I enjoyed this road trip story of Kelsey setting out to see if she can find Mr Right as she travels from the big city through several small towns on her way back home. Her coworker, Zachary, doesn’t feel comfortable with Kelsey making this solo excursion so he uses technology to catch up to her and convinces her to let him join her. Kelsey doesn’t realize how Mr Right is right there with her as she sets out to force several different meet cute scenarios in hopes of finding love. This was a nice alternative to other romance plots.

Kelsey is a casting assistant for an awful boss and works at creating couples with chemistry for the romance stories in Hollywood. As an expert in all things romantic comedies, she wants to take fate into her own hands and potentially create meet cutes for herself. Kelsey embarks on a meet cute road trip. When the best friend and co-worker Zachary shows up, this wingman needs to show her that the person she is looking for is right in front of her.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
◾ Road trip romance
◾ Small town and Hollywood
◾ Co-workers & friends-to-lovers
◾ Age gap (11 years)
◾ Funny meet cutes a la 90s/2000s RomComs
◾ Reformed playboy turned perfect book boyfriend material

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the advance copy.

I was excited to read this because I work in casting! Unfortunately, the story began to drag and I had to DNF at 34%. I think it would have been more exciting to keep Kelsey at work rather than put her on the road trip. Great premise otherwise, but I don't think this author is for me.

This is the first book I've read by this author abd it won't be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this fun rom com with hidden depth.

I think this book came along at the right time. I wanted a quick and fun read, and a quirky romance and that's exactly what I got.

A solid 4 star read for me.

I always like to start by thanking the author and publisher for opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book. To be honest the book was not my favorite I’ve read this year. The titles of the chapters were really long and the story just didn’t flow for me

The characters did not have much chemistry for me, but I also don't find friends to lovers all that exciting.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of "Not Exactly A Small Town Romance" by JJ Knight.

I am a big lover of Hallmark movies, so this book slipped straight into my 'must read' list.

This dual POV, co-workers to lovers had me hooked, and toss in the age gap... I was one happy reader!

There were so many cute moments between out MCs and I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves cute meet-cute stories.

This book was so cute! I loved how Zach and Kelsey were friends and oblivious to their feelings for each other. It isn't until Kelsey goes on a journey to find romance that Zach realizes something is there. I found the adventures Kelsey got up to to be entertaining. The story moved quickly from the start and kept me interested on how it all would conclude.

Thanks to Netgalley & Montlake for access to this
E-ARC! Really cute! Loved the banter & the characters. Excited to read more from this author!

Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance was a fun friends-to-lovers/ age-gap romance set on a road-trip to find true love in a small town. Kelsey is working for a Hollywood casting agent longing for real connection and love that she has only really seen in Hallmark movies. Her friend and co-worker, Zachery has developed the reputation of a player who still uses his former acting credits and good looks to get what he wants. After a slightly manipulated encounter with a fortune teller - Kelsey embarks on a journey back to the small town she grew up in - trying to find love along the way. Zachery and Kelsey have a beautiful friendship and seeing their relationship develop further was very entertaining. Zachery is torn between wanting to protect and love Kelsey but wanting her to be happy, even if it isn't with him. Neither character is perfect - but this was a fun and heartwarming romance. Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the chance to read this novel.

What a fun cute and wonderfully written romance. This was an all the feels, everything and more joy to read. I love all of Jj Knights books and this one was fantastic.

Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance was adorable. I loved the nods to our favorite romcom movies, both literal and more vague. I thought Kelsey's whole journey of self discovery was fun and her feelings were relatable, which made for a fast paced and easy read.

I liked the characters a lot, I thought Desdemona was a hilarious name and felt very Miranda Priestly. I loved Jester and the color commentary he brought, and the characters from each stop were bizarre in their own right. The plot gave us a friends to lovers classic structure, with a low spice rating and a heavy romcom undertone. Influences from movies were listed at the conclusion, which was fun to see the references I caught and/or missed. I liked the characters a lot as well as the overall flow of the book.

The whole 'miscommunication'/'I'm not enough for her' trope is not my favorite to read, and we lived in this space for quite a long time. The story did move quite fast as the road trip progressed quickly, but somehow the plot lingered in this aspect. I was ready for the characters to let a bit more feelings or touches slip, but, alas.. it was just a big tease.

Overall, this was a cute and fun read. Definitely for a lover of low spice and would be a great palate cleanser after a darker romance. I liked it, but did not fall in love.

Zachery and Kelsey

Zackery and Kelsey work together in the movie business. They go out and try to get actors to use the casting agent they work for. During all that time together, they have become each other’s person. The best friend, the friend that knows all, etc. Except for..when it comes to dating.

Zach is an actor, and he had several good parts years ago but that is all behind him know. Now, he’s part of a team that tries to find that next big actor. With a girl on his arm very red carpet, the world thinks that he is a player, and he admits he’s not a saint. But everything is not as it seems either. Like his best friend Kelsey..and how he feels about her.

Kelsey has a lot of talent when she looks at actors. It is usually her vision of who should be with whom in a movie. She is great with pairing people together. Unless you count herself. Then she misses the mark. So Kelsey wants to go on a journey to meet The One. But Kelsey thinks life is like a Hallmark movie and she tries to emulate one, down to the practiced meet-cute.

