i was expecting this to be funny. it started off funny but it was not! i still loved it but it through my for a completely different loop. i would totally recommend this to our audience. it's sweet and has a wonderful storytime ad plot.

Meet Cute is just as the title says, cute! Kailyn and Daxton meet in law school but go their separate ways after a graduation misunderstanding. Several years later, they are reacquainted. Tragedy forces them to rekindle their old friendship, but drama continues to follow them. This was an easy, somewhat predictable read, sprinkled with a few heavy moments that keep your emotions on roller coaster. Nicely done!

Meet Cute was not what I was expecting by the cover. To me it was more if a contemporary romance than a rom-com full of heart warming emotional drama and a little steam.
Kailyn has a run in on her first day of law school with a former teen idol Daxton Hughes whom she crushed on. They become friends and are a bit competitive until he betrays her for the top Valedictorian spot.
Eight years later he comes to her for legal advice. Can Kailyn get over the past and betrayal? The more time she spends with him and his sister the more conflicted she feels.
There are so many instances in this book that you will relate to. Helena Hunting did a good job with all the legal aspects, it was right to the point and added good conflict. I had fun with this and it was entertaining.
Thank you #netgalley

I’ve been wanting to read a book by Helena Hunting for such a long time, and with 'Meet Cute's' adorable cover and blurb, I couldn’t wait to jump into a more light-hearted and fun romance. Surprisingly, this turned out to be more of an emotional read with a very heartwarming storyline and a lot more depth than I expected!

My favorite thing about this read was the individual and sweet relationships that Kailyn and Daxton had with his sister, Emme. The way he stepped up and sacrificed his bachelorhood to take care of her after the tragedy with their parents was certainly to be admired. I also loved that Kailyn jumped in and gave her the motherly type of support and friendship for Emme as well.

You know how sometimes you read a book that leaves you with mixed feelings and then once it simmers with you for a while, you realize that you really loved it? Well, I kept waiting for this to happen because there was so much about this story that truly captured my heart. But there were also a few things that niggled me about it as well…

Usually, complex storylines like this with tragedy, villains, and touches of angst give me all the feels and are right up my alley, but Dax and Kailyn’s romance took too much of the second stage in this story. Kailyn seemed like more of a crutch for Dax, and I didn’t develop the true feelings I needed for her character and their romantic relationship. Ok, maybe I did a little bit in the end, and perhaps it was because there was a lot going on in the storyline to distract me, but the flow and development just felt off.

Overall, I liked 'Meet Cute' with its super sweet ending, and I definitely suggest picking it up as so many seem to have loved it. I really look forward to reading more of Helena Hunting's books and particularly her Pucked Series, which has been on my TBR forever!

Thank you Forever Romance and Helena Hunting for this advanced review copy! I absolutely adored Meet Cute! It hit on all cylinders with heat, humor, and love. Such a great read!

I wasn’t expecting so much heart and emotion from this book based on the title and the beginning, but I enjoyed it. The slow build of their relationship and alternating narrators was great.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41063454-meet-cute

Meet Cute

Oh how I lovedddd this book! I had such high expectations after I had loved “Good Luck Charm” by Helena Hunting so much and this book did not disappoint AT ALL!

It had every aspect of a good love story, from drama to passionate love scenes and everything in between. I especially loved the depth that each of these characters had, even Dax’s crappy friend from college ended up being more than meets the eye. The book had awesome flow and the romance/story moved right along and kept my complete attention.

I read this book over two days, and it automatically put me in the mood to read more romance books (but let’s be real there is never not a mood that doesn’t call for a good rom book).

(Don't want to know about the story (it's still spoiler-free)? Skip down to the Likes & Dislikes and Down & Dirty)

I have been on a 6-week reading hiatus (though I have been devouring audiobooks), and Meet Cute by Helena Hunting was a good one to break my hiatus. Infinitely readable, I gobbled it up in one round-trip flight to Colorado and enjoyed getting back to reading with this sweet and sexy romance.

But I must say, Meet Cute was not what I expected. From the cover and blurb, I expected a clean, light, and fun rom-com. While there were some funny moments, I would not classify Meet Cute as any of those things. It was emotional with a bit of mystery, but it was nothing like the Pucked Series as far as comedy goes.

