An emotional slow-burn, 'Love, Julie' tells the story of Julie, a prickly 40something woman trying to desperately to remain sober after a relapse causes her to embarass herself at her brother and best friend's engagement party. Determined to make it up for them, Julie finds herself organising their wedding along with the best man, the very warm and extroverted Luke, who slowly knocks down Julie's walls to hear heart.

A short novella, at times I found the pace of this book just a bit too slow, chapters are interpersed with unanswered emails to Luke in the present day. Luke is a sweetheart but at times I found him just a little bit too perfect, and I am also not a huge fan of children in books so I found those scenes with his daughter a bit too sickly, so I found myself skipping some of those chapters a bit more to move towards the present day. But overall this is a deeply moving character drama that had me invested in Julie's story, and how she has to find herself as a sober person, making new friends, opening her heart to love. Watching Julie realising she deserves all the good things in life despite her childhood trauma that has her believe otherwise was the highlight for me.

Thanks to Booksgosocial and NetGalley for the ARC.

A romcom about a middle aged alcoholic on a journey of self discovery and sobriety meets a very mature and level-headed single dad. It was a nice read. I'm not mad at it. I'd recommend it to particular people

The sequel to Anderson’s debut is a really thoughtful look at a woman’s struggle with alcohol, with relationships and with herself. The balance of romance and this incredible character arc is spot on and I applaud the author for her thoughtful, delicate but authentic approach to writing this story.

Julie is watching her best friend Kate prepare to marry her brother Ben (spoiler if you haven’t read the first book) and she offers to help out. And by help out, she basically takes over wedding planning with Ben’s best friend Luke. It’s a fairly obvious set up but the relationship doesn’t take center stage as Julie is also struggling to stay sober in a world and society fuelled by alcohol.

What a lovely contribution to the canadian romance scene!

This book has such a beautifully illustrated cover and I went into it expecting a story as light and airy as the cover itself, but that was far from what I got. This story is real! It has the real life situations, the romance, the grumpy x sunshine, the humor.. it has it all!
I will admit, I wasn't the biggest fan of Julie at the beginning of this book. Her attitude, her negative view of things, her moody ways.. I didn't like it at all. I found myself constantly questioning "Why is she like this??" But I guess that's the point. Julie has dealt with a lot, and it shows. She was unhappy and disappointed in herself, especially after having a slip in her 7-month sobriety streak. She was not where she thought she'd be by her mid-forties. Watching Luke come into her life and being such a breath of fresh air, one she never knew she needed, was so refreshing. Him being that extra support she needed, along with having her brother Ben and her best friend Kate, added to the character development we got to see from Julie. As the book progressed, I found myself enjoying Julie's character more and more and actually rooting for her! I love a book where you see a major turnaround, and this gave us exactly that!

Thank you NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and Jamie Anderson for such an inspiring read!

At 1st, I wondered if this is a play off of Single Drunk Female-- a not-very-good show on Hulu. But, things started warming up with some vulnerable moments on living with trauma and making break throughs.

As a 50-year-old woman who is just getting her life together and dealing with all of the trauma in my past, this book was just what I needed. So real but done amazingly.

A beautiful but heartbreaking story following middle-aged recovering alcoholic Julie on her journey of self-acceptance, redemption, and finding healthy love. The MMC is Luke, a sunshine golden retriever and an emotionally mature, single dad.

The are pushed together to plan their mutual best friend's wedding while planning what is meant to be an extremely romantic occasion while dealing with her own feelings of love and romance.

This was such a emotional story with a beautiful ending.

I read this as an ARC and didn't realize the couple getting married is the main love interested in Someone to Kiss which I had read before but would recommend reading beforehand.

