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valentina25's review
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
toknowthyshelf's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review!
This book, for me, was decidedly okay. The plot and characters had a lot of potential which for me, went un-fulfilled. The overall voice of the novel read like a blog - occasionally deeper and more meaningful, but in general, a rather typical voice that didn't stand out much from other characters or authors. The plot remained unfulfilled for me because the conflict was pretty mellow until about 3/4 of the way through, when it ramped up to an extent that seemed unrealistic given the slow burn of the conflict so far. The protagonist is pretty likable, which is funny because a lot of the conflict eventually hinges on her being a "difficult" person to love and care for, which you don't really see. The romance itself was an incredibly slow-burn, and the banter almost read as though it was from a modernization of a Jane Austen novel, but that didn't really fit with the overall tone of the book. The end, which could have redeemed these smaller issues, was utterly forgetable and unrealistic. It didn't fit with the characters or the tone I got from the story. That said, I appreciate the take on romance in the art world, and think anyone invested in artists and their lives may enjoy this read.
This book, for me, was decidedly okay. The plot and characters had a lot of potential which for me, went un-fulfilled. The overall voice of the novel read like a blog - occasionally deeper and more meaningful, but in general, a rather typical voice that didn't stand out much from other characters or authors. The plot remained unfulfilled for me because the conflict was pretty mellow until about 3/4 of the way through, when it ramped up to an extent that seemed unrealistic given the slow burn of the conflict so far. The protagonist is pretty likable, which is funny because a lot of the conflict eventually hinges on her being a "difficult" person to love and care for, which you don't really see. The romance itself was an incredibly slow-burn, and the banter almost read as though it was from a modernization of a Jane Austen novel, but that didn't really fit with the overall tone of the book. The end, which could have redeemed these smaller issues, was utterly forgetable and unrealistic. It didn't fit with the characters or the tone I got from the story. That said, I appreciate the take on romance in the art world, and think anyone invested in artists and their lives may enjoy this read.
kaileighsbooknook's review
4.0
AHH This book was such a pleasant surprise for me. I was expecting one of those typical cheesy hallmark esque books but this book was honestly so much more. I will also start by saying, I have such a soft spot for British romances. This story follows Kate who decides to just change her entire life and move back to her own town and quit her job. This book had the romance piece we all love (enemies to lovers, AHH) but it also had so much more. It has Kate who is so concerned about reinventing her life and really starting over. I loved that the main characters main focus was herself for so much of the book, and the love story comes later. This book truly just melted my heart, and I will definitely be reading another book by this author VERY SOON!
bridgets_books's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this humorous novel. It isn't exactly a romantic comedy as there is lots of focus on Katherine taking control of her life. In many ways, the romance takes second billing to the dynamic of family and friends. The dramatic segments of the story portray the difficulties in becoming an adult, no matter your age.
The banter between Katherine, her brother, father, step-mother, and best friend make this book a winner. Several of these conversations are laugh-out-loud funny.
As I said, the romance is there but not my main takeaway from the story. Kit provides the romance, while John becomes the antagonist. However, in my opinion, brother Adam is the real hero in this story. It's rare, but refreshing, to have a brother support his sister to such a degree.
The story build-up was slow to start but picked up nicely in the second half of the book. The characters and situations were completely believable.
I recommend Accidentally in Love to readers of contemporary fiction and happily-ever-after romances with lots of humor.
I received an advance review copy of the book. The above is my honest, unbiased opinion.
anatl's review
4.0
A sweet and heart warming British rom-com about making a change in one's life. I was expecting an enemies-to-lovers rom-com, but I must stress that the real focus of the book was family, friendship and making a leap of faith by opening a new business venture and trying to pursue your dreams.
Katharine Patterson is a 35 year old gallery curator that is fed up with her life in London, she has a very unsatisfying relationship with John a workaholic lawyer who doesn't want to commit, and she is vying for a promotion that she ends up being by past (not for the first time) for by a lesser candidate, just because he is chummy with her boss. She decides to quit everything on strike out on her own as a gallery owner in her hometown. There she meets Kit, a handsome and talented local artist, who seems to insult here on every turn.
I loved reading about Katherine. Both her and the side characters are so well developed that I almost didn't realized that more than half way into the book there were barely three interactions with the male lead of story. I must say that at first Kit, her love interest, comes off as a bit of a douche. He is rude, arrogant, snobby and obnoxious to our heroine for no apparent reason, but somehow by their fourth interaction he apologizes and makes a complete turn around.
