3.7 Stars
One Liner: Go with the flow and enjoy!

Leighton is frustrated when she is ghosted by yet another Tinder date. With no real-life plans for the weekend, she grabs a random book from the shelf and starts reading. Soon, Leigh begins to dream of Lakeville Hills and the super hot billionaire cowboy Killian St Clair.
This becomes a routine for Leigh, a wonderful escape for a few hours. However, one day she brings Killian to her apartment. Real life and dream worlds collide. So what will Leigh do? How can she find a way out?
The story comes in Leigh’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
This is the kind of book where you have to go with the flow and forget logic. Its premise makes it clear. I was willing, and quite enjoyed the ride.
Humor is seamlessly woven into the narrative, making this a light-hearted read even when the scenes deal with misogyny, etc. The couple’s wisdom quotes are hilarious.
Not sure if it is a new trend, but many romcoms seem to be ‘talking’ about the tropes in the plot. Love Story and The Love of My Afterlife had the same. This book also has the characters discussing and jokes about the tropes in their lives. It makes sense given the character arcs, so it was fun.
The book is sexy but not that steamy. When it comes to the scenes, it goes fade to black. Since it has quite a few dream sequences, we get enough time to see the main characters connect and know more about each other.
Though we get only Leigh’s POV, it is easy to see Killian’s side. He is open about his feelings most of the time. Though he is the alpha male, he is also a cinnamon roll. A nice package by all means!
The beginning is slow (until about 30%) but it picks up a steady pace afterward. There really isn’t a third-act breakup, though there is a small fight and a patch-up real soon.
Given the premise, there are a few missing (logical) details. But answering those would be risky and could mess up the whole plot, so things are left the way they are. In short, this needs the suspension of belief.

To summarize, It Started with a Book is a light and funny read about dreams coming true and book boyfriends becoming real. Well, I sure wouldn’t mind this happening (are you listening, guardian angels).
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I've enjoyed this author's previous books, and will definitely pick new ones up in the future but this one did not work for me.

It's a very cute and quick read, so many aide comments about various romance tropes that I love, Killian, true to his nickname in the books is a real cinnamon role. But the book boyfriends coming to life trope? It's weird. While some romcom plot lines may not be realistic, this is one that, feasibility aside, I just can't with. There were too.many plot holes (the how did it happen and the how can he stay in this world and just, well, how, not to mention the issues in her workplace). Overall I was intrigued by the plot, but by the end just couldn't stay in board. Regardless though, I truly looking forward to this author's next book!!

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.


I was not able to finish this book. I found our heroine a bit sad and silly. I think I'm becoming old and bitter

Leighton has sworn off dating after she is ghosted again and decides to wallow in her misery and read a romance novel. As she falls asleep to a book that transports her to the small-town of Lakeville Hills, she dreams of billionaire cowboy Killian St Clair. It is her one escape from her abominable supervisor and her friends who are newly coupled. Until one day, she wakes up to find she’s brought a bit of Lakeville Hills back in the form of Killian St Clair, who is in her apartment. What follows is Leigh trying to help Killian navigate the real world without falling for her, knowing that she could wake any moment, to find him gone.
This was such a great premise and I so agreed with Leigh, when Killian seemed to go to be true. This reinforced how Leigh did not realise her true value, having been let down so many times. Killian was so sweet and I found his character maturing, as he spent more time with Leigh. A great read!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Leighton has had it with dating after being ghosted one too many times. One night, she stumbles upon a second-hand book that whisks her away to the charming small town of Lakeville Hills, where she dreams of billionaire cowboy Killian St Clair.

Leigh finds comfort in her nightly escapes to Lakeville Hills, making her real troubles more bearable. But one morning, she wakes up to find Killian in her apartment. Now, she must help him to blend into reality and also try to protect herself from falling for her book boyfriend that came to life.

Camilla Isley's stories are adorable, heartwarming romances that really tug at your emotions. I devoured this book in a single day and loved every moment. Killian is the perfect book boyfriend brought to life, and his transition from a fictional character to a real person is fascinating. Leighton, a determined grad student who can't seem to find the right guy and is surrounded by couples, often finds their "couples wisdom" annoying. At first, it seemed repetitive, but then I realized it was a reflection of Leigh's own unhappiness, not a jab at relationships. By the end, her perspective shifts beautifully.

This is a charming, low-spice romance that's perfect for a summer beach read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books.

Love love loved this! A super cute story. I love that it’s about a bookish girl who is now living out a literal dream. Because how many times have we drooled and dreamt of these book characters hoping they were real? Loved it!