Before I even knew what this book was about, I was drawn to the cover. This is such an eye-catching cover. After focusing on the cover, I'm so glad I decided to explore the book further and read the contents. The book is real, transparent and can be a very relatable subject. Intertwined with humor, jokes and good times is a serious matter, addiction. The addiction focused on here is alcoholism.
Julie is in her mid-forties and still doesn't have it all together yet. This isn't at all how she envisioned her life when she was in her twenties. The way the author portrays the stops and starts, fails and wins sounds realistic in Julie's journey to sobriety. From self-help classes, to winning it and then falling off. The elations and falling low. My son is a police officer and has told me of some very sad cases where people were not able to get the help they needed with such sad results. Admitting you need the help and taking that first step is so important to your road to recovery. There is no smooth sailing, there will be good days and bad. I really loved Luke's character, he and Julie are working on wedding planning her best friend's wedding together. Luke is Julie's biggest supporter in her recovery journey, so incredibly supportive. When she doesn't believe in herself, he's there to pick her up. She's not looking for romance her recovery journey is her main focus. Luke has a daughter he's raising so he has to be completely sure of who he hooks up with and how she will perceive them. Will his sense of humor, understanding and kindness break down her fences as she continues her healing journey? I loved this impressive and moving story. One to remember.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

LOVE, JULIE is a humorous take on life and second chances. .Julie, an alcoholic, hasn't had the easiest life and instead of dealing with her demons she turns to one night stands and alcohol to numb the pain, but after an embarrassing event she resolves to be a better Julie by getting sober. Throwing herself head first into planning a wedding for her brother and best friend while trying not to drink isn't the easiest thing especially when the man who completely annoys her is involved, but as they get together to plan the wedding, Julie finds a friend who is both understanding and accepting.....but will she let her past ruin her future?

I loved that while a serious topic, Anderson was able to tackle addiction with grace and sensitivity and Julie was a refreshing character that made me both feel for her but love her take on life and her sense of humor. With a storyline featuring second chances, a single dad and a dog, what more could you want?

This is an emotional story of self-discovery and second chances. Through the eyes of Julie, you live a story filled with humor, heartache, and hope. Anderson's writing captures the complexities of addiction and recovery with sensitivity. While addressing serious themes, the story maintains a lightness through Julie's witty observations and humorous encounters. It is is a touching and relatable novel that will resonate with fans of heartfelt romance and stories of personal growth.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions included here are my own.

📚 Review: Love, Julie by Jamie Anderson

Love, Julie is an enchanting blend of romance and contemporary drama. Jamie Anderson weaves a heartfelt story of Julie, a woman navigating loneliness and self-recovery. When she meets Luke, the cheerful best man at her friend’s wedding, sparks fly. Their friendship blossoms, but Julie’s past threatens their chance at happiness. Anderson’s writing captures the power of healing and hope, making Love, Julie a must-read for romance fans. 🌟

I hope you enjoy the book! 😊📖

Read from April 26th, 2024 to April 28th, 2024. Written on April 30th, 2024.

NEW BOOK RELEASE ALERT!!!

It's got slow burn, it's got character redemption arc, it's got a cute dog and a cute kid, romance, friendship! I mean, it's a little big soup of it all!

First off, I love that I wasn't focused on the main character, Julie, and her love interest. It focused more on her recovery as an alcoholic, her new job, new friends and new life. The love part came second; up until a part of the book, obviously. Nevertheless, it was sweet, it made me laugh, made me mad at characters for things they did or said (Julie included) and, in an overall, I ate this book so fast because I was genuinely enjoying it.

Now, I know the characters are in their forties but...sometimes the characters, Julie especially, made stuff or said something that made them look more like a twenty something, which was weird at times. I felt like I was reading not the story of a forty-something year-old woman, but a twenty-something year old; some things were just a bit cringe, to be honest.

Overall, I don't really know what to say, I loved the growth that the main character has throughout the whole book, plus the e-mails before some of the chapters were very enticing; it just made me want to keep reading to see what had happened.

Love it or not, it's a great story and I am very happy I got to read it ahead of its release.

