As with most romcom's, this was a light, quick read. It had moments that were enjoyable. I got through it quickly, but it didn't stick out to me.

This was my first read by Kathy Jay. This was a cute chick-lit romance and a quick read. Love the cover.

Based on the cover, I expected this to be chick lit (which it was) that was bordering on YA…and yet there were so many steamy scenes. Like too many, in my opinion. Definitely part of a larger story (a series I suppose) while being able to be read as a standalone. I am notorious for picking up books that are mid series without realizing it until I’m part of the way in and either confused or feel like I don’t have complete grasp of the story. That’s kind of how it happened with this one.
It was cute, while not being super memorable for me. Maybe if I’d read the previous book(s?) it would have made more of an impression.

This book was, sadly, another case of a quick read, but not special in any way, not memorable and frankly quite forgettable. The characters, which should me most important in a roamance/chick lit, were boring and unimaginative, with nothing much to offer and quite flat.
Not a bad read, but not one I can say i will remember.

Liked this book and the one that preceded it. Fun read and didn’t take a lot of concentration to read it. Would be a good holiday read.

A fairly average book, great to idle away the hours on holiday. Not a great deal of substance but written well enough to be an enjoyable read.

I loved this happy, modern, fictional romance. It's a book to recommend. The love story of Layla and Nick is very passionate and is a great read for any time of the year.

Definitely loved this book and would 100% recommend!

The whole story was written really well and even though some people may not enjoy it, the cliches made it even better for me.

I was so interested in reading this book after seeing the cover and reading the synopsis and I’m so glad I did. The characters were well written and the story was amazing and a joy to read, I can’t wait to go out and buy my own physical copy so I can reread it again 😅

Reach for the stars promised to be an uplifting, sweet romance and it certainly delivered.
When I saw the cover and read the synopsis I was drawn to it and I read a couple of reviews that said it was ok, so I started second guessing about reading it. But once I started I couldn’t put it down.
I really liked the story, the pace and the characters. I think the author did a great job making deep and complex characters that evolved along the book. I liked the setting, something different for me (and of course we also have Paris and that’s always good) and I deeply enjoyed the romance in the story.
I think Nick is dreamy (and btw, I can’t stop picturing him like Alex Pettyfer) and I was a little bit surprised about the sexy part of the story, but I think it was a good combination with the sweet, romantic part.
Overall, I liked the book… and I enjoyed reading it (although I wanted to throw something at Layla and Nick in one of the lasts chapters). And I’d definitely love to read more of Kathy Jay’s books.

Are you looking for a feel good read? Then if so pick up a copy of this book. I do believe this book is part of a series. I did not read the first book, having said that I still really enjoyed this instalment.
We join the story with Layla and Joe are about to embark on a round the world trip. Until Layla's mum is taken to hospital. Joe couldn't care less and goes without her. I found myself cheering when Layla dumps him.
I liked how this story is told from the point of view of both Layla and Nick. Layla is decorating her best friends cottage . When she walks in to find Nick asleep on the sofa. Nick has been attracted to Layla since they first met. They decide to have a little fun while Nick is in Cornwall. The chemistry is strong between these two. Couldn't have been happier when these two found their happy ever after.
Highly recommended for fans of contemporary romance.

I liked the premise of this book as I liked the Idea of someone breaking up from someone they'd been with for years and go find themselves. However I found it a little cheesy and would have preferred for the story to build rather than it all come at once. I also found some parts a bit too descriptive of the surroundings

Another GEM!!

Layla and Joe have been saving to go on a round the world trip, but when an accident occurs with Layla's mother she is devastated she can no longer go, and even more devastated that Joe has decided to go on without her and worse still, has suggested the pair 'take a break'.

We see Layla go through the motions and we become intwined in her life due to Kathy's warm and enticing writing.

Whilst the story can be seen as a little predictable, it is still very much so enjoyable and full of the fluff we so love!