I usually thoroughly enjoy Camilla Isley’s books, but I have very mixed feelings about this one. The idea of a book boyfriend magically brought back to our world is funny, but I just couldn’t love it. Leighton is pretty annoying as a character for a very long time, the duality of real life / dream-book goes on for too long at the beginning, and once Killian is in her life everything was just too easy. There were a few funny moments but they weren’t enough for me to enjoy it as much as Camilla’s other books.

If only. If only the hunky swoony man could be conjured into reality from the pages of a book! My house would be overcrowded If that was the case.
It’s a cute concept and I ran with it, drooling over Killian as Leighton dreams of him every night. I’ve been guilty of that many years ago, preferring my fantasy world instead of the reality of the world I was in.
I did get exasperated with Leighton because Killian was bending over backward to do everything she wanted and made her aware of his feelings—the perfect man- and all she can do is drag her feet and refuse to take the plunge. I may have actually yelled move over idiot while reading because I was so frustrated with her lack of action. I would have tackled Killian after the first day!
I wasn’t impressed with her research work in AI, that had to be my least favorite part of the book because I have a profound dislike of AI since in my real world I’m in academics and deal with the darker side of it.

I love the concept of this book so much! It's every reader's dream to have their book boyfriend come to life and this book explores that fictional possibility. I read this right after "The Love Algorithm" by the same author, and I'm kinda disappointed. The idea was brilliant and obviously hooked me. I've always loved Camilla's writing style and that's what got me through the story, but I don't think the plotting and detailing on the characters was deep enough on this. There characters feel so incomplete and add that to the fact that there's so many random scenes thrown everywhere, it makes no sense. There was repetition of the same sentiment which I got quickly tired of. I'd also appreciate an explanation to how the magical realism in the book came to be. Also, it's crazy how easily Killian faked his social security, especially after reading "Wish I Were Here".
PS: I think Killian not having all of his memories was a super cool idea.

what a fun read! i enjoyed the concept—it is something a fellow romance reader like me would resonate with. i mean who hasn’t read a romance book with a swoony hero and not fantasize about dating them? killian st. clair is the kind of hero i love. so much rizz.

even though the concept of this book is fairytale-like, i liked that the author didn’t shy away from depicting leighton’s inner struggle with the whole situation. her fear that he didn’t love the real her. her fear that he was gonna disappear at any moment. even i was scared that was going to happen! it felt like a realistic response.

overall, i loved the book and would def recommend it to my fellow romance readers with a book bf!

I have really enjoyed all of this author’s books, so I was immediately intrigued with the synopsis of this one! I mean, as a single woman who is pretty sure she is always going to be single, what could be better than the book boyfriend of my dreams popping out of the current book I’m reading or me being able to pop into the book to fill out the rest of the story?

So much of this was a single romance reader’s dream come true story. But what made this even more fun was when Killian actually showed up in Leigh’s world outside the book, in her bed even! Suddenly this billionaire enemies to lovers romantic interest from her book must figure out how to go about his new life in the real world. Figuring out if he was real, or if he was a figment of her imagination took some time to decide as well.

As much as I adored this story, and totally got the direction the author took it in the end, I did have a few things that didn’t quite work for me. For instance, the fact that Leigh’s work had to do with AI made me think maybe there was going to be some kind of connection to Killian coming out of the book. But there was not. And honestly, we never really got a reason for how he came out of the book, and my brain needed just a little bit more about that. What they did about the book later in the story, well, again, it was a bit anti-climactic for me.

Besides those things though, it was a fun read, and I did really enjoy this fun little foray into a world where a book boyfriend comes to life. Now I’m off to bed, hoping to dream about one of my own many favorite book boyfriends, even I don’t get them appearing in real life out of my dream when I wake up in the morning.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. What romance reader hasn't fantasized about the male MC coming to life and sweeping her off her feet?
The banter was light-hearted and fun and I particularly liked how the author dealt with a character coming to life and the real-world applications like lack of an ID etc.
I think the female MC will appeal to a lot of readers. She is working in STEM, facing misogyny, and is the forever single in the group. It's certainly issues I have dealt with. Overall I think this book will appeal to readers who are looking for some light-hearted escapism.
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Some people are way too chill about identity theft let alone people appearing out of thin air. I feel like most people would not have the reaction of "okay, weird" then got on with their lives if the MMC in the book theyre reading appeared in their bed overnight

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Oh, how many times I have wished my book hero could jump out of the pages and be mine! 😍This book has combined that very idea with a bunch of my favorite tropes! It is a cute, enjoyable light read. Recommended for someone looking for a light romantic comedy. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of this Novel.

