DNF at 25%. It's been over four years since I received this ARC. I gave it a go and have decided it is not for me. It interested me then and no longer does now.

This was a cute story and I love a plot line where a character moves somewhere new to reestablish and reinvent themselves. One thing that I kept getting caught up on was the fact that the entire story was set in the US, but there were several "British-isms" worked into the wording of the story. It threw me off when I was envisioning the setting. Other than that, this was an awesome cozy and quick read, perfect for a day by the pool. It was hard not to like Paige and to keep rooting for her!

The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

I tried to get into this one, but it just wasn't for me. Since I didn't finish it, I won't be rating or writing a review. Thank you for the opportunity though.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This was a cute book, a fun little distraction. The writing was okay, which is how I've found the writing in most books of this type. Lots of clichés. Lots of overused figures of speech. Cheesy at times. It felt very much like the writing of someone who was nowhere near the age of the protagonist and didn't even try to get into the age of a 36-year-old woman (I know this because I am a 36-year-old woman). I could tell the author was not from Oregon (or even the United States), where this book takes place, because of certain words she used ("bonnet" for the hood of a car, "notes" for paper money, "torch" for flashlight, etc.). Don't get me wrong--it wasn't awful (I've read awful). But it wasn't great, and I think the book would have benefited from better writing.

Paige and Luke were pretty good together. Of course they both had bagged they had to sort through, but that was no surprise. His family was great, though I felt like his daughter, Kira, was at times characterized far younger than her 14 years. She whimpered with trembling lips and practically broke down in tears when Paige couldn't arrange for an author to visit the store, for example. Although the town of St. Clair was a little too perfect, I did appreciate that the stereotypical mean girl didn't end up being a complete stereotype. I also liked the transformation of Paige's relationship with her mother and the understanding they gained of each other.

Note: Some swearing. Several instances of off-page sex. Cheesy.

If you are in the mood for a quintessential chick lit book, then I'd highly recommend What Were You Thinking. It's charming, cute, and contemporary.

This is a really cute contemporary romance with a really intriguing main character and more than a few laughs along the way. This is a story I easily found myself sinking into, both Paige and Luke were really likable and relatable characters and I love reading books set in small towns, and all the quirkiness that comes with that. Although not too many twists and turns I thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout.

The story of Paige, who has just bought a bookstore in the small town of St Clair following the breakdown of her relationship with her fiance.

After reading a self-help book, she is trying to say NO to people. But when she meets Luke, can she refuse him?

She wants the people in her new town to like and accept her, but will they ever give her a chance?

An entertaining and fun read. Looking forward to the rest of this series.

A cute, but slightly typical plot line of a girl running away from her problems only to find love in a small town. Also slightly reminiscent of Hallmark Channel movies, which I don't love. However, I liked the main character Paige, especially her tenacity and spunk. For the most part I enjoyed the romantic storyline with Luke, but it did seem to take just a bit too long for them, mostly he to sort out their past hurts to be able to move forward together. But a good quick light romance book with great writing and characters.

One of my new favorite books! This author has such a way with words the pages flew by in no time! I can’t wait to see the next work by this author! This was such a joy to read!

Wow this book was just so good and so easy to get lost in. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I just didn't want it to end. I just couldn't get enough of these wonderful characters and I just loved getting to see their journey. I will most definitely be reading more stories from this wonderful author.

The first in the “Belles of St. Clair” series is an utterly charming small-town romance. I thought that the set-up was a little slow, but once Paige opened the bookstore and started meeting the townspeople, it really took off. The town, like any small town, is filled with quirky characters; my favorites were Smith and Marlon (they reminded me of an old Carol Burnett sketch with Harvey Korman and Tim Conway). In fact, I wish there had been a little more of them. The romance between Luke and Paige is sweet and natural. It was an enjoyable read, and I can’t wait to read the rest in the series. These are characters I would not mind visiting again! Thank you to Entangled Publishing (via NetGalley) for the opportunity to read a complimentary digital ARC of this book.

What an enjoyable book! I can't wait to read more of the "Belles of St. Claire" books and see where the stories go!
After Paige's life implodes, she decides to chuck everything to move from Manhattan to small town Oregon, giving up a life as a publicist for an editor to become the owner of her own little bookstore. Her (mental and emotional) guide is the self-help guru, Dr. Penny Groves, author of Paige's favorite self-help book "Just Say No." I love how she "talks" and "listens" to Dr. Groves, like she's right there giving her advice and pep talks in person.
Paige has a lot to learn about herself and small town living but she jumps right in with both feet, making a place for herself among her new neighbors and making her own little "family" of the Belles of St. Claire owners, something that she felt like she'd always been missing. Sometimes she's an accident waiting to happen, which I found very endearing, and keep her away from ladders, but she's always eager to fit in and make a new life for herself. I admired the way she pushed herself out of her comfort zone, something that isn't normally easy to do.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, which I was more than happy to do since I will definitely read more of this author's work. I loved your book Amanda, thank you for writing it! (less)

This was a really delightful, cozy read! I loved the quirky little small town, really gave me a lot of Gilmore Girls vibes. I loved watching the female friendships develop. Paige was a easy heroine to like, and she decides to change her life by buying a bookstore?! Yes please! Not a ton of steam, but a really sweet romance. Really curious to see what the next books in this series will be. 3.5 (rounded up to 4 in ratings)

I picked this book because the title was intriguing and the cover was lovely. It did not disappoint. It was a fun, easy beach read with a great storyline. Paige is a great main character, surrounded by an overbearing mother, quirky townsfolk, and a man! I was hoping for more sexy romance, but it was a fun read.

