It was sent by mistake to me so I deleted the copy from my kindle and didn’t get to read it. It would have been a problem for the tour company.

Sweet enemies to lovers romance set in a small town, a la hallmark. Filled with swoony moments.

✨THINGS✨
•Odd ball cast
•Small romance
•Second chances
•lovable secondary characters
•

I was reading this book for what feels like a long time.

It was a romance, of the kind that Hallmark tries to emulate. I liked the author’s in-depth focus on aspects aside from the romance, different characters, because it helped to add more layers and substance. When the external elements are just brushed across too thinly, it becomes cheapened and like a more procedural romance. The author instead carried this through the story, and it was meaningful.

One of my big qualms I have with Hallmark* that they quickly churn out films and usually what occurs are a few big oversights. For instance, the romance is too directly tied to time and place that you feel the couple will not last if they weren’t always thrown together or when they no longer need each other. And the romance and the bond they created happens at the end or is shown for such a short time. In Good Catch however, Hallmark’s mistake does not exist, the author shows she values her characters and their contributions to the story and the characters who fall in love do so deeply rather than superficially ‘in the moment.’

I valued the discussion of working hard to make a living, an adult character who had dyslexia, talk of family businesses, finding a life partner, dating and also what appeared to be relatable/understandable problems and dramas.

Where the book fell short was I had some quibbles with the final scene with the character of Goldie. It was unnecessary and rather too ridiculous to be believable or taken seriously by most readers (in my opinion.) I felt somewhere also was a bit of a lack of imagination with the story- it didn’t have to be rushed to the point that the character sees a future almost immediately with a man she only is just beginning to know. I know that people say this happens in real life and I liked that she was open and trusting but it felt like there could have been another way to convey the same. It didn’t have to also be repeated so often.

I received this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own and completely honest.


* I do like Hallmark films and watch them when I want something that I can enjoy without getting too bogged down in the details. Ask me for recommendations if you’d like some! I do think the older ones are better than their new films.

It was nice to come back to the familiar setting of Harper Landing and dive into another spellbinding story by Jennifer Bardsley.
What I liked the most about this book was the personal growth the protagonists go through in their search for building a lasting relationship and not letting their previous negative experiences define their future.
A bingeworthy series for anyone who enjoys a small town setting and sweet heartwarming stories.

I wasn't really into this book. I found the characters to be a bit immature and unrelatable. The plot moved slowly and I found myself skipping ahead.

This one was just a feel good book
If you are into Hallmark movies this book is just right your ally.

I loved this one. Just a sweet pick me up.

This book was a straight up hallmark movie. I love all things mushy romance. The sweet romance with the slow burn is great. Marlo and Ben are using the Good Catch app and seeing other people, going on dates and ultimately avoiding the inevitable. They have known each other since they were almost babies and the slow burn almost enemies to lovers romance is there just dying to shed it's light. Give me all the romance tropes, I am here for it all.

Marlo is a former ballet dancer who broke her ACL. Her parents own the local athletic club and now Marlo teaches pilates and other classes there. The club is losing money. Marlo wants to bring in changes to help the financial side of things but her father resists. Ben is a reporter and also writes stories on Harper Landing. He has no money because his job as a journalist pays very little. Marlo and Ben have known each other since kindergarten and haven't really liked each other. But love will change things.

I found this book to be rather superficial unfortunately. Not the right book for me! I was looking for a bit more substance, although I understand that’s not always the case in the romance genre.

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

Good Catch is the second book in the Harper Landing series (I did read the first) that takes place outside Seattle. This is the story of Ben and Marlo, who both have some leftover resentments against each other from their school days. Marlo and Ben both join the local dating app "Good Catch" in search of love- and each go on dates with a variety of interesting characters before finding their way to each other.
The general themes of this book are love, forgiveness, and friendship.
I'd categorize this book as a light-hearted Rom-Com. It was sweet and cute, with some laughable moments, but it wasn't stellar. If you're looking for a quick vacation read, Good Catch would be like a fish-on (lol)!

I really liked the characters and the storyline in this book. Parts had me cracking up and some parts made me think what the heck, but all the parts made me keep reading.

A quieter version of an enemies to lovers trope and without all the angst. Personally I love steamy chemistry and angst and verbal spars and this kind of drifted away from all of that. But as expected for a small town romance.

Marlo is a former ballerina whose career ended in a devastating injury. She is back in Harper Landing working for her parents at their health club. She is grateful but really satisfied with the direction her life is headed right now. She wants more and she wants to find a way to keep their business in the black.

Ben is a reporter for the Seattle Times. His dating life is interesting, to say the least. He tends to date those who are odd, different or crazy. He is convinced to try a new dating app called "Good Catch". His first date with Brittany is a disaster.

Marlo and Ben know each other from grade school. They were enemies then and, now as adults, they still are. Their frenemies relationship becomes more friend like with the possibility of more?

This is a fun, small town story with a few quirky characters with a happy ending. I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

4.5 stars - A childhood enemies to lovers story. The heroine’s parents love PDA and own a gym with a view of Puget Sound. The hero is a journalist who bikes 30 miles a day. He’s rough around the edges, muscular, and broke. His family owns a bakery, and both families have been friends for a long time. Both the H and h are looking for ‘the one’. They find it in a very unlikely place, each other. I especially enjoyed the quick humor, witty banter, and crazy parents in this read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a quick fall read. It was a typical small town romance which is fine by me. I liked the issues she touched on while also not making it too heavy. Thank you NetGallery for this eARC!

Loved this book so much that I went back and read SWEET BLISS after I finished! The story reads fine as a standalone but I do with I knew it was a sequel.

This is such a sweet, romantic, funny, thoughtful and feel good book. I love how Jennifer Bardsley always addresses important issues in her novels, such as single parenting, Alzheimer’s, dyslexia, MS and stresses the importance of community, family and friendship.

We are back at Harper Landing and this time we follow a new couple, Marlo and Ben, navigate the complex world of dating and finding true, everlasting love. Both are frenemies with different outlooks on the idea of the perfect partner and have nothing much in common except for a respective history of failed relationships--Marlo has just ended a long relationship with her cheating boyfriend while Ben's previous experiences can be described as 'interesting' at best. Both their parents place bets with them to challenge their dating life and this results in their foray into online dating via 'Good Catch', an online dating site. Marlo and Ben keep bumping into each other while on their dates with other people and in the process get to know each other better with a new understanding about their personal struggles, ambitions and hopes.

I overall liked reading the book but I have to admit I didn't warm up to Marlo the way I did with Julia Harper in the first book. Ben is cute and more likeable of the two. There is another thing I noticed: the male protagonists in both the books suffer from a condition (Aaron has paleo while Ben is dyslexic) and it is refreshing to see both of them use their condition to build a healthy and successful life and career around it.

I received an e-Arc of the book by the publisher Montlake and the author Jennifer Bardsley via NetGalley.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨💫

What a sweet read!

I had so much fun returning to Harper Landing and visiting the town from two different angles. Marlo and Ben were adorable, and you just root for them from page one!

Such a cute story. Although the storyline was quite predictable, the characters had so many unique backgrounds. A journalist from a baker family, a retired ballerina, a knitting ‘bomber’, etc. I loved all the little details that the author included about each and every character. Overall would definitely recommend as a feel good read!