For me the perfect man lies between the pages of a book. One that I can happily take to bed but also pick up and put down as I choose. They also don’t make a mess or hog the duvet.

I loved the premise of actually being transported to the book you are reading as you fall asleep. With cowboys being very on trend book boyfriend Killian St Clair was great on paper but how would that translate to real life when the tables are turned and he ends up in her real life. I have to say the coffee shop scene was pure perfection and put the com in the romcom.

Killian was believable for a fictional character but Leighton I struggled to connect with. The subplot of her misogynistic supervisor felt a little tacked on and I felt this book could have left the STEM behind and been better for it. Cowboy book yes, STEM book yes, Cowboys and STEM possibly not.

That being said, this book was still a really good read and the author remains one of my go to authors for romcoms. Her character banter is always sharp, the funny is guaranteed and I look forward to seeing where she goes next.

4.5stars.
My first Camilla Isley book and let me tell you I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I was instantly addicted and made me feel the feels.
For all you romance book lovers out there, if you like a touch of magical realism then this is definitely the book to read!
Do you ever find yourself swooning for the male lead in a romance novel? Ever wish you could pop into the book you're reading? Well that is exactly what happens to Leigh. She single and in a bad way. Everyone around her is happy coupled up and she can't get a guy to commit to her past the 3rd date! When she starts reading a mysterious romance book that seems to have just appeared on her bookshelf she find herself dreaming she is in the cowboy romance book. The male lead a 'beautiful bastard' named Killian. Full of romance tropes (on purpose) you will find enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, cinnamon rolls and something totally unexpected that will have you gasping and turning those pages.

Let me say for me the first 40% of the book was pure 5stars, I was literally addicted. The hot swooniness of Killian and the chemistry between then was unreal however I was a little disappointed by the lack of serious drama past real life mundane problems (although totally understandable) once the unnexpected thing happens. Although the banter was amazing and I loved the use of bookish language, it was just the lack of a real struggle, a real pining for which just dropped the ball slightly. Otherwise a fantastic read and I highly recommended it!

Thanks to Boldeorld books who provided me with a copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Release Date: July 5, 2024
Date Read and Reviewed: July 5, 2024
Ratings: 2.5⭐️

°

The beginning was really promising to me, and I did hope that it would be delivered. However, in general, the story ended up being superficial, shallow, and forced to me.

The storytelling or writing definitely needs improvement, in my opinion, as well as making the characters more in-depth and natural?

Although the chemistry was there, it didn't endeared the story to me because of the storytelling.

Overall, I was disappointed.

Thank you, BoldwoodBooks via Netgalley, for the e-arc opportunity.

Thanks boldwood books and Netgalley for the chance to review this ARC for Camilla Isley.
I loved the bookish theme to this story, all the talks of tropes and the absolute freak out over dog-eared pages, I loved the banter between killian and Leighton, I loved the pet names and the chemistry. I did however really struggle with the main theme of a fictional character coming to life, this is probably because there is absolutely no answers to how or why it happened. It took some real perseverance to get through this book. A hard book to review because I loved a lot, but was frustrated a lot.
This is a fade to black story with a good amount of anticipation and chemistry. There is some swearing. These thoughts are entirely my own.

**Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!**

2.5 stars rounded up!

This book had a lot of promise with the concept, and honestly, which romance reader hasn't once wondered what it would be like to have a book boyfriend come to life? It started off really strong but then it quickly lost momentum for me as it wasn't really explained how Killian came to life. No one really questioned it, especially not Killian, and everything seemed to get answered away or just brushed off. I wanted a more fantasy aspect to it in the sense that they at least tried to figure out what was going on, but that wasn't really there. I just had too many questions and I wasn't really invested in the romance. At some point I got really bored and just couldn't pick the book back up until I went through to skim it. If you are looking for a book that is more than just the swoony romance and want more of the "how" and "why" (like me), then maybeeee not for you.

I enjoy Camilla Isley's writing and this book was delightful. It's light, original, and fun! It Started with a Book depicts what happens when Leighton, a bookworm, falls asleep while reading a romance novel and finds herself in the book she is reading. Killian St Clair, the fictional hottie billionaire cowboy in the book she was reading when she fell asleep is there with her in Lakeville Hills.

This goes on for a time, Leighton being in her world during the day and going to sleep and finding herself in Lakeville Hills. But one morning she wakes up and Killian St. Clair is with her in her apartment....


This was a unique and cute book. I found the idea of being transported into a book to be a charming idea. Isn't that what all readers experience while reading to a degree? I enjoyed how Isley used several romance tropes in this book and that the story was light and charming.