#netgalley #whatwereyouthinkingpaigetaylor

'What Were You Thinking, Paige Taylor?' by Amanda Ashby is a fun and light contemporary reading with a mix of romance and self-finding/helping journey. I think a lot of people can relate to Paige's character, where we want to just take off, leave everything behind and start over. It shows us that every decision has its own risk, even when it looks all sunshine and butterflies at the first glance. A well-paced story and also an enjoyable one!

What Were You Thinking, Paige Taylor? by Amanda Ashby is a light, fun, feel-good, romantic novel.

Paige Taylor is a self-help guru who has written many books on the topic until, while writing her 10th book, she decides to make radical changes to her life. A few of those changes include moving from New York to a tiny beach side town called St. Clair, Oregon. St. Clair is reminiscent of the town and characters in the show Gilmore Girls (which I love). As Paige faces her demons, will she regret her move to St. Clair? I recommend you read What Were You Thinking, Paige Taylor to find out. You’ll love this light, fun read.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Synopsis from the Publisher/NetGalley.com
After her carefully ordered world imploded, Paige Taylor cracks up. On her tenth self-help book, it seemed like a good idea at the time to reinvent herself—move from Manhattan to the tiny beachside town of St. Clair—and take over the local bookstore.

But instead of discovering her spiritual Nirvana, she’s neck-deep in a floundering business, the locals treat her like a plague victim, and her mom’s suddenly decided to visit—with no end in sight—and keeps coming home with one surprise after the next.

Added to that pot of crazy, the one guy who sets her pulse racing has sworn off women forever. He’s got a Samsonite filled with baggage, but damn he looks good hauling it down the street. And giving her those sexy half-smiles. And tempting her to take him for a test ride.

Soon Paige discovers that reinventing herself takes more than just a change of address and a pithy quote on Instagram. She needs to face the truth about her life, and that’s something she can’t do alone.

This is a light, fun read that follows Paige Taylor through a life crisis that lands her running a bookstore in St. Clair. It’s a quirky town that’s reminiscent of Stars Hollow. There’s even a single dad named Luke in the picture.

Review: What Were You Thinking, Paige Taylor? (Belles of St. Clair Book 1) by Amanda Ashby https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-aXA
Publication Date: November 12, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated: 4.5 Stars

I truly enjoyed this light contemporary romance. Not only were Paige and Luke relatable and likeable, the townspeople were a fun and eclectic group of people that pulled me into their world. I want to live in St. Clair. The story had no earthshattering events or hot and sexy scenes, it was just a feel-good romance that left me smiling. I look forward to revisiting with Belle number two.

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Kindle $2.99 https://amzn.to/2SNBFgC

A recent breakup sends Paige Taylor across the country, packing up her entire life and moving from Manhattan to a tiny little town in Oregon. Her plan isn’t very well thought-out, as we discover later in the book that she literally bought a used and falling-apart book store on a drunken whim one night, but she still goes through with the move.

She gets a bit of a mixed welcome from the town when she gets there; apparently the previous bookstore owner was disliked, and now that she’s gone, the town has decided that Paige must be terrible, too. Which didn’t make a lot of sense, but there you go. Part of the reason the town is anti-Paige is that they’re tired of outsiders coming into town, sticking around for a while, and leaving again, but it seems like one surefire way to get her to leave is to treat her like crap because a woman she never even met was unpopular. But, hey, that’s just me.

But Paige is determined to make it work. She looks up videos on YouTube to figure out how to make the extensive repairs that are needed in the bookshop while still saving money, and she does everything she can to make the townspeople like her, including cleaning a metric ton of bird shit off of a beloved town statue. And it works, for the most part. She starts to make friends, and sales at the bookstore start to improve, even if she’s not actually turning a profit yet.

There’s one notable exception. Luke Carmichael doesn’t care how pretty Paige is. He’s not going to fall for another outsider and end up with another broken heart. He’s going to put all of his focus on his daughter, and she’s all that matters.

I was looking forward to this book because I wanted to check out Entangled’s new August line, which specifically features characters over 30. I love stories with older characters (though I really hate that 30 is considered “older”), and this one was…. fine. Honestly, it was fine. Amanda Ashby is a good writer, and I liked Paige’s just-get-it-done attitude. I thought Luke was a bit of a wet blanket, though. He was perfectly nice, but their romance was just a paint-by-numbers affair, there wasn’t anything memorable about them.

Paige didn’t want to date Luke because the self-help book she read told her she should say No to everything until she got the life she wanted. Luke didn’t want to date Paige because he wanted to put all his energy into his daughter and couldn’t see any possible way to raise her while also dating. They decide to give it a go while keeping it a secret, a crisis that isn’t really a crisis makes Luke realize he was right all along, so he leaves her, then there’s another crisis-that-isn’t-a-crisis, and they end up getting back together. It’s all familiar, and comforting, in a Hallmark-Christmas-movie kind of way.