Not Exactly A Small Town Romance by JJ Knight is a delightful, humorous rom-com that plays with the tropes of love and cinematic clichés. Kelsey Whitaker, a casting assistant and rom-com expert, sets out to find her own perfect love story by searching for her “all-American” man in small-town Alabama. With the help of her best friend, Zachery, she embarks on a series of charming misadventures. As Zachery quietly falls for her, the story expertly weaves friendship, romance, and self-discovery. It’s an entertaining and heartwarming read for fans of quirky characters and slow-burn romance.

Kelsey works as an assistant to a Hollywood casting director alongside Zach, who is a faded movie star that has moved into casting but they look out for each other which helps them both deal with their demanding and mean boss.

One night at a party, Kelsey sees a fortune teller who tells her she needs to find love and soon, before she stops believing in it, so she decides she needs to take a road trip across the country to try and find her small town romance. Just like all the rom-coms she watches.

After her first night away when things don't go quite to plan, Zach drives through the night to get to her. He decides he needs to stay with her to protect her but really it's because he's in love with her. Though he thinks he's not right for her, due to the fact he's 11yrs older than her and he's a bit of a playboy. He does want her to be happy though so no matter how he feels about her, he wants to put her happiness above his own which is actually quite sweet.

I liked Zach, but I didn't really connect with Kelsey as a character. She's 25 but for someone who hasn't had the easiest childhood and now lives in Hollywood, dealing with actors and other industry people, she seems a bit naïve about life and love. She also comes across as desperate and throws herself into a relationship with a guy she meets at a Christmas farm, helping his family from day one and then talking about marriage and kids only 6 days in. At least he showed who he really was at that point, but still - who does that after 6 days?!

I would have liked to have seen Kelsey and Zach's boss get her comeuppance after she fired Kelsey and blackballed her in LA but I guess they got their own revenge when they moved to New York and started a casting agency there.

Overall it was a cute little romance, only one spicy scene though in the middle.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Not exactly a small-town romance is a cute bingeable rom-com. The banter between the MMC and FMC was fun and I adored their friendship,

Perfect for those who enjoy;
- friends to lovers
- road trips
- he falls first
- coworkers romance

Thank you @netgalley and Montlake for a copy of the e-arc to review.

The blurb of this story intrigued me as it sounded right up my alley. It started off really nice. I liked how Zachary and Kelsey seem to just get each other. They were really good friends and I can see the potential for something more. However, there weren't many scenes between the two where I can see that happening. I understand that this book was about finding the love of Kelsey's life so scenes with other suitors was expected but I also wanted her to have the same amount of time with Zachary. And because of those limited time together I couldn't be all in when they finally got together at the end. I just wanted more with Zachary and Kelsey. The writing was fine and I've read the author before and I liked her work. This story just fell short for me.

This book had me hooked right away and I could not put it down. There was not a spot in the book that lulled or became boring. It was all non stop enjoyment from the beginning.

The development of characters was incredible. I love how each character kept getting built on the more the book went on. You kept discovering something new about each character.

I loved the meet-cutes. They were incredibly entertaining. I also loved how sweet Zachery is to Kelsey. What an incredible show of romance that he would follow her on her trip to protect her.

Overall, the writing was excellent, and this book was incredible.

I do enjoy a good road trip love story, however, I felt like this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. I didn't really connect with the characters and the romance didn't like it was really there. It was an interesting concept for a love story, but fell a little flat.

I did not enjoy this book at all. I did not want to finish it, but I did. I do not recommend reading.
1/5 stars

This was a super cute read. Kelsey is trying to find her perfect one. She has to go home to Alabama, but the trip home is going to filled with stops in all the small towns. Kelsey is going to find her flannel wearing hero by staging her meet cutes in all the right spots, like coffee shops and bookstores. She is going to try everything, like "accidentally" spilling her drink, tripping and falling into her man, picking up the wrong drink, all this to find her "one."
Zachery, knows his one is Kelsey. He just does not think she feels the same way. He is trying to encourage her but at the same time he is wants his shot at being more than just someone he works with. He stays supportive and when it gets to be too much, he decides he is going to help her. This can only go one way, right?

Thanks to NetGalley, Montlake, and the author for the chance to read this book.

This was a light-hearted and satisfying romance story with ALL the tropes and meet-cutes. It was easy reading, and the descriptions of the scenery were enticing. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author created the scene in my mind. The banter and friendship between Kelsey and Zachery was quite funny at times, too.

This is a cute rom com about 2 coworkers and friends that take a road trip together so one of them can find love.

📚 Book Review 📚

Title : Not exactly a small town romance
Author : J.J. Knight
Genre : Romance
Rate : 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks to @netgalley for an Arc copy of this. It was published on the 22nd October 2024.

Kelsey knows every hit rom com by heart and why they work. Well it is her job to know. She is the casting assistant to the woman who is known as the Demon. She creates chemistry for the perfect leads and lets the tropes take care of the rest.
However Kelsey starts to wonder, where is the meet cute in her own life?