(Free ARC from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial that I chose to review after reading)

Love, Julie is an engaging story about a woman finding sobriety again after an emotional breakdown. Julie is hard to love at times, and beautifully flawed, and you can't help but root for her. Her friendship with Luke grows on her and it's expected but an unusual journey nonetheless.

I love a good personal growth and redemption story and highly recommend this book.

#LoveJulie #Netgalley

This one is a tough read for me, tough because of the involvement of alcohol and how it affected those around.

Julie's growth in the novel was inspiring, I wish it was like that for all of those who took the first step.

Thank you NetGalley and TRM Publishing for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I truly enjoyed reading this book! While the topic of alcoholism can be tough, it was dealt with concern and empathy in this story. I loved the back and forth between Julie & Luke. I found myself rooting for them as a couple long before it happened. But - then - the twist!! I couldn't read fast enough to find out what happened in the end.

I laughed, I sighed, I teared-up a little - I got all the "feels" from this story. I would definitely recommend it and hope others will take the time to pick it up and read it.

Thank you to Books Go Social - @booksgosocialgroup and NetGalley - @netgalley for the eARC of Love, Julie by @jandersonwrites in exchange for this honest review of my thoughts.

Love , Julie explores the aftermath of ruining an engagement party. Julie who is an alcoholic has one drink at her brothers and best friend engagement party which leads to being drunk. Julie decides to plan wedding whilst trying to stay sober . She is forced to plan the wedding with Luke her brother best friends.
The book explores alcoholism and self esteem in a really respectful way.
It was super easy and enjoyable to read.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Lovable human meets teddy bear dad and all grows right in her world.

In the past, I’ve struggled with “unlikeable” characters. And on the surface, Julie is one. However, she is written so well that you get to see everything that goes into her personality. She is a woman who has lived, been wronged, sabotaged and hurt herself, but she is also strong, beautiful, and determined. It’s almost impossible not to root for her.

I really whooped reading this book. So much so, that I read it in less than 24 hours. The romance felt multidimensional and if she wasn’t in her 40s, I would have said this felt like a coming-of-age story.

#NetGalley #LoveJulie

4 ⭐️
This is not a book I would usually go for but I really found myself enjoying it! As I was reading I wasn't prepared for how heavy some of the subject matter was but I really loved how the fmc was able to reflect on her behaviours and the attitudes of people around her and grow as a person outside of her relationship with the mmc. It's definitly alot more mature than my normal type of book but I thought it showed great vulnerability and personal growth. Very surprised

The writing was engaging and entertaining with a serious side to it. Throughout the story there were emails from the present day, which encouraged me to keep on reading so that I could find out exactly what had happened to result in such correspondence.

The chapters were fairly long so you got a good chunk of story before moving on. Every so often (as mentioned above) there would be a present day email, followed by a chapter detailing how far back in time we were about to go. Despite going back and forth in time it was easy to keep a track of where we were and I was desperate to know what had happened to result in those emails!

There was a good flow to the book which made it easy to read. I looked forward to picking it up at each reading session and was surprised by how much I managed to get through each time.

The characters were great. I loved the many layers to the main character and really felt for her. There were some really thought provoking conversations and situations which made me enjoy the story more. As someone who doesn't drink, it was interesting to see things from the perspective of someone who has and then decided to stop.

I think that the main character and the situations that she finds herself in are relatable to so many people. I enjoyed being on her journey through the highs and the lows. The characters surrounding the main character really highlighted how important support, love and acceptance are. It was lovely to read about.

Lastly the settings. We only touched lightly upon the settings, but when we did it was integral to that particular part of the story.

Overall a lovely, thought provoking book.

In Love, Julie we follow Julie, who recently stumbled in her sobriety journey, as she plans her brother and best friend’s wedding.
I really enjoyed reading about Julie’s journey with sobriety and learning to trust herself. Luke seems really nice and lovable. What I didn’t enjoy about him was he was too positive (like about everything). His only two personality traits seemed to be his optimism and that he was “pudgy”.