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mycatismybookmark's review
3.0
"The thing about perfection, she realized . . . was that it didn't really exist. It's a phantom that drove her to try to do better when she was doing her very best to begin with. Turned out, sometimes making a mess of things actually made her happier."
I adore Christina Hovland's Mile High Matched series, so I was eager to try her new contemporary romance Rachel, Out of Office. Filled with fun mom-wisdom quotes at the beginning of each chapter, Rachel's story is a blend of light-hearted humor, sweet-heat, and embracing happiness instead of to-do lists. Mother or not, we can related to endless list, perfectionism, and struggling to say no. Like Rachel we try to be super human, but just end up super tired. Different from her face-paced and steamy rom-coms, this slower-tempo ─ little bit angsty ─ read has great family/friend dynamics and laugh-out-loud shenanigans that make for an enjoyable read.
I adore Christina Hovland's Mile High Matched series, so I was eager to try her new contemporary romance Rachel, Out of Office. Filled with fun mom-wisdom quotes at the beginning of each chapter, Rachel's story is a blend of light-hearted humor, sweet-heat, and embracing happiness instead of to-do lists. Mother or not, we can related to endless list, perfectionism, and struggling to say no. Like Rachel we try to be super human, but just end up super tired. Different from her face-paced and steamy rom-coms, this slower-tempo ─ little bit angsty ─ read has great family/friend dynamics and laugh-out-loud shenanigans that make for an enjoyable read.
readfrenzy's review
4.0
Christina Hovland is an author who is new to me, but I was drawn to the adorable cover and then the synopsis hooked me. I love it when I take a gamble on an unfamiliar author and it pays off. Rachel, Out of Office is a witty and supremely satisfying contemporary romance.
Rachel is one of those supermoms who makes other moms jealous. She’s a single mom to twin 8-year-old boys and although her ex-husband is mostly absent, she manages to seamlessly juggle all aspects of parenting on her own — from discipline and stomach bugs to Pinterest-worthy birthday parties and housekeeping. She also owns a demanding business that keeps her working around the clock. She makes it look easy, but in reality she’s barely holding it together.
Most of the book focuses on the challenges of parenting, so I suspect it won’t resonate as well with readers who aren’t moms. Personally, I really identified with Rachel. Although my kids are almost grown, I remember what it’s like to put your needs last. Some of the antics with her boys had me laughing out loud. As a fellow control freak, I also recognized Rachel’s need to do everything herself because, of course, nobody else can do it as well.
I admired Rachel’s strength and her ability to stay calm in the midst of crisis. I didn’t expect to love her hot former brother-in-law Travis as much as I did, but I really enjoyed their chemistry and the way he’s always supportive of her. I didn’t quite understand Rachel’s ex husband, Gavin. I couldn’t decide if he was selfish, clueless, or just weak. Although Rachel’s meddling former mother-in-law is a bit over-the-top, she’s a good source of entertainment. I also liked the clever quotes from other moms at the beginning of each chapter.
All in all, Rachel, Out of Office is a feel-good humorous read about the ups and downs of parenthood and the illusion of perfection.
Recommended for fans of:
Single parent romances
Business women
Margaritas
Pop Tarts
Rachel is one of those supermoms who makes other moms jealous. She’s a single mom to twin 8-year-old boys and although her ex-husband is mostly absent, she manages to seamlessly juggle all aspects of parenting on her own — from discipline and stomach bugs to Pinterest-worthy birthday parties and housekeeping. She also owns a demanding business that keeps her working around the clock. She makes it look easy, but in reality she’s barely holding it together.
Most of the book focuses on the challenges of parenting, so I suspect it won’t resonate as well with readers who aren’t moms. Personally, I really identified with Rachel. Although my kids are almost grown, I remember what it’s like to put your needs last. Some of the antics with her boys had me laughing out loud. As a fellow control freak, I also recognized Rachel’s need to do everything herself because, of course, nobody else can do it as well.
I admired Rachel’s strength and her ability to stay calm in the midst of crisis. I didn’t expect to love her hot former brother-in-law Travis as much as I did, but I really enjoyed their chemistry and the way he’s always supportive of her. I didn’t quite understand Rachel’s ex husband, Gavin. I couldn’t decide if he was selfish, clueless, or just weak. Although Rachel’s meddling former mother-in-law is a bit over-the-top, she’s a good source of entertainment. I also liked the clever quotes from other moms at the beginning of each chapter.
All in all, Rachel, Out of Office is a feel-good humorous read about the ups and downs of parenthood and the illusion of perfection.
