Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me.
I really liked the premise of the book, but I found it a real struggle to read.
The long chapters and extensive internal monologue made it feel like absolutely nothing was happening.
The main character was extremely unlikeable. I found no reason to want to see her get a happy ending.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Come Here Often?

This book is marketed as a romance/humour novel, but I did not find it particularly funny, and the romance was next to non-existent. Two characters with little chemistry kissing does not mean it is a romance. In reality, this book focuses on one character's chronic anxiety, something which should have had a warning for those suffering from anxiety.

I couldn't connect with Kat, the main character, she felt quite rude, immature and irresponsible. The book consisted almost entirely of her inner monologue on her anxiety, and something about the author's depiction of anxiety did not sit well with me, although I cannot pinpoint exactly what it was.

Overall, this book was too repetitive, marketed misleadingly, and therefore sadly not for me.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for sending me this arc. I will be posting this review on my Goodreads and Storygraph accounts, and on Waterstones and Amazon upon publication.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/57438368-georgie
Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/gfairs’

This book was read thanks to NetGalley.


Sometimes life can play you, for Kat, life changed from one moment to other, she finds herself without job and without boyfriend, she was on the gym when all this happened so leaving the gym is kind of overwhelming for her so, she doesn't, so we find ourselves living in the gym with her.


As someone who struggles with her mental health this book sort of represented about how stability is important for us, but at the same time i think it needed a bit more of care with the story, however, it was a fun read.

What would you do if you lost your job and got dumped by your long term boyfriend on the same day? Kat's anxiety has trapped her inside her new fitness center that luckily is stocked with everything from celebrity look a likes, restaurants, spas and even a bar.. so Kat doesn't actually need to leave right?

This one has some cute LOL moments but it did fall a little flat for me. I was waiting and waiting for it to pick up and around the halfway point I did decide to DNF it.

I loved the idea of this book from the second I saw it; just imagine living in a health club secretly! It wasn't entirely as I expected, it's annoying in places, and I didn't feel as much sympathy for Kat as I thought I would, but I enjoyed the story and would love to read more by Ellie Centre soon.

Kat finally builds herself to visit the health club her boyfriend has enrolled her in after weeks. This is her day of change. She arrives at the gym and has a tour of the enormous centre, complete with a gym, swimming pool, exercise classes, restaurant, bar and a shop. It's a fantastic facility she has never been to before; exercise isn't her thing. Unfortunately, within the first hour, she manages to lose her job and her boyfriend. Already struggling with her anxiety, she finds herself trapped in the gym and can't manage to make it back out through to=he front door to go home.

Come here often has a great premise. Kat finds herself hiding in the gym, finding somewhere new to sleep each night and many new friends. She steadily climbs their leaderboard for most progress on the workouts and finds that she loves exercising. Now, this is where I wonder if this is actually something that perhaps I need to try. If I fully immersed myself in gym life this way, maybe I would like to exercise too, but alas, I enjoy sleep and my bed far too much to even consider it!

Kat's anxiety is overwhelming and well portrayed. Those without any mental health issues (or even different ones) might struggle to see how this could even be possible. Kat can be a little infuriating, too, sometimes feeling too sorry for herself. She complained about her lack of tablets to help her (because she has already used her monthly supply very quickly) and not wanting to get some help. She doesn't realise how lucky she is to have so many people around her who would be willing to help and is too embarrassed to ask.

Kat's beloved dog has recently passed away, and she is devastated by these new events that add more to her distress. I felt that the loss of her dog could have been made clearer from the start. Unfortunately, I didn't really feel the depth of her loss for a long while into the book. It felt like it was mentioned in passing instead as a massive problem for her. Also, her drinking seemed to lessen while in the gym, which I would have imagined would be the opposite. Therefore, she would be more distressed and drink more, so it didn't all quite add up to me.

Sam felt like an uncaring stalker at times, wondering where she was. He didn't seem to be in love with her anymore or particularly interested in her but couldn't seem to leave her alone either.

I loved Marcus. He is passionate about his job as a personal trainer and is kind and caring, like Kat genuinely.

I enjoyed this book despite some of these issues, but the ending felt too rushed, and I wanted just a bit more. Though I am beginning to wonder if maybe I am just greedy as I seem to write this a lot! I wanted to know what happened afterwards in a less rushed way and what happened to the money side of things. Kat must have built up massive debt in her first week at the gym. How would she ever manage to pay it off?

This was a great read, though, and I thought it portrayed the anxiety and fear well.

Shout-out to NetGalley for the wonderful ARC of "Come Here Often?" by Ellie Center, slated to release May 23rd, 2022.

There were so many things that I enjoyed about this story! The mental health representation was on point. Kat's quirky and humorous personality was on point. I'm so grateful that I was able to suspend my disbelief about her getting caught living in the fitness gym. Sometimes that method works for me, and other times it does not - in this case, it was a win!

