Beautiful romance story with interesting characters and a story that brought up some great topics for discussion.
Their friendship and banter grew on me with each interaction and that well deserved happily ever after is not coming easily but well crafted.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy .

I had a hard time deciding how to rate this book; there were many aspects of it I enjoyed but there were a lot of aspects that left me with questions so I feel like it was unfinished. I enjoyed this VERY small town romance and the characters including the quirky town residents, but to be honest I wanted more from this book.

Sydney Walsh finds her long time boyfriend banging a woman in their apartment and in their bed. She leaves New York City for the town of Pine Ridge in the Adirondacks of New York where her mother currently lives. Sydney quite frankly is a bit of a mess; she has a law degree but a year ago she left her firm and spent the time being the best girlfriend to her successful boyfriend (basically being arm candy). There was a bit of a hint that she had worked herself into a bad spot, but it was never really discussed and to be honest it needed to be because she ditches law totally, she apparently has no money to her name (?), and decides to revamp her mother’s failing bookstore in the small town. It all just felt “off” and like there was something big missing from the story because of it. On her first night in town after knocking back a couple of beers in a bar waiting for food she literally backs into Sam Kirkland the town’s mechanic and all around good guy.

Sydney and Sam don’t really get off on the best foot mainly because they are both fighting the attraction between them. Sydney is still reeling and likes the way Sam makes her feel but worries it’s wrong on the heels of her break-up. Sam fights it because he’s dedicated himself to a woman and her child because he feels gratitude to what she did for his dying mom and because he sees himself in the young boy. It takes way to long for that situation to come to a head especially when the woman was trying to remain sober for her son and not because she wanted to. This could have really been a great look at alcoholism and the consequences and treatment but it was glossed over and just became this big fog over what could have been a nice romance.

I did love that Sydney decided to turn her Mom’s bookstore into one that promoted romance books when she discovered so many people in the town enjoyed them as well as the tourists. I enjoyed watching Sydney and Sam’s friendship grow and turn into more. It was fun watching Sydney be accepted into the town and I was happy that she and her mother found their footing with one another which led to a much better relationship and a lot of understanding. I just found the actual romance lacking which was sad considering the whole romance bookstore theme, the time they spent together was in secret because of the promise Sam had made to his woman friend and considering most of the town realized something was happening between them I had to wonder why? Again that whole situation was dragged out way too long and instead of a satisfying romance, this was more of a small town women’s fiction novel with sex.

I’ve read a lot of first novels; some fantastic, some awful, and quite a few that were pretty good and that’s where Wild Love fell. I enjoyed the book but unfortunately the lack of character development, the lack of actual romance, and the unanswered questions left me feeling like something was missing. That being said, there was enough about this town that peaked my interest and I’d be happy to read the next book in this series.

I didn't like this one as much as I hoped. I've been having problems with recent releases saying their romcoms, but they're never coming off that way. The Checklist went a little too slow for me and I had trouble staying focused. I'd say that this was more of a women's lit, which is fine, but it's not really a romance at all.

The Checklist is the story of Dylan who is a corporate consultant. Like the book, the title implies she does have a checklist.

Her checklist includes:
1) making partner at her firm
2) getting a condo in Texas with her boyfriend

Her job has her going to Seattle to help a company that is failing. During that time she starts to discover her boyfriend is a snob and not someone she actually likes.

As the story moves along Dylan comes to the realization of what is important to her and what she really wants in her life. This awareness has her realizing that what she originally put on her checklist might not be what she really wants in her life.

Even though the book is marketed as a rom-com it felt more like Women's Fiction. Readers who enjoy the heroine finding her voice and paving her own path will enjoy this story.
Audio book source: Audible
Narrator: Adenrele Ojo
Length: 11H 59M

The Checklist by Addie Woolridge was a fun read that had me smiling and turning the pages. A story about a woman who had everything under control suddenly finds her life a hot mess. Now she is trying to get it all back under control while trying to save her job and fix her love life. The story was sweet and had some great characters. Dylan was so determined and organized, and it was fun trying to see her fix the chaos her life has become. I am excited to read more from this author!

Happy reading!

I wanted to love this book, but I struggled with it so much. I'll be honest, I'm not sure I even liked it. First off, it was advertised as a rom-com. One of my biggest pet peeves is looking forward to a romance and finding out that the book has almost zero romance. This is definitely women's fiction/chick-lit. If that's what you're looking for, you may find much more enjoyment than I did. The writing wasn't bad, but the characters and the story fell flat for me.