I could never really get into this book. I found it all to be a bit too over-the-top in it's story line. The romance with Nick happened too easily and without any real build-up. A so-so read.

Layla and her boyfriend have been saving to go off on a round the world trip and so when on the day she is supposed to go her mother has a serious accident and she can't go she is gutted...... especially when Joe goes without her and leaves a note to say they should have a break while he is gone!

Nick is a well known actor and so when he had finished filming and his well published love life is hitting the headlines he decides to go and stay with his twin brother Alex in Cornwall....... but will the sparks fly when he meets Layla or will it just be a bit of a holiday fling?

A light hearted book, a bit predictable but light easy reading

We find ourselves in Porthkara, a Cornish modern day village. Layla and Joe are about to embark on a trip around the world, having saved for months for this trip of a lifetime. The night before said trip, Layla’s mother is seriously injured in an accident. Joe leaves on the trip the next morning anyway. What a jerk, right?! Wait…it gets better! He wants them to take a break!!! Not cool, bro. Not cool

Obviously they get Friends in Cornwall but unlike Joey Tribiani & company, Joe will NOT be there for you!

Fast-forward a few months and we meet Nick Wells, an actor who starred in a show with his twin brother that is basically The Vampire Diaries. Nick is going through a break up and dealing with the shocking news that he has an eleven year old daughter. Oh Hollywood, you seductive minx!

Layla is still in Cornwall, now tasked with painting a mural on a wall in one bedroom of Maggie’s cottage. Who is Maggie, you ask? Apparently she is the heroine of book 1, Layla’s best friend, and wife of Nick’s twin brother Alex. Maggie & Alex recently had twins and the mural is for the kids. (See? Jarring.) Layla and Nick met previously, at book-one-couple’s nuptials. So she doesn’t seem scared or too terribly shocked or put out when she finds Nick, half-naked, sleeping on the couch in Maggie’s cottage.
I suppose I wouldn’t be too bothered if a hot actor was sleeping on BFFs couch either, to be honest. Why does my BFF not have any hot actor friends looking to escape the bright lights of a TMZ camera? I’ll have to get back to on that!

As you imagine, things get steamy between Layla and Nick. They agree right from the start that this arrangement is temporary and neither is looking for anything serious, blah blah blah. And here is where things remain – in a web of hidden feelings and mediocrity for pretty much the remainder of the book. There’s more sex and unadmitted feelings about each other. Nick helps Layla emerge from the cocoon of self-pity she’s been trapped in since Joe left. Layla helps Nick overcome fears and come to terms with his own broken family issues and his new role as a father. However, it really doesn’t feel genuine or special. This wasn’t the “feel-good” story it was blurbed to be. While it wasn’t bad, the story was too bogged down with both of their internal struggles and doubts to be light-hearted.

The premise is good and I liked the small town setting. We got to see how much Layla’s life interacts with the locals, including her parents and Joe’s parents, and those who know them both. Once Nick arrives, he is a stranger to the villagers, but they all have their perceptions of him thanks to his celebrity. I found it rather comical how much of a human dumpster fire Joe really was. Ultimately though, this book pans out to be an average story in my eyes. Even though it is under 300 pages, some of their stubbornness continues on much longer than necessary and makes it drag on a bit. I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley from the publisher for an honest review. Thank you Harper Impulse!

Post made on Litsy, as well.

I have never read any of Kathy Jays' work before but was attracted by the cover of this one. I found the story a bit disjointed at first as didn't realise there was a previous book. I soon fell in with the easy pace of the writing and enjoyed the romance between Layla & Nick. I felt there could have been a couple more twists in the story but generally it was enjoyable to read. I didn't like the repeated use of the word 'discombobulated' it felt like the author was trying to see how many times it could be used when it didn't add anything to the narrative.

Two and a half stars.