The only part of the book that was a little overly cheesy for me was the ending - it felt as though it were a bit rushed. But overall, this is most definitely a 4-star read for me, and I wouldn't mind rereading it again in the future!

The premise was really interesting, but the book doesn't followed this way. I don't know exactly what happened (maybe it was beacuse there was no fun as promised, or the kind of mcomedy in here doesn't attracts me, since I must confess that I am a little bit tired of chicklits kind of books lately). So, the whole story didn't get my attention as I've Waited it would do, sadly.

I would give it a generous 2/5 stars.

Found this book quite hard to read at times, it was frustrating and all over the place. The main character was not relatable or likeable and I actually found her irritating and childish at times. It was also marketed as romantic comedy and said to be a “laugh-out-loud and heart-warming” book; both of which were not true. Very misleading and disappointing.

Overall wouldn’t really recommend, it was a big disappointment as I thought I would like it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Giving this book 1 star is generous.

The main character is unlikeable and unrelatable. When I read a book I do not want to read about a character who basically uses people, takes no accountability and just judges everyone.

I understand losing a per can be a big event but I've never know someone to go on a drinking bender as a result and maybe because of the lack of build up or understanding what the dog meant to Kat made it really difficult to sympathize. If the writing had been better you would feel sorry for the character but honestly I can't. I don't blame her ex for breaking up with her and the writer makes you want to feel bad for Kat but I too would be dumping someone if we had fights and their resort was to go out till 2am with her friends and get drunk. Her friend Val is such a bad character as well who encourages this toxic bad behavior because it makes her like Peter Pan and by the end of the book we are meant to like her?

The opening of this story was so bizarre. There is no way a partner would dump you at the gym first thing in the morning if you have been together 5 years. Maybe it is possible but with the way the writer describes Sam as dependable I just found it hard to see it happening. In addition who's boss fires them while they are at the gym. There was no meeting in a calendar, or HR involved or even just a "are you somewhere private where we can talk". It felt rushed and was poorly executed.

This gym does not read as a gym but like a shopping center or country club. It has a bar, restaurant, clothing store, gym, sauna, pool etc. I understand why the gym was written this way because the whole book is set in it which again was like why?

The memory of the breakdown in the store, her being taken away to the psychiatric hospital and the interaction with the doctor reads as pure fiction. It is unrealistic and honestly again poorly written.

This is marketed is a cute comic cover rom com but where is the comedy? where is the romance? Was it supposed to be when she mission impossibled in a gym the whole book?

It's really disappointing to see valid emotional scenes wasted due to poor writing and boing story telling.

Honestly I like to be objective and give positives as well as negatives but I really struggle to find anything good about this book from plot to characters. The potential to write and deal with the real struggles of anxiety and imposter syndrome etc. was open and could have made this book great or even just a cute this girl loses everything feels anxiety over her life and meets a man who helps her through it (in a common rom com style).

Would not recommend.

The premise of this one was fun, but it missed the mark for me.

The main character is immensely dislikable, and not in the way that you're still rooting for her to get better or change her life in some way -- just in the way that it's a little annoying and tedious as you read the book.

I think this book and author has potential, but this one wasn't for me.

The premise of this book really hooked me in a rom-com set in a gym because the main character can't leave? Should be quirky and cute with a side of character growth but this book just falls super flat. A super unlikeable main character (not because of her anxiety) and honestly no romance in a book marketed as romance? I also found a lot of the inner dialogue extremely negative not only to the character but about everyone around her and honestly it's 2022 we don't need to put other people down to feel better about ourselves. Also this character has anxiety and honestly the author did not treat it well.

.Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

On the day Kat decides to start exercising at a fitness centre her boyfriend of 5 years dumps her and she gets fired from her job as a dental hygienist. Thus ensues the biggest panic attack of her life and is physically unable to leave the centre. So she takes to hiding at night sleeping on whatever she can get her hands on rather than ask for help and spending her days working out and working on being healthier. Soon she begins to wonder if she'll have to spend her whole life in this place or if she'll work up the courage to leave.

Kat is a very unlikeable character she spends all her time out drinking with her friends rather than spend anytime with her long term boyfriend, getting angry at everyone and making a mess. She is horrible to her clients at the dentist and generally does not make a good impression with one of her friends stating she's like 'peter pan'. You can totally understand why her boss fires her and her boyfriend leaves her. But without this there wouldn't be the transition into kat becoming a better person and taking time to work on herself and make herself feel better.

This is classed as a romance but really there's no romance in this it's all about kat and what she's dealing with and her anxiety. This story won't be for everyone but if you have the patience to watch kats transition it's actually an enjoyable story which keeps you engaged.

Not bad for a debut novel. Thankyou to netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Come Here Often? Ellie Center

Kat Noad is ready to start anew, going to the gym for the first time on her Day of Change, and what a day of change it is. Instead of starting a new healthy lifestyle at Great Fitness, she actually gets fired and dumped within an hour. What follows is a examination into Kat's anxiety and panic disorder, as she can't seem to walk out of the door of the gym...for a WEEK!

