In all honesty this book wasn't for me. It took me a long time to get through it because I kept stopping and reading other books and I wasn't that interested. I found the writing style quite clunky and tricky to read with the whole parallel between daytime and then dream time while asleep, and this seemed to go on for a large amount of the book.

Personally, I didn't really get on with the main characters and didn't feel that much of a tie to them. I also struggle to imagine how the main characters looked like as the description wasn't quite vivid or frequent enough for me to recall.

Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to read it.

"Are you saying I'm a book character come to life?"

I'm not sure how I feel about this book.

It Started With A Book by Camilla Isley focuses on the story of Leighton (more likely known as Spoon) and Killian St. Clair, the man of Leighton's dreams. He's everything she could want, charming, a little bit dangerous, a lot of sexy, the only issue? He's not real. But that doesn't matter right? She soon starts living for the times she can curl up with the mysterious second hand book, and fall asleep only to wake up in Lakeville Hills. She prefers herself in this reality, she can do what she wants with who she wants. But when she wakes up one morning to find she's managed to bring Killian back to the real world with her, she worries that she's finally lost it. Against her better judgement, she tries to keep her heart safe from Killian, after all the perfect book boyfriend can't be real, can he?

The premise for this story is what drew me in initially. Haven't we all at one point dreamed of being able to live in our favourite books, or gotten so swept up in what we're reading that we imagine ourselves as the main character? The idea that there was magical book that could transport you to the world you're reading in your sleep, and then write the chapters that you dreamt seemed too good to be true. And in a way it was. I was so interested in the way that the book worked, but there was never an explanation of how it worked, why it took Leighton to Lakeville, why it bought Killian to the real world or anything. I like the whole suspension of disbelief, but it seemed like I was expected to think this worked, just because.

Whilst the premise was good, unfortunatley the plot didn't quite live up to it. It was a little bit slow, and in the beginning, I found myself acting like Leighton, racing through the mundane aspects of her life to get to the times when she was in Lakeville Hills. The parts where she was in the book were fantastic, the plot was good, the way she acted was superb, letting herself be a little more reckless, and have more fun, was really fun to read. Despite there being massive gaps in the narrative, when she was in Lakeville, it was so easy to really get into the story. I had hoped that the lessons she learned in Lakeville were going to carry into her real life, but unfortunately that never happened.

Leighton herself was an... interesting character. I can't lie, I really didn't like her in the first part of the book. There's being cynical, and then there's whatever Leighton was being. I get the whole being cynical that there are no decent men left, and that coupled friends can sometimes be insenstive when they're in that happy loved up phase, but it seemed that it went straight past cynical and straight to hateful. Despite saying that she was happy that her friends were happy, it was almost like it was being implied that she would have been happier had her friends been as miserable and single as she was, and it wasnt a good look. However her character development was so good, I really enjoyed reading how much she changed. I had found her so likeable in Lakeville, and once Killian was in the real world with her, that seemed to be the person she became more, which in turn made the book a much more enjoyable read. It made it make more sense that it was less a reflection of hoe she felt about other people in relationships, and more that she spent so long not letting herself hope for more, that when she did, she found it better than she could imagine.

Killian on the other hand was swoon worthy from start to end. Despite it being a bit of a cliche trope with the billionaire cowboy storyline, it was never cheesy. I found that he was great in Lakeville and in real life. I think it would have been good if there was a little bit of 'what do you mean I'm a book character bought to life', like I think personally he took the news a little bit too well, I think it could have been really interesting for him to be a bit more disbelieving. But I did really like the way that he was adjusting to being a real person. The hiccups, like him growling at people, and demanding they respect Leighton was really fun, it added so much lightheartedness, it was impossible not to like him, and the fact it was never overdone, helped to avoid it becoming cheesy. His development from being book boyfriend to real boyfriend was so good. Him being so protective over Leighton, and hating when she was speaking to Oliver had me feeling all the feels. The only thing I didnt really like about him was the constant speaking in tropes. I like romace stories as much as the next person, and I really love a good old fashioned trope, but him being a book character and being so hyper aware of tropes made it feel a little bit disjointed, and pulled me out of the story when it came up.