Recommended for fans of:
Single parent romances
Business women
Margaritas
Pop Tarts
*I received an early copy of this book to voluntarily read.*
smalltownbookmom's review
4.0
I really, REALLY loved this second chance at love story about divorced single mother of twin boys Rachel who is trying to make everything work and feeling exhausted. When her ex surprises her with two golden retriever puppies and the news that he's not taking the boys to his family's summer vacation Rachel has to choose between being the bad guy or going along too.
Enter Travis, her brother-in-law who was the sweetest, most helpful guy and just wanted to take some of the burden off Rachel. The chemistry between these two was off the charts and there are some steamy open door scenes. Things get complicated when Rachel starts falling for Travis, not knowing if she can take the chance on trying to make a real relationship with him.
The first in a series, I can't recommend this one enough, especially if you enjoy realistic stories about mothers juggling work and parenthood. There are fun mom quotes at the start of each chapter too that I found equally funny and oh so relatable! If you haven't read anything by Christina Hovland you are missing out!!
Enter Travis, her brother-in-law who was the sweetest, most helpful guy and just wanted to take some of the burden off Rachel. The chemistry between these two was off the charts and there are some steamy open door scenes. Things get complicated when Rachel starts falling for Travis, not knowing if she can take the chance on trying to make a real relationship with him.
The first in a series, I can't recommend this one enough, especially if you enjoy realistic stories about mothers juggling work and parenthood. There are fun mom quotes at the start of each chapter too that I found equally funny and oh so relatable! If you haven't read anything by Christina Hovland you are missing out!!
read_on_reader's review
5.0
A single mom who is trying her best to keep her head above water while providing the best life she possibly can for her sons. Rachel is working hard, she is stubborn, but bound and determined to give her sons the absolute best while showing them how much they are loved. Her ex-husband is not helpful at all and takes advantage of her kindness way to often while not even being there for their sons, so his bother Travis steps up and he starts to see how much Rachel truly does and he is not only impressed by her but finds her strength and tenacity extremely attractive. Even though they know this thing between them could be disastrous or even deemed taboo by the matriarch of the family the things they feel are too real. Add an overbearing ex mother-in-law, a carefree Tavis, a family gathering that does not go as planned, and you have a hilarious story about what women deal with while trying to do their best for their families. Travis and Rachel were perfect together and everyone always thought Travis was a carefree guy with no plans, but Rachel saw that there was more than meets the eye. I loved their dynamic friends and family and I even found myself finding redemption in Rachel’s ex. Such a wonderful read and can’t wait for more!
amandaslittlelibrary's review
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an honest review in exchange for an E-ARC of this book! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I have realized I really love reading about single parents finding love. It doesn’t always work, but in Rachel, Out of Office, it is just about perfect. Rachel Gibson is a single mom to twin boys, Kellan & Brady, while also owning her virtual personal assistant company. She’s very much the usual type of heroine we see in romcoms with a type A personality - ambitious, obsessed with her job, a perfectionist, has her shit together (mostly), but in Rachel’s case, she’s doing all this while raising her kids (with minimal help from their dad, Gavin Frank). Enter Travis Frank, Rachel’s ex-brother in law. He’s described as “a hottie. The worst kind of hottie - the kind who knew it, embraced it, and owned it.” Picture Superman/Clark Kent with a Southern accent. Rachel avoids him as much as possible even though he’s very involved in her kids’ lives, but after Gavin drops out of a family trip to go to Boston with his fiance, she’s dragged into spending time with the Frank family at their lake house. As she struggles to keep up with her work and her boys, she finds herself more and more drawn to Travis and falls for him despite a meddling ex-mother in law trying to keep them apart.
Rachel is hilarious. Travis is dreamy. The dialogue was so funny and sexy, but the details in the narrative were possibly my favorite part. “There was no doubt about it, he was falling tart over toaster for Rachel.” This line and so many others just tickled the heck out of me and I found myself actually laughing out loud a couple of times. I really loved a majority of the characters, and, I know I say this for just about every review I’ve written this year so far, but the female friendships were so fun to read! I’m not sure if the author is planning on writing a series, but I would love to see more of all Rachel’s friends in their own love stories. This book reminded me a lot of Nicole: A Sweet Romantic Comedy that I previously reviewed - the dynamic of the friend groups of both these books were so strong and supportive, and I am here for more of this!
The one thing I did not like about this book? I wish there was more of it to read. I felt like it was a little short at the time, so even with the two POV’s between Rachel and Travis, I breezed through the book and was so sad when it came to an end. It was sweet with some heat and I seriously loved it. Even the characters I didn’t like I would read more about. I personally think it would be interesting for Gavin and Molly, Rachel’s ex husband and one of her friends, to end up as love interests…. Hint, hint?? I really do hope Christina Hovland is planning on revisiting this world and bringing back these characters. Her writing is very vivid and really sucks you in, and it really helped me out of the reading slump I was in.
