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kieranl's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Good read. Loved the character growth and journeys.
khieeae's review
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. If you’re looking for a cute casual read with not too much angst or drama then I highly recommend.
We meat Jillian, a not so nice business woman and Reagan, maybe too nice of a business woman. Reagan brings out the good in Jillian and we see a whole 180 turn in her social behavior. They make the perfect couple and though I would’ve hope for more fiery tension filled encounters between them I still loved the pairing. Five stars!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in returned for an honest review!
We meat Jillian, a not so nice business woman and Reagan, maybe too nice of a business woman. Reagan brings out the good in Jillian and we see a whole 180 turn in her social behavior. They make the perfect couple and though I would’ve hope for more fiery tension filled encounters between them I still loved the pairing. Five stars!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in returned for an honest review!
wordsandfiction's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One of the main characters in this book is Reagan Murphy. She is the typical, friendly and accommodating person you would want as a friend or neighbour. With her long-time best friend, she owns several successful restaurants, with the prospect of several more. But one day, her life is disrupted when she and her mother learn of her father's terminal illness.
The other main character is Jillian Jacobs. She is a relentlessly hard-working marketing exec with only one goal in mind: to climb the corporate ladder. She often uses her insufferable ice queen character to the max to get what she wants. And oh, I loved it! Jillian is attractive in an imposing way, aloof to be around, and therefore totally socially awkward. But all these traits are there for a reason, and she also declares that she doesn't know how to turn them off. I have a soft spot for complicated characters like Jill, so I couldn't help but fall a little in love with her. And as expected, her tough exterior protects a broken interior.
When Reagan meets the obnoxious Jill during one of the most challenging times, her life is turned upside down even more than it already was.
This book is complex and deals with many emotional, sad and disappointing experiences in life. But the question is, how do I find my way out of this total emotional drain? How best to deal with it? Life can be lonely and dark, but sometimes a little light appears in the distance to show you the way out of the darkness.
I could already foresee the conflicts that would arise, so they were no surprise to me. However, the sweet ending made up for it – I really enjoyed reading this book!
judeinthestars's review
5.0
4.5⭐️ – The way my brain works, I rarely remember stories, and never in details. Sometimes I’ll remember characters, usually not their names. What I remember are emotions and feelings. When I saw Kate Gavin’s name, I knew I had read a book by her and the emotion her name evoked was something like “why not”. I’ll be honest, even after rereading the review I wrote of that book, [b:Full of Promise|45168981|Full of Promise|Kate Gavin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555612361l/45168981._SX50_.jpg|69872134], I don’t remember it (which really doesn’t mean it wasn’t good, my memory sucks). But the last sentence of the review (“There’s nothing groundbreaking about it but it’s heartwarming and totally worth reading”) plus that feeling in my head were enough for me to want to give Table for Two a try. I am so glad I did! Sure, it made me cry and I don’t like crying but if a book must make me cry, that’s the way to do it.
Jillian is an ice queen (a euphemism for what she really is) but she doesn’t want to be. She says it herself, she doesn’t know how to turn it off. Growing up with an excruciatingly demanding mother and a stepfather who didn’t notice her most of the time, Jill is as closed off as can be. She hides her social awkwardness behind an icy and at times downright rude facade. Meeting Reagan, who is kind and patient but won’t take shit from anyone, will change everything. Reagan is living one of the most difficult moments of her life, her father is dying of pancreatic cancer and she’s trying not to waste a second of the time he has left. One of her two best friends is also her business partner and picks up the slack when Reagan needs more time for her family. When her parents insist she goes back to work, Reagan is determined to be at her best, even when dealing with the oh-so-attractive yet oh-so-difficult Jillian.
I have to say, Reagan charmed me immediately but I have a soft spot for misunderstood characters who learn to show vulnerability. My heart broke for Jill more than once and when the dreaded breakup occurred, I could understand Reagan’s reaction but I was crushed on Jill’s behalf anyhow. Gavin pushed the angst to the max (for a mercifully short time) and I loved every second of it.
Besides Jill and Reagan, I loved Reagan’s parents, hated Jill’s family, and I wish everyone had friends (I include Ash, Jill’s non-binary assistant) like both have to support and love them.
If you couldn’t tell already, I enjoyed this book very much. I’m pretty sure the next time I come across Kate Gavin’s name, I won’t need to check my reviews to confirm that yes, I want to read her books.
ARC provided to LeZReviewBooks for an honest review.
