This was a fun and enjoyable book about a second chance romance with a touch of comedy. The main character (Kara) is a bookstagrammer and writer of romantic books who has a interesting personality and she is really nice to everyone but also she has trust and confidence issues. Ryan also battles with some demons that are consequence of their college romance. Not everything was perfect then and not everything is perfect now but that is how reality is.

While Kara is writing her book we get a glimpse of the story that she is writing and we are able to see how Ryan is definitely inspiring her. I loved how the female character was strong enough to make hard decisions and prioritise giving herself some time to heal and think rather than just chasing the love interest. The plot also contains some very dramatic situations which made it even more appealing

There were parts of the book that felt a bit rushed and while the story as it is told from the perspective of Kara was great, I wanted to read about Ryan’s point of view at some point in the book. But overall a good comfortable story.

I really enjoyed Bromley’s writing and how well she was able to tell a story inside a story really well. The cover of the book is super cute and definitely brings the story to life.

I cannot say enough lovely things about this book.!

It was so well-written, I really related to the main character even down to the silly thoughts she had (i.e. if this person does this then it is meant to be).

Kara is helping with her best friend’s wedding plans and there are a host of pre-wedding events which she is involved in. At one of the pre-wedding dinners Kara bumps into her ex who, it turns out, is good friends with the groom.
Kara is furious to see him but discovers that she is more furious at herself for the feelings it has ignited within her.

Kara has enough on her plate though as she has a deadline for the book she is writing and zero inspiration, she has also got a trip planned very soon but needs to get her book written in order to fund the trip-she is on a race against the clock but cannot seem to drag her mind away from Ryan.

This book reminded me of something Mhairi McFarlane would write, I adored it!

Perfectly brilliant and an utter joy to read! Thank you!

I really enjoyed this book! It was an enemies to lovers and second chance romance story, which I always really enjoy. It made me laugh out loud multiple times because the conversations, banter and comebacks between Kara and Ryan were so funny.
I also really enjoyed the book within a book element, as Kara is a romance writer who is struggling to finish her latest novel, and how as she slowly writes you can see it echoing the main story.

Kara and Ryan were by no means perfect characters, they were flawed and relatable and definitely made mistakes and that for me was what made this story so great because I was really rooting for them through everything and I wanted more than anything for them to get their happily ever after.

This book was a wild ride and I loved every page of it! It made me laugh, broke my heart and fixed it again.

What a fantastic story, I loved the characters, even though I wanted to shout at them as well as bash their heads together. A book about hope, love and include a dog has me hooked. Loved it

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for a honest review. This will be my first, so bear with me.

First of all, trigger warnings:
- Body image : Kara is a size 8 (US) yet rejoices in the fact that her dress makes her look thinner
- Death of a loved one : Feelings of guilt over something said to a loved one before he passed (think about Legendborn, but this time is the dad, not the mum).

This book was delightful. Maybe it was just the right time for me to read something mainly light hearted and funny, but I truly enjoyed it.

As the title implies, it’s full of bookish references. Without going into too many details, so as not to spoil the fun for you, this rom-com is about Kara Sullivan, a historical romance novelist going through a writer’s block. Her friend Cristina is getting married (to Jason who, honestly, feels more like a puppy than a real guy, he’s so sweet) and she crosses paths with her ex Ryan. The ex. Think dreamy yummy cowboy in a suit.

You’ll have to read it. Trust me, if you’re after a feel good Bookish romance you won’t regret it!

I loved Maggie, Kara’s friend from yoga class. She’s witty, real and, let’s face it, I saw myself in her (I’ve never kept a gym membership for long either).

Ps: I need a New Yorker to please tell me if those bars, coffee and eating spots really exist. The descriptions were so real I wanted to do a “Talk bookish to me” NY tour right now!

On one hand this is a cute bookish romance story, having the main character as a romance reader and a romance author was a nice touch, and I enjoyed a lot of the conversations around romance novels.

However I did have to suspend my beliefs to want the 2 characters to get together, too many lies and big grand gestures that are expected to make it all okay.

Talk Bookish to Me is a stellar debut with all the elements I love in a contemporary romance plus more:

* A perfect blend of my two favourite tropes; enemies to lovers and second chance romance.
* A relatable protagonist who is not only a romance novelist but a Bookstagrammer too!
* All the angst, witty banter and great chemistry between the two main characters.
* A book in a book.
* A mischievous bathroom loving bulldog.
* Fun secondary characters you want as friends!

Kara and Ryan’s story was such a joy to read. I was routing for them throughout. There were so many laugh out loud moments, swoony scenes and I really loved the growth we see in both characters as they work through their issues.