Kailin and Dax’s meeting was the definition of a “Meet Cute” with her ending up falling on her teenage TV-star crush in college. After spending law school harboring unrequited crushes while both competing for the top spot, years later, Kailin holds a grudge against Dax because she feels he screwed her over to get the top spot.

“If you ever run into Daxton again, you could give hate fucking him a try. I hear it’s a good way to exorcize a grudge.”
“Since I’m not planning on running into him ever again, it looks like I just get to hold on to that grudge.”

She ends up seeing Dax again when she gets assigned a case being a conservator for his little sister’s trust after their parents die. Dax is 30 and his sister is 13 and he is thrust into the parental role. Despite her grudge, Kailin can’t help but fall for Emme, and she can’t hold back her feelings for Emme's brother very easily either.

“Just be careful you don’t get yourself in too deep with this one.”
“Her world just fell apart.”
“I know, but don’t make it your job to put it back together.”
“I won’t. I promise.” I don’t like how much that feels like a lie.

There are so many complications on the road to these two getting together—work politics being a large one, but also, he has some heavy baggage.
"You’re not even thirty, and you’ll be taking on an orphaned teenager. It’s not an easy road. You know this, Kay.”

The cutest and most fun aspect of this was Kailin being obsessed with a show from her childhood that Daxton was the star of. She had all kinds of show paraphernalia, and I really liked those lighter moments, but it was almost not relevant to the story, that part of it just didn't really go anywhere. Another cute part was the 'aisle of red'; I really liked seeing 30-year-old Dax being thrown into being a dad for a teenaged girl. Though not really the rom-com you expect from Helena, luckily, there was still a lot of the light and fun I love in her books.

(quote graphic)

While I enjoyed the read, my biggest issue was that these two LAWYERS didn’t even guess at something stupidly obvious. I literally started grumbling at my Kindle, so much that my seatmate asked what my Kindle did to me! I also felt that the fact that he was a childhood star she crushed on kind of got lost in the story and wasn’t quite necessary. In fact, it almost felt like a few ideas for books were all kind of meshed together to form one story that never got fully fleshed out.

While the above may make it sound like I didn’t enjoy Meet Cute, I did, very much, and I do recommend it. I just had a few things that kept it from being the 5-star read I hoped.

Likes:

•Easy-to-read and unputdownable. It was a great first book after the longest reading break I’ve taken in about 15 years.
•I absolutely loved Emme.
•The fact that Kailin is a huge fan of Dax was so cute!
•I think the cover is adorable (even if it didn’t fit).
•I totally didn’t expect steam, especially from the cover, but it was pretty hot!
•I enjoy Helena Hunting’s style, and even when I wasn’t loving what was going on in the story, I still enjoyed reading it. Her characters are pretty relatable.

Dislikes:

•The cover doesn’t match the book.
•One character seemed to be almost a comic-book character, it was so obvious and over-the-top.
•Some things were so obvious and two successful attorneys never even mentioned the possibilities? This is definitely my biggest issue with the book.
•I never really understood why she kept her secret so long (except to create angst in the story).
•I wish the fact that she was his biggest fan was used more in her inner dialogue, especially once they got together. I mean any normal person would be giddy with joy in their mind if they just kissed their life-long crush, but it kind of fell to the wayside, and her fan status never really went anywhere.

The Down & Dirty:
I was expecting something so different from the cover of Meet Cute by Helena Hunting. While it seems like a sweet, clean and light rom-com, it is only that right at the beginning. What follows is emotional and angsty with a little hint of mystery (at least a mystery to the characters). I thoroughly enjoyed reading Meet Cute, but it was not without its issues, the two that stand out are the fact that they don’t even mention the most obvious thing, and the fact that his celebrity status never really played a part in the story beyond the fact that she had a crush on him when she was younger. Meet Cute was an easy, addictive, fun and emotional read. Though I had a few issues with it, it's still a book I wholeheartedly recommend.

Rating: 3.75-4 Stars, 4 Heat

What a fun read! This is the first book I have read by Helena Hunting and I am looking forward to reading more. Can't wait to recommend it to my library patrons!

Helena Hunting is a hit or miss. I'm so glad I was pulled in by this cover and gave it a chance. This book was a complete all around hit. I loved, Dax, Kailyn, and Emme. So much so, they kept me up until 3:30 in the morning. Once I started I couldn't stop.

This trio had me giggling, sighing, laughing, smiling, and even tearing up a bit.