I think one of the best parts of the book was never being completley sure whether Killian was going to disappear or not. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and kept me turning the pages. Every time they were seperated, I was like has he gone, and we don't know it yet. It was such a good mystery, but as I said before, I just wish it had been explained, rather than it just feeling like a it works because I say it works.

Overall this book felt like a bit of a mixed bag, it's a 3.5 star for me.

ARC provided by Boldwood Books through NetGalley, thank you for the opportunity to read this early copy, all thoughts are my own.

1.5/5 stars. I was not a fan of this one. The concept was interesting but the dialogue was so cringey and the whole book made me uncomfortable. I hated all of the characters except Oliver who wasn’t even that significant anyway. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc, even though I didn’t enjoy it.

Thanks Netgalley for a chance to read this!
I love Camilla Isley and this book is such an omage to the romance lover in me I can't help but give it 3.5 stars. Even the opening line makes it clear: this book is for US who love romance novels.
The first half of the book focuses on Leighton, a graduate student down on her luck in love, as she navigates the dream world of a mysterious romance novel and the local 'beautiful bastard" Killian. I loved the duality of these chapters: the goofy, almost corniness of the romance novel world coupled with the, in my opinion, very realistic STEM lifestyle for women. When Killian pops out of the book and joins us in the real world for the second half of the book I loved it a bit less: I wanted MORE of his navigation in real life, more on his 'not having a real backstory' struggles, more on them trying to make it as a real couple. I just wanted more. Their moments together were pure perfection and I do really love the lack of a 3rd act breakup, but I found myself itching for more pages.
This is closed door, sticky sweet, and just the perfect amount of romance for me. A great warm your heart story

This book honestly only made me confused, I don’t think I single part of me enjoyed it. Was Killian ever a “real” person or just a made up fictional character? He tried to sell a really cute meet-cute to Leighton’s friends and it made me question whether I’m the one not understanding or if he’s truly just a made up figment of imagination. I can appreciate that the author gave us what every person wants, a book boyfriend coming to life but I have a hard time feeling connected to stories like this that literally cannot happen in real life.

Essentially, Leighton fell in love with a fictional character in a book named Killian who was a billionaire cowboy and she dreamed about life with him every night. Meanwhile, everyone in her real life was trying to set her up on dates. All of her friends were what she considered “coupled humans.” Happily engaged, married or dating. Leigh entertained her friend and went on a date with a guy who she really hit it off with but was too caught up with the man of her (literal) dreams, Killian. Well, lo and behold, Killian magically appeared in the real world — right in Leighton’s bed one morning. At this point I was utterly confused and slightly uninterested tbh.

Super quick read, honestly wouldn’t recommend unless your someone who is okay with a really out there storyline. I appreciated the plot but found it hard to get into knowing Killian was a made up person and Leighton was low-key delusional for imagining him into the real world.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Dating was not easy when I was in the game two decades ago and it most certainly has not gotten any easier. Sometimes when life gets to be too much, a book is the perfect distraction. But Leighton’s new old book seems to present a whole new kind of escape…our FMC might have needed this small town cowboy romance but so did I! It Started In a Book was whimsical, fun, lighthearted, and an overall delight! A beautiful reminder that life is hard and it’s perfectly okay to dream big while working hard to achieve your goals.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review is posted is Goodreads and final review will be on instagram ahead of the publication day!

Loved the premise behind this: Leighton, tired of being ghosted by boyfriends, starts reading a billionaire cowboy romance... and when the story stops partway through the book, she starts dreaming it and the new chapters follow her dreams. And then she wakes up and her book boyfriend is suddenly in her real life...

This was a lot of fun - the 'dream lover' aspect, the fish out of water aspect, the discussion about romance tropes, and Killian turns out to be a really nice guy. But can Leighton trust that it's real and he won't vanish out of her life like her exes? And what will happen if she does?

Definitely a summer beach read. Solid four stars.

A fun, cute read with a sexy "bad boy" (who's not really all that bad) and a heroine that we can all identify with. There wasn't a lot of tension involved, but there's nothing wrong with a little low-stakes escapism. And I enjoyed that it did pick some light-hearted fun at modern romance tropes and current reading trends.

