Tillie is a bartender on vacation in La Jarra for her sister’s wedding when she mettle Gabe, another bartender who is a local. They end up in a friendly bar competition and sparks start flying so they decide to embrace it and go for it while she’s there. Everything is fun and lighthearted, some mild spice along the way and then it’s time for tillie to go. Then the tears started flowing for me and went all the way to the end of the book for the most part. They both have familial issues to deal with and also the long distance aspect to work out before they can be together. This was a very cute, happy book and I was not prepared for the emotion that came when it was time for tillie to leave.

I love rom-coms and JJ Knight is great at writing books that are fun, flirty with just the right amount of lightness and spice.

The Wedding Shake-Up is the second book in the Wedding Meet Cute series by JJ Knight- this one following Tillie James, the younger sister of the bride in this book Ensley. It is not 100% necessary to have read Ensley's book (The Wedding Confession) in order to enjoy Tillie's book but it does give you a little more insight to the dynamics of the James siblings and their history so that some pieces of the story can click more with that knowledge.

As I said, I'm a big rom-com fan and I'm a fan JJ, buuuutttt..... this book was a little "eh" for me. Don't get me wrong the story is still absolutely entertaining, Tillie and Gabe have fantastic chemistry and go at it like rabbits- but it also didn't totally all come together for me.

Tillie is a force to be reckoned with and she is ready to throw down with Gabe, the local La Jarra bartender that both rescued her family from a crab invasion during her sisters wedding then scolded them in the same breath. She's a little feisty, strong willed with a splash of almost controlled recklessness. Gabe is a bit on the grouch side- tends to stick to himself and a select few and absolutely doesn't get involved with anyone for more than a night or so. Especially with a tourist.

This story is FAST paced, these two have a fiery start that quickly morphs into a form of companionship and a vacation fling into full blown feelings in under 2 weeks and it doesn't slow down from there really. The fast pace didn't bother me too much really- I mean come on, who doesn't want to fall in love with an boy in paradise and get to imagine all the things a lifetime of struggles had seemed to far to ever touch.

For me, I didn't love how Tillie was so dead set of helping her sister Lila and her daughter- it was the entire reason she left Ensley in the first book, only to have her pretty much abandon them to have a 2 week fling while they were on vacation. Obviously she needed to spend time with Gabe for the story to progress but she only did like 2 maybe 3 activities with her sister/niece during their time on La Jarra which was a drastic change from her initial feelings of spending all this time to strengthen the bond between them now that Ensley was moving on to the next chapter in her life. Again, I still found the story to be entertaining but between the shift Tillie and just something else that I can't quite identify I wasn't invested in these two as a couple like I was with Ensley and Drew. I enjoyed the way that the story wrapped up and I'm still excited for more of this series. I can't wait for Lila and Rosie to get a HEA and maybe even Garrett (even though I feel like I still know so little about him).

I tried to enjoy this book but too many details about making cocktails got very distracting and really did not add any substance to the story. Tillie is away at a destination wedding and succumbs to having a fling with the resident bartender Gabe, with the theme of the book centered around drinking and cocktails. The sub-plot was misleading and once revealed was not as climatic as I guess it was meant to be. The cover illustration was eye-catching, which was the reason I gave this book a second look. If you are into the whole bar scene , then this probably would hold your interest but I can't say I would recommend it .

A grumpy local and a flouncy tourist meet on a beautiful island for a family's destination wedding- what could go wrong?! Love, that's what! The Wedding Shake-up has this long-standing premise with, well....a shake-up! Tillie and Gabe are both bartenders so when Tillie's competitive flair is ignited by the wedding bartender's ego, it leads to a highly-charged drinkslinging competition between the two which ultimately leads to much much more! Despite a commitment to a NSA relationship, feelings deepen until Tillie invites Gabe back to her city to explore this further! This introduces a deeper sub-plot where we see beautiful character growth, engaging storylines, and a deepening relationship between these two competitive bartenders! It was such a fun read with a surprisingly emotional depth that shook me up enough that I need to take my own vacation to La Jarra now! While I did not read the first in this series, they are interconnected standalones so it can be read as its own but now I'm intrigued by Drew and Ensley's story too!

Gabe and Tillie. While attending her sister’s wedding, Tillie meets Island local, Gabe. Their first encounter is not very pleasant but over the course of time, they find it difficult to fight their attraction. So cute, very entertaining, and a great read. I needed a break from suspense and knew a JJ Knight book would be a great fit. Happy, lots of smiles, and a few tears later, it was perfect.

This is book 2 in the 'Wedding Meet Cute' series and I loved it even more than Drew and Ensley's story. I really enjoyed the vacation setting and adored Tillie and Gabe. Their relationship is refreshing and I like that JJ Knight isn't so focused on the sexual aspect of the story; there was definitely a whole lot of chemistry between them, but there's more to the story than that. I love JJ Knights writing and can't wait to read more by her in the future.

I fell in love with the characters in this book from the beginning of this book and read this book in one sitting! I loved these two characters!

it was cute and an easy read. I loved the banter between the main characters, and how they both had issues that they could work out better because the other person was there.

Cute and fun summer vacation read even if you are stuck at home. Good escape to a tropical place to get lost is a love story. I would recommend reading the series in order through.

I absolutely fell in love with the characters in this book from the very start and didn’t put it down until I was done. I can’t get enough of these two!

An island fling was all that this was suppose to be when Gabe and Tillie started spending time together but things are never that easy!!! Trouble is bound to follow when her sisters realize what she has been up to! Will she be able to leave this beautiful island when her two weeks are up? Will Gabe just let her go without confessing his true feelings? You will have to read this to find out! Don’t miss this one, it’s so fun!