Jillian is an ice queen (a euphemism for what she really is) but she doesn’t want to be. She says it herself, she doesn’t know how to turn it off. Growing up with an excruciatingly demanding mother and a stepfather who didn’t notice her most of the time, Jill is as closed off as can be. She hides her social awkwardness behind an icy and at times downright rude facade. Meeting Reagan, who is kind and patient but won’t take shit from anyone, will change everything. Reagan is living one of the most difficult moments of her life, her father is dying of pancreatic cancer and she’s trying not to waste a second of the time he has left. One of her two best friends is also her business partner and picks up the slack when Reagan needs more time for her family. When her parents insist she goes back to work, Reagan is determined to be at her best, even when dealing with the oh-so-attractive yet oh-so-difficult Jillian.
I have to say, Reagan charmed me immediately but I have a soft spot for misunderstood characters who learn to show vulnerability. My heart broke for Jill more than once and when the dreaded breakup occurred, I could understand Reagan’s reaction but I was crushed on Jill’s behalf anyhow. Gavin pushed the angst to the max (for a mercifully short time) and I loved every second of it.
Besides Jill and Reagan, I loved Reagan’s parents, hated Jill’s family, and I wish everyone had friends (I include Ash, Jill’s non-binary assistant) like both have to support and love them.
If you couldn’t tell already, I enjoyed this book very much. I’m pretty sure the next time I come across Kate Gavin’s name, I won’t need to check my reviews to confirm that yes, I want to read her books.
ARC provided to LeZReviewBooks for an honest review.
elvang's review
4.0
An angsty read made better thanks to the amazing Anastasia Watley. Reagan succeeds in warming Jillian's cold, cold heart. Liked both mains. A solid romance.
raychelbennet's review
4.0
An endearing f/f romance featuring the standoffish, work-obsessed, and emotionally-neglected-since-childhood Jill and restaurant owner Reagan reeling from the cancer diagnosis and quick loss of her beloved father. This deals quite beautifully with different relationship styles, how mental health affects relationships, and how two people can overcome that. This was a sweet story with a good emotional element. I strongly recommend it.
nonbinaryknight's review
5.0
4.5/5
I had originally intended to break up the book into two or three days so that I wouldn’t burn myself out of the story. However, I was hooked about 20% of the way through the book.
Jillian is a marketing executive whose main focus is on getting a promotion. Reagan is a co-owner of multiple restaurants with her close friend where she manages the money side of everything. The two have an unlikely encounter at a tavern where only one table is available for the lunch service and the two have to share. Jillian’s cold persona immediately clashes with Reagan’s cheerfulness. The two get off to a rough start but eventually they manage to find their rhythm with each other.
Reagan is a sweet character and I adore her family. She loves her job and her family and she’s very open about her emotions for the most part. Jillian is the opposite, but I still loved her as a character. The author did an amazing job at writing the emotions of the two characters that at points drove me to tears. The attraction between the two was obvious at the beginning, but it grew and developed through the story to be something amazing.
There are a few side characters in the book and I love most of them. The characters that I don’t love weren’t written to be likeable characters in the first place. Also, I really liked that Ash uses they/them pronouns.
My only issue with this book was that I wish it were longer. I wish there had been more time for the ending to truly develop rather than three or so chapters. I was bothered by it, but it’s nothing new and the author wrote it in such a way where I didn’t need it. It would have been nice, but the work is amazing even without it being longer.
I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for a fair, honest review. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book ahead of release.
I had originally intended to break up the book into two or three days so that I wouldn’t burn myself out of the story. However, I was hooked about 20% of the way through the book.
Jillian is a marketing executive whose main focus is on getting a promotion. Reagan is a co-owner of multiple restaurants with her close friend where she manages the money side of everything. The two have an unlikely encounter at a tavern where only one table is available for the lunch service and the two have to share. Jillian’s cold persona immediately clashes with Reagan’s cheerfulness. The two get off to a rough start but eventually they manage to find their rhythm with each other.
Reagan is a sweet character and I adore her family. She loves her job and her family and she’s very open about her emotions for the most part. Jillian is the opposite, but I still loved her as a character. The author did an amazing job at writing the emotions of the two characters that at points drove me to tears. The attraction between the two was obvious at the beginning, but it grew and developed through the story to be something amazing.
There are a few side characters in the book and I love most of them. The characters that I don’t love weren’t written to be likeable characters in the first place. Also, I really liked that Ash uses they/them pronouns.
My only issue with this book was that I wish it were longer. I wish there had been more time for the ending to truly develop rather than three or so chapters. I was bothered by it, but it’s nothing new and the author wrote it in such a way where I didn’t need it. It would have been nice, but the work is amazing even without it being longer.
I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for a fair, honest review. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book ahead of release.
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