📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

Reach for the Stars By Maxine Morrey
Publication Date: December 5, 2024
Publisher: Boldwood Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 5⭐)

📚MY REVIEW:

Whenever I am looking for a rom-com that's sure to make me smile, I know I can always count on a read from Maxine Morrey to do the trick! Reach for the Stars, the upcoming book from Morrey (one of my favorite rom-com authors), did not disappoint! This was a really fun read, with its lovable characters, its English countryside setting, and its happily-ever-after vibes.

In this story, we meet Felicity, whose 'perfect' life implodes in London after the ending of her ten-year relationship with her ex. Propelled by an alcohol-fueled bender, Felicity finds herself jobless, and the new sight-unseen owner of a fixer-upper cottage in a small village in the English countryside. Through a comedy of unfortunate mishaps once she comes to town, Felicity meets handsome Jesse, and the two enter into an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers situation as they work together to turn Felicity's new home into a livable residence.

Maxine Morrey just has this way of telling stories that make readers want to uproot their entire lives and move to a village in a rural English countryside. [Okay, maybe that's just me, but the thought definitely crossed my mind several times during this book.] This is now my second read from Morrey, and I can genuinely say she is an auto-read author for me! The stories in her rom-coms always have such heart and captivate my attention so brilliantly -- I always wish I had a few more chapters of the characters' lives within her books. Morrey writes stories that transport readers to a dreamy world, a fictional setting that - while it may not exist - is a place they'll feel they've been longing to visit all their lives.

A really big thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and the author herself for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review!

#ReachForTheStars #MaxineMorrey #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #BoldwoodVIPs #boldwoodbookclub #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #romcomreads #romcoms #bookcommunity #booklover

Sooooo I’m not really sure how I feel about this book…
It’s trying to be a small town romance, but I’m not really feeling it that way. I honestly didn’t really know what was going on until later on- the first few chapters I felt were slightly unnecessary (buying wood and running into a handsome man but nothing comes out of it… it’s a bit all over. Not the best read, not the worst.

I spent some enjoyable hours with this story. I liked the characters, not only the main protagonists, but the whole warmhearted community. I enjoyed the banter between Felicity and Jesse and was glad that they had their happy ending.

The beginning of the story is hazy as Felicity wakes up having gotten drunk, lost her job and very quickly sold her city flat and bought a countryside cottage (with sheep). The reality is less than idyllic and then disaster further strikes which threatens to drain the last of her finances and sanity. Of course, this being the small town romance book that it is, a host of neighbours and one particularly handsome builder, come to her rescue. There's a clear development of Felicity's character from city girl to country lass, but also with addressing her insecurities and past. I would have perhaps liked more chemistry and build up to the romance aspect as the bond between them seemed a bit fragile throughout, but I did love the back stories of both Felicity and Jesse and it feels there's also more to share between these two (& other characters) for further books.

Another unputdownable emotional rollercoaster of a book guaranteed to put a big smile on your face and give you all the feels. Every Maxine Morrey book is a treat from beginning to end and they just keep getting better! The characters, writing, setting, storyline are all romantic perfection. A must read for fans of Heidi Swain, Sarah Morgan, Julie Caplin.

Enjoyable read about a city girl looking for a fresh start in the country. It's basically a money pit and she's way out of her element, but she's ready to try and the help of her hot, good with his hands neighbor, sure does help. The meet cute was great and the follow up had me chuckling out loud. How did the author come up with those overalls?
The romance was slow burn, sweet, and behind closed doors. The banter was cute, but I feel like they spent a rather large portion of time apologizing to each other. I started to notice and get distracted by it. Otherwise, the wiring style was great and easy reading.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great , funny and good read. Also a lovely love story . The way everyone pulled together was lovely. Some good twists . Your up bringing does impact on you. Read it. A good wet Saturday afternoon read .

It's a typical story about work oriented "city girl" who finds love in a village and grows as a person.
I was hooked from page 1. The scenes were funny, main characters had great chemistry. The dialogue did get repetitive, with Felicity constantly thanking and apologizing to everyone. At about half point I started to get bored.

When it comes to romance, I would consider it slow burn. It was well developed; I could actually see why they would fall for each other. But once they got together there was nothing of interest happening. Third act situation seemed very forced and artificial to me. And personally, I didn't like how it was resolved.

I would recommend this to readers who are looking for a light, more or less dramaless, sometimes funny contemporary romance novel.

Reach for the stars by Maxine Morrey

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for letting me read this ARC. This review is of my own personal opinions.

This story follows Felicity a fiercely independent city girl who impulsively bought a farmhouse in the country during a drunken night following a nasty breakup, and Jesse a gentle giant with enough heartache to last a life time.

With one disaster after another Felicity or Fliss has to work together with Jesse to get a roof back over her head.

Felicity has a lifetime of trust issues standing between her wanting to get to know Jesse and Jesse has a lifetime worth of heartache standing between him the growing connection with Fliss.

There was so much to love about this story. I love how the characters grow and learn to live with the traumas of their past while also changing and making decisions that positively influence their futures.

