Nobody Puts Romcons In The Corner by Kathryn Freeman didn't exactly feel inspired but don't judge this book by it's silly book cover. This book is far deeper than the title or the cartoon cover would illustrate.

Kathyrn Freeman's writing drew me in she does intrigue and mysterious well and the book had a great opening. A tall hunk of a man, 6'4" to be exact, Harry, shows up in her doorway being led there by a mutual friend to look at a room she has for rent. He becomes her "lodger". The book takes place with a lot of charming British words and a woman, Sally, who owns a charming heart-themed cafe in town. Sally's character starts off strong, loveable and loving, strong, and capable. Sally at sixteen years old lost her parents and had a young ten-year-old sister to take care of. After she aged eighteen she bought a small house and started a charming cafe. She loves romcoms and seems a bit too obsessed with them. Losing her parents who deeply loved each other she set her bar for that to be her relationship standard without really ever getting a chance to talk to her parents about their relationship just as an observer.

What put me a bit off about this sweet love story is her bar was so high that when she entered a relationship with Harry who was in my opinion a fantastically developed character by Kathryn Freeman Sally couldn't fully see the damage that was done to him by his parents who never showed love to him and quite possibly didn't love him at all. His parents are too awful, selfish parents and did damage to him psychologically not just in never felt love but in my personal opinion the story would have benefited from this deep topic to Harry exploring this not just being a cynic toward romcoms and a HEA. Because that's realistic and Sally just seemed to be a bit clueless in understanding the depth of his childhood. Harry basically came from an emotionally abusive household and that wasn't truly addressed by the writer of this story. It was a bit skimmed over in the course of writing a romance novel. I would have had him directed to a bit of therapy and for those around to understand how a thirty-year-old man who finds a fantastic person why can't commit to more. Sally in her own way is also not committable because her bar is so high that when she enters into a relationship with him she becomes insecure and clueless that a man is truly bending over backward for her. It just had me rolling my eyes a bit around 3/4 s in when the man obviously has shown how he feels about her and it felt a bit draggy and clueless. But this is a great anti-romance hero and Kathryn Freeman wrote a beautiful character in this man Harry. Sally not so much but she's still loveable but just not to my taste in what I would say is most admirable.

The book felt like it missed the mark a few times but it certainly hit it enough that I am going to give it four stars. Four points where this story is strong, 1) the slow burn is well done and by the time Harry and Sally are in the shower together reenacting a scene from The Notebook, you feel the burn, the lust they have for each other, and the writing in this scene is spectacular. 2) The relationship with her sister and the anguish and the actions from Harry is spot on. 3) Her friend Vince just gave an absolute feel-good to this love story 4)And this is the absolute best Harry has a happy ending. He has found true love and now gets to experience Sally's complete devotion and love. With all that is missing and can feel a bit silly with the romcom enactments at the heart of it a man learns to love and heal. That is worth all the silliness from Sally. Kathryn Freeman has written a spectacular hunk of a man in Harry and you can't help feeling this is Harry's story more than Sally's even though I felt the writer could have gone deeper with this premise it was still a worthwhile read.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Harper CollinsUK for the opportunity to read and review Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner by Kathryn Freeman.

The rom-com lover in me is SCREAMING. How could you not love a grumpy x sunshine romance with threads from Dirty Dancing AND When Harry Met Sally?? I mean come on. Pure heaven.

This was super cute, sweet and fun. Sally needs money and Harry needs a place to stay what a perfect combination! Sally’s need for money results in her getting Harry to star in TikTok videos recreating iconic RomCom scenes. How. Freaking. Cute. And totally believable. People on TikTok get famous off of nostalgia alllll the time.

I loved this, and you will too!

Nobody Puts Romcoms in the Corner is set to be published on February 27, 2023. Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A great read for fans of classic rom-coms, if a little overdone with all the references and easter eggs, to the point that some felt forced. I do love a grumpy/sunshine romance though, so I'm always on board for that!

Nobody Puts Romcoms In A Corner - KATHRYN FREEMAN.

House mates, Harry and Sally (love it!) have a drunken evening, where it seems like a good idea to recreate the famous lift from Dirty Dancing.
It all goes spectacularly wrong, but the video proves a massive hit on Tiktok.
Both in need of some extra cash, the pair set about re-enacting classic scenes from iconic romcom films and sharing them to the world via Tiktok.

Harry and Sally are total opposites. Harry is maybe a bit of a grump and cynic, but really very sweet and loving.
Sally is a bit of a handful. Loud and bolshy, but her heart is in the right place. And she was a lot of fun.

