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A review by dinipandareads
In a Rush by Kate Canterbary
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Special thanks to Kate Canterbary and her team for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars đ
TL;DR:Over the years, Kate Canterbary has become one of my favourite go-to romance authors. Now when I pick up one of her books, I know itâll be a great time. Reading In A Rush felt like receiving a warm and welcoming hug from an old friend I hadnât seen in a while and I loved Ryan and Emme! Their chemistry was a simmering explosion just waiting to happen, their friend groups were hilarious, their families entertaining (but also very messed up, at least on Emmeâs side) and overall, this was the perfect romantic escape read from the mess of reality. I was all for Ryanâs peak Wife Guy energy that had me swooning all over the place (no joke)! Iâm already excited to get more books in the Friendship series (please bless us, KC!). đ
Weâre first introduced to this group of friends in Shayâs book, In a Jam, as theyâre school teacher friends from Boston. While we didnât âproperlyâ meet them in Shayâs book, Iâm happy we get to know more about this group of messy, sarcastic, overdramatic, and highly relatable ride-or-die girlfriends. Typical of Canterbaryâs FMCs, Emme is your feisty, slightly unhinged binch, who often doesnât know her strength and finds herself being walked over by the worst of men-kind. She wonât be everyoneâs cuppa but I found her highly relatable. As corny as it sounds, I loved watching her bloom again when Ryan comes back into her life and she sheds the shroud of doubt and insecurity that her pig of an ex so expertly draped over her. You can see in subtle ways how she finds confidence and joy in being herself again and it was clear to everyone else too.
As for Ryan... Holy granola, this man! He had me swooning all over the show with his doting Wife Guy energy and I was seated for the whole ride. Though IRL Wife Guys may be âoutâ thanks to idiots tarnishing the term, Iâm still a sucker for the in-book Wife Guys and how they love to dote on their wives. I love how Canterbaryâs men do this and because of them, Iâve come to adore this sub-trope more. Thereâs just something about a guy who would love to do nothing more than spoil and adore their wives and make their lives betterâand not for the public or anyone else but just because they canât help themselves from doing so! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and swoony and Ryan excelled at being a Wife Guy and setting those butterflies in my stomach off in a total frenzy! I made a lot of highlights where he was concerned. đ¤
Their romance was unsurprisingly explosive and I loved the build-up of tension as they go from besties wondering if theyâre actually doing this (well, heâs wondering if this is real cos his dream is coming true, lol) to crossing the line into lovers and being married. Their personalities complemented each other so well! Theyâre not grumpy sunshine opposites per se, but rather grumpy and grumpier and they both come across as intimidating and not people to mess around with. However, he is also the calm to her chaos and theyâd both do anything for the people they love, even if itâs at their own expense. I loved how Canterbary introduced the strength of their friendship bond from their high school days through to the present in a way that was organic and didnât involve flashback chapters. I felt the closeness of their bond and understood how well they clicked on a soulmate level. They were just so wonderful together! đ
The reason why this isnât a full five stars is that I thought weâd at least get one scene with Ryanâs whole family. Their group chat was a fucking delight and one of the many highlights of the book for me, so I was bummed when we didnât get a face-to-face scene with them, especially because Grandma Cece sounded like a hoot! I also just generally wished we spent more time with both friend groups because I just loved spending time with them. The reasons for their marriage of convenience also didnât end up playing as big a role as I expected it to but on the whole, these were (IMHO) minor things that didnât hugely impact my overall enjoyment of this romance!
TL;DR:Over the years, Kate Canterbary has become one of my favourite go-to romance authors. Now when I pick up one of her books, I know itâll be a great time. Reading In A Rush felt like receiving a warm and welcoming hug from an old friend I hadnât seen in a while and I loved Ryan and Emme! Their chemistry was a simmering explosion just waiting to happen, their friend groups were hilarious, their families entertaining (but also very messed up, at least on Emmeâs side) and overall, this was the perfect romantic escape read from the mess of reality. I was all for Ryanâs peak Wife Guy energy that had me swooning all over the place (no joke)! Iâm already excited to get more books in the Friendship series (please bless us, KC!). đ
Weâre first introduced to this group of friends in Shayâs book, In a Jam, as theyâre school teacher friends from Boston. While we didnât âproperlyâ meet them in Shayâs book, Iâm happy we get to know more about this group of messy, sarcastic, overdramatic, and highly relatable ride-or-die girlfriends. Typical of Canterbaryâs FMCs, Emme is your feisty, slightly unhinged binch, who often doesnât know her strength and finds herself being walked over by the worst of men-kind. She wonât be everyoneâs cuppa but I found her highly relatable. As corny as it sounds, I loved watching her bloom again when Ryan comes back into her life and she sheds the shroud of doubt and insecurity that her pig of an ex so expertly draped over her. You can see in subtle ways how she finds confidence and joy in being herself again and it was clear to everyone else too.
As for Ryan... Holy granola, this man! He had me swooning all over the show with his doting Wife Guy energy and I was seated for the whole ride. Though IRL Wife Guys may be âoutâ thanks to idiots tarnishing the term, Iâm still a sucker for the in-book Wife Guys and how they love to dote on their wives. I love how Canterbaryâs men do this and because of them, Iâve come to adore this sub-trope more. Thereâs just something about a guy who would love to do nothing more than spoil and adore their wives and make their lives betterâand not for the public or anyone else but just because they canât help themselves from doing so! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and swoony and Ryan excelled at being a Wife Guy and setting those butterflies in my stomach off in a total frenzy! I made a lot of highlights where he was concerned. đ¤
Their romance was unsurprisingly explosive and I loved the build-up of tension as they go from besties wondering if theyâre actually doing this (well, heâs wondering if this is real cos his dream is coming true, lol) to crossing the line into lovers and being married. Their personalities complemented each other so well! Theyâre not grumpy sunshine opposites per se, but rather grumpy and grumpier and they both come across as intimidating and not people to mess around with. However, he is also the calm to her chaos and theyâd both do anything for the people they love, even if itâs at their own expense. I loved how Canterbary introduced the strength of their friendship bond from their high school days through to the present in a way that was organic and didnât involve flashback chapters. I felt the closeness of their bond and understood how well they clicked on a soulmate level. They were just so wonderful together! đ
The reason why this isnât a full five stars is that I thought weâd at least get one scene with Ryanâs whole family. Their group chat was a fucking delight and one of the many highlights of the book for me, so I was bummed when we didnât get a face-to-face scene with them, especially because Grandma Cece sounded like a hoot! I also just generally wished we spent more time with both friend groups because I just loved spending time with them. The reasons for their marriage of convenience also didnât end up playing as big a role as I expected it to but on the whole, these were (IMHO) minor things that didnât hugely impact my overall enjoyment of this romance!