3.5 stars

I found The Checklist to be a delightful read with a few laugh out loud moments. Overall I did not feel this book was properly categorized as a romance novel. It was more of a women’s fiction story. The focus was entirely on Dylan, the main character, and her chaotic and infuriating employment situation.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and thought this novel flowed really well. There was humor and anger and every emotion in-between! I really liked Dylan’s personality. She was independent and driven but also vulnerable.

Her family dynamic was both humorous and understandably frustrating. Her parents were a hoot, especially with their quirky neighborhood drama. I wished there was more interaction with her siblings, as that would have provided more insight into her upbringing.

The title of this book threw me off though. Aside from one or two mentions of Dylan enjoying making checklists, there was not an actual checklist she was trying to accomplish throughout the story. That was a little misleading.

There was a teeny tiny bit of romance in this novel. Dylan has a cohabitating boyfriend, who’s absolutely dull and forgettable. There’s also a charming neighbor that catches her eye now that they’re both grown up. You get to see her navigate both relationships and decide who treats her right. You do not get any smut or steam in this story.

I would read another book by this author, now knowing the type of writing she produces.

The Checklist by A Woolridge is a debut novel and I'm torn what to write in my review. I started reading and was intrigued by the heroine, her lacking boyfriend and her unique family. The family of hers was great, just a bit too much, like everything in the storyline. On the other side I wwanted to learn about the male maincharacter, but where did he hide??
I really, really wanted to like the book, but I just couldn't get into the story. Some scenes were drawn out while other - for me interesting characters and scenes were missing or too shallow.
All in all it's an ok read, 3,75 stars.

This will appear soon on the Romance Reviews Today site: http://romrevtoday.com/

THE CHECKLIST – Addie Woolridge
Montlake Romance
ISBN: 978-1542029278
June 1, 2021
Romantic Comedy

Seattle, Washington – Present Day

Corporate consultant Dylan Delacroix has the supervisor from hell, and as payback for upstaging him, she is sent on a job assignment to the one place she wants to avoid: her hometown of Seattle. Leaving her longtime boyfriend, Nicolas, behind, Dylan makes the trip to Seattle and stays with her parents. The assignment is to rehabilitate the reputation of a CEO as company morale is in the tank and the stock price is teetering on the edge. Things start off wrong the very first day as the person who was supposed to set her up at the company decided to quit—without letting Dylan know. Now Dylan, who is notorious for keeping “checklists” of things to do, is having to wing her new assignment.

Coming home to live with her parents and sister—even if temporary—is a return to chaos for Dylan, which includes her family fighting with the couple next door. When she goes next door at the request of her parents to ask the neighbors to turn off an intrusive light, she runs into their son, Mike, who has turned out mighty fine as an adult. Things click between Dylan and Mike, even as her relationship with Nicolas heads south. Meanwhile, her supervisor back in Houston, Jared, is haranguing her over the phone and in emails, putting pressure on Dylan to succeed. The boss of the company she is trying to “fix” doesn’t think there’s anything wrong. Yet, it’s clear that they need help to fix employee relations. For the checklist carrying Dylan, this should be a piece of cake. But everything is falling apart—and more.

The fun is in the cards in THE CHECKLIST, a hip and funny tale that takes place in the technology business world. Dylan figures the job would be easy to do. Get everyone and everything straightened out, then she can go back to Houston and Nicolas. Meanwhile, she must deal with her family’s quirks and nuances as her parents aren’t like most families. They are into art and saving the world, while Dylan is more concerned with making sure everything is perfect in her world. When things don’t go her way, she feels like she is out of control. How will she handle things when it’s not going as she expects?

The characters in THE CHECKLIST are mostly all quirky, even Dylan, who might seem to be the sanest one in the group. Will Dylan’s relationship with Nicolas survive before she can finish her assignment? They were living together but their being apart has her seeing how selfish he is and wondering if it’s time to end the relationship. Will Mike be there to “pick up the pieces”? The corporate assignment isn’t easy, and Dylan starts to wonder if she will even have a job by the time she’s finished, especially since Tim, the business owner, doesn’t seem to have a clue that he is bad at being a boss.

Check out THE CHECKLIST for an entertaining read that takes place in the business world and watch as Dylan’s plan to keep things going perfect soon ends in chaos.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today