The characters were definitely kickass. All likable and strong in their own ways. All able to stand on their own. No weak links here. :)

I loved that Kailyn didn't take any BS. And while she could be a spitfire, she also had a heart of gold. I totally girl crushed on her. I truly thought Kailyn was a badass heroine. Even when she's hiding something that would become a conflict of interest. I couldn't find it in me to even be angry with her for not confessing sooner.

Dax was a great hero. I fell easily for him. His charisma captured me immediately. His chase and determination to make Kailyn his had me rooting hard. But it was the love and protectiveness for his sister that really endeared him to me. Absolute book boyfriend material.

I loved the fun, flirty banter. I loved the tension. I loved the snark. I loved the challenge and the chase. And let me just tell you, when D and K get together, hell even just in the same room together, the sparks will fly! Their chemistry was delicious and off the charts.

And while I loved Kailyn and Dax, her and Emme were the heart and soul of this book. The two of them together melted my heart. Girl power rocks.

This book was an over all sweet, entertaining read, with minimal angst. Thank you, Ms. Hunting, for not drawing out the conflict. Thank you for making the forgiveness easy but not so easy the character would be construed as a doormat.

I highly recommend it.

P.s. One of my favorite parts was when Dax went on about his and Kailyn's Meet Cute. I loved seeing the guy gush over it vs the girl doing it.

This was my first Helena Hunting book to read and I really enjoyed it.

From the cover alone, I thought I was getting more of a rom-com story so I was surprised and delighted to get something with a little more depth.

Kailyn and Daxton have a meet cute while in college and the reader comes to find that Kailyn is Dax’s #1 fangirl from his glory days of being a childhood actor on a popular tv show. But alas they are never anything more than rivals in school pining to be the top of the class.

Kailyn and Dax meet years later when Kailyn helps Dax’s parents put together a trust for his sister Emme. When the unthinkable happens and all hope is lost, Kailyn steps in to help Dax when he needs it most.

I loved Kailyn’s fierce loyalty and independence and smart when it came to practicing law and helping Dax and Emme. I loved watching Dax navigate his new role in his sister’s life.

The “villain” in this story was pretty obvious from the get-go. Nonetheless I was captivated and really enjoyed reading about these characters.

Despite the real topics, I guess I just wanted more. More connection between the hero and heroine, maybe even more connection between the hero and his sister... overall though I enjoyed this book and would most definitely read this author again.

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting is a standalone romance novel. definition of meet cute: in a film or television program an amusing or charming first encounter between two characters that leads to the development of a romantic relationship between them.
"it all started with a little meet-cute.. "

Kailyn Flowers is a successful lawyer and about to meet her former mega crush, Daxton Hughes. Dax was e teen tv star, now he has entirley other responisbilities. He's about to become the guardian of his minor sister, has to juggle parenting, a daring job and his growing feelings for a certain lawyer.
Kailyn and Dax are no Violet and Alex, they're very different from the authors sports romance, but they're a fantastic couple, a exquisite read, highly entertaining and with a addicting storyline. A typical Hunting book. You can't go wrong with one of her books when you want to be highly entertained, want to laugh out loud and connect with the characters very easily.
Meet Cute is a story that made, yes made me read it in one sitting, cover to cover on the edge of my seat. It's a beautiful feel good story about good people in a great setting. I recommend the book and give 5 stars.

I have to admit…I didn’t know what Meet Cute meant before I started reading Helena Hunting’s latest release, but as soon as it was explained, everything clicked into place and a montage of movie and book scenes played out in my mind, making it incredibly easy to see just how perfect the term describes this awkward and adorable interaction.

And let me tell you…Kailyn Flowers in total fangirl mode over her teenage celebrity crush tv heartthrob Daxton Hughes is something to behold, and the way that Helena Hunting crafts this moment to begin Kailyn and Daxton’s story had me laughing out loud as well as quite embarrassed for Kailyn as both her mouth and her feet get away from her, so much so that the very guy she’s infatuated with has to save her from literally falling at his feet.

But, for a number of reasons, Kailyn’s feelings for Daxton change since their first encounter in law school, so when they meet under much different circumstances some years later, it’s clear that adult Kailyn doesn’t think too highly of her longtime favorite child star, which means that the fact that Daxton’s younger sister becomes her client and she’s forced to interact with Daxton on a regular basis makes things almost as awkward and as tense as their first interaction all those years ago. Fortunately, though, Kailyn is forced to be a part of Dax’s life and that’s when the truth is revealed.