First off, this is clearly part of a series and whilst it can be read as a stand-alone there are definitely things that happened in the previous book(s) which are referenced. I was a bit confused at first when there were references to Layla's parents' divorce and her not speaking much to her father anymore which clearly harked back to events in a previous book.

Layla Rivers and her serious boyfriend live in a small Cornish village. They have saved and saved and are planning to go travelling, the night before they are due to leave Layla's mother is badly injured in a car accident. Layla stays behind but her boyfriend Joe leaves without her, and no concern for her mother.

Nearly a year later Layla discovers that Joe has got married whilst on holiday. To add insult to injury his new wife Lainy looks very similar to Layla. When she walks into her best friend Maggie's cottage to continue with the redecorating she is doing while Maggie and her husband Alex are in London with their twin babies she finds Alex's twin brother Nick lying asleep on the sofa. Alex and Nick are actors and starred in a tv vampire series (think Vampire Diaries).

Nick Wells is at a bit of a crossroads in his life. The tv series is over and he has just finished filming an action film, when he was filming the vampire series his exaggerated reputation as a ladies man was publicity for the series but now he's turned to films its a bit of a burden. Added to which he has just been told out of the blue that he has an eleven year old daughter, how must she feel seeing all that gossip about her father in the papers? After his current girlfriend (a European princess no less) dumps him and he got a black eye from a wayward camera lens, Nick decides to rusticate in Cornwall away from the paparazzi and LA.

Layla and Nick met at Maggie and Alex's wedding, there is an undeniable attraction and as they live in close proximity they give in to their feelings. But what starts out as a holiday fling soon develops into more.

I didn't really get the feels for this book. Most fundamentally, I didn't 'feel' the attraction between Layla and Nick as anything more than Layla thinking he was a handsome actor. Indeed when they first came together I made a note on my Kindle 'where did that come from?'. There were no lingering glances or accidental touches, just, boom. And there was so much of it.

There was a lot of strange volte-faces where one or the other would be ecstatically happy and then suddenly be unhappy or angry - and I never understood why. At one point they had just made love, were still entwined and "Reality hit him like a nasty headline" - why? Which brings me to another point, the tendency towards purple prose.

Overall, Layla was a character who seemed to wilfully ignore the truth. If someone told her it was raining outside she wouldn't believe them. Over and over someone would tell Layla something and she would brush it off, 'he's just saying that', 'it's the heat of the moment, he doesn't mean it' over and over again. It got tiresome. And don't get me started on how many times she bit her lip, I think she must have permanent scars!

I've focused on what didn't work for me and it might feel like a hatchet job but this was still a sweet rebound romance with a sexy actor, there's Paris, there's a dog and there's a sassy policeman called Mervyn.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A lovely, romantic tale, which documents Layla's roller-coaster emotional ride when her boyfriend of twelve years, leaves her to travel the world when she needs him most. Layla is the family member and friend everybody wants. She always puts everyone's needs before her own.
Her serendipitous meeting with Nick, film star, and twin of her best friend's husband gives her the chance to put her needs first by indulging in a no-strings affair. While Nick's reputation as a 'player' appears exaggerated, his fear of commitment is not. He is looking to escape the media attention before the latest scandal in his life hits the headlines. A holiday romance which helps Layla regain her self-esteem is the perfect rest cure.
There are some humorous characters in this story but more poignancy and heartache than laughs but with plenty of sizzling romance and enough conflict to make the plot interesting this is an enjoyable lighthearted read.
I received a copy of this book from Harper Impulse via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Really liked this book , really easy reading and left me with a nice warm glow . Layla all set to go off on a round the world trip with her boyfriend Joe is crushed when he goes off on his own and leaves her at home in cornwall . She soon recovers and enters into a fling with handsome actor Nick although his reputation leaves a lot to be desired . . I loved the description of Porthkara it sounded wonderful , and was brought to life really well . I relly liked Layla and was rooting for her to get her happy ever after , all in all a really satisfying read .