The only mildly disappointing fact was that the story didn't go into any real depth over what Leighton's research involved, because I could not help but feel there was an intentional parallel between her research on creating AI and the sudden discovery/arrival of (what turned out to be) her perfect man.

I .hate givinga a books a little stars rating, but what can I say I just didn't feel this one.
I didn't connect to the MCs, to the storyline.
It was cute, but not for me.
3 stars
I wanted soooo badly to love this one

So cute and fluffy and fun and perfect for summer! I think I need to accept that I'm fully in a romance era at this point. I think my feedback is similar to other's who've read the book (Fun, a great concept, light hearted, and a perfect summer read), so if that is what you're looking for, you will definitely find it here.

This is also my first Camilla Isley book, so I'm very interested in sifting through her backlist now, if she has one!

This was an interesting book! Quite unique! Which made it enjoyable. It all starts with Leigh being ghosted again on a date. Reading a book makes her dream of a sweet billionaire cowboy. Then one day she wakes up to find the sexy guy in her apartment. Killian was a great character. He was a perfect book boyfriend.
This was a nice, sweet, fun filled story. We all know book boyfriends aren’t real, but it would be sweet if that were the case! For Leigh it did come true.
I am a big of Camilla Isley! Her stories always make me happy! This one was the same. I can’t wait for another!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Leighton is tired of dating, tired of getting ghosted.. but also tired of not having plans on the weekend. She starts dreaming of the perfect man and their perfect meet cute until she decides to lose herself in a book. The book she picks is a cowboy romancr she doesn't remember buying. She finds herself dreaming the rest of the story, with her as the lead!
“I prefer to dream about my own imaginary romance.”
Overall, I really enjoyed how the story was written. I like how it would go from Leightons daily life to her using her dream world as her escape. I also enjoyed the whole idea of a book boyfriend coming to life and the unexpected turns that would take.
I liked the story, but there were a few points in the plot that didn’t seem to fit. I also found myself skipping little sections of pages because I didn't nerd the repetition.
It was a quick romantic read with a really fun premise, I would recommend.

With an interesting bookish premise, It Started with a Book by Camilla Isley tells a story about a woman who pulls a fictional man out of a mysterious book that writes her love story.

Summary: Leighton "Leigh/Spoon" Witherspoon is tired of endless failed dates. She picks up a book that strangely is filled with blank pages. When she falls asleep, she is transported to the book's setting, Lakeville Hills, where she meets the male lead, Killian St. Clair, a billionaire cowboy. One day, she somehow magically pulls this fictional man into her real world.

Tropes/Genres:
• book about books
• magical realism
• fantasy
• contemporary rom-com
• strangers to lovers
• fictional man
• set in Evanston, Illinois

Review: This book has a very interesting premise that revolves around a magical book, a fictional man and book tropes. However, while the idea is interesting, it wasn't executed as well as it could've been.

The plot was a bit disjointed; it didn't flow well. The author also tried to fit many miscellaneous ideas into the book, but they all seem to stick out like a sore thumb. The ideas were, to put it simply, not integrated into the story smoothly. They felt so random. I appreciate the message, but it certainly could've been done better. It just makes the poor writing in this book more obvious overall.

"Are you trying to prove you're a real man by leaving like all real men do?"

Leigh was quite a questionable character that's easy to hate. She has a very negative perception of men, particularly real men. I mean, I get that she's had bad experiences, but she knows very well that not all men are as bad as she describes. Her new best friend Oliver is a prime example. It's just so nasty to generalise men like that. You would hate it if someone generalised women like that, so why is it okay if it's done to men? That's such a huge ick, personally.

"I was about to tell him that I love him, and everyone knows a woman can’t be the first one to say it. Relationship suicide 101."

Killian is such a sweet guy, and I don't think it's entirely because he's fictional. There are many men in the world who are just as sweet as any stereotypical fictional men; you just need to find them. I felt a bit bad for him because of the severe lack of faith and trust Leigh had in him. I understand Leigh's fears of Killian only liking him because of the magical book's plot, but I still feel bad for him. Leigh also happens to have a very odd perception of how relationships work. I mean, what's up with the idea that women shouldn't say "I love you" first? That's such a lame mindset.