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
I have realized I really love reading about single parents finding love. It doesn’t always work, but in Rachel, Out of Office, it is just about perfect. Rachel Gibson is a single mom to twin boys, Kellan & Brady, while also owning her virtual personal assistant company. She’s very much the usual type of heroine we see in romcoms with a type A personality - ambitious, obsessed with her job, a perfectionist, has her shit together (mostly), but in Rachel’s case, she’s doing all this while raising her kids (with minimal help from their dad, Gavin Frank). Enter Travis Frank, Rachel’s ex-brother in law. He’s described as “a hottie. The worst kind of hottie - the kind who knew it, embraced it, and owned it.” Picture Superman/Clark Kent with a Southern accent. Rachel avoids him as much as possible even though he’s very involved in her kids’ lives, but after Gavin drops out of a family trip to go to Boston with his fiance, she’s dragged into spending time with the Frank family at their lake house. As she struggles to keep up with her work and her boys, she finds herself more and more drawn to Travis and falls for him despite a meddling ex-mother in law trying to keep them apart.
Rachel is hilarious. Travis is dreamy. The dialogue was so funny and sexy, but the details in the narrative were possibly my favorite part. “There was no doubt about it, he was falling tart over toaster for Rachel.” This line and so many others just tickled the heck out of me and I found myself actually laughing out loud a couple of times. I really loved a majority of the characters, and, I know I say this for just about every review I’ve written this year so far, but the female friendships were so fun to read! I’m not sure if the author is planning on writing a series, but I would love to see more of all Rachel’s friends in their own love stories. This book reminded me a lot of Nicole: A Sweet Romantic Comedy that I previously reviewed - the dynamic of the friend groups of both these books were so strong and supportive, and I am here for more of this!
The one thing I did not like about this book? I wish there was more of it to read. I felt like it was a little short at the time, so even with the two POV’s between Rachel and Travis, I breezed through the book and was so sad when it came to an end. It was sweet with some heat and I seriously loved it. Even the characters I didn’t like I would read more about. I personally think it would be interesting for Gavin and Molly, Rachel’s ex husband and one of her friends, to end up as love interests…. Hint, hint?? I really do hope Christina Hovland is planning on revisiting this world and bringing back these characters. Her writing is very vivid and really sucks you in, and it really helped me out of the reading slump I was in.
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
kristisam's review
4.0
Rachel and Travis’ love story was sweet and funny. It was entertaining watching them fight their inevitable attraction. I loved the margarita mommy brigade and her quirky mother-in-law. An enjoyable must read filled with cringeworthy laugh out loud moments that will make you fall completely head over heels in love with the Frank clan. This was my first time reading Christina Hovland and it definitely won’t be the last.
wilko's review
4.0
I just loved Rachel, she is an awesome mum doing her best to juggle her twins, her ex who is well to me a complete flake and trying to build her business where some clients are more than a little demanding and a delusion ex mother in-law. I loved getting to know Rachel and her friends who are an absolute hoot and I really hope Molly gets a book, and then there is the Frank family well you definitely get some laughs and eye roles out of them but Travis well he is a just one delicious toaster tart! This is a story of learning to let people in, opening your heart, standing up for yourself and that you should work to live not live to work throw in a good dose of laughter, some undeniable attraction and a captivating story and you have a book that you will not be putting down until you finish!!
mybooksandkidsbooks's review
5.0
Rachel Out of Office by Christina Hovland
Rachel is a single mom, business owner, and perfectionist. She rarely puts herself first and struggles to stay on top of everything. Still, she is delightful and funny. I loved reading her inner thoughts. Clever phrasing and hilarious parenting quotes made this book fun and entertaining.
Rachel’s ex, Gavin, is absent but his family is not. She somehow ends up being on a family vacation with his whole family. It does help that his brother, Travis, is a pretty perfect dreamy and supportive guy.
This was a quick read for me, I immediately loved Rachel and Travis. I found the entire story charming and unique. They were clearly meant to be together but life is not that simple. It would have been better if I could have been at a lake front cabin enjoying one of Travis’ margaritas while reading it though. Thank you to @greyspromo and @entangledpub for my advance copy! Rachel Out Of Office is available today!
Rachel is a single mom, business owner, and perfectionist. She rarely puts herself first and struggles to stay on top of everything. Still, she is delightful and funny. I loved reading her inner thoughts. Clever phrasing and hilarious parenting quotes made this book fun and entertaining.
Rachel’s ex, Gavin, is absent but his family is not. She somehow ends up being on a family vacation with his whole family. It does help that his brother, Travis, is a pretty perfect dreamy and supportive guy.