So to start, I have liked everything from JJK. Fun entertaining stories. And this one is no different. But Kelsey can be a bit much since she is completely unrealistic and I felt bad for Zach. But it’s a cute story.

I just finished *Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance* by JJ Knight, and it was such a delightful read! Kelsey is a rom-com expert—literally, it’s kind of her job as a casting agent—and watching her try to engineer her own love story was both funny and engaging. I loved the setup of her trading city life for a small-town adventure, hoping to find her perfect, rustic love interest. The twist? Her best friend Zachery, who’s been by her side all along, might just be the guy she’s been looking for. The story is light, flirty, and filled with those feel-good rom-com vibes, but it’s also about figuring out what really matters when it comes to love.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved, loved, loved this book! As someone who adores rom-coms, this book was right up my alley; I couldn’t put it down! Let’s face it, we all know how the story will end, right from the beginning, but the journey was what made it great. I wished the sex scene wasn’t so graphic, as it was a cute romance otherwise, but the rest of the book was exceptional. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book was picked up for movie rights, as I’d so watch this as a movie, and not a direct to tv movie, but it think it’d do really well at the cinema. Overall a great book that will keep you engaged throughout, whilst swooning at the romance of it all. 10/10 go read it now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC

JJ Knight has written a sweet and funny friends to lovers romance. Our fmc is looking for inspiration in her work life and therefore sets out on a road trip to have the perfect meet cute. Her friend, Zach, who's always had a thing for her, sets after her to ensure her safety and hinder any love story from happening. I had to chuckle of some of the forced meet cutes. It was pretty obvious she and Zach was end game which made the meet cutes even better in a way. It did take a while for them to finally get together, but when they did it was really sweet. It was a quick and fun palate cleanser

This romance was an enjoyable read with a lot of warmth and emotional depth. The author did a commendable job portraying the complexities of an age-gap relationship, with the story set against the backdrop of a Hollywood casting agent's world, adding an intriguing layer of industry insight.

However, the book often shifted focus to side characters and subplots, which sometimes overshadowed the main romance. I felt there were not enough moments dedicated to the central relationship, which could have strengthened the emotional impact. Despite this, the book was satisfying overall and will appeal to fans of contemporary romance.

I'm a romance lover, especially those cute, not very dramatic ones, with happy endings, that let you live in love-land and not think about reality for a while. This one was exactly that for me! The dual POV was a masterpiece, chef's kiss. And I obviously love how modern it was. All good tropes, all fun and a beautiful happy ending. An wonderful reminder that we are all worthy of love and that it will come to us at the right time, no matter if it's new or if it has been there all along.

This book was frustrating .
I really really wanted to loved it because the blurb have me intrigued , but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it. There’s not romance at all between Zachary and Kelsey. How we’re supposed to believe they loved each other when they didn’t have cute scenes together ?? The book was more focused on Kelsey's other love interests than her romance with Zachary. I understand the main plot was she finding love while being on road but at some point she had to started being in love with Z because HE'S THE MALE MAIN CHARACTER 🙃. And the few scenes that have them together were poorly written and zero chemistry.

Now Kelsey was so selfish and too judgmental. She was so much into people clothes brands and prices. I just can’t get her. I really hate when authors write dumb females. It annoys me.
She “thinks” she finally found the love of her life -after only a few days- then she asks Zachary to leave and treats him poorly after she gets mad when he doesn’t cover her with her boss, like are you serious? Is your responsibility and Zachary did enough covering you for days. And the cherry on top? EVERYONE BLAMES ZACHARY AFTER SHE WAS FIRED (???) I’m sorry but what??.

And Zachary is not better, I was so tired reading why he was too old for her, like it was his only reason for not asking her out. You know what? You’re a coward.

I appreciate the eArc, but unfortunately this book is not for me.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me this early copy.

Kelsey Whitaker is a 25 year old casting assistant to a mean boss nicknamed the Demon. Kelsey's super power is she can pick two people to be paired together as romantic leads in anything. Kelsey grew up in Alabama on a dairy farm, but left the country life for the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, CA. Kelsey's best friend is her co-worker, Zachery Montgomery Carter, a 36 year old has been actor, known for his raunchy comedies. Zachery doesn't need to work, but he is secretly in love with Kelsey so he keeps working just to be with her. When Kelsey's love life has stalled out in CA, Zachery secretly tries to help it move along, and the result is Kelsey has decided to go on a small town, cross country road trip to find her special one.

Shortly into her road trip, Zachery ends up showing up and decides to join her. He will help her find her easy going. small town guy even if he though wishes it was him. Along the way many funny situations occur with Kelsey's planned "meet cutes". When Kelsey and Zachery arrive in Glass, Wyoming at the Hanover Christmas Tree Farm, Kelsey thinks she has found her perfect man in the form of Randy Hanover. Throughout the days they are there, Zachery realizes that he probably lost Kelsey to Randy and decides to head back to California. Of course shortly after Zachery leaves, everything blows up and everyone's life is all a mess.

When Kelsey decides that maybe she doesn't belong in CA, she begins the trip back to Alabama and the life she detested, but somewhere along the way Kelsey FINALLY has her real "meet cute" and all is better in the world. Now Kelsey has her happy ever after.

I loved this fun, laugh out loud road trip between Kelsey and Zachery. These two were such good friends that it was hard for Kelsey to see what was right in front of her. But somewhere along the way real feelings started to become involved.