One thing I like about this book is the talk about misogyny. The treatment Leigh got as a woman in academia is just gross. Some of the issues presented are not really misogyny but labelled as such, such as two guys arriving an hour late for a meeting and her advisor stealing credit for her research, but many incidents presented in the book displayed misogyny. It honestly sucked to see her going through all that. As such, even though the way the concept was put forth was weird, I appreciate the message.

The first 75% of the book was fine in terms of Leigh and Killian's relationship. Even with the poor pacing of the story, I thought that the idea was interesting and that Leigh and Killian were cute and funny. The shift from the fictional world to the real world was abrupt, but I could let that one slide. However, towards the end of the book, everything just somehow falls flat. It stopped being cute.

Overall, this book has an interesting bookish premise, but the writing isn't exactly the best. There are also some questionable statements made in the book. If you want to try out a unique romance idea, then I recommend this book to you.

What a fun premises for a book! I mean, who hasn't wished their book boyfriend would magically come to life?? This was an enjoyable read, however I found that I was impatiently waiting for the moment Killian would enter the real world and wondering how he would cope. It's worth sticking through the slower opening chapters as 'real world' Killian is quite entertaining. The basis of their relationship was a bit far fetched in the beginning, but as the main characters transition from fiction to the real world it becomes more emotional & true to how scary trusting someone with your heart can feel like as you fall in love.

I gave this novel four stars. It was a nice light hearted and fun romantic comedy. I was not disappointed and I must say wouldn't it be nice if all our book boyfriends became real?!? The book is adorable. It's a closed-door romance, but you will be smiling throughout much of it.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books Publishing for this advanced copy of this adorable romantic comedy in return for my honest opinions.

All of us readers, particularly the romance readers - We all have our "book boyfriends" and this book takes that to the next level. I thoroughly enjoyed this book where the book boyfriend comes to life. The concept was great but felt the writing for it fell a bit flat. I enjoyed the book overall- it's a bit cheesy at times but still cute.

I feel like this book described a dream come through.

Leighton is having really bad dates, until one day she finds a book that transports her into the story when she sleep. She thinks all she's doing is dreaming, but when the hero comes to the 'real world' with her, she realises that she's not dreaming anymore.

Now Leighton needs to decide if her feelings and relationship with Killian, the book hero, are real and if he's worth the risk.

I don't know how many times I wished my favourite characters were real, so I loved diving into Leighton and Killian's story and cheer for them.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a digital ARC.

What if your book boyfriend came to life?

The premise of 'It started with a Book" really piqued my interest. Leighton, disillusioned with modern dating, finds herself drawn to a fictional world. She can't wait to get home each evening to enter the small town, cowboy Romance she's reading, via her dreams. As she starts to fall in love with Killian, her fictional crush becomes all to real, waking up to find him in her real life.

I enjoyed this for the most part. The concept was fun, but at times the execution fell a bit flat for me. Perhaps I just wanted the two dimensional MMC to really become more fleshed out and human. There were moments in the plot where we were told that Leighton and Killian shared the small moments of life together, but we didn't get to see their relationship develop that depth fully on the page. I had a good time, but this wouldn't be something I'd pick up again on a re-read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an e-ARC copy of "It Started with a Book" in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good multiverse story and this one is a corker. The idea of a book boyfriend coming to life is a great concept and I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to the concept coming true in real life! This is without doubt a unique, light-hearted, and entertaining rom-com. The characters are likeable and relatable and the Author does a great job of incorporating lots of different romantic tropes within the story; but Killian and Leighton being aware of, and referencing, different book tropes, is exceptionally amusing as well. Overall a great read. Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to get an early copy of ‘It Started With a Book by Camilla Isley’, which is out on 5th July 2024.

this was such a different book! but i loved it. i definitely wish my book boyfriends would come alive for real. if you’re one to fall for book boyfriends, i highly recommend this book. it was cute and funny. the only thing i found was it dragged a bit.

This is such a sweet and fun read!!!! Apart from the fact that it brings to life a legit book boyfriend, the absolutely loved the fact that not only does every romance trope get mentioned, but it also gets made fun of. We love all the cheese in the world but when it comes to practicality, like the book says a few times itself, “real life sucks.”

I enjoyed this opportunity to vicariously live through wishful thinking becoming reality. Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy!