mother think!?!
I really liked this one, I read it so fast and when I tend to do that I am so disappointed when its over. That was the case. I loved the introduction of the other bachelors, I assume they'll be the main characters in future books. Holly was great even if she was a little bit of a push over with everyone around her. I can't share everything but I urge you pick this one up it was a really good book with great characters and a good plot! Leave the author love in the form of a review!
I was invited to read this book by Forever and I accepted before I really knew what this book was about. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I inhaled it in a matter of hours.
Kevin trusted his sister to buy him a house he could flip and make some money on. What he got could be loosely called a house. It was falling down, boards on the front porch rotted out and everything needing something done to it. He's back home and while its a crappy house he's got to make due with it. He's decided to also take a break from women, all of his relationships in the past have been with women who are a little crazy.
Holly doesn't deal well with relationships, not just romantic ones. Her parents died young and she spent the rest of her childhood with her grandmother with cousin. Now her grandmother has dementia and is slowly slipping away from them. Her cousin doesn't want to accept that her grandmother isn't the woman they grew up with, Their new neighbor might cause some issues with her self imposed ban on dating. He's funny, sexy and breaks down the barriers that she's built. There is only one problem, what will his mother think!?!
I really liked this one, I read it so fast and when I tend to do that I am so disappointed when its over. That was the case. I loved the introduction of the other bachelors, I assume they'll be the main characters in future books. Holly was great even if she was a little bit of a push over with everyone around her. I can't share everything but I urge you pick this one up it was a really good book with great characters and a good plot! Leave the author love in the form of a review!
stephaniek219's review
5.0
Love at first sight is a recurring theme with the original series (The Wedding Pact) and continues into the spin off series of the Bachelor Brotherhood. As a die-hard romantic I love it! Only You is a light, easy read. The perfect summer chick-lit romance.
As always, Denise Grover Swank has delivered a fun, heart warming story. Kevin was a protective brother and kind of a rude guy when we first met him (read The Substitute first, where we are introduced to Kevin), but Only You gives a new perspective on him. Holly is loveable right from the start. There are appearances by characters we met in the Wedding Pact (Megan, Libby, Gram, Knickers) and we meet new characters that we will get to learn more about in coming books.
As always, Denise Grover Swank has delivered a fun, heart warming story. Kevin was a protective brother and kind of a rude guy when we first met him (read The Substitute first, where we are introduced to Kevin), but Only You gives a new perspective on him. Holly is loveable right from the start. There are appearances by characters we met in the Wedding Pact (Megan, Libby, Gram, Knickers) and we meet new characters that we will get to learn more about in coming books.
alsudik's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
a_ab's review
DNF at 25% - horrendously written. I picked this up to try the new to me author, and it's clearly not for me. The writing style and characters gave me a strong impression of a terribly acted amateur TV show pilot. I am surprised at the high ratings.
tinasbooknook's review
4.0
So much fun!
Cute, funny, great characters and family dynamic
Great chemistry between Holly and Kevin
Overall thoroughly enjoyable and believable, with a number of surprising twists
Loved how Holly stood up for herself when Kevin was an idiot
Cute, funny, great characters and family dynamic
Great chemistry between Holly and Kevin
Overall thoroughly enjoyable and believable, with a number of surprising twists
Loved how Holly stood up for herself when Kevin was an idiot
musingsbysophie's review
5.0
Seriously... Amazing. SUMMER 2016 MUST READ!!!!!!
I loved the wedding pact so was super excited/happy that Denise was writing another set of books with the old chatters and some new ones.
This was just the perfect girlie novel, well written, funny, sexy and with a lovely HEA. I'm a sucker for this style novel.
I love everything Denise writes, she is brilliant!!!!! if you have read the wedding pact series then this book is highly highly recommended!
I loved the wedding pact so was super excited/happy that Denise was writing another set of books with the old chatters and some new ones.
This was just the perfect girlie novel, well written, funny, sexy and with a lovely HEA. I'm a sucker for this style novel.
I love everything Denise writes, she is brilliant!!!!! if you have read the wedding pact series then this book is highly highly recommended!
mrvm's review
5.0
Loved this! Denise is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. There was a spark between Kevin and Holly when they first met and it kept getting stronger. They are so perfect for each other that you couldn't do anything but fall in love with them and hope that Nichole would relax. Bethany was annoying but hilarious. My only wish is that there was a little more of Gram, and Libby in the book. I can't wait to read the next book.
angelastl's review
4.0
Received an advanced copy for my honest review.
Another great book by Denise. Love the story. The characters are fantastic. There's a little bit of everything. Literal laugh out loud moments. Make you cry moments.
The only thing that bugged me was Holly. She was a little wishy washy in her convictions. Granted if there was a hot guy next door and my job was the only thing I was passionate about I can understand.
But she would say one thing and then do the exact opposite the very next line.
But I love love the characters. It was great to reconnect with some of the people from The Wedding Pact series.
Overall a great book.
Another great book by Denise. Love the story. The characters are fantastic. There's a little bit of everything. Literal laugh out loud moments. Make you cry moments.
The only thing that bugged me was Holly. She was a little wishy washy in her convictions. Granted if there was a hot guy next door and my job was the only thing I was passionate about I can understand.
But she would say one thing and then do the exact opposite the very next line.
But I love love the characters. It was great to reconnect with some of the people from The Wedding Pact series.
Overall a great book.
xakyr's review against another edition
3.0
I had never read anything by this author before, so I was somewhat eager to read this. Overall, I was a bit disappointed with it. It really needed to be clearer on the cover that this was a spin off of the author's Wedding Pact series, as it greatly annoyed me to be coming in on the middle of the story with this one.
The first half of the book was engaging and interesting to me, but the second half seemed to lose it's momentum right around the time that Kevin and Holly started playing mattress wrestling. The story seemed to start slowly dying down until it got to the point nothing swoon-worthy or romantic was happening. The conflict that followed them getting together felt weak and manufactured, caused by meddling people around them, or the secrets they were keeping because of said meddlers. What's even worse was that, instead of fighting these people, the two of them basically allowed themselves to be manipulated and pushed around even when they had the high ground and could tell others to stick it. There was nothing majorly wrong with the ending, just the fact that it was abrupt and lackluster at best.
It was a bit of an easy read, and somewhat entertaining, so I'll probably read the next book, and possibly attempt to read the preceding series as well.
The first half of the book was engaging and interesting to me, but the second half seemed to lose it's momentum right around the time that Kevin and Holly started playing mattress wrestling. The story seemed to start slowly dying down until it got to the point nothing swoon-worthy or romantic was happening. The conflict that followed them getting together felt weak and manufactured, caused by meddling people around them, or the secrets they were keeping because of said meddlers. What's even worse was that, instead of fighting these people, the two of them basically allowed themselves to be manipulated and pushed around even when they had the high ground and could tell others to stick it. There was nothing majorly wrong with the ending, just the fact that it was abrupt and lackluster at best.
It was a bit of an easy read, and somewhat entertaining, so I'll probably read the next book, and possibly attempt to read the preceding series as well.