Kit it turns out has a good reason to be broody, and he and Katherine have a lot in common once they break through the ice. There is a lot going on in the book beside the budding love affair. There is the financial strain of opening a new business, the chinks in the friendship with her best friend who is more absorbed in her upcoming marriage, the family interactions with her brother, her Dad, his wife and making time in your life for art.
Overall, this novel makes for a very enjoyable light-hearted read with a strong female lead, witty banter and warm family interactions. Just keep in mind that the rom part is spread a little unevenly.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HQ Digital for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#AccidentallyinLove #NetGalley
Katharine Patterson is a 35 year old gallery curator that is fed up with her life in London, she has a very unsatisfying relationship with John a workaholic lawyer who doesn't want to commit, and she is vying for a promotion that she ends up being by past (not for the first time) for by a lesser candidate, just because he is chummy with her boss. She decides to quit everything on strike out on her own as a gallery owner in her hometown. There she meets Kit, a handsome and talented local artist, who seems to insult here on every turn.
I loved reading about Katherine. Both her and the side characters are so well developed that I almost didn't realized that more than half way into the book there were barely three interactions with the male lead of story. I must say that at first Kit, her love interest, comes off as a bit of a douche. He is rude, arrogant, snobby and obnoxious to our heroine for no apparent reason, but somehow by their fourth interaction he apologizes and makes a complete turn around.
Kit it turns out has a good reason to be broody, and he and Katherine have a lot in common once they break through the ice. There is a lot going on in the book beside the budding love affair. There is the financial strain of opening a new business, the chinks in the friendship with her best friend who is more absorbed in her upcoming marriage, the family interactions with her brother, her Dad, his wife and making time in your life for art.
Overall, this novel makes for a very enjoyable light-hearted read with a strong female lead, witty banter and warm family interactions. Just keep in mind that the rom part is spread a little unevenly.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HQ Digital for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#AccidentallyinLove #NetGalley
hayleysnextpage's review
4.0
Accidentally in Love centres around Katharine. In one life-altering week, she quits her job, moves back home from London and dumps her boyfriend. But not all hope is lost, as one of her dreams are realised when she prepares to open an art gallery in her hometown, which exhibits work from local artists, including the handsome Christopher (Kit). The first meeting between the stubborn pair doesn't go well, so this is definitely an enemies-to-lovers book for fans of that trope.
I was a big fan of Belinda Missen's novel, One Week 'Til Christmas, so I was very excited to read her latest book. I loved the characters in Accidentally in Love; particularly Katharine's family as they were all so loving and supportive. In my opinion, the cute easy-to-read romance novel is perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Laura Jane Williams.
Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
I was a big fan of Belinda Missen's novel, One Week 'Til Christmas, so I was very excited to read her latest book. I loved the characters in Accidentally in Love; particularly Katharine's family as they were all so loving and supportive. In my opinion, the cute easy-to-read romance novel is perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Laura Jane Williams.
Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
rebeccach's review against another edition
5.0
Katharine has been passed over for a promotion at work and has just dumped the guy she is seeing when she decides to move back home and open a gallery. How hard can it be?
I absolutely adored this book, it was cute, funny and heartfelt. It was a joy getting to know Katharine and Christopher throughout the book alongside Katharine's friends and family.
I enjoyed the inclusion of Katharine's friend Lainey who is preparing for her upcoming wedding, I thought the book captured the experience of friendship as you get older well and reflected how people can become when they are planning for their wedding!
I could not put this book down, it was the perfect rom-com style book and I'm dying to read more books by the author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review.
I absolutely adored this book, it was cute, funny and heartfelt. It was a joy getting to know Katharine and Christopher throughout the book alongside Katharine's friends and family.
I enjoyed the inclusion of Katharine's friend Lainey who is preparing for her upcoming wedding, I thought the book captured the experience of friendship as you get older well and reflected how people can become when they are planning for their wedding!