I’ll be recommending this to all of my bookish friends and I can’t wait to read more from Kate Bromley in the future.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books for kindly allowing me to read a digital ARC of this wonderful book!

(4.5 stars)

Enemies to Lovers is probably one of my favourite sub-genres and, I'm addicted! This book was not what I expected it to be, but I wasn't disappointed. Although, in the end, I knew it was going to happen, I was definitely leaning towards a different ending after meeting some new characters.

Kate Bromley really displayed the growth of both characters. She made them both not only relatable with problems, emotions and hurdles but made them human and not just characters. It's something that I find is always left out of when it comes to this sub-genre and, this book felt real. It made me laugh, cry, frustrated, blush but also made me realise that it's okay to make mistakes.

Kara and Ryan were both outstanding characters, and their story definitely deserved the ending. But, my heart wanted so much for Liam. Along with that, the friendship between Maggie and Kara was perfect. I loved that it displayed the honesty and the importance of any relationship.

This book definitely like no other, and kudos to the author for this debut novel!

I really enjoyed this book. The protagonist being a Bookstagrammer and author? Erm hello yes please! It was a really pleasant read. I think this book will be extremely popular when it comes out. It was a rom-com I didn’t know I needed!

The only thing I would say, is I didn’t particularly think Kara’s novel throughout was needed. A novel within a novel? It was a bit difficult to remember what had happened as Kara’s book was only introduced every few chapters. I also didn’t agree with some of Ryan’s actions but I’d still say it was a 4 star read from me.

I feel like this book really inspired me to write my own novel...we shall see!

This novel seemed like a lot of fun when I requested it. But the reality was a drag from the beginning. I struggled to like the characters and the relationships.

It's a shame as this book seemed right up my alley. I can't help but wonder if maybe I'd have liked it more if I'd read it another time. But as it is, I found it dull.

This was my first novel set in America that I've read this year and I thought it was quirky, fun and a great easy read. I particularly loved the writing style and Kara's voice, and I'm pretty sure any bookish woman could and will relate to her! I also loved that Kara's occupation was a bestselling romance author. Not only did it champion the genre (my bug bear: insulting one of the bestselling genres in the industry), but it spoke quite a lot about how it was written, including romance tropes, and I find all of that stuff so fascinating!

Really witty, fantastically millennial and a romance with real depth.

Full review to appear on my blog soon.

Kara Sullivan is a well-known romance novelist but her own love life hasn't yet taken flight like her books. That is until, her first love reappears into her life and takes her on a journey she never expected.

Wow, this book was everything I could ever want! Kara was a brilliant protagonist and i'm sure a lot of girls felt represented in the aspect of not feeling like they could be loved by anybody. I loved Ryan and Kara's chemistry, it was beautiful how they could go from literally teasing each other to effortlessly being in love. Ryan was everything I want in a book boyfriend, he was a little bit cocky and seemed so sure of himself but it turns out he has quite the vulnerable side and I loved seeing that other side of him.

I also loved the addition of Maggie! She was a brilliant character, I loved how she never felt bad about putting Kara in her place and making her grow up a little bit. I feel like this sort of friendship is so underrated in books but it is so real!

The plot twist in this book shook me to the core. I absolutely never expected it and I gasped when I read it. I'm glad the author took the route of not having Kara forgive Ryan straight away or 2 months down the line, it took her a solid 6 months to grow and realise it was what she wanted and I loved that. I have nothing but praise for Kate Bromley, this novel was fantastic and I literally couldn't put it down. I know so many people that will love this and i'll definitely be recommending it to everyone!

This debut novel by Kate Bromley is everything I was hoping for and more. This is probably my favourite book I've read so far this year, I connected so well with the storyline and the characters.

Talk Bookish To Me is the story of Kara, a romance novelist with a writer's block and a deadline, maid of honour of her best friend Cristina. And the pre-wedding party she discovers that her best friend's soon-to-be-husband has his invited his two best friends growing up. And one of them, is nonetheless than Kara's first boyfriend from college. It has been 10 years since they broke up, not in the most amicable way, and they haven't spoken since. When after the party she got home and started writing her book she can't help but wonder if he's the key to write this new novel.

I absolutely loved every single page of this amazing debut novel, and I will honestly recommend it to everyone I know.

3.75 stars

Talk Bookish to Me has all of the elements that I love to read in romance; enemies to lovers, second chance romance, a wedding and a protagonist who is a writer and we get to read chapters of the book she is writing. As these are all of the the tropes I love to read I had high expectations that I was going to love this book and for the most part I did love it. The writing was great and the chemistry between the two main characters was well done. I like that the story isn't solely on the romance but about family and friendships and these are explored well throughout the book.