While the concept was very interesting, I do feel that the book falls a bit flat. Unfortunately, Kat isn't a very likeable character. She seems to glorify drinking, didn't believe that she had an issue with "Peter Pan syndrome" and was truly selfish. I wish we would have gotten more character growth through the story, but it just wasn't that. I was entertaining at time, definitely wasn't a romance, but it did have an ending that was somewhat satisfying, although seemed to be abrupt.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

To read this book is almost like reading two separate stories. In the first, our heroine Kat has been fired and dumped on the same day, oh no! Crazy hijinks ensue, and now Kat is living in the fitness center, trying to decide which one of these adorable men will be her HEA!

In the other story, though, Kat is dealing with serious anxiety issues brought on by traumatic childhood experiences and multiple losses, and exacerbated by alcohol misuse. She needs real help, and doesn't have a single person in her life who can give her the kind of support she needs.

I honestly could have enjoyed either story and I wish the author would have chosen either one and built it out more. Instead, I feel like the ending was short changed and neither story got the resolution that it deserved. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because I love ARCs.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for this opportunity. #ComeHereOften

I was provided an ARC of this book by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Well, where to start? Never before have I felt like I was given a bait and switch with a book and yet... here we are. When I originally requested this book it was based on the description "woman with anxiety finds herself trapped by panic attacks in a health club bonds with sexy personal trainer" a delightful premise for a rom/com for sure. Yet... there is no rom, there is no com. Instead, this book is 310 pages of poorly treated anxiety. Now, I am not going to sit here and say this character is unlikable because of her disorder. I am a woman with anxiety who spent many years with poor coping mechanisms that would sometimes display as crippling agoraphobia, and this book felt like being trapped. Being trapped in that headspace. Which was hard. I kept turning the page hoping the main character would learn something, I know for me regular exercise became a life line and helped changed my headspace and yet for Kat it was just something to pass the time. Building relationships also help, but for Kat people are still pawns for her to justify her behavior and inability to ask for help and the superficiality of them makes the character ring just as narcissistic as ever by the end. In fact, it takes a once and a life time heroic situation for Kat to not only leave the club, but also for everyone around her to forgive her, and for her to get the help she needs? I'm sorry but that's just not reasonable. Living with this disorder takes work, it takes accountability, and it takes a hard look at yourself which Kat just never does. She skips to the end without us seeing in actual work being down and now she "knows real power." The power of what being in the right place at the right time and not being a terrible human being? We also have to address the "romance" angle, this book was sold to me as a romance. That is the genre I like and the reason I picked up this book, but there is no romance. Oh, wait, there is some slap dash b/s unearned concept of a relationship in the EPILOGUE between two characters that barely have anything which remotely looks like a connection and then tell me you tell me this is a romance novel. That is the laziest most awful marketing push ever. But honestly, would this book has sold as a fictional story of a woman having a manic anxiety episode in a gym probably not, so instead they slapped a cartoon cover on it and added a couple paragraphs of unearned kissing to trick romance readers into engaging? It just all and all was very disappointing, I felt like I was being forced to relive uncomfortable parts of my life and couldn't even champion the character most reflective of me when it was all over.

Come Here Often? is marketed as a romantic comedy by Ellie Center. Katherine (Kat) Noad is a 32-year-old dental hygienist living in Nashville, Tennessee, with her chef/restauranteur boyfriend, Sam. Kat is 32 pounds overweight and decides to visit the gym that Sam has raved about and paid for her membership. She is somewhat bored with Sam but is upset when he dumps her. She checks out two of the trainers, Marcus and Lee.

While Kat is touring the gym, her employer calls her and fires her for being rude to a patient. Apparently Kat has been rude to multiple patients and frequently displays a surly attitude. Kat blames her issues on “Big A” (anxiety) and the death of her emotional support dog, Lilly, six months ago. When Kat tries to leave the fitness center, she has an anxiety attack and is unable to exit. She then hides out there, evading detection from the staff. She develops a relationship with one of the trainers that culminates in a kiss.

Come Here Often? is marketed as a romantic comedy but I didn’t think it was funny. I did not like Kat and didn’t know if the story was supposed to be inspirational for people struggling with anxiety or a parody (with all of Kat’s internal monologues). Frankly I don’t know why Marcus was interested in her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at around the 30% mark. This is advertised as a fun sweet romcom, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. So disappointed as I was looking for a fun light read

I couldn’t connect with these characters, the romance wasn’t that good. It’s a okay story but I was expecting more of a romance then what it truly was.

The blurb of this story and the cover are misleading. You go in expecting light and fluffy romance and you get a more complex story about the main character’s struggles with anxiety . It is well written and interesting but I think there should be some warnings about the content.

This was not what I expected based on the description and cover. It was well written and the author dealt with the anxiety/ mental health issues well though. (2 ⭐️)