Daxton is an amazing book boyfriend; he’s charming, commanding, and steps up when he needs to, especially when it comes to his sister. It’s a difficult transition for Dax and Emme, but he does the best he can with the new role he must take on, and while it’s a bit of a trial and error situation, it’s clear that he’ll do whatever needs to be done to keep his sister protected and cared for like she deserves.

Kailyn is absolutely grace under pressure, even when she feels completely off-balance when it comes to her attraction and feelings for a grown up Dax. Her compassion and empathy when it comes to Emme and what she and Dax are going through will definitely warm readers’ hearts, and while some may feel that she holds her grudge and her feelings of betrayal for far too long, especially without bringing it up to Dax; there are reasons why she’s so guarded and unwilling to trust and I commend her for taking charge of an extremely difficult situation.

The verbal sparring and sexual tension are constant occurrences when Kailyn and Dax are together, so it’s only a matter of time before they’re using their mouths and their hands for more than just snark exchanges.

I always enjoy Helena Hunting’s RomComs, and Meet Cute definitely fits the genre’s attributes, but there’s also an emotional aspect to the story that I wasn’t expecting, and while it caught me off guard, I appreciated it so much because it added a layer to the story line that seemed to perfectly fit the situations, and it was easy to get swept away by the events of the book because I wanted to see how everything worked out for all those involved, especially since readers knew information that some of the characters didn’t and we knew that it would irrevocably change things among all parties involved.

Meet Cute is another great read from Helena Hunting, and I’m anxiously anticipating her next release!

4.5 Poison Apples

***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***

Helena Hunting is back, delivering readers a story that is funny, charming, and oh-so-sweet.

Kailyn has a crush on Daxton Hughes, an actor from one of her favorite shows who just so happens to be going to law school with her. After a hilarious and random meeting, the two end up in classes together and, though constantly in competition with one another, manage to form a friendship of sorts.

Fast forward some years and these two cross paths again. It’s revealed that things went south at the end of law school, and Kailyn has a fairly ginormous bone to pick with Daxton.

And this, my friends, is where this roller coaster ride of a story really takes off.

I love Helena’s writing for a number of reasons, humor being the top one. Comedy comes naturally for her and there’s no shortage of it in Meet Cute. I was barking out laughs when Kailyn and Dax first met. I was barking out more when they have their second-chance encounter. Helena is so amazing at creating these funny as heck situations for her characters that are also relatable. I could see myself winding up in Kailyn’s shoes (minus the hot actor because that’s just not my luck lol) and I loved that.

I adore Dax. What happens to him is heartbreaking but he’s so dedicated to his sister and his world is about making life the best it possibly can be for her. He’s a book boyfriend I’d gladly bring home to meet my mom, but he’s also got a naughty streak in him too, which I loved. His relationship with his sister made my heart happy too.

Kailyn grows a lot in this story. To be totally honest, I got annoyed with her at certain points towards the beginning of the book but, by the end, that wasn’t the case. Once she has an awakening of sorts and lets go of the grudge, she’s able to see just how amazing the connection and chemistry between her and Dax is.

This story felt different from Helena’s previous work, in a good way. I loved how romantic and swoony the story itself was. Second-chance romances make me giddy and Helena nailed it with this one. The secondary characters in this book were funny and enjoyable to read about, and they helped keep the story moving forward. And of course any between the sheets time was hot as sin. (Yet another area Helena excels in at writing.) This book moved at the perfect pace and the plot was original, realistic, and fun.

Meet Cute is a good read to grab for that next flight out of town or long weekend.

Four stars to this novel!

The story was all right, but I had some major ethics issues with this one that the romance just wasn't enough to overcome. Dnf 49%

I love this cover and book! Meet Cute by Ms. Hunting is another fantastic read by this author. It's quirky, humorous and full of sweet romance. Also, it's about love and family and doing whatever it takes to stay together.

Kailyn and Dax met early in law school. She was the awkward legal student who runs into her celebrity crush, Daxton Hughes, on campus. Their friendship in law school was competitive and flirtatious, but never anything more.