My favourite part of the story was definitely leaning about Nanny. Such a beautiful and special character. I think I could read a whole story about Felicity’s childhood with Nanny.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Enjoyable new story from Maxine Morrey. I’ve been a fan of hers for a while and I think this is one of her better books. Felicity is an interior designer whose life falls apart after being left by her fiancé and fired from her company. While inebriated, she purchases a fixer upper farm house in a small village sight unseen. When she arrives, the house is in disrepair. She befriends a local, Jesse, who helps her make connections for fixing up the house. As time goes on, their relationship develops. There is added drama of Felicity’s wealth and being a fish out of water in the country to play off of local everyman Jesse. This story felt very natural and the relationship development was great. It dealt with some heavier topics, mostly life after loss. This was a romantic, fully closed door story. Check it out.

Thank you Boldwood Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

In this charming story, Felicity finds herself the reluctant owner of a rundown farmhouse, nursing a broken heart and facing a fresh start she never planned on. After a social media slip-up costs her a job, Fliss ends up in the countryside, where the only silver lining is her rugged, kind-hearted neighbor, Jesse Woods. When a storm sends her roof crashing down, Fliss has no choice but to accept Jesse’s help—and maybe, just maybe, a second chance at love. With plenty of humour and heart, this story is perfect for anyone who believes in finding light, even in life’s messiest moments.

I liked the premise of the book but it lost me halfway through when the romance seemed to stall. I would have liked to have seen more in the romance department and less time spent of the main character's past bad relationships.

I wish I could give 3.5 stars, because I enjoyed this book! Felicity's life turns upside down when her fiance leaves her and she makes a huge mistake at work, so she leaves London, sells her flat and buys a farmhouse in the country without seeing it. Turns out it’s a fixer upper and she has no idea what she’s doing. Enter Jesse, and all of the small town neighbors who help her adjust and make her feel at home.

This was a super cute enemies to lovers romcom. I loved the growth of Felicity, her chemistry with Jesse and just the overall story. There were some times where I couldn’t figure out how much time had gone by and sometimes I felt like there was a little development missing, but overall I really enjoyed it.

Just loved it,from the moment I started reading I knew it was a good one. Felicity was quite funny to start with,landing herself with a house and getting fired(not that should be laughed at) She turns up and finds the house she bought is not really habitable. Jesse meets her as she is trying to buy wood to help repair her house. Jesse is just so lovely and he has his own issues but wants to help Felicity. You must read this book and follow the story of Felicity and Jesse and how they overcome all sorts put in their paths. Wish their was a follow up.

Fliss's life goes haywire when her exfiance marries someone else. She drinks too much and ends up losing the job she worked so hard for. I her drunken state she sells her flat in London and without seeing it buys a farmhouse in the country. The farmhouse is a wreck and then there's a massive storm and a tree fall through her roof. Her neighbour Jesse wants to help

After having a devastating break up with her fiancée, Felicity had a little too much wine and makes some life altering decisions. Leaving her posh home in London behind she moves to a simpler life in the countryside . Tanking on the project of a DYI farmhouse is not as easy as planned. Knocking a handsome man in the head with a 2x4 does not make a good first impression. She’s decided she’s off men and the superficial friends she’s left behind. One tree through her roof has her handsome neighbor coming to the rescue. Jesse uses his influence to have the locals pitch in to help with the mess. The town bands together to make her realize in the power of true love and friendship. Thank you to NetGalley Boldwood books for this free advanced copy. This was a joy to read. I am leaving this review voluntarily

If there was such a thing as a cozy romance, this book would be the embodiment of it. This is a fun slow burn set in the country, with easy banter and a charming MMC.

There aren’t major challenges or character development points, and the couples primary issues occur near the end which is shy I’ve described it as a cozy read. A good book for an airplane, or solo dinners on vacation. Just remember, pants are undies too.

A nice romcom that would benefit from more development.

Felicity has just watched her personal life and her career go down the toilet and while on a wine of the month bender buys a fixer upper in rural England. After she clubs a handsome stranger with a 2x4 in the local home improvement store, she find out he's her neighbor. His frequent offers of help and the friendship of his sister seem too good to be true to loner Felicity. Can she trust him to help her and keep her heart safe and can he trust her not to run back to London at the first opportunity?

This book had some strong scenes such as her laying in the mud in her disintegrating hazmat suit yelling at the sky and sweet moments with the young girl and several scenes with Jesse, but it lacked a consistent and cohesive flow. Some things happened within a couple days, but was referenced as longer or there were parts where large patches of time were skipped. I felt the need for more explanation or insight into Jesse's work. The writing wasn't as smooth and polished as most authors I read. I would not recommend this one to a friend.

This book sounded right up my alley. I love small town romances, renovations and the city girl ending up in a shitty place but getting helped by the small town guy is just a great classic. And the storyline itself was decent and enjoyable enough.

One of my big issues was with the pacing. The first like 60% all takes place in maybe a week and feels incredibly slow. They have the same discussions over and over again which had me skimming the pages after a while. After that there are suddenly a lot of time jumps and it just felt like such a different book.

The ending also felt very rushed and unsatisfying. Felicity’s character could’ve used a lot more growth than she got.

The bones were enjoyable enough but the execution just didn’t work for me.

This is my first book by this Author but it won’t be the last. I loved this story of Felicity’s journey in finding herself and true happiness. She had a traumatic upbringing which had made her lacking in self confidence. When her career and love life take a dip she moves from the city to the country to rebuild her future. There the local community give her the warmest welcome and great friendships are made. I highly recommend this. I am already looking for her other books.