This was a quick read for me, I immediately loved Rachel and Travis. I found the entire story charming and unique. They were clearly meant to be together but life is not that simple. It would have been better if I could have been at a lake front cabin enjoying one of Travis’ margaritas while reading it though. Thank you to @greyspromo and @entangledpub for my advance copy! Rachel Out Of Office is available today!
profromance's review
4.0
Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Christina Hovland’s Rachel, Out of Office is a story that feels like a part of a woman’s soul. As women have taken on more of the work sphere, they’ve also taken on the anxieties of “having it all:” family, work, romance, etc. In this book that reads as more women’s fiction than romance, Hovland challenges readers to consider the idea of having it all along with living a perfectionistic life. She writes in her acknowledgments how much of her heroine’s life is hers. I think more importantly it’s a collective female “ours,” as Rachel, her heroine, navigates an ex-husband, single motherhood, owning a business, and a potential love interest. Over and over again, Hovland shows us that it isn’t living if we’re too worried about failing and not “being enough.”
For me, that message is the profundity of Hovland’s book. Rachel’s characterization is a difficult one to read because you see her “crazy-making” throughout the progression of the story, and you want to yell at her, as she acts as a doormat to her ex-husband, her clients, and her former mother-in-law. But the reality is she’s anyone of us who has strived to take more or be more in life. There is that great saying from Einstein: “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different outcome,” and you see this played out in Hovland’s story as an admonishment for her readers. Rachel is your prototypical heroine in a book about women’s issues: she’s independent, stalwart, and strong. She takes on the complications of her life with a stiff backbone. You can’t help but be impressed with her, but you also become frustrated at her stubbornness, her unwillingness to be flexible even when it is to her advantage. It is in that place, however, where you can’t help but commiserate with her. Hovland has crafted a heroine who looks, acts, and sounds like many of us, and we easily find ourselves in her book.
Now, it’s the romance of this story that brings about Rachel’s changes. Travis, Hovland’s hero, is set up as a bit of “hate-to-love” even though the disdain is manufactured. As Travis and Rachel recognize their interest in each other, Rachel finds support that doesn’t exist fully from her baby daddy. You can’t help but fall for Travis as he is the first person to totally see Rachel and accept her as she is. Hovland gives him this intuition about Rachel that makes you fall for him as he seeks to make her life easier.
Overall, Christina Hovland’s Rachel, Out of Office is a story about finding a better version of yourself, one that isn’t so perfect or “everything.” It’s about letting people into your life to help you even if it isn’t handled by you. This book is a perfect reminder that women CAN have it all, but they can allow people into their lives to make a life of “all” more abundant.
Christina Hovland’s Rachel, Out of Office is a story that feels like a part of a woman’s soul. As women have taken on more of the work sphere, they’ve also taken on the anxieties of “having it all:” family, work, romance, etc. In this book that reads as more women’s fiction than romance, Hovland challenges readers to consider the idea of having it all along with living a perfectionistic life. She writes in her acknowledgments how much of her heroine’s life is hers. I think more importantly it’s a collective female “ours,” as Rachel, her heroine, navigates an ex-husband, single motherhood, owning a business, and a potential love interest. Over and over again, Hovland shows us that it isn’t living if we’re too worried about failing and not “being enough.”
For me, that message is the profundity of Hovland’s book. Rachel’s characterization is a difficult one to read because you see her “crazy-making” throughout the progression of the story, and you want to yell at her, as she acts as a doormat to her ex-husband, her clients, and her former mother-in-law. But the reality is she’s anyone of us who has strived to take more or be more in life. There is that great saying from Einstein: “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different outcome,” and you see this played out in Hovland’s story as an admonishment for her readers. Rachel is your prototypical heroine in a book about women’s issues: she’s independent, stalwart, and strong. She takes on the complications of her life with a stiff backbone. You can’t help but be impressed with her, but you also become frustrated at her stubbornness, her unwillingness to be flexible even when it is to her advantage. It is in that place, however, where you can’t help but commiserate with her. Hovland has crafted a heroine who looks, acts, and sounds like many of us, and we easily find ourselves in her book.
Now, it’s the romance of this story that brings about Rachel’s changes. Travis, Hovland’s hero, is set up as a bit of “hate-to-love” even though the disdain is manufactured. As Travis and Rachel recognize their interest in each other, Rachel finds support that doesn’t exist fully from her baby daddy. You can’t help but fall for Travis as he is the first person to totally see Rachel and accept her as she is. Hovland gives him this intuition about Rachel that makes you fall for him as he seeks to make her life easier.
Overall, Christina Hovland’s Rachel, Out of Office is a story about finding a better version of yourself, one that isn’t so perfect or “everything.” It’s about letting people into your life to help you even if it isn’t handled by you. This book is a perfect reminder that women CAN have it all, but they can allow people into their lives to make a life of “all” more abundant.