With the help of her best friend and wingman Zachery (a total hemswotth) and who is secretly in love with her, they go on a road trip, targeting small towns.
She is determined to strategically fall into the arms of a handsome man and have her real life meet cute moment.
What could go wrong?

With some missteps along the way, will Kelsey find her one true love?

I really enjoyed this one and had me hooked from the beginning. The friendship between Kelsey and Zack is such a cute one. There is an age gap between them and is a reason Zach doesn’t make a move. His crush on her is too cute and while he is trying to protect her, he shots himself in the foot too.

If your looking for an easy to read rom com, then I’d definitely recommend picking this one you.
It’s my first book by this author but I’d definitely pick up another one.

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thanks for the change of reading this book, I'm going to be very honest.. I like it but felt also that something was missing. I did like the fact that the FMC couldn't settle with what she already had and Zachary who respects the friendzone that was very important to the book but still personally I felt it was missing something

Kelsey and Zachery work together in the casting industry. They are at an event and Kelsey gets her fortune read and she is told her time to find her true love is running out. She embarks on a roadtrip back to her home town in Alabama determined to have a meet cute and fall in love.

Zachery has always liked Kelsey and doesn’t want her to go alone on the trip, so decides to follow her. Kelsey’s journey to her own real life hall mark movie isn’t smooth. As she tries her best to initiate meet cutes, Zachery has to try his best to not jump in!

Not Exactly A Small Town Romance is a cute romcom, it’s easy to fly through and I enjoyed it. There were times it felt a little too “hallmark” which is why it isn’t a full 5 stars for me but this is the first book I’ve read by this author and I would certainly read more in the future. If you want a fun book to get you out of a reading slump, this is it!

Read this if you like
- friends to lovers
- slowburn
- co workers to lovers
- road trips
- he falls first

Adorable friends to lover's romance. This is the first book that I have read from J.J.Knight. I will be reading more. Kelsey is hard working and loves what she does. She just wants more. She wants love. Zachery and Kelsey work together and are there for each other. Zachery sees something that most people don't see when it comes to Kelsey. He does something he probably shouldn't have done. It leads to Kelsey taking a trip across the country to see if she can find her one true love.
Kelsey and Zachary end up going on quite the adventure and you are right there with them. But after one-night things with them completely change. But will it be enough for them to realize what is right there?
I absolutely loved this cute lovable story. Kelsey is someone seeking love which we can all easily relate too. Her ways of trying to find love are sometimes funny and very enjoyable to read about. I love how Zachary is there for her no matter how he feels about her.
This was a great read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was wonderful!

Kelsey Whitaker listens to a fortune teller and decides this is the time to find her own romance. She wants the whole meet cute and whatever trope works. She is an assistant to a Hollywood casting agent who is going to be out of the country for a few weeks. She invites Zachery Carter along on her road trip. He also works for the agent and has been a working actor.

This has cute moments of her trying different ways to force a potential romance start and trying to learn from each attempt. I did like getting both POVs and I always enjoy when HE falls first. But for much of the story she has him in the friend zone. Even after their first time together. And it’s a small thing but I found it very shallow that she priced out peoples clothing. Overall the story is fun and very readable but it didn’t knock it out of the ball park for me. (3.5 Stars)

"Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance" is a beautifully and enjoyable book. If anyone is looking for a romantic read that is both heartwarming and heartfelt, this book is a must-read. Highly recommended!

After taking the advice of a fortune teller at a company work event , Kelsey decides to go on a journey to find love. Zachery, who has had a hand in putting her on this trek feels responsible to watch out for her as she travels across the country. Although he has telling a for her he takes himself out of the running. Armed with a list of meet cutes she’s determined to find her man. Trading Hollywood for the country life isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

I could see this being the cutest rom-com, Halmark movie spoof. I enjoyed every single second and it really did play out in my head exactly like a movie. I read it cover to cover and couldn’t put it down. Kelsey was annoying at times and obviously the miscommunication trope of “I’ll never be the one” could’ve been solved with a simple conversation, but then there wouldn’t be this 5 star read! Definitely read it if you’re a fan of cheesy rom coms and musicals. This is my first book by this author and I will definitely be reading more!

Kelsey has grown weary of waiting for love to come to her, so she is determined to find it for herself. She comes up with what she believes is the perfect plan which includes a road trip with her friend and co-worker Zachary, but she might just be surprised by what she finds.

Zachary has his own reasons for embarking on this adventure with Kelsey and it goes beyond friendship. He doesn’t believe that they can be together, so he is determined to ensure she doesn’t make the wrong choice but the more time they spend together the more he wonders what if.

This story is both fun and humorous as Kelsey’s search for romance is sure to bring a smile to your face and I enjoyed seeing them realize that what she has been looking for has been there all along.