I could not put this book down, it was the perfect rom-com style book and I'm dying to read more books by the author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review.
erizarahman's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
this book was just okay - i didn't love it, i didn't hate it. i was bored for the most part. i liked that katharine is driven and passionate, and i admired that she was able to pick herself up after quitting her job and breaking up with her boyfriend whom she thought was the one. christopher, on the other hand, is a confusing character for me. i kept changing my mind about him. one minute i thought i liked him the next i didn't. he's very straightforward and honest, which i kinda liked, but he was unnecessarily mean to katharine and that, i didn't like. he was also so dumb in the last few chapters and made me see him as an immature character even though he's well into his 30s and that's a shame.
as for the romance, there was hardly any development between katharine and christopher, and everything about them just felt flat to me. the transition from enemies to lovers wasn't smooth and it was jarring when they started dating each other because there was no chemistry at all between them.
katharine's brother, adam, was probably my favourite character and he was the highlight of the book.
anyway, this book wasn't it for me. i do think other people would enjoy it, but i wouldn't recommend it.
this book was just okay - i didn't love it, i didn't hate it. i was bored for the most part. i liked that katharine is driven and passionate, and i admired that she was able to pick herself up after quitting her job and breaking up with her boyfriend whom she thought was the one. christopher, on the other hand, is a confusing character for me. i kept changing my mind about him. one minute i thought i liked him the next i didn't. he's very straightforward and honest, which i kinda liked, but he was unnecessarily mean to katharine and that, i didn't like. he was also so dumb in the last few chapters and made me see him as an immature character even though he's well into his 30s and that's a shame.
as for the romance, there was hardly any development between katharine and christopher, and everything about them just felt flat to me. the transition from enemies to lovers wasn't smooth and it was jarring when they started dating each other because there was no chemistry at all between them.
katharine's brother, adam, was probably my favourite character and he was the highlight of the book.
anyway, this book wasn't it for me. i do think other people would enjoy it, but i wouldn't recommend it.
mrusbooks's review
5.0
“A beautifully and realistically written laugh-out-loud romance…”
I loved the chemistry between Kit and Katie. There wasn’t just passion and lust; there was mutual respect, understanding for each other’s work, and a mature outlook. The effortless writing was complemented with intelligent humor, and I was entertained thoroughly. Katie had her flaws, but who doesn’t, and she knew what they were and worked on it. That’s my favorite part when it comes to female leads.
I loved the book's pace, although Kit did not have a significant appearance until well into the middle of the story, I loved every buildup that led to him. I kept turning pages and frankly only realized I read 300 pages so quickly when I sat down to write this review.
Sharp and witty dialogue between leads always wins my heart.
I loved the chemistry between Kit and Katie. There wasn’t just passion and lust; there was mutual respect, understanding for each other’s work, and a mature outlook. The effortless writing was complemented with intelligent humor, and I was entertained thoroughly. Katie had her flaws, but who doesn’t, and she knew what they were and worked on it. That’s my favorite part when it comes to female leads.
I loved the book's pace, although Kit did not have a significant appearance until well into the middle of the story, I loved every buildup that led to him. I kept turning pages and frankly only realized I read 300 pages so quickly when I sat down to write this review.
Sharp and witty dialogue between leads always wins my heart.
ratetheromance's review
3.0
3.5 STARS
This book was pretty good and also pretty standard. Standard feisty heroine. Standard grumpy hero. Standard clingy ex-boyfriend. Standard family dynamics. Standard best friend from college. There's just nothing new or innovative here.
And the story is pretty darn slow. Just collections of daily tasks that have very minimal conflict. Yes, everything is moving towards an event, but it's all very mundane and we only get unsubtle hints at some conflict to come. I mean, we get a healthy dose of written out, but mostly uneventful trips to buy groceries. Is it crap? No. But it's not great either.
It's all very NICE. And, honestly, I want more than "nice". 1998-2020 has been years filled with romances that are shattering the standard. We're seeing story lines we've never seen before, main characters who are racially diverse, neuro-diverse, physically diverse, and emotionally diverse.
Some readers may still crave this kind of romance, like easy-to-watch Hallmark Christmas movies in December. But I am now expecting MORE from Contemporary Romance.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
This book was pretty good and also pretty standard. Standard feisty heroine. Standard grumpy hero. Standard clingy ex-boyfriend. Standard family dynamics. Standard best friend from college. There's just nothing new or innovative here.
And the story is pretty darn slow. Just collections of daily tasks that have very minimal conflict. Yes, everything is moving towards an event, but it's all very mundane and we only get unsubtle hints at some conflict to come. I mean, we get a healthy dose of written out, but mostly uneventful trips to buy groceries. Is it crap? No. But it's not great either.
It's all very NICE. And, honestly, I want more than "nice". 1998-2020 has been years filled with romances that are shattering the standard. We're seeing story lines we've never seen before, main characters who are racially diverse, neuro-diverse, physically diverse, and emotionally diverse.
Some readers may still crave this kind of romance, like easy-to-watch Hallmark Christmas movies in December. But I am now expecting MORE from Contemporary Romance.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.