Sadly, there is a reveal that happens in here that I sort of guessed might happen and desperately wished it wouldn't, alas it happened and after that it left a sour taste in my mouth. Especially because the rest of the story moves very quickly and everything is wrapped up a little too conveniently for me.

Overall, this is a solid book with a good romance and I would recommend. I personally just wish it hadn't gone in the direction that it did.

This book has so much going on. It is jam packed with romance, bookishness, amazingly relatable characters and a great story. This book spoke straight to my soul.

Upon hearing that this was an enemies-to-lovers book I got really excited as I’m a huge fan of that writing trope. Not only that, adding in explosive, unstoppable banter and you’ll have me at the edge of my seat.

I would say that this book managed to capture that feeling.

I was already hooked from the first few pages. I love the idea that our main character is a bookstagrammer because it’s something that I can relate to as a bookstagrammer myself. The banter at the beginning was a page turner and I couldn’t stop reading.

However, imagine my excitement when I found out that this book was more of a soft romance than an enemies-to-lovers! If there’s something I love more than enemies-to-lovers it’s an adorable soft romance and I greatly appreciated this in the book.

Reading about the main character’s healing journey was beautiful and I always appreciate authors who can properly deliver a good healing development.

In conclusion, I was very satisfied with this book and I can’t wait to read more of this author’s books one day!

When I saw this book listed for request I jumped at the opportunity. The cover grabbed my attention and the synopsis looked fab.

Unfortunately the book just didn’t deliver for me. I never connected with Kara. She grated on me actually, which can be a massive positive for a supporting character, but it’s not ideal for the main character.

The storyline was ok, but then the reveal came and I wanted to ditch the book there and then. I’m a huge fan of romcoms, but this didn’t do it for me.

Despite my negative comments, I do want to add that I loved the authors writing style. It flowed well, it was engaging and was enjoyable to read. It was just the content of the later parts of the book that disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

I was hooked on this from beginning to end! The love story between Kara and Ryan completely drew me in, each page I was turning I was routing for the both of them.

The way that the storyline comes together in this book is so lovely, it was just the kind of read I needed.

Kara is an author with a deadline that is becoming closer and closer but distractions keep her from writing, with reminders being sent to her daily she needs to do something about getting her book finished.

Overall I LOVED this, an easy 4 stars for me! I am not much of a Rom Com reader, but this book has left me wanting to read more! Now I want a physical copy when it is published (27/05/2021)📚

Thanks to netgalley and bonnierbooks for allowing me to read this advance copy.

This is a cosy rom-com with an adorable ex-lovers to new-lovers trope. Kara and Ryan were together at college, and after a messy break-up, they went their separate ways. Unbeknown to them, the pair have links to the same couple about to get married, so after 10 years, Kara, now a novelist and bookstagrammer meets Ryan again and their feelings are reignited for a second time. A week of wedding festivities is the back-drop to a 'will they kill each other, or start making out?' scenario and I am HERE FOR IT.

I am a huge sucker for an exes/enemies to lover trope so as soon as I started this book I was hooked. There's simmering chemistry, snarky banter and a super cute bulldog to boot, plus the likeability of both Ryan and Kara really carries the story. The setting of their best friends wedding lends itself to drama and excitement, and a convenient 'come stay at my place' scenario reminded me SO much of The Proposal movie. As a bookstagrammer myself, I loved the nods to Kara taking pics and her dedication to the bookish world, and I really enjoyed the parallels to her novel (within this novel) and the experience of her and Ryan's relationship.

Kara is a fantastic main character - quirky, bookish, independent and fierce - and the palatable tension she has with Ryan is great, not to mention the angst, tension, grovelling and reunion which all combines together like a batch of fresh-baked brownies; warm, gooey and satisfying to curl up with under a blanket. There is a huge secret from Ryan that makes him a tiny bit unlikeable and since it's revealed around the middle of the book you do struggle to root for him but the man redeems himself! There is also a fantastic element of self-growth and acceptance from the duo, and not simply an unbelievable 'drop everything to be with each other' scenario.

Sweet, romantic but with enough feistiness and funny quips, this is perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Sophie Kinsella. A delight and a fabulous debut novel from Kate Bromley.

This was such a let down of a read. I had really high hopes when going in and I feel extremely disappointed. There was no development of the relationship, the backstory was so poorly done. Without spoiling too much, Kara's reason for not returning to Ryan was so deep and she seems to get over it in a span of one chapter? Does she not care anymore? Does anything of the past actually matter? And Ryan? He's simply, as his past has shown, an unreliable boy after the girl who is willing to give him everything. Their relationship was toxic, illogical and based on nothing more than attractiveness. This was an entirely poor, let down of a rom-com read.