Finished up The Wedding Shake-Up and I have to say it was a quick read and kept my interest. There were a few times that I felt the descriptions of a characters actions or what they were thinking didn’t match their overall being.
I felt everything I expect to feel while reading romances, frustration, relief, love and anger amongst a few.
A story line that could have been developed more is the relationship with his birth mom. He went from not wanting to see her to seeing her to her coming back to the island - and having an important role in his life. Just felt that could be developed and explained more (not too much more) but also not rushed at the end. Overall loved these two characters, loved their chemistry. I kept visualizing the bartending from the movie Cocktail! I look forward to what others think of this book!

Tillie and Gabe are the MC - I love when you get dual POV and this book delivered. Tillie is on vacation for her sisters destination wedding. She meets Gabe when (literal) crabs encroach on the beach. Gabe swoops in to "save" the day and when Tillie goes to thank Gabe we see how much they have in common.

I really enjoyed the storylines of each of the characters. We see Tillie's dedication to her family and her rough upbringing. Gabe's backstory is somewhat tragic but the author was able to deliver positive resolution.

This book and author delivers laughs, emotions, a little spice, and HEA. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves romance!

I thank Montlake publishing and Netgalley for my free ARC, and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I'm loving this series so much! Tillie and Gabe were such a fun, all the feels everything and more couple to get to know and with the addition of a lively supporting cast of characters it was such a great read.This was a brilliantly written red hot spicey, all the feels, everything and more can't put the story down romance.

The Wedding Shake Up
By JJ Knight

Synopsis
The sisters are back again but this time it is a destination wedding for the oldest Ensley. On the beautiful island of La Jarra Tillie and Gabe collide is this sexy, fun tale of love at first hate. When they decide to have a bar brawl challenge the rivals realize they are stirring up more than drinks. What will happen when the two weeks are up, and they must part ways. Will the destiny that brought them together fight to keep them that way?

My thoughts
Destination wedding, crabs, and a grumpy bartender, sounds like the start of bad joke. This is exactly how the feisty Tillie meets the sexy islander Gabe. When they realize they are both bartenders that is when the real fun and rivalry begin. I loved the dynamic between Tillie and Gabe, the fast whirlwind of their relationship and how fate will always intervene. It is exactly the romcom you are looking for if you want a funny, laidback island feel.

Read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher
My rating 4/5 
Pub Date 26 September 2023
Book 2 in the Wedding Meet Cute Series

I love Tillie and Gabe! They are so cute.

Because of the fact that they are both bartenders and competing with each other, there was alooot of talk about how to make drinks and how the mixing of drinks work etc etc, which I mean was not suuuper interesting to me.

I didn't realise that this was the second book in like a series, so I am keen to read the story of Tillies sister.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All views are my own.

I was looking for a quick beach type read and I definitely found it in this book. Overall it was really quick to read and didn't have the miscommunication that I normally find annoying in these kinds of books.

In terms of the content of the book itself...

I find it odd that Tillie feels so strongly about being there for Lila so she can't move anywhere else but yet spends so much time with Gabe on this holiday. That's leaving Lila alone with Rosie with no support or help.

It's also really frustrating how unsupportive Tillie's sisters are. I understand that Tillie hardly knows Gabe but they are also all adults and they could have at least tried to be supportive. Lila is selfish because she doesn't have what the other sisters do, that's upsetting.

Overall a decent read for Summer.

This is Book #2 in this sister series. I hadn't read Book #1 (The Wedding Confession) so this book did contain spoilers for the first book. But it was still a great standalone romcom. I loved the main characters Tillie and Gabe - they are both bartenders who have similar family stories and with their hot chemistry it was the perfect plot for a beachy romcom. This romcom included the heartwrenching family backstories mixed in with some lighter points as well (mixed in with - hello - beach sexytime). I enjoyed this book so much I am now reading Book #1!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was so cute and is a quick read.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The opening scene set the tone wonderfully and the book followed with lots of amusing & cute moments. It was an enticing island escape and I would definitely recommend to any contemporary romance lovers!!!

The Wedding Shake-up, where to begin. I am absolutely in love with Gabe and Tillie. Tillie is in La Jarra for her sister Ensley's wedding. When crabs show up she fears they will take over and they try to get rid of them. In rushes Gabe to save the crabs. Now this will lead to these to sparing and sparking. Gabe has never been able to settle with anyone. Due to his real mother but Tillie just does something to him that he just can NOT let her go. These two have chemistry that is off the charts. Gabe is by far a new favorite book boyfriend. Read this amazing story if you love sweet caring guys and funny crazy woman. This book will have you laughing from the first page and feeling all their love through the book. If I could give this book 10 stars I wood.

LOVED THIS ONE! My newest favorite from JJ Knight. This is a true romance, classic in every way, with a topping of steam. Gabe and Tillie, have instant chemistry and a few problems, both logistically and emotionally. They work through these, as adults, no teen angst and drama here. Grab this newest book, see the beautifully descriptive Caribbean island and the world of good friends and family.

This is a sweet and delicious five-star read. Please take me to La Jarra now, I need me a mermaid sunrise immediately. There was something special about Gabe, maybe it was his past, or maybe it was just him and the way he shakes his mixer. I really liked the fact that this is number two in the Wedding meet cute series, and I really enjoyed how we caught up with Ensley and Drew, but they don’t play such a massive part that if you missed the first you wouldn’t be lost. You will get swept up in this story, like the sweeping of the waves, there are some great secondary characters, who will make you smile and keep you hooked. Tillie and Gabe are both sublime, and you can tell they each have a passion for what they do, as well as each other, it just makes the whole story come alight like a flaming sambuca.