3.75 stars This was a cute story. I loved the "meet cute" aspect of it... plus it's like every teenage girls dream to date that celebrity crush and this book just let's us all live out that fantasy. It had a lot of Helena's signature humor, but it also dealt with deeper topics that honestly I wasn't expecting. And I know they say dont judge a book by its cover but the cover makes this seem like a cute rom-com and I wasn't prepared for the seriousness that it brought. It was a great quick read over all though. :)

Everytime I have seen a new teaser for this book I have gotten excited and Helena Hunting didn't disappoint me with Meet Cute.

I will be honest and say it wasn't quite what I expected but I still loved every word. I had been expecting a RomCom but it was more Contemporary then RomCom. There was humour in it but it was more emotional, more angst filled with some hot AF chemistry. I devoured every word and love how raw and real this flawless writing felt.

I really liked Daxton and Kailyn. Their Meet Cute was totally hilarious, cute and cringe-worthy at the same time. Hilarious to watch from the outside but mortifying if you were Kailyn. Daxton was a star from Kailyn's favourite show growing up. When they meet she totally fangirls over him. Soon as these two meet at college you can feel the connection between them and the sparks that fly.

Fast forward 5 years and these two are reunited under different circumstances when Daxton comes into Kailyn's firm to speak about opening a trust with his parents for his younger sister.

What happens next really pulls at your heartstrings. My heart really broke for the characters. Whilst the storyline was emotional it was still sweet and heart-warming as the relationship progressed between Kailyn and Daxton, how they go from professional to much more is beautiful to watch.

Another brilliant read from Helena.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review from the Author

Delightful summer read! A modern day romance with plenty of emotional and romantic moments. Perfect contemporary romance for a quick read.

2.5 stars?

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one, tbh. I was entertained throughout, the chemistry between the two leads was great, the enemies to lovers angle intriguing and Holly was a sheer delight, but there are some really problematic things about this books that just did not sit well with me.

Ethics
“Technically, no, since Dax isn’t my client. I’m sleeping with my client’s brother, so maybe it’s morally ambiguous, but it’s not unethical.”/i>

Hooooo boy is this one a doozy. This is Kailyn's justification for sleeping with Dax. Sweetie, your relationship with him is not a morally ambiguous gray area because yes he's your client's brother but he's also your client's guardian and he is in the middle of a custody battle over said client. And your job is to be impartial. It's kinda hard to be impartial in a custody battle when you're fucking your client's guardian.

Aside from this one quote right here, this ethical dilemma wasn't mentioned at all. Kailyn's hang-ups on the relationship focus on her job's non-fraternization rule, the pressures of what'll Dax think when he learns that she'll make partner if he comes on board with her firm, and what'll Emme think about her brother getting jiggy with her conservator.

Fangirls
The women are something else though. They simper and fawn. It's embarrassing and infuriating.

Pot, meet kettle. Pot and kettle, meet your cousin Kailyn, aka Dax's Number One Fan.

I'd thought this would be kind of a cutsey thing in the story, but in reality it was pretty cringe-worthy, particularly Kailyn's I'm not like those fangirls attitudes, where she pretends to see Dax as the person he is and not the character he was...while still openly obsessing over the show in his presence even when it clearly makes him uncomfortable.

Dax

Oh, did you think this would be a review just flaming the heroine? Oh no no no no, our hero is just as problematic.

He openly physically intimidates Kailyn in the beginning, using his greater size to attempt to persuade her and influence her. She calls him out on it, but he keeps doing it—it's just becomes "ok" when they get together.

He also openly objectifies and ogles her, and treats her as possession—a prized possession, but one nonetheless. He gets jealous and very possessive over her waaaaay early on in the relationship too.

Plus when they first meet (again) he always has his hands down his pants adjusting himself to hide his massive boner.

Personally, it would skeeze the hell out of me if I ever caught a man doing this, particularly when we are both in a professional setting and are rivals/does it matter? I would probably contact the EEO rep in my office and file a sexual harassment complaint.

And again there's that whole fangirl aspect of everything that just...doesn't really get addressed by them? That he's suddenly okay with?

And yet, despite all of these pretty problematic issues, I did enjoy this book. I actually liked it a lot more towards the end, when Linda's motivations were finally uncovered (many of her doings were painfully obvious tbh) and Emme's unsubtle maneuvering was revealed. And again, Holly is a delight, even if her relationship with Kailyn never passed the Bechdel test.

So read for the entertainment and don't think about how this violates basic ethical laws?

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.