It isn’t rocket science to figure out where this pair are headed, but it is a very sweet and sometimes fiery journey to get there.

Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner, is a cleverly written and light hearted read.

If you’re a fan of classic romcoms, this book will not disappoint. It’s full to bursting with romcom references. You won’t fail to have the time of your life reading this fun and nostalgic tale.
It certainly left me with a big smile on my face and a warm glow in my heart.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With grateful thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins Uk and Rachel’s Random Resources for a digital arc of this title.

Oh how I loved this book! And honestly, it wasn’t love at first sight.
Can you believe I even thought about DNF’ing.

When new roommates Sally and Harry film their reenactment of the memorable Dirty dancing scene, they very unexpectedly go viral. And this sparks the idea to continue to reenact popular rom com moments on tik tok.
So you get the vibe of this book, just with this short subscription. But honestly Kathryn Freeman nailed it. This book could be a rom com movie. (And honestly I can’t hardly wait to see it as a romcom movie. It has everything it needs, the humor, the sexual tension, the butterflies, the misunderstandings….
And apart from that I Fell in love with our main characters Sally and Harry. Especially Harry because he reminded me so much of my own husband. So I was doomed to fall head over heels with him. But Sally is the type of female character I loved to read about. Bubbly, strong, independent, smart, funny….
And their chemistry was of the charts! And when we finally got to the actual sex scenes, these were so well executed. I loved how they were hot and steamy, without being to explicit!
Absolutely would recommend this book and now I am off to read more of Kathryn Freemans books!

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the E-ARC. This book had all the feels and I was here for it all everything. I really loved the attitude of Sally when usually happy people are not my thing. I loved Harry and how cynic he was and watching him grow was really something. I loved every video they did. I even stayed up late because I needed to know what happens and it did not disappoint.

Harry needs a place to stay and Sally has a bedroom to let... and if that's not the way you remember When Harry Met Sally, you don't need to worry - this isn't Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan at Katz's but a British coffee shop owner and a construction worker who don't like the same things but really like each other. To make a little money, they start filming scenes from classic RomComs and they are a hit... and there's something about acting like you're in love that makes you... fall in love.

Just pure fun and nostalgia for all the guilty pleasure movies you watch on repeat... but with a little extra spice.

DNF @48%

I won't lie, title and the cover sold me on this book immediately, and who doesn't love a grumpy/sunshine trope? And while the book started quickly and got right into the story, it didn't live up to its potential.

While I loved the idea of their first Tiktok video (failing THE LIFT from Dirty Dancing after too many margaritas is hilarious), the instant shift to "let's recreate rom com scenes seriously so we can make money" really put me off. First, one viral video does not guarantee future content success, so putting hope in Tiktok to make money seems short-sighted. Second, they were attempting to make serious recreations but didn't take them seriously?? They claimed their audience wanted steamy when it was comedy that blew up. It just didn't make sense.

Tiktok aside, I also couldn't get into the characters. At 50% through, they still barely knew each other and I just can't fathom living with someone and never asking any personal questions. It was all just too surface level, and no one ever communicated. And okay, while I know Sally is the sunshine character, I found her to be way too naive and inauthentically ~ quirky ~.

All in all, there's a lot of promise, but I don't think the heavy Tiktok plot will help this book age well, and these characters could definitely benefit from more up-front back stories.

*arc generously provided by the Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was adorable!!! It's super cheesy but I fully expected that. I just love a man who doesn't think that he is capable of love and watching him fall head over heels. The plot of them recreating romance moments was cute. I really enjoyed the fact that he helped her rebuild her relationship with her sister and I kind of want a book about her sister.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This was a good, sweet romance. It didn't wow me per se, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. Not sure what I was expecting, but it was good.

I’m not gonna lie, I immediately wrote this one off as being way too cheesy, but before I knew it, I was smiling from ear to ear at the chemistry between Harry and Sally. So yea, this was cheesy as all get out, but it was romantic, light hearted and fun! A must read for any romance lover!

The dirty dancing title automatically had me intrigued. I knew I wanted to see what this was all about. As a lover of romcoms, this did not disappoint. So cute and loved the characters. Great read, might pick up a physical copy for my shelf!

Honestly i went into this blind without know anything and to be honest i thought it was an okay novel. I dont remember anything that i read sadly so. It didnt grow on me and i pushed through si i gave it 3

Thank you to Net Galley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner!

Wow. This book surpassed every expectation I had. It was my first book by Kathryn Freeman, and I cannot wait to read more. This book was cheesy but in the absolute best way possible. You can’t help but smile a long with Harry and Sally as they go through a will they or won’t they situation. I loved seeing all of my favorite rom com movie scenes recreated.

I think another reason I vibed so well with this book is because the characters are so relatable as a romance book and movie lover I dream of all the romance all the time, and my fiancé is very much a Harry. The manly man who expresses his love in his own unique way. If you’re looking for a light-hearted, steamy romance - this is it!

Did I pick this one up solely because of the incredible title and cover? Guilty. But I’m happy to report that you absolutely can judge this book by its cover.

The story centers around Harry & Sally (yes, those are their names, I know!) who recreate your favorite epic romcom moments for social media, after their Dirty Dancing lift unexpectedly goes viral. Let me tell you, author Kathryn Freeman leaves no romcom stone unturned with this one. It is PACKED with references and recreations that will make fans of the genre smile throughout!

While this is a sweet, turn-your-brain-off-and-enjoy-the-ride romance, there is some additional depth to the main characters that I enjoyed. Some of the female characters, like Harry’s ex and mom, plus Sally’s BFF and sister, grated me a bit, but I think that’s intended to balance some of the adorable chemistry these two had.

Thank you to Net Galley, Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was cute at times and mostly overall fine. I loved the premise of reenacting iconic romcom moments, but I just couldn’t get into either lead. Sally felt too forgettable, I just couldn’t get a real sense for her as anything more than a softy. She needed more development and I think the tension with her sister and her decisions early on would have been a good way to build that.

As for Harry, he was a bit more interesting but also seemed fairly one dimensional. The drama with his parents got very tiring to read and I just didn’t find myself swooning over him.

A fast read, just not a very memorable one.

You always know you're in for a treat with a Kathryn Freeman book and this is no exception. Just like all her previous novels, this one is hilarious, charming and full of nostalgic rom com moments. What is not to love?
I loved everything about the books from the perfectly named characters to the scenes recreated. I have laughed so much and definitely a page turner.

Thank you for cheering up a rather Boring day with a book I didn't want to put down

This was a really enjoyable read. The story follows Sally and Harry. When Sally puts an ad out for a roommate, Harry answers the ad. Sally is a huge romcom bet and after a drunken conversation they decide to recreate the lift from Dirty Dancing. When they upload this to TikTok they realise that people want more. What follows is a series of rom com reenactments between the two of them along with a growing attraction. The problem is Harry doesn’t believe in love and Sally wants an epic love, just like the rom coms.

I thought this was a really fun book to read. The interactions between Harry and Sally were really enjoyable and believable and their relationship evolves very naturally. Harry’s reluctance to fall in love provides an interesting twist in the book and is the basis of ‘will they, won’t they; If you like rom-coms, then this is a book you will want to pick up.

With a cutesy cover and a nod to one of my all-time favourite movies, I just knew I had to request a read of this novel.

Like the main character Sally, I have watched Dirty Dancing so many times that I can recite it word for word. I have, however, never attempted to re-enact ‘THE LIFT’ while drunk with a virtual stranger. Maybe if the stranger was as lovely (inside and out) as Harry, I might have been tempted.

As a romantic comedy itself, this novel was rife with romcom references from well known movies of the past – Pretty Woman, Ghost, When Harry Met Sally (not unsurprisingly); with our main characters recreating many of the iconic scenes for social media audiences, albeit with their own unique spin. As they consistently create content, the scenes become steamier, inevitably leading to romance.

A little predictable? YES! But still a good read.

Things I loved:

Harry
Beautiful, broken hearted Harry, falling in love against his will
Harry’s friendship with his mates
The steamy scenes
Things…not so much:

Sally
Sally and her starry eyed insistence that love would make itself known with bells. Oh honey, really?
Her inability to accept Harry as he was – a really good guy, who’d never known love.

It’s safe to say, I took sides throughout this novel. Even with Sally’s backstory, I struggled to like her and felt like I wanted to protect Harry from being made to feel that he had to change who he was to win the girl. It would have been so much nicer (and worth more stars) if Sally had been able to see past her need for grand gestures to the real man inside.

With thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for this advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This book was so sweet with the perfect amount of spice!

Sally and Harry?! Adorable names to go with the adorable characters. I feel for them immediately. Even grumpy Harry who was in his own way the sweetest even if he himself didn’t see it.

And my romcom loving heart immediately wanted to watch every movie talked about/re-enacted (even Marvel — Thor 💕) as soon as I put this book down.

If you love romcoms read this.

If you love grumpy/sunshine read this.

If you love reconnected family read this.

If you love laughing (or even smiling) read this.

It’s a cute, fun, witty read you won’t want to put down.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book.